Ascoltare vs Keith - Drugs / Ascoltare - Visceral Vendor (Tripel Records)

"Drugs (2cb Mix)" is a great piece of novelty electronica from Ascoltare and Keith (Kool Keith), Keith is obviously a comic genius, though Ascoltare have too bought some good timing and laughs via some well produced edits and effects, including some nice over saturation and detailed distortion. The nastiness of the backing track against Keith's disturbing vocals really make this fella stand out. The chorus "All the crack and the drugs make me feel the way I feel" is an inspired lyric and its impact is increased by a particularly twisted and cracked falsetto from Keith's "Systems of pain". If in a mood for some electronic black comedy look no further.

Ascoltare's long player doesn't quite match the entertainment value of the ...vs Keith effort but has a few peaks that are worth a listen. The opener "Headacres" is one, sounding like a tougher version of Four Tet, with its distorted kick drum and atmospherically off-key plucked strings, cleverly manipulated to provide a rhythm and melody. "Spondulix" has a jolly enough Aphex like melody reminiscent of the "Richard D. James" era.

Unfortunately however this where things start to lose their way degenerating into some melodies that happy hardcore fans would reject for being too childlike and discordance that lacks any coherence. Ascoltare obviously has a good idea of how to use his equipment, and much of the production and use of effects is to a high quality, but apart from the first 2 tracks and some 30 second segments not enough ideas for a full LP.

T. Raumschmiere - A Million Brothers Blah Blah Blah (Novamute UK)

More over simplistic techno mind benders from T. Raumschmiere this time with the "Yah Kid K is the one" efforts of MCSOOM T that even a Pole remix can't save from euro rap hell. LFO's mix of "Querstromzeraner" doesn't move me much and the sub species mixes "are" in the zen sense of the word: everything is wrong.

T. Raumschmiere - Radio Blackout/ Monstertruckdriver/
Rabaukendisko (Novamute UK)

Back in 1997, Marco Haas began recording as T Raumschmiere, a name he borrowed from the William S Burroughs book Dream Cops. Recording for labels such as Hefty and Kompakt, but predominantly for his own Berlin based label Shitkatapult, Haas recently joined the Novamute stable with Radio Blackout being his debut album for the label. This was preceded by the “Monstertruckdriver” single and followed by the second single, Rabaukendisko, with both releases and the album featuring bonus videos on the CD formats.

Opening with “I’m Not Deaf, I’m Ignoring You” and the first single “Monstertruckdriver”, Radio Blackout starts out with a more bass heavy electro theme than the pseudo rock artwork would have you believe. “Someday”, “Drowning in the Sea While Watching the Stars” and “Radio Blackout” switch the mood completely; the former maintaining an ambient melodic backdrop to glitchy computerised dub and the latter two taking a darker direction with strings and piano creating a beautifully moody result. The throbbing electro beats are back for “The Game Is Not Over” with Miss Kitten enlisted to add some “punk” vocals and Glasgow based MC Soom T – courtesy of Shitkatapult’s own Monkey Tribe - lending her vocal talents to the dubby “A Million Brothers (Blah Blah Blah)”. Elsewhere we have the second single, “Rabaukendisko”, with its full-on grinding bassline, barrage of beats and saxophone chaos sitting next to the steadier and more electronically focused “Wir Kinder Von Bahnhof Strom”. As an added bonus, the CD version of the album additionally includes the videos for “Monstertruckdriver”, “Rabaukendisko”, “Wir Kinder Von Bahnhof Strom” and “Radio Blackout”. “Monstertruckdriver” is a black and white cartoon of the destruction caused when a friend calls a truck driver for help. “Rabaukendisko” is a quick fire collage of live footage with particularly good use of the images of the band’s drummer. “Wir Kinder Von Bahnhof Strom” has patterns of lines moving in time to the music which are not particularly interesting to watch on their own but would make an excellent backdrop as projections for a live show. Finally, “Radio Blackout” is a mini horror movie in itself and features strange goings on deep in the woods at night.

