Cacophonous Bling

Thursday, October 01, 2020

Title: Interstellar Rhythm

Artist: 30303

Label: Vault Wax

Cat Number: VWX003

Genre: Techno

A1: Acid Sun

A2: Cosmos

A3: Moon Acid

B1: Eclipse

B2: Acid Galaxy

‘Interstellar Rhythm’ summarises this release very nicely. Traversing a range of astronomically tinged tempos with a significant side order of transcendentalism thrown in, we start with the rocketing synth driven drum and bass of ‘Acid Sun’. And then experience the full bodied reentry vibes of ‘Cosmos’, where acid and break beats combine to devilish effect. ‘Moon Acid’ does desolation very well, while ‘Eclipse’ and ‘Acid Galaxy’ ratchet up the intensity. I’m not as keen on these two as I am on the first three, which use their background elements marvelously well.

Chart: October 2020

High Beams EP – Camelia (Fake Society)

Workshop 28 – Yone Ko/Kiki Kudo/Iku Sakan/YPY (Workshop)

Artificiality – Sepehr (Klakson)

Remain – Merv (Kontakt)

Barcelona EP – Anthiliawaters (Isophlux)

Doing Regular Things – Reedale Rise (Frustrated Funk)

Workshop 29 – DJ Slyngshot (Workshop)

Nanel 005 – Nanel (Nanel)

Crunch/Plonk – VC-118A (Delsin)

Kingston EP – Dylan Forbes (Echocentric)

Monday, September 28, 2020

IMRD EP - Larry (Fusion Diagnostics)

Title: IMRD EP

Artist: Larry

Label: Fusion Diagnostics

Cat Number: FUD004

Genre: Electro

1: Bias Point

2: In My Restless Dreams

3: Prince Moth Mothy Moth Moth

4: Celphine Cut

Lots of electro around at the moment, and it can be difficult to maintain standards. Thankfully Larry’s are high and, while ‘Prince Moth Mothy Moth Moth’ goes slightly off the beaten track with a whimsical excursion into abstract dance, the remaining triumvirate all stalk more structured territory. ‘In My Restless Dreams’ is the spaciest of the three, with its Morse code staccato a foundation for a variety of swirling layers. ‘Celphine Cut’ is cut from similar cloth but is quicker and darker, whereas the emotive ‘Bias Point’ has the most depth and is the stand out track.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

How To Change Your Mind - Pleaxure (NiCE1)

Title: How To Change Your Mind

Artist: Pleaxure

Label: NiCE1

Cat Number: NiCE1-002

Genre: Breaks/Techno

01 – How to Change Your Mind

02 – His Eyes Forget

03 – Microdots

04 – Defrag

05 – Avenue

06 – His Eyes Forget the Avenue (Ciel’s 2 Become 1 Rmx)

Inspired by “. . . a life-changing LSD trip . . .”, ‘How To Change Your Mind’ has a wonderfully dreamy quality to it. There’s also a sense of progression throughout the release, from the delicate, playful sun kissed beats of ‘how To Change Your Mind, to the more zoned out, darker in tone ‘His Eyes Forget’. From then on in ‘Microdots’ uses tight, skittish breaks, while ‘Defrag’ tones things down, bittersweetly recalling the title track. ‘Avenue’ is a short ambient interlude, before Ciel’s masterful fusion of it and ‘His Eyes Forget’, which gives both tracks an extra dimension and is a sort of minimal psychedelic tribal thing. An excellent release, the proceeds of which are to be donated to the National Lawyers Guild (https://nlg.org/).

Monday, September 21, 2020

Day Of Reckoning - Templefeld by Kirk Degiorgio (Midnight Shift)

Title: Day Of Reckoning

Artist: Templefeld by Kirk Degiorgio

Label: Midnight Shift

Cat Number: MNSX019

Genre: Techno

A1: Titan

A2: Day Of Reckoning

B1: Vertical Life (Anthony Child Remix)

B2: Vertical Life

Blending into the break beat background, but with plenty to make it stand out, ‘Titan’ is a masterpiece of deadpan beats aligned with undulating sonics, which builds until it flat lines in an intense electronic embrace. ‘Day Of Reckoning’ is even better, turning up the euphoria count on account of its chiasmic keys caught in a symphonic slipstream.The Anthony Child remix of ‘Vertical Life’ starts off like The Velvet Underground’s ‘Heroin’, which is no bad thing. This transforms into a fragmented drone but the bittersweet jangling thankfully remains intact. The original of ‘Vertical Life’ couldn't be more different in approach, sounding like a fusion project from Compass Point Studios, but similar in its dreamily optimistic tone. It’s brilliant on every level is what I say.

