From Lance C McGannon Sent Tue, Sep 8th 1998, 10:18
From Lance C McGannon Sent Tue, Sep 8th 1998, 10:18
Not a whole lot of interesting talk on the lists lately so here's some new reviews... . Pole: LP1 2x12" (Kiff) Stefan Betke aka Pole delivers his first album of beyond- basic-channel experiments. On this one there are nine=20 tracks of downtempo dubby electronica filled with the signature pops, clicks & subtle polyrhythms of previous Pole releases. Favorites on this one are Berlin (which was previously released on the Deutscher Funk compilation), Fliegen, Fremd (which were both from the previous Pole ep on Kiff) and Paula. This release is highly recommend to fans of the bc/cr/m/r&s sound with a little autechre- esque electronica over the top. One of the tops of the year. 9/10 . Paul Mac: Old School Former Pupil cd (Fragmented) I've been a fan of Paul Mac's material since '96 when he released his superb Outerspace Obsessive ep on the=20 Fracture label. Since then Paul has been producing solid detroitesque minimal techno and tech-house=20 records on a variety of labels including Stimulus,=20 Fracture, Mosaic, and Fragmented. On this, his first=20 album, Paul delivers seventeen tracks of deep detroit- flavored tech-house, minimal techno and even one electro track all segued by a handful of jazzy, funky, dubby interludes. Out of the eleven legitimate tracks, the best are the six are superb lush detroit-sounding=20 techno tracks in the Carl Craig or Jamie Read vein and the three in the detroit minimal techno/Claude Young=20 style. Unfortunately the 2x12" is missing four or five=20 of the tracks on the cd, but then again the 2x12" has two tracks that aren't on the cd, so i guess you miss=20 some tracks either way. Don't you love it when record=20 companies do that? Overall a great release by Paul=20 Mac for lovers of different flavors of detroit-sounding=20 techno. 8/10 . E-Dancer: Heavenly cd (Planet E/KMS) Kevin Saunderson returns with his second album of classic-sounding detroit techno on the Planet E. This=20 album contains fourteen new & previously released tracks, including remixes by Carl Craig, Kenny Larkin,=20 D-Wynn, Juan Atkins and Kevin himself. Favorites on this one include the Carl Craig remix of World of Deep, the Effects mix of Feel the Mood, the Juan Atkins remix of Heavenly, and Warp. But a lot of the tracks sounds a bit dated at times and sometimes even ravey making this a hit and miss release for me. If you're familiar with previous saunderson releases then you know what to expect here. I guess i'm not much of a fan of his brand of detroit and prefer what the remixers did. 6/10 . Vendor Refill: Evil Weevil 12" (Nature) Fresh from the remix appearance on the the recent Mira=20 Calx single, Tom Betts (aka Vendor Refill) release this ep=20 of Skam/MAS-style electronica on Marco Passarani's=20 Nature label. On this five tracker Vendor Refill experiment with lush melodies over deep bass, muted crunchy=20 percussion, and some occasional polyrhythms to come=20 up something not unlike what we've heard from Bola,=20 Gescom or Markant. The final track on this ep is actually=20 a collaboration between Vendor Refill and Disjecta where the two deliver a hauntingly melodic & minimal track that sound very much like Funkstroung. This ep certainly=20 doesn't break any new ground but it does deliver five beautiful pieces of electronica that Skam/MAS fans will really enjoy. We can also expect more good things from=20 Vendor Refill in the near future like an album on Nature=20 and some eps for other well-known IDM labels. 8/10 . Rob Hood: Stereotype 12" (M-Plant) Detroit minimal techno master Rob Hood returns with a new ep on his M-Plant label. This three tracker combines the crisp minimal techno of his earlier M-Plant releases with the jazzier flavor of his Hoodlum 2x12" from earlier this year. The overall effect is solid minimal techno with a little more melody and a little less base than you usually=20 expect from Rob Hood. This one would be best starting=20 up a set or even winding one down. An enjoyable listen either way. 7/10 . Friend Side Monkey: Those Pesky Bubbles cd (FingerFood) If funky electro-tinged triphop is your flavor then=20 you'll definitely want to check out this new six track=20 release from the Durham, North Carolina Fingerfood=20 Productions label. This release is bursting with funky baselines, turntable antics and groovy guitar/synth=20 lines from start to finish. This release reminds of early=20 Dust Brothers (before they became the Chem Bros) or=20 even the more recent Crystal Method stuff. If you=20 want to find out more about Friend Side Monkey or the Fingerfood label but you can find out more at=20 http://www.fingerfood.com. This style of music is not usually my favorite but this cd is enjoyable. 