The first single released from the Radio Blackout album was “Monstertruckdriver” and featured 2 versions each of the title track and the album track “The Game Is Not Over”. The first 2 tracks are pretty much the same as the album versions and the final track is an extended uncut instrumental version of “The Game Is Not Over”. The other track is “Dabrye’s Big Truck Remix” of “Monstertruckdriver”, a chilled breakbeat rework of the original that is slowed down and allowed to steadily unravel as it progresses. The CD version additionally includes the video for the title track as found on the CD album.

The second Radio Blackout single - “Rabaukendisko” - is presented in 4 different versions on the CD single and additionally includes the video for the track featuring the interestingly named Crack Whore Society. The opening track is the regular version of the title track with “Raubendisko 2” being a more intriguing abstract rework that builds to fever pitch before calming itself down again. There are 2 further remixes of “Rabaukendisco” by the Bug, the first featuring vocals by Ras Bogle, which are noisy but cool throbbing bass, beats and attitude reinterpretations. The final track is the instrumental version of the Bug’s remix for those who prefer the vocal free option. The CD version again features the video for the title track as found on the CD album.

The Radio Blackout album itself is a mix of throbbing electro dance tunes and more considered slower tracks. While the dancier tracks are full-on bass enhanced fun they also lack depth whereas Haas’ talent really shines through on the slower moodier dark ambient tracks such as “Someday”, “Drowning In The Sea While Watching The Stars” and “Radio Blackout”. The addition of the videos for some tracks is a welcome bonus and puts all of those tracks into context, providing some additional meaning to the music. Of the singles, the Dabrye remix of “Monstertruckdriver” is very nicely done and all the reworked versions of “Rabaukendisko” approach the task in different ways to illustrate new and interesting interpretations of the original. ~Paul Lloyd

Luke Vibert ñ YosepH (Warp)

Not as mind-bendingly wild as some of his previous efforts, ìYosepHî straddles avant-gardism and accessibility with equal panache. There are still a few ear- splitting moments, but thankfully these are outweighed by more sensible acidic exploits. ìSynthaxî sees brutally hit percussion, barely contained washing FX, ailing nasal synths and fractured key kaleidoscopes combine to produce an energising sojourn. ìCountdownî is a twisted tribute to the excitement of waiting to fly, whose alien-type vocals suggest an almost Kraftwerkian respectfulness for this form of transport, as an old school acid bass and stuttered 2-step percussion duel. ìAcidiscoî is the soundtrack to a deranged free rave in an unthinkably bizarre venue, with drummed percussion, siren gesticulations and mystifying keys. Hardly sing-along stuff, but rewarding for those who fancy an aural challenge. Jon Freer

Sintesi Archivio - Output 01 (Sintesi)

Real, quality ambience can be difficult to find but a gooden has turned up here from the spires of Naples, Italy. Based on a live recording made in Chiesa Di San Severo Al Pedino (The Church of Saint Severo of Pedino?) and then re-edited in the studio, this 3 track, 50 minute CD harbours some excellent Fax. style soundscapes and ambient dub musings from the talents of Leaf Cutter John, Retina. IT and Terrae.

The combined tracks flow well into a coherent whole, resulting in a pretty relaxing way to spend an hour. The album also includes a CD-Rom section with interviews (en Italiano) video footage of the church and event which took place in 2002. Well worth seeking out via: www.electronix-network.com

Plaid - Spokes (Warp)

Warp veterans Plaid have seen a fair few changes in the recent history of electronic music, from the halcyon days of the "Artificial Intelligence" compilations and the birth of Intelligent Techno, through to the less than classic and probably best forgotten time of "drill 'n' bass" (Animals on Wheels - NO). Through these shifting sands of time you have to admire their ability to plough their own furrow and retain a certain freshness, "Spokes" is no exception retaining the qualities that made Black Dog's "Bytes" such a classic, but intertwining these elements with some more experimental and organic layers.

