From EvilIzzo Sent Mon, Feb 1st 1999, 21:09
-----------Previous post got fucked up, sorry for the dupe------------- *****CD Review***** Artist: L.A. Synthesis Title: Matrix Surfer Shield Records CD 101 I'm not half as good at review writing as some of the folks on this list, so bear with me. This is a cd I picked up over a year ago that I recently started playing again, and I think it deserves mention. 1. Matrix Surfer 5:42 2. Positive Negative 5:41 3. Fromage Centralle 8:43 4. Wasteland 6:02 5. Frozen Trundra 6:50 6. Agraphobia 9:04 7. If 5:11 8. Du Androids Dream 6:32 9. Frozen Tundra Dub 9:54 10. Zullvakrvnn 7:37 Think back and remember the Apollo II compilation on R&S records. On Disc 1 track 7 you will find 'Agraphobia.' When I first heard it, I though it was the best song on the comp, (just edging out David Morley's 'First Floor' track. And I still do. This song prompted me to seek out the full lengh, and when I found it, I was not let down. The CD represents a side of IDM that I miss. Less breakbeat, more ambient. The whole CD has lush, rich textures and complex rhythms running through it. As each song progresses, styles and melodies change and mutate, but the song never loses its underlying drive. It keeps your attention as it pulls you through its changes without ever getting tired or boring. The album is very original despite the fact that it is not all that experimental. It has its own unique 'sound' to it derived from very complex and overlapping melodies. It has to be at leat two years old (no date on disc) but still sounds as relevant today as it did the day I bought it. Some of the best tracks include: Matrix Surfer, Do Androids Dream, If, and Agraphobia. These songs will stick in your head. The disc reminds me of LFO's "Advance" (almost as accessable, longer 'softer' songs with a more complex structure.) Very well produced / engineered. I think you folks will like it. 8/10 P.S. All tracks written by Tony Gallagher and Carl Grant. Produced by Paul Rip c/o Plink Plonk. If anyone on the list knows anything that these guys may have done either as La Synthesis or by any other name, please respond! That is all. --------------------Izzo..............................