Reviews (23)

The best of drill-and-bass
Tom Jenkinson aka Squarepusher has been through a lot in his brief career. Starting with his Spymania drum&bass tinged releases through his fusionesque "Music is Rotted One-Note" and to his current uneasily categorized electronica, Squarepusher has kept listeners guessing, and rarely bored. This American release is a collection of 3 of his 'drill & bass' EPs from the late 1990s (for lack of better description): Port Rhombus, Vic Acid, and Big Loada. This CD contains what I think is the best of this era of Squarepusher, though Hard Normal Daddy is nearly as good.

Squarepusher, whether or not you enjoy his music, is an amazing programmer/sequencer. His drums, unlike typical drum & bass, rarely loop, and are constantly changing in sound, rhythm, and at times, speed. This is most evident on tracks like 'A Journey to Reedham,' which also features a strikingly pretty synth line, 'Tequila Fish,' and 'Come on My Selector,' the album's hit, if it has one (the CD also contains an excellent video for this song, directed by Chris Cunningham, director of superb Bjork and Aphex Twin clips). Squarepusher is known as something of a bedroom musician: All of these songs were created in his home, and one has to wonder how much time it took to make these incredibly intricate songs. The only real problem with this, and all of Squarepusher's releases, lies in his bass-playing. Squarepusher likes to add live bass to some of his songs, and unless you are a fan of his Jaco Pastorius-style funky bass-playing, which I cannot say that I am, it sometimes is a little too much. Luckily, on Big Loada, it rarely gets in the way.

Admittedly, I have grown out of touch with Squarepusher; his most recent release, Selection Sixteen, has left me worried that his best work is past him, though I wouldn't put it past Mr. Jenkinson to pull a fast one on me. But this album was my introduction to electronic music, and easily my favorite of albums of this genre of eletronica. I think the first seven tracks (the Big Loada EP) stand best as a solitary EP. All three EPs are available separately as imports, but that can get expensive. This American release is something a serious electronica fan cannot ignore.

Brilliantly crafted Intelligent Dance Music
Tom Jenkinson, like many of his labelmates, makes music that show us that electronic music doesn't always mean a consistent thump of bass over slowly changing harmonics. Tom Jenkinson's music is truly engaging in every sense of the word. It makes the listener actively absorb every facet and subtle element of the dense complexity of the music. Although, it is not to be said that listening to his work is arduous or exhausting, it merely allows for a deeper and more complete appreciation. Squarepusher is not for everybody, as is common in progressive music. Jenkinson creates thickly layered beats, rhythms and harmonies.
When one listen's to Jenkinson's beats it can conjure up the image of a hundred-armed jazz drummer. Much of it's influence is derived from that genre. Squarepusher's drill-and-bass take on that style of drumming is, although occasionally confusing, nothing short of brilliant. His ear for rhythm and the tweaking and manipulation of it is amazing.
On "Big Loada" Squarepusher somewhat departs from his often jazz-heavy music. There is a much more synthetic, mathematical feel. "Journey to Reedham (7 AM Mix)", one of the album's best tracks, is also unlike much of his previous efforts. This is so in the sense that it is much more happy and up-beat than even the more optimistic tracks on previous albums. The song conjures up the exact image it's title implies, one of being half-awake, on a road-trip, driving into the rising sun as it leaves the horizon.
"Come on my Selecter", another amazing track on the album is break-neck to say the least. This track moves like an amphetamine-soaked hummingbird. Meant, I am supposing, for club-goers who enjoy contorting their bodies and flailing their limbs at a million miles per hour. This track is a prime example of, like Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy", Jenkinson's devious and ironic tweaking of more mainstream musical genres. This one being the club-friendly electronica that warp artist are often the antithesis of.
"Big Loada" is a woderfully orchestated masterpiece of drill-and-bass. Squarepusher is one of those artists that goes largely unappreciated but is, although below the radar, reshaping electronic music as we know it.

This guy must have 2 brains.....
Squarepusher is genre-less. Sure, you can say drum and bass, but the jazz influence, the live bass playing, and the sheer chaotic perfection that is Squarepusher can only be described as that; Squarepusher. I love a whole lot of Squarepusher's work, but this one in particular. With songs such as Port Rhombus, so beautiful and groovy, Massif, Come On My Selector, and Journey to Reedham, I can't help but listen to these songs over and over and over again. And after I'm done, I pick up my jaw and walk back into the world of musical mediocracy.

squarepusher.........god or musician?
Tom's cd Big Loada is one of the best things I have heard in a long time. If you are an electronic fan then this cd is a must. If you aren't then this cd still is a must. He is one of the most creative musicians out there and deserves far more praise than he gets.

Squarepusher's finest
In my opinion, this record is definately Squarepusher's best work of art. Simple yet complex is the best way to describe this. He combines his knowledge of nice funk/jazzy influence sounds and mashes that up with his knowledge of oldskool jungle style but in such a way that no one can put back together quite like he can. "Come On my Selector" video is also featured on this enhanced disk. A great addition to the LP. The timing is done so well and its funny too. Great video.

Tracks to definately check out on the LP are Come On My Selector, Full Rinse, Tequila Fish (My favorite SP song), and of course Port Rhombus. Some may argue that "Hard Normal Daddy" comes first but This is the fine starter for SP fans. ... Read more

Album Description

Working with a limited palette of guitars and piano, Eluvium dropped 'Lambent Material,' a masterpiece of aquatic drones and fractured neoclassical compositions, in 2002. He followed it a year later with a brief album of solo piano suites that turned everyone’s expectations upside-down. Not quite classical and certainly not ambient in the common sense, 'An Accidental Memory in the Case of Death' garnered the kind of jaw-dropping acclaim that typically overlooks like-minded minimalist artists. This was a breath of fresh air for Matthew Cooper, allowing him to dive deeper than ever before. Beneath the cold water glow, 'Talk Amongst the Trees' is a soundtrack for exploring the surface of your own ocean, slow-moving like the sand that runs through your fingers and incandescent like the most unique creatures of the sea. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

perfect late night drifting off record
Ambient music can really suck. Yeah sure, -all- music can really suck, but ambient music has a not so stellar history. The likelihood of music being actively touted as 'ambient' actually being closer to 'new age' is greater than we'd like to believe. I have been a bit spoiled, since my idea of ambient music includes most things drone, and lord knows there is no shortage of amazing drone music. So when a specifically 'ambient' record comes my way (especially one that vehemently defends itself against the perceived stigma of being labeled ambient) I am pretty skeptical.

No need with Eluvium, who over the course of several albums have demonstrated (like a select few before them) time and time again that ambient music need not be wimpy or boring, and in fact can be dark and deep and emotionally charged. The music of Eluvium on Talk Amongst The Trees has as much in common with Philip Jeck or William Basinski as it does Brian Eno or Tangerine Dream. Maybe more so. Slow, fuzzy melodies, constructed from processed guitars and pianos and voices, are stretched into blurry soundscapes, lazily looped into slowly shifting snapshots of long forgotten pasts, brief glimpses of barely there memories, stories told in smears of tonal color, emotions expressed in rumbles and reverberations. Eluvium manage to create a strangely luminous center to each song, a pulsing heart, whose glow suffuses the thick sonic sprawl around it, making the hazy and murky depths of each song breathe with hope and glow with a subtle warmth. So nice. A perfect late night drifting off record. Fans of Stars Of The Lid, Jeck, Basinski, Labradford, Eno, and other ambient luminaries should now add Eluvium to that list. If you haven't already.

warm and fuzzy
Matthew Cooper (aka Eluvium) has released one album per year now for the past three years, and they don't always fall into a neat cubbyhole. His first album Lambent Material showed a couple very strong cards in terms of ambient electronic music, while his follow-up of Accidental Memory In Case Of Death moved in completely different directions as a short release of improvisational piano pieces that was hit or miss in terms of quality but still managed to show something new from the young artist.

