Intellitronic Bubble: 2020
Not as prolific an artist as I initially assumed, but that's only because when I first came into contact with _Nyquist, he definitely was a prolific artist. Or at least, about as prolific as one could be releasing multiple records with Lee Norris over the span of a few years. When the two finally committed some tunes to the LP format in Synchronized Minds, it looked like they'd keep that momentum going for some time still. I guess Lee got side-tracked with his usual multitude of side things (label managing, other collaborations, life issues), leaving the man behind _Nyquist – Frank Rumpelt – to pursue other interests in that time. Most of these were as different aliases exploring other sounds than techno, a tradition as old as... well, as long as there's been electronic music, at least.
Before that though, he did release a solo _Nyquist album, this here Sonic Periapsis. In typically odd fashion, it was bundled in one of Intellitronic Bubble's double-LPs, paired with The Shape's Waveshape Fiction, who is... well, I won't say just yet. Regardless, this isn't such a bad deal when you're dealing with physical mediums, but the download of this release doesn't separate the two albums. I technically should be reviewing both right now, but adherence to alphabetical OCD compels me to postpone The Shape's album for whenever I get down to the 'W's. Anyway, it seems a moot point now, as Frank recently uploaded the album on its own to his Bandcamp page. See, it pays to be two-to-three years overdue in covering new releases!
Mr. Rumpelt doesn't waste any time letting us know what sort of music we're in for with Sonic Periapsis. A simple electro rhythm, a little chunky acid bassline, and soon enough, we're cruising retro-future streets, passing sleek chrome vehicles in search of cyberpunk hangouts for some cyborg break-dancing action. Some tracks get more on that pure Detroitism (Micro Expression, Mydentity, Electric Rain), some maintain the electro acid fonk (Abstract Mind, Velocity Vector, SCIPRIDC), and Sudden Void sets off some of my trance triggers, despite most evidence pointing out it's not trance. Tack on a requisite chill tune at the end with Time Safari, and you have... whoa, wait a minute! D'at bass! Damn, does Time Safari ever remind me of some of those old 'audio bass' tunes from the '90s.
Come to think of it, Sonic Periapsis has quite the technobass vibe going for it overall. Yeah, there isn't much of a leap from that genre to Detroit techno and electro, but hearing some trunk-rattling basslines out of a label that isn't quite so known for it, well, that tickles my fancy. Or maybe Intellitronic Bubble does, and I simply haven't heard it yet. I have picked up a bunch of their compilations, but they're titled as numbers, I won't be getting to those until I wrap around again. And given my current pace, that won't be until... 2025? Ha-ha, no, I'm that tardy with this blog. I hope...
Showing posts with label electro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electro. Show all posts
Monday, March 27, 2023
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Gorillaz - Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (Proper Review)
Parlaphone: 2020
Strange days indeed. The global pandemic almost may have benefited the Gorillaz project, at least with regards to the Song Machine cycle. Being forced to strip back all the indulgent studio time and guest collaborators made this album a far leaner outing than the bloated Humanz. Even better, with no pressure to go on tour in support of a new record in the foreseeable future, Damon and Jamie could primarily focus on other multi-media aspects of the band, in particular music video and animations.
Because let's face it: for as much as we enjoy Gorillaz music, it's the videos and such that truly grab our imagination. Trouble is animation is expensive, and with more money being allotted for studio production and tours, this aspect of the project sometimes gets shuffled to the side-line. Again, just look at the Humanz roll-out for proof, only one video of significant note released in support of that record.
In treating Song Machine as an episodic venture, however, you were basically guaranteed a video with each song this time out. Whether an elaborate 'lore' builder with The Lost Chord, a simple loop session with Aries, or 'Roger Rabbit'ing their way about Kong Studio with guest musicians (Momentary Bliss, Pac-Man), it definitely felt like you were getting your dollar's worth. Oh, wait, watching the vids was free on YouTube. Erm, I mean, it definitely felt like you were getting rewarded for sticking with this fickle project even during the less-than-great times.
And even with all that, holy Hell, but does Song Machine ever come loaded with ear-worms! You could always count on a number of them per album, but even the best Gorillaz records will have a few tunes that could be left aside. Not so here, every song a winner. Well, okay, I could maybe leave Friday 13th off, but that's more because I'm not much a fan of mumble rappers, and Octavian doesn't do much to convince me otherwise. At least The Pink Phantom has Elton John's big, boisterous voice on hand to counter 6LACK's mumbling. Everything else though – from rowdy rockers (Strange Timez, Momentary Bliss, The Valley Of The Pagans) to electro boppers (Pac-Man) to soulful poppers (The Lost Chord, Désolé, Dead Butterflies), and all else between, Song Machine's got all you could want from a Gorillaz album.
It's funny though, because there's a hint Song Machine could have had some of the same issues as Humanz. The bonus disc includes half a dozen nifty tunes, mostly on the hip-hop side of things, but definitely don't quite fit the vibe of the main album. Which is how bonus tracks should be treated, the b-sides that are here for your enjoyment without sullying the flow of the main feature. Somehow though, I sense had this been Humanz-era Gorillaz, they would have tried to force them in, once again bloating an album beyond what was necessary. Song Machine is perfectly paced at its eleven tracks, once again showing smart restraint in the final product.
Strange days indeed. The global pandemic almost may have benefited the Gorillaz project, at least with regards to the Song Machine cycle. Being forced to strip back all the indulgent studio time and guest collaborators made this album a far leaner outing than the bloated Humanz. Even better, with no pressure to go on tour in support of a new record in the foreseeable future, Damon and Jamie could primarily focus on other multi-media aspects of the band, in particular music video and animations.
Because let's face it: for as much as we enjoy Gorillaz music, it's the videos and such that truly grab our imagination. Trouble is animation is expensive, and with more money being allotted for studio production and tours, this aspect of the project sometimes gets shuffled to the side-line. Again, just look at the Humanz roll-out for proof, only one video of significant note released in support of that record.
In treating Song Machine as an episodic venture, however, you were basically guaranteed a video with each song this time out. Whether an elaborate 'lore' builder with The Lost Chord, a simple loop session with Aries, or 'Roger Rabbit'ing their way about Kong Studio with guest musicians (Momentary Bliss, Pac-Man), it definitely felt like you were getting your dollar's worth. Oh, wait, watching the vids was free on YouTube. Erm, I mean, it definitely felt like you were getting rewarded for sticking with this fickle project even during the less-than-great times.
And even with all that, holy Hell, but does Song Machine ever come loaded with ear-worms! You could always count on a number of them per album, but even the best Gorillaz records will have a few tunes that could be left aside. Not so here, every song a winner. Well, okay, I could maybe leave Friday 13th off, but that's more because I'm not much a fan of mumble rappers, and Octavian doesn't do much to convince me otherwise. At least The Pink Phantom has Elton John's big, boisterous voice on hand to counter 6LACK's mumbling. Everything else though – from rowdy rockers (Strange Timez, Momentary Bliss, The Valley Of The Pagans) to electro boppers (Pac-Man) to soulful poppers (The Lost Chord, Désolé, Dead Butterflies), and all else between, Song Machine's got all you could want from a Gorillaz album.
It's funny though, because there's a hint Song Machine could have had some of the same issues as Humanz. The bonus disc includes half a dozen nifty tunes, mostly on the hip-hop side of things, but definitely don't quite fit the vibe of the main album. Which is how bonus tracks should be treated, the b-sides that are here for your enjoyment without sullying the flow of the main feature. Somehow though, I sense had this been Humanz-era Gorillaz, they would have tried to force them in, once again bloating an album beyond what was necessary. Song Machine is perfectly paced at its eleven tracks, once again showing smart restraint in the final product.
Labels:
2020,
album,
electro,
Gorillaz,
indie rock,
Parlaphone,
soul,
synth-pop
Monday, March 20, 2023
Gorillaz - Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (Kayfabe Review)
Parlaphone: 2020
Last time I talked up Gorillaz, I lamented we'd never seen a truly collaborative effort from this group. Yeah, they've all been present for a number of albums (their self-titled debut, Demon Days ...Humanz, if only barely), but generally speaking, one or two members are the driving force behind a given record, leaving the others to simply contribute their requisite parts in support. No, what I wanted to hear is a Gorillaz album where everyone - 2-D, Noodle, Russel, and yes, Murdoc – all have equal share in the writing process. Given the chaotic nature of this band, it seemed it'd take nothing less than an Act Of God for such a thing to happen. Or, in a pinch, a global pandemic.
Details are hazy what the initial ideas for Song Machine were going to be – something to do with a music device Noodle acquired. Regardless, the lockdowns in the following year essentially isolated the band within the new Kong Studio. Never mind their corporeal nature likely wouldn't be an issue in dealing with meat-space viruses, they stood in solidarity with society at large.
With nothing better to do than hang out together making music, that's basically all they did. No ideas for a specific album concept or contractual obligation, just jam away and see what sprung forth in a given session. That isn't to say some didn't have other things on their mind while holed up at Kong – you just know Murdoc would look for any opportunity to get out of house, especially having just gotten out of prison the previous year. Overall though, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez is possibly the band's most satisfying album in... gosh, a decade? However long it's been since Plastic Beach, at least.
Again, it's all about bringing every member's influences and interests under one big tent. Gorillaz have always been adventurous in their genre fusions, but you can generally tell who's doing the most production in a given project. 2-D likes his electro pop, Russel likes his American hip-hop, house, and soul, Noodle likes her esoteric indulgences, while Murdoc likes his punk and bass-driven rock. Indeed, there are songs on here you can tell who's influence is felt. Peter Hook on Aries? Oh, that's gotta' be a Murdoc get. ScHoolboy Q on Pac-Man? Russel, absolutely. Beck on The Valley Of The Pagans? Seems like the sort of musician Noodle would have on dial. And of course Elton John and Stuart Pot have talked collab' at some point.
Yet as mentioned, no one song feels like someone's taking a back seat in the writing process, everyone part and parcel in some way. Maybe that's why, for the first time in Gorillaz history, the album's unofficial song-writing credits goes to 'Gorillaz'.
According to lore, Murdoc and Russel did Humanz and the self-titled, Noodle did Demon Days, Mr. Niccals did Plastic Beach, while 2-D did The Fall and The Now Now. Song Machine though? Everyone! And it's all the greater for it.
Last time I talked up Gorillaz, I lamented we'd never seen a truly collaborative effort from this group. Yeah, they've all been present for a number of albums (their self-titled debut, Demon Days ...Humanz, if only barely), but generally speaking, one or two members are the driving force behind a given record, leaving the others to simply contribute their requisite parts in support. No, what I wanted to hear is a Gorillaz album where everyone - 2-D, Noodle, Russel, and yes, Murdoc – all have equal share in the writing process. Given the chaotic nature of this band, it seemed it'd take nothing less than an Act Of God for such a thing to happen. Or, in a pinch, a global pandemic.
Details are hazy what the initial ideas for Song Machine were going to be – something to do with a music device Noodle acquired. Regardless, the lockdowns in the following year essentially isolated the band within the new Kong Studio. Never mind their corporeal nature likely wouldn't be an issue in dealing with meat-space viruses, they stood in solidarity with society at large.
With nothing better to do than hang out together making music, that's basically all they did. No ideas for a specific album concept or contractual obligation, just jam away and see what sprung forth in a given session. That isn't to say some didn't have other things on their mind while holed up at Kong – you just know Murdoc would look for any opportunity to get out of house, especially having just gotten out of prison the previous year. Overall though, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez is possibly the band's most satisfying album in... gosh, a decade? However long it's been since Plastic Beach, at least.
Again, it's all about bringing every member's influences and interests under one big tent. Gorillaz have always been adventurous in their genre fusions, but you can generally tell who's doing the most production in a given project. 2-D likes his electro pop, Russel likes his American hip-hop, house, and soul, Noodle likes her esoteric indulgences, while Murdoc likes his punk and bass-driven rock. Indeed, there are songs on here you can tell who's influence is felt. Peter Hook on Aries? Oh, that's gotta' be a Murdoc get. ScHoolboy Q on Pac-Man? Russel, absolutely. Beck on The Valley Of The Pagans? Seems like the sort of musician Noodle would have on dial. And of course Elton John and Stuart Pot have talked collab' at some point.
Yet as mentioned, no one song feels like someone's taking a back seat in the writing process, everyone part and parcel in some way. Maybe that's why, for the first time in Gorillaz history, the album's unofficial song-writing credits goes to 'Gorillaz'.
According to lore, Murdoc and Russel did Humanz and the self-titled, Noodle did Demon Days, Mr. Niccals did Plastic Beach, while 2-D did The Fall and The Now Now. Song Machine though? Everyone! And it's all the greater for it.
