Various - Balance 010: Jimmy Van M (Original TC Review)

EQ Recordings: 2006

(2020 Update:
Wow, doing 2020 updates now... that's crazy. Ahem..

Jimmy and Chris Fortier were pretty much my favorite 2nd tier prog house/trance jocks, so it's funny that their triple-CD offerings for the Balance series ended up having opposite effects on me. Whereas I only liked and returned to CD3 of Fortier's set, I've never returned to CD3 of Jimmy's set (and vice-versa with the other discs). However, whereas I've come around to Fortier's other mixes, re-listening to CD3 here only reaffirms just how much these prog-house guys struggled finding their way in the wave of minimal's trendy dominance.

Still, credit due to Mr. van M, paving the way for all those future Balance releases where eclecticism was celebrated. True, it got a little out of hand, such that the series felt obligated to return to more traditional DJ mix CD outings, but... eh, we'll get there when we get there. For now, I'll simply admit having serious bias to these mixes over the others, in that half the track selection here could have come from my own collection of music.)

IN BRIEF: A mix for electronic music fans by an electronic music fan.

Jimmy Van M is one of those DJs who, despite being in the business for several years, never quite moved beyond underground darling status. While often tapped by Sasha and Digweed to be their warm-up act on tours, his profile has consistently remained stuck in the trenches of clubland while the superstars grab the spotlight.

Still, Jimmy earned him a loyal following that has given him the freedom to explore DJing avenues some would consider counter-productive to creating a larger profile. Take his first official DJ mix. When Ministry Of Sound tapped him for the debut American version of their popular Trance Nation series, ol’ M delivered to them a trance set that was a far cry from the style UK runner Ferry Corsten was compiling. It was, as the old schoolers of the time termed it, “proper trance”, a prog trance set that could have given the heavyweights a run for their money. Of course, for a series known for its epic anthems, this just wouldn’t do and it wasn’t the best way to make a first impression on the masses. Small surprise the follow-up Trance Nation America featured Corsten clone George Acosta and Top 40 favorite ATB.

Perhaps going against the grain was the point though. Jimmy’s style hints at being a music lover first and a DJ second, and the constraint often imposed on DJs by major labels would definitely be unappealing. It seems the Balance series has come along and offered him the freedom of a mix he desires.

So what we have here is an eclectic collection of music spanning nearly two decades, all arranged into three differing discs. Anyone with a passing familiarity with electronic music should recognize a number of these tracks - heck, even steady readers of this website will notice a few (Bill Laswell, Boards Of Canada, Peter Benisch, and others scattered about). Given the amount of time covered, Balance 010 may look like a Back To Mine or Choice collection rather than a current DJ mix, but Jimmy’s arrangement is silky smooth. Tracks sometimes separated by a decade flow together with remarkable skill. As for the details of each disc, they display very unique personalities which fit their tempos.

The most diverse of the lot is the Downtempo Mix. Sets like this one are tricky to pull off, in that the listener’s attention can easily wander when listening to chill music. And even if the strength of individual tracks keeps it from becoming wallpaper muzak, a downtempo set can still lack cohesion if one tries to compile it like a typical dance set; this is music meant to chill out to. So what Jimmy has done here is created a set that dwells on one style for a bit, then moves onto a different style through a bridging bit of ambiance. Dubby world music, psychedelic chill, loungy acid jazz, and avant garde pop all have moments to hold the stage. Because each segment typically runs for only a couple tracks before an ambient interlude leaves it behind, the tempos on this disc wildly vary, which greatly helps keep your attention to see where the mix will take you next. Listening to M’s arrangement of these songs is like floating along a dreamy river where, just when you feel like you’ve gotten a handle on the scenery around you, the landscape morphs into something unexpected yet fits with what came before.

In case the loose nature of the Downtempo Mix has you fearing the others are going to be like that, worry not: the Midtempo Mix tightens things up considerably.

