INTERNATIONAL PEOPLES GANG (CD by E:MT)
During the last one and half year or so, the UK label E:MT was hyped a lot,
mainly in UK magazines. The digipack with nature photos caught a lot of
attention, the delicate mixture of ambient, dance and somewhat more difficult
electronic: we were taught to be on the fringe of a whole new era in music. This
year’s releases (Gas, Miasma and a compilation) ranged however from not bad to
more doubtful qualifications. Unfortunately this new one doesn’t change the line
going down. ..After I heard this disc twice I couldn’t tell what I heard, it
just passed without any highlight. A long collage of melodies, rhythms, sounds,
which, in a compositorial way don’t take us anywhere. Only the last track could
track my attention. Luckily the longest track. Address:
<100443.2514@compuserve.com>
NONPLACE URBAN FIELD -NUF SAID {CD by Incoming!)
A delicious new CD on a rising label that could be big one day. As far as I know
this is the second CD by Nonplace Urban Field, who come from the same field as
Drome. The music is a wild mix of dub, jungle, techno, jazzy bits and pieces,
funny voice samples {“I came, I saw, I conquered”) etc. One of the tracks
{“Western Dub”) could be a hit, showing the same catchy reggae tune as The Orb’s
‘Perpetual Dawn’ .Just a great fun CD! Address: <100421@647@compuserve.com>
PATHOLOGICAL RESONANCE (C60 by Anomalous Records)
From the world of cassette only releases a compilation around the theme ‘bodies’
and how sound influences bodies. The music ranges from dark ambient like to
harsh electronics. Aube uses the sound of lungs, Das Synthetische Mischgewebe
manipulates voices and others use more abstract means (i.e. instruments) to
influence you as a listener.
The cassette is wrapped in paper with cards (each card describes or visualizes
each track) held together by some bandage. Once unwrapped, the cards will float
away. Address: Anomalous -505 E. Denny Way, suiteB100 -Seattle, WA 98122-2160-
USA
SOUNDSCAPE AMSTERDAM (CD by SSC)
Soundscape is a relatively new term to describe music composed by using
environmental recordings. In some cities previous projects were realized (Sao
Paulo, Lisbon) , and now the Dutch organization Gaudeamus invited people to go
out in Amsterdam, take a microphone and record the city. The nine prize winners
are compiled on this CD. The CD opens with what seems a project description and
one is afraid that every track will start like that. But it appears not just to
be a description, it’s part of the piece. “The Microphone is not an ear”,
describing the difficulties to record environmental sound, in this case birds.
With it’s sudden changes, one of the more exciting pieces. In other pieces the
sound of the city is sampled in a way that can best be described as not very
exciting, Luckily this a minority. Most tracks are clever collages of city
sounds. Not always we can recognize Amsterdam in these tracks, but nevertheless
it is a nice showcase of what tracks lack rhythm machines, but have synth pulses
in stead. Like the compilation a variety of sound here, which makes it in a
pleasant CD. Watch this label. Address: Dum- Sturenkatu 5 B 10- 00510 Helsinki –
Finland
JLIAT- THE DANCING HORSE (CD by Jliat)
The first CD by Jliat came as a total surprise, so the second blow can’t be that
big. .. In many this new CD is a like the first one: one long track (in this
case just over 60 minutes) built from ‘looped envelopes on digital synthesizers
and samplers’. A huge drone effect that, if listened superficially, remains the
same, if listened with headphones (and possible a concentrate listening) slowly
develops and changes. As I wrote before this resembles much more of minimal
music (in the same tradition as LaMonte Young or Phill Niblock) then of ambient
music. An uncompromising CD.