Apollo 440 - Liquid Cool (Volume One)

Stealth Sonic Recordings: 1994

Even in the free-wheelin, 'anything goes' Cambrianic explosion of electronic music diversification that was the first half of the '90s, Apollo 440 were all over the place. They did eventually settle on a big-beat rocktronica fusion as the decade wore on, but as is quite evident in their debut album Millennium Fever, it took them a while to hash things out. After a few early singles mostly following hardcore rave tropes, they seemed to hit upon a groove with the Rumble EP, hitching their wagon to the burgeoning progressive house scene. Hah, no, not really, such tunes sharing equal space with sub-par Psykosonik jams like Astral America and Don't Fear The Reaper. Yet it was their proggy stuff that went on to be some of the band's most endearing tunes. Thanks, Sasha and Digweed!

Lodged on the b-side of that Rumble EP was a ten-minute track called Liquid Cool. I don't know if it was intended for a follow-up single of it's own, but boy howdy did it ever get the deluxe treatment when pressed into service. Somehow, someway, Apollo 440 managed to rope in a group that, while popular, were not exactly known for their remixes, their main output primarily studio works. Yes, I am talking about that indomitable powerhouse duo of the ethnic-fusion sample-o-sphere, The Future Sound Of London! What, did you think I was talking about Enigma?

But yes, The f'n FSOL is on this remix package, who take the rocky, world-beaty original into their Earthbeat studio and give Liquid Cool the ISDN treatment. By which I mean they slow the pace down, throw in a few of their own custom/unique/identifiable samples, and add a heavier trip-hop beat. If you know your ISDN-era FSOL, you can hear this track without even playing it.

Also on hand in this remix package is bassist, OG world-beatist Jah Wobble (what, was Bill Laswell not available?). This was actually the start of a mini-comeback for the Wobble one, John Wardle's project having laid relatively low for over half a decade to this point. His go with Liquid Cool starts simply enough, mostly following the same structure as most remixes do with a little extra bass jamming along. Then two minutes in, Jah switches into the highest gear you could go in '94, frantic jungle rhythms and speedy bass playing galore. Again, if you familiar with his works (or Laswell's), you likely can already hear how this goes.

That leaves the Theme For Cryonic Suspension remix (essentially the album version) done by Apollo 440 themselves, a radio version of that (pass), and the one that everyone knows and loves, Deep Forest's Ice Cold @ The Equator Mix. Yeah, it's dope, possibly the best version of Liquid Cool for so many reasons that I won't be able to detail here. Almost out of word count, see. Besides, there's an even better version out there! Yes, even greater than the one you've heard on Northern Exposure. What could it possibly be?

Warmth - Life

Archives: 2020

It's only appropriate the first artist album I'm covering from Archives is from Agustín Mena. Between this print and its sister one, Faint, the chap has released somewhere in the ballpark of twenty items in the past half decade, with no slowing down in sight. Granted, as the Archives headmaster, it's only natural he'd be publishing his works through them. And hey, if a pile of other artists want to join in on the fun, there's plenty of room in the digital realm. Too much, I sometimes feel. Believe me, the urge to splurge is real, but fortunately I'm too broke right now to do so.

Warmth may seem like a rather generic, bland alias for a project, but when you hear Mr. Mena's style of ambient drone, it's an incredibly apt description. Like many modern ambient composers, he has some lineage in the realm of dub techno, so shares some sonic similarities with the Silent Season continuum. Rather early on though, Agustín ditched the beats and went full-on drone, and has mostly remained there ever since.

Now, I know what you're thinking (my FitBit links me directly into your cerebellum.. oops, shouldn't have typed that out loud!): “Great, just another ambient drone artist among the hundreds to thousands already out there. Why should I bother with this one?” And I says to you, I says, I do: “BECAUSE!! It's just that damn good!”

We all know I go through a lot of ambient music. Like, a lot. Much of it, I generally enjoy, but rarely has the genre provided something that immediately grabs me and won't let go for an instant. Warmth is such an artist that accomplishes this. Right from the start on this particular album titled Life, opener Breathe lays in spacious field recordings, soft analogue fuzz, and a gently caressing melody of airy synth pads and decaying tones. So simple, yet so good!

