Way Out West - Way Out West

Deconstruction: 1997

Even if I came to the Way Out West party a bit later than others, I was still aware of breakout classics like The Gift and Ajare. Having gotten an enjoyable taste of their later productions, it's time I return to the source, their self-titled debut, for the full story. No longer another in a long line of 'whenever I get to it' cases, let's hear some vintage proggy-breaks action as it was blossoming. Throw this bad boy on the digital jukebox then!

Uh huh, uh huh... uh huh... ah, hmm. Umm... is it just me, or does this album sound a rather bit... cluttered?

I think the aforementioned tunes, plus Intensify, spoiled me because truth be told, I hadn't heard much else off this record. Am I once again dashing my expectations? I mean, I kinda' do get tracks of equal calibre, but there's a lack of polish I wasn't prepared for. It's like, Nick and Jody had heard what BT and Blue Amazon were doing, wanted to do the same, but over-stepped what they were actually capable of. They shot for 'immaculate brilliance' when all that was needed was 'damn fine great'.

Blue sets us off on a nice enough footing, more of a chill, Balearic opener with funky drumming, piano flourishes, and flange effects – nothing too overt. The Gift does its lovely little thing in bridging the realms of atmospheric jungle and Ibiza bliss (oh hi, Joanna Law, I remember you from that Coldcut set), then Domination gets this party properly started. It certainly aims at being an epic prog-house outing with many segments building upon the last, but I dunno, it feels like it does too much with all the samples, key changes, beat changes, breakdowns, bridges, and superfluous drippy water sounds.

And this permeates in the following clutch of tracks, such that I'm actually distracted by it rather than letting things flow as Way Out West mean them too. There are things I like in each of them: Dancehall Tornado has a nifty eerie segment towards its end; the piano bridge and vocal sample in Questions Never Answered is some of the best work I've heard from these chaps; the final stretch of Sequoia is prog-trance action at its finest. There's just so much else going on in these tracks that don't build to them in any significant way. If you need an example of where 'simpler is better', just gander at Ajare here, their peppy prog-house hit built around a singular, wonderful vocal sample. All the musical flourishes feed off it, rather than run off doing their own thing. Yes, even the record scratches!

Way Out West is a solid album, still among the best you're gonna' find in this era of progressive house/trance/breaks. It's only true fault is perhaps being a bit of a bandwagon jump of what was popular within those circles (including one (1) big-beat tune), but eh, history's proven that's the Way Out West manifesto anyway.

ASC - The Waves

Silent Season: 2019

I've already blagged on about the wild notion that ASC has racked up multiple ambient albums. Heck, I was astounded by the few he'd released by 2015's Fervent Dream, and Mr. Clements hasn't stopped, pretty much every long-player of his now exploring beatless music. At first I thought, well, that's just what he releases through Silent Season. Surely whatever gets promoted via his own Auxiliary brings the d'n'b or even dub techno (as you do), but nope. You have to go to labels like Horo and Samurai Music to find that (not to mention the oodles of ASC EPs still delivering the broken-beat business abroad).

All well and good then, James finding multiple outlets for his various muses now. I'm not that surprised his past decade of music-making has led to this. No, what's flummoxing my brainpan now is somehow, someway, ASC has become Silent Season's lone Ambient Guy.

And you may ask, how is that possible? There's plenty of artists on the label that offer chill dronescapes with their dub techno beats. Absolutely there are, but in all that time, no other artist has released as many LPs of straight-up ambient music, and nothing but straight-up ambient music. That officially makes ASC their Ambient Guy, all the more remarkable considering James had been a fairly dedicated jungle guy before hooking up with Silent Season.

The Waves marks his sixth outing with the label now, this time an exploration of all things aquatic. Well, maybe not all things, but a pretty good range of regions. From the oceanic surface of the Surface Blue, the the blackest depths of the Hadal Zone, trenches deeper than the abyssal plain. What unfathomable horrors dwell in such unforgiving regions, such that not even the dreaded hagfish wanders forthwith? Slugs, mostly. Some shrimp, probably. Plus that one show-off fish that survives where nothing that size should. Always that one fish...

