Various - The Electro Compendium (Day 5)

Anti-Social Network: 2012

Kicking today's cover image off is one antiLogic, yet another Russian delivering the electro goods (oh yeah, Poladroïd's Russian as well). Talk about a coincidence, and I'm sure all those lovely Russian spambots will target this post now that I've name-dropped their motherland. As for this chap, he looks more rave than robot, which is also quite apt, as some of the tunes in this stretch feature the sort of hooks you might hear in old school hardcore. There's still an electro aesthetic to it, but this stuff's clearly aimed for dancefloor effectiveness, with more cheeky fun than several prior tracks. Michael Forshaw’s y’iiidiot, for example, features no-nonsense breaks coupled with squealing synths; following that, Paul Maslin simplifies his rhythms down to a basic 808 thud, letting a twitchy hook and backing pads carry the load.

And then... good Lord, the next two tracks could almost be trance! Mind, it’s very old school, closer to industrial really (there is a common lineage there), and driven with electro breaks, but the atmosphere, my fellow humans, the atmosphere! Audioelectric’s Final Annihilation features subtle, sweeping, spacey pads throughout, and Jim Gourgoutis’s Acidfk is a pleasant trip, almost a bridge to the realm of psy. Finally, music with warmth again.

It couldn't come a moment too soon. I like electro - retro minded or future leaning - yet all this robot music, it's... It's taking its toll. I don’t know how enthusiasts manage it, gorging themselves upon stacks and years of releases while holding onto their humanity. Maybe... maybe they haven’t. Listening to some of these artists, I wonder if they simply gave into the machine. I thought I was strong, that I could resist, but it may be futile. I’m getting weaker, but I’m half way through now, so there might still be hope. I’m doing all I can to make the process go faster. Long, walking commutes, for instance, where a simple bus or train ride will do. Even then though.... The sun, it shines, but the winter cold robs me of my soul, like the touch of a chrome android running its frigid fingers across my skin. I... I must flee the machine!

Ah... Sync24, there’s a name I know well. What a wonderful surprise to find someone from the Ultimae label here. No, wait... this is someone else; Sync 24, with a space. This track, Yo, it’s funk, but robot funk. No, it’s a trap! The machines have returned!

There’s no escape. I am a lost soul. Oh, how you mock me, Lost Souls by Pip Williams. You with your ominous pads and disconcerting bleeping hooks. Yes, I truly am pathetic, or Patetic, as Dark Vector helpfully points out. Your seductive pad work, sultry electro rhythms, and vocoders lure me into the realms of the robots...

HELP-ME-HUMANOIDS.

Various - The Electro Compendium (Day 4)

Anti-Social Network: 2012

Nope, we’re not moving onto another release all of a sudden. We’re still going through The Electro Compendium. However, seeing the same cover image over and over’s getting monotonous, so to spice things up, I’m throwing up an image of whichever artist happened to be first in the day’s batch of tracks. Most of these MP3s came with individual images tagged to them anyway, so it still ties in nicely. You’re up, Poladroïd. Heh, clever name, and his offering of Rendez Vous certainly ain’t half bad either; kind of a weird mishmash of sludgy EBM and electro-proper. Hey, that’s another track I’ve finally highlighted!

If ya'll been keeping up, it took me quite a while to do that. The honest truth is The H.A.V.O.K. Conspiracy's The Reaping was the first one to really leap out at me, like fierce cyborg worms burrowing themselves into my earholes. This isn't to say I've been trudging through a bunch of mediocrity; for the most part, these tunes are very good (there's that phrase again), and I’ve made a point to pick out the most interesting ones for Ace Tracks. Unfortunately, even a consistent level of quality can melt into something of a musical mush after a while. Not that I'd expect all these artists to bring their absolute A-game to this project, mind; many would likely hold their best material for their own releases, as they should. Besides, it's better to have a collection of, erm, 'very good' music over one with wildly dodgy quality of similar length (I’ve got my eye on you down in the ‘G’s, Goa Trance - Psychedelic Flashbacks 1 and 2…) , even if it can make for dull reviews at times.