Follow-up Safe continues with the field recordings ambience, some of which sounds like the rustling of leaves in the wind, focusing more on the layers of sonic timbre, while You're Not Here features a melancholic melody that reminds me of 36. Well, such as you can hear it, performed impossibly quiet and muffled through all manner of fuzz. Life mostly plays out in similar fashion, some tracks going more mysterious (Passage, The Mourning, Leaving), others more melodic (Roads, the titular cut). About the only real quibble I have is the whole LP runs rather short at only thirty-five minutes long, but hey, at least Warmth doesn't needlessly noodle along either.

I suppose you could also say there isn't that much difference between each piece, almost to the point Life could play out as one long composition. I honestly thought that might have been the initial intent, as the pauses between tracks on the CD seemed a little off. I then noticed there is a continuous mix version, but the pauses are there as well. Huh, not so continuous as we were led to believe.

The KLF - Last Train To Trancentral (Live From The Lost Continent)

Indisc: 1991

No doubt one of the more redundant singles I've picked up. There's only three tracks on here, and I already have two of them. Yeah, the Live From The Lost Continent version would have been a welcome addition to any UK punter's collection, a wholly different version compared to the album cut in that region (itself a remodelling of an unreleased song called Go To Sleep). Capping off The KLF's 'Stadium House' trilogy, wherein Jimmy and Billy took their Pure Trance singles and turned them into rollicking rave anthems filled with adoring crowds, Last Train was probably the most vain-glorious of the bunch. Well, certainly my personal favourite, even if The Charts say 3 a.m. Eternal was most popular of the trio (to say nothing of the Tammy Wynette featuring version of Justified And Ancient).

Anyhow, that's all a moot point for yours truly, as the American version of The White Room used the Lost Continent version of Last Train instead. Guess Arista figured their audience wouldn't have time for the 'subtler', calmer UK variant – don't bore us, get to the mutha'-fuggin' anthem chorus! Either that, or there was even more sample-clearance issues. Neither would surprise me.

Also included on this single is the 1989 Pure Trance Original. You know this as the version as heard on Chill Out, which I also have, kind of. I guess it's nice having it on its own, separate from the the full album mix, but again, redundant to my own music collection.

That leaves just The Iron Horse rub, and you know what? This actually makes getting the single for exactly one track out of three almost worth it. It's basically a primitive 'prog house' version of Last Train, back when the genre had just started its tentative first walk out onto the shores of UK clubland. The Lost Continent version is essentially stripped down to its most functional rhythmic components, chugging along at a deep, unrelenting pace. Shame its barely four minutes long, but I'm sure enterprising DJs could loop this for a propah' prog journey, if so inclined.

“But, Sykonee, you sexy beast of scintillating sound analysis,” I hear the cries, “why not cover that other remix package for this single?” What, The Moody Boys one? Yeah, that exists, but wasn't among the CD options from where I picked this up. It's not that hard to find, but certainly far from as common as this single is.

And frankly, I'm not sure if there's much to say about them, both essentially rubs on the UK album variant of Last Train. The 808Bass Version adds more rolling deep ends while the 120 Rock Steady version gets ravier with punchier riffs and broken beats, but that's about the extent of differences. Meanwhile, the Mu D. Vari-Speed Version is just Last Train To Trancentral (Remix 1) from the Pure Trance single, only played through a tape reel or turntable pitch shift at various speeds (I'm not sure which – maybe both?). I'll pass.

Specta Ciera - Last Light

Neotantra: 2020

There's no logical reason I should feel surprised at seeing a Specta Ciera album on Neotantra. It's not like Devin Underwood has kept his project exclusive to any particular label. Indeed, he's shopped it around many over the past decade (Earth Mantra, Flaming Pines, Energostatic Records, Distance Recordings, basic_sounds). In more recent years, he has appeared on what I consider the more 'elite' ambient techno labels out there (Carpe Sonum Records, Databloem, Fantasy Enhancing), so it only makes sense that he'd get a crack at Neotantra too.

Yet I still can't shake the notion of Specta Ciera being a dataObscura exclusive. He's released three album there, two of which were collaborations with dataObscura head Anthony Kerby (The Circular Ruins, Nunc Stans). That does leave an impression of an artist a bit loyal to a specific print. Then again, if Neotantra really is the label where artists go to truly get their creative indulgences on, I'm sure Mr. Underwood could leap at the chance at contributing to its catalogue, especially after working as a collaborator for so many years prior (also including Arbee, and Jacob Newman as Gapfield... *whew*, has this ever been a name-drop session).

