From Nate Harrison Sent Mon, Dec 1st 1997, 11:15
From Nate Harrison Sent Mon, Dec 1st 1997, 11:15
And now to some reviews of stuff I've bought recently: Arcon 2 (Reinforced)- Oh my. I do believe I have come across a truly killer drumnbass record here. A nice blend of tech-steppish grooves and jump-up stuff, the drum programming on this one is straight up ferocious. It's no secret that Leon Marr (who is this guy anyway?) hangs with Mark and Dego, as the style is similar to 4Hero stuff. There are some nice contrasts within the tracks (what I look for in dnb), as underneath the hectic programming lies some eerie and not cliche ambient atmospherics. There are even a few down tempo and total ambient tracks thrown in for good measure. A great release for the headphones as well as the club, this one will throw you for a loop in that just when you though you 'heard it all' with techstep, here comes Arcon 2. If you liked Boymerang, you'll love this, and if you thought Boymerang was a little, for lack of a better word, underdeveloped, I think you find this record to your liking. I would definitely get this release. For some weird reason, they numbered the tracks 2-14, where did no. 1 go? Dark Magus 'Night Watchmen' (Alphaphone)- Mr. Richard H. Kirk spits out yet another record on his newer Alphaphone label. Continuing where the last Sandoz record left off (This would be 'God Bless The Conspircay'), RHK downplays his obsession with uptempo aggressive tech-house in favor of more moody, thicker, 'tech-funk'. He's still using the 1 and 2 bar loop layer after layer, but for some reason that's why I really like his stuff, because for the most part, no one nowadays is really doing simple sequencing like this (perhaps it is seen as passe). The samples are a little more left of center, (like bits of dialogue that are looped) which remind me of Cabaret Voltaire of old. This record if a bit repititive (hey if you don't dig the repitition you probably don't pay much attention to RHK anyway) has some nice quirks that I can only describe as the Kirk sound. If you're a fan, buy buy buy, but I also recommend this if you have been previously turned off by RHK's 4ttf tech-house endeavors. As One 'Planetary Folklore' (Mo Wax) A couple of people have already given some good reviews of this release, and for the most part, I agree. Kirk Degiorgio comes very close to severing any ties he had with the word 'techno' with this release. A unique hybrid album of electronics, jazz and soul, it's surprisingly mid to uptempo. There are certainly no dnb tracks, but the drums do get funky and pumping. Degiorgio also applies the cut up technique, taken from dnb, to his drum loops, so that they sound almost 'live'. I find it interesting that it seems there is a trend in drum progrmming aesthetic these days that attempts to mimick live drums, like say Squarepusher, or perhaps the new 4Hero EP, or maybe Steve Pickton's latest stuff, or Plantary Folklore. I like it, because just when you have fallen into a groove, the artist will throw out a burst of snares or cymbals that clearly remind you *this is being electronically manipulated*. Drums however are not the only thing going on in this record, there's a vocal track (by a *male* singer even!) and what sound like real live instuments. If you are into jazz and are looking for a new twist on the whole electronica saga, get this. My only complaint: too short. Clocking in at just over 50minutes, by the times you are really chillin' to this record, it ends. Oh well... Hope that helps some of you- peace Nate