The music within does impart a sense of gently drifting through various wonders and splendours. From surveying towering Seamounts, to foraging through a mysterious Kelp Forest. Even making one feel nestled within the mechanical confines of a deep sea probe in Echo Location, all the while strange, lovely, bio-luminescent critters float by. Elsewhere, pieces like Nautical Depths, Marine Layer, and Ocean Shadow imparts feelings of isolation, lost adrift in an endless void, but not so cold as space drone goes. No, you still feel the warm embrace of life all around you, but just out of sight, only detectable by those with senses adapted to this aquatic realm. Oh, what wondrous creatures we may see in such- Ahh! A vampire squid!

So another excellent album of ambient from ASC. It almost seems too easy for him now. Is it just a higher batting average because these albums come out on Silent Season? A case of a prestigious label getting the best of what an artist can offer because of the associative rep? May need to scope out his Auxiliary outings to confirm.

Peter Benisch - Waiting For Snow

Fax +49-69/450464/Ambient World: 1999/2007

I feel Ambient World doesn't get the due it deserves. Yeah, it was nothing more than a re-issue print of older Fax+ releases, but given the limited quantities of those initial runs, it at least gave those late to the Namlook party a chance to catch up. Even as the old CDs continued their collector's market inflation, the Ambient World editions remained at a reasonable affordability. Now that the extensive Fax+ catalogue is finding its way onto streaming services, this little off-shoot label seems rather redundant. True collectors want the originals, while others can just play what they want online. For all intents, Ambient World's reason to exist is at an end. 'Cept for those like me, who are fine with (almost) any ol' hard-copy of Fax+ classics.

Like this album from Peter Benisch! Man, I thought I'd never get to hear it in glorious full-CD quality. The original Fax+ version is long out of print, and Mr. Benisch seems hesitant to upload his sparse catalogue abroad. At least the Crockett's Theme single as FPU is finally available on Bandcamp, so maybe some of those other Turbo Recordings classics eventually too?

In any event, I can now enjoy Waiting For Snow via its Ambient World version, itself something of a rarity. Seldom did anyone other than Pete Namlook or one of his many collaborations actually get the re-issue treatment on the label. Tetsu Inoue (of course) and Transonic (a Bill Laswell and Robert Musso joint) were about it for the longest while, though David Moufang, Jochem Paap and Anthony Rother eventually appeared on the label as well. Benisch was the first of these 'non-Namlook associated' artists though, so props for having a Fax+ album in such high demand that it needed the Ambient World re-issue post-haste.

Yet having now heard Waiting For Snow, I can't deny feeling a little letdown by my own lofty expectations. What should I have expected though? Of course it wouldn't be like the peppy electro of Traxxdata, nor even the opulent songcraft of Soundtrack Saga. An extended, downtempo reinterpretation of the FPU song of the same name off, then? A whole lot of those lush pads as heard on Crockett's Theme? It's not like there's an extensive discography of Peter Benisch music out there to draw comparisons from.

Even with that limited framework, there are plenty of sonic markers that identify this as a Benisch work. The sweeping synth strings, the mechanical rhythms, the heart-melting melodies, the groovy electro, the haunting atmospherics. They're all present and correct, but performed in a much subdued fashion when stacked against similar sounds as heard on Soundtrack Saga. Which makes sense for a Fax+ release (especially that one annoyingly experimental track at the end of an album).

Having given Waiting For Snow a few play-throughs now, it's definitely warmed on me for what it is, a lovely collection of gentle, frosty, electro-encrusted ambient techno. It's not Peter's fault his other two albums immediately blew my mind.

Ambidextrous - Vision By Zero

Neotantra: 2019

Oh dear. Oh dear, oh me. When last I talked up Ambidextrous (also the first time), I made mention of wanting his Carpe Sonum Records album Geek Mythology, and now I've done missed my chance, the CD selling out. Sure, I can always pick up a digital version, but man, I never thought Carpe Sonum would run out of stock. On a typical ambient techno label, limited runs are often the norm, interest in the genre remaining rather niche to this day. Carpe Sonum though, they always have copies available through their Bandcamp. Some Autumn Of Communion associated stuff from way back, an Aythar and Motionfield release, that's about it for stock going dry. Maybe I need to get on that drøn CD before it's too late!