Unlike some (okay, many) Neotantra albums I've covered, Last Light does appear to have a specific theme in mind. Track titles impart a chronology of deep space exploration, leaving whatever orbit the listener was stationed at before eventually succumbing to the cryo sleep required of interstellar, time-dilating, sanity-sapping cosmic travel.

Despite the name, opener Escape Velocity isn't some high-octane space synth adventure (because obviously ...and Dynatron already did that anyway), but rather a gentle trip of treated string samples and harmonic tones. Follow-ups Soft Glow and LED Circuits paints more of a portrait of life on this starship, chipper synths and twinkling melodies creating quite the atmosphere of charm and whimsy. Wait, did we suddenly turn into a children's movie, with cute muppets on board? Rather reminds me of Hearts Of Space's more upbeat moments.

While the fanciful vibe does maintain throughout Last Light, there is a sense of slowdown as the album carries on. Tracks tend to grow more minimalist as things progress, some pieces even inching just a bit into ominous and mysterious (Time Bending, Memory Freeze). Nothing grows discordant though, Devin mostly keeping things on that whimsical bent. Heck, final track Slumber practically loops back around to the chippiness of Soft Glow. Given the amount of dark ambient that suggests the 'cryo sleep' as some terrifying experience losing one's sense of self, this one instead has me imagining the sleeping crew cuddled snug in their chambers wearing a night cap, a GLO Friend hugged tightly in arms.

I cannot deny it's rather refreshing hearing an ambient album so unapologetically buoyant and jaunty, but it does leave Last Light a somewhat wafer-thin experience for me. Maybe that's more a reflection on my general tastes though, typically preferring deep, introspective drones and the like.

La Luz - La Luz

Hardly Art: 2021

It feels weird being invested in a contemporary rock band. Heck, any rock band, come to think of it. Yeah, I've done discography dives on many, but almost none have intrigued me enough to scope out their full catalogues, much less keep tabs on every new release. Like, here I was, on the edge of my seat, wondering whatever would La Luz do about the departure of drummer Marian Li Pino? Oh, that pandemic thingy put a hold on all that anyway, so don't have to worry about it just yet.

So La Luz was on hiatus, lead singer and guitarist Shana Cleveland whiling the downtime doing some solo work. When I heard the group had finally reconvened after such a long absence, I was honest and truly excited to hear how they were going to move forward, especially who the drummer would be. Holy cow, I'm excited about a rock band's new drummer! What a strange sensation this is!

Then I was thrown for a complete loop and a half when I heard it was Adrian Younge. Wait... waitwaitwait! That Adrian Younge? The ultra-talented funk-n-soul jazz musician? The one who produced those fantastic Ghostface Killah and Souls Of Mischief albums? That Adrian Younge!? How on Earth did he get involved working with an all-lady psychedelic surf rock band? This is a 'Worlds Colliding!' pairing I never would have dreamed of, yet here it is, within my hands, La Luz' latest, self-titled album with the two least expected genres of music merging together. Well, unless you count 'psychedelia' as a bit of glue.

And while this is unmistakably a La Luz album, Mr. Younge's influence definitely is felt, especially on the rhythmic end of things. I don't think I've ever heard Lena Simon's bass playing given such prominence before, and there's no mistaking those drum tones as anything other than an Adrian Younge joint. Incidentally, these were performed by Riley Geare, the drummer for an indie psych-rock band called Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and a definite dude (that much beard gives it away). I assume he just happened to be in the neighbourhood when Adrian and Luz went into the studio to record this album, as he's not listed as the group's official new drummer on Wikipedia, she currently being Audrey Johnson. Aww, just missed the recording sessions, I guess.

Meanwhile, it's clear keyboardist Alice Sandahl was encouraged to 'jazz' up her playing, and I'm all for it. This includes adding more instruments to her arsenal, such as Mellotron, harpsichord, and... cowbell? Heck, you should see the amount of extra instruments Shana brought in: steel guitar, 12-string guitar, sitar. In typical Younge fashion, no instrument is left off the table!