Labels:
2020,
album,
electro,
Gorillaz,
indie rock,
Parlaphone,
soul,
synth-pop
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Children Of The Bong - Sirius Sounds
Planet Dog/Mammoth Records: 1995/1996
In the great Electronic Music Encyclopedia, the chapter on “What Could Have Been...?” is replete with artists, acts, producers, and projects that never saw their fulfilled potential. In a psychedelic scene with many flash-in-the-pan names and one-and-done wonders, Children Of The Bong's story always felt particularly cruel. A promise of something truly unique and remarkable, cut entirely too short due to circumstances utterly out of their control. Misters Henry and Goganian basically created psy dub years before it ever caught on!
I'll grant there were already tunes on the downtempo side of things within the psy scene, but much of it seemed in flux with already existing genres - ambient dub, world beat, acid breaks, goa trance, and so on. It took a true all-star act like Shpongle (re: Simon Posford and Raja Ram) to essentially set the terms and tropes of what psy dub would go on to entail. Yet for all the groundbreaking ideas those two were credited with, Children Of The Bong got there first, and quite possibly were even more intuitive with said ideas involving improvised analogue gear, as evidenced on their lone album, Sirius Sounds.
All those wiggly, squiggly, free-flowing trippy-drippy sounds psy dub is so often associated with are in full effect here. Hell, there's a track titled Squigglasonica, itself something of a spiritual successor to Ionospheric State (which I touched upon in Transmissions From Planet Dog). Funky, hip-shakin' rhythms coupled with delightfully fun knob twiddling on those wormy acid leads, and how could you not think of a title more appropriate?
These tracks are more representative of the sort of live jams Rob and Daniel would do, but they made room for more traditional takes on psychedelic world beat too. Well, about as traditional as anyone out of the Megadog scene would go, and even then throwing in their wildly warped variations of it. Interface Reality may be comparatively chill, but that don't mean the acid doesn't get a good workout along the way. The Veil has the sort of po-faced spiritual samples coupled with tongue-in-cheek low-ridin' basslines that reminds everyone not to take this scene too seriously. Underwater Dub gets about as deep into the reggae dub side of things as you could possibly go with this album, while Life On Planet Earth... actually sounds like a fairly typical spaced-out psy-dub track, until you remember it came out years before that was really a thing.
Okay, so clearly Children Of The Bong were 'ahead of their time', and all that. Why are they not regarded in the same breath as that scene's major players, then? Two reasons, one clearly being they broke up shortly after Sirius Sounds came out, Rob Henry carrying on with different music after. The second is just bad label luck, Planet Dog/Ultimate already showing strains of mismanagement with their signed acts. Fortunately, tales of the Bong continued to linger over the ages, and Sirius Sounds has seen some expanded re-issues recently. No excuses for overlooking this album any longer then.
In the great Electronic Music Encyclopedia, the chapter on “What Could Have Been...?” is replete with artists, acts, producers, and projects that never saw their fulfilled potential. In a psychedelic scene with many flash-in-the-pan names and one-and-done wonders, Children Of The Bong's story always felt particularly cruel. A promise of something truly unique and remarkable, cut entirely too short due to circumstances utterly out of their control. Misters Henry and Goganian basically created psy dub years before it ever caught on!
I'll grant there were already tunes on the downtempo side of things within the psy scene, but much of it seemed in flux with already existing genres - ambient dub, world beat, acid breaks, goa trance, and so on. It took a true all-star act like Shpongle (re: Simon Posford and Raja Ram) to essentially set the terms and tropes of what psy dub would go on to entail. Yet for all the groundbreaking ideas those two were credited with, Children Of The Bong got there first, and quite possibly were even more intuitive with said ideas involving improvised analogue gear, as evidenced on their lone album, Sirius Sounds.
All those wiggly, squiggly, free-flowing trippy-drippy sounds psy dub is so often associated with are in full effect here. Hell, there's a track titled Squigglasonica, itself something of a spiritual successor to Ionospheric State (which I touched upon in Transmissions From Planet Dog). Funky, hip-shakin' rhythms coupled with delightfully fun knob twiddling on those wormy acid leads, and how could you not think of a title more appropriate?
These tracks are more representative of the sort of live jams Rob and Daniel would do, but they made room for more traditional takes on psychedelic world beat too. Well, about as traditional as anyone out of the Megadog scene would go, and even then throwing in their wildly warped variations of it. Interface Reality may be comparatively chill, but that don't mean the acid doesn't get a good workout along the way. The Veil has the sort of po-faced spiritual samples coupled with tongue-in-cheek low-ridin' basslines that reminds everyone not to take this scene too seriously. Underwater Dub gets about as deep into the reggae dub side of things as you could possibly go with this album, while Life On Planet Earth... actually sounds like a fairly typical spaced-out psy-dub track, until you remember it came out years before that was really a thing.
Okay, so clearly Children Of The Bong were 'ahead of their time', and all that. Why are they not regarded in the same breath as that scene's major players, then? Two reasons, one clearly being they broke up shortly after Sirius Sounds came out, Rob Henry carrying on with different music after. The second is just bad label luck, Planet Dog/Ultimate already showing strains of mismanagement with their signed acts. Fortunately, tales of the Bong continued to linger over the ages, and Sirius Sounds has seen some expanded re-issues recently. No excuses for overlooking this album any longer then.
Sunday, February 19, 2023
Skua Atlantic - Silfra Diving
Fantasy Enhancing: 2021
I can't say I was hotly anticipating this album from Skua Atlantic because, well, I wasn't expecting it to happen at all. Don't get me wrong, I was tickled pink when I heard a follow-up to Atlantic Fusion was seeing the light of day, but you'll forgive me for thinking such a thing wouldn't happen. Despite the first pairing between Mick Chillage and Futuregrapher being a solid outing of retro-electro ambient techno, I don't recall there being a ton of hype for it, seemingly flying by the night as it appeared on Databloem. It simply didn't make a big deal about being a pairing between two of that scenes more prominent names. A one-off pairing then, the two going back to their solo projects after and booking time for whenever they get to work with Lee Norris again.
Two years later though (and during the height of global lock-downs, presumably), the two reconvened for another session of Skua Atlantic sounds, Silfra Diving coming out two years ago now (save a couple months). And now I'm reviewing it two years later, almost two years after (save a couple days!) I reviewed their first album. Which means Mick and Árni are possibly working and set to release a third Skua Atlantic album sometime soon, which I'll be reviewing in two years from now. Okay, probably not, but man, wouldn't that be hilarious if so?
Anyhow, the immediate thing I noticed about Silfra Diving is just how much more brittle it sounds, leaning even further into the electro aesthetic compared to the duo's debut. Granted, Atlantic Fusion had something of a soft Balearic vibe going for it, what with ample samples of crashing waves and flying seagulls, but greater emphasis on synth pads and melodies dominated that album too. Also, it was mastered by Aes Dana, which means given the always unbeatable Ultimae Mixdown™. Far as I can tell, Silfra Diving's mastering was handled by Árni, which is fine for the chill electro on hand, but simply can't compete with Vincent's lush, widescreen sonics.
That also means some of the more atonal leads this brand of electro likes is more prominent, which you can hear right from the jump in opener Reykjavik Dublin First Transmission. For sure there are still nice backing pads complimenting these tracks, but it's clear the machines have taken over for this outing of Skua Atlantic, some portions getting downright Berlin-School experimental in their execution.
I guess it's no surprise I prefer this album when it gets into some brisk, crisp electro rhythms with icy-cool synths and retro-future atmosphere. Where Cities Once Stood, Virtual Temples, and Kaffi Vinyl all hit upon such vibes, but just as much time is spent on pieces on the downbeat, often subtle, moody excursions more interested in abstract bleeps and bloops. They're fine for what they are, it's just when stacked against what was heard on Atlantic Fusion, I can't help but come away left a tad wanting. Silly unexpected expectations.
I can't say I was hotly anticipating this album from Skua Atlantic because, well, I wasn't expecting it to happen at all. Don't get me wrong, I was tickled pink when I heard a follow-up to Atlantic Fusion was seeing the light of day, but you'll forgive me for thinking such a thing wouldn't happen. Despite the first pairing between Mick Chillage and Futuregrapher being a solid outing of retro-electro ambient techno, I don't recall there being a ton of hype for it, seemingly flying by the night as it appeared on Databloem. It simply didn't make a big deal about being a pairing between two of that scenes more prominent names. A one-off pairing then, the two going back to their solo projects after and booking time for whenever they get to work with Lee Norris again.
Two years later though (and during the height of global lock-downs, presumably), the two reconvened for another session of Skua Atlantic sounds, Silfra Diving coming out two years ago now (save a couple months). And now I'm reviewing it two years later, almost two years after (save a couple days!) I reviewed their first album. Which means Mick and Árni are possibly working and set to release a third Skua Atlantic album sometime soon, which I'll be reviewing in two years from now. Okay, probably not, but man, wouldn't that be hilarious if so?
Anyhow, the immediate thing I noticed about Silfra Diving is just how much more brittle it sounds, leaning even further into the electro aesthetic compared to the duo's debut. Granted, Atlantic Fusion had something of a soft Balearic vibe going for it, what with ample samples of crashing waves and flying seagulls, but greater emphasis on synth pads and melodies dominated that album too. Also, it was mastered by Aes Dana, which means given the always unbeatable Ultimae Mixdown™. Far as I can tell, Silfra Diving's mastering was handled by Árni, which is fine for the chill electro on hand, but simply can't compete with Vincent's lush, widescreen sonics.
That also means some of the more atonal leads this brand of electro likes is more prominent, which you can hear right from the jump in opener Reykjavik Dublin First Transmission. For sure there are still nice backing pads complimenting these tracks, but it's clear the machines have taken over for this outing of Skua Atlantic, some portions getting downright Berlin-School experimental in their execution.
I guess it's no surprise I prefer this album when it gets into some brisk, crisp electro rhythms with icy-cool synths and retro-future atmosphere. Where Cities Once Stood, Virtual Temples, and Kaffi Vinyl all hit upon such vibes, but just as much time is spent on pieces on the downbeat, often subtle, moody excursions more interested in abstract bleeps and bloops. They're fine for what they are, it's just when stacked against what was heard on Atlantic Fusion, I can't help but come away left a tad wanting. Silly unexpected expectations.
Saturday, December 17, 2022
Devroka - Processor Overlord
Intellitronic Bubble: 2020
Boy, it's been a spell since I talked up this label, eh? I've a whole pile of material from them sitting in my queue, but because of that niggling, OCD, alphabetical sorting of mine, most of them have been languishing in the “#”s. Yeah, there's properly titled albums as well, but as it so often goes, many of them hang out in the “S” group, or the “W” gang. These things take time attending to, especially when, in the meanwhile, one buys up a few full discographies of other artists.
Intellitronic Bubble mostly started out as a typical techno label, releasing EPs, with compilations plucking the highlights along the way. It wasn't long before they dipped into the albums market though, Norken & _Nyquist leading the charge (because of course Lee would). Tradition dictates a slew of other albums from artists of similar ilk would come next, but I.B., they did something a little funky in doing so: releasing paired-albums! As in, each release would, in fact, be two, bundled together. Certainly a different way of doing things, but hey, I'm game, unable to resist getting more bosh for my buck. Ironically, the album I'm reviewing today is from a bundle I didn't spring for, as its paired LP is a re-issue of Skua Atlantic's Atlantic Fusion, a CD I already have. There's a story for this being the case, but eh, you're here to read about music, not my music buying adventures.
So Devroka. I knew nothing about this artist going in, which is always fun for those critical first impression. And said impressions are... holy shit, this is some retro electro! Pure robot body muzik, but, like, second wave, when Anthony Rother and Boris Divider were reviving the genre for the new millennium. The broken beats, the menacing digital atmosphere, the vocoder voice rapping about vector grids and cybernetic wars. I know Intellitronic Bubble dabbles as much with electro as it does Detroit techno and funky IDM, but I never expected something so distilled and pure from them either.
And it gets even wilder, as the man behind Devroka is none other than Devin Underwood. You might remember him from such reviewed projects as Gapfield and Specta Ciera. Yeah, one of those ambient guys! I've heard hints of his muse drifting in sci-fi directions, but never would I have imagined he had a full-blown robot revolution work within him. Then again Anthony Rother also appeared on Fax+, so maybe there's more crossover among electro and ambient guys than I was led to believe.
