January 2006 Archives
DMZ
Saturday 7th January 2006
3rd Base, St.Matthews Church, Brixton, SW9
Just as Venetian Snares provided a necessary kick-in-the-teeth introduction to last year, DMZ have decided the best way to start 2006 is for them to rearrange my innards through the meditative powers of bass.
Whereas Snares used raw, uncompressed swathes of distortion to make his statement (think of refined hi-end noise) this lot wield bass like sonic putty. Of course, all this review will give you is hearsay. The only way to really understand it is to experience the 5k body rig sound system that acts as their basic channel.
DJ Pinch did a good job of rattling off the cobwebs of last year with a set that explored empty space as much as anything. His forthcoming 'Qawwali' EP on Planet Mu provided a highlight; eastern motifs reminiscent of The Black Dog stripped bare with only giant swathes of sub for company. DJ Chef upped the tempo and dropped energetic, addictive blocks of grime and vocals.
But the night really belonged to Mala and Loefah. Their obvious affiliation with dub meant that classic 7"'s from the Studio One era could be seamlessly mixed in with their own twisted strains of dubstep. Virulent, dark and demanding, it's a sonic purity that I haven't heard since i last worshipped at the altar of Raster Noton.
The next DMZ night is on the 4th of March. Please attend.
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I remember the hoopla when Murcof's debut album 'Martes' came out. The startling fusion of classicist and electronic palettes was so smart, it knocked you sideways. Such was it's originality that it even made an appearance on BBC2's Late Review when journalist Paul Morley nominated it as one of his favourite album's of 2002.
But whilst I've yet to find find his latest work 'Remembranza' not as thrilling, I've somehow managed to overlook this remix supplement that came out between the two. Four new subdued pieces interspersed with worthy remixes from the likes of Jan Jelinek, Aeroc and (most triumphantly) Sutekh. Who turns 'Memoria' into a stomping 4/4 glitch fest.
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Reconstructed post-pop derived from experimental processes. Stylistically all over the place, which may annoy some, but seems to nudge the work along at a brisk pace. Viennese house-miester Patrick Pulsinger pops up to add some funk to 'Valentine'.
But the centrepice of the album is the epic title track: sustained organ chords / suspended guitar strums emerge from digital haze and analogue refraction to hold your attention over its nineteen-minute running time. Stunning.
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Wonderfully restrained piece of piano minimalism from Japanese artist Norihide. No real analysis from me needed here; just a slow study in space and resonance. Those seeking refined contemplation should apply here.
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Originally reviewed in Absorb by Colin Buttimer. Given a positive, if albeit a pretentious review, which kind of missed San Serac's sincerity. Yes, it's dipped in retro-isms and knowing throwback winks but the execution is flawless. Now signed to Output, let's hope he makes the label interesting again: a perfect synthesis of witty asides and sequenced sighs.
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Messy but enjoyable smorgasboard of styles, ranging to warehouse-drenched beat stains to collapsable breakcore. Less narrative construction, more collected vignettes of collages; snippets of mangled MC's, TV samples and noise are wedged in between the urban sprawl.
Best bit is the opening salvo of 'Can u hear me' which has some MC that sounds uncannily like the character Olaf from the film Clerks. "Berserker!"
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He will be missed.
Take out the old, bring in the new. I guess the increment of the year by one does kick start change, transition, shift. Record label activity signifies this and whilst I know that in the grand scheme of things, most people won't give a shit. I just feel it ought to be mentioned that Austria's Mego records has closed up shop and will morph into Editions Mego. But the real knock on effect for me is the closure of the MDOS online record store. Which looked good, held ace stock and generally kept me sane. Long Live Mego!
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I so badly want to dislike this crudely presented compilation of grass-roots electronic music. But I just can't bring myself to do so. Musically derivative, but some thoughtful ideas in there. All the artists sound like other established practitioners of electronica. So fleeting nods to the likes of the Boards of Canada, Leftfield and the Warp roster the nineties give this an air of comfortable familiarity.
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I guess on initial listens this sounds like The Orb: layered ambience, phases of treated hip-hop loops, spoken word samples, swathes of orchestral flushes. It might all sound terribly 1995 when the likes of 'trip-hop' ruled the record racks. But this release from 2001 (originally recorded in 1994) somehow avoids the 'downtempo' tag through its unhurried exploration of differing sonic textures.
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Supreme statement of avant-garde turntablism from Liverpudlian Philip Jeck. Lots of talk about the methods involved in making such fierce sonic statements, but ignore all that Wire talk and just immerse yourself in three pieces of narrative, maladjusted sound. Those interested in process should find answers in the supplementary 20-minute media clip.
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I don't think I've ever been struck by anything outstanding from this label. I mean, all the right elements for a minimal house label are present. The wireframe graphics, locality (Duesseldorf) and artists like Sutekh and Andy Vaz. But somehow everything is played out too safe, too controlled for my liking. All perfectly demonstrated by this rather dry collection of granular grooves, only Akufen's 'Red Skies' seems to possess any sense of destination.