Which unsurprisingly leaves La Luz a fair bit more funky than some might expect, but never to the loss of a general dream pop and psychedelic soul vibe. The core essence of a La Luz record is here, just with a lot more studio indulgence than past outings.

Get-ting Phy-si-cal, Phy-si-cal, oh baby! An EMC Update.

So I've fallen down the Fitness Hole.

It all started with getting a new phone, and as new phones are wont to do, proudly displaying its new features as you set it up. On a whim, I indulged the Health Tracker app, just to see how far pedometer technology had come - my first cell phone was a Sony Ericsson, see, bought almost specifically for that feature. Well, not only had 'step counting' tech massively advanced in those dozen years, but just about every other health and exercise tracking feature too. Why, by turning on my phone's GPS, I can even get accurate data for my regular constitutionals, factoring in elevations and everything (Vancouver 'tis a hilly place). Swimming! I go swimming, and this phone app even tracks calories burned during swim sessions! ...kinda'. Obviously you can't take the phone into the pool, so it just correlates an estimate based on the time of your session. If only there was some way to accurately track those.

"Why, of course there is!" says the charming individual lurking further down the Fitness Hole. "You've heard of FitBit, right?" Oh my, yes! Of course! I'll just get one of those little smart watches with all the tracking abilities included and- oh... oh my! Stats! Data! SWOLF scores!! Feed me more! More! MOAR!! Sleep tracker too? Ooh, what a nifty little feature. How do I sleep, I wonder? Eh, aren't I worried someone might steal that information and use it against me? Pft, you over-rate my importance.

Granted, I'm not fully immersed in this Fitness Hole. I really can't be bothered to track my calorie intake - figure if I'm burning 2000+ a day, I'm doing fine anyway. And I honestly kinda' cheaped out on the 'fitbit' for my wrist, settling on an economy model that probably isn't 100% accurate on everything (what device even is tho'?). Like, I already spend heavy on good headphones, I'm not yet ready to do the same on fitness trackers. I've seen how hardcore some get with their fitness regiments, going so far as to track amino acid contents of their drinks and whatnot. I've neither the time nor the care to get that deep into it, but at least keeping a record of these things has motivated me to get more active in general, which at my age probably isn't a bad idea at all.

Incidentally, adding lengthy walks to my off-work routine has given me a chance to deep-dive artist discographies I've always meant to check out. I've even taken to Twitter to share my thoughts on each album I listen to (currently going through the catalogue of hip-hop legend Nas), and will probably eventually post it here. So if anything, this exercise in doing more exercise has generated a little additional content in the long run.

Clementz - Kretsløp

Suntrip Records: 2020

Goa was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. Some moved onto harder sounds with psy trance, others emerged with cross-over friendly, full-on vibes. A few brought back melodic elements with prog-psy, even if it meant slowing the pace down a dozen BPM. For all intents though, the original genre as exported from the shores of India had had its day in the acid-drenched sun, electronic music's constant desire for evolution relegating it to the dustbin of history. You will therefore permit me to reiterate emphatically, that Goa was as dead as a door-nail.

But like any comic book character not named Uncle Ben or Thomas and Martha Wayne, no genre stays dead. Even if a potential audience has dwindled to bupkis, at least that audience exists. Such must have been the logic of Suntrip Records, a little Belgian print eager to resurrect goa trance even if the scene had long moved on. They even scored an early 'hit' in Khetzal's Corolle, proving interest was there for vintage goa, should anyone take a chance on it. Just dress it up in some new hotness tag for all to see, something cutting edge and hip to the kids. Got it! Neo-Goa!

Despite this new-old genre never taking off in any significant way, it persisted in the periphery of the psy scene, Suntrip Records continuously plugging along to this day. Which leads us to one of the label's more recent offerings in Clementz' Kretsløp, an album I picked up because I wanted something new out of PsyShop, and this one had the blueist cover art available.

One Hans Henrik Clementz to the Norwegian database, the chap's been making music on Soundcloud for many years now, having tunes appear on a number of compilations like The 50th Parallel, 303 Syndroms, Colors Of Goa V.3, Goa Trance Revolution 2 (Retrofuturism), and Dimensional Gateway 4 (Veil Of The Moon). His hustle finally paid off, landing a debut album with Suntrip Records consolidating a bunch of his tracks, bringing his brand of goa to more ears than ever. Well, as far as the Suntrip faithful at least.