Oh, not all at once, mind you. The opening bit of the second disc displays the same amount of genre-jumping as the first, going from Miles Tilmann’s intelligent techno offerings into something more ethereal and organic for a couple tracks afterwards (including the haunting oldie Blue Bell Knoll from Cocteau Twins - now there’s something unexpected in a ‘dance’ mix!). Jimmy returns us to the intelligent techno after this diversion, although it isn’t the glitchy noise-fest the term IDM has become associated with. Most of it is the mellow grooving sort that would often be found on plenty of ambient techno compilations from the early '90s. Heck, Aphex Twin’s Delphium was on such compilations. There’s a fair deal of newer material within this lot though, including some super-rare material from Adam Johnson: the bottom-heavy track Kriegspiel is definitely a highlight here.

Towards the end of the Midtempo Mix, Jimmy smoothly moves us from the techno into territory he’s more known for: prog house. There’s only a few tracks to gorge on here, but each easily fits the within the mix’s dark, groovy futuristic theme. Also, one might find playing the full fifteen minutes of Underworld’s remix of Cool Kids Of Death cheeky, but given the fact the track manages to hold your interest for the duration is a testament to that group’s songcraft prowess.

And now the third disc. The Uptempo Mix... well, uptempo when compared to the other two. The BPM doesn’t get much higher than the mid-130s, which, for a DJ known mostly for prog house, is about par for the course.

Here, Jimmy keeps things current. Every track is from the year 2006 and not a moment earlier. Because this is more of a representation of what you might hear at a club rather than something for at home, this mix doesn’t display anywhere near the diversity of the other two. The quick and easy lump term for it would probably be (cringe) ‘minimal,’ but aside from a few early tracks, M remains within tech house’s territory... and prog house, I guess, since that genre’s been borrowing elements of tech and minimal lately. Ah, hell. Since there’s generous influences from many other styles of music lurking in this tech house mix (trance, tribal, acid, electro), let’s just call this style “...Except-The-Kitchen-Sink House.” Or, like so many others, minimal tech-house. Argh! I’m going bleary eyed with all these adjectives! Anyhow, this is mostly tech house with prog influences, and despite having the Uptempo header, is quite low-key in its delivery. Things do groove along nicely for the most part and there’s a good acid peak-out moments in the middle courtesy of Tom Pooks’ Docker, but as with much of this kind of music, it makes better sense on the dancefloor or while doing something active than sitting back at home.

The particulars out of the way, I suppose I should answer the big question: is this edition of the Balance series worth your money if you happen to own a number of these tracks elsewhere. The strength of Jimmy’s mix (any good DJ’s, really) is in taking tracks dedicated trainspotters are familiar with and putting them into a set where they can take on a new context. Hell, I never would have imagined Delphium would have worked as a perfect segue into prog house, yet M pulls it off with ease here (as just one example of many available). However, the Uptempo Mix doesn’t quite live up the expectations set out by the first two, so Balance 010 doesn’t get the super high marks a top notch DJ mix would normally earn.

In spite of this, Jimmy’s offering for the Balance series is a worthy pick up for electronic music lovers. The first two discs will easily remind you why you fell in love with this music in the first place, and the third is a decent bonus to groove on.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic, 2006. All rights reserved.

Various - Balance 008: Desyn Masiello

EQ Recordings: 2005

Before getting into Desyn Masiello's contribution to the Balance series, I feel it necessary to confirm that, yes, I don't have James Holden's edition. For sure I've heard it, and I thought to myself, “Gosh, if it ever comes down in price, I may pick that up.” It never did, growing more pricey as the years went on. Not some of those other Balance mixes though!

Straight up, I don't know much about Mr. Masiello, and to be fair, neither does the modern internet. Chap apparently had quite the run of success within prog-house circles at the start of the '00s, often name-dropped among the Next Generation of DJs leading that scene into the future. Except he didn't, nearly any records of solo output drying up from Discoggian archives following this release, retreating into the DJ conglomerate SOS thereafter. No follow-up DJ mixes, no big singles, and no in-demand remixes. For all intents, Desyn peaked out with Balance 008, then decided the fame of having a 'Best of 2005' set out on the market was all the taste of the limelight he needed. Time to get back behind the decks, with two other guys running photo interference.

