Markus Schulz - Miami '05

Armada Music: 2005

This is it, isn’t it? The peak of this particular sub-genre of progressive trance? I already know how Markus Schulz’ story goes after this one, to say nothing of McProg as a whole. Tiësto’s In Search Of Sunrise 5 caught me off guard with how classy it treated the music – Hell, that Mr. Verwest jumped on the Schulz sound period – but there aren’t any other DJs that rinsed out the ‘classic’ Coldharbour sound who I should be checking out, right? Schulz being the King of his mountain, anyone else just can’t compare, true? Please tell me I shouldn’t also be digging into Anjunabeats circa. 2005 to find out – I feel dirty enough already retroactively enjoying McProg as I do now, and I don’t want to futilely search for more if it’s all downhill from Miami ‘05.

I mean, these two CDs have nearly everything I could hope for with these tentative explorations of the lambasted genre, and very little of the things that came to annoy me. It’s already a given we’re getting plenty of those tasty grumbly basslines and twinkly melodies I’ve developed the softest of spots for. I still can’t explain how or why it happened. Maybe it’s the lack of a constant barrage of slavering trance-crackers on web-forums championing it as the greatest music since Xpander (that tune’s practically the genre’s progenitor, come to think of it). Make no mistake, there still isn’t that much substance to this style of prog-trance, and if I re-listened to Miami ‘05 over and over as I typically did with most trance for review ten years past, almost certainly the empty shell within the shiny façade of a surface would reveal itself. Damn though, is it fun music for an occasional dip.

Miami ‘05 wouldn’t be any good if it was just one sound all the way through, and the bits of variety Schulz throws in (re: promoted singles from Coldharbour) are mostly welcome. As usual, I can bin the vocal cuts, but there are only three offenders on CD1, and even Interstate’s I Found You is given a nice rub from Lemon8. Side-chaining also makes its annoying entry here, Hammer & Bennett’s Baltic Sea being the worst offender (cool percussion though!), but like the vocal cuts, they’re few and far between, and don’t detract from the whole. Also, that Electro Hairspray track’s horribly muddy, practically a parody of the very sound Schulz is promoting on these mixes. Still, props for making it his only contribution to this mix – giving the new cats a chance to shine!

Speaking of, quite a few one-offs like Aronek, Jagermaestro, Yilmaz Altanhan, and Sundawner mix things up with usual suspects like Özgür Can, Mike Foyle, and Jose Amnesia. Should it come as any surprise these relative unknowns have the most interesting tracks here? And breaks! There’s trancey breaks on Miami ‘05! Good trancey breaks! Oh, Schulz, you’re spoiling me here. Can I go back in time and join your Cult? Well, maybe not.

Vangelis - L'Apocalypse Des Animaux

Polydor: 1973/1991

Speaking of gathering music from Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, there was one frequently used composition I was disappointed never appeared on the The Music Of Cosmos 2CD set. It wasn’t a one-off like Pink Floyd’s One Of These Days either – it appeared frequently, a droning bit of gentle, background ambience most memorably used during the ‘galaxy showcase’ in The Edge Of Forever. As the series repeatedly used Vangelis’ music, I suspected it was one of the Greek composer’s pieces as well; however, nothing like it appeared on Heaven & Hell or Albedo 0.39, the two albums Cosmos primarily cribbed music from. There were no original music credits available either, so I had no clue whether I was on the right track. Did I have any hope in solving this mystery?

With luck, I recently stumbled upon a website that had listed Cosmos’ original music cue sheet for each episode. A bit of sleuthing later, and I discovered I was indeed correct in the music being of Vangelis origin. What I hadn’t counted on was it originating from Mr. Papathanassiou’s very first album!

The piece, by the way, is called Création Du Monde, which appeared in the soundtrack for a mostly forgotten French nature documentary called L’Apocalypse Des Animaux. Story goes Vangelis, while still a part of psychedelic rock act Aphrodite’s Child, had begun writing incidental music intended for licensing out for shows of such sort. Frederic Rossif, who made the film, snatched the rights to these compositions, and thus formed the officially released soundtrack to L’Apocalypse Des Animaux. Not that the details terribly matter - the brief opening ‘jungle rhythm’ track aside (subtitled Generique), this LP may as well be considered Vangelis’ first official solo album.

