the other day i posted a few quick reviews i did on my idm-m list. i'm reposting there here because it thought my 313 brethren might enjoy them as well!
first off - richard h kirk dusted off kirk's seminal virutal state on warp a few weeks ago and had forgotten how brilliant mr cabvo's stuff can be. ever since that time i have been on a mad hunt to catch up on his more recent stuffs to see if anything compares. i own most of his releases under his Sandoz guise and was delighted to see that his amazing 1993 release Digital Lifeforms cd on Intone was recently reissued with a bonus cd of additional material from the same period (now called Digital Lifeforms Redux). The bonus cd contains ten tracks of rare & previously unreleased tracks all from the early 90s and featuring the same feel and, in some cases, sounds as the tracks on the original Digital Lifeforms album. The one track on the bonus cd you may recognize is 'Ocean Reflection' which appeared on the New Electronica label's Global Technological Innovations Unreleased Vol 1 compilation back in 1994. For those who haven't heard any Sandoz material, it's one of the best mixes of tribal flavored electronica that i've ever heard - poppy, groovy, and hypnotizing. Digital Lifeforms Redux, Dark Continent, and Intensely Radioactive are the recommended Sandoz releases... Other Richard Kirk stuffs i've checked out recently include Agents with False Memories, Blacworld, Trafficante, and his recent URP comps but, unfortunately, they don't have the same magic as his early Warp or Sandoz releases. Has anybody found any other Richard Kirk releases worth a listen? speaking of worth a listen... a was lucky enough to get a listen to the new Black Dog album on Dust Science entitled Silenced and i have to say it was impressive - 18 tracks of unsettling middle-eastern ambience and off-kilter acidic electronica adventures much in the style of classic TBD albums like spanners or bytes. as i listened i could almost imagine myself walking through the ancient temples of Abydos, Karnak or Luxor. i still haven't been able to find any of the Dust Science releases here in the states but am eager to find not only this album but previous releases Black Dog, Claude Young, and Shake. nice to see Dan Curtin joining the Dust Science roster as well... other things that have checked out recently... - LFO+AFX split 12" (Warp) Two legends each contributing two tracks of acidic technoid pleasure/pain to this 12". The LFO cuts are more in the driving acidic electro vein whereas the AFX cuts are more of the analog 303 wankery that we have been enjoying and/or hating for the past few months with his Analord series. in the end, fun but forgettable... - Alarm Will Sound - acoustica - alarm will sounds performs aphex twin (Cantaloupe) For those of you who enjoyed the Philip Glass remake of Aphex Twin's ICCT Hedral, this album will tickle your sweet spot. Alarm Will Sound (a 20-member ensemble) have delivered 15 orchestral recreations Aphex Twin tracks including Cock/Ver 10, Blue Calx, Fingerbib, Meltphace 6, Cliffs, 4, and Avril 14th to name a few. Some remakes sound familiar whereas some are totally alien but all are unique ways of revisiting the Aphex Twin tracks we all know and love. - Baby Ford - Very 12" (PAL) The prolific Peter Ford (aka Baby Ford, Minimal Man, Solcyc, Perbec, El Mal, Casino Classix, Brubaker, Sunpeople, Soul Capsule) returns with this fine minimal yet deep techno 4-tracker on one of his many labels PAL. The title track, Very, is worth the ep alone with it's smooth lush synths and 4-4 groove but the Ifach+Trelik-esque tracks Test and Percy are also the slow-building intricate acidic techno gems that Peter Ford fans know and love. A nice return to form for Mr Ford. and finally.... - Mikkel Metal - remix 4 12" (Echocord) Those into smooth melodic techno should be no stranger to Mikkel Metal. His releases for Kompakt and his own Echocord label have been highlights for the past few years and this, the 4th installment of his remix series, only furthers to cement his excellent reputation. Whereas the previous three remix eps featured remixes by Thomas Fehlmann, Dub Surgeon, Anders Ilar, Bus, Substance, Opiate, DJ Daniel, and Ars Deco, it appears Mikkel saved the best remixers for volume 4. This ep features mixes by Basic Channel legend Vainqueuer and 2 mixes by koln stalwart The Modernist + Michael Mayer. The Vainqueuer mix is as deep, dubbed, and melodic as you can imagine - a breat-taking piece of bc-brilliance. The Modernist mix has the usual germanic percussive precision and melodies that the Modernist is known for made ever better this time by the inclusion of some choice Marley/Tosh lyrics thrown in. The ep finishes with a nice gritty ominous shuffle-step mix by Michael Mayer but the gems are really the first two mixes. Hopefully Mikkel will reissue all four of the Remix eps on cd for the vinyl challenged out there. A highly recommended ep! enjoy! -- -->-Lance---- 6099 Creekside Lane North Ridgeville, OH 44039 United States
