Organic goa-trance on a trip to nowhere:

Starting off with what appears to be a heartbeat and turning into an increasingly loud howl from submolecular inner space that evolves into sounds of nature, the first (and longest) track takes the listener back to what might be the very dawn of time.

We witness the birth of nature and an intelligent being that wants to speak. It tinkers with a mélange of "ethnic" (Indian and Arabic) instrumentation, then violently awakens during track #2 where it learns rhythm, percussion, dub and strums a bit of guitar before finally leaning into a deliciously tortured electric guitar solo that, sadly, goes extinct before it has chance to evolve into a higher form.

According to his résumé, Michael "Indidginus" Martin also pays the bills by creating soundtracks for short films and adverts. I cannot claim to have heard/seen any of them but I can very well imagine that he is good at it... very good, in fact.

What we have here is living proof that Mr. Martin is quite adept at creating interesting soundscapes, largely based on his didgeridoo and a patchwork of samples and sounds that this reviewer cannot shake the feeling were not created specifically for this album but rather originate in a reservoir of previous unfinished efforts that lacked a specific direction.

This may or may not also explain the title "Kaleidoscope".

"Myriad", for instance, demonstrates noteworthy drum programming skills (perhaps the influence of ex-stalwart Colin Bennun), and these would be a pleasure to hear more of.

"Spritual Spearmints" could've been another stand-out track if it got to a point: it builds up and up and up, and the expected climax ends with its end and the beginning of the last track that really does sound like a remnant from the MOD/tracker days and the only one that includes proper vocals which are, admittedly, almost angelic and dreamy -- in a positive way. And the journey ends thus.

Still, Mr. Martin does manage to dish up his individual servings with a common flavour -- one which demands a serious sound system and enough pressure to extract those wonderfully low and primordial frequencies out of this smorgasbord of an album.

Another haphazard assemblage from the "Uncut" stable, it's as if they were given some fifty artists' videos to play with and tried to stretch these over the same amount of compilations with different themes!
Here, for instance, there's surprisingly much from the house of Zang Tumb Tuum, including the very corbijnesque (and utterly stunning) "Wonderful Life". "Cry" is another favourite track while, peculiarly, "Tainted Love" is not the familiar 1981 version but rather some more recent mix in both sound and vision.

Needless to say, Frankie's "Power of Love" would've rounded this off quite nicely. But it doesn't: Instead, we have the Wets, and now this DVD belongs to my wife.

The "Uncut DVD" brand and their products are a very strange lot. Though their first and more content-heavy items (from 2002 and for the UK market, seemingly) certainly appear to be worth owning, their more recent output (for the German market, seemingly) beyond 2004 is somewhat questionable and ill-assembled.

Despite some cute playlist features and a pretty menu, mastering is a little less than professional; even the preamble's legalese mentions the year 2002, despite the item (sleeve) referring to the year 2004?

Then, the content: Although FGTH's "Two Tribes" is a less-than-Fun-Fun-Fun topic, the video remains firmly tongue-in-cheek. What else is Fun-Fun-Fun on here? Sparks? A standard "Musikladen" performance typical of the time, complete with ridiculous hairstyles, video editing and clothes... nothing particularly "fun" about that -- although that stern-looking keyboardist is one helluva deadpan hoot!

Truth be told, I bought this DVD to hear one song only: "Size of a Cow". Having almost forgotten the video, it's Talking Heads meets Monty Python tomfoolery, with a vocalist who's not sure if he's a clone of Weird Al Yankovic or Eric Idle's son. Ah, the Wonder Stuff could've been soooo much more!

All in all, there's some light-hearted entertainment on here but it is over way too soon after a mere 49 minutes. At ten tracks the DVD seems mighty empty and concentrates too much on 80's fare. Of course, the embodiment of everything that was rubbish in that decade is summarised quite eloquently by that truly awful Kid Creole clip.