Anyhow, as cool as it is hearing electro of this sort, Processor Overlord is kinda' one-note as an album experience. There's some variety - Alleyway goes more technobass, Reverse Thruster more laid-back, Blockade less menacing, Vector Skyline way chill – but the electro aesthetic dominates throughout. I guess that makes sense when you have 'overlord' in your album title. You will get down to these sounds, even if you have the grace of a cyber-giraffe.
Boy, it's been a spell since I talked up this label, eh? I've a whole pile of material from them sitting in my queue, but because of that niggling, OCD, alphabetical sorting of mine, most of them have been languishing in the “#”s. Yeah, there's properly titled albums as well, but as it so often goes, many of them hang out in the “S” group, or the “W” gang. These things take time attending to, especially when, in the meanwhile, one buys up a few full discographies of other artists.
Intellitronic Bubble mostly started out as a typical techno label, releasing EPs, with compilations plucking the highlights along the way. It wasn't long before they dipped into the albums market though, Norken & _Nyquist leading the charge (because of course Lee would). Tradition dictates a slew of other albums from artists of similar ilk would come next, but I.B., they did something a little funky in doing so: releasing paired-albums! As in, each release would, in fact, be two, bundled together. Certainly a different way of doing things, but hey, I'm game, unable to resist getting more bosh for my buck. Ironically, the album I'm reviewing today is from a bundle I didn't spring for, as its paired LP is a re-issue of Skua Atlantic's Atlantic Fusion, a CD I already have. There's a story for this being the case, but eh, you're here to read about music, not my music buying adventures.
So Devroka. I knew nothing about this artist going in, which is always fun for those critical first impression. And said impressions are... holy shit, this is some retro electro! Pure robot body muzik, but, like, second wave, when Anthony Rother and Boris Divider were reviving the genre for the new millennium. The broken beats, the menacing digital atmosphere, the vocoder voice rapping about vector grids and cybernetic wars. I know Intellitronic Bubble dabbles as much with electro as it does Detroit techno and funky IDM, but I never expected something so distilled and pure from them either.
And it gets even wilder, as the man behind Devroka is none other than Devin Underwood. You might remember him from such reviewed projects as Gapfield and Specta Ciera. Yeah, one of those ambient guys! I've heard hints of his muse drifting in sci-fi directions, but never would I have imagined he had a full-blown robot revolution work within him. Then again Anthony Rother also appeared on Fax+, so maybe there's more crossover among electro and ambient guys than I was led to believe.
Anyhow, as cool as it is hearing electro of this sort, Processor Overlord is kinda' one-note as an album experience. There's some variety - Alleyway goes more technobass, Reverse Thruster more laid-back, Blockade less menacing, Vector Skyline way chill – but the electro aesthetic dominates throughout. I guess that makes sense when you have 'overlord' in your album title. You will get down to these sounds, even if you have the grace of a cyber-giraffe.
Sunday, October 30, 2022
Speedy J - Ni Go Snix
NovaMute: 1997/2021
The absolute limit ol' Jochem took his experimental side, this one. Of course, in techno circles of the latter end of the '90s, 'experimental' usually meant all manner of noisy rackets and wild distortions. Fair enough, the IDM leagues gaining plenty of critical praise and nifty Chris Cunningham videos for their efforts. Speedy J already had ties to the ranks of Aphex Twin and Autechre from his Artificial Intelligence days, so it'd make sense he'd find his way back there at some point, following similar paths they were already treading. Maybe rope in a couple like-minded chaps for a remix or two. Makes better sense than continuing to work with Banco de Gaia.
As an in-between single following G Spot, I have to imagine Ni Go Snix shocked a lot of folks. So much so that Jochem put a reassuring tag on the record that this was indeed, not, a new single for the up-coming album Public Energy No. 1. Don't worry, then, if it's not to your liking, it's just a one-off dalliance satisfying his need to go abrasive after all the plaudits for going so melodic on his last album. (or is it...!)
Well, just how noisy can one Speedy J track be? Pretty darn noisy, I'd say. Ni Go Snix is basically an electro track, but fed through so much distortion, you're hearing almost nothing but feedback on those bleeps and bloops. It's, like, electrocore, or electore. Ooh, that's one for the genre books! Look, if nonsense words like 'complextro' can get accepted, so can 'electore'. Anyhow, there honestly isn't much to this track beyond just how noisy Speedy J can make it, and with the Snix Mix, he makes it almost unbearably noisy indeed. This is, like hardectro!
Like A Tim doesn't do much with his remix, basically shuffling around the originals sounds for more of a freeform jam. Mike Paradinas, on the other hand give Ni Go Snix the good ol' µ-Ziq treatment, speeding the beats up to his brand of hyper drill 'n' bass action, then throwing in some spastic pad work and twee melodies in support, lending the track a rather Baroque vibe. Y'know, vintage µ-Ziq.
The CD version of this single – and by extension, the Bandcamp upload I snagged - did include a couple remixes for a track that appeared on the forthcoming Speedy J album: Hayfever. The Izm Mix by the hopeless obscure Jeroen van Dorsten turns in a future-shock heavy breaks tune that sounds like what The Future Sound Of London might have done to a Speedy J track if given the chance. The less obscure Sefan Robbers, meanwhile, maintains the future-shockiness, but opts for something a little more drum 'n' bassy, and is quite the sky-high mellow vibe after having gone so through much aural assault prior. How do these remixes stack against the original Hayfever? Heck if I know, I haven't heard Public Energy No. 1 yet. We'll find out soon enough!
The absolute limit ol' Jochem took his experimental side, this one. Of course, in techno circles of the latter end of the '90s, 'experimental' usually meant all manner of noisy rackets and wild distortions. Fair enough, the IDM leagues gaining plenty of critical praise and nifty Chris Cunningham videos for their efforts. Speedy J already had ties to the ranks of Aphex Twin and Autechre from his Artificial Intelligence days, so it'd make sense he'd find his way back there at some point, following similar paths they were already treading. Maybe rope in a couple like-minded chaps for a remix or two. Makes better sense than continuing to work with Banco de Gaia.
As an in-between single following G Spot, I have to imagine Ni Go Snix shocked a lot of folks. So much so that Jochem put a reassuring tag on the record that this was indeed, not, a new single for the up-coming album Public Energy No. 1. Don't worry, then, if it's not to your liking, it's just a one-off dalliance satisfying his need to go abrasive after all the plaudits for going so melodic on his last album. (or is it...!)
Well, just how noisy can one Speedy J track be? Pretty darn noisy, I'd say. Ni Go Snix is basically an electro track, but fed through so much distortion, you're hearing almost nothing but feedback on those bleeps and bloops. It's, like, electrocore, or electore. Ooh, that's one for the genre books! Look, if nonsense words like 'complextro' can get accepted, so can 'electore'. Anyhow, there honestly isn't much to this track beyond just how noisy Speedy J can make it, and with the Snix Mix, he makes it almost unbearably noisy indeed. This is, like hardectro!
Like A Tim doesn't do much with his remix, basically shuffling around the originals sounds for more of a freeform jam. Mike Paradinas, on the other hand give Ni Go Snix the good ol' µ-Ziq treatment, speeding the beats up to his brand of hyper drill 'n' bass action, then throwing in some spastic pad work and twee melodies in support, lending the track a rather Baroque vibe. Y'know, vintage µ-Ziq.
The CD version of this single – and by extension, the Bandcamp upload I snagged - did include a couple remixes for a track that appeared on the forthcoming Speedy J album: Hayfever. The Izm Mix by the hopeless obscure Jeroen van Dorsten turns in a future-shock heavy breaks tune that sounds like what The Future Sound Of London might have done to a Speedy J track if given the chance. The less obscure Sefan Robbers, meanwhile, maintains the future-shockiness, but opts for something a little more drum 'n' bassy, and is quite the sky-high mellow vibe after having gone so through much aural assault prior. How do these remixes stack against the original Hayfever? Heck if I know, I haven't heard Public Energy No. 1 yet. We'll find out soon enough!
Sunday, October 16, 2022
FSOL - Music From Calendars
fsoldigital.com: 2021
So, you think you're a hardcore Future Sound Of London fan? Got all their classic '90s albums, do ya'? Pft, that's not even scratching the surface. Side project stuff then, like Amorphous Androgynous, Humanoid, and all those early Earthbeat records. Not even close to a completist. Ah, you kept connected with all their 21st Century albums then, the Environments series, more AA prog-rock, even that Blackhill Transmitter thing. No, wait, the entirety of From The Archives too! That's pretty hardcore, no doubt, but still not propah' FSOL 'ardcore. Well shit, son-of-lung, what else is there? The soundtracks for films that no one saw (Four Forests) or don't exist (The Cartel)? Getting warmer...
If you consider yourself a true, bells-and-all hardcore FSOL fan, you've subscribed to their Calendar series. Once a month, the lads send a new tune, usually as their main nomme de plume, but under different aliases as well. It's a series that's been ongoing for half a decade now, and a handy way of keeping up to speed on the goings-on at EBv.
Obviously, I'm not that hardcore of a FSOL fan, since I never subscribed to this series. Nor did I much care to indulge the yearly summation compilations either. Look, when I can't even be bothered to get any of the Archives material, you're damned skippy I haven't the care to hear whatever random sonic studio doodles Brain and Garry squirt out a given month. Now, a gathering of all the choice material from a four year time-span, that's the ticket!
If you have been keeping up with your recent FSOL output, much of Music From Calendars 2017-2020 will be familiar territory. The weird, psychedelic abstraction (Frozen Air, Blacked Out Windows, Memories Of A Yesterday), the future-shock electro (Near Field, Obscured By Dark Intervals), the primordial chill (Artificial Placement Of Emotion, Commensalism, Riverbeds), the... throwback Earthbeat techno? Oh, wow, Alertions certainly is a surprise. Guess they made this just to show if they wanted to make something danceable, they're still more than capable of.
It's not a total FSOL love-in, a couple side-projects getting a side-glance in. Second track Surrounding The Garden Is A Fog comes from Synthi A, a deliberate throw-back to the days of '70s synth wizards. It's one of their more recent projects, conceiving only one album in 2016, plus a couple Calendars tracks. That this piece was considered among their best recent works is, not that surprising, to be honest. For '70s synth wibbly-warbly stuff (think Tomita or Schulze), it's rather nice. The other 'non-FSOL, but is still FSOL' track is Propogate from Humanoid. It definitely shows off Brian's love affair with the more techno-y side of IDM, but seems more fascinated with experimentation for its own sake.
Overall, Music From Calendars runs a tidy fifty minutes, and flows nicely from beginning to end. It still doesn't come off much more than a glorified sampler of FSOL music, but then we've been enjoying those since ISDN, haven't we?
So, you think you're a hardcore Future Sound Of London fan? Got all their classic '90s albums, do ya'? Pft, that's not even scratching the surface. Side project stuff then, like Amorphous Androgynous, Humanoid, and all those early Earthbeat records. Not even close to a completist. Ah, you kept connected with all their 21st Century albums then, the Environments series, more AA prog-rock, even that Blackhill Transmitter thing. No, wait, the entirety of From The Archives too! That's pretty hardcore, no doubt, but still not propah' FSOL 'ardcore. Well shit, son-of-lung, what else is there? The soundtracks for films that no one saw (Four Forests) or don't exist (The Cartel)? Getting warmer...
If you consider yourself a true, bells-and-all hardcore FSOL fan, you've subscribed to their Calendar series. Once a month, the lads send a new tune, usually as their main nomme de plume, but under different aliases as well. It's a series that's been ongoing for half a decade now, and a handy way of keeping up to speed on the goings-on at EBv.
Obviously, I'm not that hardcore of a FSOL fan, since I never subscribed to this series. Nor did I much care to indulge the yearly summation compilations either. Look, when I can't even be bothered to get any of the Archives material, you're damned skippy I haven't the care to hear whatever random sonic studio doodles Brain and Garry squirt out a given month. Now, a gathering of all the choice material from a four year time-span, that's the ticket!
If you have been keeping up with your recent FSOL output, much of Music From Calendars 2017-2020 will be familiar territory. The weird, psychedelic abstraction (Frozen Air, Blacked Out Windows, Memories Of A Yesterday), the future-shock electro (Near Field, Obscured By Dark Intervals), the primordial chill (Artificial Placement Of Emotion, Commensalism, Riverbeds), the... throwback Earthbeat techno? Oh, wow, Alertions certainly is a surprise. Guess they made this just to show if they wanted to make something danceable, they're still more than capable of.
