From Chris Fahey Sent Mon, Jun 29th 1998, 19:28
From Chris Fahey Sent Mon, Jun 29th 1998, 19:28
>Date: Mon, 29 Jun 1998 12:02:23 -0400 (EDT) >From: H James Harkins <xxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxx.xxx> >Subject: (idm) NEW .MP3 > >Hey, I just wanted to let you know about the new track (.mp3), called >"infection," I just put up on my website. A house beat at the beginning >slowly mutates, by way of additive rhythms, into something totally >unpredictable. http://www.duke.edu/~jharkins/infection.mp3 I thought you were exaggerating at first since the track seemed to be only thump thump for so long.. at about 3:00 or so the melodies start to fuck around the beat as if they were working off of another time signature, although they still are grounded in the old house 1-2-1-2-1-2 booty hoppin beat. But not long after that the beat seems to break apart and fragment too. I was definately interested and was paying attention the whole time, something IDM is supposed to do I guess. Its an interesting track, and actually seems danceable almost all the way through. I'd be interested to see it deployed on a crowd of mad dancers like the one at the Crag/Atkins show I attended the other night - to see whether or not the crowd would be seamlessly sucked into your new grooves or whether you would lose them entirely as soon as that first extra beat is inserted (or skipped or whatever you do) My girlfriend spins a lot of Laika, especially their many alternate time signature tracks. It's interesting to watch people bobbing their heads to funky groovy 7/8 tracks, some of them actually "getting it" and moving their heads and bodies in assymetrical septagonal patterns instead of squares and zigzags and such. But still, many get lost and trip over themselves (as much as you can trip bobbing your head, but you know what I mean.) I'd say, however, that your track suffers from a severe lack of bass and kick (i.e., funk) and seems somewhat timid as a result. It's very midrangey. Considering the conceptual bent you seem to have towards the track (breaking down four on the floor into alternative structures) it would be interesting to me to hear the track be much more bold and slammin in its house phase. Then when the "shake-yo-cerebrum" part kicks in it would have much more of a punch as well. Hey I like that ... "shake-yo-cerebrum" ... better than Brain Dance, don't you think? -Cf