So there I was sitting late one night, tending to matters philatelical, a certain music television channel blaring in the background... and then this tune comes along.
The first time it made me look up and listen... and listen carefully I did. The second time it got played I actually got up. To listen. And watch. Though I remember nothing of the video and have little patience for German-language music I did make a point of memorising the name of the band. And the song. And I treasured the three-and-a-half minutes during which the tune reminisced of the decade that brought forth some of the greatest music, with its New Order-like bass taking the lead melody (particularly during the bridge) and the shoegazer-style sustained guitar in the chorus. The girl's voice may be a little on the weak side but it contrasts beautifully with the solid arrangement of the tune, perhaps even accentuating it. Marvellous stuff... this is pure electro-pop of the absolute highest order.

The cherry on top was finding this promo... for a buck. Life can be so good sometimes!

For those who don't know, Black Steer and Apache Spur are the names of two great South African Burger franchises, of which I prefer Black Steer (their spare ribs can't be beat).
I've no idea what the two tunes on this 45 sound like, though.

Balingen is where aging rockers go to die!

Counting backwards from the years 2005 through 2001, this collection assembles one track each from some of the featured acts on the bill. Though it lacks any form of cohesion, is poorly edited, and is poorly sequenced by way of different daytimes, one would assume the compilers to have chosen the best of each.
In fact, only a hardcore fan would tolerate Death Angel's seemingly never-ending finale to their set stuck in the middle of disc 1.

One could also assume that this DVD set hopes to serve as a) a trailer for those who have never attended, b) a souvenir to those who did, c) just another notch for some of the dinosaurs who played, and d) a token of recognition to the rookies who were thrilled to be invited.

Well, although much of it was utter shite, the DVDs were suitable as background noise to the cursing that tends to erupt while one assembles another IKEA shelf - although some of the time it was difficult to stop watching, even if only out of morbid curiosity.

To quote Candlemass: "Bang das fucking Kopf, Mann!"

'nuff said.

The approach: In a land far away and in a time long past (back in high school), there existed two distinct and rivalling musical camps. There were those who favoured rock (yours truly) and then there were those who preferred synth-pop (Depeche Mode, OMD, Human League, etc.) Both groups constantly vied for control of the electronics workshop class's hi-fi system.

The foreplay: Fast-forward to the year 2005, some 20 years later. This guy walks into a "Look & Listen" music store in Randburg and picks out some CDs he'd been looking for. While browsing a little further, he comes across this unusual and unexpected compilation of young, hitherto unknown rock bands covering Depeche Mode songs, of all things. "That's interesting," he thinks, and despite the higher-than-usual price tag grabs and buys it - an action completely out of character...

The climax: They return back to his place. He pops this disc in for a quick spin, and blown away was he, for it was totally unexpected how well certain Depeche Mode songs - some of which he knew not before - lend themselves to modern rock! Also, the inclusion of female lead vocals on four of the tracks adds a different angle completely.
Track 8 sounds like something Placedo could've released whilst the uptempo post-punk version of track 10 raises more than just a serious grin. Track 11 could've easily been a typical cover by "Me First and the Gimme Gimmes" with Blink-182 overtones, and the ska-like version of track 12 is outright hilarious, imaginative and sheer madness (pun intended) that makes one think of a Kaapse version of Farin Urlaub ;) Similarly, track 13 is almost better than Marilyn Manson's cover while track 17 reminds of a female equivalent of the White Stripes, and Kobus!' rendition of track 20 sounds too damn deliciously wicked to be a DM song... far better than the original.

The afterglow: So, to my old nemeses George Westcott and Rudi Erasmus: DM ain't too bad after all... if played LOUD and on geeetars!
You guys will hate this compilation. I love it!

Standout tracks are 1, 3, 15, 17, and 20.

More info in the booklet would have been appreciated but nevertheless: Hats off to Alter Ego for coming up with this little gem!