It's not a total FSOL love-in, a couple side-projects getting a side-glance in. Second track Surrounding The Garden Is A Fog comes from Synthi A, a deliberate throw-back to the days of '70s synth wizards. It's one of their more recent projects, conceiving only one album in 2016, plus a couple Calendars tracks. That this piece was considered among their best recent works is, not that surprising, to be honest. For '70s synth wibbly-warbly stuff (think Tomita or Schulze), it's rather nice. The other 'non-FSOL, but is still FSOL' track is Propogate from Humanoid. It definitely shows off Brian's love affair with the more techno-y side of IDM, but seems more fascinated with experimentation for its own sake.
Overall, Music From Calendars runs a tidy fifty minutes, and flows nicely from beginning to end. It still doesn't come off much more than a glorified sampler of FSOL music, but then we've been enjoying those since ISDN, haven't we?
Monday, August 22, 2022
Jet Chamber - Jet Chamber II
Fax +49-69/450464: 1996
Where to even begin with Uwe Schmidt? He gained some minor fame after making an album of Latin-fused electro-pop covers of Kraftwerk songs, but the man had a solid decade of music making behind him before that. Those more in the techno-know were undoubtedly familiar with Atom Heart, if for no other reason than it was the alias Uwe most commonly goes with for his multitudes of projects and collaborations. And though he jumped about many labels throughout the '90s, he often came back to Fax+ for an album or three, even teaming up with Pete Namlook on occasion. In fact, some of the print's earliest records were a pairing of these two, cranking out bangin' Belgian techno as Subsquence and Synthadelic. Um, no one really talks about these anymore. That Jet Chamber project though, that's the stuff!
Five albums were released under this banner, remarkably unique from one another, misters Schmidt and Kuhlmann clearly unafraid in exploring different sounds with each outing. Yeah, you could say that about a lot of their works, but even with the numerous musicians Namlook paired up with, there always was a bit of consistency in how each one sounded. Not so with Jet Chamber. Say you liked the vintage ambient techno of the first album, but are you prepared for the pure jazz dalliance of the fourth record? Or rather preferred the dubbier, trip-hoppier vibes of the third LP, but not so much the micro-beats of the fifth? Which to choose, which to choose?
Clearly, I went with Jet Chamber II, and not just because it was the one I saw available for a reasonable penny from a Discogs seller. No, I've often noticed it crop up in a fair number of 'Essential Fax+ Albums' lists, so figured it a solid get regardless. And right from the jump in Inner Rotation, you can hear you're in for something outside the Fax+ norm. Well, at least what I'm used to hearing from this label, but then I haven't deep-dove into the entire catalogue – few ever have.
Anyhow, Inner Rotation drops us right into Atom™'s brand of electro-IDM beatcraft, leading us along for a good five minutes before Namlook's vintage space-synths join the fray. It's honestly rather typical of Pete's many pairings, his partner laying out their distinct approach to rhythms while he handles the melodic portions. What makes Inner Rotation stand out so much more is just how fluid it is, forever morphing and ever changing even at a lengthy eighteen minutes. Like liquid chrome constantly burbling, bleeping and blooping.
It's also the requisite 'clubby' track of the three, followed upon by the requisite 'pure ambient' outing of minimalist Calm Box. Can't be a classic Fax+ album without one of those, nor a half-hour long jam session, closer Outer Rotation serving as such. It mostly consolidates the first two tracks' ideas, which is fine if you want to hear more of those electro-IDM beats, but I prefer the 'concise' songcraft of Inner Rotation.
Where to even begin with Uwe Schmidt? He gained some minor fame after making an album of Latin-fused electro-pop covers of Kraftwerk songs, but the man had a solid decade of music making behind him before that. Those more in the techno-know were undoubtedly familiar with Atom Heart, if for no other reason than it was the alias Uwe most commonly goes with for his multitudes of projects and collaborations. And though he jumped about many labels throughout the '90s, he often came back to Fax+ for an album or three, even teaming up with Pete Namlook on occasion. In fact, some of the print's earliest records were a pairing of these two, cranking out bangin' Belgian techno as Subsquence and Synthadelic. Um, no one really talks about these anymore. That Jet Chamber project though, that's the stuff!
Five albums were released under this banner, remarkably unique from one another, misters Schmidt and Kuhlmann clearly unafraid in exploring different sounds with each outing. Yeah, you could say that about a lot of their works, but even with the numerous musicians Namlook paired up with, there always was a bit of consistency in how each one sounded. Not so with Jet Chamber. Say you liked the vintage ambient techno of the first album, but are you prepared for the pure jazz dalliance of the fourth record? Or rather preferred the dubbier, trip-hoppier vibes of the third LP, but not so much the micro-beats of the fifth? Which to choose, which to choose?
Clearly, I went with Jet Chamber II, and not just because it was the one I saw available for a reasonable penny from a Discogs seller. No, I've often noticed it crop up in a fair number of 'Essential Fax+ Albums' lists, so figured it a solid get regardless. And right from the jump in Inner Rotation, you can hear you're in for something outside the Fax+ norm. Well, at least what I'm used to hearing from this label, but then I haven't deep-dove into the entire catalogue – few ever have.
Anyhow, Inner Rotation drops us right into Atom™'s brand of electro-IDM beatcraft, leading us along for a good five minutes before Namlook's vintage space-synths join the fray. It's honestly rather typical of Pete's many pairings, his partner laying out their distinct approach to rhythms while he handles the melodic portions. What makes Inner Rotation stand out so much more is just how fluid it is, forever morphing and ever changing even at a lengthy eighteen minutes. Like liquid chrome constantly burbling, bleeping and blooping.
It's also the requisite 'clubby' track of the three, followed upon by the requisite 'pure ambient' outing of minimalist Calm Box. Can't be a classic Fax+ album without one of those, nor a half-hour long jam session, closer Outer Rotation serving as such. It mostly consolidates the first two tracks' ideas, which is fine if you want to hear more of those electro-IDM beats, but I prefer the 'concise' songcraft of Inner Rotation.
Wednesday, June 8, 2022
Morphology - Horta Proxima
FireScope: 2020
Not to say Morphology isn't a suitable fit for FireScope, but man, did their debut on the label ever come off as an odd man out. I'm not even talking musically, their melodic songcraft nicely rubbing shoulders on the print that B12 built. Still, the duo's electro purism couldn't help but clash a little with the more IDM-leaning techno of the surrounding roster. Beyond that though, I'm talking about the utterly drab, beige cover-art of Traveller. FireScope has, if nothing else, offered quite the selection of fantastical sci-fi aesthetics, eye grabbing artwork that one can easily get lost in as the retro-future rhythms emanate from nearby speakers. All except for Morphology's album, nothing more than a barren, empty crawlspace in an unremarkable space-station. It's certainly a choice, and may even suite the electro vibe Matti and Michael cultivate, but does little in standing out on a label like FireScope.
So I'm glad that, if nothing else, we've got something a little more colourful for Morphology's follow-up on FireScope, Horta Proxima. At first glance, it's still a stark, almost barren bit of scenery, but at least we have some nice contrast in the darks and oranges. Looking deeper though, and you discover there's all sorts of odd, mysterious artifacts in this landscape. Is that some sort of ruin? A living creature? A bio-mechanical monstrosity? So many possibilities, though I'm certain ninety percent of you have already thought of that one episode of classic Star Trek.
In any event, Horta Proxima is indeed the latest album from Morphology, which means is yet another of those quirky items on FireScope where an LP is split between two CDs of EP length. Yeah, yeah, it's meant to replicate the vinyl experience of having an album on two separate discs, which was a bit novel when Morphology broke that barrier with Traveller. Now that Steven Rutter, John Shima, and Derek Carr have also gotten in on that however, it doesn't feel quite so novel. Whatever, you do you, FireScope.
(*DE-DAE-DE DUN-DUUNN* BREAKING NEWS!!
As I was writing this, FireScope announced a Mophology box-set ...kinda'. Two separate albums titled Twelve, out on four CDs or records, with cover-art that's... very techno traditionalist. So much for falling lock-step with rest of the label)
Whichever disc of Horta Proxima you throw on first, they play out in similar fashion. The first couple tracks feature the most 'FireScope'-y of the tracks, closer to the domain of melodic IDM and sci-fi techno, followed by an assault of bumpin' electro, closing off with something on the downbeat. Or the whole thing plays out in two halves, if you go the digital route. When Morphology let the melodies carry, they fit right at home with FireScope, but whenever the robots start gettin' down, they remain odd cybermen out. Throughout it all though, their mint, angular beatcraft and thick bass tones resolutely keep the propah' electro fires burning bright. Preferably glimmering across chrome-painted star cruisers.
Not to say Morphology isn't a suitable fit for FireScope, but man, did their debut on the label ever come off as an odd man out. I'm not even talking musically, their melodic songcraft nicely rubbing shoulders on the print that B12 built. Still, the duo's electro purism couldn't help but clash a little with the more IDM-leaning techno of the surrounding roster. Beyond that though, I'm talking about the utterly drab, beige cover-art of Traveller. FireScope has, if nothing else, offered quite the selection of fantastical sci-fi aesthetics, eye grabbing artwork that one can easily get lost in as the retro-future rhythms emanate from nearby speakers. All except for Morphology's album, nothing more than a barren, empty crawlspace in an unremarkable space-station. It's certainly a choice, and may even suite the electro vibe Matti and Michael cultivate, but does little in standing out on a label like FireScope.
So I'm glad that, if nothing else, we've got something a little more colourful for Morphology's follow-up on FireScope, Horta Proxima. At first glance, it's still a stark, almost barren bit of scenery, but at least we have some nice contrast in the darks and oranges. Looking deeper though, and you discover there's all sorts of odd, mysterious artifacts in this landscape. Is that some sort of ruin? A living creature? A bio-mechanical monstrosity? So many possibilities, though I'm certain ninety percent of you have already thought of that one episode of classic Star Trek.
In any event, Horta Proxima is indeed the latest album from Morphology, which means is yet another of those quirky items on FireScope where an LP is split between two CDs of EP length. Yeah, yeah, it's meant to replicate the vinyl experience of having an album on two separate discs, which was a bit novel when Morphology broke that barrier with Traveller. Now that Steven Rutter, John Shima, and Derek Carr have also gotten in on that however, it doesn't feel quite so novel. Whatever, you do you, FireScope.
(*DE-DAE-DE DUN-DUUNN* BREAKING NEWS!!
As I was writing this, FireScope announced a Mophology box-set ...kinda'. Two separate albums titled Twelve, out on four CDs or records, with cover-art that's... very techno traditionalist. So much for falling lock-step with rest of the label)
Whichever disc of Horta Proxima you throw on first, they play out in similar fashion. The first couple tracks feature the most 'FireScope'-y of the tracks, closer to the domain of melodic IDM and sci-fi techno, followed by an assault of bumpin' electro, closing off with something on the downbeat. Or the whole thing plays out in two halves, if you go the digital route. When Morphology let the melodies carry, they fit right at home with FireScope, but whenever the robots start gettin' down, they remain odd cybermen out. Throughout it all though, their mint, angular beatcraft and thick bass tones resolutely keep the propah' electro fires burning bright. Preferably glimmering across chrome-painted star cruisers.
Labels:
2020,
album,
ambient techno,
electro,
Firescope,
IDM,
Morphology,
techno
Tuesday, January 4, 2022
The Future Sound Of London - Cascade 2020
fsoldigital.com: 2020
You knew this was high on FSOL's 'remake classics' list. Cascade already had the distinction of being the first in their 'every single is now a mini-album' manifesto, and it kinda' showed. For all the elements in play with the track proper, Brian and Garry didn't take it down terribly divergent 'paths' compared to later efforts with their EPs. Which is expected, still in a feeling out process of just what they could potentially do with all the new gear they acquired after signing with the mighty Virgin. Brian even says they simply didn't have the technology or know-how at the time to create the sort of music sloshing about in their brains. Still, capital effort in the results, y'know.
Time munches on and hey, wouldn't you know it, technology and know-how finally caught up with ambition, such that FSOL can't stop releasing material if they tried! Having seemingly exhausted their Environments muses for now, it seemed appropriate to revisit some of their back-catalogue, give tunes the sort of care they only dreamed of back in the day (or in the case of Yage, never got the chance in the first place).
If it seemed like I didn't get into the finer details of the original Cascade, it's because I knew there'd be ample opportunity to do so here. The opening track, appropriately enough, is the original track, claiming to be a 'recreation'. It honestly sounds very much like the version as heard on Lifeforms (so sans the little electro bridge two-thirds through), though obviously beefed up in the production department. And yet, I can't help but notice a slight filter on everything too, as though I'm hearing it from another era. Nah, must be some trick on my brain's nostalgia centres, I'm sure.
