Various - Mixed Goods III

(~): 2002

TRACK LIST:
1. Noiseshaper - The Only Redeemer (Flag Finger Mix)
2. Frankie Knuckles - Keep On Moving (The One Mix)
3. Sven Van Hees - Psychedelic Bellydancing
4. Wally Lopez & Dr. Kucho - Patricia Never Leaves The House
5. DJ GoGo - Sayna (Version 1)
6. Sven Van Hees - Serrano Anthem
7. Nigel Hayes - Que Pasa
8. Mateo Murphy - Love Express
9. Tom Wax & Jan Jacarta - Wormhole
10. Glenn Wilson - Release
11. Mateo Murphy - Impact
12. Tom Wax - …And Then It Hit Me

This was my stab at making a Balearic compilation. It didn’t quite work out, mainly because I ran out of Balearic music far too soon. It actually still makes for a decent ‘night out at Ibiza’ themed CD; at least I assume since I’ve never been to the tourist trap of an island. Laid back deep house to start, moving onto groovier, upbeat stuff like tech-house (no, it really was groovier back in the day!), some culturally tinged tunes as you wander the terrace to the next club, and finally settling on pummeling 4am techno to finish the night off.

If anyone’s paid attention to the previous burned CD’s I’ve ‘reviewed’, you’ll notice a couple familiar names already. Noiseshaper’s The Only Redeemer makes another appearance, a single that was heavily promoted during Quango Records’ re-launch in 2001. This Flag Finger mix, a short version of the reggae-dub house tune, doesn’t appear anywhere at Lord Discogs. Man, did P2P programs return some odd results back in the day. There’s also DJ GoGo’s Sayna again, though this version isn’t as mundane as the Dark Prog one – there’s an actual synth hook near the end, though minor. And here’s Sven van Hees, whom I raided quite a bit from Audio Galaxy for, almost entirely based on the cool track names. Most of the music I got from him went on chill-out CDs I made, Serrano Anthem is definitely in this vein (a mid-CD bliss-out moment), but Psychedelic Bellydance is… tribal-reggae techno? Awesome, is what it is; just awesome.

Nigel Hayes’ Que Pasa also has an upbeat, Balearic vibe going for it, though with a few jazzy guitar and saxophone licks thrown in. After that, techno, man, all techno. Well, not quite. Wormhole is definitely not techno, in fact rather out of place as a ’97 slice of trance surrounded by Mateo Murphy and Glenn Wilson tracks. I do recall stumbling across it when searching for Tom Wax’s …And Then It Hit Me, a tune I just had to hear after learning it was another ‘storytime techno’ tune (think The Horrorist’s One Night In N.Y.C.). Oh yeah, I’ve definitely been where this narrator’s been… once.

Listening back on this, Mixed Goods III has held up remarkably well, if I do say so myself. Shame hardly any of these tunes are available at Amazon’s MP3 store. Who knew this music would turn out so rare a decade on.

Various - Mixed Goods II

(~): 2002

TRACK LIST:
1. Space Frog - (X-Ray) Follow Me (Funky Mix)
2. Dance 2 Trance - Power Of American Natives ’98 (DJ Scot Project Remix)
3. Komakino - Man On Mars
4. Tilt featuring Maria Nayler - Headstrong (Blades G. Remix)
5. Jam & Spoon - Be Angeled (Paul van Dyk Club Mix)
6. Final Fantasy - Controlling Transmission 2001
7. Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - Exit (Drum Club Mix)
8. Biosphere - Novelty Waves
9. Slam - Alien Radio
10. Skylab 2000 - Higher
11. Space Frog - (X-Ray) Follow Me (Pants & Corset Remix)

No, really, I still had a touch of the trancecracker in me even by 2002. It was a very, very, very small amount lurking, probably hiding behind the spleen with any post-’96 euro-dance, hoping the invading electroclash couldn’t flush it out, but it was there. Well damn it, I had to purge it somehow, and if making my second volume of Mixed Goods a total cheese-trance fest was the only way to do it, so be it!

