Geoff White – Nevertheless

the mixed version is well made but ultimately very forgettable

As of mid-March 2004, Geoff White's "Nevertheless" still has yet to be officially released. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a bootleg copy, and after listening to it *a lot*, this would've definitely been a contender for tech album of the year in 2003 in my opinion.

I enjoyed White's previous full-length, "Questions & Comments", and really enjoyed his collaboration with Stewart Walker ("Discord"), but "Nevertheless" is better still! The whole album, from start to finish, is top-notch and without a dull moment.

The most impressive thing about "Nevertheless", to me, is the way the album progresses. This is not a collection of tracks put together on a cd. This is an album in every sense of the word. The tracks ebb and flow, rise and fall, and take you on a sublime trip.

That said, there are a few absolutely killer tracks. Tracks 3 & 4 are the epitome of driving minimal techno goodness; it's amazing how White manages to get such momentum out of so few notes! Tracks 6 & 7 are the highlight of the album for me - they're both incredibly lush and upbeat, especially track 7, which has honey-sweet keyboard melodies over 'robot-funk' percussion rhythms.

If you find a bootleg of this somewhere, *get it*. And when it's finally, officially released, be sure to buy a copy!