Talk Amongst The Trees moves back in the direction of the first release from Cooper, and in terms of overall flow and composition it's light-years beyond his first release. With eight tracks that run almost an hour in length, it's also much more grand in scope, and while some pieces probably run a smidge long, the overall effect of the album is lovely. The album opens with the soft haze of "New Animals From The Air" as delayed guitar loops drift over warm washes of sound for almost twelve minutes. "Show Us Our Homes" again feels right at home on a bed of clouds as wafts of backwards guitar and rounded-off feedback form a semi-transparent fog of sound.


The middle section of the album is easily the strongest, and it's because of tracks like "Everything To Come," in which the soft squalls of feedback seem to mingle with each other in just the right ways while the almost seventeen-minute epic of "Taken" induces trancelike behavior with its simple but highly effective guitar arpeggio that seems to climb and climb without ever really going anywhere. The beauty of the latter track is one of simplicity, but the suggested movement of the track (through subtle builds in the background layers of the track) is what keeps the listener involved.

While most tracks on the release are content to drift and wander through different variations on the same sorts of fuzzy, flickering themes, it's also a comforting release that works so well because it doesn't break out of the hypnotic spell that it sets for itself from the beginning. While Lambent Material had a couple amazing tracks, it was also somewhat inconsistent in terms of overall sonics and how it progressed. This newest release doesn't have that problem at all, as it continues through the same, slightly blurry realm during the entire running length of the album. There aren't a lot of surprises, but there aren't any letdowns either. If you like your ambient music shimmering, this is the album for you.

(from almost cool music reviews) ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's hard to imagine Aphex Twin having a more appropriately named label (Warp); fitting also that 26 Mixes for Cash should have such an honest title. Having passed off a random gabba track as a Lemonheads remix and not bothering to hear the Nine Inch Nails originals before handing over his mixes, Aphex Twin has historically proved a little wayward in his methods. Not so much remixing as recycling, Richard D James's method is not unlike flinging tracks into a garbage crusher just long enough so only the bare bones of melody and structure survive. Covering a decade's work, this stunning eclectic mix effortlessly flicks from cinematic ambience (Nine Inch Nails--"At the Heart of It All") and industrial pandemonium (Mescalinum United's "We Have Arrived") to squelching acid trance (his own previously unreleased acid edit of "Windowlicker").The disparate range of artists remixed is as remarkable as the music, with Mike Flowers Pops and Wagon Christ making unlikely bedfellows. Improbable yet inspired highlights come in the form of his haunting interpretation of David Bowie's "Heroes" symphony conducted by Philip Glass and the breathtakingly ethereal transformation of Curve's "Falling Free." --Christopher Barrett ... Read more

Reviews (40)

An instant classic 13 years in the making
Like house demigod (and fellow curmudgeon) Armand Van Helden, no examination of Aphex Twin's body of work is complete without considering his extensive remix work. This double CD compiles not all, but most of the best of that work. Obsessive Aphex completists like myself will lament the absence of this elusive jewel or that (or perhaps sigh with relief that the extravagant price they paid for it wasn't for naught), but I give this compilation a perfect 5 stars anyway because the album itself makes up such a stunning single piece.

You simply won't find a better testimonial to Richard James' musical genius, or the dizzying pace of its evolution, wrapped up in one package. It flows with inner logic and authority, taking the listener on a voyage of imagination from ambient to acid-tech to industrial to drill 'n' bass and back again. Not since Selected Ambient Works Volume II has Richard realized such a musical journey so completely, which is an even greater feat since it's a compilation of material dating back to 1990.

If you're not an Aphex fan, this album could well make one out of you. If you are an Aphex fan, meet your next desert island album.

varied, innovative and unique
This album is a catalogue of experiments in electronic sound, remixing WIDELY various artists and sonic textures to make a completely origional sound. This fine double disc (his most ambitious to date) showcases Aphex Twin's penchant for absurdity (Mescalinum United - We Have Arrived), drama (David Bowie & Philip Glass - Heroes), and sublime beauty (Seefeel - Time to Find Me, and The Gentle People - Journey). The music is at once scary, funny, numbing, exhiliritang, relaxing, irritating, beautiful, ugly, simple and utterly complex.
Interestingly, Aphex Twin has been known to pass off unrelated music as a remix, and critics have often pointed to this as a symptom of the inaccessable and intractable nature of electronic music. After all, if a 'remix' doesn't have to be made in co-operation with the origional artist, and it doesnt have to sound as much like the origional recording as a cover of a pop song would, then where can you draw the line at where one piece of music ends and another begins? And who gets credited for this music? How much do you have to change to call it a remix? How much can you change and still call it a remix?
26 Mixes for Cash is Aphex Twin's response to these questions; for no matter the source material, from pop songwriters like Jesus Jones and David Bowie, to electronic noodlers like Meat Beat Manifesto and Wagon Christ, ALL these remixes sound unmistakably like APHEX TWIN.
favorite track: (Gentle People - Journey)
*****
5/5

a little twisted
Just great. I am a fan of his music for quite a while and all of his records are special in their own way. Tracks with a little twist only RDJ can add. Sometimes a bit sinister, but thats ok for me! Most of his tracks are sertainly refreshing and energy boosting. A philosopher teacher once said: "to enjoy and appreciate the quality of sertain aspects (of whatsoever) you have to have rotten spots besides it". In case of some of the tracks ("ventolin" (medicine for asthmatic patiens) for example in which you hear a sample of a person hyperventilating), annoying bleeps, cracks and sounds are added in such way that when they fade away in a track you almost feel a releef....a contrast between serenety and rotten (no offence)

26 mixes for cash
The latest aphex twin release "26 mixes for cash" demonstrates that Richard James fans will pick up anything he releases regardless of the quality of the work.

Having already cemented his financial future, James questions the intergrity of any artist whom releases music for profit. It would appear that he believes that music, like art, should be created in hopes of the evolution the genre. James seems conflicted over his ascencion to near deity of electronic music. Being the reclusive genius that he is I feel that the title of this album is a joke that he finds very funny. Furthermore, I can't help but wonder what songs James has created and will never release to his frothing public as they may be much more dear to him than anything he recieved financial consideration for.

Aphex has not really pushed the boundaries since the Richard D. James album, and this album is no different. After finding out that NIN was going to be involved with this project my excitement quickly reached fever pitched as I immediatly purchased it. My excitement was quickly subdued as I began listening. While I was able to find a couple of tracks that I really liked, they did nothing to justify the price of a double album.

Different than his other stuff, but equally good
It took me quite a while to get used to this album, and for a long time it was my least favorite aphex twin album - but no longer. The reason I say its different than his others is that the tracks tend to be fairly long and relativley repetitive - also, some of them are just weird and/or obnoxious (Heroes, We Have Arrived). Lastly, since they are all remixes, they abound with melodies, voices, and sounds that didint come from Aphex Twin, giving the album a really unique flavor.

In my opinion, the best aphex twin album is selected ambient works 85 - 92 ... but now that i've lisened to 26 mixes for cash enough, i say its just as good or better than any of his other albums besides SAW 85-92, and it contains some of the most beautiful electronic music i've ever heard (Seefel - Time to Find Me, The Gentle People - Journey, Nav Katze - Ziggy, and The Beatnicks - Une Femme N'Est Pas un Homme all stand out to me as utterly gorgeous peices of music). ... Read more

Reviews (58)

Of All Places To Find Richard's Smiling Face
All three tracks have their merit for their own reasons. The title track is a bit of smarmy fun, best heard on quality audio equipment. It even reached top 20 in the UK! The accompanying video, protected with "HyperCD" is a subversive parody of exploitative rap videos, but the HyperCD element might ruin the experience for some (Why must we connect to an internet web site that may no longer be there, just so we can watch a locally-stored video?). Track two, "equation", is an experimental assault on the ears. What most people don't know is that if you run an audio spectrum scan on this track, you will see the devilish smiling face of Richard D. James himself right near the end. There are other images that are debateable. This EP finishes off with a nice melody, "Nannou", which is excellent on technique, but I would have liked to hear an alternate instrumentation for this; A music-box's tinny, un-tuned tines apparently degrades beautiful tunes.

