Kurupt - Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha

Attic: 1999

For all the time Kurupt’s spent in the Westcoast hip-hop scene, he’s never quite crossed over on his own as so many of his peers did. Pairing with Daz Dillinger as Tha Dogg Pound certainly was successful, and he’s made many memorable appearances on albums with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac… basically anyone on Death Row Records during the label’s glory years. By the time he ventured out as solo artist though, the Death Row empire was crumbling, no longer a sure thing in an evolving hip-hop scene (much less a safe working environment). So off Kurupt went, establishing his own Antra Records print, and dropping nothing less than a double-LP as a debut. Um, oversell much?

Right, every rapper was doing the 2CD deed in the ‘90s, but usually with some established market, and Kurupt’s rep was as an ace wingman, not an MC who could carry two discs worth of material. The fact Kuruption! did end up as strained, thinned, and disappointing as it did surprised no one. It also unfortunately made interest in the quick follow-up Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha fly way under the radar, folks figuring Kurupt just wouldn’t have much luck in the solo scene. Turns out everyone who thought as such were dead wrong, Young Gotti bringing the fire here for a record that became a true underground hit.

From the quality of the beats, to the quality of guest spots, to the quality of… well, everything, Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha is some top grade Westcoast rap. Snoop Dogg makes multiple appearances, along with Nate Dogg, Xzibit, Soopafly, Daz Dillinger (naturally), and a plethora of associated homeboys you probably never heard of (nor care to know). And just in case you forgot his Eastcoast roots, Kurupt has a wicked boom-bap session with KRS-One in the bonus cut Live On The Mic. Boom-bap, on a g-funk rap album!

The beat flavors don’t just end with an outlier or two, this album offering a bumpin’ mix of styles. There’s way old-school rap with Loose Cannons, block party bounce (Who Ride Wit Us, Represent Dat G.C., Girls All Pause), orchestral looping (Trylogy), smooth g-funk groove (It Ain’t About You, Neva Gonna Give It Up, Ho’s A Housewife), and more. Even when the lyrical content goes more misogynistic than I’m comfortable hearing, I can’t help but keep bobbin’ to that funky-ass Moog action (Your Gyrl Friend). Throughout it all, Kurupt is fired and inspired, out to prove he stands tall in gangsta’ rap. He definitely done did that here.

While Dr. Dre’s 2001: Chronic Harder would overshadow the hip-hop world at this time, Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha comes off like an opening volley from the Westcoast – lighting up from nowhere, reminding everyone how united everyone still was despite their label wanderings. It may not have been Kurupt’s intent to make a statement for his geographical brethren on this album, but he nonetheless released one of the best Westcoast LPs of the late ‘90s.

Snoop Dogg - Tha Last Meal

Virgin: 2000

Though Snoop Dogg’s commercial revival with The Neptunes was still a few years off, the Long Beach resident was seeing a significant turnaround in his career when this album came out. Hot off the heels of the epic Up In Smoke tour and classic spots on Dr. Dre’s 2001: The Re-Chronikling, those who figured Mr. Broadus had lost the plot in joining No Limit Records were lured back by the promise of a return to Westcoast G-funk roots in Tha Last Meal. Technically, he’d already made those reconnections in his prior album, No Limit Top Dogg, but after the poorly received (yet two-times Platinum selling!) Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told, you can forgive folks being wary of anything else ol’ Snoops would put out on Master P’s print.

Well, worry not, for he’s got Dr. Dre in the studio for three cuts on Tha Last Meal …which is the same as Top Dogg. Ah, well, we also get Dre-blessed Scott Storch in here, plus Snoop-blessed Meech Wells, and Westcoast alums DJ Battlecat and Soopafly. Also, in a remarkable coup, Timbaland, at the peak of his powers, provides two cuts, including Set It Off, an absolute banger of a track. The only No Limit Records representation is second-to-last track Back Up Off Me, with all the dirty South gang vocals, cussin’, and cheap beats you’d expect from the label. It’s also the dumbest cut out of seventeen. Shock, I know.