Okay, this isn’t that cheesy. I’d gathered an odd assortment of euro-trance though, and definitely knew I wanted some of the most shameless stuff on Mixed Goods II. Balancing it out at the other end were some ‘proper-trance’ tunes like Exit from PWoG (more of a dub tribal thing) and Biosphere’s classic bleep-techno tune Novelty Waves. Slam’s Alien Radio had more in common with techno (with spa-a-a-ace sounds!), but I liked the tune, so in it went as well. After that, Skylab2000…

Okay, anyone remember these guys? This track Higher is more of an old-school rave tune, and for the life of me I can’t recall where I got it from. My best guess is MP3.com, but I also recall some mass MP3 giveaway from a new electronic music magazine with a website tie in. Oh, early ‘00s, with your wacky internet gimmicks. I wish I could recall that one better.

Back to Mixed Goods II, the first half of this CD isn’t as corny as you might expect. Space Frog’s Follow Me was an undeniable hit in anthem loving circles, few able to resist that ‘call to arms’ vocal and stomping synth hook, and was regular weapon in Oakenfold’s Cream days. Naturally with any trance-associated hit, a pile of pointless remixes came out 2002, the Pants & Corset one the best of the lot; the Funky Mix is mislabeled, but I like it enough as an introduction to the forthcoming cheese. Amazingly, Scot Project’s remix of P.oA.N. is quite restrained from what you’d expect of the hard trance DJ – there’s pounding kicks and overlong builds, sure, but no blaring synths, my friends. As for a 2001 remix of Final Fantasy’s Controlling Transmission, well hey, it’s me. Not as good as the original though.

And that’s the end of this one. Honestly, about the only thing memorable about Mixed Goods II is the cover. I’d have bought more Trance Divas if they’d come packaged like that!

Various - Mixed Goods 1

(~): 2002

TRACK LIST:
1. Jam & Spoon - Be Angeled (Tweaker Mix)
2. Tendroid - Trendication To House
3. 2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This 2001 (Robbie Rivera White Label Mix 1)
4. Mark Ambrose - Destiny Angel
5. FPU - Crockett’s Theme (Tiga’s White Linen Remix)
6. Bushwacka! - Chorus
7. 2 Unlimited - No Limit 2000 (Razor & Guido Dub Remix)
8. Noiseshaper - The Only Redeemer (Needs Mix)
9. Mondo Grosso - Star Suite (Shelter Vocal Mix)

Mixed Goods was my main burned CD series; essentially where I shoved my current house, techno, trance, prog, and a few other assorted additions. I tried maintaining specific stylistic themes with each CD, and sometimes it worked out, but as I began running out of material, the later volumes turned incredibly hodgepodge. Just as well I lost a bunch of those. Out of sixteen Mixed Goods I made, only ten survive now, and even then half the CDs have oxidized (why didn’t anyone tell us these things about CDRs?). Most of the tunes I got for these were nabbed off AudioGalaxy or WinMX, typically after reading the back pages of Muzik Magazine and seeing what I could even find from their chart lists. Clearly I have no need for such antics now, but back then, I was broke, on the dole, and living nowhere near decent music shops. It was all I had to stay current on electronic music, so you’ll forgive a little sentimentality on my part as I now review my collection of Mixed Goods. Wait, where are you going?

Ah, forget those guys. Those that stayed, thanks man! Eh, what’s with the tracklist above? Well, wouldn’t you know it, quite a few of the tunes I gathered up for these collections are difficult to find now. Something like a (pre-shit) Robbie Rivera white label remix of 2 Unlimited, that makes sense, but dang, I had no idea Bushwacka!’s bouncy Afro-house Chorus would be too. Since the odds of making any respectable Amazon Playlist out of these tracklists is unlikely for music so old, I’m offering up the tracklist for these if you’re interested enough to scour the web for the tunes yourselves.

Okay, enough pre-amble. Mixed Goods 1 was my stab at a ‘funky, deep, classy house’ collection. Yes, even with a pair of 2 Unlimited tracks on it, though admittedly the Razor & Guido remix is more of an anthem house thing. Tracks like Mark Ambrose’s Destiny Angel and Tendroid’s Trendication To House Music are likely forgotten now, but house legend Blaze’s go at Mondo Grosso’s Star Suite’s a classic; sixteen minutes of groovy, shuffly jazz-garage with a never-ending empowerment monolog. Yeah, that’s some classy shit, mofos. Makes you even forget the CD opened with the corny Be Angeled from Jam & Spoon. Why would that even be made into a house track anyway? Jam & Spoon’s trance, no matter how pop they were going at the time. Give that track to Paul van Dyk or something.