What’s most fascinating about this music is just how far back it dates, and the undeniable influences it imparted. Création De Monde is Eno ambient half a decade before Music For Airports: droning ebbs and flows of synths pads, occasional calming plucks of strings or bells, and ten minutes of pure, floating bliss. Minimalism was kicking around, true, but not designed with such a relaxing approach to song craft. Even more ambient is La Mer Recommencée, which adds light cymbal washes to the droning synth work, leading into a crescendo as it plays out.

Or, if you’re more familiar with Vangelis’ later score work, La Petite Fille de la Mer captures the same delicate innocence of Carly’s Song. Likewise, Le Singe Bleu is all gentle keyboards and lonesome trumpet – not quite Bladerunner Blues, but certainly just as stirring. Stephen Halpern must have been playing close attention to those keyboard tones too, sounding quite similar to his Keynote series that kicked off the whole New Age movement.

And all this lovely music was originally wasted on images of animals. My mind boggles. Yeah, I can see Création Du Monde working with the sight of birds in flight, but Sagan had the right idea. This music far deserves the grandeur and scope of the galaxies.

Tomita - Kosmos

RCA Victor: 1978/1991

Long before electronic music was almost exclusively made for the riff-raff of dance culture, electronic music was exclusively made for the hoity-toity upper elites of culture. True, only higher class brackets were capable of affording synthesizers at the time, so naturally only classically trained composers did much of anything with the gear. Shortly after the ‘70s took hold though, the commons clued into the catchy potential of electronic music too, and some charming compositions began charting in record sales. Well, if they’re enjoying these camp pieces, scoffed the elite, they’ll undoubtedly lap up the fromage of the classics too. Thus they set out a Japanese robot dubbed Tomita to placate the masses with synthesized interpretations of Stravinsky, Holst, Strauss, and Bach.

Right, the specific details above are mostly the bunk (probably), but if anyone greatly benefited from Wendy Carlos and Rick Wakeman proving you could do classical music with electronics, it was ol' Isao. By the time he released Kosmos, he'd gained a reputation as the foremost modern classical interpreter about, folks always anticipating which master of the past he'd tackle next.

Did I mention sci-fi was a big deal in the '70s? What better way to give the fans what they wanted – and maybe even lure in a few who’d yet to discover the Japanese synth maestro – than opening Kosmos with a quirky, charming cover of John Williams’ Star Wars Main Title? It’s… um, well, it’s… Star Wars? Kinda bloopy, with a whistle instead of the opening fanfare; surprising amount of bouncy rhythm for the time too. Y’know, when you think of chintzy, made-for-TV sci-fi pulp from that decade, this is the music you’re likely imagining soundtracking it. Follow-up Space Fantasy borrows from Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra and various Wagner compositions, most notably Ride Of The Valkyries and Tannhäuser, though whenever I hear the latter, I almost immediately think of Bugs Bunny riding an obese white horse rather than space opera. Also, Kosmos has quickly turned incredibly camp with such music.

Fortunately, things get more interesting with the following songs. The Unanswered Question from Charles Ives goes ambient, mysterious, and with a touch of mechanical menace lurking. Rodrigo’s Aranjuez-Adagio is soaring and gorgeous, especially with the synths Tomita utilizes here, and Solveig’s Song’s from Edvard Grieg’s no slouch either, Tomita cleverly playing a portion of the campy bit through a filter as though it’s a transmission from deep space.

The highlight of Kosmos is the final track though, J.S. Bach’s The Sea Named “Solaris”; heck, it was a highlight on Carl Sagan’s Cosmos too! Yes, finally, at the end of this review, I come clean about my primary reason for getting this album. Look, I was starting a Tomita collection eventually, and it may as well be the album holding the song I’m most familiar with by him. If you haven’t heard The Sea Named “Solaris” yet, get on that shit, brah! Absolutely essential modern classical! Kosmos ain’t too bad either, once you get past the corny first bits.

Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - The Key

Terminal Antwerp: 2002

The mystique of the Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia had mostly faded from techno's consciousness as the new millennium took shape, perhaps a few digital crusties the only ones maintaining the group aloft in reverence. Back in the early '90s when the enigmatic Dutch act were making the rounds on the live PA circuit, the notion of tribal rhythms and occult lineage wasn't a hard sell for a young rave scene. Probably didn't hurt they were releasing material through Belgian EBM-slash-New Beat label KK Records, that scene already having a fondness for the counter-culture of new technology. Throw in knowing nods to ambient, industrial, and dub, and you've a sound like no other at the time, and very little since.

The Warriors Ov Gaia (Psychick, that is) had a memorable half-decade run, and folks figured their story was done by the mid-‘90s. Someone at KK Records must have been a dedicated fan though, as long after PWoG had faded from the minds of the techno collective, the label released this odds-n-sods double-disc of material from the group on the briefly run sub-label Terminal Antwerp. It’s not exactly a rare gathering of material here, the first track being their classic Obsidian. There are a few versions of this floating around, and far as I can tell, this is a slightly shorter one compared to the twenty minute Deconstructure single cut. Also here is the minimalist acid stomper The Challenge, sounding quite similar to Part 1 that opened Biospheres And Sacred Grooves; plus the stripped-down industrial-techno tune Kraak, one of the group’s later efforts.

That’s about it for the immediately familiar tracks on The Key. Oddly, eight of these ten cuts all have a “mix never released before on the market” asterix beside them. I don’t doubt the label’s claim, though Kraak has one too, along with ridiculously rare tunes like Out Now and Pull. Come to think of it, the titular cut, The Key, was also on Biospheres And Sacred Grooves. And there are a few mislabels on CD1. You’re looking sketchy, Terminal Antwerp.

So what is The Key? B-side collection? 'Almost' greatest hits? Newbie-friendly introduction? None of these, if I'm honest. PWoG already had a retrospective release out on KK Records, and if you were (or are) a first-timer to their sound, these are hardly an easy pair of CDs to get into. 'Tribal' is often tossed in descriptions, but I wager PWoG lean more primordial, a dedication to the meditative aspects of minimalist rhythms and chants. Sometimes they go more trance (The Valley), other times more downbeat (Prison Of The Rhythm), and still occasionally find nods to Detroit's approach (Out Now), but every time their music latches onto your primitive brain, dragging you into hypnotic dance. Man, I hope there aren't any subliminal messages lurking in those samples!

Though an admirable attempt at keeping the Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia's name out there a little longer, there isn't enough on The Key that’ll attract but the most devout of followers.

EDM Weekly World News: June 2014

Holy Wormholes, Batboy, several time-related producers and DJs have befallen a most un-excellent circumstance. Be careful of what you choose for your alias, budding musicians of the world!

Flava Flav transcript unfortunately unavailable upon request. Hoo, I'm sure you can imagine it tho'.

Ghostface Killah - Ironman

Epic Street: 1996

As a fan of the Wu-Tang Clan, grabbing a copy of this album obviously took far too long on my part. Isn't it my dutiful obligation to own every one of the group's first-run solo CDs? Yep, though in Ghostface's case, his first didn't leave a strong initial impression. For instance, is the cover intended to come off like some tacky shoe advertisement? Or are they in the process of pushing Wu-Ware along with Ironman? Another thing that turned me off was the lead single Daytona 500. Honestly, I can't remember how the song goes, even having just listened to it, but I thought the Speed Racer video for it was kinda' gimmicky. Still, I should know better than to let a lead single dictate a whole album. On the other hand, Cappadonna's on this a whole bunch, isn't he? I dunno, too many of his verses are so weak compared to the other Wu, I don't think I could handle a whole LP with him chiming in. Wait, Winter Warz is on this? Holy shit, son, Cap' spits pure fire on that cut!