The vocals of the opener "Even Spring" demonstrates this ability to adapt, a smooth ambient track initially switching to clever off-kilter techno and carrying it off. "Crumax Rins" is another techno styled number with shades of Underground Resistance and an older techno sound. "Upona" starts promisingly with a solid electro bassline only to lose its way via some over zealous tinkering, which all gets a bit messy. Talking of zeal "Zeal" is the next track, sounding kind of like how Orbitals "The Box" should have turned out, with its harpsichords, lilting strings and filter edits, over some clever breaks. "Cedar City" is pretty inconsequential filler material but is followed up by the Japanese/eighties styled "B Born Droid" which is pretty good. Ignore "Marry" and move on to the rather good "Get What You Gave" which is reminiscent of Repeats releases, which without checking on Google is Plaid under another name. "Buns" isn't that tasty and "Quick Emix" sounds like it.

Overall, "Spokes" contains some excellent and innovative tracks, bolstering Plaids position in the top drawer, though some CD programming may be required.

UPDATE/ 17.11.03

A new video by post-production supremos Glassworks has just been completed to accompany the excellent "Zeal" from Spokes, and showcases some of the eye-opening techniques that Glassworks are currently pioneering.

www.warprecords.com/plaid/video.html
www.glassworks.co.uk

Pole - Pole [Mute] (UK)

Following up amongst others the highly individual "R-Raum", I was eagerly awaiting this, his latest release, the self-titled "Pole". This is despite being warned that he had gone (so to speak), of all things, Hip-Hop not the most obvious choice bearing in mind his previous releases.

The opening track "Slow Motion" throws you in at the deep-end with this concept but emerges pretty well, the vocals (provided by Fat John) holding their own over some pared down Pole (stifled smirk). Reminiscent of the Innerzone Orchestra's cross over efforts, the lyrics are deeper than your average "Ho! Bitch! I am the Best, Fuck Off" or similar, rather being a meditation on entropy and history and such.

"Bushes [there is a secret behind]" is back to what you'd expect; minimal constructs of the clipped variety, though the Hip-Hop form has extended to a harder production style. Add to this some excellently twisted sax solos from Thomas Haas and you get a real beauty.

Unfortunately things get a little stagnant at this point, the other Fat John tracks don't really build on the qualities of "Slow Motion" and his dry abstractions over the dry abstraction of the beats neutralise each other, resulting in me writing the crap analogy of "A Hip-Hop desert" which can be extended to include finding water in a desert, or if you like, if you listen long enough you might get it. Yes. Anyhow the lyrics are included for the hardy.

Knowing that his more narrow minded fans might be affronted by his excursions into Hip-Hop the space-dub majesty of "Green is not Green-Yellow" and the atmospheric melancholy of "Back Home" are included at the end saving the day for all and re-affirming Pole's position (no more pleaseÖ). For those who fancy a free preview check out www.pole-music.com and download the vocal version of "Back Home (feat. Fat John)" for one day only on the 29th September 2003.

Luke Vibert - Synthax/I Love Acid [Warp Records] (UK)

Luke Vibert's latest marks a return or perhaps first serious foray to the dancefloor with "I Love Acid", layered up bubbling acid lines and vocoder vocals combine with his trademark clipped breaks and smooth production, quite a pleasant change of direction truth be told. Maintains the standard set by his previous LP. "Synthax" is a bit more abstract but still good, again showing a bit more subtlety in the production department. If this wasn't enough a new album is out shortly and a free sampler track "Propertronics" is available to download from Warp Records (link live until mid October 2003).

Pretty Boy Crossover- The Building and Formation [Surgery Records] (Australia)

Originally destined for release on the UK's esteemed Skam label, Pretty Boy Crossover's second album - their first as the duo of Cailan Burns and Jason Sweeney - would never of seen the light of day had Australian label Surgery Records not picked it up and gave it the full release it deserved.