So another day, and another thirteen tracks listened to. This batch didn’t have much in the way of “holy shit!” moments, instead getting deeper into the experimental side of electro for a while. Some neat sounds heard here, like the IDM drone pads found in Drubber, or Ruxpin’s Snegurochka containing charming-yet-cold melodies that Boards Of Canada would nod approvingly of. Then we’re back to the robo-funk again (oh, Radioactiveman’s here! I recognize that name) and beat-heavy electro. ADJ’s Ghetto Life in particular stands out from the pack with solid rhythms and squealing, squelchy synths cranking the menace up. Not that the others are slouching, as they are all very go-

Argh! I can’t keep typing that. The joke’s worn itself out. I haven’t run out of steam already, have I? I’m still not even half way through this bloody thing. Maybe daily updates weren’t such a good idea. Maybe I should have done it every other day, as though I was listening to a series of double-discs instead. No, I can do this. I will do this! Mad, you say? Ha-ha, ha, I think not. Genius! Absolute and total genius! No one has the brains or balls to do this. Not a single one else. It will be done, oh yes, it will be done.

Various - The Electro Compendium (Day 3)

Anti-Social Network: 2012

Hahaha. Alright, that’s the last time I’ll do that, I swear. No more rants, tangents, or other deviations from talking music. Well, one more minor nitpick left. Why title this a compendium? It’s an applicable term, sure, but strikes me as trying just a little too hard to sound scholarly and high-brow when simply calling this a collection or compilation accomplishes the same thing. Come to think of it though, those are dull terms, and a release of this size and caliber does deserve a bit of dignity. Huh, guess I should actually start treating it as such, shouldn’t I.

I’ve now gone through a total of thirty-six of these tracks, and for a collection of music that sticks to a particular niche, I’ve remarkably yet to encounter a stretch where it’s grown redundant. As I said before, it’s daft to think anyone could listen to The Electro Compendium all in a single go; however, the chaps behind Anti-Social Network have done their homework in how to musically arrange a compilation, something you’d think is a rare feat when it comes to such large free downloads. It’d be simpler to compile everything by Artist alphabetically, but it seems they’ve gone out of their way to ensure there’s some structure and flow in this tracklist, no matter where you may start playing it from. Melodic cuts often lead into tunes more focused on robo-aggression. Had enough of the minimalist 808 rhythms? Here’s a couple now with more polyrhythm than you can handle! Old-school minded electro is followed by sounds at the bleeding edge of modern capabilities. And so on.

Also, it should be mentioned some of the tracks do stretch what some would consider proper electro, especially by the standards set out by Anti-Social Network. Obviously a good chunk of them could easily fall under the techno umbrella, but the two had similar roots in the ‘80s anyway. Elsewhere you’ll find stabs at house with a cool-electro vibe, experimental sound effects, and even moments of chill, which are all effective ways in keeping variety relatively fresh, and much needed for a compilation of any length. Sometimes though, the association is highly tenuous. Of the particular tracks I listened to this round, Datassette’s GUI Spew sounds more like something Akufen would have made, and far from any kind of electro played thus far. It does make me wonder how many more outliers I’ll encounter down the road.

I won’t deny having biases towards certain aspects of electro over others. Typically, the more robotic and menacing it comes across, the more I dig it. As an example, The H.A.V.O.K. Conspiracy’s The Reaping kicks mucho ass, thundering 808 beats and sinister industrial breathing making for a wonderfully bleak bit of digital dystopia (and that’s before an awesome, distorted growling hook emerges in the back end!). I do also have a soft spot for the melodic side of the genre though, many of which The Electro Compendium has plenty of thus far. They’re good too.

Various - The Electro Compendium (Day 2)

Anti-Social Network: 2012

Haha, sorry about yesterday’s ‘review’ of this compilation, but I wanted to get that rant off my chest. It’s not like we don’t have time to cover other aspects of The Electro Compendium going forward. I only listened to the first ten tracks anyway, a mere 8.5% of material. Alright, let’s get started on this proper-like.

Anti-Social Network are on a mission here, aiming to rescue the good name electro from those who have perverted its legacy into something unholy and untrue. Yeah, I'm afraid you're over half a decade too late for that. Trust me, I was among the earliest crying upon digital soapboxes that electro house and its subsequent offshoots was not real electro, and should be called something else. That battle was lost, but the fight is far from over. The kids can keep trying to co-opt the term for music far from the original ethos, but so long as we have producers making the music, the spirit of the robot will live on (wait, isn't that an oxymoron?).