Okay, the main reason was I couldn't figure Ironman living up the lofty peaks Ghostface had climbed with Supreme Clientele and Fishscale. And to be blunt, he doesn't here. Then again, Ghost was just at the start of what would be an impeccable solo career – testing the waters of where he could go, but still within the coddling embrace of his Clan and RZA's musical influence. For sure, Ironman's filled with plenty of those classic Wu, twitchy funk 'n' soul loops coupled with impeccable drum programming. In a way, this album marked something of an end of RZA's original style, the need for musical progression undoubtedly on his mind with Wu-Tang Forever just around the corner. He certainly indulges himself with a number of post-verse loops on a few tracks here, more so than most other solo-Wu albums. It's rather surprising Ghostface was fine with his producer stealing the spotlight like that. Ooh, conspiracy theory for Mr. Coles' ongoing distancing from the Wu as the years wore on!

Saying that, few knew what Ghostface's 'persona' was at this point enough to carry a whole album, beyond yet another ultra-talented MC in the Clan. Method Man was the rugged, uber-charasmatic one, ODB was ODB, GZA was the wise elder, and Raekwon established himself as a successor to Scarface (both gangster and rapper). Mr. Killah definitely proved himself a worthy back-up in those cases, almost part-and-parcel to Rae's image (Chef being the smooth operator, Ghost being the trigger-happy side-man). On Ironman though, Tony Starks plays the role of street storyteller, hype-man for his posse, and a lady's man who loves his mamma, but has absolutely no respect for them ho’s. Standard concepts as far as gangsta rap was concerned, and still deep within the Clan's fold, not the most efficient way to differentiate yourself from so many magnetic personalities. It'd take one more album to get there.

Various - fabric 54: Damian Lazarus

Fabric: 2010

*cover art brought to you by fabric's “Alternate Uses For Old Bed Sheets” period*

How is it that I now have two mixes from Damian Lazarus? His Crosstown Rebels label material isn't one I've actively sought out to own, though if I had to pick one minimal-deep-tech print to indulge in, theirs is a cut of ketamine I've enjoyed more often than others. They provide a good vibe, one where I could easily find myself continuously shuffling upon a rooftop or summer patio had I decided to spend my vacation in such locales rather than the great Canadian outback, subjected to rippin' winds, blistering sun, and thunderstorms. On the other hand, ooh, dinosaur tracks!

Where was I? Oh yeah, fabric 54. We've finally come to the end of this year's Fabric On A Budget, and let me tell you, I'm leery about doing another one next year. If so many came available on the cheap in but one year's time, I can't imagine how many more might crop up by Spring Of 2015. Like, there are still another eight fabrics and FabricLives in the 30s I've yet to see on the used market. Man, folks sure didn't like those years, did they? There were a few great ones from what I've covered (The Glimmers, Tayo, Ewan Pearson, Craze), but yeah, kinda doggy all around.

Which doesn't have much to do with Damian Of Lazarus's offering in fabric 54, a couple years removed from all that. The music's quite different too, no longer stuck in tedious minimalism drier than a dustbin in Death Valley, though still reaching for that 'deeper than thou' vibe tech-house continued searching for. Naturally, all the hot, trendy names of the time come up: Art Department, Seth Troxler, Four Tet, Soul Clap, Nicolas Jaar, another Lee, Cajmere, and Swayzak. Wait, were those last two still trendy in 2010?

Whatever. fabric 54 ultimately feels like an appropriate set to end this two-week-plus project on. It's rather chill, the sort of music that makes good sense at 9am the morning after. I suppose it could work as main room music too, if it's a small, comfy, intimate environment – not Fabric at peak hour, is what I'm saying, though the fabric series doesn't mind taking a stroll down the hallway to the second room either. There's little to find fault with in Damian's mix, as he doesn't take much in the way of musical risks, an indulgence of '70s psychedelic funk and experimentation from Su Kramer and Bill Holt at the end notwithstanding. In all, a nice collection of house tunes, though kind of peters out from a lack of energy by the end.

I told you fabric 54 was an appropriate end to Fabric On A Budget, Part 2.

Was This Worth The Pennies Paid For It?
I feel like I'm partaking in post-hipster activism, getting into the trendy stuff after it got popular, then back-lashed. At thrift shop prices too!