5 stars for the title track alone
First of all, although this is a three-track single, I've never heard the last two songs. (I downloaded "Windowlicker" on Napster). They could be fantastic songs, or they could be the worst things ever pressed onto CD. I don't know.

However, the single still gets a 5-star rating simply based on "Windowlicker". The song manages to combine glitch-style IDM production, 70's funk, modern R&B, and distortion into something that sounds like nothing else ever made. It sounds like a sleazy slow-jam mutilated by a Powerbook. It's in a genre all by itself and is far ahead of any other music I've heard, but is still very listenable and even catchy (I've found myself humming bits of it often). I've listened to a lot of Aphex Twin's work (SAW 1, "Digeridoo", "On", "Ventolin", "Girl/Boy Song") and this is my favorite work of his. Blindingly innovative and yet very fun at the same time, "Windowlicker" is a must-have.

what explicit lyrics?
i'm at a loss to find the explicit content which the parental advisory sticker on the cover warns. perhaps aphex twin's devilishy grinning face super imposed on a buxom beauty's bod is what the warning is about or maybe the link to chris cunningham's video which would have been naughty if it wasn't so downright disturbingly funny.

windowlicker is by far aphex twin's best and most commercial release without compromising any of his skills that makes him such a talented musical genius. sounding like a warped soundtrack to a porno movie, windowlicker writhes and contorts its way to the fuzzy electric guitar climax. the only track worth the cost of the EP! (formula) or (equation) or a bunch of unpronounceable scribble starts of strong but falls short at the end and we hear more nannou style musicbox twinkling to last us a lifetime on drukqs.

five stars for windowlicker alone.

As the saying goes: "Two out of three ain't bad."
Windowlicker is Richard D. James' sexiest work. As you've read over and over beforehand, it's comprised of oohs and aahs set to a porno-esque track. What they fail to mention is Aphex Twin's trademark polyrhythms, everchanging song structure and engrossing melodies are present, making this song much more than just unique - it really is one of the greatest electronica songs ever made. AFX certainly sets a very pornographic atmosphere in Windowlicker, right up to the climax of the song, indeed, a musical orgasm. It's one of those rare tracks you can pinpoint and say "This - this right here, this is proof that this Richard D. James is a genius."

The next track, which I will be calling [Complex Mathmatical Equation], is the thematical flip side of Aphex Twin, but musically not very far off. The song pumps and jumps from section to section with ease, but instead of luring you in with lusty moans and sighs, it sharpens its teeth with its abrasive noises, sinks them into your skin, and drags you in, reminicent of Ventolin. This is a cool listen initially, as its harsh qualities are intriguing. Unfortunately, this song doesn't age well, and once the novelty has worn off, it becomes a chore to listen to. This is the only mediocre track on the single.

Nannou is a gentle, yet energetic closer that makes you feel at home with its usage of a music box. Not just for melodies mind you, but the cranking of the box is incorporated as well, most effectively. This really lulls you to the realization that a single - a 15 minute single - indeed CAN have the impact of an album. I'd say this is very close to upstaging the title track, had Windowlicker not been so bizarre. A very pleasing closer to a single with a sultry headliner and a rotten core.

mediocre in comparison but deserves a little credit
A decent Aphex Twin release, some of his more mediocre (but not migraine-inducing)work but I must be a little lenient considering this is only a single. The title track, though no "Come To Daddy," has some clever rythmic effects that do the trick without completely dissolving into nonsense ; though the droning and intentionally out-of-tune vocals can become monotonous by the later half of the song. The second track is not well structured but has some interestingly dark noises, while the last track is definitely the best. Nannou, the final track, is worth buying this whole CD for if you're already an Aphex Twin fan and have some extra cash to blow. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Shiny
With their first record, 2002's Farhenheit Fair Enough, Joshua Eustas and Charles Cooper created a loyal fan base through touring and implementing the most useful instrument to any artist; word of mouth. Telefon Tel Aviv's elegant complexities of brash electronics combined with the duo's guitar and piano ambience came at a perfect time when down tempo was becoming predictable and the popular IDM sounds from the West Coast were slowly fading. Farhenheit's orchestrations allowed the listener to assign their own emotions, making it the foreplay to their second full-length album.

With their second album, Map of What is Effortless, Eustas and Cooper mark their return with a palate that is significantly stronger and more assertive via forceful guitar chords and the addition of voice. If Fahrenheit Fair Enough was their foreplay, than Map of What is Effortless is clearly TTA's attempt to finish what they started. The vocals of Damon Aaron and Lindsay Anderson leave no question that TTA is ready to present a more visible and wider range of emotional highs and lows alongside their instrumental speak. The gentile creativity of Farhenheit still looms, however the duo explores more raw, frontal sounds as with, "What it is Without the Hand that Wields It", a track that is closer to the likes of Aphex Twin than the TTA previously known. The layers of heart wrenching simplistic guitar strokes, computerized crunches and dramatic vocals of 'What it was will never again' perfectly summarizes this album's overall strengths in an audio and characteristic context.

The obvious audience favorite will be Effortless' first single, 'My Week Beats Your Year.' It's clap ridden rhythm back dropped into Anderson's popishly seductive vocals are enough to move hips and turn the heads of the music elite all in one spin. However, the dance fever of the single should not cloud what Eustas and Cooper are doing on the rest of this album. Sequentially laid out, the songs all lead to an emotional destination that is left for the listener to point towards. There is an obvious map of human emotion being drawn here; one that is much more dramatic, blatant accessible than that of Fahrenheit's. As with any achieved successor, Effortless takes the duo in a new and challenging path of keeping the auditory satisfaction interesting. If Effortless is the temperate foreplay's follow through, than Telefon Tel Aviv's love affair with us has just begun.

Flow and Meander
I noticed the previous reviews for this album were short and didn't tell enough. So I shall elaborate. This album is flavored towards IDM. Intelligent Dance Music. The sound is a mix of blibs and smooth atmosphere melded together by welders who are masters of their trade. This is an album that needs to heard as a whole. The sound flows and builds on itself through out the whole album, as if one is traveling a round trip. I've found I can put this album on repeat while working and not get tired or hearing the cd play over. This album is not background noise however, it is very well engineered beats that define a new step in electronic music. For a while I was afraid electronic might stagnate, but this album holds a promise for its continuence due to its evolutionary new concepts. Give this album your ear. You won't be disapointed.

good one
this album is kinda different from the 1st one..it has more vocal..which i think its great..buy this..this a very good album to listen while you laid back smokin stuff

good chill
I love the electronic blips and bleeps masked by the guitar and bass over lays. I also like the electronic/live drum feel. Great night cd. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Amon Tobin is awesome!
I had first heard of my now favorite artist from a movie that i saw. It was Menikmati, a skateboarding movie from eS, and i had to know about the music tracks. I looked them up, and two of them were "Sultan Drops" (from Permutation) and "Slowly" (from Supermodified). I immediately ran out to the store and bought whatever of his i could find, and was not disappointed! he is absolutely the most talented artist I've ever heard of, mostly because every track is different. On Bricolage, "Stoney Street" and "The New York Editor" are jazz, "Easy Muffin" and "Yasawas" are smooth mellow techno, "Chomp Samba" is drum 'n' bass, and there are many more styles i can't think of.