Now we get into some truly divergent paths, Flood Of Reflection, Deep Sea Of Clouds, and Things That Mattered stripping things down to spare rhythms, subtle pads, and sample collagist works. Meanwhile, Amid The Overwhelm, Dark Hours Of your Being and Sluice get their psychedelic acid stomp on. Elsewhere, techno's pulse can still be felt with Multiple Falling Objects and Brief Silence In The Distance, while What Falls Away Is Always gives the trancey arps of the original's bridge some solo shine. It's funny how such synths almost come off the most dated attribute of Cascade, a relic of the early '90s.
And hey, if you still prefer the older sound of London, we do get some continuation of the original EP, with Part 6 and Part 7 sprinkled about (plus another 'recreation' of the grittier Part 4). Part 6 certainly sounds of that era, an airy rendition that isn't much removed from The Orb's most ambient moments. Part 7 ends Cascade 2020, which really isn't much more than a coda to everything that came before. And hoo, if there wasn't a lot that came before. More than anyone who liked Cascade could probably want, but eh, that's been FSOL's ideology for a while now.
You knew this was high on FSOL's 'remake classics' list. Cascade already had the distinction of being the first in their 'every single is now a mini-album' manifesto, and it kinda' showed. For all the elements in play with the track proper, Brian and Garry didn't take it down terribly divergent 'paths' compared to later efforts with their EPs. Which is expected, still in a feeling out process of just what they could potentially do with all the new gear they acquired after signing with the mighty Virgin. Brian even says they simply didn't have the technology or know-how at the time to create the sort of music sloshing about in their brains. Still, capital effort in the results, y'know.
Time munches on and hey, wouldn't you know it, technology and know-how finally caught up with ambition, such that FSOL can't stop releasing material if they tried! Having seemingly exhausted their Environments muses for now, it seemed appropriate to revisit some of their back-catalogue, give tunes the sort of care they only dreamed of back in the day (or in the case of Yage, never got the chance in the first place).
If it seemed like I didn't get into the finer details of the original Cascade, it's because I knew there'd be ample opportunity to do so here. The opening track, appropriately enough, is the original track, claiming to be a 'recreation'. It honestly sounds very much like the version as heard on Lifeforms (so sans the little electro bridge two-thirds through), though obviously beefed up in the production department. And yet, I can't help but notice a slight filter on everything too, as though I'm hearing it from another era. Nah, must be some trick on my brain's nostalgia centres, I'm sure.
Now we get into some truly divergent paths, Flood Of Reflection, Deep Sea Of Clouds, and Things That Mattered stripping things down to spare rhythms, subtle pads, and sample collagist works. Meanwhile, Amid The Overwhelm, Dark Hours Of your Being and Sluice get their psychedelic acid stomp on. Elsewhere, techno's pulse can still be felt with Multiple Falling Objects and Brief Silence In The Distance, while What Falls Away Is Always gives the trancey arps of the original's bridge some solo shine. It's funny how such synths almost come off the most dated attribute of Cascade, a relic of the early '90s.
And hey, if you still prefer the older sound of London, we do get some continuation of the original EP, with Part 6 and Part 7 sprinkled about (plus another 'recreation' of the grittier Part 4). Part 6 certainly sounds of that era, an airy rendition that isn't much removed from The Orb's most ambient moments. Part 7 ends Cascade 2020, which really isn't much more than a coda to everything that came before. And hoo, if there wasn't a lot that came before. More than anyone who liked Cascade could probably want, but eh, that's been FSOL's ideology for a while now.
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Various - Balance 005: James Holden
EQ Recordings: 2003
So this was one of the big ones. Even if the music didn't hold up (spoiler: it does), it cannot be denied how much James Holden's contribution to the Balance series marked a prominent shift in the way the prog-house series, um, progressed. Prior, each volume mostly stuck with the dark, tribal prog of the era, save a single CD flirtation of prog-breaks by Phil K. After, Balance became known as the premier DJ mix series, where disc jockeys could indulge themselves with unconventional sets. Not to say that happened all the time, but such a rep started here.
Beyond that though, James' set marked a radical shift in the scene at large, ground zero for a splintering that would be felt for much of the next decade. Not only did Balance 005 firmly state the old Bedrock Records sound was done and dusted, but gave us a taste of what was to come. Obviously the Border Community style from Holden and his cohorts is what gets prominent focus here, but there's ample examples of the sort of prog folks initially expected of James, and got co-opted by Coldharbour instead. Grumbly basslines, side-chained melodies, poppy vocals, and whatnot.
Nowhere is this more apparent than right in the middle of CD1. Leading up, there's still a sense of the dark, dubby prog lurking about, even if a track like Petter's All Together enjoys throwing some robo-clank into the mix. Infusion's rub on JASEfos' Do What U Want is pure proto-McProg though, with a big vocal supported by a rumbly groove, the sort of tune you'd almost expect Holden to lead into his own Nothing (93 Returning Mix). Instead, it goes into the twee electro-fuzz of Nathan Fake's Outhouse (Fluffy Mix), its rhythm nothing more than twitchy clicks n' pops. And while the more traditionally thumping original version follows, this debut from Fake is basically what Border Community would heavily promote for much of its run. As I say, quite the little moment of contrast in hindsight.
Anyhow, disc one plays out with more of this push-pull between old-prog and BC-prog. Cannot deny I tend to favour the old (mmm, PQM cut), but Holden ends things off pleasant enough. CD2 kicks things off with some sleaze house in Meek's Happy (because electroclash was still kinda' a thing in 2003), then we're right back into more dark, dubby prog, with twinkly melodies sprinkled about (Epsilon 9's Lifeformation; Ficta's Eli; Kosmas Epsilon's rub on FC Kahuna's Hayling ...why does it sound like my CD's skipping during the breakdown?).
There's some bits and bobs of other sounds thrown in (acid in his own The Wheel, future-shock electro in Carl Finlow's Ghetto Server ...was Anthony Rother not available?), and Holden takes a long lead-down for the finish, each track growing ever more chill and Border Community-ey after the other. I honestly find my attention drifting, but only because the mid-set peak was so high. I'm not ready to come down yet, Mr. Holden!
So this was one of the big ones. Even if the music didn't hold up (spoiler: it does), it cannot be denied how much James Holden's contribution to the Balance series marked a prominent shift in the way the prog-house series, um, progressed. Prior, each volume mostly stuck with the dark, tribal prog of the era, save a single CD flirtation of prog-breaks by Phil K. After, Balance became known as the premier DJ mix series, where disc jockeys could indulge themselves with unconventional sets. Not to say that happened all the time, but such a rep started here.
Beyond that though, James' set marked a radical shift in the scene at large, ground zero for a splintering that would be felt for much of the next decade. Not only did Balance 005 firmly state the old Bedrock Records sound was done and dusted, but gave us a taste of what was to come. Obviously the Border Community style from Holden and his cohorts is what gets prominent focus here, but there's ample examples of the sort of prog folks initially expected of James, and got co-opted by Coldharbour instead. Grumbly basslines, side-chained melodies, poppy vocals, and whatnot.
Nowhere is this more apparent than right in the middle of CD1. Leading up, there's still a sense of the dark, dubby prog lurking about, even if a track like Petter's All Together enjoys throwing some robo-clank into the mix. Infusion's rub on JASEfos' Do What U Want is pure proto-McProg though, with a big vocal supported by a rumbly groove, the sort of tune you'd almost expect Holden to lead into his own Nothing (93 Returning Mix). Instead, it goes into the twee electro-fuzz of Nathan Fake's Outhouse (Fluffy Mix), its rhythm nothing more than twitchy clicks n' pops. And while the more traditionally thumping original version follows, this debut from Fake is basically what Border Community would heavily promote for much of its run. As I say, quite the little moment of contrast in hindsight.
Anyhow, disc one plays out with more of this push-pull between old-prog and BC-prog. Cannot deny I tend to favour the old (mmm, PQM cut), but Holden ends things off pleasant enough. CD2 kicks things off with some sleaze house in Meek's Happy (because electroclash was still kinda' a thing in 2003), then we're right back into more dark, dubby prog, with twinkly melodies sprinkled about (Epsilon 9's Lifeformation; Ficta's Eli; Kosmas Epsilon's rub on FC Kahuna's Hayling ...why does it sound like my CD's skipping during the breakdown?).
There's some bits and bobs of other sounds thrown in (acid in his own The Wheel, future-shock electro in Carl Finlow's Ghetto Server ...was Anthony Rother not available?), and Holden takes a long lead-down for the finish, each track growing ever more chill and Border Community-ey after the other. I honestly find my attention drifting, but only because the mid-set peak was so high. I'm not ready to come down yet, Mr. Holden!
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Various - Adykt
Dyadik: 2021
So I get an email from Touched Music via their Bandcamp page, as you do when you subscribe to artist and label pages. I normally don't pay them much attention, inundated with updates from multiple subscriptions as I am. This one though, caught my attention with big proclamations of this being an immediate second-run of CD copies, the first selling out so quickly. Well gosh, if that don't trigger my FOMO like few other items. Who cares if I know nothing of this Dyadik label, or that out of twenty-two tracks on this double-LP, I only recognize John Tejada? LIMITED QUANTITIES! FAST SELL-OUT! Man, is Adykt ever an appropriate name for this compilation.
Still, there was a nice bit of nostalgic thrill, diving into a compilation with practically no info or background of what I was getting into. Heck, I only assumed this would be on the ambient techno spectrum because of the Touched Music association. It could have been grime for all I knew. In fact, the track Oliver Sutton, We On from Min-Y-Llan has some of the rappity-raps going on, which is weird considering the backing track sounds like some electro-ambient thing. Oh, and it's produced by the guy behind the Touched compilations, that's weird too. Or unexpected, at least.
But nay, CD1 opens with exm's Kolder, a gentle bit of loopy, shoegazey, piano ambience as I'd expect. HRYM's Heimferd follows and, good gosh, is this Balearic trance? It sure gives me those classic Solarstone feels, though just a little more subtle with its rhythms. Weld's Premises goes glitch-hop, while dialed's The Cat's Whiskers actually does go acid-grime. Okay, Adykt, you've sold me. You're one of those 'anything goes' compilations, aren't you? Even if I don't end up liking all the tracks, I appreciate the gumption.
Fortunately, there's plenty to enjoy. The synthwave vibes of Buspin Jieber's Never Say These Words. The old-timey Berlin-School leaning If You Had One from The Gasman. The classic neurofunk of Karsten Plfum's Breaks And Morphoids. The chiptune quirkiness of DTACK's Polyhedra. Plus a whole pile of ambient techno, braindance, acid, and chill electro scattered about the rest. I actually do recognize a couple others artists since picking Adykt up – Urban Meditation, Drøn, Z-Arc... I think. Plenty more are totally new to me though, with oddball aliases that really put your character key skills to the test (Auberg1ne, MⒶ, ΠΕΡΑ ΣΤΑ ΟΡΗ).
On one hand, that's great, in that plenty of folks are getting extra shine, especially those who haven't had much after many years making music. On the other hand, you're gonna' have to do some serious sleuthing in hunting down everyone here. Despite being around a couple years now (so sayeth Lord Discogs), this Dyadik label only has three releases to its name. Is Martin Boulton (the aforementioned Min-Y-Llan) just more focused on Touched than keeping pace with this print? Whatever the case, here's hoping Adykt acts as a springboard of sorts for future releases from these artists. They deserve it.
So I get an email from Touched Music via their Bandcamp page, as you do when you subscribe to artist and label pages. I normally don't pay them much attention, inundated with updates from multiple subscriptions as I am. This one though, caught my attention with big proclamations of this being an immediate second-run of CD copies, the first selling out so quickly. Well gosh, if that don't trigger my FOMO like few other items. Who cares if I know nothing of this Dyadik label, or that out of twenty-two tracks on this double-LP, I only recognize John Tejada? LIMITED QUANTITIES! FAST SELL-OUT! Man, is Adykt ever an appropriate name for this compilation.
Still, there was a nice bit of nostalgic thrill, diving into a compilation with practically no info or background of what I was getting into. Heck, I only assumed this would be on the ambient techno spectrum because of the Touched Music association. It could have been grime for all I knew. In fact, the track Oliver Sutton, We On from Min-Y-Llan has some of the rappity-raps going on, which is weird considering the backing track sounds like some electro-ambient thing. Oh, and it's produced by the guy behind the Touched compilations, that's weird too. Or unexpected, at least.
But nay, CD1 opens with exm's Kolder, a gentle bit of loopy, shoegazey, piano ambience as I'd expect. HRYM's Heimferd follows and, good gosh, is this Balearic trance? It sure gives me those classic Solarstone feels, though just a little more subtle with its rhythms. Weld's Premises goes glitch-hop, while dialed's The Cat's Whiskers actually does go acid-grime. Okay, Adykt, you've sold me. You're one of those 'anything goes' compilations, aren't you? Even if I don't end up liking all the tracks, I appreciate the gumption.