Moving away from the technology centred ethic of modern electronic music, Burns and Sweeney record using equipment such as old analogue keyboards, an 8-bit sampler and an 8-track recorder. The limitations of their equipment and cassette mastering adding a new aesthetic to their music. The Building and Formation is essentially an album of 2 facets; on one hand you have the gently melodic soothing backdrop and on the other you have an assortment of smooth catchy beats. The 2 styles are combined in such a way as to compliment rather than hinder one another. The melodic side of the album is serene, flowing and calming while the rhythmic side of the album is funky and bouncy, ranging from breakbeat to dub dependant on the track. On one hand it would make ideal incidental music to a classic film, not necessarily intense but adding just a little tense atmosphere to the experience. In contrast, the rhythms vary a little more depending on the track in question but range from stabbing breakbeats to a deep dub vibe. Take for example the album opener "X-3 Fader", a space age backdrop over tumbling breakbeats. Then there are "Blu-Glo" with it's dark Twin Peaks theme atmospherics, the deep dub vibe of "Insect Architecture" or the static enhanced tonal melodies of "Audio Letters".

A relaxed album that fuses flowing ambient moods with clearly defined beats to produce a soothing result with the added rhythmic beats. How Surgery Records got hold of The Building and Formation is between Skam and themselves but quite why Skam rejected it remains a mystery as it would not of been out of place in their catalogue. 4/5 Paul Lloyd 10th July 2002

Super Science - Love Like Life In Miniature [Surgery Records] (Australia)

Spanning the divide between experimental electronic music and accessibility, the debut commercial release from Southern Australia's Mark Rhys Mitchell explores music through widely differing but related styles.

While maintaining it's electronic sensibilities, Mitchell's music utilises an assortment of musical expressions to portray his message. Opening with a vocal track entitled "Invert the Universe", the album gets off to a shaky start, but from there out things look progressively better. Turning away from the electronic music versus vocal format, Mitchell switches styles from track to track displaying a wide range of influences and ability at the same time. On "Now Which Way To Where?" a catchy pitch adjusted vocal loop is used over funky rhythms, on "As Your Heart Stops and Starts" segments of a recorded child's voice are incorporated into gentle flowing ambience complete with buzzing fly and the lengthy "What's The Use In Weeping Underwater?" is a playfully rhythmic yet quite minimal number with a Ambient Works II era Aphex Twin influence. Somehow, Mitchell manages to take elements of experimental electronic and give them a lighter, warmer more accessible air. Returning to the vocal meets electronic format with "Heart's In My Sneakers", Mitchell produces a gem of a track with slinky snapping beats, excellent lyrics and a half sung, half spoken Beck meets Damon Albarn vocal delivery. In contrast, this is followed by the rhythmic melodic glitchiness of "Sometimes We're Happy" and the junglistic poppy "Day's Golden End". Adding a twist to the earlier vocal tracks, Mitchell adds vocal cutups and effects to the lyrics of the hissy drum 'n' bass rhythms of "Artificial Feelings of Mobile Robots" to produce skilfully crafted track of abstract yet accessible coolness. The penultimate track, "Lemon Butter Beats", is distinctly Orbital sounding while the album closer, "A Day I Caught The Sunlight" , is a long track with very slow piano-like keys over equally gentle yet sharp beats and a low bassline topped off with Mitchell's typical half-spoken, half-sung storytelling lyrical musings. Slowly however, over the duration of the track, it gradually picks up pace to become a chilled out electro funk workout before lapsing into a techno tune and then a melodic orchestral piece that closes the album in style.

Love Like Life In Miniature is an intriguing fusion of styles that blend seamlessly to produce a warm accessible whole. While Mitchell bravely includes vocals on some tracks, whether this decision works is debateable, with the exception of "Heart's On My Sneakers", "Artificial Feelings For Mobile Robots" and "A Day I Caught The Sunlight" which are inspired combinations of beats, melodies, lyrics and vocal delivery. Although Love Like Life In Miniature presents nothing new idea-wise, there are many influences, ideas and musical styles at work and when they do come together the result is impeccable. 3/5 Paul Lloyd 10th July 2002

Various - Instrumentals - Staedtizism 3 [~scape] (Germany)

As barely believable as this sounds from the first listen, this compilation from ~scape is personal homage from a number of artists to Hip Hop. The musical soundscapes produced are incredibly diverse and it may not be possible to pick out how each track relates to such a genre.