Thievery Corporation - The Mirror Conspiracy

4AD: 2000

Not to sound too up my own ass, but I was always a little smug around my peers in discovering Thievery Corporation before most of them. I shouldn’t be that smug, since I only found out about the Washington downtempo duo when 4AD, of all labels, redistributed their classic Sound From The Thievery Hi-Fi two years after it’d already come out on Thiev-Corp’s own Eighteenth Street Lounge Music. Dammit though, I was the first in my circle to find it, and it wasn’t until their sophomore album, The Mirror Conspiracy, that the duo broke out from underground-darling status with chill-out crossover potential. And for that, I… kinda lost the plot with them.

Not that I blame Garza and Hilton for refining the dubby, hip-hop groove they made for themselves - adopting Latin and jazz elements into a genre already filled with Jamaican and urban influences was a fine idea. They certainly proved capable of pulling it off, with tunes like Lebanese Blonde and So Come Voce getting tons of rotation on every loungey chill-out compilation that mattered (and then some).

The Mirror Conspiracy isn’t just some nifty bossa nova for smoky basements though, as oodles of ethnically diverse music finds its way throughout the album. Indra gets its bhangra on at points, plenty of Arabic nods crops up (Illumination, ), the Hong Kong Triad sounds like it could have fit snuggly in a ‘60s mod movie, and even that Afro-Brazillian percussion style batacuda gets its nod in Air Batacuda …hehe, ‘batucada’. Nearly every track features some unique stylistic origin while always maintaining a distinct dubbed-out cool vibe that’s wholly the Thievery Corporation’s. It’s just a shame so many of them are too damned short.

Perhaps I was spoiled by the lengthier tunes on their first album, but longer running time would make the songs on The Mirror Conspiracy so much more immersive. I want to get lost in Samba Tranquille’s blissy shuffle for longer than three minutes. I want to forever float on rivers of funky dub with Tomorrow. And what the Hell, Bebel Gilberto doesn’t even get three minutes at providing a soulful croon in So Com Voce? A few cuts do offer reasonable length – tribal Illumination, jazzy Focus On Sight clock in over four minutes, and Indra gets a whopping five-plus to strut her stuff (whoa, what is this, prog?). Considering, at thirteen tracks, the The Mirror Conspiracy runs well less of an hour, there wasn’t any reason for Garza and Hilton to indulge themselves a little - unless these were intended as radio-friendly versions, trotted out for easy licensing. Given how many songs did end up on compilations and chill-out mixes, maybe so.

I won’t go so far as to call Thiev-Corp’s newer style ‘pop’, but it is far more accessible for mass audiences compared to many other downtempo artists of similar ilk. Fair enough if that’s their goal (and judging by their follow-up albums, it was), but it wasn’t for me. Solid live shows though!

Various - min2MAX (Original TC Review)

M_nus: 2006

(2014 Update:
If this music is so minimal, then why is this review so maximal, AMIRITE!!?? Wow... I mean, just wow. How did I ever manage 1,200 words for this one? Right, a good four-hundred is spent at the start getting TranceCritic's reader-base caught up on what the whole minimal craze was about. We were just under a year late in doing so, but it needed addressing, and I was lucky enough to spot an eye-catching cover in the local HMV megastore that had a bunch of the music on it. Besides, it was a fresh stylistic movement that deserved some attention. Surely something like minimal would remain just a short-term fad though, one kept in underground, off-road events; nothing this gimmicky could endure and infest nearly every other genre and club for too long, right? Haha ha.

Ah well, 2006 was the honeymoon year, and as such saw occasional clever works being put out. There's a few on here too, but Hawtin's iron-clad manifesto of what his assembled M_nus roster should sound like is incredibly apparent on this compilation. While Magda, Wink, and Heartthrob break free of his shackles, it's apparent the rest struggled to meet his standards, coming out with relatively forgotten works now. Except that JPLS track - its suckiness is forever burned upon my poor ears.)


IN BRIEF: More than meets the ear.