By the by, when I saw Discoggian posts claiming Balance 008 got a 'Best Of 2005' honour, I had a hard time figuring out from who. Like, DJ Mag, or Mixmag? Surely not Resident Advisor, but lo', when I checked, there it was! I couldn't believe they would have considered a set such as this among the best releases of that year, but then, RA was still in the habit of dishing out 3.5/5's to the likes of Ferry Corsten and Armin van Buuren. Ah, your older shame will never be wiped away, RA.

Right, the music. It definitely isn't 'prog' in any traditional sense, that's for sure. I've seen the word electro bandied about for Desyn's selection, but coming off Chris Fortier's proper electro exercise in Balance 007, that just won't do either. Still, there's definitely something of an '80s space disco vibe going on with CD1, with occasional Moroder basslines sprinkled about the retro synths. Even when Desyn tries steering things into traditional prog and anthem house territory for the finish, there's still that space disco feeling lingering in the air.

Chris Lake's piano anthem Changes ends CD1 on a pretty big high, almost impossible to follow upon in CD2. So Mr. Masiello doesn't even try, instead getting a little indulgent by opening with Orbital's Halcyon Anonanon. Okay, sure, not my favourite Orbital tune, but I'm sure has plenty of personal feels for Desyn. This set's a bit all over the place though, running through loopy disco house, funky synthy house, Hed Kandi anthem house (thanks, Joey Negro), and deeper tech-house. Some good tunes in there, but not as cohesive as CD1 was. Ah well, at least there was no sign of the dreaded 'mnml' bug in here. The Balance series wasn't gonna' hold that off for much longer though.

Various - Balance 007: Chris Fortier

EQ Recordings: 2005

Balance? What is this? I recall that Bill Hamel guy was involved, but when the DJ mix market was flooded with serviceable prog sets with interesting photographic cover art, you'll forgive me for passing on the series' early editions. Tell me that Chris by-God Fortier has been tapped for a whopping 3CD set, however, and you've got my attention! Dude had twice kept my prog faith alive by that point, the previous year's Audiotour all but cementing my notion he could do no wrong. And now he was unleashing a triple-discer of the stuff? Who cares if I have to import it from Australia, there's no way this could go wrong!

Balance 007 became my least played release from Mr. Fortier, some of the CDs un-played since I first threw them on fifteen years ago. Oh... oh no! How did that happen?

It didn't take long to remember the sinking feeling with CD1. With an early run of trendy minimal tech-haus, it was my first indication that the prog bandwagon jump into that genre wasn't going to be pretty. Hell, the tunes from Alex Smoke and 2 Doller Egg aren't even that bad compared to what was to come, but stacked against the deep proggy vibes of Chris' previous mix CD, it was a serious letdown. Shame on me too, because the back-half of CD1 features some mint Soma Quality Recordings techno. My brain just wasn't ready to accept it from a Fortier set, I guess.

Even worse, I was so checked out on what Fortier was doing with Balance 007 that I barely registered he supplied the prog I was craving in CD2. To be fair, the start of this disc is somewhat misleading, getting in on a little menacing robot music action. Plus, Vector Lovers is here! Oh man, hearing one of my favourite electro producers was so unexpected and enjoyed, nothing better could follow it, despite coming so early in the set. Have I mentioned I never realized there's some mighty fine deep, dubby prog in the back-half of CD2, that I only realized just now, after revisiting Balance 007 all these years later?

Honestly though, the main reason the first two discs of this triple-discer faded from my memory is because of CD3, a surprising bonus outing of proper electro from the Fade Records founder (plus a little Floridian and prog-breaks action towards the end). And when I say proper, I mean proper, Mr. Fortier firmly declaring the lamented appropriation of the word for obnoxious acid-fart house music an injustice to the roots of robot-funk music. Aw, man... brother, I feels you so hard in the year 2005, I do. *fist taps the heart* For sure, anytime I grabbed Balance 007, it was always CD3 played first and only. Such a breath of fresh air then, and still holds up remarkably well now. As do the other discs too, even if it took me this long to accept it.

Gas - Nah Und Fern: Pop

Mille Plateaux/Kompakt: 2000/2008

(a Patreon Request from Omskbird)

One of some dozen ambient albums you're supposed to have, particularly if you're not a fan of ambient music. Naturally, as someone who considers himself a connoisseur of the genre, such a consensus had me a little skeptical of Pop's adulation. It's no small task in paring a scene as long lasting and expansive as this one down to a select few Must Haves, the standouts demanding something truly unique to stand out from the glut of releases.