To accomplish their goal, Anti-Social rounded up as many artists as they could to provide fresh electro for our listening pleasure. It begs the question, though, is there enough variety within electro's classic sound to make a compilation this large worth listening to. Music production's evolved quite a bit since the '80s, but were I to gauge this genre off what The Electro Compendium provides, it hasn't evolved much since the turn of the century.

I'm by no means an expert on all that is electro-proper, but from what I've gleaned over the years, this is how the scene's evolved: invented by Kraftwerk (though not intentionally); co-opted by hip-hop artists realizing these Germans had an acute attention to rhythmic detail; mostly forgotten at the turn of the '90s; kept alive through that decade by Detroit and German specialists; revived at the turn of the '00s. After that... geez, I don’t know, but I assume it’s been busy, what with all these artists here. At a glance, I only recognized Silicon Scally and Diamondback Kid, and there are no repeats working under multiple aliases, at least not from what I can gather at Discogs.

If this compilation's anything to go by, electro hasn't evolved any at all since the likes of Anthony Rother and Boris Divider resurrected the music. Granted, I've yet to listen to all these tracks, but of the chunks I've checked out last year, it seems electro is quite content at recycling the tropes that defined it. And that’s perfectly fine, as the sound looked to the future for inspiration, giving it a timeless quality no matter how far advanced production progresses. So long as it retains those qualities, electro will always have a welcomed role.

Oh man, I’m almost out of words again. Um, okay. I got through another thirteen tracks. They definitely were electro, and also more varied. They, too, were good.

Various - The Electro Compendium (Day 1)

Anti-Social Network: 2012

This compilation titled The Electro Compendium has one-hundred and sixteen tracks. Not mixed, or cut-up, or looped. No, all individual, full-length tunes. That's just nuts. Who can listen to that in one sitting? Maybe if you are bed-ridden with the flu, it can be done, but chances are you'll want something more soothing than robot music coming from your speakers. A more practical use would have one throwing this on for a long road trip (or, as we say in British Columbia, driving to the next town), or a brutal overlay at an airport. Generally though, such a large collection of music won't be digested in a single serving, which is fine when it's divvied up across a dozen CDs in box sets and the like. In this case, however, we're dealing with a free download from the Anti-Social Network (follow this link for your copy!), where manageable musical chunks are a moot point.

It's particularly annoying for a totally selfish reason tying into my listening habits. Perhaps it's because I was raised within the LP era, but I find the standard 50-70 minute length of a typical CD the perfect length for enjoying music. Less, and it comes off like a teaser; more, and the mind wanders to other distractions. Also, by sheer coincidence, many of the commutes to work, school, or errands I've taken over the years coincides nicely with this time frame, so I've become conditioned to these running times working out for me. It's also how I'm able to plug through all these releases on a near daily basis.

I'm facing a conundrum with The Electro Compendium, then. 116 tracks is an obscene amount to get through, my Media Player estimating a total running time of around ten and a half hours. At best, it will take me a week to get through this, and Lord knows that's a ridiculously long time to go without updating this blog (funny enough, I'd average nearly two weeks per review back in the day, even though I actually had more time to listen to material - must have been due to the absurd words counts...). Additionally, how can I possibly do justice to such a collection of electro within my self-imposed word count, much less point out but a mere three of the best Ace Tracks? No, none of this will do.

Thus, my solution: I will continue posting daily reviews, and they will cover whatever progress I've made within this compilation for that day. This will allow me to continue generating content, and in the process provide a respectable amount of critique for most the music on this compilation. I’ll probably do something similar for future releases; definitely box sets and giant-sized compilation downloads, though not necessarily all 3CD-plus albums, as it’ll depend on the content.

Okay, that’s all sorted. Now, on to the first batch of tracks off The Electro Compendium, ten of which I got through today. They’re definitely electro. And they’re good.

