| MUSICWERKS - Sampler ADSR |
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This 8 song sampler gives light to the excellent music carried by Seattle Washington based MusicWerks containing variations of darkwave, gothic, electronic, techno and verbatim. Interesting, as the disc spins from laced up techno (Glis - Letting Go), at home on any dj's party platter, to a more psychotic eurodance species (Noxious Emotion - Indefinate & Unspecified) reminding one of madness, playgrounds, and disgust. Things get dark quick, bringing goth on strong with the cut ThouShaltNot's Last Comfort. A bit of Bauhaus, Joy Division, and Jartek all rolled into one. Buzzing synths set off the spell of All That Reamins from Tau Factor, kinda like New Order making love to early Laether Strip on a down beat. Strong snare strikes and bass lines flow (SMP - Chemicals), finally getting bodies back on the dance floor. Minimalist electronica highlights Fockewolf's lackluster Everything Becomes Ash, trying too hard with a slow hip hop groove under out-of-the-box keyboards. Things get better with the industrial darkwave mixture of Static Engine's Low And Falling Fast. The disc ends with some electro-metal (also known as industrial to some) from Christ Wept doing Product 01. With that, the music stops and the lights come on........Contact: MusicWerks 612 East Pine St., Seattle, WA 98122, http://www.musicwerks.org, 1-206-320-TWEEK
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| EARTH LOOP RECALL - Compulsion |
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Now this is what classic industrial music is made of. Machine gun artillery fed guitars, at times almost riffing like Sabbath, Reznor style synth builds, vocals that go from hell to mainline depression, and great songs that blend subtle with the overwhelming. It is fitting this band is on Warp Factory from the UK, a label which has been at the forefront of excellent electronic music for a couple of years at least now. The songs are what make this a great album; beginning with "Reconnect" the band takes you through stages of a complete mental and physical breakdown. Right off the bat, you're so fuckin' high in the first number you're never coming down, as vocalist Glen Mclees tells you plainly with a well placed "Fuck You!" Cut two is also killer keeping together with "Mesh" in fine darkwave tradition. ELR also gets really deep in electronica with "Petra Lena", sounding very layered and emocore as the song shifts around a slightly goth influence. What follows though, is straight up a hit single, "Please Stop Hurting Me". It too is about partying hard to numb oneself and the inevitable comedown that comes, but the song has three or four distinct parts that take it beyond the simple " dark pop" formula and more in the line of what vintage Pink Floyd would do if they were an industrial band. Use of loops and samples is prominent throughout Compulsion, part of the credit has to go to primary keyboardist Joanna Quail, who has a keen sense of arpeggio and ambience. The beauty of the band's craftiness as a whole is well painted accross the black skies of the music's sonic identity. Overall, pieces like "Let Yourself" explore the art of polyphonic texturing to the max, while retaining a solid rock n roll sans funk groove. Another good example of how the band can mix dance, depth and It takes time, and a good bit of talent, to get songs like these to come accross neither too falsified or simply good sequences. I hand that prize over to the lyrics and vocals, they present an almost unescapable darkness, but it's in a sly night at the pub kinda way. If this band can pull off the same feel live, and retain the pure drive of these songs, they will maintain their mantle in the hall of the greats. Contact: Wasp Factory Recordings POB 270 Cheltenham, GL51 9YE, UK http://www.wasp-factory.com
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| ARKAM ASYLUM - Running With Scissors |
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More pounding industrial from the Wasp Factory herd, Arkam Asylum producing a wider, more scattered noisecore than ELR, tinges of underground drum and bass lapping at the senses. It is the electronica side of the equation which is strongest here on Running With Scisors; though to begin with the pounding synths and distortions of "Get Some" are a footnote in the library of the true industrialist. By cut four "Let's Go! 2 The Lego" it's standard issue drum and bass for a note or two, yet don't think every d&b cut herein is mediocre. The very next shot "Umbilicus Urbis", even at only 33 seconds long is a great tribute to the weapons of mass deception debacle our allies in the UK are in bed with, presenting a great lead into a truly depressing and wired remake of "You Spin Me Round", one of the better I recall and definitely not the soundtrack for x night at the shelly. Don't fret though boys and girls, 'cause Arkam Asylum show they can throw the life line to the revolution while burning the dance floor on "$laves & Whores", their special heart felt ode to the western world. Contact: Wasp Factory http://www.wasp-factory.com