And if you're still doubting that anyone modern could possibly sound properly retro, opening track Æ-Re-Stu immediately drops you back to the '90s. Those unmistakable Nord Lead synths powering forward, a dooc-dooc bass kick and acid squelches in support... oh man, it's 1997 again, and I've just picked up Distance To Goa 5! I don't know whether Clementz is using authentic gear or really good emulators, but you can easily imagine hearing this stuff alongside classic Prana and Astral Projection. Some tracks stick to proper goa (Inner Core, Distorted Angel, Outside This World), others go heavier on the psychedelic side of things (Big Rip, Easter Hymn, Voices Of Helium), but all remain unwavering in their dedication to sounding exactly like the days of yore'. Whether this is 'dope' or 'bunk' to you depends entirely on your feelings about that era of psy trance.

Speedy J - Krekc

NovaMute: 2001/2021

Aww yeah, finally returning to Loudboxer-era Speedy J. Enough with the early forays into Detroit techno, or the critically heralded indulgences into 'intelligent dance', let's get back to the years when Mr. Paap stopped giving a fuck and simply ripped shit up. On the dancefloor, I mean. And what better track to get us back to the relentless bangin' techno than the single that not only led into Loudboxer, but kicked off the album's pummelling second half, Krekc.

What else needs to be said about it? It's straight-forward bass kicks and rumbling bassline for a solid ninety seconds, hi-hats, snares, and other assorted percussion building in layers, occasionally ebbing so other propulsive noises squall in the background. It's positively unyielding, letting the energy climax out with barely a sputter at the end for the quick mix-out. It's a track intended for 4am techno, played at the peak of a set. No, seriously, even in the year 2001, there weren't many tunes that went as hard as this one did. Or at least, not released by as Very Important person in the world of techno as Speedy J was at the time.

I do still wonder how folks took this turn of events. I first heard Loudboxer when it was new, and it was certainly something of a shock, having only been familiar with Jochem's G-Spot era of music making. I missed out on the two albums between, to say nothing of any singles floating about, but even stuff like Electric Deluxe couldn't have prepared folks for just how hard Krekc would go. Like many genres out in clubland though, bangin' techno was seeing something of an arms race in the early '00s, where the need to go bigger and bolder was necessary to remain king of the heap. Then everyone got old, knees weary, ketamine the preferred drug of choice, and we all know what happened to techno after that.

Anyhow, another track on this single that appeared on Loudboxer is Krikc, if only partially. This was the tune that was featured as a live snippet, and quite frankly cemented the album as the propah' warehouse experience it was being sold as. Nothing like a little crowd whooping and cheering to sell that 'in the moment' vibe, amirite? This track is even more bonkers than Krekc, basically all looping percussion and flange effects, with heavy emphasis on those mid-range snares as the bass drum thrums along. By comparison, third track Krakc is almost quaint, much slower in tempo, and rather deliberate in how it progresses in layering it's various loops. Even if it's at a pace more typical of traditional minimal techno, there's still plenty of crunchy sounds and flange effects in making this a worthy companion piece to the high-octane Krekc and Krikc.

So there you have it: Krekc, Krikc, Krakc, three tunes of- Wait a moment... are the titles of these tracks a Dutch play on Rice Krispies onomatopoeia...?

Solipsism - Kismet

Carpe Sonum Records: 2018

So now Solipsism. Ever since I took a dive into the extended Lee Norris Ambientverse, this is a name that's floated about my periphery. Like, it's hard not to notice an alias that reminds me of some of the more tedious discussions I engaged in during university philosophy courses. Not to mention simply being a word that would leave one drenched should it be uttered by Sylvester The Cat.

Seriously though, the Craig Murphy project has existed for nearly two decades now, spending much of the '00s releasing several digital-only items on labels like Herb Recordings and Ambidextrous Records (no relation to the artist Ambidextrous). He finally landed a CD roll-out debuting on Mr. Norris' ...txt print, and the two went on to collaborate on a few more albums, sometimes as their separate aliases (Nacht Plank in Lee's case), or as a totally unique project called Ashtoreth's Gate. Hmm, name sounds dark ambientish, that one. May need to investigate further.

