(idm) Diversions (was Re: first records)

From Nuutti-Iivari Merilainen
Sent Fri, Jun 26th 1998, 10:28

Thus spake Mikko Karvonen:
> 
> 
> My first one was Aphex' "...I care because you do" back in '95. I still
> think it's my best record. Really.. it kinda changed everything.
> 
  As far as electronic music goes, I think I progressed from Kraftwerk in
the mid-eighties trough new beat to acid in the late eighties. Around those
times I picked up 808 State's "90", which was a sort of a wake-up call after
all the silly rave stuff I had been playing. After a period of lull I started
to buy records again with the consequence of my collection expanding with
some Harthouse/Eye Q/Rising High/Sapho/Limbo/Warp records. Around 1992 or 1993
RePHLeX came into the picture, and there has been no turning back for me
since with all the astounding releases they had back then. So I guess 808
State's "90" is the one for me, not counting the couple of previous years
of some 20 to 30 records a year.
  "90" is still one of my favourites. Try "Magical Dream".
  Railway Raver's "Drop Acid Not Bombs" reminded me dearly of the early acid
days. It is rather a humorous listen, but nothing to get really exited about.
But as for Chaos AD's "Buzz Caner" - I thought I had heard everything Tom
Jenkinson could do, but this album is so full of grit and grind that I just
have to like it. Check out "Mindwar Electro" or "Generation Shit". It is like
all the tracks had the instruments played with a sandblower.
  I have had Boards of Canada's "Music Has The Right To Children" playing
on repeat for a couple of weeks now, and I am positively enthralled. There
are just a few records that get a full-blown emotional response out of me
(like Autechre's "Amber", still my favourite record of all time), and this
is one of them. It is way up there with "Amber".
  There are a lot of records from the past 8 to 10 ten years that have made
a difference in my life, but not one like "Amber". Since my girlfriend wanted
to borrow it all the time, I had to marry her to get to listen to it. I think
she got the better end of the stick because as a side-effect, she now has
full-time access to my whole record collection. But I love her for it all the
same.
  Although I am not much of a fan of drum and bass, I have received some
rather interesting records in the past few months. Yunx's "Billodyssey" on
Void and the Lithium Project EP on Clear, for instance. I think of all the
few d'n'b records that I have the Lithium Project EP is one of the best with
all the jazzy overtones (just listen to that guitar solo!) and the not too
oppressive drum programming (like found on Squarepusher and Jega EPs - though
I have grown quite fond of Jega's "Type Xero").
  As for the straight bang-the-speakers records, the most interesting ones
lately have been S.A.S.'s "Averslon" (a Sims/Dax release on Pure Plastic),
Nico Awtsventin's "Nu Directions" on Rotation and Sims&Dax's "Rituals" on
Theory. Also Rue East's "Summer of Blood" is rather interesting though at
times, quite boring. All depends on the mood.
  Of course, I am anxiously waiting for Autechre's "5LP" as the RealAudio
snippets on WarpNet do not give a clear picture of the record.
  If anyone has heard the Bola 7" on Skam (KMAS002), expressions please.

  I think I am digressing all over here. 
-- 
nuutti-iivari meriläinen -> xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx : diversion communications
               technostructuralist + information architect + media designer