Mark at his best? Possibly! When Mark was scouted by the highly acclaimed Rephlex Records to do this mix, they knew exactly what they were looking for. Intricate edits and programming are this guy’s specialties. This Manchester-born producer is gonna be big for 2004! Watch this space!!
Taz Only God Can Judge Me
Taz co-produced the last Dizzee Rascal track, which I must admit I haven’t got round to hearing. This solo effort comes out on Def Jam UK, and if you’ve been feeling the UK/Jamaican-tinged styles of artists like Roots Manuva, then you’ll like this. This track has well-delivered, meaningful lyrics straight from the streets of south London, and a nice, simple, ploddy, head-noddy beat.
Isan Meet Next Life
Sleeping is good, and what better album to escort you to the gates of dreamland than the latest from Integrated Services Analogue Network? Robin Saville and Anthony Ryan follow up their 2001 album Lucky Cat with a charming and intimate collection of dreamy synth-washed melodies and calming measures that slow the pulse without dropping the ball. Sweet like an instrumental Postal Service, and curvy like early Casino Versus Japan, ISAN’s addition of computer savvy to live acoustic guitar, bass and percussion has yielded a project that’s pleasingly innocent sounding without being poke-your-eyes-out cute.
Junior Boys High Come Down
How did these Canuck pop-dance sensations figure to follow their overnight European hit EP “Birthday”? For one thing, get that tune remixed by fellow cheesehead Manitoba, who applies his tweaked-out, scratchy-slippy flavor to the heartfelt minimal classic. But what about the Spacek-meets-New Order grace of the title track, the Kraftwerky mobility of “Under the Sun” and the satisfying ambience of “A Certain Association”? What indeed. Can we actually wait until their album comes out or must we liberate the masters from the Kin label’s headquarters as they’re made?
T.Raumschmiere Rabaukendisko
For me, this 12″ is all about that Bug dancehall remix. This is some preemptive riotous thrasher squelch funkhall. Shock and awe when daddy comes back home to the suburbs and finds the little wee ones tearing a rude hole in his “home entertainment centerrrr” with this. Sounds fuller than the normally thin sound of breakcore, but still, this production is all about meters into the red, baby.
John Fahey Hard Time Empty Bottle Blues (1-4)
Once you figure out the b-side is not a Jansky Noise remix but actually uncut with a thick ink drawing on it, you can play this picture disc, made up of four tracks recorded in 1996 at the Yttrium Festival and released fall 2003. It’s pressed quite loud, so it’s good to mix into instrumentals or slice into house. Fluid, rolling solo guitar blues.
Wayne Marshall Get It On Tonight
Lenky sneaks out an acid dancehall full-frequency booty riddim. Mad vocal sample going round the block stirring up the locals. This is street-hard and sweet psychedelia, a rough and rugged dancehall version. Drives along real nice, bringin’ out the boot-shaker in all of us. Odd and full of restraint, but still powerful like a leopard.
Focus on the Rollercoaster
Tiki Obmar High School Confidential
It makes sense that Graham Chapman, Chris Smally and Brett Bullion have tastes that encompass Oval to Tori Amos-the gathering of experimental techno, indie rock and old-fashioned melancholy on High School Confidential is extreme, even within individual songs. It’s not uncommon for a snare loop to contract to mere whispers seconds before catapulting into intense, teen angst-filled guitar chords. While such drastic changes of music and emotion may raise skeptical eyebrows, Tiki Obmar somehow ensures that all elements fit into a single frame.
Piana Snow Bird
Piana’s debut solo album is a hybrid of experimental and electro-pop, a mixture this Japanese artist uses to display her evident mastery of music production Still, Snow Bird is too tranquil-nothing happens to push the music beyond a plateau of carefully plucked string instruments and wavy vocal trills. The most interesting sounds here are the chirping birds, but even they transform from innovative Japanese pop addition to New Age frill in under 30 seconds.