Fortunately, there's plenty to enjoy. The synthwave vibes of Buspin Jieber's Never Say These Words. The old-timey Berlin-School leaning If You Had One from The Gasman. The classic neurofunk of Karsten Plfum's Breaks And Morphoids. The chiptune quirkiness of DTACK's Polyhedra. Plus a whole pile of ambient techno, braindance, acid, and chill electro scattered about the rest. I actually do recognize a couple others artists since picking Adykt up – Urban Meditation, Drøn, Z-Arc... I think. Plenty more are totally new to me though, with oddball aliases that really put your character key skills to the test (Auberg1ne, MⒶ, ΠΕΡΑ ΣΤΑ ΟΡΗ).
On one hand, that's great, in that plenty of folks are getting extra shine, especially those who haven't had much after many years making music. On the other hand, you're gonna' have to do some serious sleuthing in hunting down everyone here. Despite being around a couple years now (so sayeth Lord Discogs), this Dyadik label only has three releases to its name. Is Martin Boulton (the aforementioned Min-Y-Llan) just more focused on Touched than keeping pace with this print? Whatever the case, here's hoping Adykt acts as a springboard of sorts for future releases from these artists. They deserve it.
Labels:
2021,
acid,
ambient techno,
Compilation,
Dyadik,
electro,
glitch,
IDM,
neurofunk,
synthwave
Saturday, November 6, 2021
Various - 001005
Intellitronic Bubble: 2019
Did you know Lee Norris established another label? No, another one. No, the other one. The other-other one. Not that one, the other one. No, another one. C'mon, how hard is this? We shouldn't have to do this dance every time. Besides I've already reviewed one item from this new Lee Norris label, Synchronized Minds from last year. It's not my fault y'all didn't notice it after all the words I spent going on about his Norken alias.
But yes, back in 2019 (the Normal Times?), Lee hooked up with Árni Grétar (Futuregrapher) and launched Intellitronic Bubble, a specialist techno label featuring limited run 10” vinyl (lathe cut, a Very Important distinction). It would promote unheralded artists like Milieu, Scape One, G-Prod, and Carbinax along side a few Norris associates operating under obscure aliases (Mick Chillage as The Shape, Devin Underwood as Devroka). Little hype, little fuss, just a bunch of producers having some fun on the side with no worry or care whether their music gets noticed abroad. Until it does, by some hot, trendy techno DJ or music vlog, after which demand will skyrocket, causing future techno collectors to lament and bemoan why-oh-why did they not jump on these 10” vinyls with all the bubble artwork from this obscure Icelandic print when they had the chance? The cosmic ballet... goes on.
Meanwhile, here's a nice little CD compilation (glass mastered, a Very Important distinction), rounding up those first five records. Yay!
For a purported techno label, I was surprised in hearing as much eclecticism as I did in 001005. Mileu's Amber Petrol'r kicks things off closer to the domain of tech-house, if early Warp Records could have kicked off tech-house. Rekab's Winter Harmonics maintains those Artificial Intelligence vibes, while _Nyquist's Sudden Void starts treading down Neo-Detroit's back alleys.
So here I'm thinking, “huh, Intellitronic Bubble isn't strictly techno at all, but just a continuation of other Lee Norris ambient techno labels, but with a heavier emphasis on beatcraft.” But then we go full-in with the robo-menace of Devroka's All Show And No Go, and I simply accept my pre-conceived notions were incorrect. Oh, the humility.
Seriously though, things go further into the Detroit future-vibes, such that I'm quite reminded of the material coming out of the FireScope camps (holy cow, talk about killer crossover potential!). Not a one-to-one comparison though, as the B12 print leans quite heavy into the sci-fi vibes, while Intellitronic Bubble feels more at home grounded. The only outlier in these is final track Flying Cars from Futuregrapher, doing more a dubby tech-house thing that would have fit snuggly in a Swayzak set circa 2001.
Does all this make 001005 a good compilation? Yeah, guy, it does. Handy introduction to the label, nice variety of techno and electro tunes produced by fully capable musicians. What's not to like? The scarcity of their physical catalogue, I guess, but eh, such are the times.
Did you know Lee Norris established another label? No, another one. No, the other one. The other-other one. Not that one, the other one. No, another one. C'mon, how hard is this? We shouldn't have to do this dance every time. Besides I've already reviewed one item from this new Lee Norris label, Synchronized Minds from last year. It's not my fault y'all didn't notice it after all the words I spent going on about his Norken alias.
But yes, back in 2019 (the Normal Times?), Lee hooked up with Árni Grétar (Futuregrapher) and launched Intellitronic Bubble, a specialist techno label featuring limited run 10” vinyl (lathe cut, a Very Important distinction). It would promote unheralded artists like Milieu, Scape One, G-Prod, and Carbinax along side a few Norris associates operating under obscure aliases (Mick Chillage as The Shape, Devin Underwood as Devroka). Little hype, little fuss, just a bunch of producers having some fun on the side with no worry or care whether their music gets noticed abroad. Until it does, by some hot, trendy techno DJ or music vlog, after which demand will skyrocket, causing future techno collectors to lament and bemoan why-oh-why did they not jump on these 10” vinyls with all the bubble artwork from this obscure Icelandic print when they had the chance? The cosmic ballet... goes on.
Meanwhile, here's a nice little CD compilation (glass mastered, a Very Important distinction), rounding up those first five records. Yay!
For a purported techno label, I was surprised in hearing as much eclecticism as I did in 001005. Mileu's Amber Petrol'r kicks things off closer to the domain of tech-house, if early Warp Records could have kicked off tech-house. Rekab's Winter Harmonics maintains those Artificial Intelligence vibes, while _Nyquist's Sudden Void starts treading down Neo-Detroit's back alleys.
So here I'm thinking, “huh, Intellitronic Bubble isn't strictly techno at all, but just a continuation of other Lee Norris ambient techno labels, but with a heavier emphasis on beatcraft.” But then we go full-in with the robo-menace of Devroka's All Show And No Go, and I simply accept my pre-conceived notions were incorrect. Oh, the humility.
Seriously though, things go further into the Detroit future-vibes, such that I'm quite reminded of the material coming out of the FireScope camps (holy cow, talk about killer crossover potential!). Not a one-to-one comparison though, as the B12 print leans quite heavy into the sci-fi vibes, while Intellitronic Bubble feels more at home grounded. The only outlier in these is final track Flying Cars from Futuregrapher, doing more a dubby tech-house thing that would have fit snuggly in a Swayzak set circa 2001.
Does all this make 001005 a good compilation? Yeah, guy, it does. Handy introduction to the label, nice variety of techno and electro tunes produced by fully capable musicians. What's not to like? The scarcity of their physical catalogue, I guess, but eh, such are the times.
Saturday, October 30, 2021
Autumn Of Communion - Zosimus Alchemista
Fantasy Enhancing: 2019
Somehow, I assumed Lee Norris and Mick Chillage were moth-balling Autumn Of Communion for a while, letting other interests carry them forward? One could surmise that after seeing them release not one, but two retrospectives. The first came at the end of their self-titled numbered series, so that made sense. Then in 2018 came Moonstreams, consolidating some twenty CD's worth of AoC music. If that isn't a definitive cap on a body of work, I don't know what is. So naturally, Lee and Mick just kept on releasing more albums in the following years, two in 2019 alone. Gads, lads, I can't keep pace with all this, gettin' picky-choosy about some items. That Folk Etymology on Neotantra sure triggers my FOMO, but I think I'll go with Zosimus Alchemista on Fantasy Enhancing instead, as it looks to have more music for my money's worth.
Also, the title alone made me curious of what it might be all about. It seems like a Latin phrase, “Zosimus” perhaps even Roman in origin, but I couldn't recall if there was a 'Z' in the Latin alphabet. I asked a friend who knows more about these things, to which he replied:
“[The Latin alphabet] has 21 letters -- the "missing" ones are J, U, W, Y, and Z. But the V character can be a U, W, or Y depending on usage. And J and I are the same letter, make a Y sound at the beginning of a word and a long e sound everywhere else. And in some circumstances a soft 's' is used that kind of sounds like a z.”
Thanks, Ish'! That's more info than I'll ever need!
Sleuthing a little more, Zosimus Alchemista is most likely a reference to a Greek-Egyptian named Zosimos Of Panapolis, a Gnostic mystic who was one of the earliest recorded practitioners of alchemy. And now that I know that, I can't not see a beaker in the cover art (was it their intent?). Why Mick and Lee would find musical inspiration in this chap, I haven't a clue. Perhaps interest in his Gnosticism? They have shown fascination with ancient, obscure science-based faiths.
ANYHOW, the music. I don't want to say this album encompasses a lot of AoC's oeuvre, because they've covered acres of ground together, but it honestly does encompass much of what I've heard from the duo. The retro-leaning ambient techno (Keys Of Mercy, Letters To Theosebeia), the pastoral ambient (Zosimus Alchemista), the mysterious, spaced-out detours (Who Goes There?), the brief ear-wormy hooks, and some body-groovin' electro (Divine Water). Two tracks even got the EP treatment on Móatún 7, a first for AoC . There's a fair bit of stop-start song-writing in these five tracks, unsurprising given their lengthy runtimes, but at no point do they grow tedious. If you're late to Autumn Of Communion, Zosimus Alchemista does a solid job of summing up their various sonic strengths.
Oh, and I needn't feel FOMO over Folk Etymology, for I've already MO'd on it.
Somehow, I assumed Lee Norris and Mick Chillage were moth-balling Autumn Of Communion for a while, letting other interests carry them forward? One could surmise that after seeing them release not one, but two retrospectives. The first came at the end of their self-titled numbered series, so that made sense. Then in 2018 came Moonstreams, consolidating some twenty CD's worth of AoC music. If that isn't a definitive cap on a body of work, I don't know what is. So naturally, Lee and Mick just kept on releasing more albums in the following years, two in 2019 alone. Gads, lads, I can't keep pace with all this, gettin' picky-choosy about some items. That Folk Etymology on Neotantra sure triggers my FOMO, but I think I'll go with Zosimus Alchemista on Fantasy Enhancing instead, as it looks to have more music for my money's worth.
Also, the title alone made me curious of what it might be all about. It seems like a Latin phrase, “Zosimus” perhaps even Roman in origin, but I couldn't recall if there was a 'Z' in the Latin alphabet. I asked a friend who knows more about these things, to which he replied:
“[The Latin alphabet] has 21 letters -- the "missing" ones are J, U, W, Y, and Z. But the V character can be a U, W, or Y depending on usage. And J and I are the same letter, make a Y sound at the beginning of a word and a long e sound everywhere else. And in some circumstances a soft 's' is used that kind of sounds like a z.”
Thanks, Ish'! That's more info than I'll ever need!
Sleuthing a little more, Zosimus Alchemista is most likely a reference to a Greek-Egyptian named Zosimos Of Panapolis, a Gnostic mystic who was one of the earliest recorded practitioners of alchemy. And now that I know that, I can't not see a beaker in the cover art (was it their intent?). Why Mick and Lee would find musical inspiration in this chap, I haven't a clue. Perhaps interest in his Gnosticism? They have shown fascination with ancient, obscure science-based faiths.
ANYHOW, the music. I don't want to say this album encompasses a lot of AoC's oeuvre, because they've covered acres of ground together, but it honestly does encompass much of what I've heard from the duo. The retro-leaning ambient techno (Keys Of Mercy, Letters To Theosebeia), the pastoral ambient (Zosimus Alchemista), the mysterious, spaced-out detours (Who Goes There?), the brief ear-wormy hooks, and some body-groovin' electro (Divine Water). Two tracks even got the EP treatment on Móatún 7, a first for AoC . There's a fair bit of stop-start song-writing in these five tracks, unsurprising given their lengthy runtimes, but at no point do they grow tedious. If you're late to Autumn Of Communion, Zosimus Alchemista does a solid job of summing up their various sonic strengths.
Oh, and I needn't feel FOMO over Folk Etymology, for I've already MO'd on it.
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Humanoid - Your Body Robotic
fsoldigital.com: 2007
The Future Sound Of London have been in the music game for a very, very long time, seen more things than you people would ever believe. Somewhere early on, they saw something that must have unnerved them in ways we couldn't possibly fathom, to such a degree that Garry and Brian never discuss it, never mention it, never even consider it. I am, of course, talking about the Singles Remix.