I bring this up because in the short time since I reviewed Echoes Of Science (two years is a short time, yes?), it feels like Nick Zavriev's stock has significantly risen. It's certainly deserved, Ambidextrous doing a retro ambient techno stylee that sounds quite modern on the production front. It also explains why Geek Mythology sold out on a label where sold out CDs are rare, so by gosh, y'all better get on anything else released under the Ambidextrous banner before they run out too. Oh no, a release on Neotantra now, where the colour-gradient nature of their cover art triggers one's OCD? The FOMO is real!

Jokes aside, I was quite excited to hear Vision Of Zero, enamoured by Echoes Of Science as I was. Oddly, I've kind of drawn a blank on that album now, maybe over my pining for Geek Mythology ever since. In any case, that has little to do with this record, as Vision Of Zero is a different outing compared to those two.

My assumption that Neotantra is the label ambient techno producers go to indulge their experimental side remains confirmed here, as Nick has crafted a beatless affair of subtle ambient pad work and freeform sound collages. Four lengthy tracks make up Vision Of Zero, with the first three almost forming a singular outing in of itself. Seriously, if you aren't paying attention – and the calming nature of these pieces certainly encourages a drifting sense of consciousness – you'll never notice the brief moment of silence marking each transition. There are attributes between them making each unique: the sampled conversations of Where Are You, the backing synth pads having more prominence in Mind Games Arena, the outworldly feel of Unspoken Word. Okay, all these have an 'outwordly feel', like you're wandering realms of lucidity, but more so there than the others.

Which pale compared to Salvador Ali, the nineteen-minute closer. Every piece had an askew, yet tranquil atmosphere about it, but things apparently go pear-shaped at the end of this sonic journey, with spits of harsh static, abrasive dub, disembodied chants, and even klaxons overtaking the gentle ambience struggling to make itself heard. Dammit, and I was having such a lovely dream too.

Ensiferum - Victory Songs

Spinefarm Records: 2007/2009

The original line-up for Ensiferum looked unbeatable, a promising row of melodic death metallers who'd proven themselves in the field of battle. Then lead singer/screamer Jari Mäenpää left/was relieved when he wanted to work on his Wintersun project, but no worries, just hire another vocalist for replacement. Happens all the time in the world of metal, right? Probably, except Jari's departure seemed to kick-off a mass exodus of band members, original guitarist Markus Toivonen and keyboardist Meiju Enho the only ones left from the Iron sessions. Ah, whoops? I'm not sure what caused such a radical personnel change, but Mr. Toivonen had enough confidence in his band's prospects that it wouldn't be hindered by fresh musicians in the studio.

So new band members came in, Petri Lindroos now the lead wailer. Sami Hinkka picked up the bass-axe, and joined in on the backing vocals with Markus. Janne Pariviainen handled the blast-beats, and the new Ensiferum tested the waters with the Dragonheads EP. If Sputnikmusik is anything to go by (and I see no reason why it shouldn't be a reputable source of metal music opinions), that record didn't do much to convince fans of the old Ensiferum that the new Ensiferum was up to snuff. Well gosh, what hope would the expectant album have then?

But lo', whatever kinks they had to work out must have been solved, as Victory Songs (pronounced 'VI-cTOR-Ree') surprised everyone by being pretty darn good. Certainly different compared to their self-titled debut, but not substantially so such that fans of their heavy folk thrash couldn't still vibe to it. The production is tighter and cleaner, which may turn off some who prefer their death metal rough around the edges, but man, it sure is nice hearing all the instruments in sync with each other, nothing being drowned out. As a 'harsh vocalist', Petri does well, and I can actually understand most of what he's going on about, though that may be in thanks to the better mixdown when stacked against Ensiferum. Still, I find Jari had more presence, more variety in inflection. Yes, even for a form of singing that's generally raspy and guttural. I'm as surprised as you that, even in my extremely limited exposure to it, I've managed to pick out such nuance.