Now here’s a style of music that’s sparked some debate. Minimal techno, in all its unassuming-yet-pretentious history, has dug deeper trenches in the Genre Wars than nearly any other genre out there. By listening and even getting something out of minimal, you’re considered far more cultured in music than the commoners of the pop world; a worthy gauge to test your sonic intellect. If you can’t comprehend it, then you simply must be a simpleton, so why not just go scurry on back to your Scooter albums, Junior, while the grown-ups enjoy their forward-thinking music.

Truthfully, the minimal crowds have a point when they make such outlandish claims. This music is not going to hold your hand and lead you to insta-melodies or pummeling percussion. Instead, it demands your undivided attention to pick out its nuances; those with short-attention spans need not apply. A slight change in pitch or rhythmic variation can have the same impact as a sputtering synth in epic trance or roaring bassline in jungle. This is music mostly for the head rather than the body or soul.

Of course, there’s always the trap of trying to be too clever, and this is often where minimal stumbles with a casual fanbase. Like other kinds of head music (psy dub, nu-jazz, drone), the old cliché of ‘rewards paying attention’ is suited, but minimal has the annoying habit of never anteing up such a reward. Too often what you hear is what you get, and this can be frustrating for those who want something out of the music they listen to, even if it’s subtle.

Richie Hawtin has bridged the gap between party hedonism and stubborn pretensions better than anyone, and has become the poster boy for minimal’s mission to bring a sense of class back to clubland without losing the fun along the way. I can’t say for sure whether he’s succeeding or not, but hanging out with Sven Väth certainly seems to have lightened up the Windsor native. In the process, Plastikman has gone ahead and started a label, Minus, promoting his manifesto.

min2MAX showcases a bevy of Minus producers, each giving us their take on the minimal sound. I suppose if you’re new to this music, such an idea sounds frightfully dull. Who has the time to sit through an entire compilation of minute beats and sound? Actually, further listening on min2MAX revels a decent amount of diversity within minimal’s structure.

Heartthrob’s Baby Kate gets this show on the road with a simple groover as bleepy sounds and bouncy bass bobble about. It’s all very subtle sounding, but bits of volume tweaks and reverb tricks do keep things ever-shifting. Similarly, follow-up Scatter from Gaiser pulls the same stunt on its percussion while a deep bassline grumbles about and sparse, static sounds do weird things in the background. Listening to these, it’s pretty apparent these tracks are more interested in creating atmosphere than anything else. In this, it does succeed, but your enjoyment of it will probably stem from whether you like mechanical mood music.

However, even mood music can use some melodic substance at times, and Magda gives us it with Staring Contest. Yeah, the rhythms are slight, and there still aren’t any major hooks to be had, but with twinkling sounds echoing in the background, there’s still an air of benevolence to be had. It’s the kind of stuff you might expect to hear on a Drexciya release, as it contains that ‘underwater resonance’ the group was known for. Of course, it also helps Magda has crafted a rhythm that is actually rather funky for something so minimal.

Unfortunately, Konrad Black’s offering here shows what’s so wrong with this genre. You get some bobbling bass sounds and sparse rhythms, and that’s it for the duration. Sure, a couple effects or percussion switch-ups occur at points, but none of which do anything remotely interesting, causing the track to loop along uneventfully. At least Troy Pierce’s GVRL retains some of that lost interest with an acidy bassline that’s nicely tweaked as it loops, all the while bleepy sound effects and better percussion fill in the surroundings. It’s still not terribly enduring, but a better effort in creating some of that moody atmosphere that was apparent early in this compilation.

Now here’s an individual that’s made the most out of the least. Wink’s Higher State from back in the 90s was pretty much just a funky electro beat, time-stretched vocals, and an acid line that got tweaked and distorted like a rockin’ guitar solo. So what’s he got in store for us here? Maintaining min2MAX’s theme, it seems. Have To Get Back is yet another dark, moody excursion into minimal sounds and layered loops. However, Wink does keep the tension on a continuous climb, letting layers overlap each other with increasing frequency. Eventually, some danceable tribal rhythms make an appearance via distorted percussion, but it never erupts the way you might hope the name Wink would lead you to believe. Still, it’s an interesting track while it lasts.

