Here's the original review I did of Metro Area #1, for those newly interested.
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From: "Matt MacQueen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 1999 22:14:44 -0600
To: The Music Institute <313@hyperreal.org>, [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Metro-Area EP - review (Retro-Futurism, pt. 2)
Listening to "Metro Area" EP on Environ, I can hear the past
leading us into the future. A real 'live' feel but with
futuristic elements, Italo elements and a lot of just plain
classic funky synthed-out soul.
Metro-Area EP by Metro Area
(Who is that? - Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani)
3-track 12" out now on Environ Records, ENV-008
"Atmospherique" is the long cut on the A side, a plodding 50 lb.
synth bassline (think Danny Wang) is offset but a housey drumbeat
and old-school real clap, (think Sharevari) with lot of
beautiful and melodic but old school synth sounds. Very
"electric" sounding. Enter some more live and improvised chord
washes and played live elements. (think Larry Heard) But not to
worry DJ's, it stays perfectly in time (not like your old Italo
records, yikes!) This is the travel record for the future.
Driving to this cut is a must, you feel like you're starring in
the video, driving through a boogie wonderland, a chocolate city,
you feel the need to light a candle on your dashboard and keep
your eyes peeled for the mothership hovering above you. A dry
staccato keyboard sound pierces the murky funk. (think Krafterk,
but transformed by Ralphi Rosario's hampster-switch). This cut
just sails along, towards the end we hear phazed out Rhodes
piano, eerie Juno washes and plenty of vibes-like synth sounds,
cool synth tom-toms and modulated drexcyan water tones. Close
your eyes and you can't figure out WHEN THE F**K this record was
made, it sounds like a dusty disco funk record made in 2010, with
some help from Giorgio Moroder, and maybe some space cowboys like
Newcleus and of course Magic Juan.
"Pina" is a more sexy, Larry Levan kind of downtempo cut, you
will be diggin in the crate for some Theo Parrish and Rick Wade
to mix with this one. Destined to be a "steppers cut" (in
Chicago, anyway), it's slower tempo than the others and has great
plinky piano melody (think KDJ samples), funky bassline (think
D-Train), and occasionally some longer synth sounds that sound
like they're rolling out of a steel tube, the live synth effects
add a real improvised feel. Throw in some bongos and plucked
acoustic guitar (!) and this track you just can't help but nod
your head to. The weirded-out synth effects near the end peek at
you through the cloud of green smoked-out funk.
"Rainy Street Feeling" is my favorite, a Black Dog Productions
meets YMO kind of techno-house affair, again the odd synth sounds
with reverbed funky bassline and delayed techno chirps coming and
going, smooth Model-500 style keyboard melodies, and get this --
what sounds like a live string violin, haunting and beautiful.
Back to some quirky neo-Asian YMO kind of sounds, and pretty
piano notes. Smooth. This cut is the most like the Morgan
Geist's previous sound (check "the Driving Memoirs" LP), but with
a whole new added live feel, call it "controlled improvisation"
that addes variety without totally wanking off. A lonley, solo
piano synth pad melody ends the cut with a plaintive, sad but
beautiful feeling.
It's hard to balance a want for live and improvisation in techno,
without it sounding too wanky, like someone trying a little too
hard to re live the 1979. But Metro-Area pulled it off, sending
out a signal, straight from New Jersey (Deep), thru Manhattan
(Kiss FM), through Detroit (cold futurism) and ends up in Chicago
(for some sweaty warehouse workouts).
Open-minded DJ's will spin it, old folks can step to it, home
listeners will want it, disco dusties people will love this,
people who buy the "Loft Classics" re-issue series will be all
over this, Detroit headz will nod cooly to it, Chicago will
actually play it, and dancers at NYC's 'Body and Soul' will be
wringing these tracks out of their sweaty towels at the end of
the night. You really can't put a date or time-period on this
record, and for that reason I don't think it's going to date
very much at all. Metro areas has you locked in the tractor beam
of the mothership, there is no escape, you are being beamed into
the future (today's version of "future" anyway), of deep
electronic disco funk.
For more info : Environ Records phone/fax 973-696-3546,
http://www.webspan.net/~environ/
Peace
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Matt MacQueen