As for the songs, it's more 'melodic speed' (or whatever) as before, with tales of adventure, deeds of war, musings on heroism, and all that fun stuff. Riffage is fast and intense when needed, scaled back for breathers, with traditionalist musicians brought in where appropriate (gotta' get in those bagpipes in the titular finale). Why, there's even a 'clean singing' ballad in Wanderer which still chugs well enough. Strangely, lead single Ahti, with its sea shanty theme (kinda'), didn't do it for me. You'd think that'd be right up my alley but I dunno', that just doesn't feel like Ensiferum's wheel-house. Look at me, acting like some arbiter of proper sound in a Viking metal band.

Burial - Tunes 2011-2019

Hyperdub: 2019

Folks were so anxious to hear a third LP in the wake of Untrue, they didn't realize Burial had low-key released a double-LP's worth of material in the decade since. However, it was scattered about some seven singles, so never thought of as a singular listening experience. If only there was a way to consolidate all that music into such a format. By golly there is!

I kid, but honestly, Tunes 2011-2019 is quite handy for the casual Burial listener. While I'm sure such a compilation is highly redundant for a dedicated follower of Mr. Bevan's music, not everyone has time or interest in getting every EP as they come. Even myself, an individual who quite enjoys (and sure relates to) his post-clubbing come-down urban vibes, only ever sprung for the Rival Dealer EP. I had thought about getting others, even eyed the double-EP option of Street Halo / Kindred on many an occasion. I guess that procrastination paid off in that now I have them all in a single package.

Still, what's the big deal? Just all the singles appropriately aligned in chronological order, right? Been there, done that. Not at all! In fact, things have been arranged such that Tunes Of The '10s plays out like Burial had planned all these EPSs as a double-LP right from the get-go. Just, he needed a bit of an obtuse angle to initially approach it from, before realizing what overarching themes manifested with all these disparate compositions. Or it was just a big ol' coincidence things worked out they way they did.

Basically, each CD serves as its own narrative, disc one the more conceptual of the two. The first half mostly features his ambient and experimental works, and if nothing else, effectively creates a mood of back-alley squalor. Some of it does meander too long (too much field recording dithering in Subtemple), but all of it effectively builds a sense of isolation and loneliness that's only broken free from once the shimmering synths of Nightmarket hit. Then, we're off into the uplifting messaging of the Rival Dealer tracks, with the ol' school garage vibes of Claustro serving a perfect companion piece to them. Why there's even a call-back of sorts, the haunting ambience at the tail end of Hiders having been given expanded exploration in the earlier Beachfires.

By contrast, CD2 is the 'clubbier' of the two, if you could ever call Burial's post-Untrue works club worthy. For sure there are moments where a house groove or 2-step shuffle is in action, but the lengthy, stop-start nature of most of these tracks makes them rather unwieldy for the dancefloor. It's all about the atmosphere anyway. Especially with the final two cuts off the Street Halo EP, Stolen Dog and NYC. Ah, there's that Untrue feels. Wait a minute...

*checks track list again*

Oh, hah! Tune 2011-2019 is in mostly chronological order after all, just reverse. Funny how that worked out. Or a big ol' coincidence.

Barker & Baumecker - Transsektoral

Ostgut Ton: 2012

I think I've become a low-key admirer of Ostgut Ton. I never intended as such, always turned-off by the massive amounts of hype for Ben Klock, Len Faki, Shed, Steffi, and Dettmann. I didn't dislike them, but y'all needn't be so insistent on saying I must love them. Let me explore this label on my own terms, discovering acts that catch my eyes and ears. Your Nick Höppners, your L.B. Dub Corps, and your Tobias.es. Okay, maybe not so much that last one at the time, but he seems a bit forgotten now.

Anyhow, my continued sleuthing for the 'unheralded Ostgut acts' has led me to Barker & Baumecker. Are they a duo that somehow slipped by the radar, a partnership that never got its just due? The sort of techno only real heads are aware of, or something? Look, I won't front, I only stumbled upon Transsektoral because of the nifty cover-art, and 'trans' being in the title. Gosh, maybe some trance-leaning techno, then? I've heard a few flirtations with the genre out of Ostgut Ton, even as early as 2012, and with having heard so little from Misters Barker and Baumecker abroad, this could end up one of those undiscovered gems in need of a resuscitation nearly a decade on (holy cow!).