Marc Houle and Niederflur provide a ‘minimal-at-opposite-ends’ segment with these next two tracks. The former’s kind of similar to Pierce’s go, with a wobbly acid bassline and housey rhythms that groove you as plinky electronic noises work their way around them; probably the most energetic song thus far (although that isn’t saying much). Meanwhile, z.B. goes the other way, getting as minimal as minimal gets. The bassline is a mere pulse, synth stabs break the gloom infrequently, and clicky noises worm about, creating a rather choking atmosphere. Actually, this is closer to dub techno than minimal, but the two aren’t that dissimilar when you break them down. Is it any good though? Not bad at all, provided you don’t get distracted from all the yummy mechanical resonance. Yeah, yeah... I likes me some dubby resonance.

“But enough with all this dark, moody, serious stuff,” you say. “Can’t minimal get its head out of its ass long enough to at least have a sense of humour?” Look no further than Tractile’s Unquenchable then. The sounds used here, plinky-plonky electronic stuff sounding like some sort of dwarf-sized factory, end up taking a goofier slant on things compared to what we’ve heard so far, and it’s certainly a welcome relief to see some fun injected into this compilation, even if it’s only just this once.

With that out of the way, min2MAX gets back to business as usual for the final stretch, with two good tracks of groovey, deep techno sounds (Victoria Station and Orchidee), and an utterly horrible track lodged between the two of them. Seriously, this... Twilite 7; what on Earth is this? It takes the plinky-plonk sounds of Unquenchable and puts them in the sparse production of z.B., with none of the charm of either. It shows off everything that minimal gets mocked about in spades, and is an unfortunate blemish on a rather decent compilation in general.

Yeah, this is a decent compilation, and I’m sure fans of this stuff will love it. The bigger question, though, is whether there’s enough substance here to sway the anti-minimal crowd to switch sides. Frankly, it all depends on whether you buy into the agenda min2MAX sets out to accomplish. As mentioned, the music on here is more for your mood rather than to make you move; it’s far better suited to sitting back and listening to despite a few booty-shakin’ worthy moments. Although I’m not a big indulger of the minimal sounds of techno, I have to admit I still found myself occasionally getting lost in the murky atmosphere of these tracks.

min2MAX gives a suitable balance of sounds for the curious. If you want to hear what the fuss regarding minimal is, this is a safe purchase.

Front Line Assembly - Millennium

Roadrunner Records: 1994

Bill Leeb swears it wasn’t a bandwagon jump, but it’s hard not to suspect so. Industrial rock was gaining traction within the rock world at large, an intriguing alternative for those burned out by grungey alternative rock clogging up the airwaves. It also didn’t hurt all those weird, piercing electronic noises made perfect soundtracks to cyberpunk movies and CD-ROM games (oh, early ‘90s…), a perfect bridge for the technologically savvy and metal-head types out there. Still, I’m willing to give him the benefit of doubt, he and Rhys Fulber taking Front Line Assembly out of the realms of pure EBM and closer to proper-rock territory. Their sound was due for a shake up, EBM coming off a tad dated in the wake of Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral.

Oops, I’m getting ahead of myself. Just in case you aren’t aware (hi, post-Silence Delerium fans!), Front Line Assembly was Bill Leeb’s main music project for a good decade before a side project of his grew even more popular. Along with Skinny Puppy (of whom he was once a member), Front 242, and Nitzer Ebb, he was instrumental in developing electronic body music as a dancier, purely electronic off-shoot of industrial. It gained popularity in underground clubs and the seedier side of dance culture, but as all things born of the ‘80s, the scene eventually fizzled out in the ‘90s as bands moved onto industrial rock or aggrotech (industrial techno!). Front Line Assembly were no exception, Millennium being their own take on guitar-infusion body music.

Only they kinda cheated in the process, sampling and replaying heavy metal riffs from Pantera, Sepultera, and Ministry as a complement to their EBM rhythms. Well, if that’s the way they’re gonna do it, may as well take from musically compatible sources. Ministry were already considered an industrial group (though more heavy rock than EBM or thrashing metal), while Pantera and Sepultera were incredibly groove-orientated with their riffage; a perfect complement, then.

