From audio Sent Sat, Jul 4th 1998, 11:08
From audio Sent Sat, Jul 4th 1998, 11:08
lexaunculpt live at kuci - live review having heard the tracks for the upcoming release on isophlux records, i made it a point to cruise on down to irvine to check out sir lexaunculpt's (alex graham) live show at KUCI. the isophlux tracks are nothing short of amazing, as lance has mentioned previously, but i wasn't prepared for this live show. there we sat, in the dark, the room lit only by alex's computer and a few corny candles, while the show began. the first track of the set, i believe, was one from a future release on orange, an upstart label owned by our own gonzi "rephlex" merchan. this track began with an extended barrage of noise, out of which eventually appeared an off-kilter beat reminiscent of something off of Ae's "Chiastic Slide" lp, only even more ridiculously brilliant. this track sputtered along for several minutes while our collective heads began to nod up and down uncontrollably, a phenomenon which would last for the entire 45 minute set. the first track melded seamlessly into the second track, while analogue style pads and skittery, schizophrenic percussion wafted in and out of the sound field. from there, lexaunculpt led it's listeners through an amazing series of tracks, each one displaying alex's masterful melodic sense and a knack for maintaining a groove in the context of an endless number of tempo and time signature shifts. it would be easy to compare alex's work to that of autechre, but that would be missing the point, as he has a style and sound all his own. perhaps autechre is a good starting point, as i can recommend lexaunculpt to anyone that has ever been interested in Ae, but don't expect some derivative copy. mixing a heavy hip hop influence, electro style bleeps that have yet to be heard this side of schematic, and enough mad programming to make a sequencer weep, lexaunculpt twist and tear the previously recognizable into mere fragments of what they once were. it's not often that i gush so heavily about an artist or a release (speedy j's "public energy #1" being the last recipient of my gushing), but it is not often that you run across something that is as engaging as was lexaunculpt's live show the other night. fans of skam, warp, rephlex, schematic, etc should all take note, lexaunculpt is an outfit that deserves attention. if you're one of those that has been turned off by the relative lack of innovation in the skam camp of late, don't change the channels quite yet, as lexaunculpt proves that the mutant electro crew still have plenty of new and challenging ground to cover. -- brian rachielles -- http://www.rain.org/~audio -- audio//kcsb91.9fmsantabarbara