Play DJ Kaos‘ leftfield disco LP Hello Stranger in its entirety and watch what happens to your party. The Berliner first indulges in Italo-house with ladykiller-soon-to-be-wife-beater vocals, before an agitfunk band leads a horde inside to drink all of the free booze. His obligatory cowbells and placement of bold quotation marks upon the lyrics (as heard in “Boogie Boy”) are on the DFA tip, but self-awareness is moot here-even the half-arsed Frankie “Double Dutch Bus” Smith impression in the ‘86 computer expo funk tune “Juices (Raw and Dirty)” brims with pride. The closer, “Bunny Brown,” finds an organ assuring a droning bass guitar that everything will be fine in heaven-a benign blues for the afterife‘s casualties.
He Can Jog New Ground Has Not Broken, Soil Last Week And Dirt Today
Erik Schoster‘s debut album seemed to be passable blues for those in a pajama‘d fetal position, until I heard a track that is virtually nothing but FM static. “Go On, Temple, Said a Stout Ruddy Student Near Him. I‘ll Stand You a Pint After” is lathered in a technicolored buzz that broadcasts images of a year in a day. Thereafter, in “So Many Words,” this Wisconsinian adjusts the static to unravel snaps that flicker on the beat before rapper Noah Wark‘s rather conventional glitch-hop soliloquy kicks in. Elsewhere, Schoster and his seven collaborators all display good charcoal sketches desperately in need of color. Let‘s hope that our man never fixes his radio, just adjusts the dial slightly.
General Patton vs. The X-Ecutioners General Patton Vs. The X-Ecutioners
What the hell does Mike Patton need the X-Men for? The former Faith No More/Mr. Bungle frontman exhales more ideas than the three DJs who crab-and flare scratch. Here, Rob Swift, Roc Raida, and Total Eclipse are the straight men. This is Patton‘s show as he shotgun-fires Bungle-style schizophrenia; his outbursts of live funk instrumentation and samples of thrift-shop kitsch are perverted enough for cultists to memorize for years to come. Not every idea works-his R&B moments sound forced and his Cro-Magnon grumbles are only redeeming for a few scratches. Yet, Patton‘s restlessness never ceases to inspire.
BJ Nilsen Fade to White
BJ Nilsen steams noise. His humidifier drones, piercing microtones, and warehouse din all evaporate into the raw air-leaving one‘s vague memories to recall phantom sounds that never actually existed. Fade to White could soundtrack a bedridden life in a cinder block apartment next to a foundry. Most of Nilsen‘s orchestrations dwell on gestures slight enough for the imagination to fill in the rest. “Dead Reckoning” is an exception, where a lava flow of distortion bleeds into the hymns of machines. This is music as an ether-soaked mask.
Savas Pascalidis Disko Vietnam
Savas Pascalidis has his sound and he‘s sticking to it. Unfortunately, this means that if you already have his previous album, 2002‘s Intergalactic Gigolo, this follow-up is only necessary if you want more of the same. Exactly the same. Each of these 13 tracks is aimed squarely at the dancefloor and, though undoubtedly effective, they each go about their task in an almost identical manner. The one exception to this is “U Can Do It If You Dance;” a slower, slinkier track, designed with the snake-hipped firmly in mind, its acid gurgles and intoning vocal are impossible to resist.
Marco Passarani Sullen Look
Not content with running three of the best electronic labels going (Pigna, Nature, and Final Frontier), veteran Italian producer Marco Passarani signals his arrival on Peacefrog with one of the year‘s first great albums. Sullen Look sees the Rome resident merge the Detroit influences that informed his initial productions almost a decade ago with the currently hotter-than-horseradish electro sounds emerging from Dutch strongholds such as the Clone and Den Haag camps; there‘s even a track dedicated to I-F‘s irrepressible Internet radio station (“C-B-S Master Theme”). Two brilliant cover versions-of Alexander O‘Neal‘s ‘Criticize‘ (with Erlend Øye on vocals) and Jungle Brothers‘ “I‘ll House You”-will have your jaw on the floor.
Various Artists Louie Vega: Extensions
Temporarily splitting from Masters at Work partner Kenny Dope for last year‘s Elements of Life, Louie Vega makes Extensions a family affair, inviting a host of DJs to remix his Latin-based house excursions. Joe Claussell lays down a bottom-end heavy “Sunshine” as vocalist Blaze croons about the lightness of love. Jazzy Jeff adds mid-tempo flair to “Jungle Fever,” while Vega himself tinkers with five cuts. One includes Dope, who also lends a tasteful hand to “Cerca De Mi.” DJ Spinna‘s pouncing rendition of “A Better Day” winds down the record before a conga- and steel drum-led “Steel Congo” puts it to bed. This collection could easily have been dubbed More Elements of Life, which doesn‘t make it a bad thing, just more of the same.
Black Lipstick Sincerely, Black Lipstick
For the last half a decade, the listening public has been presented with a newer sound in rock music-or rather, an older one. Many of the bands currently in vogue have bypassed the ‘90s‘ “heavy urban” sound (thank god) in favor of something a little more raw, a little more real, and a little more grounded in the ‘70s DIY ethic. The strummed melodies and understated vocals of Black Lipstick‘s second outing may not be the most original around, but the album is satisfying, pleasant, and yes, even sincere. Fans of The Strokes, Interpol, and their peers will probably find a lot to like here.
ICR Mav & Twister Change Inside (ASC Remix)
ASC gets called back to remix “Change Inside” and tears it inside out with frantic drum patterns, drop-heavy bass, and an overall apocalyptic atmosphere that will have heads spinning and arms flailing. Contrasting nicely is b-side, Mav & Twister‘s “The Tubes,” with condescending “Warhead”-like bass hits and techy overtones creating spatial harmony.
Sholto The Sleeper (Silent Witness & Break Remix)
Silent Witness & Break, who are quickly emerging as the next Ed Rush & Optical, have taken up remix duties on the slick downtempo number “The Sleeper.” The duo keeps all of the original jazz sensibilities and blends them with their dingy and emotive nu-tech sound. A somber yet delightful tune.
