From Martin Sent Thu, Nov 13th 1997, 16:23
From Martin Sent Thu, Nov 13th 1997, 16:23
lots of lo-fi/key plinking and an acid sensibility at work here. starts off kinda subdued yet grows in stature. here's the blows. alt. frequencies presents disco moonlight/cd/worm interface -> freeform "fyank" - the sound of pots'n'pans and a bontempi organ toe tapping. if a bontempi had toes that is. -> dunderhead "pink beanie" - leads us on a perky acid shuffle. kinda old skool yet sexy. -> farmers manual "nomad" - meandering yet plucky, may appeal to those enamoured of derek baily's drum'n'bass effort. unfortunately though that wouldn't be me. -> survivors "stealth" - space opera stomper w/ attractive syncopation, traces of acid later on. -> plasma lamp "blue haze" - nice melody and snare scatters. hasn't changed my life yet. -> milky boy "toilet seat" - lo-key yet smart percussion 1st noticable pffpfpppprrrpppsssstttffffrrpppfffrrrppp of the disc. continues a growing trend of throwing in any ol' sample of conversation in a scanner style. gets perky and plip-ploppy. ends w/ so odd its genuinely disturbing slo-mo sample of a guy who carries a toilet seat around with him. much more unsettling than any doomy/sinister horror-movie synth washes i've heard of late. -> rook valard "stochast" - nice texture and interesting popping and clicking noise give way to distorto stomper, clanky moments and cool almost subliminal bass. shades of autechre/skam. -> baraki "departure" - ear catching metallic percussion and plenty of bass distortion. nice one -> asphere "steps" - kinda boymerangy with tinnier drums. a bit o' pfffrrrp too. elegant and smart. -> david kristian "celesta" - drunken slidey noise. and that bouncing ball percussion effect (anyone remember those hard plastic balls on a string that were supposedly responsible for breaking kids' wrists - clackers i think. well like quiet clackers.) -> tom jenkinson "system4v.7" - clicky autechre textured ambience. reminds me a lot of the long track off zoviet france's "monomiche" (may be mispelled - 2lp in painted hardboard w/ string), but w/ no traffic noise. ends w/ an ambient version of the rrrpppsssstttffffrrpppfffrrrppp effect. wierd. overall this is not an in your face blaster. initially hard to get a handle on, tracks reward repeat listenings due to use of subtle textures and intricate percussion. hard for me to sound like i'm bounding around the walls w/ enthusiasm but recommended for the patient types none the less. -martin -btw- is the 1st alt. frequencies impossible to get? its probably old ground so off-list replies may be used. thanks.