This Is What Breaking The Rules Sounds Like
First off, while my introduction to Ninja Tune was courtest of "Cold Krush Cuts," this is the first Ninja Tune disc that I picked up. And yes, this is what started my love affair with that label. The first time I heard "Stoney Street," (this CD's first track) I had to own a copy. As on his other albums, Tobin creates a surreal, teeth-grinding headtrip of dicey syncopation, unconventional rhythmic strategies, and creepy-crawly melodies, constructing unpredictable songs from both an eclectic batch of samples (both musical and vocal) and clever programming. Defying the easy pigeon-holing of genre, this CD is at times like jazz ("The New York Editor"), at times like drum-n-bass ("One Small Step"), at times IDM'ish ("Bitter & Twisted"), at times a happy whateveryouwanttocallit ("One Day In My Garden"), and at times refreshingly, comfortingly unfamiliar ("Wires & Snakes") -- and meanwhile, it's none of these things. (And to think, I bought it for "Stoney Street"...) Unpretensiously sophisticated and morbidly comic, this album is a real gem -- a truly lasting find and while you may not listen to it everyday, it'll become difficult to go long without it. In terms of mood, you can certainly dance to it, but you'll feel equally comfortable popping it into your stereo and letting run its own ambient course while you have a drink with friends and discuss the quote by Levi Strauss included in the linder notes.

So, if you're looking for a CD that pulls off a fusion of jazz and/or samba rhythms with EDM *or* already enjoy the sphere of (say...) intelligent DNB (such as Photek), this may very well be the perfect CD for you.

How has this not been reviewed yet?
Buy it. Now. If you don't have this, you're wasting time as we speak.

I'M LATE AS USUAL!!!
But "Bricolage" bares a review from me! I heard Amon Tobin's Bridges on the AstoBar CD from Water Music Records and was like, "HMMM"...but it didn't impress me enough to go out and by any of his stuff. It was not until my utter boredom with today's so-called electronica and my sudden revelation that my compilation CDs really aren't all that great, that forced me to sample other "alternatives" of music. Amon Tobin was the first person to come to mind. After sampling only :30 of his stuff online and at my favorite record store (really not enough time to get a true feel for a CD--Amazon, you guys should extend samples to at least a minute--but, I digress!), I was like "Oh, No! Cheerleader music!" Taking a dare, I went ahead and got "Bricolage" and I haven't stopped listening to it since its purchase. I was shocked to realize that Amon Tobin wasn't a bunch of recycled, mainstream crap that you hear on teen movie soundtracks and video games, but instead a cacophony of utter brilliance from every music genre out there! The man utilizes so many styles of music together that it makes your head spin! Why didn't I get hip to this guy sooner?!?!! I'll go down the list of what I think of each song, bare with me:

1. Stoney Street- an amazing jazz selection!
2. Easy Muffin- takes you on a journey into trip-hop!
3. Yasawas- an ambient groove that Tobin masters very well!
4. Creatures- OK, this song is creepy, but in a good way!
5. Chomp Samba- this song is creepy, too, and full of octane!
6. The New York Editor- cute lil' stroll along number! Love it!
7. Defocus- inspired weirdness!
8. The Nasty- is just that..."nasty!"
9. Bitter & Twisted- OMIGOD!!! THE BEST SONG ON HERE!!!! Dig the bass line!
10. Wires & Snakes- OMIGOD!!! THE 2ND BEST SONG ON HERE!!
11. One Day In My Garden- Is that Bossa Nova I hear, mixed with D&B?
12. Dream Sequence- They're baaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!!!!!!!!

13. One Small Step- experimental genius!
14. Mission- High Voltage finale!!!

I don't think there's a song on "Bricolage" that I skip, because I usually can "feel" them all! Amon Tobin is a genius, right up there with the likes of Matthew Herbert, Boards of Canada and Mr. Scruff as far as mastering styles of music as if he was the originator. I also bought "Supermodified", and heard "Permutation" and his most recent release is pretty good--both of which I shall get, no doubt! I'm glad I got hip to Tobin--the guy is really the SHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Godly
that's all I have to say, this is my favourite CD ever, after Endtroducing. Best mix of Jazz and D 'n' B. ... Read more

Album Description

Warp U.S. reissue at a midline price of this Autechreclassic. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Possibly Autechre's less interesting work...
I had gotten this album a little bit after buying Tri Repetae++, Draft 7.30 and Confield (which made me an Autechre fan, I just couldn't get enough of the weird noises of that album) and after having taken a quite large amount of listens at it, I just am not impressed. I really tryed liking this record, but I just can't embrace it like almost every other Autechre album I currently own. There's something clearly missing in the execution of the tracks here.

The album's beginning shows great premise; Cipater is an angry up-beat industrial number that morphs halfway through into an incredibly dislocated and interesting drum pattern with a sparse melody mixed in whilst Rettic AC is a short, yet immensly enjoyable static grunge that features incredibly scary synth pads. Tewe has a nice percussion track that keeps clicking at various time intervals through the song's 6 minutes. Cichli is an actually catchy tune, featuring a 5/4 drum track over which various melodies start overlapping each other and forms an haunting finale.

Things go downhill from here though. Hub is an attempt to simulate an abandonned warehouse setting and the melody do fit the bill, but the drum track is unnerving and never changes through the whole's song length. Most other tracks suffer a similar fate and are way too repetitive or abrasive to be actually ambient. Recury kicks off with a drum loop and a 3-note melody which never changes through the song (and it lasts close to 10 minutes!) whilst Nuane is harsh-sounding and not really interesting neither. For a 13-minute long track, it just has not enough ideas to stay interesting.

In the end, if you are a Autechre fan I'd say you should still listen to that album. The first half of the album is actually great and even surpasses Tri Repetae in terms of quality, but the rest of the album is pretty much forgettable mostly due to the huge amounts of repetition in the latter tracks. This is also definitely not a starting point for Autechre's newcomers, your best bet would either be Incunabula or Tri Repetae++. These are their best, yet more accessible releases.

One of my favourite Autechre CDs
This is Autechre's 4th album. It's absolutely excellent. While it is quite harsh in sound, it shouldn't take long to warm up to it if you already are into IDM. Otherwise, you may wanna get something like Tri Repetae.

This album shows Autechre exploring more of the industrial sounds they started to experiment with on Tri Repetae. They sound like a completely different badn though. Everything is just gone so much... "more". The beats are harsher, and more abstract and more complex and some even use unusual time signatures making them hard to follow.

The melodies are darker and more beautiful than ever before. They just sound more mature, and more unlike ANYTHING you've heard before. They also experiment with odd song stuctures.

Although I like ALL the songs, I'd say the highlights are Cipater, which has a rather groovey industrial, crunchy beat and a nice change up half way through. Cichli, although repeatitive is INCREDIBLY beautiful. Hub is also very beautiful and majestic, suprisingly short as well. And Nuane is just plain cool... gives me the same feeling when techno and dance was cool. Even though it's not beautiful, it's just cool.

Overall, I highly recommend you get this if you are into IDM.

Les humains ne sont pas concernés
J'ai toujours un petit pincement (robotique, bien entendu) au coeur lorsque je pense à "Chiastic Slide". C'est mon premier album d'Autechre et celui qui, comme vous vous en doutez, m'a convaincu à me procurer TOUT d'eux.

Ici, le son plutôt "ambiant" de Tri Repetae+ évolue subtilement vers quelque chose d'encore plus chirurgical, abstrait et foncièrement inhumain. On dirait de la musique créé par des robots POUR des robots. Dès les premières secondes de l'album, on est propulsé dans l'univers si particulier d'Autechre, avec tous ces effets machinaux, ce triturage excessif et ces "drones" incessants qui viennent nous hanter les tympans.

Un véritable must !

grows on you
I guess this goes without saying, but Autechre's music is really strange. For the longest time I didn't like it; it sounded too cold and mechanical. Then I started to like certain tracks off Tri Rep and Incunabula, and when I purchased LP5 I was instantly impressed. The paradoxical thing is, I think their music is so intriguing because it always leaves you dissatisfied on some level. I return to their music again and again, not because it has addictive hooks, or because it's emotionally moving, but because it can seem willfully oblique, pretentious, brilliant, underdeveloped, overly macho, touching, and immature, often all at the same time. Even now, though I own more of their albums than any other electronic artist, can I say that I love Ae's music? Not really. Some of it, especially Confield, I find near unlistenable (in the sense that the pain far outweighs the pleasure). Is it because their music is always brilliant but difficult? Again, no. Some of their music is quite boring, some of it comes across as childish. But at their best Sean and Rob capture something no other electronic artist can, something visionary and damaged.