However, the quality here is second to none, and there are some wonderful slices of oddball electronica, which all have the openness and heterogeneity of reference points which Hip Hop draws on. Busís ìTicketî warps a heaving analogue, while slovenly muted percussion, spattering FX and a dub-vibed guitar relax all. Jan Jenlinekís ìSilver Cycleî is a tender keyed moment, with a dampened unhappy bass, vocal intimations and a elephantine pace.

Kit Claytonís ìEtymon, Noî takes dysfunctional smashed percussion, a parping bass, alien like vocals and head nodding keys on a weird and wonderful journey. Antonelli Electrís ìMrs Mazeî is a clean electro-tech groover, with body popping dropped percussion, innocent keys, a warm earthy bass and a gorgeous synth. Much of the music on offer here is breath-taking, and therefore should be loved for the kaleidoscope of sounds created, without necessarily needing to deconstructed each track to find its relationship with Hip Hop. Jon Freer

Joseph Nothing - Dreamland Idle Orchestra [Planet Mu] (UK)

Formerly half of Rom=Pari with his brother Age, Tatsuya Yoshida started recording his own material in 1999, signing to Planet Mu soon afterwards. Following his acclaimed Dummy Variations album, Yoshida releases his second album for Planet Mu. Dreamland Idle Orchestra is a fond tribute to an old fashioned and now deserted theme park named Dreamland close to Yoshida's home in Japan.

Once again Yoshida skilfully melds styles from different ends of the spectrum to form a new style of his own. Although this fusion of sounds seems quite strange to begin with, Yoshida's keen ear for catchy melody soon allows you to quickly settle in to the combination. Often resembling a warped electronic take on the sounds you might hear around a theme park or the exhilarating experience of the rides there, Dreamland Idle Orchestra is lighter and more accessible than Dummy Variations. Collecting together full-length tracks and short instrumental interludes, Dreamland Idle Orchestra uses simplistic melodies over catchy tunes and rhythmic beats. Often oddly disjointed and placing modern electronic and traditional musical styles alongside each other, Yoshida's style is quite strange and deceptively simple sounding yet makes for strangely pleasant listening experience. While consistently utilising standard beat patterns, Yoshida mixes them with styles as diverse as rock, funk, orchestral and arcade game music, twisting and distorting them into something completely different, adding a few playful pings and pops along the way for fun. Standout tracks amongst the 17 on the album are the symphonic beats of ""Dreamland Geist Orchestra", the reflectively hazy piano and slow beats of "Icon", the funky guitar driven "Fat Baby", the addictive arcade game simplicity of "Secret Calm Life" and the minimal electronic beauty of "Yesterday Evening" and "OR".

Yoshida employs a quite original and simplistic style in his music making and this can either work in his favour or against him. Sometimes, his music can sound overly simplistic and lack some depth, at other times it can be incredibly catchy and addictive. Not an essential album but a pleasant change from the majority of electronic music currently available.
3/5 Paul Lloyd 16th June 2002

Venetian Snares - Higgins Ultra Low Track Glue Funk Hits 1972-2006 [Planet-Mu] (UK)

Prolific noise liberation activist Aaron Funk (aka Venetian Snares) returns with another new album - Higgins Ultra Low Track Glue Funk Hits 1972-2006 - for Planet Mu. Not only that, he also has his next 2 albums already lined up to release on Planet Mu later this year, and that is besides any releases he may have planned for other labels. Consistently releasing singles, remixes and albums on a variety of labels worldwide, Higgins Ultra LowÖ is his second full album for the label.