Various - Electric Dance Floor

Quality Music: 1992

Another Quality compilation. Hey, it's not my fault the label was so omnipresent with dance music in my country. I'm sure elsewheres had similar labels that monopolized genres. These days everything with commercial success is routed through the majors, but for that early 90s period, electronic music was somewhat specialized, requiring specialized labels. Still, I never realized just how much Quality pushed EDM, assuming rock, country, and other 'adult music' was their forte. Way back it was, yet for some reason they were the first Canadian label to properly jump on dance music, shaping the tastes of many a potential doe-eyed raver.

That all said, this Quality compilation isn't much quality. Best I can tell, Electric Dance Floor was intended to be a running series focusing on house music. Makes sense, as Quality was establishing many compilation series in '92: top dance hits with Dance Mix, underground techno with Radikal Techno, Chris Sheppard’s releases, and so on. This coming out just before the euro dance explosion, the emphasis on thick American grooves is abundant. Also, the occasional nod to UK rave pops up, but nothing overt.

Unfortunately, house music in '92 wasn't in the best shape. The first three tracks definitely owe some thanks to Frankie Knuckles, but his style by this point was coming off rather dated; ironic, then, that as generic as Aly-Us' Follow Me, Nightmare On Wax’s Set Me Free, or Gypsyman's Hear The Music might have been, that style is all the retro-hip fashionable now. Strictly Rhythm was almost on the verge of shaking that scene up, but here they’re still going with what worked before. Oh, and we also get that damn Living In Ecstasy track from B.K.S. again, because it’s Quality, y’know.

And those are mostly the best tracks. Much of Electric Dance Floor contains generic house trying to cash in on whatever novelty trends it could. Walking In Memphis lamely jumps on that year’s bandwagon of sampling the Marc Cohn song of the same name. Robyx (as Scattt - yes, three ‘t’s) attempts a scat-dance cut, beating Scatman by a few years in that at least. There’s a weak remix of Double You’s charming Please Don’t Go, dull Belgian beat in Ole Ole, a pointless dance cover of one of Bryan Adams’ few great songs in Run To You, Mood II Swing hiding under a pseudonym to deliver rote garage... cripes, this is a bad compilation.

Okay, two things do stand out for the good. Liberation’s Liberation (Liberty) is a fun bit of UK acid house, and highly recommended if you’re a fan of that sort of thing. On the utterly daft side of dance is DSK’s remix of 2 Unlimited’s Get Ready For This. Truthfully, a proper title should be Get Ready VS Stella. Yes, that J&S track; 'Majan Noops' indeed. It’s by no means a great mash-up, but if you ever wondered what it might sound like, there you go. Has to be heard to be believed.

The Tea Party - The Edges Of Twilight

EMI Music Canada: 1995

Also known as that band that sounds like The Doors. What kind of silly comparison is that? Never have I heard a Ray Manzarek keyboard solo anywhere on a Tea Party song. And what’s that in the low frequencies? Why, an actual bass tone! The Doors don’t got no bass tone. Eh, what about their singer Jeff Martin? Well, okay, I guess he sounds like Jim Morrison - heck, he even looks like him too - but The Doors were more than just their wacky frontman, right. Right!?

Never mind. We’re focusing on The Tea Party here, one of many, many, many former Great Canadian Hopes. Part of the fun living in this country is, anytime a major label notices a potentially bankable band emerge, they’ll push the ever-loving hell out of them. Towards the late 90s, The Tea Party was yet another in such a long list of bands to receive that push, their first major exposure coming with the 1997 album Transmission. Prior to that, however, they were simply known as a good indie band that sounded quite different from the sort of rock you’d typically hear on the radio or TV. Oh, and they kind of sounded like The Doors too.

Actually, that comparison’s more apt when it comes to The Edges Of Twilight, as there’s a heavy Middle-Eastern influence running through the album, and thus the sort of ethnic fusion that was mighty popular in psychedelic circles of the '60s. Aside from Correspondence and Turn The Lamp Down Low, which lean more towards regular blues-rock, you have an abundance of un-Western cultural instrumentation and song craft (I’m stretching MS Word’s thesaurus, aren’t I?) mixing with standard hard rock galvanizing (yep). So basically, all that mystical mumbo-jumbo Morrison espoused, except now with a touch of Robert Plant pretention too. But hey, all three of the band members went out of their way to learn those oddball Indian instruments, and everything comes through sounding quite excellent in that mid-90s sort of way. It may sound derivative to seasoned rock fans, but the world music attributes tickle my ears the same way the best from the world beat camps often do.

