Various - Nu Balance

City Of Angels: 1998

This is the sort of CD that was destined for North American pawn shops. Everything about it triggers apathy, an item lost among the glut of an over-saturated, late '90s compilation market. It's got The Designer's Republic eye-catching aesthetic, but none of the skill. There's a big ol' NU plastered across its face, a desperate attempt at convincing you this CD, this one right here, contains only the most cutting-edge jams available. It's even got a snowboarder on the cover, despite having nothing to do with snowboarders, snowboarding, or boarding snowboarding hordes – but that's the cool new nu counter-culture, as is this music featuring drums and bass, so slap that dude on. And, should you flip the case just to see what sort of tracks it might have, there's The Crystal Method's Keep Hope Alive, luring you in with familiarity. Never mind it's the AK1200 rub of the tune, Nu Balance might be worth further investigation if the surrounding tunes are of comparable quality.

That all said, I didn't find this CD in a pawn shop; at least, nothing local. I did spot it while surfing Amazon though, when browsing about for Balance DJ mixes. With such a cheap asking price, I figured it might be worth a couple talking points, and maybe even unearth a couple overlooked gems from a bygone era in the process.

Ah, no. City Of Angels, the label behind this CD, looked to capitalize on the West Coast's growing interest in jungle, highlighting domestic talent whom I'm sure were much cheaper to license out. A nice sentiment, giving overlooked U.S. names some shine, but considering the dearth of recognizable American d'n'b producers from that time, unfortunately not a profitable one.

A chunk of music in this ten-tracker comes care of Jungle Sky, a very important label out of New York City. Helmed by DJ Soul Slinger, it nurtured what little d'n'b scene there was on this side of the Atlantic, letting it simmer and grow while British-based Metalheadz, Moving Shadow, and Prototype dominated the discourse. Soul Slinger himself offers two cuts, more on the leftfield side of jungle production. 5 AM Rinse from 1.8.7. is even odder, in that its lo-fi quality sounds like it was ripped direct from a live pirate broadcast, including ever-present MC. Elsewhere, DJ Ani's Eastern Influence really, really, really wants to be Photek's Ni Ten Ich Ryu - charming for the effort.

City Of Angels alum Front BC (more commonly known as The Rip-Off Artist) does some regular ol' d'n'b jams with The Front and Ojai (touching on the LTJ vibe in the latter). Westside Chemical do more of a chill tekno-jungle thing with Potstar, and Nu Balance rounds out with unremarkable ragga and neurofunk from acts that aren't even worth mentioning since they've no other Discoggian presence. As it goes for this CD in general: some interest for the scene faithful, but it's clear America was still playing catch-up to the U.K.'s top dons.

GosT - Non Paradisi

Blood Music: 2016

Looks like GosT's found a synthwave lane he can rightfully claim as his own: the Christian Hellscape. Yeah, he's already been parading about with anti-Christ iconography (or is just a hardcore fan of Saint Peter), but with his latest album of Non Paradisi, he's taken things even further. The title's already a fancy Latin way of saying Hell (or 'non Paradise', I guess), with plenty of track titles indulging such imagery further. Lake Of Fire, Maleficarum, Unum Infernum, to say nothing of an inlay containing paintings of lava rivers, falling angels, pentagrams, and extended words going over Lucifer's manifesto. And that's just the standard digipak - makes me wish I'd gotten me one of those ultra-deluxe versions with the twenty-eight page booklet. It's almost insane the lengths Blood Music goes to in providing collector's items, and you just know they were totally down for going to bat with GosT's Satanist stuff. Ties with their death metal material quite nicely.

So like the label's other James (Perturbator), James Loller's has himself a strong gimmick and identifiable visual aesthetic. Still hasn't fully committed himself to album narratives though, but that's fine – not every synthwave producer is obligated to do as such. A lot of them do it because they're inspired by soundtracks of the '80s, music telling stories as much as lodging earwormy themes into your noggin'. By track titles alone, you can discern an apocalyptic tale of fallen angels followed by unholy revolt and retribution from Non Paradisi, but the music isn't terribly explicit in detailing such events. Still, no blatant 'club choons' either, so evolution?