Anyway, this is one of their best albums, but as others have noted, it is not for beginners. Or maybe it is, for ones with patience and sophistication. All in all, I would say this is their most "feminine" album, in the sense that it has great melodies, and it almost feels like something is gestating within the music, or that the music comes from a pullulating electronic rainforest (especially Pule). It has a lot of static, "crunchy" and analog sounds, which gives it a warmer feel, that contrasts nicely with the snappy and often harsh beats.

The best tracks to my ears are Cipater, Rettic AC, Cichli, Calbruc and Nuane. Everyone talks about Cichli, and I like it too, but it is somehow too obvious and irritating after a while. I'd like to recommend Calbruc, which like Cichli starts out harsh and ends with fragile strings, but is to my mind the better of the two tracks.

Nuane deserves special mention. It's a stunning track. Imagine you're standing in the middle of the desert when suddenly a vibrant parade passes by, led by drummers but eventually with wild dancing, lurid floats and confetti, eventually receding into the distance. Perhaps it is the "pied piper" Ae track, leading the faithful on to the more sinister terrain of following albums. To me it's one of Ae's most positive - even inspirational - tracks. Someone here said it sounds evil, but I disagree; to me, it sounds defiant, buoyant in an unsentimental way, as if saying "yeah, life is difficult, but we are going to party, d*mn it!" Nuane fades out it into a single tone, that seems fitting at the eight minute mark, but overstays its welcome by the twelve minute mark. That's another thing, Sean and Rob are ornery guys, so several tracks here may try your patience, especially Hub, Recury, and Pule. Still, it's worth sticking with it - its a grower.

On a side note, in terms of the "best starter album" in Ae's ouevre, I'd like to say that Tri Repetae++ is not one of my favorites. Strangely everyone seems to praise it, but I didn't like it much when I bought it, and I still don't (the Anvil Vampyre and Garbage EPs are tasty though). I'd start with Incunabula and LP5, then depending on which style you prefer - ambient or experimental - move on to Amber or this album, respectively. Why not?

Possibly the moodiest Autechre album....
I don't agree with most of the critics of Chiastic Slide, indeed I would go as far as to say that it is the most satisfying of all the full-length albums the band has done so far. While LP5 and Tri Repetae are certainly forces to be reckoned with, I find that there is something so emotional about the metallic clanky beats and faraway claxon hums and static pads of Chiastic Slide that it seems to leave those other two pinnacle albums looking somewhat impotent...
Chiastic Slide sounds like the consummation of the early period of Autechre, where they had taken the dark hardware machine beats as far as they could be taken, not in terms of aural wreckage but in terms of just raw feeling. After Chiastic slide, Autechre began to evoke less grandeur and more inward chaos... it began to sound less like immense machines and more like artificial intelligences of quasi-physical design. Confield was a bit of a return to the machines, as was the second half of EP7 (another personal favorite), but no album since Chiastic Slide had really captured these particular vibes so well.
A lot of critics point to the middle tracks of the album, which feature beats that really don't evolve much throughout the track, but I find that these tracks are the ones that carry the most emotional weight and really envelop the listener. By the time the tracks end, they have gathered so much sonic dirt, light and glory that an entire new world has been created in your ears. These are the things that bring me back to Chiastic Slide over and over again, and these are the things that should be praised on this fantastic album. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Thick fractals of bloops, blips, flutterings, and kerrangs are combined on EP 7, Autechre's least textural, most rabidly experimental release yet. At this point, Autechre's music pretty much exists within its own, idiosyncratic subgenre of the experimental techno subgenre. Their music invites hyperbole rather than external comparison: one could easily imagine that the discordant bleeps of track 4 are the sound of R2D2 flipping out on angel dust or that one segment of track 9 captures the demon baby from It's Alive devouring a microphone. While some tracks approach sublime chaos--where a dense, hard-to-grasp internal order is revealed after multiple listens--most of the pieces are perfectly content to resemble indecipherable alien transmissions. EP 7's 60 abstract, knotty minutes will clear most any dance floor but, by sheer force, cleanse the brain of all but the most primitive functions. It's fabulous. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (63)

Fantastic, Not "Noise" by any Stretch of the Word.
Yes, this is considerably more "noisey" and chaotic than Incunabula or Tri Repetae ever were, but _EP7_ really is no more amelodic than some of the stuff on Aphex Twin's _Richard D. James Album_. The rhythms and melodies that have always been a gift of Autechre's are still there, rest assured, albeit a tad "buried" in layers of staticy and metallic samples that, in themselves, do nothing but bolster the music's strength by providing atmosphere. They themselves possess recognizable patterns as well, and this makes for some extremely hard to follow, complex songs(a notable change for a band that based its first three LPs on a standard of stark minimalism).

If nothing else is to be said, it is that EP7 resembles _none_ of the previous Autechre releases(save perhaps it's parent LP); it has neither the rhythmic, jazzy IDM of _Tri Repetae_ nor the synthesized beauty of _Incunabula_ or _Amber_. I've always harbored the notion that these two had a hearty love of noisier, more off-putting music. Their re-mix of "The Killing Game" on a recent Skinny Puppy tribute album was anything if not incongruous with thier signature style(an impenetrable wall of flowing noise that I still fail to enjoy), coupled with the very fact that they even participated on Scumtron(the Merzbow tribute LP) first roused these suspicions in me, and now I see them confirmed, and confirmed in only the most glorious of ways.

There's precious little I can think of that resembles the music contained here. Perhaps early, noisier Kraftwerk(think Ralf und Florian) or Download when they still had Mark Spybey as part of their roster. Comparisons aside, this is incredibly original stuff, truly a masterpiece of electronic music. I can't say I've ever really heard song structures like this, and how they work I'm still trying to discern, but for now I'm happy to simply sit back and enjoy them.

There's a great deal of humanity displayed here, particularly toward the end, to answer a reviewer who stated that the group's new direction was soulless and mechanical. They do soulless and mechanical too, of course, but it works for the album, and not once sounds as if there weren't a pair of extremely talented, thoughtful musicians designing every blip and crunch.

I would easily call this Autechre's most original and probably most important release, but I will admit that I enjoy their others equally as well. _Incunabula_ and _Tri Repetae_ will always be regulars on my CD player, but I sincerely believe that this one was what it was all leading up to. With all the shifts in sound they've made already, each better than the last, I'm anxious to see how they plan to top _EP7_. I wish them luck. They'll need it.

A tale of two albums.
It is almost impossible for me to review this album as a single entity. The simple fact of the matter is that the first half of EP7 is absolutely terrible and the second half is quite good. Authechre have recently delved into less organic sounds and more complex musical structures. Their recent self titled album worked because the disparate sonic elements still came together to make compelling tracks that were greater than the sum of their parts. The entire first half of this album, up until the track Liccflii, sounds like Booth and Brown threw a lot of grating sounds together with little consideration for their interaction or overall structure. Ccec is especially annoying with its wierd incoherent babble and twitchy bleeps. From track 7 on, the album is more focused and more attention seems to be given to the stucture and sound of the compositions. These tracks finally make us understand the point behind Ae's sonic experiments even if they don't quite satisfy our lofty expectations. It saddens me to say that this is a very disappointing album from Ae, especially after the maddeningly complex and beautiful LP5. Still, I have to applaude them for being so daring and having the skill to make even SOME of these tracks work.

one of my favorite autechre cds
This is one of my favorite Autechre albums so far. I feel there is better cohesion and progression on this record than some other Autechre albums.

