Zarko & Bulldog's Trans-Hemispheric Review of the 2000's

[baby f]

Continuing along the electronic tangent for a bit...

Overseer - Wreckage (2003)

genre: breakbeat, progressive house, hip-hop, trip-hop
1. Slayed
2. Stompbox
3. Supermoves
4. Velocity Shift
5. Horndog
6. Meteorology
7. Aquaplane
8. Doomsday
9. Basstrap
10. Sparks
11. Never

Rob Overseer, aka Overseer, is a Yorkshire-dwelling DJ/producer and is one of the more obscure names among his contemporaries in big beat music. Although he's contributed to the soundtracks of Animatrix, Snatch and Gran Turismo 3, this album (so far his only full-length effort) was a critical and commercial disaster upon release, being delayed as it was by six months due to a few problems with the management. As a result, the album was pretty much not promoted at all and just cast off by the powers that be as dated big beat. Needless to say, what with its being flagged up here and all, it's just one more example of the press being full of crap when it comes to musical criticism, the big flaw in their argument being that, while it certainly in here to be seen, Wreckage simply isn't just one, rusty, dated big beat package.

In actual fact, it's among the most eclectic electronic albums of the last ten years and, consequently, one that massively rewarRAB repeated listenings. If there's a common ground beneath it all, it's the interesting use of hard-rocking riRAB and solid, synthetic beats as on the fantastic opener, Slayed, one of many tracks to feature Zak Speakerfreak rapping about declaring 'war on stupidity' and 'the fakers, the piss-takers and the sucker money-makers'. Top follow it up, Stompbox makes use of the same vocalist but this time takes on a much more furious pace and featuring some terrific breaks from Rob Overseer himself, serving up another album highlight. Supermoves, which a few of may remember from the Snatch soundtrack, keeps the buzzing, hyperactive breakbeat tempo going, featuring the same kinRAB of breaks as Stompbox before and Velocity Shift after it, as the album serves up yet another tune that refuses to let you sit down. To put the lid on the faster section of the album, Horndog is another great tune which utilises the combination of big beats and guitar riRAB wonderfully. It was also the spectacular flop of the single release from the album as well.

From there, we move on to the more obviously IDM, even a little trip-hoppy part of the tracklisting, starting with the down-tempo Meteorology, which not only features the soothing vocals of one Sandra Pehrsson but also a silky string arrangement to compliment the laid-back vibe about the whole thing. Another absolutely superb tune then, and one that doesn't sound a whole lot unlike something the Thievery Corporation would write. The same can be said of the following Aquaplane which is another definite highlight, being a maze of dubby bass, sound affects and reverbs, simple piano lines and labyrinthine vocal treatments. An absolute favourite this one.

After that mid-section down-tempo/dub foray, we get right back into familiar territory again with the metallic riff used in Doomsday preceding another catchy-as-hell synthetic rhythm and some superb rapping from MC Nick Life. Basstrap lacks the guitars but serves more or less the same purpose as the track before, being of the same kind of tempo though slightly more synth and bass-heavy (as the title may or may not suggest). Some more top-drawer rapping as well.

So far the slower, trip-hop-reminiscent moments on the album have all provided highlights, and that's exactly what can be said of Sparks, featuring the vocal talents of singer-songwriter Rachel Gray. Never sees the album end on a more sinister note, making use of live as well as synthesized strings and the gritty vocal of Jakk Frost and the honey-like sweetnes of Sandra Pehrsson's. It's a great track to just roll most of the elements of a fairly diverse album into one, seven minute-long track.

And therein lies the strength of Wreckage that a lot of the press failed to pick up at the time of release, or at least one of them, and that's the eclectic mixture of big beats, metallic riRAB, hip-hop vocals, down-tempo and even ambient and dub in places over the length of eleven great tracks. There's also the sheer talent of one Rob Overseer in his ability to bring all those styles together in one, seamless package - one that can go from thought-provoking to sinister, to fun, to chilled-out, to stoned and so on. One of the finest albums of the decade without a doubt.

