SAUL STOKES – OUTFOLDING (CD by Hypnos)
AS THE SIDE-SCENE OF REALITY MELTED… (CD by Firework)
KID 606 – THE SOCCERGIRL EP (CD by Carpark Records)
UN CADDIE RENVERSE DANS L’HERBE – TOTLOP PAK (CDR by Ooze Bap Records)
ASMUS TIETCHENS – ALPHA MENGE (CD by Ritornell)
JOHN HUDAK & JASON LESCALLEET – LIKE SEEING AND AGAIN NOT (7″ by Liquish
Recordings)
JAN CARDELL – RYTMOBILE (CD by Multimood Records)
SAUL STOKES – OUTFOLDING (CD by Hypnos)
Saul Stokes’ third album is all about analogue synths that he built
himself. Saul’s sound is that off rather primitive ambient music, with
hints towards techno. Many of these tracks here are held together with some
sort of rhythm, but these rhythms are rather linear bumps, no breaks, maybe
with the exception of the first track. The whole rhythm section reminded me
of Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works Part 2, but the synth woosh part is
something different, and tends towards more classical ambient music. It
might be hard to renew the areas of ambient music, and maybe it’s
innovation lies in the fusion with other styles. Succesfull was the
blending with ethno music (Roach, Reyes, Saiz for instance), and techno
seems the next candidate, certainly when it’s done in an austere way (and
not like the old ambient house of ages ago) like Stokes does. Sober and
still rich in tones and colours. (FdW)
Address: <mgriffin@hypnos.com>
AS THE SIDE-SCENE OF REALITY MELTED… (CD by Firework)
The complete title goes like this: ‘As the side-scene of reality melted, we
slowly realized that the surrounding chaos of molecules and atoms no longer
made sense to us’. No artist name given… although the p and c with a
circle says O. Henriksson (but I’m not familiar with him, so…). One day I
expect a white CD, with the firework address on it, and nothing else. While
we could try to go to websites and dig out more info, we could let the
title do the poetic work. So it’s work that deals with sounds from reality,
but while sampled and transposed, the chaos of those sounds are made clear.
Well, maybe I’m totally wrong here, but that’s ok. Any other interpretation
may do aswell. Each of the nine tracks is a world in itself. Small yet
heavy blocks of sounds are dropped as precision bombs… I don’t mean this
in a harsh noise sense, but every track is a closed system. Things happen
within in that system, but don’t step outside, there is no room for fresh
air. This doesn’t mean that I dislike this CD; it’s a concept, and as a
total it does make sense. It’s a strong, coherent and closed work. (FdW)
Address: http://www.algonet.se/~tankred/fer.html
KID 606 – THE SOCCERGIRL EP (CD by Carpark Records)
I admit it: I detest football and all its trappings. So this very short EP
is easily the most exciting thing for me about Euro 2000. Not that it’s in
any way connected with that particular tournament but the fact that the CD
itself is a lovely football pic-disc and is backed up by a printed green
felt pitch is really all the men-in-shorts-kicking-a-leatherette-bag action
I need. What the 6 tracks have to do with the sport is debatable indeed;
these are much more like electronic lovesongs than anything else.