The funny thing, though, is after Fire In The Head and The Bazaar (the first two songs), I can never remember how this album goes. Granted, it’s not like I have it high on my rotation; truthfully, I can’t recall when or how I picked it up, only that it was recent. I know I liked the first couple songs whenever a friend of mine would throw the album on though, but that was when it was new. I guess this would make The Edges Of Twilight an impulsive buy based around teenage nostalgia? Dear lord, I’m not that close to midlife, am I?

Anyhow, The Tea Party didn’t make much noise beyond my native country (and Australia, apparently), after which they’ve disbanded in ’05. They recently did a reunion tour though, so let’s see The Doors do that!

Various - Echodub Loves, Vol. 2 (2013 Update)

Echodub: 2010

(Click here to read my original TranceCritic review)

Oh hey, looky here. It's the last release I wrote a proper review of before I went on that two-plus year hiatus. Funny how it's also the last review for TranceCritic, and looks to remain that way. That website sure ended with a whimper, though I guess I'm partially to blame since I never did officially declare my writing tenure there to be over. I wonder if anyone still goes there expecting something new.

So what did happen, anyway? Sorry, nothing scandalous or the like, but with TC having not evolved much during the time I promised to commit, I saw little point in carrying on if it was just going to be me writing reviews; it’d be nothing but a glorified blog, and I already had a middling blog for myself at the time. More than that, however, was I found myself less and less interested in whatever the latest electronic music had to offer. My ears kept turning to the past, not so much for familiarity, but to unearth what I’d missed before, and what I could discover further back. Not exactly conducive to a website aiming for coverage of the latest releases.

“But, Sykonee,” you might have said back in the Summer Of 2010, “there’s plenty of great new music too!” Hey, I wouldn’t doubt you. Echodub Loves 2 certainly was proof of interesting things going on in the elsewheres of electronic music. Listening to it again today, I’m actually rather saddened dubstep didn’t explore these roads more, instead venturing further into bro or... whatever else it did in the UK. Or maybe it did, and I’ve been missing out on a bunch of great atmospheric material.

There entails the other frustration I had towards the end: being overwhelmed by releases, and never knowing what I should be listening to for coverage. I’m quite proud we were able to review such a wide range of electronic music at TC, but without ample manpower, it’s a self-defeating process when you don’t specialize. What gives precedent over something else? Do you buy into PR hype about what “will” be the next greatest thing? Not bloody likely, as almost every fucking release comes with such ridiculous marketing. Going through new releases becomes a chore, and the passion and enjoyment that comes from listening and writing about music evaporates. Ask any music journalist and they’ll likely tell you similar feelings of futility when swamped in promos; however, they’ll plug on, because that’s their job. TC was not my job (I sure didn’t get paid to write), but nor was it a hobby. Ultimately, it became an obligation, one I felt fulfilled after five years.

Of course, there was a lot of other bullshit I was dealing with that year too (2010 was not a happy funtime for yours truly), but that’s chit-chat for another time. As for Echodub Loves 2, I’m pretty sure it’s still available for free at the label’s website. Some good tracks available, you should check them out.

Various - Earth Dance

CyberOctave: 1999

A glance at that cover will undoubtedly have you thinking this is some festival tie-in, and seeing as how many smaller electronic music festivals at the turn of the century often skewed towards the hippie side of the scene, so too will the music contained within. And you'd be right, at least half so. Also featured on Earth Dance are several of the biggest names to grace the commercial side of electronic music: Fatboy Slim, Orbital, Underworld, Überzone, and Meat Beat Manifesto all provide tracks.

