From joanisse Sent Fri, Mar 27th 1998, 23:16
From joanisse Sent Fri, Mar 27th 1998, 23:16
> > opinion posts are not my domain, but i'm a leon mar fan, so i'll bite. i'm surprised that the arcon 2 record got such a slagging on the list when press (...) for it was very positive and the singles sold really well. someone mentioned that the 3lp release was not as complete as the cd: this is true. the lp is gutted -> only 1/3 of the cd seems to be there and those tracks are the weakest, as they're more sci-fi ambient in style. But, i'd have to say that 3/4 of the album (the cd...) is brilliant. leon mar's programming is miles beyond people like dillinja and optical (yes, i did say that) I'd say he and photek are tops in the programming department, but whereas photek (typically minimalist) makes the most out of one or two very subtle variations in the break (cf. rings around saturn, 7 samurai, 2 swords tech), arcon 2 is more about twisting the break to mind-bending extremes while retaining a solid groove. (your squarepusher's and animals-on-wheelses may be able to fit more beats into a bar, but what they produce has none of the power and pathos of a song like zorak or k.j.z) Of course, the last arcon 2 single (neut/shock) was pretty negligible, despite having a nice little groove to it. two-step jungle is hardly what i expected, and even leon mar can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear. Now, As far as remixes go, his retooling of that neotropic song is one of his weakest moments. check out his mix of silicon valley on the j.majik full length and be amazed. So, if anyone is really interested in hearing the best stuff leon mar has done, it's best to hunt down the singles he's recorded for reinforced under his own name. this is much jazzier stuff and leaves out the spooky synths in favour of deep, almost housey keys and vocals. there's a record called "running/the men who fell to earth" that remains my all time favourite jungle record (after k.j.z...) that is definitely worth getting. i heard there's a full-length coming on reinforced. watch and pray. That's it. r.j.