The album starts off sort of slow, subdued, and rigid, then picks up and eventually climaxes at 'Maphive 6.1.' The rest of the record is resolution. I feel 'Maphive' is the most accessible track on the album, and a true standout amongst Autechre's canon. Most of the other songs on the ep really fit within the context of the record, and may not make any sense standing on their own.

That said, I'd suggest Amber and possibly Chiastic Slide first if you are new to Autechre.

This ain't no easy ride
EP7 was originally released in two parts but has been put together for our enjoyment and well it takes a bit of getting used to that's for sure! Guzzling, clicky, fizzy computers that at first will only make itself heard better on computers since ( it seems ) that there are encoded sounds that will let itself be known to computers. It's not exactly easy listening for people - in fact people who like Merzbow might enjoy this more than those who liked Incunabula or Amber. But with repeated listening the songs come together and it proves that for all the probing and prodding and poking that Autechre do to the wires of their computer systems, the music comes out in the end. Well worth the slog in the end but don't expect something instantly accessible

spiky, impenetrable, delicious
the cover art for this album is probably the most strikingly appropriate I've encountered for any album since ok computer. It depicts an alien, mechanical, vaguely threatening but overall unclear form that seems to be wriggling into existence spontaneously (i.e., constructing itself rather than being birthed). The mixed feelings of awe, curiosity, and uneasiness that I feel when looking at this picture are a good summary for the feelings that EP7 evokes in the listener.

Ultimately, what autechre seems to be doing with this album is somehow reinventing the utterly stale and banal "techno-dystopian-future" schtick that's been done for the last decade or so by scores of mediocre electronic artists. The trick here I think is that they do it by completely omitting the human element. In short, this is an album that gets you inside the head of the machine.

This makes for a rough first couple listens, especially if you're not familiar with autechre's other stuff. Some tracks, such as "left blank," appear to have nothing going on in them whatsoever beyond scrapes, clicks, and occasional rushes of air. But as one reviewer wrote of a different autechre work, there's an epiphany to be had, lurking in this album-- and I think the listener's changing feelings towards "left blank" are a microcosm of this epiphany. At some point, after two, three, or several listens, the track just *pops out* at you, like a 3D magic-eye drawing -- and suddenly right before you, there's a mad cyclone of jagged, clipped bits of beats.. like being in a sandstorm, only with tiny fragments of glass and silicon, and no less punishing.

If such descriptions strike you as insane, don't worry... they are. But give this album enough listens to get under your skin, and I guarantee you one day you'll find yourself grasping about for your own metaphors to enclose, capture, and name the experiences this album evokes.

I'd be curious to hear what you come up with. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Electronic at it's finest
First let me say this - The artists and tracks that Urb magazine has pulled together on this compilation are definitely good music. But I would not call this a definitive guide to electronic music. There are definitely other bands that put out good electronic music at the time. But I guess you can only fit so much good music on an 80 minute CD (76:43 to be exact). That being said, let me give a short run down of the awesome tracks on this CD:
1. The Prodigy - Poison: gets better with age - Prodigy is definitely an essential - powerful lead in track for this CD
2. DJ Icey - Big Ditch: Icey is nice and dicey on this track
3. The Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin Beats: might have been played one too many times but it rocks every time you here it
4. Future Sound of London - We Have Explosive: the original is a good track and this remix is even better
5. Rabbit in the Moon - O.B.E.: This is how down tempo is done
6. Wink - Higher State of Consciousness: I would call it the anthem of acid funk - my favorite track
7. Keoki - Caterpillar: the driving beat and guitar sounds make it worth listening to twice
8. Underworld - Born Slippery: a sticky tune with a beat that makes you move to the music
9. CJ Bolland - Sugar is Sweeter: a very surprising track with some nice lyrics
10. Orbital - The Saint: shows the best side of Orbital with airy flute sounds and a nice bass line
11. The Orb - Toxygene: the comeback of the orb - a good ambient dub
12. Goldie - Inner City Life: good ambience - nice vocals
13. Reprazent - Share The Fall: the airy flute at the beginning leads to a good beat
14. Portishead - Sour Times: another good ambient dub
15. Everything But The Girl - Before Today: the best vocals on the CD with a hint of drum and bass
16. Crystal Method - Busy Child: one of the most played by the crystal method, but makes for a good driving last track

Hope this helps in making your choice to add this CD to your electronic collection. Now that I own Urbal Beats Vol. 1, 2, & 3, I can say that Vol. 1 is probably the best.

It opens the door to more!
The CD was great, not only do I listen to it but it opened up the door for me. I went out a bought the CD's of the Artist that where on it. I am new to this music but it is great! I love it! Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Rabbit in the Moon, The Orb, Goldie, Ronie Size, and Crystal Method are real good CD's to look into if you like this too.

Electronica 101?
Obviously these 16 songs aren't all you need to know about electronica. I could think of another 16 right off the top of my head. BUT, this all good, and one of the better collections to come out of 1997. You got your big names like "Chemical Brothers", "Prodigy", and "Crystal Method", along side some more unknowns which is nice. Three of my favorites are the tracks by "DJ Keoki", "Underworld", and "CJ Bolland". All are excellent. I could have dropped a few of these myself, but I'll let you decide which ones. Though no compilation is gonna be perfect, I would say this is almost there. By not having it, you might find yourself in "Sour Times".

Tecno Heaven
This CD is a mixture of songs from various artists. If you just started listening to techno, you'll really be hooked after hearing this one. Out of the three urbal beat CD's, This one is the best. Because of all the different artists. Highly reccomended. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent Introduction To Techno/Ambient
This CD contains some of my favorite tracks of the genre, including 'Block Rockin Beats', 'Rabbit In The Moon', 'Sour Times' and 'Busy Child'. Probably the best overall mix that I have encountered. A very few of the tracks are a bit grating/overly repetitive, so it doesn't quite deserve five stars (maybe 4 1/2). If you like the samples, you will like the rest of the disc! ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's the end of the world as we know it, and Dr. Alex Patterson is feeling just fine. Returning with his seventh release under the moniker of the Orb, the grandfather of ambient house and the master of transcendental techno has made the cheeriest album about millennial tension and apocalyptic craziness that you're likely to hear. Not since Prince's 1999 has the beginning of the end sounded like so much fun. With music industry institutions from MTV to Billboard rushing to proclaim that electronica is the next "next big thing," the contributions of veterans like Patterson and Richard James (a.k.a. the Aphex Twin) are being overlooked, while relatively slight talents such as the Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers are being lauded. Meanwhile, Patterson is at his turntables leading a new version of the Orb with Andy Hughes and Thomas Fehlmann, and the group is making some of the best music of its career.Over the ominous sounds of "S.A.L.T.," a paranoid Scottish preacher predicts that the number of the Beast described in The Book of Revelations is showing up on our credit cards. Elsewhere, a solemn voice intones, "The rocket is waiting," and a perplexed weather girl stumbles when she reads that temperatures tomorrow will be sub-zero, "continued mild." Throw in a snippet from Joe McCarthy's red-baiting Senate hearings and an hysterical commercial jingle with a bouncy chorus about "the youth of America on LSD," and you may find yourself rushing in a panic to the bomb shelter.Considering the subject matter, it's ironic that "Delta MKII," "DJ Asylum," and "Toxygene" contain some of the Orb's happiest hooks ever, as well as the uniquely fluid and jazzy mid-tempo grooves that have come to characterize the combo's live performances. Like the ravers who throw roof-top parties to greet the aliens in Independence Day, Patterson is going out dancing, and judging from the pleasantly disorienting swirl of sounds in his patented Orb mixes, he's probably high as a kite. And why not? In his warped but wonderful vision, the end of the world is just one more groovy trip. --Jim Derogatis ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Well....
I bought this album after being entranced by the Orb about two years ago, but it never quite impressed me as much as the first two albums did, and I eventually sold it to a used CD store. I wish I hadn't gotten rid of it... but I still can see why I did. The production is amazing, and some tracks (namely "Ubiquity", "Asylum", "Molten Love", and "Toxygene") are wonderful, but somehow the album just doesn't ever grab you like the best Orb does. Also, the songs are around 6-7 minutes or so on average - which is awkward. They aren't long enough to truly develop into a chilled-out groove and they're too long for dance-pop. So, not horrible, but it fell short of expectations. My advice: buy it, but buy it used or cheap.