Opener Commencement kicks things off about as you'd expect GosT to, with abrasive, crunchy synths, screaming leads, operatic flourishes, and rockin' rhythms. Nascency eases up a little on the brickwall aural assault, making use of those choir pads that get my vintage German trance triggers flaring. Aggrandizement eases off the throttle for a sludgy, gothy dark-pop outing featuring lyrics from *snicker* Bitchcraft. Seems to be playing the standard synthwave album sequence to a tee.

In that regard, Non Paradisi doesn't offer much in surprises, but GosT throws in enough unique ideas every track to keep you engaged. Lake Of Fire unleashes synth leads that sound absolutely terrified of its Hellscape surroundings. Supreme with returning Hayley Stewart makes use of charming bell-tones that has me thinking classic 'bleep' techno; boy, there's a lot of early rave sounds here. Elsewhere, 4th gets in some slap-bass action, while Arise brings in Werkstatt Records alum Kriistal Ann for some proper goth melodrama.

The final run of songs pretty much brings everything prior to a head, ramping up the intensity from track to track, for a gritty, calamitous climax. I honestly feel it peaks too early though, Unum Infernum almost tricking you into thinking we've come to a bouncy, cheery denouement before unleashing another operatic Hellbeast on your ears. Doesn't leave final cut I Am Abaddon with much room to go after.

Lorenzo Montanà - Nihil

...txt: 2015

Now this is just ridiculous. Twice this has happened now? In the same backlog, no less?? Right, I won't deny I slightly gamed the results in this occurrence. I only realized I had a pair of albums titled Genesis after noticing them both slotted together, a funny coincidence things turned out as such and nothing more. When I decided it was time to start a KMFDM collection, however, my cursory research in where to dive led me to Nihil as an option, a title that struck me as curiously familiar. Oh yeah, that's because I'd recently sprung for a Lorenzo Montanà album called Nihil. What are the odds of that going down? If this blog focused on death metal and bleak drone, pretty good odds I'd say. Mr. Montanà don't play that way though, ambient techno with a modern sensibility his primary lane. For sure you could abstract some darker themes out of his various works on Fax+ and Psychonavigation Records, but that he'd go full “Latin nothing” never seemed an option where Lorenzo was concerned. That's dark ambient's domain, yo'.

Just as well, then, that Nihil is about as close to the realms of dark ambient as I've ever heard Lorenzo go. We're not talking Cryo Chamber levels, of course, but there is much emptiness in the music crafted here, about as pure an ambient album I've heard from Mr. Montanà, though he apparently went this route a year prior on Carpe Sonom Records too. Nihil comes care of ...txt though, released shortly before Lorenzo completed his time trilogy of albums with Psychonavigation Records, making him among an elite few producers to have music on four of the most prominent Namlook-inspired labels of recent history. Only one missing is Databloem.

As a debut piece for ...txt, Nihil is a rather unassuming collection of compositions: five tracks long, some breaching fifteen minutes, others barely scraping by in nine. Having primarily digested Lorenzo's IDM-leaning sounds, I have to say I was taken aback by the near-complete lack of rhythms throughout the album. Opener AfA has its first four minutes doing the space-drone thing, before long joined by a lonesome woodwind, with subtle synth leads finally giving the piece some momentum. Sprinkles of soft percussion is heard in the distance, but that's as far as rhythms go here. Elsewhere, tracks like Lake Of Vagli and Goqui opt for pure ambient drone, the former rather foreboding and menacing, the latter more tranquil and relaxing – a little Berlin-School melody in the latter-half of Goqui don't hurt either.

Then there's Arabesque Mist, with meandering, slightly askew ambience that has me thinking SAW II Aphex Twin, but with additional acoustic guitar strumming. And Geometric Quantum, finally offering a little rhythmic backbone for its burbling, dubby synth leads to cruise over. It then switches pace midway, going Berlin-School for the remainder. Or '90s Fax+, whichever you feel is the more Proper-Vintage take on this sort of sequenced, modulating, bleepy space-chill music.

