Various - Club Cutz Volume 7

BMG Music Canada: 1996

Ah, Club Cutz. Now there's some history! Fine, it was strictly a Canadian thing, but at one point it was among my country’s premiere compilation series, rubbing shoulders with other greats like Dance Mix, DJ Line and Chris Sheppard’s Pirate Radio Sessions. After moderate interest in early editions mostly featuring house, the comp producers changed gears when euro-dance gained steam, and found a simple formula for success: be the first to have that hot new dance single everyone needed, and watch the sales skyrocket. What Is Love, Tonight Is The Night, Another Night, More & More …um, Cotton Eye Joe - all made their major Canadian debuts on Club Cutz.

Then, to earn the truly big bucks, the CDs also featured well-produced dance covers of 70s rock staples, an effective tactic in attracting the ‘housewife looking to let her hair down’ demographic that I guess existed in the early 90s. At least, they were the ones requesting “that dance version” of More Than A Feeling and What’s Up at weddings.

Club Cutz 7 truly was the series’ last great hurrah. The must-have hit single? Shut Up (And Dance With Me) from Sin With Sebastian. Even my non-dance friends fell sway to its goofball charm. Me, I preferred the unabashed euro fare of First Base’s Love Is Paradise.

Half the other tracks consist of fun but otherwise forgotten slices of euro. Chances are their hooks have been cannibalized by whatever contemporary dance-pop beast exists at a given time, but those wonderful galloping rhythms could forever be lost to the 90s.

The rest features big gay house and garage, including that Deep Dish remix of De’Lacy’s Hideaway that was making the rounds. Yep, there be divas galore, something of a retro return for the series, and thus no dance cover of 70s rock. No, Tainted Love doesn’t count. Besides, Senor X’s version’s not that good, and whenever I hear it, I can’t help but think of giant squid. Yes, there’s an amusing anecdote there, but I’m running out of self-imposed word-count space.

Even with this edition’s success, one could tell the good times at the Club Cutz camp were ending. Not only cannibalistic, dance-pop is a fickle beast and the tides of change were well under way in ’96. Euro dance was stuck in a creative rut, follow-up singles and albums failing to reach the highs of two years past. European shores started noticing fresher sounds from the lands of trance, while American clubs saw glamour in hip-hop. The main series lasted one more edition, then the label tapped Chris Sheppard to re-invent it in ’98 as Club Cutz 101, mashing together urban and club trance into continuous mixes. They made it all the way to 606, so I guess it was successful, but it clearly lacked the charm of its euro years. Thanks to downloading, gone were the days of track exclusivity, and so too was the anticipation of seeing what a new Club Cutz would feature.

Plastikman - Closer

Novamute: 2003

Plastikman is Richie Hawtin, a very important person in the world of techno. A part of Detroit’s second generation, he was instrumental in de-Eightiesfying the genre, ushering in a 'less-is-more' aesthetic for a new era. Unfortunately, due to his near-perfect production, rumours persisted that he was a robot, and a self-image celebrating chrome-dome geekery didn't help. Sensing distress, a kindly German named Sven saved him from an existence of droidhood, and Richie regained his humanity through various acts of debauchery. Having done so, he embarked upon the most noble of white human pursuits: corporate shilling of self-stylized brands. Something like that anyway.

As much fun as that paragraph was to write, it's a horrible lead-in for this here album titled Closer, the third and (so far) last full-length released under the Plastikman banner. For that matter, I'm not sure what an effective lead-in would be, beyond the dry particulars. It’s not a popular album and, when discussing Hawtin’s legacy, barely brought up. Fans were confounded by it, casuals were uninterested, and the techno scene at large shrugged it off, figuring Richie would make a proper dancefloor album later.

Still, I’d argue it’s at least an important album. If anything, Closer was ground zero for the minimal scene’s rise in the middle 00s, as all the tricks that turned into clichés are present: simple lyrics spoken with pitched down vocals, plink-plonk production, white noise wank, etc. In 2003, such sounds were still tucked in the realms of experimental labels like Mille Plateaux. Hearing it on a Plastikman album legitimatized it as where techno should go next, and Hawtin made damned sure he promoted the hell out of the sound on his M_nus label, not just as a form of music, but as a way of life. Erm, yeah…

If you found the minimal wave ridiculous, then Closer isn’t going to convert you - best to stay away. For those who didn’t grow tired of it …well, this album’s still a bit of a chore. It’s the sort that can only be appreciated in a single sitting, but takes forever to build any momentum. All too often progress is undone by Hawtin’s need to detour into sound effect gimmickry, the worst offender being the middle track Slow Poke, which is nothing but sound effect gimmickry. I’ve listened to Closer at least a half-dozen times now, and still the only highlights for me are those crunchy claps in the second half.

