(idm) some things that are swell and some things that are not

From Arthur B. Purvis
Sent Thu, Sep 2nd 1999, 07:43

Some of these are old but whatever.  I acquired them all recently.


Swell:
Surgeon - Force and Form (tresor)
  Less bangy, more tribal and textured.  Like giant pistons sorta.
Clubby techno turned on its head.  Fantastic.  Way better than Balance
(which I liked).  If his records improve/get more unique at the rate they
have been, in 2 albums he'll produce the second coming.

fx randomiz - goflex (a-musik)
  I like it even more than Mouse on Mars - Instrumentals (well, except for
Chromantic).  Crunchier, tons of really odd noises, but still really
playful and great.

cristian vogel - specific momentific (mille plateaux)
  Like anthony child, vogel makes 4/4 techno that doesn't sound like
anyone else. Hypnotic and dark (sometimes)...  really odd.  Not as good as
some 12" tracks I've heard but really great on the overall.

various - microscopic sound (caipirinha)
  all the usual beep/click/beep/click etc suspects (except pansonic...
which i don't really understand).  really, really odd (even if you listen 
to a couple of the people who appear).  really, really good. the goem
track is my fave, along with the digital one.  some of the bass has to be
heard to be believed - you can feel it more than you can hear it.  trance
inducing.

black lung - uncomfortable questions for comfortable people (helix)
  really dark techno with a lot of BANG.  Beepy.  A few dronier bits
("the hive").  I'm pretty damn fond of it.

Various Artists - 8,8.5,9 (fat cat)
  Not the remix one (not sure if I got the numbers right).  Finally bought
this, and it blows every other CR/BC record I've heard right out of the
water.  F'ing incredible.  Especially 8.  So different... so not normal...
soooo nice.  crashing waves of thick, reverbed textures that repeat in a
very subtle and very missable way.  friend who doesn't like much beyond
whitney houston/shania twain/cher house remixes thought it was the coolest
thing he'd ever heard.

Third Eye Foundation - You Guys Kill Me (merge)
  Ok so I had this a while ago and then I lost it and I got a new one.
It's absolutely mindshatteringly brilliant.  His best ever (though not
by much).


Sorta swell but sorta not:
Kit Clayton - repetition and nonsense (drop beat)
  total chain reaction/basic channel ripoff that isn't as good as the
originals by a long shot but isn't too too bad.  The first track sounds
like the various artists 12" but not 1/10th as good.


Unswell:
That dumb new u-ziq record that is boring as hell.  Same old same old...

that awful carl craig innerzone orchestra record which is, well, awful.
Really, really offensively awful.

that lamb record with that annoying girl singing over what would otherwise
be good tracks.  ick.

the new air record premiers symptomes which is lacking everything that
made the first one so good.  the last track is harder edged and funkier
and a little better, but the rest is worthless.  almost as bad as that
comp of other source recording artists.



Does anyone know who max kahlen is?  I bought a 12" by him for a couple
bucks on a whim.  had a sticker talking about thomas brinkmann supported
labels etc.  haven't listened yet tho.

---
the humble abbott arthur purvis set his hand hereto