The Orb Reinvented
One thing to understand is that The Orb is constantly evolving, and no one album sounds like the one that came before it. That having been said, this makes "Orblivion" even more stunning than it already is. Dr. Alex Patterson, along with Andy Hughes and Thomas Felhmann have created an epic leading into the new millenium. The lead off track, "Delta MKII", is a frenzy of bleeps and bloops and constantly changing percussion over samples about Communists and the military. A barrage of pinball machine leads us into "Ubiquity". A sweeping array consisting of a bouncy beats, a nice floating keyboard hook, and a multitude of crazy sounds. Quite a nice track. "Asylum" is a nice 5 minute break from the cranks and whirs of the first two tracks. Probably one of the standout songs on the album. "Bedouin" has a playful tribal vibe to it which dissolves into utter creepiness, and "Molten Love" keeps the closest ties to "Pomme Fritz" and "Orbus Terrarum". The short barrage of noise that is "Pi" brings us into "S.A.L.T.", a barrage of jungle beats over a Scot ranting about the apocalypse. "Toxygene", the first single from the album, is incredibly catchy and will make you want to get up and groove. There's yet another small noise track, "Log Of Deadwood", then we're lead into "Secrets". A relatively subdued track, this has to be heard to describe just how great it is. "Passing of Time" is a Pink Floydian epic for the '90s, while "72" is just quite simply, the youth of America on LSD.

This album seems to tie up everything The Orb has done. It manages to catch the ambience, randomness, and off key humor of "Pomme Fritz" and "Orbus Terrarum", while adding in the dance-like beats, catchy hooks, and utter bliss of "UFOrb" and "Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld".

Trippy music
From 1997 comes this Orbdelicious delight that I recently resurrected after a friend returned my copy. Well to use a cliche phrase from the 60's I'd have to say "What a trip!" That pretty much sums up this disc that I find to be not as good as the excellent "U.F. Off. The Best of the Orb." I love the Orb, it is music that is spacey, groovy and upbeat. Without going to much into the individual tracks suffice to say that the disc is like one continous pendium where the music infiltrates your mind and won't let go until you've heard it all. This is music to move to. Personally I find it the best music to listen to while rollerblading, moving along with the breeze cutting through your hair and the music slicing and dicing images in your brain. Any moving activity will do be it biking, driving a car or walking; it will make your trip a little more pleasant but dangerous as the sounds creep in and out through your ears. "Asylum" is a song that could be just as comfortable at a night club now as in a hippie-era dancehall with strobes and fluid liquid imagery bouncing off the walls. Beeeeeeuuuuuutiful baby! There are moments of dark pessimism like in "S.A.L.T." where an apcalyptic sermon delivered between the electronic wizardry can leave you feeling like the seven seals of Revelation have been broken. "Secrets" has a bit of a Middle Eastern flair as does "Bedouin" but the intangible likeness is blurred and rearranged in electronic madness. This is a conceptual disc that paints a surreal world of tommorrow, that came yesterday before there was tommorow, lost somewhere in the here and now of today. It is music to take a journey on, let your mind be your guide as you listen to the Orb opening up the passages. Recommended music for the head.

Big Beats, nice melodies, crazy samples - Can't go wrong!
This is like Future Sound of London meets Deee-Lite!

Crazy sounds and beats meshed with the sweetest, happiest melodies and chords. Dr. Patterson still uses his obligatory dub stylings and random voice snippets, so old Orb fans will not be dissapointed. But the beats are far heavier than "Adventures", or "U.F.Orb". In High School, I listened to U.F.Orb constantly. I don't know that I could ever listen to that record again... Ok, maybe "Tower Dub". This is my new favorite Orb record.

cheaply made CD
I love this album, but I am writing to warn potential buyers and those who own it already that the CD it is burned on is poorly made.

I take reasonably obsessive care of my CDs but a small scratch on the label side had caused my copy of Orblivion to skip in an endless jackhammer loop.

Therefore I advise those who buy it to make a backup copy-- I sure wish I had. In the meantime I'll be hoping one of my friends has one for me to copy. ... Read more

Reviews (44)

eEL's underground culture music review
Tom Jenkinson pulls the plastic wrap over our heads again with this timeless gem. The warped drum 'n bass stylings which always seem to use that jazzy undertone, pull us into the music that only Tom knows how to keep time with. This guy is one of the few who actually hang out musically with Richard D. James of Aphex Twin. This album is full of the signature twisted sampling and amazing beat structures that makes "raver music" look like kittens dancing on razor blades. A true master of the genre and he even plays a live bass guitar to the music in some cases. (You can watch on squarepusher.com)

Track 7 on the CD, "Greenways Trajectory", differs from the rest. It seems to be a sound collage or jam session of sorts. Beats and samples start out mellow and quiet then about halfway through the 7 minute track, the beat turns into a choatic mutation which, one after another, they travel faster and higher in pitch, and just when you think the pitch couldn't get any higher, it continues on until it sounds like what you would hear in an ear testing booth. A true mind molder in its own right.

Go Plastic is only a taste of the medicine this doctor prescibes, he has a few earlier releases of the same sort. Walk into the acid jazzed drum 'n bass world of Squarepusher... the mad scientist is waiting.

Completely unique and wonderful
Tom Jenkinson fans will remember the track "Don't Go Plastic" from his experimental Jazz album "Music Is Rotted One Note." As defined by that song and this album "to go plastic" means to have an artificial, synthetic, inhuman sound. That is exactly what he has done with this album, and it is a spectacular success.

If you're looking for easily listened, accessible music, you should probably warm up with something else, such as "Feed Me Weird Things" or better yet, "Burningn'n Tree." On "Go Plastic," Tom Jenkinson turns beats upside down, inside out and backwards in a fearlessly original sonic attack. There is nothing even remotely organic about this album.

The opening track, "My Red Hot Car," is simultaneously one of the catchiest and one of the most abrasive tracks of electronica ever recorded. I'm not even going to try to make an accurate description of it. Fortunately, Warp Records released it on MP3 a couple months ago, so you should be able to find it somewhere on the net. Listen to it. If you loved the "girl mix" of "My Red Hot Car" from the single however, this album might not be for you. The stops and starts, the jerky, remorseless breakbeats of the "boy mix" are what define "Go Plastic."

If I knew of any other albums similar to this one, I would compare them here, but I don't. I wish I did. Definitely not for everyone, but if you enjoy experimental drill 'n bass, this album has a fair chance of turning out to be a favorite.

Essential
'Go Plastic' is, in my opinion, one of the best albums of all time. If you've heard 'My Red Hot Car', and want the rest of the album to sound like it, i suggest you buy an N*Sync CD, take some sandpaper to it, and have it skip away. For those who want soft, synthy Aphex music with simple looped beats, don't bother either. This album is where the real genius lies - Squarepusher's deconstruction of old-school ragga d'n'b and his tightly controlled focus on disrupting musical convention are absolutely groundbreaking. There's no one in any field of music that can compete with the intricacy of this programming.

Aggresive, intelligent, and complex enough for months of nonstop listening.

my new favorite Squarepusher album
Lately, Squarepusher has been outdoing himself with every release (with the exception of Do You Know Squarepusher? - a hit-and-miss EP). This is my new favorite album of his. He is the only electronic artists who can stimulate my mind as much as some of the best jazz musicians. True to jazz, most of this album's drum tracks never repeat themselves - and at the frenetic jungle-like pace he sometimes achieves, I can only wonder how much time and effort must have gone into it (and that's just the drum tracks! Influenced, I'm sure, by hearing his dad play).