That said, Hawtin succeeded in crafting an album that works in spite of itself. The mood is kept tight and claustrophobic, enveloping you into a dark journey of paranoia that you want to take in its entirety - I’ll bet those crunchy claps wouldn’t sound so cool if I hadn’t put up with hissing nonsense beforehand. While this is by no means revolutionary, it is effective, and if that’s enough for you in a concept album, then by all means get closer to, um, Closer.

Nine Inch Nails - Closer

Island Records: 1994

Also known as that “fuck you like an animal” song. In fact, I think it’s all anyone knows about this song. Well, except for the opening kick-snare, which immediately alerts people that the “fuck you like an animal” song is starting.

And no, I didn’t go back on my word from the last review. This is electronic music. Nearly all industrial music is to a degree. However, because it’s primarily the rock scene that latched onto the sound, it's often overlooked when considering the whole of electronic music’s heritage. There’s more to it than that, of course, but I’ll get into it when I’ve an album more appropriate.

Meanwhile, let’s talk Nine Inch Nails. Or, maybe you can tell me more? Truth is I’ve barely given Trent Reznor’s band notice over the years. What I heard, I thought was cool (especially that “fuck you like an animal” song everyone was playing!) but my bed was firmly in the ‘techno’ camps back when NIN was blowing up, and my limited purchasing power reflected that. Fortunately, now that I have disposable income, I can go back and rediscover that which I foolishly bypassed. Or, in this case, gather up friends’ CD collections whenever they’re looking to offload them.

As a single, Closer is an odd one. Apparently it was released as a double-digi pack, but with only one CD within, the second of which had to be purchased at a later date. Guess that’s one way to test fanbase loyalty, and I’d be astounded if anyone could pull it off now.

Of the two CDs, there isn't much difference in terms of tone. The first has the version of Closer everyone’s familiar with even to this day (“Hey, Bro! It’s that ‘fuck you like an animal’ song!”), a funky Jack Dangers remix that almost sounds like what a Lenny Kravitz cover would end up as, and various other industrial-metal, noise, and sonic experimental cuts scattered about the rest. The second CD mostly reworks other songs from The Downward Spiral, the main highlight being an awesome EBM-thrash version of Closer called Closer To God. Compared to the first CD, these cuts are a nice break from hearing Reznor constantly telling me he wants to fuck me like an animal (wait, huh?).

Overall, this is a solid single for fans of 90s industrial - the ironic-fascist, angst driven, cyberpunk sort. If you’re just looking for the “fuck you like an animal” song though, best stick with the simply titled track Closer .

Yes - Close To The Edge

Elektra/Rhino: 1972/2003

What’s this? I go and say I’m back to reviewing electronic music, and the second thing I review is a prog rock album? Scandalous. Didn’t I mention that when I’m reviewing everything I have in alphabetical order, I meant everything? Heh, how remiss of me. Don’t worry, folks, I still have more electronic music than most other forms in my collection. It’s just a coincidence that this would be next in line.

Besides, there’s some electronics in Yes. Rick Wakeman, the group’s most famous of rotating keyboardists, provides plenty of spritely sprinkles, swirly pads, organ chuggery, and Moogy musicality for those who dig on that sort of thing. In fact, the whole band is on point with this album, coming off the commercial success of Fragile, but yet to get too far up their asses with Topographic. Close To The Edge is the perfect middle-ground of those two, containing the stunning twenty-minute titular song to open, followed by a ten-minute folksy-ditty-turn-orchestral-climax with And You And I, and a ten-minute rock-funker with Siberian Khatru as a closer. Come for the catchy hooks and choruses, stay for the marvelous musical wizardry.

If you happen to obtain the Rhino re-issue, as I did, you also get some extra …things. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been into the rock scene proper, but studio run-throughs and alternative takes don’t interest me - if I’m going to hear a different version, give me the concert renditions! There’s also a (LOL) single cut of Close To The Edge (essentially the rockin’ Total Mass Retain portion of the song …the big ones were often divided up into titled passages), plus a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s America, which may be of interest to those who are also fans of that duo.

I can see how this album wouldn’t be appealing if you simply want boom-boom, la-la ‘choons’, as it’s not even a ‘gateway to prog’ kind of album. This is an album made by people, and for people, who are intrigued by the potential possibilities music has to offer, and pushing one’s skill to discover that. All too often prog rockers overstep their ability; Yes got as close to that edge as they could here (hurr-hurr) and came away with one of the finest prog rock albums ever crafted. If you consider yourself a fan of creative music even in general, you owe it to yourself to at least give the titular track a listen. Hey, it’s only twenty minutes out of your day.