So music wise, we’re firmly in Westcoast G-funk land throughout, and hey, Snoop’s brought in a bunch of his buddies from the region too. Kokane takes up the bulk of guest spots, doing warbly croons in choruses. Nate Dogg gets in a few verses, including a wonderful little ditty in Set It Off. Long time Dogg Pound associate Butch Cassidy also shows up, and Snoop’s gotta’ get his short-lived posse Tha Eastsidaz in there somewhere. In a surprise spot, N.W.A. alum MC Ren and Ice Cube drop some bars in the awesome Set If Off (have I mentioned how dope this track is enough?). And through all this sausage fest, Eastcoast star Eve has a great tag-up with Snoop in Ready 2 Ryde, while another Westcoast legend, The Lady Of Rage, shows up in… wait for it… Set It Off!

So how’s ol’ Snoop on the mic, then? He’s still a gangsta’, still down with DPG, still smokin’ that endo, playa’-hatin’ hoes, and all that. Vintage Snoop, though a couple things do lyrically date Tha Last Meal. One, there’s a lot of Bill Clinton quips, because late ‘90s. Two, he’s dropping hints of a career less centered on rapping, and being a business mogul instead, including owning his own label, producing new talent, and the whole shebang. While that all came true after a fashion, it seemed he was more thinking of hanging up the mic for good, hence Tha Last Meal. Then along came a Pharrell, and put to rest that plan.

Hell - Teufelswerk (Original TC Review)

International Deejays Gigolo: 2009

(2016 Update:
An unforgivable, glaring omission in this review: I left out all the co-producers! No wonder those two tracks sound like throwback electro, it's Anthony Rother behind the sound deck with Hell. Of course CD2 has such a consistent vibe throughout, Peter Kruder (of he & Dorfmeister fame) lent his craft to the project as well. And whoa, Mijk van Dijk had a hand in the tech-haus tracks? I'd never have known without looking at the liner notes, these tunes some distance from the techno he made his name on in the '90s. Then again, if Hell could evolve, why not Mijk?

It's almost unfathomable that Teufelswerk remains ol' Helmut's last LP. Not that he was ever a prolific producer before, but seven years is quite the gap, with no sign it'll stop increasing, a smattering of singles all to his name in recent times. There were a couple remix albums released for this one, yet those were roughly four years after the fact. At this rate, we might see a 'cover' LP anytime now!)


IN BRIEF: Back in Hell.

I doubt DJ Hell (Helmut Geier to his elders) ever intended for his label - International Deejay Gigolo - to become the tastemaker of all things electroclash. Yet by releasing one classic record after the other, it trapped him in that genre, such that it was all folks expected of him, even though his musical career had spanned far more than sleazy electro. Still, perhaps it was a blessing disguised as a curse in the long run. As electroclash faded from clubbing tastes, so too did the impossible expectations on Mr. Geier; however, his prior success helped keep some degree of interest in his career. After all, he managed to burn a fresh trail into clubland before, and folks are always eager to see if someone can twice strike gold in this fickle business.

Well, Hell ain’t havin’ that. Having already carved out his place in the Electronic Music Hall-Of-Fame, he’s not terribly interested in being a trail-blazer again. Instead, Mr. Geier appears quite content in simply make dance music for the contemporary crowds with his own spin on the template. Yes, this means tech-haus music …er, as per his current definition of it. And since his former high-status in the scene has afforded him plenty of good-will, Hell decided to also get in touch with his indulgent side along the way.

The result of which is this here double-CD album: Teufelswerk. The Night half is primarily the tech-house trip, though with ample nods to electro-proper, New York clubbing, and robo-German fetishism sprinkled about. Day, on the hand, is a downtempo, experimental, ambient, etc. etc. trip through Hell’s muse. For now, let’s look at the Night disc.

Having not totally abandoned the electroclash, Hell brought in Roxy Music man Bryan Ferry for a little vocalizing on opener U Can Dance; however, this is mostly a solid tech-house groover that gets the album started in fine fashion. Right from the onset, you can tell there is more thought and consideration into what constitutes a good house track, as Hell doesn’t get bogged down in ‘minimal’ wankery, simply laying out his rhythms and letting the hooks weave about.