Various - FabricLive.43: Switch & Sinden Present Get Familiar

Fabric: 2008

*cover art brought to you by FabricLive's “Random Crap Smashed On People's Faces” period*

What? No. No! I'm on vacation, damn it. Leave me alone, Fabric On A Budget project. I'll deal with you when I get back in a week. What do you mean I always intended to carry on with this while away from home? Okay, sure, I brought the music with me, but that doesn't mean I'd write reviews for it – keep myself familiarized with the CDs while I was away, that's all. But there's only two left, an end goal in sight, easily attainable, not worth leaving hanging and forceably getting excited for upon my return. This year's Fabric excursion has turned into a slog after all – more good mixes than bad, absolutely, but dealing with the same topic over and over and over drains the creative synapses something dreadful. Maybe I should...

Oh, alright, I'm already bored out here in the Peace River region. Sometimes I forget just how hinter these hinterlands get.

Let's take a look at what's next, then. We're finally out of the 30s, and entering another weird, transitional period in electronic music's history. Dubstep was blowing up big, the nu-EDM was just around the corner, older forms of UK garage were finding fondness among young clubbers, and many producers of the old guard were scrambling to keep up with these shifting trends. The two cats with credits on the cover of FabricLive.43, Switch & Sinden, were riding this wave with some success, in part due to an occasional night at Fabric called Get Familiar. Don't care about the deep underground, simply having an urge to cut loose with fun-time club jams that even the most Axe-drenched bro can enjoy? These guys got you covered – or Sinden does anyway, since Switch wasn't the DJ.

More so, if you love the UK's various rave-garage aspects, you'll adore FabricLive.43. Speed garage! Throwback hardcore anthems! - no actual classics though. Grime-house! (!??) Dubstep! Bassline! (re: speed garage) No 2-step though, that stuff's strictly for the chicky-poos, mate. Only hard wobble dirt low-ends, and rot-snot. Bleh.

I know this stuff's pure heaven for its targeted scene, but my tolerance for hoodlum UK garage only lasts a few tracks before the novelty of shuffle rhythms and south London rappers wears itself out. I've never figured out how such nonsense bassline sounds are taken seriously, but then this is the same country that also gave us 'donk' music. Sinden's mixing doesn't do much to warm the music up either, always in a hurry to drop another track in a different style with no regard for set flow. Can't let the tunes linger too long, I guess, lest the listener realize how silly it all is and put on something with more substance instead.

Was This Worth The Pennies Paid For It?
I could have bought $5 beers at the nearby redneck bar playing bro-country, and it would have been a better bargain.

Various - fabric 40: Mark Farina

Fabric: 2008

*cover art brought to you by fabric's “Landscape. Just Landscape.” period*

I’ve been writing about music for about a decade now, yet after all that time and God knows how many written, this is my first Mark Farina review. Considering how much I've name-dropped the man's name, that's... astounding. It's not for a lack of having his releases (though clearly I've never bought a Mushroom Jazz CD – enough peers had 'em for my fix), but despite enjoying his brand of bouncy deep house vibes, I haven't been in a hurry to gather all his mixes. The man has so damned many of them, you see.

In that regard, fabric 40 doesn't come off terribly special when stacked against Mr. Farina's discography. When this came out in 2008, he already had a dozen-plus mix CDs to his name, primarily his ongoing Mushroom Jazz volumes. He'd also released plenty more sets on OM Records, plus entries for well-regarded mix CD series such as United DJs Of America (fuckin' classic!) and Ministry Of Sound's Sessions. That he would have a stab at Fabric was all but inevitable given the club-label's occasional toe-dip into Chicago-San Fran deep house waters. In fact, it's remarkable it took all the way to number forty for him to get his chance (guess DJ Heather had priority). Unless you’re a Farina Completist, I can’t see fabric 40 being high on a purchasing list, what with so many other options out there.

