From david turgeon Sent Tue, Aug 3rd 1999, 18:43
From david turgeon Sent Tue, Aug 3rd 1999, 18:43
colongib _mapping music_ cd kracfive, u.s. - kfat004cd 01. buckshot 02. dr. ganfo and cousin dexta chillin' in the basement 03. giraffunkedgazz [with miragliuo] 04. canoli kick 05. fat_mat 06. retrigger 07. lolli seed 08. lonely analog dog 09. sinedaddy 10. what map so, after all the fuss with squarepusher & his album _music is rotted one note_, it does seem like elements of fusion jazz have reappeared in electronic music. but jenkinson being mostly content with replicating the noodling wonders of times past, somebody else had to do the task of seeing where the sound might lead when actually combined with more straight-on 1999 idm. & actually, popping colongib's _mapping music_ in the cd player might not as first listen make one recall any rotted one notes - unless you count the occasional use of the seinfeld brand slap bass, one of those instruments which for some reason seem to sound wrong under pretty much any circumstance. the first thing that came to mind on the initial listen was autechre's lp5. except - aw, darn, what is it? melodies? coherent beat patterns? actual groove, albeit of the cold, angular sort? whereas lp5 would presuppose that you're currently listening to their album in a plasticine factory around alpha centauri, _mapping music_ immediately embarks in no-filler mode & starts off with a stun, 'buckshot', which already makes matters complicated to start with as you wonder: 'is that really going on?' & yes, it is going on, & you are glad it is. if like me all you had heard from colongib (christopher graves) previously to this was the song 'megablasterfiend' on _blip, bleep: soundtracks to imaginary videogames_ (lucky kitchen) that made a point to delve where no atari was ever meant to go, you will probably jump at the difference in sound. on _mapping music_, the beats approach schematic-like crunch, & the melodic track is everywhere: once funk, then jazz (lots of that, but totally messed up), then mulches & granules... it is a dense album which has its share of surprises throughout, although by the end it does seems to drag on a bit & the sound selection begins to seem a little random - but the first half more than makes up for this: 'dr. ganfo and cousin dextah chillin in the basement' & 'giraffunkedgazz' (the latter a collaboration with miragliuo) are of this inclassifiable breed of songs which you can't really call jazz yet recognize a pattern, _something_ which has jazz in it. & it happens to swing & groove & be happy with itself. indeed, _mapping music_ is a complex affair. its name is well deserved: music like this can't come from a textbook or from used fusion vinyls from the seventies. it has yet to be mapped out so that others may find the trail or be lost forever in an ocean of infinite noodling. fortunately, christopher graves can draw a map clearly - & cleverly - enough for everybody & your cat to not only 'understand' but also enjoy the hike. so, do. -- david