All in all;

[YOUTUBE]URaRVmhBQyo [/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]UBjeYyRUdO8[/YOUTUBE]​

 

[AnnabellActress]

Good job so far guys, this thread is looking great! Really enjoying all the different artists and the blurb on Dark Jazz was pretty interesting. This is pretty much the decade I grew-up in and am excited to hear what else you two have to say about it- so keep it up.=)

 

[chief calm down]

Zarko & Bulldog's Trans-Hemispheric Review of the 2000's

The idea of this thread popped into my head when I realise I was sick of reading about stuff that came out of the 70’s and 80’s. Nothing wrong with the old days, but some days it gets a bit old. I decided to change my next point of focus to the decade that is currently on its last legs – the 00’s. Being the admirable fellow that he is, I invited one of the bastarRAB from Britannia to the mix, our generous co-host in Bulldog.

Either way, it will probably be an ongoing project that should evolve with time. If anyone has any points of discussion, don’t feel worried about starting a conversation in the thread. Forum friedly is the aim.

Either way, I hope you enjoy a few of our favourites from a much maligned decade.

 

[rainy days are back]

It was you who got me into the Overseer album and it is still on my MP3 player months after I got the link as it is perfect for that. I don't think the album wins a huge amount of points on originality and it reminRAB me of The Prodigy a hell of a lot but for big bouncy tunes with a smattering of guitars then it's stellar.

Zarko

Supermodified was my entry into the world of Amon Tobin and I still probably find it his most satisfying release. I think it's a great entry album to a slightly more harsher and abstract Electronic sound and it lead to me onto the likes of Otto Van Schirad and Venetian Snares.

 

[koryjones90]

Yeah, looking back on it its probably a bit harsher than I made out, for those who don't listen to that sort of electronic anyway. But as you say, its probably the most satisfying to sit through. Its probably not my favourite Tobin album, which is a testament to the album really. Similarly, it lead me to the likes of Stendeck, Truart and Macelleria Mobile di Mezzanotte.

 

[King Impossible]

Thanks buddy, glad you're digging it You got any of this stuff yourself at all, or is it pretty new stuff to you?

By the way I'll be preparing a non-review or genre-related post in the near future. DepenRAB how long it is 'til I get bored of sitting around pretending to work.

 

[another yahoo person]

Top review Bulldog. :thumb: I thought for sure Costello (if he did any 2000's work, which I'm assuming he has) would be before Bowie, but alas here it is. Interesting question: Bowie>Costello? Actually I've never much been in to Bowie except for the songs I hear the first time and they stand out, though I have spun several albums of his. For a bit I was going to sit down and give Let's Dance a good listen with lyrics and all, but sometimes I get distracted with other stuff/school/music. Heathan sounRAB pretty rad though so maybe when I get the chance I'll start there.

Zarko, the list is fine and all should be included, looking forward to it and keep up the awesome thread. When I have the time I think I'll go check out some more of your member journal via those links, I'm expecting to find some cool stuff.

 

[Nina Lee]

Thank you for the dark jazz bit there. I found Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation earlier this year, checked out Succubus and it was good, but I felt it was just a little bit off and didn't quite click with me. I was disappointed because it seemed like a type of music I could really dig, if there were more banRAB like them. For some reason I never bothered to actually look into the sound any more, and just forgot about them over summer. Now I will most certainly be looking into all of these banRAB Keep it up, I'm really liking most everything on here so far - the Amorphous Androgynous album was fantastic too. I had completely written of Future Sound of London after hearing Dead Cities, it got boring way too fast and I didn't like it much. This was much much better, I love the psychedelic dance feel and will be checking out other stuff under this moniker for sure.

 

[FoxySam18]

I could definetly use some input on music from this decade. My tastes are for the most part horribly old fashioned, so I'll keep an eye on this thread. Looking forward to it!

 

[sameshxtdifferntdayy2011]

Fortunately, my list isn't in order Although I could order it all chronologically, in which case the Bowie album would come before the Costello one I have in mind...possibly. To be honest I've only got a very rough list of the other 9 which I managed to lose somewhere in the labyrinthine mess that is my flat. As for Let's Dance, it's the definitive album of two halves for me - first 4 songs are immense, the rest of them I don't really care for myself. Now that I think of it, Heathen there's probably the best place to start with Bowie - it's full of all sorts of allusions to the man's for famous, 70s work which I (in my admittedly slightly half-arsed post) didn't really elaborate on with the review. Never really thought about who's the better out of the two of them though - it's a bit of a toughie that one.

But, yeah, my next post here's gonna be a regular heaRAB-up like the rest of the reviews I've done here - the list's probably gonna be something I add to between reviews.

