From Upaka Sent Thu, Mar 18th 1999, 06:58
From Upaka Sent Thu, Mar 18th 1999, 06:58
Jeff Mills- From the 21st (Sony Japan)
Well, I'm assuming that this is a new full length Jeff Mills album and not
another compilation of tracks previously available on vinyl (correct me if I'm
wrong). I've always liked Jeff Mills, if not being a particularly rabid fan of
his, but he's outdone himself here, it's a really diverse and coherent album.
There are some of those abstract, stripped down techno tracks he's known for,
but there's also the vibey space jazz of 'Twilight 20', and the weird shifting
machine collage of 'To Count'. On the more laid back tracks the beats are
reduced to a gentle rhythmic pulse in the background. 'xxxx@x:43' has the
dreamiest melody running through it, probably the mellowest Mills track I've
heard, while 'M87' is one of his coldest and most abstract (listening to it is
actually somewhat disorienting). 'Zenith' is a lovely Detroit-style track, and
'31J56-4' has these really neat sounds. There are also some nifty beatless
interludes.
In conclusion, this disc is really nice, and I like it a lot. Right now it's
only available as a Japanese import for some reason, but a UK label might pick
it up, or maybe it'll get released on Axis in the states, I have no idea.
_DTC