KMFDM - Nihil

Wax Trax! Records/Metropolis: 1995/2007

About time I started up a KMFDM collection. They were only the first industrial band that caught my attention because Mortal Kombat obviously, but also all those eye-popping CDs with brutalist comic-art covers didn't hurt either. Truthfully, I was intimidated by the artwork, not quite ready for their aggressive, thrashy take on discotech rawk. That Juke Joint Jezebel jam though, always got my jimmies jostlin', and you can imagine my fanboyism upon discovering they used footage from the Patlabor movie for the music vid. I figured I'd get to their output eventually, but industrial remains rather fringe where my tastes are concerned, something I hope to rectify over time. Have to start somewhere though, and while Nine Inch Nails, Fear Factory, and Front Line Assembly have provided a taste, it's about time I give Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid their due.

And as Nihil is the album that has Juke Joint Jezebel on it, it's only natural that I'd pick this one up first. No, wait, that's not it. I got Nihil because, as their most commercially successful album, it's clearly The Only KMFDM Album You're Supposed To Have, Even If You're Not A KMFDM Fan. Haha, no, it's a good reason, but that's not it either. I got this first because of a totally unrelated situation that will be made clear incredibly soon.

Thing that's always struck me as crazy with this band is how American they sound. Maybe their earlier work was more Teutonic (I haven't heard any of it), but much of the stuff I've come across always had this 'buttrock' vibe to it, like they were fully committed to American gutter riffs, gospel glory, and cyberpunk sleaze. This may have been in part to their moving to the States, the industrial scene a different beast here compared to Europe. Opening track Ultra (also made popular by anime) is a propulsive beast, with shouty lyrics and abrasive guitars that'll get all the longhairs whipping their heads about. Flesh, Trust, and Search & Destroy go even thrashier, the sort of tunes that makes me hype to just attack something, like a punching bag or my dishes.

KMFDM haven't forgotten their EBM roots though, tracks like Beast, Revolution, and Brute getting down to thumping, jack-boot rhythms as cyberpunk samples and electronics play out – probably could have made handy soundtrack fodder if Juke Joint Jezebel hadn't hogged all the glory. They even find time to slow things down to a grinding chug with Terror (that hook!), and... is that a ballad with Disobedience? Well, about as mellow as they'll allow, vicious sonic attacks still bridging the mellow parts.

Given their history, it's remarkable KMFDM hit upon such a success eight albums deep, though they'd been building plenty of good-will for most of the '90s too. Maybe it was the added input of former band member Raymond Watts to the mix, or maybe just feeling inspired by the West Coast scenery they relocated to, but whatever the case, Nihil remains peak KMFDM.

ACE TRACKS: November 2017

So there's this YouTube reviewer I stumbled upon sometime in the summer, who I feel deserves what little extra attention my minuscule rub might provide, but I must admit I've been leery about doing so. I can't give him a glowing recommendation because I'm not entirely a fan of his format. That's not really a dig at him in particular though, as he utilizes a music reviewing format that many YouTubers do, including that Fantano dude who's apparently the biggest music YouTube reviewer around. Well, self-described “busiest” anyway.

Straight up, I don't like “individual looks at camera and talks about an album” vids. I get that it's easiest to film and edit, but I'm often bored and disengaged by it, even if the content within is interesting. I've watched, like, only two of Mark Grondin's reviews, but still frequently check out the transcripts at his Spectrum Pulse blog. I think it's because I'm spoiled by music reviewers from the Channel Awesome contingent (Todd In The Shadows, Rap Critic, Luke Spencer's Rocked), who splice in supporting images and video footage of the material they're covering. Or the round-table discussions of Dead End Hip-Hop, where ideas and opinions are bounced around among knowledgeable heads – probably the format I'd go with, if I ever got into video reviews. Point is, if you're utilizing video to do reviews, then utilize it. Otherwise, what I'm getting is little more than what can be achieved in the written form, and at least there I can enjoy it with my preferred internal monologue.