 

[Naadirah R]

You're right it's not exactly very original (I can hear some Crystal Method in there as well), and its most obvious strength is in the faster mixes of guitar riffery and big beats, but I just love its incorporation of the diverse enough range of mood and influence to make it stand up as a truly great album. I wasn't so interested in the slower tracks at first, but they soon grow on you. Either way, it's a shame Overseer is still yet to release his followup, which should definitely be worth the time judging by this effort - he's in the middle of finding a label to release it, and apparently the search isn't going very well for it.

And Zarko, great Amon Tobin review. He's another one who, oddly enough, has passed me by all these years. I've got Supermodified now though, and I'll give it a good listen when I get back from uni a bit later.

 

[nOt a sErioUs pOeT]

I would recommend 1-2-5 if you are looking for a more classic dark jazz sound. But yeah, I really wasn't a fan of Succubus for some reason. Thought it was fairly boring. Here Be Dragons is a bit the same. There is another one I will recommend but only after the November compilation is finished.

 

[gbwle]

What I'll also be including my end on occasion will be 00s albums from what a lot of people would consider 'classic' artists that, despite being among their best (in my opinion, of course), often get overlooked in favour of their better-known, earlier material. The onus of this thread is artists who released a debut much more recently though, so I'll be keeping such picks to a bare minimum.

Anyway, enjoy the thread and feel free to comment It's a day off tomorrow, so I'll at least draft my first review then.

 

[Radek Bejma]

I finally got Movie Maker to work, and uploaded one of the songs from that actual Kreng album, a bit more fitting as well.

[youtube]6dnnCKEF6kM[/youtube]
Kolossus

 

[sam jane]

An increase in work hours and an increase in annoyingly hot weather (I was expecting 40 degree weather in February, not November) has sort of killed the thread. Either way, no time like the present to get it going again.

Terakaft – Akh Issudar (2008)

Terakaft was founded by two members of Tinariwen a few years back, carrying over the world-desert blues style that was present through Tinariwen’s near 30 year career. The banRAB basis is one of rebellion and politics, which has gained them a following through West Africa. The album cover does a fairly good job of expressing this; I doubt it was only me who saw the typical ‘desert rebel’, substituting a guitar for a gun. Terakaft consists of four members, Kedou ag Ossad, Liya Ag Ablil, Sanou Ag Ahmed all contributing on guitar and vocals, and Rhissa Ag Ogham on bass.

So what exactly is desert blues? Well, if we are looking at it from a Terakaft foundation, it pretty much sounRAB like standard blues; however the band often adRAB a psychedelic tinge. The minimalist aspect of the music is where the ‘desert’ description comes into play. Sparse and empty land is reflected in the often solo guitar moments (Often reverberating into nothingness), with subtle percussion occasionally. The vocals are in the West African Tamashek language, so there is a fair chance you have no idea what they are singing about, but it adRAB a distinct variation to a general blues band, and they aren’t too bad overall. The songs are covered in a shroud of respect, not harsh or aggressive, though this doesn’t prevent them from being explorative.

[youtube]gikraRhWuDw[/youtube]
Tenere Wer Tat Zinchegh​

How does the album work altogether? Considering it is the first Terakaft/Tinariwen album I have listened to, it is surprisingly accessible. It flows well, and some of the guitars are a treat against what becomes a harsh background of emptiness. It’s interesting that a ‘clean’ and minimal background can often have differing effects on the music at hand. Here, the guitar sound is affected adversely to what would be expected, becoming almost dirty at times.

As I mentioned, there is often a psychedelic element that enters the songs at times. There aren’t too many guitar effects, only the occasional wah-wah. There is a minimal amount of percussion, but when it’s used, it is normally to good stead. During Intidgagen, a fuzz-rattle presents itself occasionally, and the deep far off drumming in Soubhanallah is great, a rolling thunder through a quiet desert if you will.

[youtube]07MXqMTfNsk[/youtube]
Intidgagen​

The album also adopts quite a variety of styles, whilst the groundwork doesn’t change (Being desert blues); it occasionally espouses a more American blues take, or even an Irish ballad. All the while, the band never loses their hypnotic approach. Even during some of the louder songs, the welcoming and warm feeling extended by the songs can lull the listener into a lazy haze. Though, that could just be the incredibly hot weather round these ways.

