From R. Lim Sent Thu, Mar 25th 1999, 00:57
From R. Lim Sent Thu, Mar 25th 1999, 00:57
Speaking of which, has anybody else seen the _mmm skyscraper i love you_ book? It's a coffee-table book of skyscraper art designed to accompany dubnobasswithmyheadman. I saw it last weekend at Virgin (also the only place I've seen carry Simon Reynolds' _Energy Flash_ in the US if you absolutely must read about the crusties/hear the CD) and my companion and I had a good laugh for a couple minutes before going on to browse their ample supply of October publications. I can't really say that there would be any reason to own the thing; on the other hand, I'm glad that the Underworld aspire to pop-cult dreams of pretension previously only occupied by Madonna's wannabe art-porn. I'm also quite pleased to see that Ryoki Ikeda will be getting the red carpet treatment at XI. I went there to see David First perform last week (as part of their annual festival of intermedia performances) and Phill knows how to set his loft up for serious sound. Mr. First had already started his organesque drone by the time I arrived. The sub-woofer-resident bass frequencies rose at a subconscious pace, which I realized only after my head felt inflated by an unseen pressure. After about half an hour, the background sounds had peaked and I snapped out of the hypnogogic trance as if a fever had broke. Subsequently, my mind was clear to follow First's processed slide guitar sounds, which slipped and slid over the nebulous tonal mesh not unlike early Gottsching sitting in on an Airway practice session. After another half an hour, the tonal skein began to twist very slowly, occasionally passing by a harmonically devastating checkpoint during its slow repositioning and fade (echoes of the original THX trailer and the end of Messaien's "L'Ascension"). Oops, I lost track there... the point being that this ain't your average boombox/PA sound so I'd advise you to arrive early enough that you can choose a seat smack dab in the middle of the speakers (but not too early that you interrupt their dinner). After witnessing the "what dub records should I start with" thread sweep like brush fire across three mailing lists in the last few weeks, I thought I'd call attention to the recent collections of Upsetters singles that have recently been issued on Trojan. I've yet to actually hold vol 1 in my hands, but if vol 2 is any indication.... It's a 2CD packaged inside a hardbound book with a great photo of Mr. Scratch himself smoking it up for the camera (part of a terrific series of eight that can be found in the booklet inside). Since vol 2 is all singles from 1970, it's obviously not dub, but rather Perry's late 60s take on American soul. The singles often starred the vocal stars of the day and they are always backed by the superb Upsetters (who were essentially an organ-led combo at the time). The overall feel is smooth and easygoing, with flashes of Perry's distinction in the background (esp on the lead-off cut, the perfect "Kill Them All"). It makes a fine companion to that first Stax singles box in style, power and consistency. Lastly, anybody care to hold forth on the Cheap label? It's seemingly all the rage in my household these days, btwn Cube & Sphere's magnificent breaks work, the best Sluta Leta 12" to ever have graced my ears and a pretty upstanding effort from Elin (though not as striking as "Satanic Soul" on Pomelo- whew!). I know that Sluts 'n Strings et al have commanded much bandwidth in the past, but what other fine treasures lay in the back catalog? -rob