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| ANGEL THEORY - Fatal Condition |
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Feedback, synthesizers, dance floor beats and darkness stand out on Fatal Condition. While "Resolutions" could be a european Nine Inch Nails, the electronic structures of Angel Theory approaches darkwave, with sharp dance accents. There are tons of hot numbers on this disc, the aforementioned "Resolutions" is strong from the beginning with uptempo bpm, while "Panic Attack" builds to a swirling emotive vocal line backed by a layered disco orchestration. Angel Theory are more than the usual knob turns and button pushers, the music has alot of counterpoint, pointing to real talent as a songsmith. Things get really sinister on "Cold Fire", it feels like spirits on air listening to this. It is beautifully tense. In a few spots, things don't get fired up, "Gone" coming to mind. Luckily, they do again on track 9. "Damaged" is some of the best electronica happening. The distortion on the singing comes in right below the conscious state, while strings glide around a sparse beat. The closest Angel Theory ever comes to pop, and that's not really close at all, would be "Transmission", something the Pet Shop would have done if they were cooler. We even get a little electronic psychedelia on "into Infinity"; Well done. Contact: http://www.angeltheory.com, Endless Records http://www.endless-records.de, Ground Under Productions http://www.gup.net.au, Alive http://www.alive-ag.de
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| ANTHONY PAPPA - BALANCE 006 |
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This is just one of those mix collections every dj has to have. Pappa has put together a fine double shot of energy and transformation, cast into an overall picture of the happenin' party. Virtually every kind of electronic dance music is represented; if a solid pounding of top techno is your ticket, I suggest you get it working with disc 2. It glides by with an underlying big house acid jam kinda thing slung over pulsating melodies and just head pulverizing beat. There are plenty of breaks and moves here to work with, for most of the songs are not so much big edits as they are soundscapes to carry the energy off and around the dance floor. By the time you're into Dirty German featuring Mirko Meyer doing Be Together, you've evolved into a psychedelic trance state that completely starts cooking with Rhythm Unlimited's ultimate ode to the shit "All I Wanna Do" as the funk gets thick. Pappa is the master mood modifyer with a clean passover as he twists minimal (Pig & Dan's Basement) and paints it flowing into psychdown trance (Moonface - Our Prediction). Pappa to me though is better at the up lift than the cool down, when he spins dope like Chris Salt's Atmospheric Graffiti, it is in a world class element. Anthony Pappa knows what's good for the head. He gives Dj's a wide room of sections to use, for the rave up as well as the chillout. He let's disc two end with a crazy bottomed out bass urban scat that truly is pure underground. Disc one is another burner, with a nice lead into Luke Chable's Into The Storm. After things get wound up, cuts from Fretwell and KVK keep thing's rolling along nicely, with a slight atmospheric ambience running under things since this disc began. Rather nice mixing if I must say, at times it flys by like a dream, at others the beats are big and the synths strong. Pappa does a cool acapella ambient lead into Blue Haze's A Time to Reflect using Lanning and Haven's mostly spoken word Bound For Ascension. Towards the end of disc 1's set, AP cranks the bpm's back up for a test drive with a Main Element hit remixed by Chris Salt called Delta Of Venus. As the disc closes, a jamming underground mix of Slacker's Tutikinegi big beats into Shiloh's Mana before losing it's mind with Tilt Vs. Quivver's I Know Your Afraid. Don't be scared come join Anthony Pappa for a night out on the town, you'll have a good time. Contact: STOMP eq@stomp.com.au http://www.stomp.com.au/eq