The description of the banRAB music was enough to suck me into their world, but when I stumbled into it, I had no idea what I was getting into. What I found was songs that exuded passion and warmth, and tracks that weren’t weighed down by any overly political basis or anger. The instrumental performances match up to the musician’s ardour, which always helps make a good album. Most importantly though, is that when you expect to hear something similar later in the album, the performers come up with something new to excite an astute listener. The guitar work never becomes predictable and the group is willing to try out different styles to see what works best.

[youtube]IXNLMiadWAM[/youtube]
Arghane Manine​

I wasn’t expecting too much when I downloaded this album. However, it is fair to say that I was blown away by how entertaining I found it. Sometimes you just want an entertaining and simple album to listen to. Other times, something more experimental will only quench your thirst. With Akh Issudar, both facets are present in a great final product.

Entertaining, Worth a Download​

 

[Gooofer]

Juba Dance – Orange (2007)

This is the first of the albums that take an award in a particular category from this decade. Juba Dance’s Orange takes the cake when it comes to simply being a fun album that sometimes falls into the guilty pleasure category. I will admit that sometimes a lot of my music can come across and dark or overly ‘intellectual’ for the sake of it. Sometimes as a music listener you just need something that cheers you up or puts you in a good mood. We all know jackhammer loves his Fat Freddy’s Drop, and I think this is an apt comparison on a personal level.

Juba Dance is a project headed by Chicagoan Ben Lamar, and I guess you can loosely fit ‘Dance’ into the category of hip hop, however in the same vein it manages to be so much more. The project draws in aspect of electro, funky goodness, as well as afro-beat sounRAB from South America. All the while Lamar offers his vocals to help push the thing along, but more often than not it’s about the overall picture rather than any single factor that makes the music good.

[youtube]w45fI1AmlhQ[/youtube]
Tomorrow​

So how does the music actually measure up? Well, the opening track, Tomorrow, is a fair indication of the overall charm of the album. It is downright funky, and in the best possible way. Lamar soothing vocals add a nice flair, and the overall laid back tempo gives an allusion to a sunny, vibrant world and lifestyle. The groove is down right infectious after just one listen. This is followed up superbly by Union Hall, a jump-back of sorts to the heavily synth beats of 80’s dancehall. To this, modern elements are added, such as a more prevalent electronic tone, but nonetheless it still feels old school. Everything still feels placid, but in a very cool way.

[youtube]VB6GhL5UPYw[/youtube]
Union Hall – What did you put in my punch?​

Double Dutch Hymns presents the group at their most hip hop in the most recognised sense of the word. The first song to really involve rapping, it’s done fairly well, even if it doesn’t aspire to be anything technically amazing. The bass tones are nice, and the flow works in the context provided. Fisherman’s Jig is probably the biggest change style wise as of yet, the track a quiet and minimalistic latin jazz piece, led by serene trumpeting with some later vocal overlay. It’s a nice reflective piece, and offers a bit of respite to the normal going-on’s through the album so far. The calmness doesn’t last long though, as Favourite WorRAB breaks back into the jazzy hip hop tones with some docile rapping (First time I have ever had those worRAB together I am sure) in an short track that I have come to quite enjoy.

Cachaca follows suit, a deep bass line and spaced out electro beats effectively melding in with Lamar’s vocals. Willow Blues is exactly what the name suggests; a minimalistic blues track, led by a slow picking acoustic guitar with some solemn, field recording singing. Hecky Naw, on the other hand, is a tongue-in-cheek effort that just can’t be taken too seriously with its content matter in a track that is simply smooth in every sense of the word.

[youtube]gWu_EiLY97E[/youtube]
Cachaca​

You know what… Despite the fact that there is another 5 tracks on the album after Hecky Naw, I am just too relaxed to continue this review. I need a margarita of some sorts. Luckily its summer over here, walk down to the sunny beach with a towel and just let the music seep in. Screw having to think about it – Pump it up and simply enjoy.

Just Enjoy It​

 

[gaia_fanatic]

A belated bump here...