It'd be easy, then, to peg this compilation as yet another 'electronica' collection: big stars, a couple token drum 'n' bass tunes, etc. That's far from the case though, some serious digging occurring with these cuts. Okay, Push Upstairs and The Freaks made the rounds, but how many of you are familiar with Next To Nothing from ol' Norman Cook? Unless you happened across that limited 2-CD edition of You've Come A Long Way, Baby (or the American version of Better Living Through Chemistry), I'd wager not many. Most surprising is just how chilled-out it is, considering Cook’s popularity at the time come from big obvious beats, but then given the target audience with Earth Dance, perhaps not. In fact, the chill vibes are aplenty on this CD. Omni Trio and Dune remixing Gus Gus provide us with the jungle, and right there you know it’s gonna be on the LTJ tip. Not to be outdone, Art Of Trance’s meditative Requiem comes near the end.

And exclusives! Nowhere else will you find Meat Beat Manifesto’s Anon or Loop Guru’s Sleeping From The Bag, plus a breaks remix of the already rare Doublecross from Q-Burns Abstract Message. Not to mention Orbital’s charming Mock Tudor and Eat Static’s abrasive Elephant Man aren’t exactly high on the radar of most folks. Elsewhere, tunes from Banco de Gaia and Medicine Drum round out a solid package of music that the more adventurous of global-conscious music users out there won’t soon be disappointed with.

So what is the deal with Earth Dance anyway? Founded by Medicine Drum member Chris Deckker, it’s an annual global event where dancers join up across the Earth at different locations, its primary goal to raise awareness and funds for humanitarian efforts (and still going strong). During the course of the event, at the exact same time at each location, the track Prayer For Peace is simultaneously played, everyone joining in planetary unity for- ugh...

Sorry, I dig the intent, but that’s too corny for me. Sending out positive vibes is all well and good, but I prefer the hands-on approach to incite change and well-being for our fellow man. Donations do far more good in this world than joining hands in prayer. Fortunately, all money earned from Earth Dance goes towards charity, and hey, you get a great compilation out of the deal. It’s an old CD now, but should you happen upon it, there’s far worse ways to spend your money.

Laurent Garnier - Early Works

Arcade: 1998

Laurent Garnier isn’t a very important person in the world of techno, which is a travesty. He is, however, a highly respected person in the world of techno - the difference being, though he’s produced several classics in his lengthy career, the Frenchman has never led the way. At best, he’ll latch onto whatever contemporary techno’s doing, add his own flavor to the template, and come away with something incredibly memorable, to be rinsed out by discerning DJs for years to come. At worst, he’ll… well, let’s not get into that here.

Fortunately, when you gather up your early work for a double-CD release titled Early Works, chances are you’ll get the cream of the crop. Oh yes, there’s some choice material to be had on this collection, including the one-off Choice tune, Acid Eiffel. Fuck me sideways if that isn’t a blinder of a track! The way it just builds and builds and builds, adding unexpected twists and turns for its thirteen-plus duration (that bass drop in the middle, hot damn!), and never wanting it to end… why can’t all techno be like this?

Actually, most of the tracks off Early Works are. Garnier typically lays his rhythms out early and brings ever-shifting elements out and in, never falling into dull loop-techno monotony. Often he’ll utilize repetitive backing pads to lull you into a pleasant trance as crafty drum programming maintains the momentum. While the structures of these tunes do fall into familiarity, they’re so expertly arranged that at no time will you grow bored of what’s coming from the speakers. Garnier basically hit the sweet spot between Detroit techno percussion and old school trance melody with his earliest productions, which is why he often found compilations duty on releases for either scene. Back then though, I think he was regarded more as a trance guy, which makes sense seeing as how he’d do remixes of other trance releases (like Vernon’s Wonderland, included here), but other cuts like Virtual Breakdown and Lost In Alaska finds him just as adept at the genre as any sort of techno you could find in the early 90s.

And he could do house! His remix for Reese Project’s I Believe is fine, but Join Hands is a hoot, perfectly capturing the spirit of both italo and American diva house (there’s also a minimal techno remix included too, which is, um, minimal in comparison). Closing out is the ambient-techno track Go To Sleep, which is okay, but rather overindulgent on the nature sound effects for my taste.

Is Early Works essential listening, then? Eh, aside from Acid Eiffel, not really, as your life won’t be any lesser without these tracks. Still, there’s very little out there that sounds as distinctive as what you’ll find in his discography, this collection no exception. Garnier has his style, and this double-CD is a solid showcase of what the man was capable of at the beginning of his career. Some claim he was never better.