As such, fabric 40 has a bit in common with fabric 20 from John Digweed: a set with little selling point for casual fans of the DJ, but more intended for followers of Fabric. They differ, however, in that Digweed altered his typical track-listing with a Fabric audience in mind, whereas Farina’s mix doesn’t. Swell thing if you’ve got a hankering for a little extra West Coast house-bounce in your day, but hardly essential if you’ve dutifully collected every House Of OM CD out there; somehow, Fabric’s core audience doesn’t strike me of that sort.

This is turning into a hard sell, isn’t it? Despite the class on display, Farina’s arrangement won’t thrill either, opening with simmering funk and soul, and maintaining a slow, steady build for the CD’s duration, nary a deviation from his comfort zone. Things may go a little garage (John Larner & Slater Hogan’s Gettin’ Ready), other times deeper with the dub (Alexander East’s Believe En Me). Maybe there’s a melding of the two (Mood II Swing’s Closer (Oliver DeSmet & Fred Everything Mix)), or simply a jazzy bliss-out (Johnny Fiasco’s Last Word). I think he injects a few of his Air Farina skits throughout too, or maybe I’m over-anticipating having to be at the Vancouver Airport in a couple hours. Point is fabric 40 delivers exactly what you’d expect a Farina mix should. If you don’t know what this is... Well, it’s a starting point.

Was This Worth The Pennies Paid For It?
I need more Farina in my life.

Various - FabricLive.38: Craze

Fabric: 2008

*cover art brought to you by FabricLive's “Melting Material On Predators” period*

Hey now, what have we in our midst? A real DJ! Three-peat DMC Champion at that. Okay, competition winners aren’t that rare in FabricLive’s history, but the music DJ Craze’s plays here is one Fabric hadn’t ventured into: Miami bass! Haha, I bet the label figured he’d do another drum-n-bass or regular hip-hop mix, so props for Mr. Aristh Delgado for adding yet another notch in the series’ already eclectic assortment of genres. True, previous FabricLives occasional drop a tune or two inspired from the Floridian scene, but Craze’s roots run deep in streets among Ocean Drive, and he shows no qualms in using Fabric’s prestige as a love-letter to the city's musical innovations.

And why not? Miami bass and freestyle were thriving genres for a large chunk of the '80s and '90s, a melding of hip-hop and urban R&B utilizing Kraftwerk electro as the genetic backbone. So successful were these offshoots that they practically subsumed electro-proper altogether, one kicking off the bass music scene as its own unique entity, the other taking electro to the top of American dance charts long before anyone else did. Even as those scenes faded from popularity as the '90s wore on (folks grew weary of those Numbers samples, I guess), they maintained a faithful following in their native Miami, of which Craze undoubtedly grew up surrounded by.

That said, the first few tracks had me worrying we wouldn’t be getting that, two cuts from Cool Kida giving us a taste of... ketamine crunk? No, just no. Who even likes such sluggy slop like that? Craze does come correct with some real crunk in Bangers & Cash’s Loose (you know what they’re talking about), but dammit, this CD was advertised as old school. Give me the classics, mang!

Ask, and you shall receive, Craze making no bones about what this mix is showcasing once he drops the original Miami Vice Theme from Jan Hammer. From there, it’s the vintage booming south (Miami Jam Crew’s Pretty Girls; Lushus’ Ho Fo Sho; Fresh Celeste & M-4 Sers’ Give It All To Me), mint freestyle classics (Beat Club’s Security; Debbie Deb’s When I Hear The Music), and even tasty technobass (DJ Magic Mike’s Cutz The Record; DJ Laz’ Red Alert).

Smartly, Craze mixes things up with tunes from newer acts (Chromeo, Armand Van Helden, Blaqstarr, Switch) who definitely owe some debt to the groundbreaking and shaking bass work Miami’s pioneers accomplished. Ending everything off with killer ghetto anthems like Kid Sister’s Pro Nails (produced by Craze’s turntablist compadre A-Trak) and DJ Assault’s Keep It Pushin’ (with too many names on the remix), and FabricLive.38's a CD any self-respecting bass head should hear.

Was This Worth The Pennies Paid For It?
Miami bass isn’t for everyone (including the previous owner, apparently), but any set that throws technobass into the mix is an automatic win for yours truly.