From Michael Upton Sent Fri, Aug 7th 1998, 02:06
Probably all reviewed by other people already, but hey, I blame my lag for being on the other side of the world from most of you... 'Inside a Quiet Mind' - Micronism (Kog Transmissions) Cd This guy is something of a legend in the dance scene in New Zealand, and this CD comes off really well. It's a collection of his more peaceful moments. I don't know much about techno, so I'm not gonna try to draw comparisons, but I think he has a very warm, personal approach. While most tracks are very much in the tech-house vein, four out of eleven aren't, ranging from shuffling 909 numbers (reminds me of Beaumont Hannant) to a good raw electro number, through to a couple of more ambient, rattling tunes. I'd fully recommend it, not just out of patriotism or anything. :) 'Ballbreaker' - Andrea Parker (Mo'Wax) 10" Yeah, it's wicked. I don't like it as much as the 'Melodious Thump' ep, but it certainly takes my fancy a lot more than 'the Rocking Chair'. Nothing I can say that hasn't been said by Lance and others. 'Parallel' - Parallel(?) (Gadget) 12" A recent release by Bernd Maus. Three tracks of that deep deep minimal techno sound. I was disappointed by the latest Porter Ricks effort, but this kinda makes up for it. There's very little in the way of actual notes, but the rhythms are fantastic. He has a real knack for making some rough and crunchy sounds into some quite straightforward and funky rhythms. Two four-to-the-floor tracks, and a fantastic last track which manages to sound incredibly driving with only one kick drum every two bars (and not on the one, at that). I'd love to hear it mixed in a club. Michael "You know what? I'll call him Jet Jaguar..." http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~michael/jj.html