That all said, the reason I've kept tabs on this one particular dude is because he's doing something I haven't seen anyone else do: he's reviewing electronic music new and old, popular and obscure. Gee, that sounds familiar, don't it? Maybe not to such a ludicrous extreme as I've been doing, but I've got more than a decade on him, plus don't have to worry about things like filming and editing (much). I also don't necessarily agree with all his opinions, maybe only 40% of the time - that could just be a generational thing though. Still, the fact he's even attempting to cover such a wide range of electronic music is impressive enough. This past season he's tackled DJ Shadow, LCD Soundsystem, Sounds From The Ground, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Four Tet, ODESZA, Rezz, Paul van Dyk, Shpongle, Dynatron, Galantis, Bicep, Disclosure, Avicii, plus a retrospective of The Chemical Brothers' entire discography. Who else has indulged in such diversity? Not Resident Advisor, that's for sure!

Again though, I feel he still needs to modify his format into something better for me to give it a high recommendation. I think I've kept tabs on him just to see if he gets there, and I have seen gradual improvement. If you're not too hype on the channel though, I wouldn't be surprised. Oh, the name of it? The Wonky Angle. Yes, he's an Orbital fan, which gives him a very specific leg up on me in that regard: ~775% more Orbital coverage!

Gosh, that was a large tangent. Here's this past November's ACE TRACKS playlist:




MISSING ALBUMS:
Liquid Zen - Liquid Zen
Namlook • Montanà - Labyrinth 4
Namlook • Montanà - Labyrinth 5
Various - Home
Various - Beach House 04.02
Aythar - The God Particle

Percentage Of Hip-Hop: 5%
Percentage Of Rock: 0%
Most “WTF?” Track: Still anything Oak Ridge Boys related (no, really, is this leading to anything?)

I know I'm making progress in this massive alphabetical backlog of mine – 23 reviews in November dictate as such – but man, it sure feels like a drag. I started the month in the “G”s, and have only just finished off the “M”s. I look at the little CD rack that houses my “To Review” pile, and it's somehow still full! Like, it was full when I began this backlog at the start of October, and it just keeps refilling, no matter how far along I get. How does this happen!? And don't get me started on the new backlog forming behind the current one – had to overflow into my PS1 games rack to accommodate it.

Overall, this playlist is fairly standard where this blog's concerned. The usual ambient, ambient techno, dark ambient, house, techno, and trance, with sprinklings of genre outliers for fun. Will probably be similar next month too.

LL Cool J - Mr. Smith

Def Jam Recordings: 1995

Can't be a proper hip-hop head without a little LL Cool J in my collection. Just a shame it's taken me this long to get some. No, wait, that's not true - I did have a Cool J album before, his G.O.A.T. album when I first got into hip-hop. I liked it enough to nab me a copy, but when it came time for the Great CD Pawning Of 2002 (unemployed ass gotta' pay for ramen noodles somehow), it didn't survive the purge. No great loss by most accounts, and while LL's remained an active name in the world of rap, I haven't been compelled to keep tabs on his music. That doesn't excuse me from skipping on his early classics though, so maybe this will finally get my ass hunting for those albums you're supposed to have, even if you're not a LL Cool J fan.

Actually, I think I've already accomplished this with Mr. Smith ...kind of. While not a critical darling on the same level as Bigger And Deffer or Mama Said Knock You Out, it was a successful commercial turnaround for LL after a weak jump on the gangsta fad of the early '90s. Propped up by Platinum-selling singles that catered to the lucrative R&B crowd, even folks who'd never bothered with his '80s output were buying this album up.

That's damn impressive considering how most rappers from the previous decade were constantly being upstaged by fresher talents. For sure those only after the grittiest, grimiest street tales wouldn't have much use for Mr. Smith, but there's a much wider audience than that in the Urban scene, and Cool J tapped into it perfectly. Hell, I remember Doin' It being quite the hit even in my backwoods region of Canada, if only because as snarky teenagers, we'd do mocking sarcastic renditions of the chorus. Joke's on us though, LL soon appearing on Demographic-Approved soundtracks like Beavis And Butthead Do America and Space Jam.