From there, it’s one solid tech-house cut after another. The robots take over in Electronic Germany and Bodyfarm² with sinister electro-tones and eerie atmospherics. There’s nods to the minimalistic takes on tech-house in Friday, Saturday, Sunday and The Disaster, which are fine for what they are, though not quite as thrilling as some of the other tracks here. Hellracer gets in touch with acid, and Wonderland dabbles in some Latin-tinged melodies.

Then, of course, is The DJ. It features Sean ‘P. Puff. Diddy-Daddy’ Combs blathering on about how DJs need to play full twenty-minute versions of house tracks, a not entirely daft suggestion. The backing track Hell provides for the monologue dips into the best vibes a sweaty New York club often suggests (whether it’s still true or not being irrelevant). This track has caused a bit of controversy for no other reason than it’s P.Diddy cussing on the monologue, but who really cares? I’m sure if the naysayers didn’t know it was Mr. Combs doing the talking, they’d enjoy it just as much as any ‘monologue-house’ tune.

If you’re going to ding Hell for anything on this disc, it can be for the fact that, ultimately, we’re not hearing anything remarkably fresh here. Not that this should come as a surprise – Hell wasn’t known as much of an innovator back in the 90s when he was still making house and techno, and now isn’t much different. Night is a competently made CD of tech-house that you’ll enjoy from start to finish, provided you fancy tech-house at all to begin with.

For the more adventurous out there, Day will definitely please. Right off, Hell channels the spirit of 70s synth composers for Germania, giving us a true ambient sonic delight with spritely melodies and trancey backing arpeggios. After that, it’s thirteen minutes of Angst, which moves from a chilled jazzy build to a second half consisting of noisy, abrasive glitches – mmm, more of the former, please.

There are a few sonic doodles and experiments scattered about the rest of Day but only three fully-formed tracks left; and even then, I Prefer Women To Men Anyway and Hell’s Kitchen are mostly about experimental soundscapes anyway. Nay, it’s on final track Silver Machine that we get a proper song again, with Hell doing one of those ‘indie-tronica’ ditties along with one Marsmobil on vocals. It’s a pleasant enough way to close out this often musically-wayward disc.

Across two CDs, Teufelswerk is hardly dull and certainly worth an investment. The only thing to be wary of is we are hearing a DJ Hell that is quite comfortable with his status in clubland, resulting in an album that prefers satisfying a personal muse rather than a general audience. The other thing too is, as a songwriter, Mr. Geier isn’t quite as strong as some of the more notable names in this field (Garnier, Craig, etc.) so those who fancy artistic indulgences might not be as impressed. Therefore, it may be wise to take Teufelswerk with a grain of salt.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2009. © All rights reserved.

Perturbator - Terror 404

Blood Music: 2012/2015

Perturbator made his label debut with I Am The Night on Aphasia Records, but around the same time he also self-released this, Terror 404. I’m not sure why Lueur Verte passed on this one, especially since much of the French print’s early output centered around the James Kent project. Did neither feel it worthy of the proper-label treatment? Rather odd if so, considering the realms of digital distribution has very little upkeep, and even less quality control. And even at this early stage of his career, Perturbator was showing signs of being a cyborg titan of the synthwave movement, so why not flood your fledgling label with his material? On the other hand, perhaps Mr. Kent had enough of a built-up pre-following that he could release a ‘proper’ album, plus an additional one on his own in the same year without spreading his material too thin. Considering he also put out three singles in 2012, that’s one Hell of an official debut in the world of music.

In any case, it doesn’t matter whether Terror 404 or I Am The Night got the nod on Aphasia, as both were re-issued on Blood Music this past year, in all the limited edition, ultra collectible formats you can handle (and burn money on if you’re a hardcore completist). The black vinyl, the red vinyl, the blue vinyl, and the clear with blood splatter vinyl! The black tape, the red tape, the gold tape, and the… metallic red foil tape? The digipak CD, the… oh, that’s the only format in disc form. What, no super-retro longbox version? Minidisc? Ain’t nothing more hipster than that, yo’.