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The kings of New York underground techno Kind Recordings lets you know how it's done on this big sounding disc, full of enough boom to level a city. Round-N-Round are the culpits of this explosion, and thoughout their mix it's a big thunderous beat that would make any dance floor melt. This is the shit you put on when you want the place to move. This label also does the killer vinyl, so you need to check their site. As far as DJ skills, Round-n-Round is superb, with some of the heaviest vibe cranking to the max; true late night madness for the sweating masses. Even the exits are made for mixing. Only the smallest end at the end of over an hour's ride of is made for chillin', the rest is strong high bpm. Time to pound some tile motherfuckers. Contact: Kind Recordings 46 Columbia Street, Bethpage, NY. http://kindrecordings.com
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True, the title deducts something you might wanna sleep with, nada; standing strong underneath the overlay the mix is sensuous, not so much chill as groove. Lots of chill albums fail in the way they portrait the dj's as go-behinds to bring down the party, where Chill is perfect to keep it jam up. What Abstrakt ( http://www.abstraktreality.com) does, with all great artists here representin', is provide you with the misted smoothness of tranquility rubbing against the harshness of ambiguity. Who this is with the heavy chill, doesn't matter as much as the timelinesuggest, by the end of the set, you've got some of best shit you'll ever hear. It really feels good. Contact: Abstract Reality Records, 6958 Orion Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91406
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| ROTERSAND - Truth Is Fanatic |
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Time will prove this album an underground dance classic. It simply roars out so strong in the first four songs, going from a very heavy goth prelude which begins a storm of hard edge electronic assualt that begs to take control. Title cut segs into the industrially magnificent "Almost Violent", which has become a club favorite to start people moving. Rotersand have got their reputation honest, because over time this band has wrote great songs, continues to get out and perform, and makes great albums. Lyrically, the band is way above most "dance" bands, and aren't afraid to affect anything. Voyeur fetishes play strong on "Electronic World Transmission" which seems to be implying that living in fantasy is today living in reality. This theme over a darkcore big beat gives the song an intense reaching sinister feel. It's also another one for great mixing. I'll go as far to say this is one of Rotersand's best releases overall. They've also got a sneaker potential hit in "One Level Down" which sounds like easy airplay on a wide crossover of stations, dance, pop, gothic, alternative, underground. The band also included their early 2003 hit Merging Oceans which some of the songs on this disc shared as an EP release months before Truth Is Fanatic came out. Like I said, it's classic, you have to have it. Contact: Endless Records, Im Krimmelsbach 7, D-57319 Bad Berleburg, http://endless-records.de, http://www.rotersand.net
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| LEECH WOMAN - Uncertainty Device #26573 |
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Very creative, fragmented, dark and hardcore. Leech Woman represent 100% screaming madness with a ton of balls. A kin to Skinny Puppy or any in that league, Leech Woman flesh out the Wasp Factory roster with a great album of remixes. This is what happens when you let freaks in the door. There is some awesome shit here, a true standout being the Ambassador 21 remix of Breaker with its pounding "I Am Nothing.....like you" shoutout. Another ripping bout of neck snap is the remix of Exitboy's mind reorganizer "Cardinal". This record with all it's different parts, has UK electro written all over it. It'll be on the scene, that is a given. Say hello to the Leech Woman from London. Contact: POB 4271, Lewisham, London, SE13 7GY http://www.leechwoman.com, http://www.wasp-factory.com
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| I, SYNTHESIST - Avalanche |
