Keith Fullerton Whitman is the kind of artist who makes spacious ambient music about as exciting as any shredding death metal anthem or blood-pumping hyphy track. With his roots buried in the soil of musique concrète, Track4 (2Waysuperimposed) finds Whitman up to some astoundingly complex bi-directional (a 21-minute track plays the same backwards and forwards!) work. As expected, the composition is soaked in micro fuzz and guitar squeals, but it’s the sporadic bass that’s responsible for swelling heads and dizzy listening.
The North Valley Subconscious Orchestra The Right Kind Of Nothing
Guitarists and laptop explorers Brad Laner (Medicine) and Christopher Willits (Flossin) have entered new, Kraut-friendly ambient territory. Less dreamy than Medicine and much less serene and glitchy than Willits’ solo works, The Right Kind Of Nothing falls somewhere in the groove of a hazy Cocteau Twins record, but with a barrage of delay and fuzzed-out distortion. Panned samples acting as percussion and epic amounts of guitar loops help create a densely atmospheric record that truly stands out in an overpopulated genre.
Various Optimo: Psyche Out
Scotland‘s acclaimed DJs Twitch and Jonnie Wilkes have shunned their tech-house guise in favor of a danceable psyche-rock compilation. Featuring stoner anthems from many generations, these 24 bangers could satiate house-party Hessians and crazed club kids alike. Psyche Out begins with a bass-driven Hawkwind jam, proceeds through an 808-dominated Carl Craig remix of Throbbing Gristle, and somehow finds solace in The Temptations’ “Poppa Was A Rollin’ Stone.” Without any psychedelic clichés or predictable mixes, Psyche Out maintains a wholly transcendent tone with textured samples, analog fuzz, and an incessant groove that displays the duo’s matured dance mastery.
Es Waves Nakatomi Plaza
Ambient producers can find themselves caught between swooping and spaced-out, a dichotomy that Stephen Woolridge (a.k.a. Es Waves) mostly navigates successfully. The nine tracks here revel in their synthy layers and the fluid darkness that comes from music based more on emotional states than devotion to a particular structure. But a little structure can go a long way, and the sometimes-overlong songs (the 10-minute “To Touch”) find Woolridge substituting length for true tension.
TRS-80 Mystery Crash
Despite a near-total lineup change, TRS-80’s latest release, full of ambient, beat-driven tracks, sounds as polished as ever. The basslines veer toward the dark and brooding, but the ‘80s-esque synth layers and reverb-filled percussion keep things from slipping into full-fledged industrial-strength bleakness. Though only Jay Rajeck remains from the original trio, it’s obvious that newcomers Mike Barron and Fred de Albuquerque have grasped the baton smoothly.
Kaskade Love Mysterious
House producer Kaskade doesn’t play coy on his third album: From the opening “Stars Align,” it‘s obvious that these big-room, vocal-laden tracks are meant for the dancefloor. The San Francisco-based artist has seen his star rise in recent years, and the man’s production skills (like on the guitar-filled “The X”), ear for rhythm (“Sorry,” for example, is the kind of track that grooves without getting into a rut), and sheer energy are hard to debate. This won‘t be the most innovative album of the year, but that doesn’t detract from its delightfulness in the slightest.
Various Kyoto Jazz Massive: 10th Anniversary
Both Compost and KJM generally put out quality material, but for the doubters, check the other names on this two-disc set: Kenny Dope, Louie Vega, Monday Michiru, and Da Lata. The lineup makes for a simply outstanding collection. Brothers and acid jazz DJs/producers Shuya and Yoshihiro Okino celebrate their anniversary with remixes of their work, as well as covers and tributes from other musicians. The results include KJM’s “Shine,” first remixed by Dope, then recreated by Jazztronik into a stripped-down mix of beats and chopped vocals that ends with a burst of warmth. A consistently excellent compilation.
Land Shark Land Shark
DJ-producer Lance DeSardi brings some solid electro and house to his solo album debut, but solid isn’t always enough when he could have pushed it much further. Dancefloor devotees might recognize several tracks here: the synth-driven “Dangerous,” with vaguely sleazy male vocals; “Tie Me Up,” a thick-bassed house killer with totally sleazy male vocals; and “Slippage,” with its somewhat boring monotone. Many of the tracks have a “done that” feel, maybe because DeSardi has actually done them before. For an expectedly edgy, demented album, there’s too much that feels like familiar ground.
Various Andrew Emil presents Four Play Music
DJ/producer Andrew Emil wears Chicago’s influence proudly on this disc, a mix of tracks from Emil’s four play label. The house is heavy on the beats and light on the vocals, with moments of genuinely tight groove. But while the tracks are well done, the first half could benefit from more variety and sharper pacing. The mixing, as well, might use a bit of subtlety. A few tracks stand out-like Emil’s “CTF (Nick Santillan Dub),” with its warm, dubby female vocal, and the bouncy, bass-happy “Rockument” by Pat Nice and JRod-but overall the compilation needs more range.
Poni Hoax Poni Hoax
What do five French geezers who love disco and rock ‘n’ roll have in common with Roxy Music? A penchant for naked ladies on album covers and a distinctly European flavor-a little silly, very catchy, and overflowing with feel-good vibes. The Hoaxes show an impressive versatility: Nicolas Ker’s deep intonations on “Carrie Ann” could be David Bowie on his best day, while Ker’s same vocals set against the disco-pop lines on “Involutive Star” pulse and ebb with hard-rockin’ moods. Proof that a good producer (here, Joakim Bouaziz of Annie and Air fame) can make all the difference.