Friday, September 18, 2020

Original Not Crispy - Detroit's Filthiest (Casa Voyager)

Title: Original Not Crispy

Artist: Detroit’s Filthiest

Label: Casa Voyager

Cat Number: TWR05

Genre: Electro

A1: Hands Behind Your Back

A2: Undefeated

B1: Hot Cheetos

B2: Blaxploitation

C1: Dis N Dat

C2: Let Em Burn

D1: Legend In The Hood

D2: Late Night Soiree

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea and sometimes borders on cheese territory, but the booty shaking brand of electro that Detroit’s Filthiest push on the helpless masses is as vital as any other more rarified facet of the genre. Sirens, call and response and a banging bass are the three components that make ‘Hands Behind Your Back’ swing. All they’re doing is repeating what the cops have said to them countless times and, in these troubled times, with more resonance. ‘Undefeated’ is proto drum and bass with analogue squelches and is on a mission. ‘Hot Cheetos’ is a low riding funky ode to crisps (BrE), chips (AmE). It’s ridiculously good and deceptively sophisticated. ‘Blaxploitation’ plays with breaks and blends them with Philly soul to create a parallel world where Curtis Mayfield is DJing at an early seventies version of the Blue Note. ‘Dis N Dat’ relies on a tight synthetic syncopation to propel it, likewise ‘Let Em Burn’, but at a higher frequency. ‘Legend In The Hood’ is a minimal, cheek popping repetitive masterpiece, while ‘Late Night Soiree’ is a fragile, tropical, nighttime drive of a tune. Simplicity and authenticity reign on this release, which is why it’s so good.

Exterreri EP - Richard Easel (Specimen Records)

Title: Exterreri EP

Artist: Richard Easel

Label: Specimen Records

Cat Number: SPECTRO - 019

Genre: Electro

A1: Exterreri

A2: Exterreri (Datawave Remix)

B1: Smooth Vibrato

B2: Smooth Vibrato (Federico Leocata Remix)

Well this is nice . . . two original versions and complementary remixes. Yes. Excuse me while I extract some liquid refreshment from my antique 16^th century globe and settle back into the days of future past. It doesn't do to postulate on track titles too much, but I can’t help knowing that ‘exterreri’ translates as ‘nightmare’, so I’m immediately drawn to concepts. The title track is great and carries a bittersweet menace along with it and the power to suggest that all is not quite as it seems. Datawave’s bass heavy acidicly twanging remix complements it very well. ‘Smooth Vibrato’ feels like a wayward journey through the portals of Hades, with Federico Leocata’s remix being less fluid, but more emphatic. It’s a record which you should give your attention to while having a strobe flickering nearby.

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Apron EP - Byron The Aquarius (Apron Music)

Title: Apron LP

Artist: Byron The Aquarius

Label: Apron

Cat Number: APRON 42

Genre: Deep House

1: Dr. Robotnik

2: Girls, Girls, Girls

3: Lets Go (Sunshine)

4: End Of Time

5: Fun, Fun, Fun (feat. Brandon Banks)

6: I Want To Go

7: Dr. Funk Yo Mind Faded

8: Astroton

I’ve seen this release variously referred to as an ‘EP’ and an ‘LP’. In view of the amount of music on it, LP would be more logical I reckon. Anyway, pedantry aside this is a great collection of syncopated, sun-drenched funk ambience which effortlessly and concisely manages to show of the artist’s obvious talent. It’s also a record that sits nicely in amongst Apron’s canon of dreamy, laid back, jazz-inflected analogue improvisation, with this particular offering being possibly the most stream-of-consciousness of the lot. Some of the tracks are beats held together by the most tenuous of connections: ‘I Want To Go’. Some of them are living in ecosystems built around their own spontaneity: ‘Dr Ronbonik’, ‘Dr. Funk Yo Mind Faded’, others exist in a universe of wooz: ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’, ‘End Of Time’. The most danceable, meanwhile, ‘Lets Go (Sunshine)’, would give Ron Trent more than a run for his money. There are two bonus digital tracks which serve up more goodness, with ‘If Only She Knew’ being an object lesson in understated, Latin-inflected elegance. All in all, a concise evocation of rhythm and dance driven by a love of keys and handclaps.

crY - Glass (OOH-sounds)

Title: crY

Artist: Glass

Label: OOH-sounds

Cat Number: OOH-021

Genre: Deconstructed Hardcore

1: My Broken Nails

2: crY

3: Foreign Body [D Version]

4: Fragmented Memories

5: Appointment Scheduling

6: multi-functional prosthetic hand [L Version]

Apart from having the year’s best track title in ‘multi-functional prosthetic hand’, and being intrigued by the fact that this release is accompanied by a “digitally printed large square scarf . . .” I’m wondering how to start. Sound is the focus of course, but how does that make it different to any other release? The accompanying press is full reference points, relevant or not. Ultimately there’s a strong feeling of both dislocation and fleeting familiarity while listening to the different compositions here. Listening from start to finish immerses one in a glistening, panoramic distillation of nuance, reaching an apotheosis of sorts in the aforementioned final piece, which attempts to weld together the sum total of its random electronic influences, including arcade gaming and hardcore, in one fell swoop. Prior to that we have ambient interludes in the shape of ‘My Broken Nails’ and ‘Foreign Body [D Version]’ which offer a taste of what is to come. ‘Appointment Scheduling’ in spite of its skittish tempo feels like an effort at coalescence, perhaps dropping a hint that the sonic journey undergone is one which likely involves dissipation before regeneration.