These two men are in a world of their own. In this dreary musical climate that's not a bad thing.

As far removed from 'pop' as you can imagine, their sound is like peyote/mushroom music from the ancients (or is it the future?) grabbed as it flew past whilst the two of them sat at the edge of time and later regurgitated onto disc!

They have a very 'cyber', and conversely very 'tribal' sound. Rhythmic. Cerebral. Physical. Not techno, not breaks, not ambient, not dub, but ALL of these things combined somehow! Their sound is as hard to define as it is TIMELESS.

But what facts are actually known??

Almost all releases are limited.

They literally started the craze for locked grooves when they became known for their trademark 'eternal opsucules' in the early 90s.

Other than that their sound must be tried to experience their world - just to see what I mean.

This album from Jason Beck is, above all, utterly outstanding in every way. A complete detour from his usual electro/pop sounds into the distant territory of neo-classical, piano and lounge/cabaret music: torch songs without the chanteuse, Satie without the strings. Every track a beauty that reflects not simply his clear mastery of the piano but his doubtless virtuosity at it.

Economically, however, it was a very brave move and an extremely risky one for him to take because the chances of his existing fan-base appreciating the music were very slim. It is an album that rightfully has to be appreciated on its own merits from start to finish. And by a completely different 'market/consumer' from his normal output.

But it must be said that the music itself deserves so much respect. Simply him and his piano, and sounds very like the work of Satie although one can hear in there familiar structures stolen and adapted to suit the general mood of the album.

The overall result is incredibly relaxing. I feel instantly soothed within seconds of pressing play. The production is crystal clear, the piano beautifully recorded, the music emotive.

And what one can hear is one very, very talented musician indeed. Playing sweet, transcendent music on one of the most beautiful and diverse instruments available to mankind.

I very highly recommend this to ANYONE, regardless of their 'usual' taste. It is ideal for unwinding, dream music for lovers. And a reminder of life's often elusive beauty.

Not really sure where to start with this comment. I just feel I need to say SOMETHING. For a start the album is amazing. And I'm aware my idea of amazing may not be yours but I'll try and say what trips my trigger.

What gets me, aside from the typically dark sound characteristic of Fetus Productions, the "sampled" voices from medical surgeries and horror films (before samplers existed), the synths, the effects, the beautifully twisted guitars is the technical and technological sophistication of the music in general.

It blows me away that this was recorded in 1981. It sounds SOOOO advanced and very hi-tech. It came well, well, well ahead of the Aphex Twin and light-years ahead of similar, yet, less original music from the early '90s.

I'm stunned by what I hear and can't help but listen to what has been created. This stuff is ground-breaking, unique and incredibly pure and original. I really don't think I can say I've heard anything like it....

....except for other FP records

Anyway, this is what music is all about - a medium with incredible potential for artistic creativity, yet rarely explored except by a handful of open-minded people, and that certainly includes Fetus Productions. Bubblegum pop this is not!!! Beware!!

Love Is Stronger Than Pride - what a classic track.
I'm surprised that people prefer the B-side to the A-side though and just as surprised that people would like the track more if it was instrumental.
The whole point of the track (lyrically) is that it is song primarily about love, but also about the other unpleasant things associated with love, namely imperfection, guilt, remorse, delusion, bitterness and ultimately honesty - all profoundly woven into this piercingly deep, dark, psychedlic masterpiece. To be honest, I don't think Mayer would have used lyrics such as these if the music was 'housier', mellower or 'cheesier'. It wouldn't have been right. It would indeed have been 'cheesy'. But underneath those lyrics we have that incessant marching rhythm, the rasping synth line and druggy effects. However, it is this darkness of the sound which makes the song what it is and makes the lyrics even more like a subliminal voice of your conscience.
And, inversely, another way in which it works is that the vocals distract the listener to such an extent that it allows the music to penetrate deeper into the mind.
It really surprises me what people have to say about this record. It makes me wonder what this music scene is all about. I personally think it's about dancing (which sometimes can involve drugs), releasing endorphines and reaching a mental state during which happens the odd epiphany about what on earth is going on with yourself and your place in the world today. Do I really need to go into this ancient tradition? In any case this song is a clear catalyst for this sort of mental and physical process.
But each to their own.