So the R&B tunes were the big hits (including Boyz II Men collab' Hey Lover, and Loungin with the Puff Daddy-produced duo Total). How's the rest of Mr. Smith, then? Good enough, I suppose – no embarrassing attempts at being thug at least. LL gets in several braggadocios cuts showing off his lyrical skills for 'real hip-hop heads', including Make It Hot, I Shot Ya, No Airplay, Mr. Smith, Get Da Drop On 'Em. He also gets in a couple wordplay cuts, one toying with movie titles (Hollis To Hollywood), another giving props to rap acts over the years (Hip Hop). This one's oddly placed in the album though, second track status when it feels like it should be plugged near the end as a tribute.

Production wise, most tunes are handled by a then-new talent called TrackMasters, who's smooth, Eastcoast style would lead them to producing such prominent names like Nas, Foxy Brown, Noreaga, Method Man, and Will Smith. Eh, I'll take Rashad Smith's dubby style myself. He later got Busta Rhymes.

Vortex - Moloch

Cyclic Law: 2016

It's difficult wading through these bleak, murky dark ambient shores, many upon many labels having sprung up this past decade offering grim, morbid, desolate sound-spaces for our troubled times. Like, I doubt the '50s had as much depressive music to offer (lots of weird 'art' noises though). Still, I've name-dropped Cyclic Law a few times, the Montreal/Berlin label having shared some talent with Cryo Chamber, most notably Kammarheit (Cities Last Broadcast) and Apócrýphos. Where's the fun in digging into another label for familiar musicians though? Nay, let's unearth some new cats! There, that album with the neat cityscape cover art. Ooh, a lovely photo booklet is included. Gotta' love those juxtaposed pictures of Manhattan decadence and decay.

Vortex (26) is the side-project of Marcus Stiglegger, who first made his mark in musicdom with :Golgatha:. Lord Discogs lists the group as “German apocalyptic and ritual folkband”, an apt descriptor for a lot of dark ambient. They had some minor success, even releasing a couple albums on Cold Meat Industry, but have been quiet most of this decade. Seems Vortex has taken Mr. Stiglegger's attention now, Moloch his fifth album under the project.

The concept of this album is simple enough: Marcus strolled through the Burroughs, and found himself inspired by what he saw, especially the neighbourhoods everyone so vividly remembers from '70s sleaze masterpieces. He had a sense that the City itself was a deity demanding soul-crushing sacrifice to exist within its realm, perverting your humanity just to make ends meet in an unforgiving clime'. Having lived in a City for a while now, I know the feeling - Vancouver's a cruel mistress sometimes, who'll chew you up and spit you out into the harbour if you don't know what you're doing.

As a dark ambient album, Moloch hits most of the standard points for a concept such as this. Rounding up about a half-dozen keyboardists, electric guitarists, and his own additional treatments (percussion, voices, ...flute?), Mr. Stiglegger coerces an industrial score for wandering a twisted vista. Opener City Of Steel sets the tone with abrasive drones before emerging with a gritty, orchestral dirge filled with distortion, as though marching through dead, urban squalor. Towers Of Glass breathes menacing drones while gentle synth tones offer a tranquil respite from the horrors surrounding you, but even these are eventually subsumed by the ever-present murk.

Most tracks play out in similar fashion – drones painting inhospitable pictures of urban existence, but Skyline stands in stark contrast to everything else. Even if the opening piano is unsettling, it's still more melodic than most of Moloch's been. It soon fades though, an omnipresent drone lulling you into a strange comfort of being, before a vicious guitar squall erupts, like a feral beast from the shadows - yet even that eventually takes on a comforting familiarity. Not those harsh, clanking noises at the end though, bursting forth out of nowhere, knocking even the beast back to its shadows. There's always a bigger tower in the City.