Model 500 - Classics

R & S Records: 1993

Model 500 is Juan Atkins, a very important person in the world of techno. Often credited with being one of the Godfathers of the genre, his fame diminished as new upstarts took the techno mantle for themselves during the 90s. His career floundered for a while, which led to depression and over-eating. Determined to reclaim prestige for his name and his waistline, Atkins developed a bold new diet, which focused on the consumption of high amounts of protein to stave of hunger cravings. Wait, I’m getting my Atkinses mixed up. Damn you, Webcrawler!

Yeah, me getting into el’ Juan’s techno legacy is pointless. With online essays, published books, and video documentaries about techno’s roots out there, more than enough material is available for the curious. I don’t see much talk of Model 500 though. Why is this? It’s not some obscure alias. No UFOs was a techno hit, back when the term ‘techno hit’ wasn’t even a thing. Maybe Cybotron was the sexier moniker.

Or perhaps there’s some merit to that nonsense I wrote in the first paragraph. Atkins never released a proper Model 500 album until the mid-90s, when much of the new Detroit blood was dominating talk. This here Classics collection was released a couple years before Deep Space (the Model 500 debut proper), and as a round-up of his 80s material, Classics is interesting, but not the most engaging listen.

The problem I have with this is it sounds too 80s for me. Hey, I like me some 80s, but when I throw on a techno album that has the word “classics” as the only word in the title, I go in with preconceived expectations. I want to hear proper futurism, and Classics simply doesn’t have that, no matter what the cover art suggests. I’ll grant it’s not Atkins’ fault that Yello forever dated “chiki-chikah” to the 80s, but there it is in Electric Entourage, and I’m left feeling “eh.” That said, cheers for tracks like No UFOs and Sound Of Stereo, which meet those stupid expectations (but jeers for making them the bookends of the whole album, muddying what little album flow there is further).

One of techno’s ongoing appeals is the sense that, no matter how advanced in technology we come, the music will always remain at least one step ahead - the best of what 80s techno has to offer still retains that. These tunes, however, don’t, instead coming off like 50s depictions of the year 2000: definitely futuristic in attempt, but now quirkily retro. Go in with this in mind, and Classics is a fun enough throw-on.

Back to dancing about architecture.

Hello, all. Miss me? Eh, probably not. It's not like I totally disappeared. Still been hanging around TranceAddict, from which I'm sure many folks who read this thing before are from. For those few strays that wandered in from the derelict TranceCritic, or any one of the places I neglected to unlink this blog in profile pages from, hey, how's it going!

Let's cut to the chase: this isn't a proper reviewing revival for your's truly. The truth is I don't feel there's much to accomplish in the traditional music journalism field anymore. Music consumption has changed so radically over the last few years that talking about new or old releases in standard analytic methods strikes me as utterly dated and pointless. What can be learned from a written album or single review that cannot be learned from a few quick clicks to hear for oneself? When I first began writing reviews online, YouTube was barely even a thing, so the written format still had merit. Now, unless there's some angle to a written review, it strikes me as redundant.

If that's the case, then what am I doing back here? Two reasons.

1. Chronicling. That, as far as I'm concerned, is one of the few remaining merits to writing about music. There's so much back-history to electronic music and, if we're not careful, a great deal of it could be written out of the collective consciousness. There's a huge new generation of fans emerging, and a lot of music they will simply ignore because it's too old. Part of the reason I first got into writing reviews was to bring to light such releases, as I'm sure old timey readers of TC can remember. A lot of my current music consumption has been in this vein, digesting huge swaths of genres over the years, learning their roots and studying their evolution.

(and, occasionally, making mixtapes out of my findings. Speaking of which, here's links to 80s ambient and booty bass!)

I'm not gonna review everything I come across. OH, hell no! However, it has given me a bit of inspiration to write about something music orientated again.

2. Practice. Fact is, writing reviews did wonders in improving my overall craft. Not only that, it forced me to work within self-imposed deadlines, structure my free-time efficiently, and develop all-around good writing habits. I feel I've lost some of that lately so, like any kind of training, it's time to get back to basics.


That all said, what am I gonna be writing about? Funny thing, that.

