Time for me to chime in after digesting close to 300 messages. First off, as previously mentioned, Nightime World Vol. 2 is definitely doing it for me, and as Cyclone said not long ago, there certainly isn't a pigeonhole you can fit all Detroit techno albums into. This gets to the heart of the matter. Those releases we characterize as "albums" versus a collection of tracks tend to be very diverse, or at least offer a good deal of not-so-uptempo material. I think labels, artists and consumers all have this in mind to a degree.
List some of the great Detroit techno artists' albums and you'll likely see Landcruising, Silent Phase, both Nighttime Worlds, The Collective, and the list goes on (hard to cite the ones that grace my collection now b/c they're all packed up). Then there are other albums like Neil Olivera's Detroit Escalator Company - Soundtrack 313 that couldn't possibly fit better into the Detroit state of mind, if not including a single uptempo track. The narrow definition of techno doesn't do justice to the distiction between "ambience" and downtempo Detroit which properly occupy different spheres by and large. Claude Young's Multiplicity of Zeros and Ones could as easilly be classified as "ambient" by someone who doesn't listen to a lot of Detroit as the trance guy at the local club referring to Basic Channel as trance. Meanwhile detractors will claim Detroit has fallen off. Albums take more focus, time and God knows they seem to take longer to actually hit the shelf than the 12 inches do. So if maturing and mature Detroit artists take the time to focus on an album and reduce their other output in the meantime, not only does it decrease the number of "techno" tracks on the end product while they flex their breadth of taste, it decreases the output and the number of releases DJs are likely to pick up. For as many people discounted or did not prefer the latest Model 500 album, very few ever commented on the Aproximate Loveboat album Juan Atkins did with Danny Zelonski on Plug Research. Albums will almost always be more of a listening oriented experience. Focusing exclusively on dancefloor material can be confining, especially for these techno dinosaurs. I think it's appropriate to refer to these releases as techno, and it's crucial to pay attention to the newer artists like Common Factor (not certain he's from Detroit) who continue to push things in different directions to great effect. There are many like him in Detroitm even if the majority of the higher-speed output is house and elctro these days. Tristan np: The Sea and Cake - The Fawn (a recent discovery that is competing with the new Yo La Tengo for a damn-near permanent spot in my disk changer) ========================================== PHONOPSIA<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Lounge/5102 "FrogboyMCI" on AOL Instant Messenger New Album, "Québécois", online now. -----Original Message----- From: Mike Taylor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: '313' <313@hyperreal.org> Date: Sunday, August 13, 2000 10:47 AM Subject: [313] nighttime world v2 >Hello, > >I received a copy of this last night. I gave it a few listens first >thing this morning. Nighttime World v2 obviously isn't banging, "throw >y0 hands in the air" Techno. The weather this morning is sunny and mild >in Detroit, and this album compliments the feelings and impressions of a >lazy sunday morning. Over all Nighttime has a warm vibe that is >inviting. It will draw you in upon the first listen, but it becomes more >rewarding and revealing upon further rotations. > >Rather than pursuing another double pack of banging floor cuts, Rob >eases back a little and appropriates certain R&B/Hip-Hop elements into >his music. I think the tracks in this style are the strongest >composition on the album. I find them to be lusher, more complex and >more rewarding than the minimal 4/4 material, tracks like Teflon and >Dark Room seem like they would have more appropriate on a separate promo >12" rather than interspersed with the rest of the material on the album. > >What really stands out in my mind are the downtempo tracks, specifically >Peace, and Still, as well as Desire and Untitled. The level of >songwriting and sound design seem much higher to me on these tracks. >Between the downtempo material and the more soulful dance cuts, it seems >Robert is growing as an artist. I would like to see him move in this >direction in the future, I believe he is capable of a great deal more as >a musician, and he will blossom as he moves further and further away >from the minimal Detroit Techno straight jacket he helped invent. > >I do have issues with this album. While I enjoy the individual tracks on >the album, I think that the album as a whole might have benefited if it >had been put together differently. I think it suffers for 12" syndrome, >as it probably makes more sense taken as 4 different sides each with a >separate personality. While it does have a logical progression, it seems >like some tracks could have been switched around or substituted in order >to create a greater cohesive feel and flow. The single greatest example >would be Silent Hill, that track feels like a speed bump in the last >half of the album. > >Rob Hood demonstrates with this album is that he is capable of subtle >yet complicated arrangements. His creativity shines when he allows >himself the freedom to create music outside of the stark mold that >people associate with prime-time Rob Hood. Whatever reservations I do >have about the track order, the individual tracks absolutely shine. >I highly recommend this album. Rob has been around longer than most, but >he is still a very young man. I cannot wait to see where he will take >this in another 5 years. > >Take care, >mt > > >-- > Michael Taylor : [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >--------------------------------------------------------------------- >To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