So when I gave Pop a whirl, I thought to myself, yeah, there's some nice sounding tones, looping samples into an otherworldly atmosphere one can easily lose their headspace in. Isn't this a style already covered by the likes of Zoviet France and Rapoon though? Maybe so, but I'm sure folks checking out the fourth Gas album on the basis of a glowing Pitchfork recommendation weren't the sort to have delved into industrial ambient's back catalogue. Still, I couldn't help but wonder why it was Wolfgang Voigt's project that got such attention from the indie sect, and I could only surmise it being out on Mille Plateaux, a label already gaining hipster cred from its clicks 'n' cuts series of glitch releases. Throw in the cheeky concept of this being a 'pop' album, so named from the choice of orchestral samples being on the lighter side of the music, and you've crafted quite the cocktail of indie swoon.

Such knee-jerk dismissals on my part should have no bearing on how this album holds up though, with plenty of time and distance from initial reactions. To which I say, for the most part, I enjoy this, and even manages to stand distinct from countless other ambient records released since that emulate the otherworldly warmth crafted here (and believe me, there's been plenty). I could leave the first two tracks off Pop, in that those clicky-hissy noises that serve as a pseudo-rhythm do nothing but grate on my senses, almost token throw-away glitch sounds required of a Mille Plateaux release. What are those anyway, money counting machines pitched way up? Just lay the layers of looping drone on me like a warm blanket, Wolf-mang!

Or hey, offer up some of those dubbed-out rhythms, though I'm glad to hear Mr. Voigt found a way to change those up some too, having grown a tad stale by Königsforst. Thus Pop IV features a looping rhythm that cheerfully bounces with an echoing bell tone. Elsewhere, we have the 'classic' Gas dub techno rhythm for the final fifteen-minute closer, lending the track a surprisingly grand atmosphere following all that drone. Pop music indeed.

Could I recommend other ambient albums over this? Yeah, probably, but if you're just getting your feet wet, Pop is as good of an entry point as any for getting a feel of the genre's myriad styles. I have no contention in seeing this appear on 'Best Of' lists. Just, y'know, don't act surprised when I don't include it my own mythical 'Best Of' list.

Gas - Nah Und Fern: Königsforst

Mille Plateaux/Kompakt: 1998/2008

(a Patreon Request fro Omskbird)

I must admit, when I got this Gas box-set, my initial plan wasn't to review these CDs in chronological order. Nay, I thought it'd be cheeky fun to do the original request first, Königsforst, then come back to the rest in my usual alphabetical order. For sure I'd make it clear these review copies came from Nah Und Fern, but my OCD wouldn't allow me to do it in any other order. Or something.

When I threw Königsforst on for the first time, however, I came to the quick conclusion that I was gonna' have to hear the rest of the Gas catalogue for context. Yeah, I'd heard Pop in the past, but something led me to suspect that wasn't enough. And if I'm to play through Nah Und Fern for 'studying' purposes, I may as well get those reviews done while I'm at it too.

As an aside of quirky factoids, when I ripped the CDs to my harddrive, they all did so as part of Nah Und Fern, except this one. I get why that would have happened with Gas, significantly different compared to the Mille Plateaux version as it is. Zauberberg did have a slight change too, one of its tracks extended compared to the original, but surely the digital version included this change as well. Like, I'm assuming that's why Königsforst defaulted to stand-alone info rather than the box-set, and that re-reissue is more current than Zauberberg's. Ah, I'm dawdling.

I guess it's clear my thoughts and feelings over Königsforst are lukewarm at best. I thought it at least interesting upon first playthrough, with Königsforst V being a definite highlight in invoking some actual emotion out of my brain. Plus, those stereo-pan kicks in Königsforst II did a remarkable job of keeping me entranced while all those dronescapes droned on. Unfortunately, I couldn't shake the sense I was listening to music as concept over music as engagement. Par for the course with experimental music, especially on a label like Mille Plateaux, but given the endless adulation Wolfgang Voigt's project has generated over the years, I wondered if I was missing something (not the first time I've had an issue with Gas).