Oh, they have no problem doing such a dastardly deed themselves, often crafting whole new albums around album singles (a 'translation', if you will), but to licence their music out for other artists to tamper with? They've seen the horrors afflicted upon the world of such endeavours, and save a couple classy anniversary rubs from trusted associates, our intrepid duo has been super-stingy with their back-catalogue indeed. After taking in this double-LP twenty-year anniversary package of Stakker Humanoid, I don't blame them one bit.
Granted, this isn't strictly a FSOL tune, the breakout acid anthem produced by Mr. Dougans from before he properly hooked up with his future partner. He's kept the alias around for his own solo techno work, so I assume he gets some say in how Humanoid music is handled abroad. I've a feeling ol' Jumpin' & Pumpin' hold more rights to the tune though, as I can't imagine some of these newer remixes offered would come with Brian's blessing.
First, let's get into what's dope about Your Body Robotic. The original Stakker Humanoid remains a classic slice of electro-acid, and no matter how those famed vocal samples from the game Berserk get used, I'll never tire of them. As this collection spans the entire Humanoid lifespan, we get many remixes and live jams from over the years, including a couple Graham Massey rubs (808 State fame). I'm quite fond of the Plump DJs go with the tune (WipEout Fusion has that effect), it's neat seeing Legiac show up for rub that's definitely got its FSOL nods going for it, plus it's nice hearing a few more King Roc productions. And whenever a remix goes proper deep into the electro or acid techno hole, we're all the more blessed by it.
Unfortunately, that only happens about half the time with this two-discer. Not that I wasn't expecting a little trendwhoring from a 2007 release, I just wish it wasn't so banal about it. The whole thing kicks off with a Feadz 2007 Mix, and sounds about what Ed Banger posse were doing. Not three tracks later, the Punx Soundcheck Mix goes all super-farty electro house, and Pirate Robot Midget Mix gets back to Ed Banger noise. Arranging these among the older remixes and nifty electro acid techno rubs makes for a rather disjointed listening experience. By the time the lame electro house of Will Propz hit, I gave up any hope the trendy stuff satisfying, but hey, since it was only 2007, at least there weren't any dubstep remi- *Sub-Osc Mix plays* - any brostep remixes.
The Future Sound Of London have been in the music game for a very, very long time, seen more things than you people would ever believe. Somewhere early on, they saw something that must have unnerved them in ways we couldn't possibly fathom, to such a degree that Garry and Brian never discuss it, never mention it, never even consider it. I am, of course, talking about the Singles Remix.
Oh, they have no problem doing such a dastardly deed themselves, often crafting whole new albums around album singles (a 'translation', if you will), but to licence their music out for other artists to tamper with? They've seen the horrors afflicted upon the world of such endeavours, and save a couple classy anniversary rubs from trusted associates, our intrepid duo has been super-stingy with their back-catalogue indeed. After taking in this double-LP twenty-year anniversary package of Stakker Humanoid, I don't blame them one bit.
Granted, this isn't strictly a FSOL tune, the breakout acid anthem produced by Mr. Dougans from before he properly hooked up with his future partner. He's kept the alias around for his own solo techno work, so I assume he gets some say in how Humanoid music is handled abroad. I've a feeling ol' Jumpin' & Pumpin' hold more rights to the tune though, as I can't imagine some of these newer remixes offered would come with Brian's blessing.
First, let's get into what's dope about Your Body Robotic. The original Stakker Humanoid remains a classic slice of electro-acid, and no matter how those famed vocal samples from the game Berserk get used, I'll never tire of them. As this collection spans the entire Humanoid lifespan, we get many remixes and live jams from over the years, including a couple Graham Massey rubs (808 State fame). I'm quite fond of the Plump DJs go with the tune (WipEout Fusion has that effect), it's neat seeing Legiac show up for rub that's definitely got its FSOL nods going for it, plus it's nice hearing a few more King Roc productions. And whenever a remix goes proper deep into the electro or acid techno hole, we're all the more blessed by it.
Unfortunately, that only happens about half the time with this two-discer. Not that I wasn't expecting a little trendwhoring from a 2007 release, I just wish it wasn't so banal about it. The whole thing kicks off with a Feadz 2007 Mix, and sounds about what Ed Banger posse were doing. Not three tracks later, the Punx Soundcheck Mix goes all super-farty electro house, and Pirate Robot Midget Mix gets back to Ed Banger noise. Arranging these among the older remixes and nifty electro acid techno rubs makes for a rather disjointed listening experience. By the time the lame electro house of Will Propz hit, I gave up any hope the trendy stuff satisfying, but hey, since it was only 2007, at least there weren't any dubstep remi- *Sub-Osc Mix plays* - any brostep remixes.
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Peter Benisch - Waiting For Snow
Fax +49-69/450464/Ambient World: 1999/2007
I feel Ambient World doesn't get the due it deserves. Yeah, it was nothing more than a re-issue print of older Fax+ releases, but given the limited quantities of those initial runs, it at least gave those late to the Namlook party a chance to catch up. Even as the old CDs continued their collector's market inflation, the Ambient World editions remained at a reasonable affordability. Now that the extensive Fax+ catalogue is finding its way onto streaming services, this little off-shoot label seems rather redundant. True collectors want the originals, while others can just play what they want online. For all intents, Ambient World's reason to exist is at an end. 'Cept for those like me, who are fine with (almost) any ol' hard-copy of Fax+ classics.
Like this album from Peter Benisch! Man, I thought I'd never get to hear it in glorious full-CD quality. The original Fax+ version is long out of print, and Mr. Benisch seems hesitant to upload his sparse catalogue abroad. At least the Crockett's Theme single as FPU is finally available on Bandcamp, so maybe some of those other Turbo Recordings classics eventually too?
In any event, I can now enjoy Waiting For Snow via its Ambient World version, itself something of a rarity. Seldom did anyone other than Pete Namlook or one of his many collaborations actually get the re-issue treatment on the label. Tetsu Inoue (of course) and Transonic (a Bill Laswell and Robert Musso joint) were about it for the longest while, though David Moufang, Jochem Paap and Anthony Rother eventually appeared on the label as well. Benisch was the first of these 'non-Namlook associated' artists though, so props for having a Fax+ album in such high demand that it needed the Ambient World re-issue post-haste.
Yet having now heard Waiting For Snow, I can't deny feeling a little letdown by my own lofty expectations. What should I have expected though? Of course it wouldn't be like the peppy electro of Traxxdata, nor even the opulent songcraft of Soundtrack Saga. An extended, downtempo reinterpretation of the FPU song of the same name off, then? A whole lot of those lush pads as heard on Crockett's Theme? It's not like there's an extensive discography of Peter Benisch music out there to draw comparisons from.
Even with that limited framework, there are plenty of sonic markers that identify this as a Benisch work. The sweeping synth strings, the mechanical rhythms, the heart-melting melodies, the groovy electro, the haunting atmospherics. They're all present and correct, but performed in a much subdued fashion when stacked against similar sounds as heard on Soundtrack Saga. Which makes sense for a Fax+ release (especially that one annoyingly experimental track at the end of an album).
Having given Waiting For Snow a few play-throughs now, it's definitely warmed on me for what it is, a lovely collection of gentle, frosty, electro-encrusted ambient techno. It's not Peter's fault his other two albums immediately blew my mind.
I feel Ambient World doesn't get the due it deserves. Yeah, it was nothing more than a re-issue print of older Fax+ releases, but given the limited quantities of those initial runs, it at least gave those late to the Namlook party a chance to catch up. Even as the old CDs continued their collector's market inflation, the Ambient World editions remained at a reasonable affordability. Now that the extensive Fax+ catalogue is finding its way onto streaming services, this little off-shoot label seems rather redundant. True collectors want the originals, while others can just play what they want online. For all intents, Ambient World's reason to exist is at an end. 'Cept for those like me, who are fine with (almost) any ol' hard-copy of Fax+ classics.
Like this album from Peter Benisch! Man, I thought I'd never get to hear it in glorious full-CD quality. The original Fax+ version is long out of print, and Mr. Benisch seems hesitant to upload his sparse catalogue abroad. At least the Crockett's Theme single as FPU is finally available on Bandcamp, so maybe some of those other Turbo Recordings classics eventually too?
In any event, I can now enjoy Waiting For Snow via its Ambient World version, itself something of a rarity. Seldom did anyone other than Pete Namlook or one of his many collaborations actually get the re-issue treatment on the label. Tetsu Inoue (of course) and Transonic (a Bill Laswell and Robert Musso joint) were about it for the longest while, though David Moufang, Jochem Paap and Anthony Rother eventually appeared on the label as well. Benisch was the first of these 'non-Namlook associated' artists though, so props for having a Fax+ album in such high demand that it needed the Ambient World re-issue post-haste.
Yet having now heard Waiting For Snow, I can't deny feeling a little letdown by my own lofty expectations. What should I have expected though? Of course it wouldn't be like the peppy electro of Traxxdata, nor even the opulent songcraft of Soundtrack Saga. An extended, downtempo reinterpretation of the FPU song of the same name off, then? A whole lot of those lush pads as heard on Crockett's Theme? It's not like there's an extensive discography of Peter Benisch music out there to draw comparisons from.
Even with that limited framework, there are plenty of sonic markers that identify this as a Benisch work. The sweeping synth strings, the mechanical rhythms, the heart-melting melodies, the groovy electro, the haunting atmospherics. They're all present and correct, but performed in a much subdued fashion when stacked against similar sounds as heard on Soundtrack Saga. Which makes sense for a Fax+ release (especially that one annoyingly experimental track at the end of an album).
Having given Waiting For Snow a few play-throughs now, it's definitely warmed on me for what it is, a lovely collection of gentle, frosty, electro-encrusted ambient techno. It's not Peter's fault his other two albums immediately blew my mind.
Monday, September 20, 2021
Spicelab - Spy Vs. Spice
Spy Vs. Spice: 1996
And that's all the Spicelab albums gotten. Yes, as strange as it may seem, Oliver Lieb only ever released three LPs under this alias. You'd think there'd be more, what with it being his break-out project and all, one that helped define German trance in its infancy. It was something of a contentious one though, seldom getting much shine abroad, much less promotional push from Harthouse. Spicelab tracks were just a little too weird, a little too sci-fi pulpy, a little too unwieldy for DJ rinse-outs, especially so those lengthy album cuts. When L.S.G. became his most popular (and likely lucrative) project, it pretty much took all of Lieb's attention. So long, Spicelab, then.
As for why it's taken me so long to finally get Spy Vs. Spice, there's a couple reasons. One, it's not a very common CD. Ol' Oliver had to basically self-release the album, setting up his own short-lived Spy vs. Spice print to do so. Two, and it hurts to say this, but I kinda' already did hear much of this album many moons ago, and I wasn't especially keen on it. Oh, of course Spicelab was among my initial AudioGalaxy inquiries, don't act surprised. With so many out-of-context tracks failing to grab me, I let it slip to the recesses of my memory membranes. Maybe I'd give it another chance down the road if I ever found it on the cheap.
So I found a copy on the cheap, and perhaps with age and experience, I'd finally dig on what Lieb was doing with Spy Vs. Spice. Opener Spice Like Us bodes well, doing that vintage Spicelab thing of moody, atmospheric lead-in, settling us into the future-shock realm this alias doth often dwell. The rhythm's more on a tech-house tip (when such a thing was still being hashed out on Plastic City), just in a Spicelab-ey sort of way. Spice Peak and Glue Gun though, I dunno'. They sound like they could be great, leftfield electro and techno, but all the abrasive sounds on display just refuse to coalesce into something enjoyable.
Fortunately, the good ship Spicelab rights itself with the titular cut, a no-nonsense slice of pummelling techno where even the weird sounds make sense. Following that is Feathers, the closest thing to an obligatory progressive trance single this album has to offer. Even here though, the hook stubbornly refuses to play nice, playing out in quite the unconventional fashion. Or maybe I've just been spoiled by the Humate and TLBj remixes.
Bad Rabbit gets back to the earlier weirdness, but at least feels like it has some momentum behind it, while the final run of tracks close out with more traditional Spicelab trance vibes. Despite the difficult start, Spy Vs. Spice finishes strong enough to warrant a full listen. I can't really say it's a lost classic in the Oliver Lieb canon though, especially with L.S.G.'s Volume 2 being released that same year. Even the Spicelab 'influenced' cuts on that album are better.
And that's all the Spicelab albums gotten. Yes, as strange as it may seem, Oliver Lieb only ever released three LPs under this alias. You'd think there'd be more, what with it being his break-out project and all, one that helped define German trance in its infancy. It was something of a contentious one though, seldom getting much shine abroad, much less promotional push from Harthouse. Spicelab tracks were just a little too weird, a little too sci-fi pulpy, a little too unwieldy for DJ rinse-outs, especially so those lengthy album cuts. When L.S.G. became his most popular (and likely lucrative) project, it pretty much took all of Lieb's attention. So long, Spicelab, then.