A little under a year ago, in an effort to spice up my personal portable listening habits, I started listening to all the singles and albums I have in alphabetical order. No, not by Artist order, but album Title order. I figured, not only would it shuffle genres enough to keep the experience interesting, but would force me to re-listen to things that have sat fallow for years. Overall, it's been an intriguing trip down memory lane ...one that's taking far longer than I guessed, as I'm currently only in the middle of the 'C's! (to be fair, there's been some caveats to this, of which needn't be brought up yet).

If I'm going to write about something, why not this? Mind, these won't be REVIEW reviews, simply bloggy thoughts and contextual information on the releases, whether anecdotal or factual. Oh, and I'll be starting on the album I'm currently on, not starting over again at... *checks* Asura's 360. But hey, if I'm still doing this by the time I get to The Hacker & Eric Borgo's Zone, I'll start from the beginning again to make up for it!

Guess that's all for now. There're probably be other writings here and there for anyone that cares, if something music-related springs to mind (like mixtapes!). Until then, check back soon, as I tend to go through albums fairly quickly on my portable player.

Sykonee (~)

Indefinite Break

I've another writing project I want to focus my spare time on, so I'm taking some time out of blabbering about music for a while, a few months at least. Ah, it's not like there's been a whole heck of a lot to talk about this year anyway. Been pretty lean for hot new releases thus far. I mean, there hasn't even been a front-running, WMC-pegged "Ibiza Anthem" yet! When was the last time that happened!?

Eh? You say I'm doing this just as I was due for a "2010 Update" of ASOT 2006? Yeah, how about that...

Vuvuzela House

Because the accordion was so played out with Heater...

Armin van Buuren featuring Nadia Ali - Who Is Watching (Remixes) (Original TC Review)

Hit ‘N’ Hot Music: Cat. # H’N’H CDS 372
Released March 2006

Track List:
1. Who Is Watching (Mischa Daniëls Radio Edit) (3:46)
2. Who Is Watching (Mischa Daniëls Club Mix) (7:28)
3. Who Is Watching (DJ Remy & Roland Klinkenberg Remix) (7:54)
4. Who Is Watching (Oliver Moldan Remix) (7:48)
5. Who Is Watching (Tone Depth Remix) (11:18)


(2010 Update:
What else is there to say? Aside from the Tone Depth remix, no one really remembers this one. Erm, sorry I'm being brief here. Rough week...)


IN BRIEF: By the book remixing.

Y’know, as I sit down here at my lappy, set to type up my review, it occurs to me this is only the second release from this prominent trance personality to grace our archives (the first being A State Of Trance: 2004). Considering the two other DJs in the top three of DJ Mag’s annual poll get a fair deal of coverage, this might seem a bit odd, especially since AvB’s output this past year has been quite steady with a couple DJ compilations and an artist album.

Of course, who ever remembers consistent bronze medalists? Heh.

So, here is the most recent remix package of yet another track from Armin’s album Shivers, this one being the Nadia Ali featuring Who Is Watching. The original could kindly be described as... unassuming. On an album which did not have glowing praise showered upon it by many, this track was one of the apparent glaring problems some seemed to have with it. Consisting of nothing more than guitar-strums, pads, light percussion, and Nadia’s vocals, Who Is Watching came across as lightweight adult contemporary compilation fodder. It was a far cry from the sort of music Armin’s fans had come to expect from him.

But whether his fans enjoyed it or not seems to be irrelevant. Who Is Watching is the one that’s been given the remix treatment, so let’s see how the remixers treat it.

First up is Mischa Daniëls, a relative new house producer out of the lands that are Dutch. He doesn’t do much altering, making use of the original elements while adding some housey beats, bobbly bass, and an added riff playing off the main melody during the peaks. It isn’t terribly innovative, but would probably fit snuggly in a typical Hed Kandi compilation (or radiowaves, as the Radio Edit indicates).

DJ Remy and Roland Klinkenberg (though uncredited here for some reason), both stalwarts in the Dutch scene, provide a mellow progressive re-rub. To be honest, this is unexciting stuff. Sound effects and washes drone along for half the track, Nadia’s vocals every so often cropping up with plenty of trailing echo effects. Midway through, you get a harmonic bass drop to add some excitement at the peak of a minor build. It’s effective in the sense that everything’s been so monotonous leading up to it, any change of tone is welcome. Overall though, their remix would be best suited as an early warm-up track in a DJ set, and probably not much more.

German Oliver Moldan, fresh off releasing Second Session on the Armada sub-label Stoney Boy, does the house thing as well for his remix. It’s more groovy than Daniëls’ take, relying on additional guitars, a lightly distorted ‘rockin’ bassline (first one to call it electro gets a whuppin’), and builds to promote energy. While certainly playing to all the elements house music’s been filled with lately, it isn’t all that amazing either, merely making use of current, trendy sounds to complement Armin’s original work. In two words, perfectly adequate.