After a tidy intro of dub techno ambience, Trafo gives us the sort of vibes we're in for on this record. That vintage Ostgut Ton warehouse thump, moody backing melodies, and odd-ball experimental sounds spicing the percussion up. It can get a bit distracting from the solid techno shuffle going on, but eh, gotta' do something to stand out from the pack. Schlang Bang strips things down to a bare-bones tech-house outing with a woozy-wobbly bassline that I'm sure is perfect for your ketamine daze, but is just bemusing here.

Then, Crows. Ugh. I get what B&B are doing with that obnoxious noise, gradually morphing it into a rather lovely bit of dubbed-out orchestral pads, and the cavernous beats would make it for a fun stomping anthem. Just... gads, that noise is the absolute worst, insisting upon its 'cleverness' for far too long. Thank God the rest of Transsektoral isn't like this. In fact, the album's quite good for the duration!

No Body gets in on some of that post-dubstep action Ostgut Ton liked to dabble in, while Buttcracker and Silo go straight for the hard-ass Detroit minimal stomp. And wouldn't you know it, we even get a little trance in Trans-It, what with subtle floating arps and escalating pad work. Yeah, it's riding along your standard techno rhythm, including some real low-end thumps along the way, but d'ats classic trance, man! Or neo-trance, if you must (I've seen Lord Discogs has caught on). Closer Spur goes trancey too, but more in that morning-after, dawn's light in the eyes after being inside a grimey dancehall all night, chill-out kind of way. About as Orbital as any Ostgut Ton act can get, I guess.

ACE TRACKS: August - September 2021

I'll never claim to have the best laid plans, but I'd like to think I take most factors into consideration. Yet for all of my planning for the month of September, a small oversight here, an unforeseen circumstance there, and a crippling, hobbling of the self everywhere, all things that made for a very, very no-good bad time of a month. At least I didn't catch COVID...?

ANYHOW...

Actually, one thing I'm happy about is I think I've finally completed a personal project, one that I've been working on for the past decade. Maybe a smidge longer? It's nothing terribly significant to anything else in my life, but it is nice to know that it's done, no longer always lingering in the back of my mind as something that needs work on. As I enter the middle of my expectant life cycle, it's a strange notion that some things that tasked me in years past are no longer as relevant. And it does make me wonder, what's next? Like, there are still some old pet projects I've left drifting as other ones took my attention, but what happens when they all run out? Find something new? Hope something unexpected takes centre-stage? I dunno', just food for thought in a month that, for the most part, was the drizzling shits for yours truly.

Meanwhile, here's the ACE TRACKS from the two months:


Full track list here.


MISSING ALBUMS:
Beat Pharmacy - Safety In Dub
Sons Of The Subway - Ruff Rugged & Real
Higher Intelligence Agency - Reform
Toki Fuko - Spring Ray

Percentage Of Hip-Hip: 0%
Percentage Of Rock: 0%
Most “WTF?” Track: The KMFDM tracks may cause some sonic whiplash.

So I extended making a playlist by a month to give a little more variety. Then I fail to actually review enough music to make enough of a difference. Okay, that's harsh, as the few extra tunes here do help pace things out better. I needn't beat myself up for dashing my own exceptions. Would have been nice to have some of that Silent Season downtempo dub in there though. Why aren't they on Spotify anyway?

Tom Tom Club - Tom Tom Club

Sire/Island Records: 1981/2009

I have to assume everyone reading this blog knows the story of Tom Tom Club by now. How the rhythm section of Talking Heads were encouraged to make a record of their own while the band was on hiatus, and instead of pulling a Peter Criss, they debuted with one of the funkiest disco reggae-dub records of the era. One that's endured to this day, with hit singles sampled in perpetuity.

Yes, everyone knows that story. Or so I thought, until just the other day. I mean, the timing of the following anecdote couldn't be more perfect, so I must share it.

I was playing Tom Tom Club's album at work, mentally making notes for whatever angle I might come up with for this review. Genius Of Love comes on, and as that extended groove at the end plays out, one of our younger staff strolls by and mentions, “Oh, hey, Mark Morrison's Return Of The Mack.”

Now, I know he's mentioning this to me as a way of showing off his music knowledge, that someone his age would be familiar with hits of the '90s or something. And I smile, because I'm about to blow his mind.