Probably the biggest difference between Terror 404 and I Am The Night (and latter album Dangerous Days) is the lack of implied narrative in Terror 404. For one, there’s no written blurb giving the listener a specific idea of the album’s theme. Number two, some titles of Terror 404 are lifts of c-grade movies and actors of the ‘80s, with a very specific focus on Scream Queen Linnea Quigley’s work. Thirdly, I’m just filling space here so I can make it to a forced four-oh-four point: Perturbator doesn’t present the tracks as a movie narrative anyway.

Sure, he’s got an Opening Credits, a Nightmare Interlude, and an End Theme (credit roll!). Granted, the whole of Terror 404 plays out as a strong album of tunes regardless of cinematic themes. Yes, there’s a sweet assortment of punchy, crunchy synthwave (Terror 404, Savage Streets, X-Calibr8, Shadow Force ‘84, The Darkest Alley), peppy, hi-NRG synth-pop (Payback Pursuit, Linnea Quigley Horror Workout, John Holmes VHS Nightclub), and slower, reflective tunes (Mirage, End Theme). One can easily glean a consistent theme throughout, an homage to the ghetto cinema of the ‘80s. And Terror 404 is great for that aspect alone. Compared to Dangerous Days though, where Mr. Kent crafted a fully-realized cinematic experience, this album’s a touch behind. As it is an earlier effort from the Night Driving Avenger, what would you expect?

Sounds From The Ground - Terra Firma

Waveform Records: 1999/2000

What was like being a fan of this duo in their early years? Was there any inclination they’d go on to release several albums in the new millennium? Kin definitely gave Sounds From The Ground some presence in the world of ambient dub, but the genre itself was in decline as the ‘90s drew to a close, trip-hop and other downtempo styles at the forefront of scene dominance. Whatever momentum their debut generated didn’t amount to much in the short term, and Nick Woolfson even spent some time working with other producers before rejoining with Elliot Jones for a sophomore Ground Sounds effort.

Still, the duo must have known they had a good thing going to not only reconvene nearly a half-decade later, but also establish their own Upstream Records print to release their own material. It doesn’t matter they initially only used it for Mosaic and a reissue of Kin, then let it sit fallow for a decade before resurrecting it from digital dust. Sounds From The Ground had the foresight, the clairvoyance, the forevoyance, to know they’d be in this together for the long haul. This early in their partnership though? Who could have predicted such a fruitful discography would emerge given the gap between Kin and Mosaic?

Enough questions about that. Here’s the answer to the question currently burning your noggin, which I’ve dodged with my own musings. Terra Firma is the Waveform Records version of Mosaic, the label once again tinkering with an original for stateside distribution. In this case, Waveform re-arranged a few tracks into different positions, jettisoned a pair of tunes (Snow, Circle & Star), and added two instead. The first, Shine, appears to be an exclusive to Terra Firma, while the second, Mineral, saw some compilation duty in releases from Planet Dog and Echo Beach. Shine is an interesting tune in the Sounds discography, something of a light atmospheric jungle track with jazzy vocals overtop.

In fact, this whole album has quite the laid-back jazz vibe going for it, more so than much of their work in the following decade. You can’t deny the influence Kruder & Dorfmeister were having on the downtempo scene at this time, with acts like Thievery Corporation and Jazzanova emerging as hot, new talents in K&D’s wake. Woolfson and Jones were undoubtedly no less influenced, leaving behind the ambient dub that marked their prior work in favor of a different approach to their craft. They didn’t stick with the pure lounge jazz for long though, soon retreating back to tried and true groovy, dubbed-out vibes, even within Mosaic/Terra Firma itself. If I can glean any difference between the two album versions, Waveform opted for back-loading the ambient dub stuff, whereas Mosaic mixed everything up.

In either case, this sophomore Sounds album is fine enough.Their best work was still a couple albums along though, finessing what they learned here. Fear not, Fans Of Sounds From The Ground in the year 2000, your future is bright!

