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Xingu Hill - Alterity - 04-Jan-03 03:04 AM
Somewhere between Autechre and Haujobb lies Xingu Hill. If there were an industry award for sleeper of the year, Xingu Hill might just win with this delicious silicon tote of complicated electonic structures. With a scattered discography of scarce releases, Belgium native John Sellekaers manages to protrude from the woodwork on the increasingly notable Ant-Zen sublabel Hymen, for this beautifully composed 50 minute daydream. Packaged in a canvas wrap of exquisite artwar courtesy of the label's mediator S.alt, this innovative masterpiece of electronic purity incorporates near-perfect compositions of futurism and intricate sample arrangements. Scattered sounds and sponge-like spurts of tight resonance speckle this release along with dark undercurrents leaning against warm tones and clever beat interaction. Thoughtful structure and merging track lengths exhibit John's precise programming abilities and careful undertakings. Elements of IDM circa Autechre and Architect are slightly present here but 'Alterity' is certainly in a class all its own. After experiencing this complex slice of intelligent electronic art, one may find himself scouring for this notable act's entire back catalogue. Fans of Passarani and recent Haujobb are urged to give this one a listen. 'Alterity' will certainly make it on many critics top 10 list for 1999, including your humble reviewer's.

Vesna - Mone / Aesde - 04-Jan-03 03:03 AM
The St. Petersburg duo know as Vesna, which means 'spring' in Russian, started in 1998 with Alex Gaponenko and Dimitri Tohernjak. With a couple obscure compilation appearances on Lo Recordings and Cheburec, the good folks at N5MD had the sense to release a Vesna 7" to introduce the American and European scene to this upcoming and outstanding Russian electronic act. Like fellow Russian acts EU, Novel 23, Ambidextrous, and others, the talented duo decided to take the path of their fellow genre countrymen and compose their sound to incorporate crunchy beats, dark synth undertones, and haunting keyboard tinkering. Think of EU meets Autechre's 'EP7' and you've got a good premise for what Vesna's music sounds like. I thoroughly enjoyed this seven-inch, with it's crunchy beats, low-down-dirty basslines, and cavernous tones. With two succulent compilations and the Proem album 'Among Others', this suitable 7" by Vesna is an excellent addition to the already remarkable N5MD catalog. EU fans take note: Vesna will grace your playlist soon enough. Don't pass this one up…

ML - Pajama Party - 04-Jan-03 02:58 AM
Some of you may remember thine eyes from their humble stint in the 1990s. The band hasn't completely ditched the thine eyes pretext but have recently been releasing their material under the name ml. Unlike thine eyes, which leaned toward the industrial side of things, ml instead explores idm with an uncanny knack of originality. The programming is really quite remarkable, with subtle, almost hidden harmonies, innovative beat structures, and a range of unique sounds including the clever use of flatulence on the track 'take that, pants'. At $3, this is definitely a refreshing and inventive electronic work that should not be overlooked.

Klinik - End Of The Line - 04-Jan-03 02:56 AM
Finally, it has arrived. Considered by many as one of the most influential industrial projects to date, belgium's klinik project emerges from the past with the help of the dependant label. Commemorating both the original klinik line-up of dirk ivens (dive, sonar) and marc verhaeghen, and the current klinik project headed by verhaeghen, the box dedicates four discs, each offering a different perspective on the history and many faces of the band. Disc one contains new remixes by many klinik influenced acts like imminent, suicide commando, winterkalte, numb, ah cama sotz, dive, covenant, p.a.l. And others. An impressive line-up in itself, the remixes give classic klinik tracks like 'sleepwalkin', 'memories', and 'white trash' a mostly dance-infused make-over, sounding a bit strange at first after being used to the original versions all these years. The Ah Cama Sotz remix is superb. Disc two is a best of from the first 10 years, when dirk ivens was still with the band. I personally would have picked all different songs for this disc, for i didn't feel that this selection was a good representation of klinik's signature sound, however there were some remixes here that i hadn't previously heard before to make it worth my while. Disc three gives us a full live performance recorded in france, just prior to ivens' departure from the band. The setlist is much better here, giving us live versions of such classics as 'murder', 'face to face', 'lies', and 'drowning in your sleep'. Disc four brings us up to date with material from marc verhaeghen's klinik project, including one unreleased track and four remixes. The box also contains a booklet featuring many rare photos of the band in action. This is a great collector's item for klinik fans and a good place for new-comers to investigate the origins of the ground-breaking sound that klinik helped establish.

Joshua Treble - Cold Filthy Techniques To Keep You Close - 04-Jan-03 02:55 AM
Joshua Treble is one Tony Boggs, Cincinnati's most promising electronic music composer in the IDM and electronica genres. With the 2 excellent e.p. releases 'Parasol' and most recently 'Opposites Contract' on the online label aii.fm, Joshua Treble now releases his first full-length album on the celebrated Pitchcadet label, home to such innovative electronic acts as M-tec, Jetone, Jake Mandell, Accelera Deck, Datathief, and Bauri. The new album 'Cold Filthy Techniques to Keep You Close' will introduce his fans and potential audiences to Tony's uncanny ability to compose well-planned and carefully executed musical compositions. Building on a solid foundation of calculating beats, multiple layers of effects and tones, as well as lovely hidden melodies and sharp percussion, this new album will most certainly place Joshua Treble in the minds of intelligent dance music purveyors around the globe. Comparable perhaps to Scott Herren projects like Savath+Savalas and Delarosa+Asora, and perhaps even Accelera Deck, Joshua Treble takes his sound a few steps further by developing strong atmospheres, addictive beats, and layer upon layer of lovely melodies paired with surgically placed moments of glitch. This is a wonderful headphone album, mesmerizing and addictive, with so many intriguing sounds, moods, and patterns presented throughout this release, the listener may prefer this environment so as not to miss anything. Like an audio architect, Boggs develops each song with careful precision and masterful control, opening a door to an auditory kaleidoscope of sounds, but still leaving ample room for listener accessibility. Clever, inventive, and virtually indescribable, 'Cold Filthy Techniques to Keep You Close' is a profound and imaginative exploration into the many wondrous caverns of electronic music.

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