It doesn’t always work, as tracks like Vigilante and Division Of A Criminal are too far outside of Front Line’s EBM comfort zone to sound like anything other than wonky attempts at industrial rock on their part (and let’s not get into the woeful go at ‘industrial-rap’ on Victim Of A Criminal). Nay, this fusion truly flies when we’re still dealing with good ol’ soaring synths, blistering electronics, thrilller movie samples, and those gloriously over-the-top, operatic, ear-wormy melodic passages; the cathartic bliss in the mechanized rage. I honestly can’t take it seriously (am I supposed to?), but it sure is fun getting swept into Leeb’s distorted, menacing singing in This Faith, Search And Destroy, and Liquid Separation. Plus, those chugging, funky guitars sound great in Surface Patterns, Plasma Springs, and titular cut Millennium.

At best, this album’s an experiment on Front Line’s part at taking their sound in a different direction. It doesn’t always hit (God, Victim is so stupid), but when it does, it ranks high among anything Leeb and Fulber’s made over the years.

Fehrplay - Meow

Ministry Of Sound America: 2010

It’s a given that the PR blurbs that come with new singles are ridiculous. If you were to take them at face value, you’d swear every new tune was the greatest composition ever created. Of course, that ain’t true, but it can make for some hilarious reading whenever they overshoot. Sometimes, they’re so bold in their ambition that they’ll bestow ‘classic’ status upon a track well before it’s even had a chance to get properly rinsed out. Like this one.

Oh, Meow definitely has the potential to become a hit, even if it’s ballsy to declare it a WMC anthem nearly a month before the event even starts. Thing is Ferhplay has checked off (re: style-bitten) many of the things that has made many an Eric Prydz track a hit. The hook is instantly likeable, the beats have quality bounce, the supporting ‘piano’ chords will bob heads, and all the whooshy effects are tastefully done; then, it’s arranged such that the vibe never falters. There’s no new ground being broken here but with a track this shamelessly fun, does it matter? Certainly not, so Meow looks primed to be at least a minor hit for the main room crowds.

The B-side of this digital promo is

Then I stopped typing, stared at the computer screen, and asked myself, “Why am I still doing this? Nothing I write matters and all these free digi-EP promos I’m being sent won’t have any lasting impact upon electronic music. Fuck it. Fuck everything.”

Yes indeed, it was cynicism towards over-zealous PR that finally broke me, despite managing a few more reviews before truly quitting. It didn’t help I was suffering from multiple bouts of work and college related stress, relationship and financial depression, and just generally feeling poo at the time, but there it is - the honest-to-God impetus for giving up writing reviews about new music. I’m feeling better now, thankfully.

I imagine it’s a self-defeating, futile and sick, sick, sick environment, the world of promo-PR. How many times do copy-writers hype a track to the high ends of the Earth, only for said track to get completely passed by without a notice or care. Hell, Fehrplay’s Meow was one of the best ones of at least a dozen digi-promos I went through, hence why I tried writing a review for it, plus got picked up by Ministry Of Sound and Hed Kandi for compilation duty on all their major releases (Annual, Clubber’s Guide …Miami Fashion District?). Nor was I the only one to make the Prydz connection, as Jonas von der Fehr released his second single, Incognito, on Pryda Friends. Meow truly could have been a major hit like the promo guys claimed. Yet, do you remember this tune? For that matter, did you even know it existed, because Amazon.com sure doesn't.

Anyhow, to finish this four year aborted review, the B-side is titled Meow Again. It’s an electro-house version, and not as good as the original Meow. Yay, done, finished.

Banco de Gaia - Memories Dreams Reflections (2014 Update)

Disco Gecko: 2009

(Click here to read my original TranceCritic review.)

I promise this is the last Banco de Gaia for a good long while. Pinky-swearsie, I do! Well, until that 20th anniversary edition of Maya arrives in the mail. Or Mr. Marks happens to release another album with a title falling within my alphabetical stipulation. Beyond that though, it’ll be a long time, for sure a very long time.

