Incoming!: 1995
Even for short-lived '90s ambient dub and techno labels, Incoming! feels among the most short-lived of them all. I mean, probably not, in that it had a three year run with a few home-grown acts sustaining it in that time. I even crossed paths with the print once, via S.E.T.I.'s
The Geometry Of Night, as fine an example of the darker, more paranoid side of downtempo dub as I'd ever heard from that era. That seemed a chance encounter though, so who knows if I'd have stumbled upon any other Incoming! releases in those years, much less be as drawn to cover art. Maybe that
Golden Star CD from Nonplace Urban Field? Or the warped speakers from the compilation
Submerged – A Collection Of Blooming Breaks + Bulging Beats - that looks a little familiar.
Regardless, as is tradition with many labels starting out, a compilation or two showcasing their musical manifesto doesn't hurt, and Incoming! did the deed with a pair titled
Serenity Dub. I got the second one because, well, I knew more names on it than the first. Names like Rapoon, Biosphere, S.E.T.I., Loop Guru, Scanner, and Mouse On Mars.
Those first four, I already had their tracks, though you can't blame me for not recognizing them as such. Like, I find Rapoon's
Vernal Crossing a captivating listening experience, even gave
Bol Baya Ace Track honours, but that still don't mean I can I.D. the piece blind. As for Biosphere,
Botanical Dimensions kinda' gets overshadowed by
Novelty Waves as the highlight off
Patashnik. Same can be said for Loop Guru's
Tchengo as heard of
Duniya. That's all the familiar tunes though. Let's hear what fresh dub music I get to experience for the first time on
Serenity Dub 2.1 p.m.
The CD opens with Transonic's
Low Space Monitor. Hm, I know that name, but from where...?
*THAT bass tone emerges* Oh, it's another Bill Laswell joint. Of course it is. Actually, a pairing with Robert Musso, where the two dropped a few albums over on Fax+. Interesting get for Incoming!, but their world beat vibe does fit. The dub business carries over onto Nemesis Dub System's
Caravan (In Dub), a rather dated instrumental, even for '95.
Further along, Scanner does another of his
noir-ish downtempo tunes as radio chatter chatters about, while the always interesting Mouse On Mars gets in on some early sound experiments with a minimalist dub throb. Their
Chagrin grows very chill over time with relaxing layers of reverb and echo – serenity indeed. Following that, Cosa Nostra almost goes pure space
noir on
This Thing Of Ours, with ultra-dreamy pads and trumpet playing. Damn, now I want to watch some
Cowboy Bepop.
Rounding out the rest are Seefeel and Unitone Hifi with some dubby jams (weirdo shoegaze-reggae and world beat, respectively), and you have about as well-rounded a collection of '90s underground dub music as you could hope for. Well, if you're starting a label promoting the stuff, at least.