Autistici - Temporal Enhancement

Dronarivm: 2015

Autistici is someone I regret coming into so cold. As with many larks and flights of music buying fancy, I picked this up with no prior knowledge of the artist and no checks of prior material. I can never tire of that thrill in random chance purchases, browsing through shops where cover art is your only clues of what’s within (erm, and good sorting). And I cannot deny some of its present with Bandcamp pages, having a label’s output nicely laid out for your perusal convenience. It’s definitely led me to a few splurges these past couple years, content in the knowledge my monies are feeding a more direct route to the artist than most options (or, in the case of used shop shopping, not at all). While neither Autistici nor the label Dronarivm are names I’ve any familiarity with, their association with others that I do know was enough for the blind pickup.

All this, of course, is just a roundabout way of making excuses for whatever gaps of knowledge I’ll undoubtedly commit in the next few hundred words. For Autistici, or David Newman in the Sheffield phone directory, strikes me as an artist that requires a proper full-discography plunge, if only to understand how his craft has evolved over time. Temporal Enhancement is his fifth album on a fifth label, despite the fact he has his own print (Audiobulb Records). His approach to music is less musicality, and more explorations of singular sounds, going for pure abstraction of field recordings, noises, and manipulations of natural tones. His music can be quite soothing, melodic, and calming drone, but he’d just as soon go noisy and harsh with a cacophony of experimental percussion. Taking in quick Spotify sampling, the one clear consistency through all of Autistici’s work I noticed is never resting on singular ideas for long, elements coming and going even if it creates a complete tonal clash within the track itself.

So too is the case with Temporal Enhancement, a collection of six tracks, most averaging four-to-five minutes. There’s also a nine-plus minute closer, and a whopping seventeen-minute composition smack in the middle, and as good a summation of the album as any.Habituation Of The Heart darkly drones along for a significant amount of time, ghostly voices and electronic sparks creating an oddly spacious yet claustrophobic setting traditional industrial sorts would approve of. Just when creaking, contorting sounds make the atmosphere almost unbearable, a release, with gentle heartbeat pulsing through soft white noise, distant lullaby and children at play easing you out.

Temporal Enhanncement as a whole plays out like this, abrasive sonic assaults making up the first half, with gentler, dubbed-out works making up the backend. Mr. Newman described this album as an exploration of the human condition, and with titles like Opened Up Too Quickly, Thinking Before Feeling, and The Grotesque Physicality Of Waiting, I’d say he sums things up just fine, if in a rather over-stimulated fashion at times. Mm, Ritalin with a Xanax chaser.

The Black Dog - Temple Of Transparent Balls

General Production Recordings/Soma Quality Recordings: 1993/2007

Though not as critically acclaimed as The Black Dog's contributions to Warp Records, their debut album on lesser-known General Production Recordings was no less highly sought after. Because when you develop a cult-like following of fans based on scene respect, multiple aliases, rotating members, and a significant gap of new material, every item in your discography becomes essential. It don't matter whether it's a seminal EP, or a wack dalliance collab', some records you will hunt and commit top dollar for. Or just wait for a friendly future label to re-issue the obscure stuff for a new audience. Patience will always be a virtue, always.

So it is with Temple Of Transparent Balls, the official first album from The Black Dog. Technically, Ken Downie, Andy Turner, and Ed Handley had an LP out just prior to this one on Warp, though Bytes was more a compilation featuring their other projects and aliases (Plaid, Xeper, Balil, others), thus presented as Black Dog Productions. That whole ‘currently being signed to General Production Recordings’ fact may have had something to do with it too. Give some credit to the front-runner for ‘Most Generically Named Music Label’ though, taking a chance on the trio as a kick-off act, and rescuing The Black Dog out of self-release purgatory.

If the Warp association and Plaid lineage didn’t clue you in yet, Temple Of Transparent Balls is way old-school UK techno - finding its way out of bleep rave of before, yet not quite there with IDM of af’aire (?). There’s quite a bit of adventurous music making going on in this CD, though a good deal of familiarity too, the opening salvo of Cost I and Cost II a prime example. The first features a lone, spritely arp doodling along for four out of the track’s five minutes, finally joined in by a bouncy electro beat. Meanwhile, Cost II has all my Higher Intelligence Agency triggers flashing, which isn’t a bad thing, but does send me into double-take mode. For the most part, Temple Of Transparent Balls plays half-and-half with the experimental and traditional techno, alternating between the two throughout. As can be expected of an act still in their early years, the traditional stuff is mint, but the attempts at leftfield techno definitely needed some refinement.