Yet, I found those older albums more interesting than this. The raw exploration of Gas and the conceptual journey of Zauberberg simply struck my cerebellum better, whereas Königsforst just felt like Wolfgang going through the motions. Here are more orchestral samples stretched and layered into dronescapes, here are more dubbed-out beats emanating from the deepest parts of the forest. This album certainly encompasses all the elements you'd expect out of a Gas record, and does occasionally reach the lofty heights the project's decades-long praise has generated. Still, it's mostly carried by One Neat Trick. A rather clever one but at three albums deep now, not showing much in the way of evolution. Not that it needs to either, just I need to hear something more from the project get more invested in it.

Gas - Nah Und Fern: Zauberberg

Mille Plateaux/Kompakt: 1997/2008

(a Patreon Request fro Omskbird)

It didn't take Wolfgang Voigt long to figure out exactly what this Gas project could entail, so by the second album, he was feeling a little more experimental. Yes, experimental upon the already experimental nature of these looping, ambient-techno dronescapes. There's only so much one can do with the basic concept, and while it may be fine for some producers to keep recycling the same songcraft in different keys, Mr. Voigt did find a way to mix things up some in his sophomore Gas album, Zauberberg (named after a German book called The Magic Mountain - I know nothing about it, beyond it being a Very Important novel in the world of German novels).

Rather than maintaining one consistent mood throughout an LP's running length, he opted for a contrast, Zauberberg growing ever darker and bleak as the album progresses. Then, the ray of light at the end, knocking you out of your insular, depressive mood. Man, what kind of stroll through the woods must have Wolfgang had if this was the inspiration for his second Gas album? Incidentally, the original cover art for Zauberberg does a great job reflecting this atmosphere, what with its stark reds and blacks. It's a shame that art wasn't retained in some form for Nah Und Fern, even as a little booklet. Like, did Mille Plateaux own original rights to the photography? It is quite striking, especially for a label most famous for being purveyors of clicks 'n' cuts. Mmm, naturalist imagery, in an unnatural way.

Beyond the incremental tone shifting of the album, what struck me most about Zauberberg is how much felt space there is between the layered, droning strings and distant, muffled rhythms. I get why Mr. Voigt may feel the earlier Gas pieces weren't so reflective of the project's whole, the rhythms in the debut album more pronounced and direct compared to subdued, heartbeat throb of a bassline that'd define his later output. Now this is Art, none of that 'techno' nonsense! I keed, I keed...

Seriously though, by Zauberberg IV, the steady beat is almost completely muted, with a sombre, dissonant string section that reminds me of horror music. Following that, Zauberberg V actually gives its muted rhythm more prominence, but it's such a commanding marching beat with an almost equally distant strings, it feels like I'm watching a zombie WWII army move over German hills (from a safe distance). As Zauberberg VI plays out with eerie tones and drones, I can't help but wonder if I'm instead listening to a proper dark ambient project. Well, aside from that never-ending techno kick piercing the murk.

All is not forlorn and bleak, however, as Zauberberg VII ends the album on one of those pure angelic ambient drone pieces straight from the books of... Okay, not really New Age in the strictest sense, but man, don't that blissy tone give me all the tranquil feels. A real soul cleanser, after the dark, dank paths the previous few tracks took us.

Gas - Nah Und Fern: Gas

Mille Plateaux/Kompakt: 1996/2008

(a Patreon Request fro Omskbird)

Technically, this was supposed to be a review request for the Gas album Königsforst, originally released on Mille Plateaux way back in 1998. I sniffed around for a decently-priced copy, but as you can imagine, such a CD isn't cheap to come by these days. I could have sprung for a digital copy instead, but in my searching, I noticed the Gas re-issue box-set Nah Und Fern had come down to a reasonable price, and thought to myself, “Eh, why not?” Thus, I'm now reviewing the entire catalogue of Mille Plateaux Gas albums, as released by Kompakt. So... not quite the original albums, but I'll get to that ...right now!

