From david turgeon Sent Tue, May 4th 1999, 18:54
From david turgeon Sent Tue, May 4th 1999, 18:54
just a few words of appreciation about some recent vinyl purchases... while "seek" 12" (musik aus strom) this gets a lot of play in my pad. whereas the skam/mas crew isn't necessarily my ballpark & i'm the furthest thing from a 'spotter though i appreciate the sound, the 4 tracks on "seek" are highly listenable, interesting throughout, all in all: impressively _compelling_. the tracks are builders, which start quite modestly (even quirkily) with new layers of samples popping in every so often, though never a melody you'd expect. actually, in terms of song construction alone, while reminds me of lillianthal & o.s.t.'s tracks on the emanated compilation; in other words: solid, & varied. now if only there was a way to tell side a from side b. if you haven't gotten it yet, do get it now. bergheim34 "sechstrack" 12" (klang elektronik) a strange item, i'd say. the opener "take my soul", with its cliché drums & no-brainer melody, sure wouldn't do well if competing for idm track of the day, but the processed vocals & the sheer catchiness of the tune make up for its share of cheese. the rest of the plate is eclectic, genre-surfing between spy soundtracks & vocoded ditties. perhaps a bit too all-over to really keep you interested from start to finish, but as electro-pop goes (say we call it that), this is prime. snd "newtables" 12" (snd) "german minimalism" coins this record quite well, & there wouldn't be much more of a point in reviewing this than in reviewing the latest chain reaction single, but this has interesting aspects: the sounds are more high-pitched, & usually desynched--although play it at 45 & it doesn't sound so desynched anymore. more from the dub from hell bin. let's just say it didn't get me bored right off the bat, but it's nothing to smack your head against the wall about either. downpour "windstorms broken microphones" 12" (drop beat) this is old (1997) but i figure it deserves a mention. the 2 more straightforward drum n bass tracks which start off each side are quite good, sounding all distorted, though in more of a pathetic than a pissed off way--which is actually not only bearable, but even endearing enough to support further listens. the highlight track has to be "hey charles hayward" (a2) which starts quite simply with a moody vocal loop & an equally moody wall of guitars only to turn into a rather cathartic distorto-d+b-fest. overall, a solid release which i think is out of print on 12" but still available as a split cd with david kristian's drop beat single "ectopic beat" & therefore i can only encourage you to get the cd if you can't find the vinyl. -- david turgeon at http://www.notype.com