This has to be some of the most psychedelic electronic music I have ever heard. It verges on what you might call ambient, especially towards the end of the CD. It gets progressively "mellower". 'But how mellow?', you might ask. Well, let me tell you; about as mellow as Pete Namlook on twelve microdots mellow with maybe some DMT thrown in for good measure. Sooooo trippy. Believe me. And the Namlook parallel is actually not too bad because like Mr Namlook, Mr Muncha also uses hordes of analogue equipment to create his sounds. And similarly to some of Namlook's longer solo ambient projects (the Seasons, for example), it's quite clear that much of this album has been recorded 'live'. By which I mean it is a recorded experiment in sound manipulation. Incredibly hypnotic. It's also quite possible that Ruscha simply got carried away (and hence the length of the last track). But aside from the sheer trippiness, some of the stuff is hilarious because it's so out there and takes the piss out itself. 'Space Cat', for example, has a wonderfully soothing voice singing "Twitching whiskers on the space cat, tell me that I'm crystallizing...voices on the moon are falling out of tune...blah blah blah.....satellites are floating by etc etc etc".
'Outside Time', on the other hand, is an downtempo electro classic that really should have been released on vinyl. It would be amazing DJ material.
I could go on and on about this LP but the best way to find out what it sounds like (and I really recommend you do!!) is to go find a copy yourself. You'll thank me for it in the end :)

This work is a true masterpiece.
An epic opera of sorts and far too complicated to explain with this here comment.
The themes covered are the opposites in identity, the Yin, The Yang; good & evil, female/male, dark & light of eastern, and Zoroastrian, proportions complimented with western images of the Holy Trinity and the divisions of the individual and the self from the world around and the forms of unification we adopt (Sado-masochism being one of the more perverse forms covered).
Musically, the piece is utterly amazing and has to be listened to as a whole. (The fact that the Residents never make LPs that are NOT concept albums makes it very difficult indeed to ever make 'Best Of' compilations). There is the recurrent leit motif/refrain which appeared on their Double Shot single that was released at the same time but does not appear as part of this work. Also, amongst 4 or 5 of the tracks, guest singer Laurie Amat's layered voice, which sounds almost like a female chorus, warns of us the impending climax: "Something's coming....something's coming....but not real soon" is the first of these. The aforementioned impending climax of the release is the last two tracks and the whole of the LP is designed as a build-up towards those final scenes.
The sounds themselves are always as cutting edge as you would expect from these sonic pioneers, with lush production and expansive synth sounds and, of course, very strange noises are always around the corner somewhere.
I can't really do the release justice with this little comment because it's just so complex and on so many levels. It is so completely full of metaphor and symbolism (even the artwork and symbols representing each of the tracks on the inner sleeve are mind-bogglingly profound) that my words are trivial in comparison.
All I will leave you with is the fact that these guys (or are they female?) are geniuses. Unfathomable respect is due. Amen!!

This is a true masterpiece. All the basic material had been recorded between 1981 and 1983 then left to mature for over ten years until the time seemed right to release it. But as said before, the work is a masterpiece, using the idea of 'found sound' long, long before samplers and drum machines, laying down an ambient soundscape which has influenced numerous modern day projects. A similar sound can be heard in albums from Tortoise, Pan American and many more since - but none before.

As ever, Lex and Rue hit the nail on the head. Their remixes are astounding. Pure and psychedlic tech music - rhythmic, melodic and cutting edge at the same time as sounding deeply tribal and scarily ancient. Hypnotic mushroom music is at its roots. No messing around with these guys. Dark to say the least. Some of these tracks were recorded as early as '95 and the whole CD compiled in 2001 but this stuff still sounds like it's from the future. Or the dawn of consciousness.

The A-side of this record features some of most appallingly eighties sounding music I have heard in a long time. I remember first hearing another of their tracks around the time of this release and it was far, far better. Timeless. But the A-side of this most certainly isn't timeless. To use the word 'dated' is an understatement.

Unlike the B-side, however. The difference is startling. The music is far more atmospheric and without the jarring synth cords of the Miami Vice-like A-side.

And Maria Marquez's beautiful voice is something to die for. They've gone for a more traditional/folk-style angle and it works. Perhaps Marquez's Venezuelan origins have had an influence on the proceedings. But with her talent it would be a waste not to let her have an influence!

Well worth looking for whether a fan of Harris or Marquez but not a patch on their classic "Canto Del Pilon".