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Basic Channel - Q 1.1 - 21-Jun-08 12:38 AM
Of all the alias Mark Ernestus and Moritz Von Oswald used over the course of their Basic Channel period, their work as Quadrant remains my favorite. It doesn't delve as deeply into the abstraction as Radiance, nor does it have the frenetic, almost overpowering energy of some of their other tracks. It strikes me as a perfect balance of tempo, timbre, and tone. "Q 1.1" uses plenty of the same dub echos and the form is as minimal and repetitive as one would expect, but the tones are actually more focused allowing a dark harmony to creep through the the wash of drums and echo. Perhaps "Q1.1/I" is not entirely representative of the Basic Channel sound, but I still think it's the single greatest track they've ever done (with Phylyps Rmx a close second).

The next two tracks use the same source material, but things become a bit more murky and the harmonies of the first track get buried in an aural cloud. By the time we reach the brief fourth track, the drums have all but disappeared and the faint remnants of the original are all that are left. Listening to all four tracks in succession gives the listener a chance to witness the deconstruction of a focused idea into abstraction.

To those new to Basic Channel, I would highly recommend starting here for a number of reasons. It's probably one of BC's most easily accessible releases. The extended 20-minute tracks such as "Inversion" and "Presence" are great, but can be a bit daunting and difficult to digest without proper context. Basic Channel is not for everyone. The greatness is in the details. If one tunes the music out, it begins to all run together and a ten-minute track can pass you by without seeming to change at all. It requires the listener to be actively engaged with the music, as does so much experimental music. Yes, it does work on a gut level with rhythms that you can't help but groove to, but this is only a portion of its power. If you have some idea of what to expect, or if you're a techno fan looking for something new, give this a shot.

Matthew Dear - Leave Luck To Heaven - 21-Apr-08 08:17 AM
After all the rave reviews "Leave Luck to Heaven" got in the press, you'd think Matthew Dear was the biggest thing to happen to American techno since the Detroit masters (Mills, Banks, May, et al.) hit the scene. I can understand some of the negative reviews here, but rather than weak music, I think it's the inevitable let-down from all the hype.

Dear's music has a distinctive shuffle built from short little clicks and pops; and while the sound is now fairly common, when he began composing, it wasn't nearly as prevalent and he still does it better than most. After so much pounding, bass-heavy techno, Dear is refreshingly light. I think that's a big part of the appeal. Some old school techno begins to wear on the ears after a while if you're just listening to it outside of a club environment, but this album seems to float along effortlessly, which in turn, leads to effortless listening.

The one downside would have to be the vocals. Dear himself has said that he's no singer. If he admits it himself, why are there more and more vocals on his subsequent albums? Luckily, there are only a few and the songs don't really depend on the vocal quality. It's a minor criticism after all.

Overall, this is a landmark debut that signals the arrival of a major new artist. Even after Backspace and Asa Breed, I'm still returning to Leave Luck to Heaven because it's just so great. As long as you can manage your expectations, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I'm recommending this broadly to all fans of electronic music. If you're a techno fan, owning this album is basically essential.

Matthew Dear - EP2 - 21-Apr-08 08:16 AM
Matthew Dear's record label should seriously consider rereleasing his first two EPs together on CD, as they are sure to appeal to fans of his impressive full-length debut, "Leave Luck to Heaven." I was fortunate to find this 12", but many of us don't have time to dig through vinyl crates and for that matter, many people don't even have turntables anymore.

EP2 was released the same year as "Leave Luck", but I'm guessing its actual production predates it a bit. The music is just a little more primitive - somehow more minimal, more repetition, and perhaps a bit less personality. It's also geared toward the dance floor rather than the listening room. Still, hardcore fans will enjoy hearing Matthew Dear's earliest work and it remains very good techno, even if better things were already on their way.

If you know Dear, you basically know what to expect. A strong beat, a 16th note shuffle, sparse melodies, and tasty little electronic blips. I'm not sure if it's worth great effort to find this because it's fairly straightforward. It's really only essential for hardcore collectors. However, if you are a fan and happen to find this in a record bin somewhere for a reasonable price, don't think twice.

Daedelus - Invention - 21-Apr-08 08:16 AM
I've heard most everything Daedelus has done thus far over his short, but prolific career; and I must say, I keep returning to "Invention." It's one of those special albums made from pure inspiration, stunningly realized. High praise? Yes, but deserved. Daedelus is one of the most creative samplers since DJ Shadow. Not that he's stylistically related to DJ Shadow in a big way, but he's something of a genius at taking old recordings and finding fascinating ways to put them together.

It's sometimes difficult to tell where the existing recordings leave off and his synthetic backups begin, but in the end it doesn't really matter. It's about creating something new out of something old. I'm continually impressed by the way he's able to fit disparate elements together so well. Even though he periodically finds a less than perfect match and we get a sort of unstable tonal relationship between the two, it's mostly spot on.

The most interesting aspect of Invention is that it sounds so different from so much of the electronic music we're used to hearing - even in the realm of the so-called IDM. "Astroboy" has the magical wonder of a children's fairy tale while "Adventees" has a sentimentalism that has just enough irony to avoid coming off as saccharin.

Considering how accessible and *fun* this album is, I recommend this to any fan of electronic music. This may also be an way for new listeners to transition into electronic music without diving headfirst in something more challenging like Aphex Twin or Autechre. Check it out, and enjoy.

Coil - Constant Shallowness Leads To Evil - 21-Apr-08 08:15 AM
"Constant Shallowness Leads to Evil" gets a lot of mixed reviews and it's not hard to see why. It's some of the most uncompromising music Coil has ever made - even noisier than "Time Machines." It's light years away from the style of Horse Rotovator or Scatology, and it's definitely not for all tastes.

Some would say this album doesn't contain music at all. I think that's going too far, but I'm also aware that taste is subjective and what I may call music, you may not (or the opposite). As a big Merzbow fan, I wasn't shocked or surprised by the sounds on this album. However, I can't say it won't be jarring to those unfamiliar with this type of extreme music. I don't mean to imply that this sounds like Merzbow at all - it's just a handy point of reference for the fringes of music.

If we can momentarily set aside the "is it music?" debate, lets talk about how to listen to the album. You won't find rhythm, beats, or even a pulse. Nor will you find chords, harmonic progression, or single notes. Dark, droning clusters and some sweeping bands of noise are pretty much the material of this album.

Since it contains almost nothing of standard music, I don't think we can afford to listen to this album as we would a standard CD. Rather than try to fit some sort of logic based on my previous experience with music, I prefer to hear this as a purely sensual experience. For the duration of the album, I enter a foreign sound world of otherworldly ambience. It's a unique experience. I recommend listeners just sit back, turn out the lights, and let the sound wash over them as Coil assaults the eardrums.

Some have expressed the opinion that this is just a big joke or that Coil is behind on their rent and threw some crap together to have another album for sale. I would urge these listeners to revisit the work and listen for the details. Does it sound like it was thrown together? Aren't there themes and motives at work here? Although the compositional method is much different from their other work, I would argue that it sounds as composed as anything they've ever done. It's just a lot different.

I wouldn't expect everyone to like this, even with an open mind. It's just not going to appeal to some listeners, and that's fine. I hope that everyone can at least understand where Coil is coming from, even if they ultimately don't like the results. It's difficult music and since it doesn't conform to any normal sense of "beauty" or pleasure, it makes considerable demands on the listener.

As for me, I rank it amongst my favorite Coil records because, even for such an innovative group, it's utterly unique. If you decided to give "Constant Shallowness" a chance, listen with an open mind and be prepared for a wild ride.

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