What wasn't so long ago was the release of Memories Dreams Reflections; at least, it doesn't feel that long ago. Four-point-five years though, that's practically a lifetime in raver years. Heck, most give up on 'the scene' in that amount of time. I sure didn't, but then, coming of age in the hinterlands of Canada didn't provide much opportunity for the quick, burn-out turnaround many go through. Actual parties were few and far between, whereas the big cities often got away with one every weekend. By the time I got to a big city with such a scene (Vancouver), it was on the downswing, most of the old-schoolers having moved on or found new homes in the ‘classier’ club scene (woo, legal alcohol!). In re-branding raves as ‘music festivals’, we’re seeing the upswing of a new generation , but if the typical reveler lifespan holds true, the first wave of burn-outs will start in short order, if not already.

What of the hold-outs, though? What keeps us going to these events, listening to this music? I’ve often asked myself this, and the answer always comes back to the search for that ‘perfect’ party. Sometimes it’s a desire to re-capture something from one’s youth, other times it’s a hope to experience it just once, but in the end, there’s long been a romanticism associated with losing oneself to the all-night dance. A proper refuge for the ostracized of society, a rebellion against mainstream conformity, escapism – it’s why electronic music always retreats back to the underground after flirtations with commercial success, as the very concept of the culture is directly counter to what society deems proper behavior (work your job, raise your family, watch your TV, etc.). Those who still partake in this scene often find a way of balancing the two, either making club culture their primary job (DJs, musicians, promoters), or only going to select events they feel will come as close to being their idea of a ‘perfect’ party as any; for yours truly, I’m definitely of the latter sort.

I suppose, on some sub-conscious level, that’s why I’ve been systematically going through all the music I’ve gathered: an attempt at piecing together my time involved with electronic music’s ever-evolving scene. What’s lead me down the musical paths I’ve taken? Why do I find some genres more favorable than others? Could things have been different if I’d been exposed to different parties and music? Why didn’t other counter-culture music, like punk or metal, appeal in a similar fashion?

Yeah, sorry there’s nothing ‘updated’ in this post. Guess I took the whole Memories Dreams Reflections concept to heart this time.

Beck - Mellow Gold

Bong Load Records: 1994

Now who the Hell is this guy all of a sudden, and what's with this hit single Loser? It's got a hip-hop beat going for it, and Beck's even rapping on it, but there's bluesy, country twang making up the hook. And his appearance on the back of Mellow Gold, that's grunge wear, me bucko. It just don't add up! Awesome song though. It also propelled Beck from an utterly unknown entity to overnight star, practically sustaining his wild and wonky musical career as a result.

Loser remains Mr. Hansen's top charting single, even though follow-up albums like Odelay and Sea Change were overall better selling LPs compared to Mellow Gold. Come to think of it, there weren't any other successful chart-topping singles off this album either. Uh oh, Beck's debut is one of those albums, isn't it - known for that one killer song, and a whole bunch of forgotten filler. Pft, if you honestly believe that, you don't know Beck. Still, for many folks out there coming to Mellow Gold looking for more sing-along anthems like Loser, they were in for a world of confuddlement.

Psychedelic blues is the main name of Beck's game on this album, with liberal amounts of rock, punk, folk, and electronic beat-craft rounding things out. If you're someone who admires song writing, ingenuity, musical skill, and the swagger to pull it all off on a freakin' debut, then Mellow Gold is definitely for you. Despite lacking anything else as immediately catchy as Loser, Beck's diversity of sound is catnip for those into bold music making. There's 'soaked-in-booze' lo-fi mourners like Pay No Mind, Whiskeyclone, Hotel 1967, and Steal My Body Home (hey, who put this acid in my bourbon?), upbeat funk on Beercan and Soul Sucking Jerk, noise freak-outs like Sweet Sunshine, Mutherfucker and secret-song Analog Odyssey, and sunny psychedelic folk-rock like Blackhole and Fuckin' With My Head. Yessir, there's a lot of different kind of music on Mellow Gold, for sure. Unfortunately, that's also its problem.

While this album's supposed to have a running theme of Los Angeles on the skids, it's rather obtuse under all his mumbly-singing. Besides, that's just the blues, man, but for all folks knew, it was also Beck's style, a modern-day blues-smith based out of the City Of Angels. Confounding things further is all the stylistic hopping he does, hobbling any album flow when playing Mellow Gold front to back. It comes off like Mr. Hansen had a ton of musical inspiration and, being the youthful cavalier he was, made any ol' tune that sprung forth from his mind. And if I'm struggling with this album in this regard, I can only imagine the poor folks who only bought it for Loser. Probably left his career in the rear-view mirror post-haste. Ooh, who’s this OMC?