Yes, of all the Gas albums to be tweeked for the box-set re-issue, the self-titled debut saw the most changes. Two tracks were replaced, one for perhaps the better, the other not so much, depending on who you ask. Hey, at least the rest of Gas was retained, which is more to be said for the more recent Gas re-issue box-set titled Box, wherein Gas was completely jettisoned in favour of inclusion of the Oktember EP released during the original run of Gas albums. Of course, with the subsequent release of additional Gas albums following Box, there's always a chance another Gas box set could emerge which will bring back the original version of Gas. Heck, maybe even throw in the original-original Gas EP, Modern, released on Profan, though Wolfgang Voigt has made it clear that sound is too far removed from where he took the project for revival consideration.

And what, pray tell, is the Gas sound that has made so many slightly pretentious sorts quiver in their headphones? Drone ambient, mostly, though done in a rather clever way, wherein mood and memory are invoked more than the usual abstract sound paintings the genre aims for. Why, there's even techno beats on some of these tracks, though minimalist and heavily subdued and dubbed out, such that they reverberate from distant locations obscured by dense forest and fauna. Wolfgang has stated he wanted to capture the feeling of wandering through the woods while indulging psychedelics, and I must admit, hearing these cavernous beats with embers of melody over looping drone does remind me of taking the back paths between stages at outdoor music festivals. You recognize the base details, but they're all mushed into an unending wall of sound, only trace musical elements coming through.

As for the replaced Gas III, I'm not surprised the original was taken out, almost a conventional dub techno track compared to the layered tones the other tracks featured. Instead, Gas III does the pure, crackly dronescape thing, with a sporadic, slowed string pluck. Quite reminds me of the few items I've heard out of the Slaapwel Records camp, though about a fifth the running time. Still, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if some of those musicians took inspiration from these Gas pieces. The ones without the techno beat, anyway.

A New Year, A New Decade, A New Status Update

No playlist this month, sorry. Yeah, there were a few items I managed to review at the start of December before Real World work consumed just about all my free time, but I don't think there's enough there to warrant making a playlist out of. Figured I would just lump them in with whatever I get through this month too. Still, I can't confirm for certain when I'll be back on a regular schedule either. No sooner than mid-month, that's for certain. While I'm no longer working six days a week, there's still quite a bit of company shake-up coming up. My status is more or less secured, but how it'll affect a lot of other things is still in limbo. Will have to see how the New Normal unfolds before I figure out any sort of hobby schedule again. Gives me time to get through all those 3CD Balance mixes at least. Oh yes, there's quite a few of those coming down the line.

Do I have much to say about The Year 2019? Not a whole lot, to be honest. At least the Guide finally got released, but as is so often the case, I spend far more time gathering up music from the past than keeping terribly current. I thought I'd be close to finishing this by now, but hey, that's life. I've far less free time than I did at the start of the decade, but so it goes the older you get. I'd honestly be disappointed in myself if I hadn't made some sort of 'career progress' in that amount of time.

As for this blog, perhaps there's a little disappointment it never got much bigger than it current is, but that's totally on me. I have too much 'old-school' mentality regarding internet promotion, still believing if I just put it out there with no advertising and fanfare, folks discovering it will appreciate it more as something they discovered. And that may still be true to some small extent, but with YouTubes and podcasting becoming the dominate forms of content consumption, simple text blogs have become quite archaic indeed.

Expansion and franchising never was the point of this though. It was a simple project/challenge/OCD obsession that got it rolling, and will likely remain as such until I finally feel I've no more to say. That time has yet to come, though I won't deny I don't feel as much pressing need to say it as of late. Maybe when there's more sun in the sky again.

David Bridie - Act Of Free Choice

EMI: 2000

(a Patreon Request from Omskbird)

I won't deny, I'm feeling torn over where to take this review. The normal, traditional, expectant thing is to write up my version of a biographical Wiki regarding David Bridie's career, with some detailing of the music within this album. Yet, I feel compelled to dive deeper into the album's title, Act Of Free Choice. This is no simple play on words as a record shop eye-catcher, but an actual, significant event, so-called with the bitter taste of irony on one's tongue.

Granted, it's not something many folks will know about, but if you know your Indonesian politics, it's pretty significant. Why yes, I've had more than a passing interest in the history of the archipelago nation. At first it was just a geological aspect, primarily the famous 1883 Krakatau event, then the region's other various massive volcanoes and eruptions. Then you learn more about the people who live there, their histories, the colonial history, and so on and so on.