Thus you get cool tunes like brisk, beatless 4, 7, 8, Detroit breakbeat of Jupiler (not a typo... maybe), acid funk of Sharp Shooting On Saturn, peppy jazz-fusion of Mango, and Aphex ambient techno of In the Light Of Grey. Elsewhere, there’s muddled space tachyon techno in The Actor And Audience, droning cyber-mamba Kings Of Sparta, and dull, mind-numbing grit-techno in Cycle (at over seven minutes, the longest track too, unfortunately). These have interesting ideas, but lack finesse in arrangement or choice of sounds.

Nay, the only truly enjoyable oddball track is The Crete That Crete Made, a lazy, hazy jaunt with dubbed-out organs and warm pads. It’s like getting stoned at a seaside Renaissance fair.

Skin To Skin - Temenos

Waveform Records: 2002

Skin To Skin is another ultra-obscure act that Waveform Records made a habit of signing at the turn of the millennium, many of which didn’t do much after. So it also seems to be the case for this duo of Lena Måndotter and Ronnie Hall, but their page at Lord Discogs is rather bizarre. Obviously we have this album Temenos in the database, but sitting beside that is another called Walking On Water, claiming to be a folk and country rock release. That’s worlds different than what we have on this CD, so is it the same Skin To Skin? The cover art of Walking On Water does feature a lady/dude tandem in sunset, standing on water, so possibly. There’s also a single under the Skin To Skin banner, In The Shadow Of Love, with genre tags closely resembling Temenos (tribal, ambient, minimal (?)), but this one has a three-piece featured on the cover.

Going further down the Discogian Hole, Lena Måndotter apparently has a solo album out called Songs Of Leonard Cohen, released some time after all the Skin To Skin material. A very brief Google search reveals a little more, but I’m already way off track even finding basic background info about this group. The only thing I can conclusively link all this together is the fact every version of Skin To Skin is from Sweden. Naturally then, Temenos has an ancient Grecian vibe going for it.

Whatever the origin or ongoing story behind Skin To Skin, Temenos is clearly music modeled on the TUU template. Music that’s very meditative, conjuring images of Pagan rituals of cultures old and lost. Right, the Greeks aren’t really a forgotten civilization, but much of their fantastical mythology fits the bill. Thus when I hear the lengthy, minimalist rhythms, intermittent strums of acoustic guitar (bouzouki?), and droning chants of Temenos, Pt.1-3, I can’t help but think of seers assembled at oracles gazing to the heavens, seeking signs and favors from the Olympians above. Temenos itself is a site intended for meditation or reflection, so I’m not so off there.

Clocking in at nearly thirty minutes in length, Temenos, Pt. 1-3 is clearly the main feature of the album, but Side B of this CD does find further explorations of Skin To Skin’s sound. Daimon nearly hits the eighteen minute mark on its own, going from soothing calm to deeper chant throughout its run. There’s more musicality going on in this one, a clear progression compared to the meandering Temenos, but remains a rather sparse piece of meditative ambience. Final two-parter Nekyia goes dark and ominous, fitting considering the origin of the word (rite by which ghosts were called up and questioned about the future, according to WikiGod). Between both tracks, it runs a tidy nineteen minutes, gradually building from Skin To Skin’s minimal, meditating style to a heavier, dubbier groove; rather if Banco de Gaia was slowed right the f’ down. Hmm… k-holed world beat? Nah, that’s a stupid tag.

Adam Freeland - Tectonics

Ultra Records: 1999

I intended starting this review with another “only specific release of thing you need, even if you don’t like it” quip, and why not? Adam Freeland’s Tectonics is heralded as one of the essential DJ mixes of the nu-skool breaks scene, an opening statement of a genre that had a significant, successful run of influence. Almost overnight, big beat breaks were pronounced dead, everyone anxious to get on this crazy new sound where punchy, bass-heavy rhythms and cutting-edge production tricks dominated. When the PR sticker on the CD proclaimed Tectonics represented the future of electronic music, you actually believed such hyperbole after that final broken beat had faded in chill bliss. I mean, we were witnessing the birth of a whole new genre, mang, with music within to back it up!