As for why it's taken me so long to finally get Spy Vs. Spice, there's a couple reasons. One, it's not a very common CD. Ol' Oliver had to basically self-release the album, setting up his own short-lived Spy vs. Spice print to do so. Two, and it hurts to say this, but I kinda' already did hear much of this album many moons ago, and I wasn't especially keen on it. Oh, of course Spicelab was among my initial AudioGalaxy inquiries, don't act surprised. With so many out-of-context tracks failing to grab me, I let it slip to the recesses of my memory membranes. Maybe I'd give it another chance down the road if I ever found it on the cheap.
So I found a copy on the cheap, and perhaps with age and experience, I'd finally dig on what Lieb was doing with Spy Vs. Spice. Opener Spice Like Us bodes well, doing that vintage Spicelab thing of moody, atmospheric lead-in, settling us into the future-shock realm this alias doth often dwell. The rhythm's more on a tech-house tip (when such a thing was still being hashed out on Plastic City), just in a Spicelab-ey sort of way. Spice Peak and Glue Gun though, I dunno'. They sound like they could be great, leftfield electro and techno, but all the abrasive sounds on display just refuse to coalesce into something enjoyable.
Fortunately, the good ship Spicelab rights itself with the titular cut, a no-nonsense slice of pummelling techno where even the weird sounds make sense. Following that is Feathers, the closest thing to an obligatory progressive trance single this album has to offer. Even here though, the hook stubbornly refuses to play nice, playing out in quite the unconventional fashion. Or maybe I've just been spoiled by the Humate and TLBj remixes.
Bad Rabbit gets back to the earlier weirdness, but at least feels like it has some momentum behind it, while the final run of tracks close out with more traditional Spicelab trance vibes. Despite the difficult start, Spy Vs. Spice finishes strong enough to warrant a full listen. I can't really say it's a lost classic in the Oliver Lieb canon though, especially with L.S.G.'s Volume 2 being released that same year. Even the Spicelab 'influenced' cuts on that album are better.
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Higher Intelligence Agency & Pete Namlook - S.H.A.D.O.
Fax +49-69/450464: 1997
Another of those mysterious HIA projects I'd stumbled upon in the AudioGalaxy days, the first two tracks off here cropping up in search queries. I may have even learned the tunes originated from a Pete Namlook collaboration, though only Lord Discogs confirmed it. It made sense for the two to cross paths, the Namlookian One having worked with chaps within the orbit of the Agency's music (Biosphere, David Moufang of Deep Space Network). Really, it's more surprising the pairing didn't happen sooner, but I suppose Pete's scheduling was quite tight in the mid-'90s. Gotta' crank out a few more LPs with Klaus Schulze and Bill Laswell, after all.
And boy, when I first laid eyes on that S.H.A.D.O. cover, as though viewing the classic Fax+ art through a ceiling window canopy (in space!), I knew I had to get it at some point. No, not the Ambient World re-issue, or even the HIA digital re-issue, I wanted the O.G. CD. There just wasn't any way that bad boy would come down to a reasonable price on the collector's market, no hope at all. Until it did, which is how I finally nabbed me a copy. Patience perseveres!
Right from the jump, we're in familiar territory where HIA is concerned. The bleepy sounds, the crisp electro-dub rhythms, the slightly quirky vibe of it all. In fact, for much of Intruder Detector's runtime, I don't hear much of Pete Namlook at all. Even the sections with synth pad work aren't that far removed from the sort heard in older Bobby Bird works. Aside from some of the squeely synths well past the half-way mark, Pete's sound feels absent for a collaboration. And I find that most odd because it always seems HIA is the one that gets subsumed in any musical pairings.
Following that is Secret Location, an ambient piece that's not only among the dreamiest slices of music out of the HIA/Fax+ camps, but ever. What's remarkable is I can't imagine it existed without the combined brain-share of Bird & Namlook, the former's ear towards retro-kitsch fully intact all the while making full use of the latter's impeccable sense of sonic space. You can easily imagine taking in the vista of some moon base huddled in the shadows of a lunar crater, anonymous blinking lights landing and lifting off, soon lost among the stars above. So good is this track that it's inexplicably tacked onto the bookends of Skydiver. But, why? The rest of the track sounds nothing like Secret Location, Skydiver instead doing more HIA electro-dub rhythms with Namlook synth jamming. Space Interceptors too, but that one's kinda' rambly in a vintage Fax+ way.
Never mind those two, S.H.A.D.O. ends strong with Maintaining Scan For UFO's, some crisp, crunchy electro boogie with trance-tastic synth leads. Along with the opening two tracks, I'd love to have heard more of this. Come to think of it, Namlook never did a collaboration that didn't result in multiple LPs. That must mean...
Another of those mysterious HIA projects I'd stumbled upon in the AudioGalaxy days, the first two tracks off here cropping up in search queries. I may have even learned the tunes originated from a Pete Namlook collaboration, though only Lord Discogs confirmed it. It made sense for the two to cross paths, the Namlookian One having worked with chaps within the orbit of the Agency's music (Biosphere, David Moufang of Deep Space Network). Really, it's more surprising the pairing didn't happen sooner, but I suppose Pete's scheduling was quite tight in the mid-'90s. Gotta' crank out a few more LPs with Klaus Schulze and Bill Laswell, after all.
And boy, when I first laid eyes on that S.H.A.D.O. cover, as though viewing the classic Fax+ art through a ceiling window canopy (in space!), I knew I had to get it at some point. No, not the Ambient World re-issue, or even the HIA digital re-issue, I wanted the O.G. CD. There just wasn't any way that bad boy would come down to a reasonable price on the collector's market, no hope at all. Until it did, which is how I finally nabbed me a copy. Patience perseveres!
Right from the jump, we're in familiar territory where HIA is concerned. The bleepy sounds, the crisp electro-dub rhythms, the slightly quirky vibe of it all. In fact, for much of Intruder Detector's runtime, I don't hear much of Pete Namlook at all. Even the sections with synth pad work aren't that far removed from the sort heard in older Bobby Bird works. Aside from some of the squeely synths well past the half-way mark, Pete's sound feels absent for a collaboration. And I find that most odd because it always seems HIA is the one that gets subsumed in any musical pairings.
Following that is Secret Location, an ambient piece that's not only among the dreamiest slices of music out of the HIA/Fax+ camps, but ever. What's remarkable is I can't imagine it existed without the combined brain-share of Bird & Namlook, the former's ear towards retro-kitsch fully intact all the while making full use of the latter's impeccable sense of sonic space. You can easily imagine taking in the vista of some moon base huddled in the shadows of a lunar crater, anonymous blinking lights landing and lifting off, soon lost among the stars above. So good is this track that it's inexplicably tacked onto the bookends of Skydiver. But, why? The rest of the track sounds nothing like Secret Location, Skydiver instead doing more HIA electro-dub rhythms with Namlook synth jamming. Space Interceptors too, but that one's kinda' rambly in a vintage Fax+ way.
Never mind those two, S.H.A.D.O. ends strong with Maintaining Scan For UFO's, some crisp, crunchy electro boogie with trance-tastic synth leads. Along with the opening two tracks, I'd love to have heard more of this. Come to think of it, Namlook never did a collaboration that didn't result in multiple LPs. That must mean...
Monday, August 9, 2021
Bent - Programmed To Love
Sport: 2000
Just how popular was Bent at the start? Though Misters Tolliday and Mills had been active throughout the '90s ('Nail' had roots as far back as Nottingham's DiY 'free tekno' parties of yore), as a duo they seemingly sprung up out of nowhere. A couple EPs, a little hype in an increasingly over-saturated chill-out market, then boom, a perfect score for Programmed To Love within the pages of Muzik Magazine. Surely that's plenty 'nuff to get the majors buzzing. I don't see any chart info in their Wiki though, to say nothing of Bent being a near non-factor on my side of the pond. For sure they must have been doing something right to get all that compilation action at the turn of the century, but had it not been an accidental stumbling-upon of Muzik, it's possible I'd completely miss them for several years (Faithless' Back To Mine appearance notwithstanding).
It may just be that Bent was a tad too British in its sense of humour at the start for American appeal. Now, I likes me some British humour in my laid-back house jams - what would The Orb be without it? And really, if you're not getting some Orb vibes right off the jump in Exercise 1, what with cheeky samples and dubby grooves setting us up for a gently warped little ride of an album, then... um, go listen to some old-school Orb, I guess? For comparison's sake. Welly Top Mary has me feelin' some of that reggae-dub house sound many a Youth-orientated Orb cut kicked out, but that's about the extent of it.
Elsewhere, there's Ninja Tune influence at play. You got the jazz-hop bop of Invisible Pedestrian, the funky shuffle-dub of I Remember Johnny, and the quirky toy-town trip-hop of Private School Investigations (relegated to 'secret song' status on the original UK version). And let's not forget the tunes that simply defy easy categorization beyond “well, that sure is a fun little tune”. Cylons In Love imagines, well, cylons strumming an acoustic-folky to... something. I can't understand those digitized vocals, but hot damn, is that bassline ever a deeper shade of love. Follow-up Invisible Pedestrian sounds like a lounge-lizard performing at a Callisto casino, while Irritating Noises goes country twang. Okay, not full-blown country twang, but I can't help but imagine some cowboy strumming a guitar while riding his horse down an old country road.
But honestly, all these are surprising, tasty supplements to the main reasons folks nabbed up Programmed To Love. The dreamy pastoral chill-pop of Private Road. The fragile, cinematic grace of Swollen. Zoë Johnston's providing vocals on each, basically debuting her voice to a whole slew of future trance producers. And, as always, Always, the utterly dreamy slice of Balearic house (somehow topped by Ashley Beedle's rub on it a year later!). A perfect tune to end the album on... followed upon by a slapstick nod to old-school rave with silly monkey squeals. Oh, these gents with their bent humour.
Just how popular was Bent at the start? Though Misters Tolliday and Mills had been active throughout the '90s ('Nail' had roots as far back as Nottingham's DiY 'free tekno' parties of yore), as a duo they seemingly sprung up out of nowhere. A couple EPs, a little hype in an increasingly over-saturated chill-out market, then boom, a perfect score for Programmed To Love within the pages of Muzik Magazine. Surely that's plenty 'nuff to get the majors buzzing. I don't see any chart info in their Wiki though, to say nothing of Bent being a near non-factor on my side of the pond. For sure they must have been doing something right to get all that compilation action at the turn of the century, but had it not been an accidental stumbling-upon of Muzik, it's possible I'd completely miss them for several years (Faithless' Back To Mine appearance notwithstanding).
It may just be that Bent was a tad too British in its sense of humour at the start for American appeal. Now, I likes me some British humour in my laid-back house jams - what would The Orb be without it? And really, if you're not getting some Orb vibes right off the jump in Exercise 1, what with cheeky samples and dubby grooves setting us up for a gently warped little ride of an album, then... um, go listen to some old-school Orb, I guess? For comparison's sake. Welly Top Mary has me feelin' some of that reggae-dub house sound many a Youth-orientated Orb cut kicked out, but that's about the extent of it.
Elsewhere, there's Ninja Tune influence at play. You got the jazz-hop bop of Invisible Pedestrian, the funky shuffle-dub of I Remember Johnny, and the quirky toy-town trip-hop of Private School Investigations (relegated to 'secret song' status on the original UK version). And let's not forget the tunes that simply defy easy categorization beyond “well, that sure is a fun little tune”. Cylons In Love imagines, well, cylons strumming an acoustic-folky to... something. I can't understand those digitized vocals, but hot damn, is that bassline ever a deeper shade of love. Follow-up Invisible Pedestrian sounds like a lounge-lizard performing at a Callisto casino, while Irritating Noises goes country twang. Okay, not full-blown country twang, but I can't help but imagine some cowboy strumming a guitar while riding his horse down an old country road.
But honestly, all these are surprising, tasty supplements to the main reasons folks nabbed up Programmed To Love. The dreamy pastoral chill-pop of Private Road. The fragile, cinematic grace of Swollen. Zoë Johnston's providing vocals on each, basically debuting her voice to a whole slew of future trance producers. And, as always, Always, the utterly dreamy slice of Balearic house (somehow topped by Ashley Beedle's rub on it a year later!). A perfect tune to end the album on... followed upon by a slapstick nod to old-school rave with silly monkey squeals. Oh, these gents with their bent humour.
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