Those of us growing up or living in South Africa during the very heady eighties witnessed how musical isolation from the rest of the world courtesy of the National State of Emergency, Cultural Boycotts, and various other Artists Against Apartheid initiatives actually acted as a boon to local musicians: not unlike Australia at the time (yes, we roughly knew what went on in the rest of the world while the rest of the world had little clue what really went on down south of the Limpopo), SA had also initiated a local content ratio of what should be played on the airwaves.
Even though much of the music did wave a critical finger at "Die Groot Krokodil" and shouted for the release of Nelson Mandela (although most South Africans then had no clue what the guy even looked like), it was this policy of supporting local talent (ironically and partially influenced by the rhythms of "Die Swart Gevaar"), it brought forth many innovative artists / bands and songs that remain classics to this day (although I'd personally prefer to think that this happened despite our cultural isolation, and not because of it).

Be that as it may, this compilation assembles some of the finest rock / pop music to ever emerge from SA in the 80's, starting with the vibrant and funky ethno jives of éVoid and Via Afrika, right through to the hard and gothic rock of Tribe After Tribe and NFOH (and everything crazy, zany, poppy, paranoid, psychobilly, or new-romantic inbetween). Having recently returned from a quick trip to Egoli, this CD was very high up on my shopping list and simply had to be obtained, no matter what!
And it does not disappoint: long overdue and filled to the brim with classic tunes (some of which have been previously unavailable on CD), it solidly delivers the goods - although it could be argued that the playlist is a tad biased (It's OK, Benjy, I understand ;-). Wise inclusions, for example, would have been Lesley Rae-Dowling, certainly Juluka and Hotline, Crocodile Harris' "Give me the good news" and even John Ireland. But there is only so much space on them shiny discs, and that alone should give us hope that there may be a follow-up not only of the 90's (see "Rocking Against The System 2") - but another one from that same insane decade.

Johnny Clegg has long had the status of a living legend in South Africa.
For those who've never heard of the guy, this is a DVD certainly worth exploring.
For those who grew up hearing and remembering his music in the background, this is a worthwhile addition to any collection.
For those who consider themselves lifelong fans and adore his musical work, ownership of this disc is nothing less than duty!

It starts off with a 68-minute recording of a 1990 concert in Paris, France with his then-band, Savuka - complete with Zulu warrior dances and very tight performances of what non-Africans would simply write off as "world music" but is really a mixture of rock, jazz, and indigenous African (mostly Zulu) rhythms. The 5.1 transfer is as effective as is the visual quality of the show and light effects.

The second section of the disc features all the Savuka music videos but curiously omits my favourite: the scathing animated video for one of their biggest hits, "Cruel crazy beautiful world", somehow seems to have been forgotten, and the included video for "Third world child" is, to the best of my recollection, actually the title track off Johnny Clegg's first solo album.
Of course, fame and fortune are echoed in the quality of the latter videos, which somehow remind of something Peter Gabriel may have produced, whereas for the third section of this DVD we go back in time to the eighties: Four classic Juluka videos, including a badly-mimed version of "December African rain" (probably for some or other SABC TV broadcast), and there's also "Fever", a great pop/dance track which one cannot help but wonder why it didn't become a huge international dancefloor killer - the promo video is real 80's fare... Johnny evidently had a jol and probably smoked some good shit while making this one!

The remainder of the disc is filled with an ensemble of early Juluka performances (including a poorly-filmed one at the "Concert In The Park" from 1985 where, if you look carefully, you can see me as the 63,597th face from the left). Even old Madiba makes a stage appearance at a 1999 Frankfurt performance of "Asimbonanga", a protest song that was written in his honour while he was a resident of the Robben Island incarceration facilities.

All in all, this DVD is a mighty fine testament to Mr. Clegg's work spanning over three decades. It is rounded off with an informative 10-minute interview (conducted probably in the mid-90's) and full track performer details and lyrics.

My sister asked me to buy this item for her. Someday I'll have to get my own copy...