Generally lighter than Songs About My Cats, Higgins Ultra LowÖ is a collection of increasingly abstract and frantic junglist noise tracks with its fair share of well-selected vocals and samples. Starting out with the fairly relaxed "Dance Like Your Selling Nails", a mad disjointed junglistic tune featuring the operatic tones of Jo Apps singing the memorable phrases such as "junglist massive" and "keep jumping you bastards". Not as hard and adopting a retro 70's funk vibe is "Banana Seat Girl" while "Fuck Off" is an abstract yet oddly coherent collection of tones and scrapes. In a return to more familiar territory, "Make Ronnie Rocket" undertakes a full on beat assault with "Vokeheads" continuing the onslaught with renewed ferocity. "Deadman DJ" and "Cobra Commder" add a heavy dose of experimentation, dispensing with the rhythmic jungle beats and adding increased levels of abstraction and disjointed noise mayhem. "Walmer Side" maintains the theme but adds an eerie cinematic backdrop below the whirs, blips and beats to offer a more atmospheric edge. In keeping with Songs About My Cats, Funk throws a track into Higgins Ultra LowÖ that is a complete departure in style from the rest of the album. "Dismantling Five Years" is a gently tonal ambient tune utilising orchestral interludes while the album closer, "We Are Oceans", starts out as a gentle orchestral piece featuring unnerving female vocals but soon adds jungle beats to the mix.

Again Funk shows more facets to his talent by presenting a range of varying musical styles fused to form a unique and skilfully concocted original sound. On the face of it, Funk's work appears to be mad drum 'n' bass but it is actually much deeper and more complex than it would first appear. Higgins Ultra LowÖ represents a shift in style to a more playful and slightly more accessible style from Funk. An excellent follow-up to Songs About My Cats for Planet Mu and an album that should further establish Funk as an artist to keep a close eye on.
4/5 Paul Lloyd 4th June 2002

Tarmvred - Onomatopoesi [Ad Noiseam] (Germany)

A relative newcomer to the rhythmic noise scene, Tarmvred's collaboration album with Panacea and Needle Sharing was met with wide critical acclaim, as was his own Subfusc album (both for the Ad Noiseam label). Both albums offered an abrasive beat-driven yet controlled style unique to Tarmvred himself. Originally released in September 2001 in a sold out run of just 75 copies, the Onomatopoesi 3" CDR has been repressed in a further edition of 30 copies. Consisting of 4 tracks - 1 exclusive and 3 remixes of compilation tracks - the single illustrates a less distorted, more rhythmic and even catchier side to Tarmvred.

Opener "Onomatopoesi" immediately strikes as a departure in style being driven by a frantic technoid beat with a gothic style female vocal. All distortion and abrasiveness is almost completely dispensed with but the hard beats remain. In a return to more familiar territory the second track, "ECW (Remix by Aural Blasphemy)", is a track that originally appeared on Frozen Empire Media's Colliding Frequencies 1 CDR. Computer game zaps fly as the bass rumbles and occasionally booms, distortion fizzing all around and beats attacking in bursts. Next up is "Amfetakrom (remixed by Any Future)" that appeared in it's original form on the Krach Test 3CDR compilation from Ad Noiseam. Again more in the style of Tarmvred's more recent works, Any Future's remix makes very effective use of varied tones from an increasingly loud industrial drone to the occasional barrage of massive distorted beats and fizzy ticking beats. An excellent remix that uses differently pitched tones, bass and a just the right level of distortion to great effect. To close the CD, "Mourning (remix by Digidroid)" is remixed from Infinity Paradox II on Fusion Audio Recordings and returns to the more accessible style of the opener "Onomatopoesi". Easily the poppiest track on the CD, "Mourning" takes an alternative style female vocal, combines it with a driving electro backing and adds a dash of retro 80's styling for good measure. Both the vocal and music are again very catchy, proving there is another side to Tarmvred's talents beyond the rhythmic noise releases he is becoming known for.

A great single that provides some surprises; partially what you might expect from a set of Tarmvred remixes combined with a couple of more accessible tracks that combine to form a single that will can be played and enjoyed over and over. Paul Lloyd