Autumn Of Communion - Metal

...txt: 2017

I know, I know. More music from these guys? Aren't there any other modern ambient techno dudes out there I should be checking out? What is this anyway, their fiftieth album in 2017? Actually, and surprisingly, just their first as Autumn Of Communion, though obviously Misters Norris and Chillage have kept themselves busy elsewhere. It's simply a case of me diving deep into some discographies all at once, playing catch-up over the course of a year. Creates an illusion of over-exposure, especially in this unorthodox order of reviewing the music I buy. Just be thankful much of their music's released in scarce quantities. Imagine if I actually could snatch it all up in one shot.

As with every Autumn Of Communion album lately, Lee and Mick went into their latest session with a goal in mind. And if you know what that goal specifically is, please tell me, because I sure haven't seen any PR stating what it is. Like, I know there's always the respectful nods to ambient techno of the '90s, all the while subtly pushing the sound down contemporary roads, but what was the inspiration for Metal? Music for its own sake? Eh, sounds good enough for me.

Actually, if there's anything that marks a difference in these tunes compared to prior albums (that I've thus far heard), it's a heavier emphasis on rhythms - real, propulsive electro beats, a couple of which one could even shuffle to. Not that this is an outright techno album by any means, lengthy stretches of each track noodling about in synth pads or bleepy electronics just as much as any typical AoC LP. With tunes averaging ten to thirteen minutes in length, however, that's plenty of room for blissy lead-ins, head-bobbin' peaks, and calming outros. It also gives each track sturdier trajectory, less about that free-form Fax+ music making than most AoC records so often go.

Thus we get tracks like opener Actinium (89, Ac, useful for radiation therapy) having pleasant space pads and twitchy bleeps, eventually giving way to dubby broken beats for a while as spritely melodies play in the background, followed by some minimalist synth play. Meanwhile, Tungsten (74, W, one tough bastard) is more chill, getting in on that spaced-out vibe while laid-back electro rhythms cruise along. Neptunium (93, Np, helps us make Plutonium) is all ominous and mysterious, with bleepy rhythms that have me recalling HIA if Bobby Bird had been less playful. Longest track Molybdenum (42, Mo, we'd die without it) gets bouncier in its beats, then switches to something more strident in the second half – feels like I'm watching a documentary of a microcosm doing amazing things. 'Shorty' track Manganese (25, Mn, steel and aluminum alloys, yo') is a charming, dubby outing of ambient electro, while closer Radium (88, Ra, cool glowy shit!) gets back on that strident beat, and includes the closest thing to a big, hooky 'anthem' I've ever heard from Lee and Mick. Planning on some festival sets, eh?

Decimal - Lost In A Dark Place

Soma Quality Recordings: 2010

Dammit, I don't have enough 2010-2011 Music. It's not my fault I didn't get back into Music until 2012, it's Music's fault - not enough wicked-cool shit just dropping into my lap. Guess I gotta' dig for it, but who do I trust? What tastemakers could always be counted upon? Say, how about that Soma Quality Recordings outfit? They've had consistent quality for many years now – it's right in their name! More than that, they've curated plenty of dope acts over the years (Slam, The Black Dog, Daft Punk, DeepChord, Vector Lovers, Funk D'Void, Silicone Soul). Let's see what they have available in those years? An album from a guy called Decimal? Sure, I'll bite. The samples sound good enough – no apparent minimal bloopy-blorp and hissing wank detected.

Yes, this is the only reason I got David Spacek's debut album. I didn't know anything about him prior to purchase, but I apparently have one track by him, on M.A.N.D.Y.'s sterile contribution to the fabric series. His first Decimal singles came out in that period, releasing mostly through Berlin techno print Enemy Records. Somewhere along the way, he hooked up with Soma Quality, and was given the green light for an LP. And then his discography completely dries up, no follow-up album, no subsequent singles, not even a different project under a new alias (so sayeth Lord Discogs). Only a lone track on his Soundcloud has appeared since Lost In A Dark Place, uploaded but this past year. Geez, did something go totally pear-shaped over label deals? Got a better paying job elsewhere? Suddenly became a family man? Whatever the reason, 'tis a shame, as there's some pretty good tunes on here.