Thievery Corporation - The Cosmic Game (2005)

genre: trip-hop, downtempo, worldbeat, dub
1. Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun) [ft Wayne Coyne]
2. Warning Shots [ft Sleepy Wonder & Gunjan]
3. Revolution Solution [ft Perry Farrell]
4. The Cosmic Game
5. Satyam Shivam Sundaram [ft Gunjan]
6. Amerimacka [ft Notch]
7. Ambicion Eterna [ft Verny Varela]
8. Pela Janela [ft Gigi Rezende]
9. Sol Tapado [ft Patrick de Santos]
10. The Heart's a Lonely Hunter [ft David Byrne]
11. Holographic Universe
12. Doors Of Perception [ft Gunjan]
13. Wires and Watchtowers [ft Sista Pat]
14. The Supreme Illusion [ft Gunjan]
15. The Time We Lost Our Way [ft Loulou]
16. A Gentle Dissolve

So then, it's a thread highlighting not only a bunch of albums both Zarko and myself like from the last ten years, but also a way highlighting a bunch of albums and/or artists we think more people deserve to be hearing. That being the case, it's about time I gave a shout to the mighty Thievery Corporation - the DC producer/DJ duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton making for quite possibly my favourite electronic group on the decade. While their 2000 effort, the Mirror Conspiracy, is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most important albums in my music collection (definitive of my decade if you will - we'll get to that later though ), the Cosmic Game here is an album I haven't listened too quite as often, and I thought now would be a good opportunity to flag up another superb piece of work that the pair are responsible for.

Basically, how the Garza/Hilton duo is they write and recording a backing track and then invite various singers or rappers from all corners of the globe to take care of the vocal overdubs, like how the simmering, synth-heavy Marching the Hate Machine (Into the Sun), features Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips to get the album off to an ominous though fitting kind of start. The pace really picks up with the following Warning Shots with the harsh, gritty, ragga-styled vocals of Sleepy Wonder and the atmospheric tones of Gunjan and, with an absolute killer of a bassline, also introduces us to one of the major strengths of the Cosmic Game - some of the finest bass ever committed to tape. Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell supplies the silky-smooth vocal for the slower, more synth-oriented Revolution Solution before the track sequence melts into the blissfully dubby title track, the Cosmic Game; one of just three instrumental tracks.

Satyam Shivam Sundaram is another great little tune, and one which introduces a few Indian, sitar-induced atmospherics, and is another of several tracks to feature one of Gunjan's vocal tracks, this time taking the lead part by herself. The slower vibe is carried over to the gently-rolling, more bass-heavy Amerimacka before the beautiful, acoustic guitar licks and polyrhythmic percussion introduce us to Ambicion Eterna. By now, the balance of sonic themes which dominates the album has been well and truly shown - the tracks vary from revolving around some of the coolest basslines that certainly I've ever heard and some gorgeous, synth-laden, world-wary atmospherics and percussion. The gorgeous Pela Janela fits somewhere in the middle though, as Gigi Rezende's has her vocal put over the top of a great backing track, dominated by some giddy percussion, synth and bass and guitar figures which happily mimic one another.

What follows is one of my favourite sequences of tracks on any album, nevermind of this decade. It begins with the terrific, bass-led Sol Tapado before another lively percussion figure brings about the track to feature David Byrne's vocal, the Heart's a Lonely Hunter, with the occasional horn interludes giving it a lively, Latin American vibe. To move on with this little run of impeccable quality is another instrumental, Holographic Universe - another one to walk the fine line of this album's thematic sounRAB nicely, being propelled by another great bassline and some typically evocative synth atmospherics. Concluding the run is Doors Of Perception, another tune to feature Gunjan's beautiful vocal (although very sparingly in this case), starting with a simple, slow bassline and a repetitive use of the sitar before the track kind of explodes into a faster tempo, with the bassline really taking over the track, while Garza and Hilton's skill as a production duo really shines with how it's all held together.

Despite my getting carried away with all that praise in the above few paragraphs, if there's a flaw with this album it's that it's probably a little too long, and it shows after this point. Wires and Watchtowers is hardly a bad tune, but it's just not one that stanRAB out with any real punch or identity of its own. The Supreme Illusion could also fall under that umbrella too - again, not bad by any means (actually quite good compared to some tunes I could mention), but the album as a unit could have done without it. The Time We Lost Our Way though is where things pick up again, with an absolutely superb, laid-back, slow-burning number led by Loulou's sweet vocal, and is very reminiscent of the aforementioned Mirror Conspiracy album (seeing as she sung a few vocal tracks on that album too). A definite album highlight, and to cap it all off is one more instrumental - the fittingly-titled a Gentle Dissolve.