Anyhow, Solipsism is a project that I probably would check out proper-like at some point, should the right record entice me further. And leave it to Carpe Sonum Records to publish that CD, Kismet luring me in with yet another striking bit of geometric architecture. The blue-hued cover art didn't hurt either. As for how Mr. Murphy got his stab at a Carpe Sonum outing at all, well hey, it's right there in the title, is it not? Also, Kismet isn't actually an album, but a compilation of several previous works released under the Solipsism banner, some reaching as far back as 2008. I admit I didn't know this going in, but hey, makes for a handy sampler of his music now, and Carpe Sonum has often proven capable of weaving an artist's back catalogue into their own flowing LPs.

Even though I'm fairly certain Solipsism is an ambient artist, I wasn't sure what brand of ambient I might be in for. Considering he's worked with Nacht Plank, I was expecting a few dalliances into the more experimental side of the genre, and sure enough, a few tracks go there. Beachcomber starts out with some nice, subtle tone, but gets rather distorted towards the end. It's not nearly as annoying as The Space Between Atoms though, which doesn't waste much time before piercing your ears with quite grating noise between musique concrete transistor twerps. A shame, because the rest of that track does feature some nice, soothing passages of opulent synth drone.

Those are the only two egregious examples though, and are nicely spaced apart so it doesn't detract from Kismet's whole. Rather, the album-compilation opens with a nice, fuzzy bit of piano 'n' synth ambient in Toking Elders In Avalanche, gives us a taste of the mysterious warble-reverb in Maighdean na Tuinne, slows the pace down to contemplative reflection with Stargazer and Planes Of Existence (with extra sub-bass drone!), while Forgotten and Escape Pod takes us out in ambient grace. Yep, I'd say that covers about everything in Solipsism's oeuvre.

Jet Chamber - Jet Chamber II

Fax +49-69/450464: 1996

Where to even begin with Uwe Schmidt? He gained some minor fame after making an album of Latin-fused electro-pop covers of Kraftwerk songs, but the man had a solid decade of music making behind him before that. Those more in the techno-know were undoubtedly familiar with Atom Heart, if for no other reason than it was the alias Uwe most commonly goes with for his multitudes of projects and collaborations. And though he jumped about many labels throughout the '90s, he often came back to Fax+ for an album or three, even teaming up with Pete Namlook on occasion. In fact, some of the print's earliest records were a pairing of these two, cranking out bangin' Belgian techno as Subsquence and Synthadelic. Um, no one really talks about these anymore. That Jet Chamber project though, that's the stuff!

Five albums were released under this banner, remarkably unique from one another, misters Schmidt and Kuhlmann clearly unafraid in exploring different sounds with each outing. Yeah, you could say that about a lot of their works, but even with the numerous musicians Namlook paired up with, there always was a bit of consistency in how each one sounded. Not so with Jet Chamber. Say you liked the vintage ambient techno of the first album, but are you prepared for the pure jazz dalliance of the fourth record? Or rather preferred the dubbier, trip-hoppier vibes of the third LP, but not so much the micro-beats of the fifth? Which to choose, which to choose?

Clearly, I went with Jet Chamber II, and not just because it was the one I saw available for a reasonable penny from a Discogs seller. No, I've often noticed it crop up in a fair number of 'Essential Fax+ Albums' lists, so figured it a solid get regardless. And right from the jump in Inner Rotation, you can hear you're in for something outside the Fax+ norm. Well, at least what I'm used to hearing from this label, but then I haven't deep-dove into the entire catalogue – few ever have.

Anyhow, Inner Rotation drops us right into Atom™'s brand of electro-IDM beatcraft, leading us along for a good five minutes before Namlook's vintage space-synths join the fray. It's honestly rather typical of Pete's many pairings, his partner laying out their distinct approach to rhythms while he handles the melodic portions. What makes Inner Rotation stand out so much more is just how fluid it is, forever morphing and ever changing even at a lengthy eighteen minutes. Like liquid chrome constantly burbling, bleeping and blooping.

It's also the requisite 'clubby' track of the three, followed upon by the requisite 'pure ambient' outing of minimalist Calm Box. Can't be a classic Fax+ album without one of those, nor a half-hour long jam session, closer Outer Rotation serving as such. It mostly consolidates the first two tracks' ideas, which is fine if you want to hear more of those electro-IDM beats, but I prefer the 'concise' songcraft of Inner Rotation.