And the truth is nu-skool didn’t see many mixes that topped Tectonics in subsequent years. Plenty of solid CDs on the market, sure, with numerous DJs finding a comfortable niche within the scene, and a significant amount of time passing before it all collapsed within inevitable sub-genre stagnation. Yet when folks and fans reflect on all of nu-skool’s accomplishments, few items ever come close in fondness or reverence than Tectonics. Not bad for a mix that is only about one-third nu-skool.

Hence why I can’t in good conscience recommend this CD as “the only nu-skool breaks yada yada etc.” - more than half the tracks aren’t of the genre. Hell, the last couple tracks could even be considered from the realms of house. Vigi & Flip’s Freak Frequency is a hard, tech-house stomper with the sort of growling bassline Funk D’Void liked using for a time, while Layo & Bushwacka!’s Deep South has the steadiest ‘breaks’ rhythm you’d ever hear in a set such as this; Freeland sure was paying attention, practically lifting the pattern wholesale for his future ‘rock’ remixes. Also in the back half of Tectonics, 3 Mile Island’s Liposuction goes more Florida, Motion Unit’s My Mind more electro, and Proper Filthy Naughty's Stitch Up more progressive. Elsewhere, Audiowerk’s Impulse Transmission is full-on electro, while Bushwacka!’s rub of Leuroj’s Isokora is the closest thing to ‘traditional breaks’ on the whole mix.

While these are all good tunes, its undeniable the nu-skool offerings on Tectonics stood out from the pack, thus why this mix is remembered as a premiere example of the sound. The opening salvo of B.L.I.M.’s Chronologic, Makesome Breaksome’s Pig Chase, and the exclusive Tectonics from Ils is undoubtedly one of the strongest starts to a nu-skool set ever committed to disc, and it’s no wonder everyone fell over their heads hearing it (“Whoa, you can put d’n’b bass in breaks?”). Then you have the bangin’ build of, erm, Bangin’ from Apex, plus the phenomenal, ah, Hip Hop Phenomenon collaboration between Tsunami One (Freeland and Kevin Beber) and BT, all tracks regarded as definitive anthems of nu-skool. With Freeland setting them up as mix centerpieces, yeah, small wonder Tectonics is considered such a seminal nu-skool CD.

Stephen J. Kroos - Tecktonick (Original TC Review)

Anjunabeats: 2007

(2016 Update:
See 2007 Sykonee. See 2007 Sykonee make ridiculous generalization about trance producers making breaks. Point at 2007 Sykonee. Laugh. Laugh at 2007 Sykonee. Ha ha ha. What a nob. I don't even recall what his problem was, a rant that comes totally out of nowhere. Laugh especially hard at the fact I actually like Oxygenation now. Maybe it's that new-found appreciation for McProg's more charming attributes, but Kroos does good in bringing the grumbly low-end/twinkly high-end style to the realms of broken beats. The nu-skool leaning Elecktronick can be left well behind though.

Kroos wasn't long for the world of trance, moving onto tech-house and prog shortly after this album, releasing several singles on Anjunadeep in the process. Eventually he left Anjuna', finding a new home on Spring Tube where he continues releasing music to this day. While keeping with the tech, he's also incorporated deep house and chilled IDM into his repertoire. So a fairly well-rounded career since dropping his debut, even if significantly diminished in scene presence since.)


IN BRIEF: Bringing the past to the present.

Expectations are a dangerous thing when it comes to music. While they may be different for everyone, if an artist doesn’t reach a previous peak (much less surpass it), their subsequent releases are often met with disappointment. And this tends to hold true not just with producers, but everything from DJs, compilation series, labels, and even whole genres.

This can work other ways too. The obvious is when your expectations are so low, to hear something that is surprisingly decent can skew an objective impression. More common is coming across a release that breaks the norm of what you are used to, and impressions are no less susceptible.