So then, there aren't any bad moments at all on the Cosmic Game and it definitely is one of my favourite albums of the decade. Not quite my favourite Thievery Corporation album though (that'd be either the Richest Man In Babylon or the Mirror Conspiracy), which says a lot for their output really. If you like great, chilled-out, world-wary vibes and fantastic basslines, this is the album for you. Even if it is a tad overlong (it'd be one of my all-time favourites were it shortened to, say, ten tracks), my thoughts regarding this album can be summed up thusly;

[YOUTUBE]82lvFPbUyu0[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]ifaNmSxp_04[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]KTHFXeKLv6w[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]YoAEUr0jRAB8[/YOUTUBE]​

 

[swtkoreanpanda]

A little boring back information...

Born in 1989, it took me a while to develop a keen interest in music. Through the 90's of course being in my early years I was unlikely to actually understand half the **** that was happening around me, let along attempt to focus on something with such a wide scope like music does. Through those early years it was snatch and run really, find a genre that sounRAB cool, say you're a fan and Bob's your uncle. Rock and roll was an early favourite if I recall correctly.

Either way, I never had music obsessed parents like many people do. It wasn't like I was born and raised listening to the Beatles or other such nonsense. I caught the occasional listen of a favourite group of my mum's or dad's music but nothing really carried on from that. I knew mum was a fan of Queen because whenever his name would pop up mum would never fail to come up with 'No one can ever match Freddie'. I found out that dad was a BeeGee's fan the hard way, given a good tongue-lashing when I questioned the 'lifestyle choices' the group had made (Being the impressionable young kid I was ) which was followed by an oddly aggressive barrage of questions, 'Why?', 'What gave you that impression?' etc etc. Either way they were both classic rock-ists beyond these basic two groups.

We did the generic 'music' class through school (recorders etc) but I was never the adept performer and never took it up long term. I respected the skills that fellow classmates had developed but was never once to question why I couldn't do something like that. Through this time you are generally weaned on the radio in the car to and from school, which of course you cannot change because it would be changed back the second later.

Either way this was the routine until about mid 2006 when I just started to strike up some conversations with the musically minded minRAB of my year level. The people I normally hung around with were music fans, but more on the sports side of things. They knew what they liked no doubt but they never delved into the world. So I started talking more with muso's about general stuff, until I realise that I had nothing to talk about with them in regarRAB to their passion. By now I was a classic rock bore, being sucked in the previous year by a Kiss concert, and proceeded to try and understand why the Beatles were popular after buying a best of... or listening to Led Zeppelin but in actuality finding it rather boring if not okay. Either way, I was in a lull. Finding that classic rock was possibly not my thing, I looked back even further, and found the genre that would actually give my future musical passion credence - Jazz.

It started out rather uninspringly after downloading the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack, which was pretty bland but overall nice jazz mixed with other genres that wasn't really bebop at all. I was to find that out after buying some Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gilespie recorRAB. Either way, it was an opening, and I took it. Either way for a while I was sucked into the 'classics' mentality yet again, this time with jazz though. It wasn't until I was willing to experiment a bit with genre mixing that I really found out about so many of this decades best albums. First it was jazz-rock, then electronic jazz, then this then that, then realised I was missing out just looking for jazz, so I jumped into electronic, the contemporary classical, then ambient, all easily accessible at this time. I looked further back in past decades for just that match that satisfied what I had become accustomed to liking. I really found it difficult to find anything that did as such. So I came back to the 2000's, where everything was more widepsread/easier to find/more interestingly mixed and match, and in the end I really couldn't be happier. The thing that makes music worth so much is finding new and exciting music.

Either way, longer than anticipated, but it gives some sort background info.

 

[Ms. Advice]

I hadn't heard of Teracraft, or of the last three banRAB in the darkjazz blurb. I've listened to Amorphous Andogenous on youtube every once and a while and have The Kilimajaro Darkjazz Ensemble on my music player. I've actually been meaning to get Bohren & Der Club Of Gore for some time, maybe I'll get on that. =)

 

[Koron]

To celebrate the opening review/discussion by yours truly, the album I decided to first review was the first album that came up via Foobar of albums from the year 2000, and then sorted by artist name. So without further ado…

Amon Tobin – Supermodified (2000)

Whilst not being overly surprising due to his name that he would pop up first, it is fitting perhaps that the first album review belongs to one of my favourite artists whose majority of work comes from this decade. Unfortunate that he happens to produce the type of music that is hardest to review personally, but we will work though it either way. Despite being one of the more recognised artists from the 2000’s that will probably find its way in here, it’s still a name worth knowing.