Soccergirl takes whatever glitch-pop element might exist in the man’s other
recordings and focusses solely on that aspect to amazing effect. 18 and a
half minutes of warm fizzle and crackling harmonizing, distant bass and
vacant rhythms–this is a special disc, not aggressive in the slightest but
simple in execution and in sound. No voices, no startling jump-cuts or
fractured breaks. Think of Ralf and Florian brunching with some of the
minimal techno set and you’re almost there. With Soccergirl, Kid 606 runs
away with the prize. (BL)
Address: http://www.carparkrecords.com
UN CADDIE RENVERSE DANS L’HERBE – TOTLOP PAK (CDR by Ooze Bap Records)
Un Caddie Renverse Dans L’Herbe is a not so spanish name for a spanish
person, who works with the tools of today: turntables, mixer, software and
minidisc. In 15 rather short pieces he shows us his skills: weird broken
beats taken from drum & bass, techno and the like, mingled with electronica
sounds, bleeps etc. Definetly not made for dance floors, but for home
entertainment. The result is mistakenly ‘nice’, but it doesn’t go beyond
that. It remains entertaining sounds, but doesn’t add an original new idea
to the world of DJ’s. (FdW)
Address: <propost@cccb.org>
ASMUS TIETCHENS – ALPHA MENGE (CD by Ritornell)
Ah finally… finally Asmus Tietchens will make it. This is my wish of
course. By releasing his music on such hipster label as Ritornell, more
people will be acquinted with his music – and I don’t mean Conrad Consumer
but also those responsible for spreading good taste in their written media.
Of course it is great to see how Asmus will relate to the DSP software
laptop musicians usually found on Ritornell. Actually he does quite well.
Three sparsely orchestrated tracks of electronics – there is no clue to
what else, like paper or water sounds that Asmus used before – high tones
bounce through space against a black wall of droning sounds with holes that
leak sounds. The three pieces seem to form a curious trio, as elements from
one track keep returning in the other. A kind of self-recycling I’d say
(and Asmus is one of the better self-recyclers I know). In ‘Drei
Teilmengen’ it seems as all elements come together and shown again, but in
a very long curve, with slow moving parts. There isn’t a single strong beat
or even a hint of beat inside, and everything remains Asmus Serious. That
of course is no problem, as one should do what one is good at. And Asmus
delivers again a strong work, which will hopefully bring him loads of new
fans. (FdW)
Address: www.mille-plateaux.com
JOHN HUDAK & JASON LESCALLEET – LIKE SEEING AND AGAIN NOT (7″ by Liquish
Recordings)
I must admit I don’t understand why I am reviewing this, as this is one of
those lathe cut records in an edition of 50. Lathe cuts are adorable: small
edition, bad quality but lovely to collect. Hudak is also an adorable
person, friendly, zen-inspired like that other John of new Music.
Lescalleet I’ve never met, but I’ve heard his music before. Their
collaborative record needs a hard turn of the volume, and seems to be a
swarm of insects well trapped in a bottle; oil is thrown over them and
slowly they burn (before you get me wrong: this is probably not was in done
here, but you can also tell I don’t like insects). The other side sees a
recording of stones looped and played at double speed. Despite or thanks to
the kind of pressing, the sound is much more raw then usually with these
‘digicoustics’, but unmistakenly adds a charmm to it. If you are lucky to
find one, get it. (FdW)
Address: <liquish@bigfoot.com>
JAN CARDELL – RYTMOBILE (CD by Multimood Records)
A sculptor makes music instruments, using anything he can find that makes
sound. If he can’t find what he wants he makes the sounding objects. It’s
not the first time I see this happen, and it certainly not the first time I
hear it happen. The tradition goes back to the Futurists in the early 20’s
of the last century and many have followed in their footsteps. One thing is
odd though: while the Futurists were interested in incorporating noise into
music and redefining the boundaries of the medium, in the case of Cardell
it seems to be the other way around; he seems interested in incorporating
the machine into the pop band/orchestra. This is more along the line of
Kraftwerk, who sought to eliminate the human from the band. Now in this
digital era, it seems strange to even think about producing music without
the aid of machines, be it the ones that play the music or the ones that
record and edit it. And that’s exactly where this record makes the odd
statement. The music, that was composed by Lena J:son Sanner, sounds very
poppy, at times even folky. My first impression was that of Savage
Republic, playing very straight. A lot of percussion and strings and even a
bass. Acoustic sound, but played with in such a mechanical straightforward
way that it lacks intensity and power. A ‘human feel’ in the computer
program could have done wonders here. The question remains if the orchestra
would have sounded better if played by humans… (MR)
Address: www.multimood.com