The ultra-melodic trance label Anjunabeats hasn’t been known for its diversity but they seem to be showing signs of moving beyond the clichés of late. Among the artists doing so for them is Stephen J. Kroos. The Dutchman’s been producing since the late 90s, having small success when his singles found homes on compilations like Mega Trance 1.0, Ibiza Club Trance, and The House Sound Of Dance Tuning Disco (?). A few years back, Anjunabeats took Kroos on, and turned heads by providing a sound much of the epic trance brigade were unfamiliar with.

Let’s make something clear though. Despite claims to the contrary, Kroos’ music isn't revolutionary. In fact, he’s merely doing the same thing as newer producers like Paul Moelands, Sander van Doorn, and the Discovery squad are: taking trance back to its roots. A time before the Corsten clones, the overblown breakdowns, the schmaltzy lyrics, and everything else that sent the genre into Punchline Land. I can see how kids who figure trance begins and ends with Armin van Buuren’s radio show would find Kroos’ material quite different from the norm. However, folks with Pre-Dutch Explosion knowledge will find his style familiar (I’ll spare you the synth-sample trainspotting).

And this is A-OK. Although often regarded as tech-trance these days, this is more-or-less how the genre sounded when it was showing great promise as savvy party music. It builds on layers, letting the rhythms drive and the melodies subtly tickle at your mind. It was effective in the mid-90s, and it remains effective to this day. If stuff like deep house and Detroit techno are able to get away with recycling winning formulas, why not trance of this nature too?

Anyhow, let’s get to the particulars of Kroos’ album Tecktonik.

After a bit of ambient noodling opens things up (of which several others crop up throughout as interludes between tracks), Stephen wastes no time in letting his audience know this isn’t a typical Anjunabeats release. 4 Your Taperecorder is a techy banger that has only one thought in mind: working the dancefloor. Fortunately, it works fine on the homefront as well, with catchy hooks and vocal samples keeping your attention. Follow-up Sadistick is something far more familiar with the Anjuna faithful. A standard prog-house excursion, Kroos does the style justice with suitable dark grooves and moody atmosphere. Less effective is Tony McGuinness’ lyrics: unnecessary fluff. Why is the Above & Beyond man even here? As one of the label heads, did he insist on having at least one vocal number on this album. Thankfully, it’s a one-off, and we’re right back into Kroos’ winning style soon after.

And nothing over-fancy here, folks. Just simple energetic trance. The rhythms pump, the melodies work, and the breakdowns never dawdle. Hell, Innerstatistick barely has any downtime at all, with a not-a-breakdown-at-all moment lasting less than thirty seconds; and merely used to introduce one of those oh-so vintage ominous sci-fi samples no less! Kroos’ offerings tug at nostalgic strings while keeping his sound firmly in the present. I’d say I’m about ready to be converted to the Cult Of Kroos.

But then he decides to take a stab at breaks. Oh dear...

My friends, there are many constants in the cosmos, one of which is trance producers seldom make good breaks. With most of their attention paid on atmosphere and melodies, they forget the one ingredient that makes breaks good: da funk. Kroos is no exception to the rule, with his offerings blander than white bread. Oxygenate isn’t that bad when he lets the effects direct the flow of the song, but Elecktronick is far too dependent on rhythm to carry it, and the track suffers as a result. And sadly, Tecktonick ends on a limp note. Frankly, the final ambient doodle Sphecktralizm would have been a great closer had Kroos explored the psy dub possibilities an extended version of it hints at. Instead, Formalistick is the main show, but doesn’t have much going for it as such. It’s a fine track to be used in DJ sets but remains musically limited, with a lead hook that ends far too soon; just as you’re warmed up to it, we’re already heading into our perfunctory rhythmic lead-out.

This by no means makes for a weak album though. While the second half of Tecktonick doesn’t quite match the first, there’s still enough here to warrant your attention. The ‘let-trance-do-what-it-do-best’ mentality to many of these cuts shows the ol’ girl still has some life after all, and Kroos’ production suggests a promising future for his career. Well, such that he won't have to worry about being on compilations with names like Veronica’s Mega Music Dance Experience again.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2007. © All rights reserved