With 16 tracks and 28 MP3s spanning two CDs, this compilation doubles as not only a Novamute “state of the union” overview, but also as a statement on disunion. Compiling tracks mostly previously released on vinyl while conversely indicating a future of digital in/digital out (contrary to many labels), Novamute here offers not only mirrored MP3s, but exclusive MP3s. Alongside crisp configurations of post-industrial/electro/acid (house) sounds by Tim Wright, Umek, S.I. Futures, Speedy J, Luke Slater, Acid Casuals, Echoboy, Plastikman, Cabaret Voltaire, Nitzer Ebb and more (including Thomas Brinkmann and Akufen remixes) are MP3 exclusives featuring work by some of the above, plus Derrick May, Buckfunk 3000, Steve Stool, Tiga and more. Novamute show that future distribution doesn’t have to be any one way any more than the music does, and the clock towards label reinvention is ticking as steadily as these techy tracks.
Opiate Sometimes
Opiate, the solo project of Thomas Knak (a Bj?rk collaborator and also a member of trios System and Future 3), only partially lives up to its moniker. The overall effect of the fuzzy fluctuations on the six-track Sometimes EP is sedative, but instead of dulling the senses, it reveals (on repeated close listens) an airy, intricate mesh of textures. Fitting the Morr Music modus operandi, acoustic overlaps form the EP’s sun-speckled springboard. But unlike so many post-clicks ‘n’ cuts/glitch composers, Knak is ever so deliberate. Recalling at times the work of Pole, Pan Sonic and Boards of Canada, the prickly, serene-yet-sinister soundscapes of Sometimes aren’t sculpted chaos; rather, the tranquil trickles of static stutters and melodic flutters are as regulated as prescription drugs. This Opiate heightens the senses and Knak’s craft.
Various All Tomorrows Parties 3.02
If Car & Driver magazine were to commission a compilation of electronic compositions, they would need to look no further than this comp to know the work’s already done. Primarily comprising exclusive material curated by post-electro reconstructuralists Autechre, much of ATP 3.02-including tracks by Public Enemy, Anthony “Shake” Shakir and Earth-helps define “piston-pumping.” In contrast, there are selections both subtle and supple-including Stasis, Disjecta and Bola-to match the serene glide of those luxury sedan ads. Disc one focuses on abstract hip-hop and ominous ticking laptops (Gescom, Kool Keith), while disc two features more ricocheting percussive explorations (Baby Ford, Hecker). Highlights include Push Button Objects’s Asian-flecked flitter and BFC’s post-FSOL flutter. As should be expected of Autechre influences and contemporaries, tracks are as methodical as they are mesmerizing.
Various Brooklyn Keeps On Takin’ It
Evidently, the city of Brooklyn is taking some sort of substance that causes its inhabitants to make serious forward-thinking electro-fused IDM and hip-hop. There’s a veritable truckload of examples on this vital collection, which hints at a grand future for this upstart label. Heat Sensor clatters along, invoking Manchester’s finest. Celine’s clarion-call voice from the heavens does battle with an array of sublime obliterating digital abstractions. Satellite Beach drags you to the beautiful electro disco atop Mt. Olympus. And Galvanized offers up the impossible conflation of Detroit’DM and post-punk. Brooklyn, please keep on taking it.
Aspera Oh Fantastica
Unicorns, rainbows and blankets of butterflies flying in chromatic symmetry across glittery, snow-capped Claymation backdrops prefigure the mystic secrets contained on this evolutionary leap of a record. This is the part where I’m supposed to make my easily digestible pop references: like an acid-fueled Prince jamming with Radiohead produced by “Timbaland” or “Spiritualized getting jiggy with Giorgio Moroder down at your local Freemasons lodge.” But all those belittling banalities would seem so meaningless by the time you made it through the album’s mind-expanding finale, proudly proclaiming, “Oh, Fantastica.”
Europa 51 Absstractions
Europa 51 come round rapping sultrily on your door with one question and one question only: at what point do you go from being influenced by the meandering pastoral postures of Tortoise and the breathy, vocalized foxtrots of Stereolab to sounding like a college dive bar-inhabiting cover band? Or, as displayed on Abstractions, a more folksy Gaelic version thereof. Oh yes, there’s lots of rootsy hillside instrumentation on parade, finger-picked guitars and violas galore, and girls singing “la-la-la” and “doo-doo-doo.” Recommended for those aged 38 and over who wear linen shirts and proudly drink organic coffee.
Esem Serial Human
Taking their pursuit of severely electronified “hip-hop” global, Miami’s Merck drafts Bulgaria’s Esem for a dark ride through a mountainous amalgam of shimmering electronics and murky splatters of broken beatdowns. Unfortunately, Serial Human isn’t totally free from the usual problems that plague IDM artist albums; the good songs are truly great, while some of the others are just fine. “Tjiccli” sprightly bounces along, layering more and more complexities in a blurring hall of mirrors, and sounding completely fresh, while elsewhere, “Bleece” resembles the backing track to National Geographic Explorer. In essence, this imperfection indeed makes Esem truly human.
Various Speicher CD 1: M. Mayer Mix
Admittedly, the back catalog of Kompakt is a daunting thing indeed. And with their subtly different labels clogging the Kompakt section of your local record shop and blending into a muddy sea of micro-house, isn’t it better to have label head Michael Mayer expertly mix your journey for you? This solid mix incorporates a few of his own tracks (including the near-perfect chugging dubbed-up chimes of “Unter Null”), plus those of other top-shelf producers like Superpitcher, Reinhard Voigt and everyone’s favorite, T.Raumschmiere. Speicher? Special.
The Modernist Kangmei
Picking a good Jorg Burger project can be as challenging as smoking pork ribs. Burger-who records as The Modernist, The Bionaut, et al-tends to marry juicy Cologne techno melodies (? la D.Diggler or Basic Channel) with strong guitar accents, which requires special attention when mixed together. Sometimes the musical meat gets overcooked and dry, as on the last Modernist album, 2000’s microhouse-inspired Explosion. Other times, it’s a bland IDM affair like The Bionaut’s Lubricate Your Living-room, which, while full of fine melodies, falls flat due to dull Boards of Canada-styled engineering. But sometimes Burger is right on the money, as with Kangmei. True succulence is a thing rarely achieved in pork ribs or music, but-like Burger’s 1996 collaboration with Mike Ink, Las Vegas-Kangmei strikes the perfect balance of wistful synth melodies with a dash of brooding ambience. The ribald house bass of “A Goldberg Violation” sizzles underneath a conservative synth melody; “Kodac Moments” bursts with rich bell tones and a plucky Black Dog rhythm. <i.Kangmei stands out via the vocal element on “Kangmei Pt.1 & 2” and “Protest Song,” both of which offer delicate combinations of electronic pop overtones and strident Cologne techno aesthetics. The only thing lacking on Kangmei is a good dipping sauce.
John Tejada & Arian Leviste Fanfare Sake
This may be the first Tejada release to bear both its creators’ names (Tejada and Leviste have been musical partners for eons), but it’s not indicative of any substantial stylistic change. Fanfare Sake is prime Tejada techno-punchy beats with a finely measured dose of house funk-if a bit updated for the Playhouse crew. The lead-off track, “Faux Obsolete,” is representative of Fanfare Sake‘s remarkable style-warm, yet staccato synth chords and hefty basslines that carry the song forward, all wrapped in a pristinely echoed mixdown. Playhouse should feel honored to have such a fine record in their catalog.