For sure he can't help but supply some tech-house and techno fodder for the clubs. Opener Temple March has most of the 'minimal era' trademarks, though is less obnoxious in their use than most singles went. Why, there's even a few funky broken-beat bridges littered about! Forgotten Requiem ups the tempo some with a far groovier rhythm, and even builds a looping hook throughout, accentuated with backing strings at the peaks. Holy cow, Decimal's doing progressive house! Or at least making tunes that Serious Prog DJs Who Play Serious Tech-House can make use of. It's certainly a sound Scuba would have noticed.

Other tracks make use of looping hooks, though more of a nod towards Detroit's style of melody (Soulchamber, Vastis Black Mask). Simulation is pure Detroit in it's own right, all future-funk and percolating synths without falling back on obvious rhythms. A couple more tracky tech-house tracks eat up some mid-album space (Tightly Wound, Ghost), but dig those downtempo dalliances in A Physical Sense Of Time (dubby electro) and The Lesson Of Hope, nearly eleven minutes of twee ambient techno. Dang!

With such diversity, how'd Lost In A Dark Place go so overlooked? Was Decimal's association with mid-'00s minimal that hard to shake off? Not 'forward thinking' enough for discerning techno heads? B'ah, their loss.

Cell - Live At Kumharas (Ibiza - June 2006)

Ultimae Records: 2007

This is what I'm talking about, a perfect confluence of factors slowly chipping away at my decade-old “Buy MP3 Iz Bad” manifesto. I've been jonesing for more music from Cell since the collaborative effort Connect.Ohm with Hybrid Leisureland. That was way back in 2012, half a decade now past, and Alexandre Scheffer's been most quiet since. So I must turn to his older material to get a fix, but where does that leave me? An out-of-print, over-expensive debut album of Phonic Peace, and a trio of live recordings, only one of which made it to CD. Ultimae Records though, they released Live At Kumharas as a digital-only option in 2007, when such exclusive formats were still relatively uncommon. As such, I never thought to check it out, but what's this? Ultimae's having a Bandcamp discount? Gee, I already have all the CDs available. Maybe just this once, I can indulge a digital-only release. It's not like this will become a common occurrence. (Narrator: “It became a common occurrence.”)

Really though, Live At Kumharas is basically a sophomore album released under the Cell banner. Every tune in this seven-track selection remains exclusive to these sessions, none appearing prior on Phonic Peace, nor later on Hanging Masses. Some did appear on other live albums released in this period, but as this one carries the Ultimae seal of approval, I'll count Live At Kumharas as the official representation of these particular tunes. Now, jack this music straight into my ear-veins!

Ahh, that's the Cell stuff I've been craving. The psy-chill vibe that's as class as any Solar Fields production, but with a smart sense of restraint, never shooting for the Big Obvious Feels. The Gate has some tasteful tribal drumming to go along with its subtle synths and arps. Above The Clouds gets funkier with the beatcraft and gnarly acid touches while providing uplifting melodies in the background. Misty Morning works in Balearic field recordings as it slowly builds from blissy ambience to laid-back prog-psy grooves – at over thirteen minutes, it definitely has time to stretch things out. Elsewhere, Under The Sun reminds me of an upbeat version of Cell's sublime Blue Embers.

The best shit, however, is in the final stretch of tunes. Right, a 'live set' is supposed to work like that, though this isn't really presented as a pure live set, fades and blends between tracks rather than maintaining a continuous flow. Where was I?

T-Ion (Part II) does a more traditional prog-psy thing, though in the dubby Ultimae way that made them such darlings of the psy-chill scene in the mid-'00s. Hawaii Transit goes even better, including one of those earwormy rhythmic dub throbs you ache to hear return right on cue. Closer Shiny Girl breaks ranks in throwing down with the world beat crowds (we'll find those pyramids yet!), but is a fun capper on this album. If this all sounds rather energetic for a Cell album, well, what did you expect from a live setting?