“Oh, no, this is the original version of that beat.”

“There's an original?”

“Oh yeah, it's been sampled lots. Originally came out in 1981.”

“Nineteen eighty-one!?”

“Nineteen eighty-one.”

“...geez, nineteen eighty-one...”

That, my friends, just goes to show how timeless this record is. Sure, you could quip some of the rapping in Wordy Rappinghood comes off corny, or Booming And Zooming is too weird to be any good, and lord knows this deluxe re-issue didn't need all those pointless remixes added. Damn though, Genius Of Love's irresistible beat. The peppy L'Elephant. The dreamy Lorelei (always loved that name). The charming cover of Under The Boardwalk. Plus an entire bonus disc holding the rarer follow-up Close To The Bone? How can anyone not vibe on this release?

Okay, maybe that last one isn't as great. I mean, it's nice to have it included at all, this 2009 release the first time appearing on CD, and Pleasure Of Love is a worthy single. Unfortunately, I can hear why Tina and Chris weren't as pleased with the album. After the serendipitous recording sessions of their debut (not to mention the fun Bahamas trip included with it), they hoped to repeat the experience in their follow-up. Unfortunately, things failed to click a second time (political revolutions outside the studio didn't help), the resulting album sounding stiffer and forced compared to its predecessor. Measure Up at least recaptures some of the original's magic, and The Man With The 4-Way Hip comes close, if not for the incessantly repetitive lyrics.

Whatever, it's the self-titled debut that remains the star attraction. If you still haven't heard it (*cough* younger generation *cough*), get on it and hear the roots of many a hit rap and R'n'B single.

KMFDM - Symbols

TVT Records/Metropolis: 1997/2007

This could have been my first KMFDM album, in another timeline. When Symbols came out (yes, I'm going with that – it's simpler), it was right at that sweet spot of having more music buying options, and my tastes still somewhat in flux. Bands like Fear Factory and Type O Negative were catching my ear just as much as anything from The Prodigy or The Chemical Brothers. I knew of Sascha K.'s band thanks to their soundtrack contributions, which would often be enough for me to explore further, if any of their music ever made it out into the Canadian hinterlands I resided. Surprisingly, Symbols did, and there's no way anyone could miss that iconic Brute! artwork. For whatever reason though, I passed on it, someone else ended up buying it, and that was the last anyone ever saw of a KMFDM CD in that town. Tale as old as time.

A shame, because had I nabbed Symbols when I had the chance, it may have changed my entire sense of self-identity. Okay, not really – being a 'raver' in ass-backwards Canuckistan was weird enough, so becoming a rivithead just wouldn't fly. Still, if any album had a chance at wooing me to the haXz0r-side, this would have had a good go of it.

Symbols is often regarded as KMFDM's 'electronica' album, where heavier influences from techno beats and synthy sounds override the shredding. No doubt Günter's guitar work sounds drastically reduced compared to previous albums, that rockabilly boogie and metal thrash that made classics of Juke-Joint Jezebel and Ultra is mostly absent, but he still has moments to shine. Spit Sperm shreds between the stomping arena-rock chants, while Mercy gets in a little woogie-wiggle. I wish I had more to say about the extra attention paid to the electronic side of KMFDM but I dunno'. Feels like the song-writing got overstuffed as a result.

As I understand it (via the re-issue liner notes), this album's creative process was a bit of a mess. All the band members had greater input, plus many more outside artists contributed to the project, which would explain why it sounds like so much more is going on. Meanwhile, everything but the vocals had to be redone in the studio when the original recording sessions were lost, and as anyone who's had to redo something creative can attest, it's almost never as good the further you get from that initial spark. Long time fans have claimed Symbols marked the end of peak-KMFDM, and hearing it in contrast to the tightly written previous three albums, it's hard to deny.

Fortunately, some bangers still keep the album in discourse. Anarchy remains a great anthem for those PO'd days, Megalomaniac will always have its fans thanks to Mortal Kombat, Waste reminds everyone the band haven't forgotten their odes to gabber, I've a soft-spot for Unfit's boogie, and Stray Bullet... *sigh* Could have retained classic status in another timeline.