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Martin 27/1/04 10:38 AM Brendan [EMAIL PROTECTED] > So in an attempt to get the 313 list to break its vow of > silence, here are a couple of record reviews I did for > www.littledetroit.net - a bit of Speedy J on Novamute and > a bit of classic-style acid madness from Sendex on Bunker: > > Sendex - Exposure EP (Bunker Records) > > Using only equipment from the early and mid-1980s, Sendex > (aka Sander Meyer) has constructed this EP of house and > acid in the classic Chicago mode. The first thing to strike > the listener is the authenticity, in both feeling and sound, > of each of the tracks on here: "All Night Long" and "Evidence" > kick off the A side in the style of early Larry Heard > productions, with plaintive synth strings riding over metallic > Juno basslines and raw drum machines, while"Jack" gets > underway with a sparse and menacing rhythm, driven by low > toms and kick drums, before developing into a pretty storming > and balls-out acid track. > > The acid theme continues on the B side, although in slightly > less ominous fashion, with title track "Exposure" modulating > the otherwise high pH count with some smooth but moody synth > pads. Sounding strangely like a prototype version of Laurent > Garnier's "Acid Eiffel", this is perhaps the standout cut on > the EP. > > Despite side B closing with the slightly uninspiring acid-electro > workout "Hypenosis", this 12" is bound to appeal if you're a > sucker for the mid-1980s Chicago sound. If there's going to be > an acid house revival anytime soon, we can expect to be buried > under tonnes of shoddy acid EPs; this, however, isn't one of > them. > > Speedy J ft Literon - Collabs 200 (Novamute) > > Dutch producer Literon (aka Gert-Jam Bijl, who has releases on > Music Man, Universal Language and Op-Art) joins Speedy J (aka > Jochem Paap, who really needs no introduction) on the second of > three EPs featuring the Plus 8/Warp/Novamute veteran collaborating > with other artists. Most of the tracks on this series of EPs are > apparently several years old, and weren't originally intended for > release - instead, the tracks have been used by Speedy J as > elements of his live sets, and are only now being made available > to the public. > > "Snacker" gets underway with a rigid but slightly quirky rhythm > that builds for a few bars before a nicely overdriven snare drum > appears, slicing through the kick and bringing an enjoyable lop- > sidedness to the whole affair. As the track develops, the use of > heavy reverb and a white noise effect build an atmosphere of > confusion and dislocation which would be extremely effective on a > club system, and the producers do a good job of avoiding dancefloor > clichés to deliver a track that's original and distinctive, while > remaining extremely usable for the DJ. > > "Knicker", on the flip side, sounds immediately more intriguing to > this reviewer, less tough and more funky, with a warm-sounding set > of drum sounds, a satisfyingly rotary bassline, and a slightly > lower BPM. There's more of a groove to this track - the eccentricity > of "Snacker"'s sound is restrained here, allowing the dancefloor to > concentrate more on the subtle development of each part, and on the > understated but intricate variations on the main rhythm that make > fairly frequent appearances. > > Both tracks on this EP focus on the dancefloor, with the producers > concentrating primarily on rhythm and groove rather than on arrangement > or melody. When making music in this style, the key to success comes > in the effort put into making sure every sound in the mix is as > lustrous as it can be, and "Collabs 200" is no failure. Expect to > hear this in the sets of many a tasteful DJ soon! >