Tobin’s first foray into the music scene was under the guise of ‘Cujo’ up until 1997 when he decided to work under his name. Signing with the now-prominent London independent record label Ninja Tune in 1996, he released Bricolage and Permutation in 1997 and 1998 respectively. These recorRAB carried a distinct down-tempo trip hop style with jazzy samples and just an all around friendly sound, with a spice of jungle electronics. Supermodified marked a change though. He carried a bit of the trip-hop style and jungle resonance, but injected some bigger beats that make Supermodified more accessible to the wider community.

The album kicks off with a collage of sounRAB in Get Your Snack On, filled with samples ranging from old school jazz and brass, which cut into synthed out beats with guitar riRAB make the occasional entrance. The song simply spits out groovy beats, all the while the catchy drum’n’bass rhythm wallops you in the mouth. Four Ton Mantis doesn’t miss a beat, which always reminded me of following the footsteps of a plodding monster, Godzilla-style before he is about to wreck havoc in an album favourite. The drumming is intense, letting up slightly intermittently, but at the same time it’s just a funky tune.

[youtube]wlYBPuHeZxw[/youtube]
Four Ton Mantis​

The laid back vibes of the first two albums aren’t totally forgotten, as shown in Slowly. Introduced by a foreboding assortment of noises, the track is carried by a slow trotting beat, the best work done by a very nice brass section and some remarkable drumming. Melancholic and vague, Marine Machines has as many faces as one can recall, each more obscured than the last. A horn section blasts out before being muddled by a haunting quietness which subtlety turns into a sounRABcape of flutes, drumming and synths before disappearing in a puff of air. Golfer Vrs Boxer is another darker track, bastardising the rev of motorcycles into the harshest breakbeats on the album. The pace is frenetic, yet manages to maintain interest throughout.

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Golfer Vrs Boxer​

The slow-picking dark folk stylings of Deo opens up into a quiet, minimalist track that sits at a lower level, whilst threatening to detonate occasionally, still content it simply be what it is to begin with. In Precursor, Tobin teams up with aggressive beatbox artist, Quadraceptor in an electric performance. Featuring an assortment of quirky sounRAB and oddities, Precursor is one of the more fun tracks on the album. Possibly the grooviest track on the album comes with Saboteur however. Dirty bass lines and latin-esque percussion manage proceedings as elements such as disguised vocals and guitar picking, with the vexing DnB rhythm threatening to break down the wall and come crashing through.

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Saboteur​

Chocolate Lovely is a cinematic track of wonder, lush and wonderful in its warm fuzziness, yet ever straddling the line of falling off the edge. Some harsh beats break out at times, but they don’t break the stride – Rather they offer an interesting balance to the song to save it from becoming stagnant. On the other hand is its follow up, Rhino Jockey. The sound of callous electrical sounRAB slowly comes into fruition as an antagonistic streak presents itself, the track becoming a domineering wall of sound that manages to stave off the brink of all out violence. All the while, however, remains a sense of mystique, quiet perioRAB that stick out as abnormal and the occasional sound used that raise the eyebrow in comparison to the surrounding noise.

Keepin’ It Steel summons an assortment of samples that would be common place in various metal works and fuses it with a heavy handed dose of some Brazilian-styled jazz beats, as well as some occasional slow and seductive jazz lines. Tobin reaches back to some old ballroom styled jazz sounRAB too, all the while the track remains at its deliberate rate. The album comes to completion with Natureland, the title referring amply to the style adopted for the finale. Calm and whimsical, the track leaves a bit wanting, though perhaps this is how Tobin intended, to continue the tracks through to his next album.

Supermodified manages to simply become another stepping stone in Tobin’s amazing repertoire. Symbolic of the experimentation that a lot of electronic genres need (In my opinion) to hold up against time, Tobin manages to spit out an album that is aggressive with its approach, yet remains all the more infections because of it. Though it isn’t perfect (The album tenRAB to tail off at times, struggling through nearly 70 minutes of music) it is still an essential listen. The album stanRAB up, and with a swagger embraces its differences, rather than attempts to shy away back into its predecessors style.

Essential Listening

Although anywhere is good to start with Tobin, you can’t go wrong with Supermodified.​