7/10 . Bjork/Funkstroung: All is Full of.. 12" (Fatcat) Funkstroung add their name to the list of the hundred or=20 so other electronic artists who have remixed or produced=20 a track for the Icelandic cherub, Bjork. On this mix, which=20 is actually the same remix as on the first Bjork Hunter=20 single, Funkstoung strip the Bjork track down to the bone leaving only the slowed vocal track from the=20 original. Then they drop a funked-up off-timed breakbeat=20 and some hauntingly lush melodies in the background.=20 The b-side of this ep is a Funkstroung original track called This Shit. This track has a strong hiphop sound that reminded me a lot of first PBO record or Gescom's=20 Mag with some deep melodies in the background and a little scratching of the vocal their "This Shit" vocal sample. If you like the Musik Aus Strom sound then you'll enjoy this ep. Another winner for Fat Cat. 8/10 . Johannes Wohnseifer + Diverse: Braunmusic LP (Tropen Verlag) This compilation LP is a tribute to the 50th anniversary=20 of Braun Clocks by a small Koln, Germany label called=20 Tropen Verlag. Each of the seven tracks, done by five different artists, supposedly each use the ticking of a=20 different model of Braun clock. The a-side starts with a beautifully melodic techno track by Thomas Schaeben, then goes into two warm polyrhythmic tracks, and one kraftwerkian electro track by Cobra V. The b-side starts with a deep bc/m-sound track by Boris Kauer/Autocyklus. Then come a great minimal electronica track from Herr Ojijo. The LP finishes with a long MoM-like experimental electronica track. To tell you the truth, i don't hear the clock sounds in most of the tracks but that really doesn't=20 matter because the songs album are so good. I'd love to know more about this label and all the artists involved. I know nothing about the label or the artists but i still highly recommend this one if you like high quality german techno/electronica. Fans of Profan to BC to Musik Aus Strom will all find something to like on this album. 10/10 . Obliq Recordings comp cd (Obliq Recordings) This is the debut label compilation for the Littleton, Colorado-based Obliq label. This comp features=20 tracks from homegrown Colorado electronica artists Multicast, Finder, Ted Sturgeon, Aquatic Ape, and Freq Modif. A variety of different IDM-related styles are represents on this comp with my favorite tracks being Today by Finder, Torque by Multicast, 3 by Freq Modif, Mrouter by Mutlicast, Once Upon a Blip by Aquatic Ape, and Ted Sturgeon's Tropic of Cancer but all are impressive. For more info on the=20 Obliq Recordings label check their website at:=20 http://www.obliq.net/ They're well worth checking out. I look forward to more from this label and these artists in the future. 7/10 . The Sound of Cologne comp 2xcd (Sound of Cologne) This double cd is really a sampler of the incredibly strong electronic music scene that K=F6ln, Germany has. Just think, labels like Profan, Ladomat 2000, Studio 1, Harvest, A-Musik, Electrecord and Groove Attack all in the same city. Therefore this comp has=20 features tracks by Kandis, Schlammpeitziger, Holosud, F.X. Randomiz, Forever Sweet, Thomas Brinkmann, The=20 Modernist, Studio 1, Mouse On Mars, Third Electric,=20 and Dr. Walker & M. Flux to name a few others. The styles on this one range from experimental electronica to minimal techno to acidic breaks. It seems like there's a sound & a label for all different tastes in K=F6ln as well as on this comp. Check it out. 7/10 BTW: Don't forget our Inaudible netcast every Wednesday from 9-11 pm Eastern Standard Time. Hear John C (Bent Crayon)=20 and I spin two hours of the music we speak so highly of... The show will be accessible by visiting http://www.wcsb.org every Wednesday from 9-11 pm EST. The show will be broad- cast in the AudioActive format (which is actually much better than RealAudio). You can download the Audio Active plugin for free at http://www.audioactive.com/player/ -->-Lance--- p.o. box 450715 westlake, ohio 44145 united states