Only 100 copies, hand-numbered, CD in a metal box
(first copies come with mini-handcuffs).
Promotional and tactical support by Aquabahn.
Sold only via Simulacron website.
Teep, Nov 12, 2007
Unable to Resist - Shibari by MANASYt & Beta Evers There are some things in life that humans are at times unable to resist, in the time it takes you to read that line, I'm certain a few of them have already come to mind. This review is just one of those times. I cannot present a review of the bodyvolt “teaser” release, Shibari, without resisting the urge to make direct ties (pardon the pun) to sex.
I suppose there's also no irony that it takes two here, to present this singular release. Electro masochist Manasyt takes the track making lead and Beta Evers offers her touch towards bringing a semblance of order in the chaos, grace and beauty in the hardness and tension. The elements in the case of Shibari, that makes for such an exciting excursion of pain and pleasure.
Nawatsuya comes to intro, like encroaching foreplay, a short soft setup for what is to follow… that is Play Bizzarre. Here in the thick of things the beats are rough and tight. A gritty growling midrange holds the line while closed high hats and syncopated snares punctuate the relentless rhythm. Beta’s breathy provocations are irresistibly sexy, offering a tantalizing juxtaposition of seductive softness to the tension in the music.
A crafty choice for the following track is Dependency. A freaky electric bassline splays out bathed in warm soapy pads and sprinkled with twinkling bits and sound bites. Here Beta takes a less spoken and more sung approach to delivering lyrics of loss, leaving, and doing it now, or never.
Kinbaku-bi leads with aggro synth stabs and a hypnotic kick drum, a combination sure to delight the advocates of electronic body music. No surprise that there’s not much vocal work in this one as I imagine there is no permission to talk and any communication going on here, is purely physical.
This leads us to Harder (live) with its intriguing introduction and esoteric off kilter and yet fully funked up rhythm track. Harder takes the union to what I thought would be the sweaty conclusion of Shibari, with Beta reprising her “Down Baby” era demands, but at last comes Devotion.
Devotion is perhaps the most surprising moment on Shibari, but one that serves as a reminder that such acts of seemingly violent passion are rooted in an ultimate trust that is required in relinquishing physical control to another. It is then a deep thoughtful closing expression with soft keys and even softer vocals. A true goose bumping musical moment that wafts up from the boudoir like puffs of smoke from a shared cigarette.
Taking the Shibari experience as a whole, this is truly an exemplary collaborative release. Not only is the music well conceived and executed, the CD is craftily packaged and presented. The delivery of such in a world where quantity driven single minded concepts are all too often given wham bam thank you ma'am treatment, this is reminder that quality comes with patience and tenacity… and a little bit of tension.
4.7/5 (