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Chris Ianuzzi powers this venture into electronic wonderland. The pulsating synths and pounding beat recall the early years of eurotech, and throughout 11 songs I, Synthesist paints a soundscape of psychic as well as music. While he puts the most accessible first, starting with the hit "Red Clouds", except for a few lulls ("hiding" sounds like....well, that's a good question), bpm and groove remain quick and tight throughout the whole project. Ianuzzi uses sparse layering to affect, at other times the air is thick with polyphony ("Paralyzed"). As the experiment goes, Avalanche is strong, never getting tied to one sound or genre. It makes you move, like a good set should. The library of Ianuzzi continues to expand. Contact: http://isynthesist.net, http://www.endless-records.de, chris@isynthesist.net
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| RAE'VEN RAE - Ruff Cuts & Ideas 2004 |
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Though the title might make you think this stuff would be loose, the six songs presented here are complete packages, using Rae's terrific range and feel gliding like a angel over very strong basslines and melodic loops. She has some partners in creativity, dividing her talent as singer and songwriter with champions such as Edit on opening cut "The Cure", presented with thick pop overtures and delicious harmony. She brings out the first of her dance orientated hits she's created with "Purefunk" Hancock on track 2, "Lovecrazy". It sounds similar to some strong eurohouse numbers, most reminescent of artists such as the UK's Grace or Real McCoy (sans dude). It is very surpising Atlanta isn't at the forefront of great pop laced dance music, though part of the blame can be traced to the emphasis on the hip hop and rap the city spews. That said, a developing talent like Rae'Ven Rae cannot, and will not, be denied once people find out about it. Contact: sepiasiren@yahoo.com, kgantt@anratl.com 770-912-9655
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| Astralwerks - New Music 04-05 |
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They began as a label that did all dance styles, and some chill. Then 3 or 4 years ago Astralwerks began to branch out into a more diffuse library of music. This sampler has a wide variety of genre, yet still manges to portray some fo the stronger dance stuff the label has. This is in evidence as Fatboy Slim slams "Slash Dot Dash" with his still strong overplay of samples, riffs and micro shouts. There is some club pop here too, such as the wavish "Absolute Affirmation" from Radio 4. Of course this would be considered rock, but in the underground, you can dance to rock n roll too, if you're cool about it. More rock based dance tuneage coems from VHS Or Beta's "Night On Fire", with it's definite retro feel and early 80's stylings (think vintage Cure). K-Os brings some strong hip hop on "the Love Song", perfect as a slide in for a short lived cool down. The sampler ends with the always interesting Ms Kittin's cross genre, quirky, "Requiem For A Hit" which in another version had scored a small hit last summer on the Underground Top 100. This version says is a "glove radio mix", which is funny, because the main vocal line is "I'll beat that bitch with a hit", radio friendly for sure in Republican land USA. Contact: http://www.astralwerks.com
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Cologne based Basswerks keeps the quality superb with a block banging 2 disc follow up to the famous original Basswerks Sessions 1. Using the mixes as a showcase for fine german producers, as well as a few top-notch foreign brewmasters, Sessions 02 retains the familiar drum & bass stylings well into the second generation now, while at the same time giving party mixers such as Greenman (Heiner Kruse) and Taxidriver (the ever defying Cheetah and spinster Michael Rieck) plenty of room to boom and build using hard spatial beats and quick flow to create sonic grooves. What is really cool about this entire double disc set is the lack of filler. One could put these platters on, and the floor will never get cold. The dubs are defined cleanly, the fades and builds never succumbing to boredom. Saying this about d&b releases is rare, for most fall down after a time and try to become a chill out session, whereas Basswerk Sessions 02 keeps the party pumping. German vinyl is highly sought after throughout the world, and Basswerks has a diamond here; much of this material has been out before on Basswerk vinyl, yet never sequenced to such a long running, high energy product this release represents. Respect goes out to this disc set, check out the treatment of Konrad and Coda doing "Don't Let Me", it is truly classic, as this complete set will become known as. Remember, regardless of if you're a d&b fanatic, every good dj needs to turn on to this....quick. Contact: http://www.basswerk.de, info@basswerk.de,
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