Ah well, who cares about those people. Beck's endured for two decades now, despite never having a commercial success like Loser again. I'm sure he's perfectly happy how things turned out thusly.

Meditronica - Meditronica (Original TC Review)

RareNoise Records

(2014 Update:
Not much to add to this one. I probably detailed too much 'bass guitar musician history' than was necessary, but I was looking for a broad angle such that those not interested in dub-heavy music would still have something interesting to read. In the end, it was just more Laswell talk.

This remains the only Meditronica album, not including a remix EP that came out a year later. Nearing five years old now, and there's been little info on whether Ashtech and Polcari are planning a follow-up. For that matter, Ashtech's still yet to follow-up his debut solo album too. What's up with that? Still, RareNoise Records, the label that was launched with this album, has done quite well for itself, though is far more jazzy prog-rock than I'd care to indulge in anytime soon.)


IN BRIEF: Dub on the beach.

Probably one of the most noteworthy things about Ashtech’s debut was the fact it was such a solid album through …for a bassist. Typically, at least in rock circles, bassists make for poorer musicians when they go solo instead of being a part of a group. Sure, guys like Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, and Sting have had respectable solo careers, but compared to the material they wrote while in their famous groups, it pales. On the other hand, perhaps it was Ashtech’s built-in familiarity with Jamaican dub music (not to mention producer Gaudi’s steadying hand) that made the transition to solo work all the more easy. Even then though, it’s rather remarkable, given the track-record of similar musicians. Take Bill Laswell. The man has an insanely vast discography, but generally speaking his collaborative work outshines his solo work (Rockit, anyone?).

In some ways, this Meditronica project of Ashtech’s reminds me of any number of Laswell’s groups, in that given the players involved there’s potential for something interesting. Here, ol’ Ash has paired up with Polcari, a frequent keyboarding wingman for several notable dub musicians (er, including Laswell – the guy’s just everywhere). Sounds like a strong combination for more dubbed out fun, and you do get that on this album. Unfortunately, as also has been the case with many a Laswell project, you get a distinct lack of focus in the process.

To cut to the chase, Meditronica sounds more like a couple guys jamming in the studio than a concerted effort to create a unique moniker that will stand out from the annual dub crowds. Honestly, the ideas are all over the place, which is surprising for a tidy ten-track album. Of course, you have your bass-heavy dub cuts like The Third Planet, Azimuth Navigation, and Mare Nostrum, but Ashtech wasn’t in the mood to retread Walkin’ Target. Rather, the whole reason for creating Meditronica with Polcari (along with other Italians like guitarist Eraldo Bernocchi and vocalist Raiz) was to inject Mediterranean influences into the dub template. Sure enough, there are little nuggets of Ibizan bliss that’ll remind some folks of perennial Balearic acts like Sven van Hees or any number of Café Del Mar compilations, though more prominent at the end with tracks Byblos From Above and Black Haik. Elsewhere, Northern African vocal flair is added to tracks Dame Paz and Ki Eshmera Shabbat, which should appeal to folks who enjoy that sort of thing. Mostly though, this release is about dub textures as our intrepid musicians noodle about in their jam sessions.

It is all perfectly pleasant music to hear, just very unassuming in the process. Meditronica is almost infuriating in how it can be casually thrown on and simply disappear into the background. This is an album that you feel should hit something higher, as any one of these tracks would undoubtedly stand out as a highlight on a themed compilation of similar tunes. Yet, it never quite does. Stuff like Rainbow Rain and Andromeda are lovely little listens but all too quickly fades from your head. The seemingly carefree way in which these songs are written and arranged makes it incredibly hard to contextualize them in the album, and their lasting impact is lessened as a result.

Despite this, Meditronica is a safe purchase for dub connoisseurs. Even those who fancy Mediterranean chill will find some enjoyment here. Ashtech and Polcari have something going for them with this project, but they need to figure out exactly what that something is if they want to take it to another level. Otherwise, Meditronica will probably fall by the wayside much like Laswell’s Divination did.