Finally, we have a whopping eleven minute remix from Tony Papadopoulos, under his Tone Depth alias here but more commonly known as The Greek. The first half of this track is pure Tony: warm pad work, pulsing synths, tranquil guitars, and mellow rhythms, all combining to conjure up Mediterranean vistas at dusk. It’s practically a separate song in itself, but then he seems to remember this is actually a remix, so, around the six minute mark, he breaks the song down, brings in the original’s elements under reverb effects, and essentially does what DJ Remy and Klinkenberg did with their remix, only some of the pulsing synths and basic percussion retained (and two minutes worth of lead-out). Yeah, the second half doesn’t live up to the first half’s atmosphere because Tony’s strengths are stilted by having to let Nadia’s vocals carry the remainder of the track. As such, it sounds like he’s just going through the prog motions.

In fact, that could be said for all of these remixes. I don’t know if the remixers just felt uninspired by Armin’s original, or if they were merely requested to make their re-rubs suitable for potential club scenes without losing much in the process. Whatever the case, all of these remixes of Who Is Watching are perfectly decent for supplying DJs with danceable versions but nothing more. Only the Tone Depth Remix sees any kind of innovation, and only for the sections when Armin’s track isn’t really a part of it. Why am I not surprised?


Written by Sykonee. Originally published 2006 for TranceCritic.com. © All rights reserved.

5 Song Weekly Mini-Review #10

Woo’ee! Number ten of these things, eh? I’d feel like celebrating somehow, ‘cept this bloody flu I caught has gotten me all stuffed up in the head (or numbed up with the meds). I think I may be able to come up with something next week tho’. Also, since my finances are stable once again, it’s about time I start getting some new music to review. Expect to see a few fresh releases in the coming weeks (er, that weren’t free label compilations). Meanwhile, let’s see what random songs from my current collection will spring up this week.


1. Groove Armada - At The River
From the album Vertigo.

Their first single, for the record. It took a bit of a roundabout route to be re-released with their sophomore album above, riding the coattails of the big-beat phenomenon. It’s very laid back and sampledelic, a perfect summertime record, hinting at the potential everyone saw in the duo before the backlash of endlessly hearing I See You Baby soured everyone’s attitude towards them. At least, that’s what happened over on this side of the pond. I think they’re still big stars in the UK, and lord knows the tune continues to get recycled on “Best Chill-Out Ever” compilations from Ministry Of Sound.


2. The Orb - More Gills Less Fishcakes
From the album Pomme Fritz.

This was around the time Dr. Patterson was getting more experimental than many were willing to indulge. More of an EP of the title track, More Gills is one of the noodly sonic masturbation cuts, where dub tricks, tape splicing, and sample pieces cut in and out. Some semblance of a proper tune emerges in the middle, but it’s a garbled mess for the most part. I can’t think of enough weed to make this a worthwhile listen.


3. Subreachers - Memories Of Better Times
From the compilation Echodub Loves, Vol. 2.

I just reviewed this last week! Do I really have to talk about it again so soon? Um, well, the piano tones are still pleasant enough.


4. Astral Projection - Liquid Sun
From a personal compilation.

I think Astral Projection were one of the first groups to realize giving away free MP3s was very beneficial to one’s career. Way back in the MP3.com days, you could download a whole bunch of their tunes at no cost, and without having to go through dodgy back channels like Napster or Audio Galaxy. Or, wait… did I get their tunes off Audio Galaxy after all? Man, that was so long ago, I can’t remember. I think it was MP3.com I found this. I’m pretty sure a lot of other folks did too, hence their dedicated fanbase all these years later. This? Ah, typical mid-90s soaring goa trance. Mint, if you’re into that stuff. I like it.


5. Banco de Gaia - Shanti (Red With White Spots Edit)
From the album Maya.

Wow, must be a psychedelic week, huh? This isn’t as good as the Black Mountain Mix, but still pretty cool if you like noodly, dubby, experimental stuff. The core elements are lovely as ever. You can definitely hear The Orb influences though, but then The Orb had influenced tons of ambient house and dub producers in the early 90s. Which I guess makes that group’s dive into experimental wank like the track above around the same time all the more understandable.


That was a tidy little Mini-Review, I must say. Nothing too out of the ordinary, thematically consistent… I could probably even make a mini-mix out of those tracks were I so inclined. Hm, it has been a while since I did a mixtape, now that I think about it…


Written by Sykonee, 2010. © All rights reserved.