Cutting centuries of story short, when the newly-formed Indonesian country gained its independence and started rounding up the thousands of distinct island cultures into one, unified nation, New Guinea was something of a hold-out. Highly abbreviating the circumstance, the vote to join Indonesia was held by some one-thousand people supposedly and specifically selected by the Indonesian military, making the unanimous decision seem a little queer in just how much of an 'act of free choice' the vote really was. It's a dispute that persists to this day, with indigenous folks to the island still protesting for their independence from Indonesia.

Thus, it's no small coincidence Mr. Bridie would choose such a title for his debut album. Indeed, he's among a small number of Australian musicians who show no qualms about getting political with their art (hi, Midnight Oil!), especially when it concerns the plights of downtrodden cultures in their region of the world. That all said, I can't claim that Act Of Free Choice is super explicit in its depictions of this issue. In fact, many these songs just as easily interpreted as reflections of one's sombre mood at any given time of depression. I'd have to study the lyrics more to be certain, but only a couple of these songs have lyrics posted (that I can find). And to be honest, this is such a melancholic album, I'm not sure I want to spend much time with it anyway.

For sure Mr. Bridie is a good song-writer with a delicate touch in uses of sparse piano, echoing guitars, and dramatic orchestral swells. When there are rhythms driving things forward, they're mostly the sort of uptempo trip-hop beats you'd find used in soundtracks (which makes sense, given David's ample body of score work). It all sounds very rich and artful, but just brings my whole mood down after listening to it. Not in a savoury sort of way either. Can you blame me for being more drawn to the historical context of the album's title? Other people's issues are easier to deal with than my own.

Swollen Members - Balance

Battle Axe Records: 1999

I don't always look back on my time working a little music shop in the hinterlands of British Columbia in the best of lights (so bored, so little pay...), but I do appreciate it expanding my pre-Audio Galaxy music consumption. Ordering in all the electronic music I wanted was no small thing, and it wasn't long before my peers came to me with requests as well. This eventually drew the attention of connoisseurs of other genres, particularly underground hip-hop. For sure they helped me clue into Wu-Tang Clan and OutKast, but without these folks asking for acts like Hieroglyphics or Jurassic 5, where would my rap knowledge be? Not terribly good, I wager.

Swollen Members was another such unknown entity. I'm sure a number of my Canadian brethren are wondering, how can that be? For a time, the group helmed by Mad Child and Prevail was one of the biggest rap acts in the country, only ceding their time at the top when Drake came along as the New Canadian Hotness. This is true, but before their big break with the album Bad Dreams, they debuted with this record, Balance. And as the current Top Canadian Rap Act was then Rascalz, Swollen Members had to bide their time in the underground. For there can be only one Canadian Rap Act in the public eye at any given time. I honestly have no idea how or why this is so, I just know it to be so.

In any event, I doubt Swollen Members could have become an overnight sensation even if they wanted to. Their style was always heavy on themes of the occult, not exactly mainstream friendly, and rather fringe even back in the '90s. It honestly still boggles my mind that an act that had Mad Child rapping about witches and demons would go on to have any radio play, but then I suppose Rascalz weren't doing so hot, and Canada needed something to fill their One (1) Popular Rap Act quota. Balance generated more than enough buzz to get record execs looking.

For a young white dude with some dorky traits, hearing another white dude rap about dorky things while in the presence of dope-as-fuck rappers like Del Tha Funkee Homosapein, Everlast, and Dilated Peoples, producers like The Alchemist, plus scratch masters like Mix Master Mike and Kut Masta Kurt, you bet this was right up my alley! Not that this is some horrorcore schlock, Swollen Members sticking to most traditional 'backpacker' rap topics about how lyrically dope they are and all good stuff. They just use unconventional metaphors, is all, with moody, minimalist beats, pianos, guitars, strings, and chants to back them up. The only time this album gets 'fun' is on the Del cut Left Field, which sounds like a tune from one of his own albums, Swollen Members guesting.

And yet, despite quite liking Balance, I never followed this group after. Sadly, Canadian over-hype has a way of sullying a good thing.