Squarepusher often utilizes effects and modulates the sounds he uses as much as the notes themselves as an output for his musical genious (with just as much spontenaity, intelligence, and creativity), taking his art to the next level. Even though I'm playing this album for the 30th-40th time, I still hear something new with every listen. He really takes advantage of the electronic music production environment and crafts his work to perfection.

A few of the tracks don't stand incredibly well on their own (this is no pop album), but they fit beautifully into the whole of the work. This is truly an album - when I listen to it I listen from beginning to end (with the exception of My Red Hot Car, which is a good way to introduce friends to the crazy world of Squarepusher).

If you like Squarepusher for his jungle-jazz side, this is the epitome of his greatest work - the fusion of his earlier head-nodding hardcore and drum-n-bass with his later adventures in spaced-out-acid-jazz and avant-garde synthesizerings. It is hard for me to write a review of this man's work with out using a bunch of hyphenated or made-up words, because there is no genre - no generic name - for the music. It is Squarepusher.

Expand your mind
Tom Jenkinson (squarepusher) has really made a work of art here. The first track 'driving in my redhot car' is truely amazing. I would recomend this album to anyone. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Nice listening music
Just have to listen to the music. Don't have to worry about it. Better than elaborate "good" music.

Great music to think to
I came here on amazon, typed in random words into the search bar, and this cd came up; i heard of them before from a friend but i never actually heard them. I got the cd from my work a couple days later, I was a little scared that the cd might suck since i never heard it before. I popped it into my cd player in my car, and i was like, "whoa" i really liked this music, it made me start thinking about thing, I really like music that incites thinking. Not the kind of thinking, that you start to wonder why did i buy this cd, but the kind of thinking about life, and why are we here, and what does music mean. I dont really want to get all philisophical in this review so i'll just keep it short and say, if you like music that makes you think listen to this.

A deep sonic experience!
First few listens were cool but it got old quik. some music has lasting power. This has an edge that is appealing however it just wears out...

If you like Boards of Canada,
then you'll like Casino vs Japan. The overall feel is incredibly similar NOT in the sense that they sound anything a like because they don't; but in the sense that Casino vs Japan, like Boards of Canada, creates atmospheric textures with softly rolling drumbeats buried underneath the sonic washes of sound. Otherwordly, atmospheric and ambient. You'll find yourself being washed away on waves of warm synthesizers while childlike melodies whisper softly in your ear. The two minute goose bump inducing 'moonlupe' is one of those tracks, short and dreamy. My personal favorite is 'em essey', a chills-up-my-spine inducing track with a beautiful haunting melody and slow crunchy beats. 'whole numbers play the basics' gets denser and more complicated with each consecutive track and grows on you the more you listen to it. It's one of those discs you can play if you're melancholy or ebullient, it suits every mood. A breath of fresh air in the often dark and dreary world of electronica.

drony and atmospheric
this release gives you the sense that casino versus japan used the same bank of sounds for every track but manipulate each track so expertly that they sound different with familar elements. it works, creating a consistent and linear disc. the only drawback is it can get a bit too "samey" sounding and you'll find that you have to put it away for a bit before pulling it off your shelf and re-enjoying it once again. a great electronica disc full of lingering melodies, melancholy percussion and soft beats. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This celebration of the British ambient-dance group's first 10 years is one for all electronic tastes. Whether you like your beats hard and fast or slow and gentle, U.F. Off has something for everyone, with each of the album's 12 compositions wrapped generously in the Orb's uniquely dubbed-out style. Orb aficionados will enjoy some new mixes of old favorites, such as "Little Fluffy Clouds" by LFC and "A Huge Ever Growing Brain..." by Orbital, while newcomers will be drawn by the timeless sunrise aura of "Blue Room" and "Pi (Part 1)." However, it is during the pulsating reggae throb of "Perpetual Dawn (Solar Youth Mix)" and the metronomic trance-floor classic "Assassin" that the Orb's richest identity shines. The first 15,000 copies come with a 12-song bonus disc containing further riches, rarities, and previously unreleased recordings. --Steffan Chirazi ... Read more

Reviews (16)

The Best of the Orb
This is the best of The Orb. It is an essential collectible for fans new and old. Since purchasing this CD in 1999 I have collected most of the main Orb releases, including the classic (unfortunately deleted) full version of Blue Room. I still come back to this CD often.

Here The Orb offers up its best; mixed perfectly. The CD includes rare tracks such as Assassin, Huge Evergrowing Brain, Blue Room, and Perpetual Dawn. The unreleased (and underrated) track Mickey Mars is only available here. The hidden Oxbow Lakes remix, at the end of CD1, is excellent.

The double CD offers music unavailable elsewhere including a 1997 live version of Little Fluffy Clouds and the Mickey Mars Red X remix. There are also rare gems including the fantastic Soul Catchers remix of Asylum. Side two is mixed well and is presented symmetrically to the first CD and makes the collection nearly complete.

Older fans may want more. The "Chocolate Hills" remix of Assassin is trimmed down to a minute and a half from fourteen. The edits of Blue Room are good, but fail to catch the majesty of the original that sent the standard for Ambient House music. Still, this album is a good representation of the group's body of work up to 1997. If are new to the Orb fan this CD might be the place the start and finish with The Orb.

Discovering the Orb
I had heard of the Orb before, basically from the "Hackers" second soundtrack, and I finally got the guts to pick up an Orb CD. Fortunately, I picked this one, for it is the perfect introductory album. I listen to a lot of techno, and it was great to once again find a quality group. Although the first few tracks seem very dancy (and they are), they are still very well done. Blue room is absolutely gorgeous. A few tracks later, toxygen and asylum provide more wonderful songs. And of course, mickey mars and towers of dub provide a different aspect of the Orb's skill. I now own Orblivion and Cydonia, both great albums (orblivion being one of the greatest techno albums ever). This is a good CD for anyone interested in the Orb or techo, or someone trying to discover new aspects of music. I give it a solid 90 percent.

Greatest hits
This is your typical greatest hits album. It didn't show me anything wonderful or new, but it has a bunch of 7" edits, which are great for mix cds. I like "Evergrowing..." much more when it is a straight ambient track, like it is on the album, but the mix is cool too. "Mickey Mars" is cool too, and the "Towers of Dub" mix is great. The second disc is a collection of remixes and rare mixes and stuff, great but not a must have.

A Three star album because I think it would be better to go buy all their studio albums instead of just this.

A good introduction to The Orb
I love techno music. I have been a techno fanatic for some time now. It really irritates me when people who don't like techno music has to criticize the music and try to shove their music down other dance fans like myself. A reviewer here wrote that he didn't understand why people listened to this sort of music. Well I like it because I love listening to music that doesn't get played on the radio. I also love to dance to this sort of music. I will pass on Pink Floyd and Eric Clapton. That sort of music bores me to death.

Back in college I had a roommate who was even a bigger techno fan than I was. He helped shape my taste in music by unwittingly introducing me to Moby, Orbital, Leftfield and Delerium. Another techno act he exposed me to was The Orb. Their music was nothing that I haven't heard before. It was a good mixture of techno and reggae, especially on "Perpetual Dawn" (my personal favorite song by The Orb). I bought "U.F.Off: The Best of The Orb" to familiarize myself with their music. It was definitely different from Moby, Orbital, and Leftfield to say the very least. Another favorite song of mine by The Orb is "A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating..." which takes a sample from the old Minnie Ripperton song "Loving You". Good use of sampling as opposed to any song by Poofy (my nickname for the former Puffy/P.Diddy). All the songs on both disc one and two are cool. I more akin to the first disc though. For people who want to check out The Orb's music but never have, I strongly suggest checking out their best of cd. It is a good introduction.

PI + 4:48 (Tr. 12) is THE reason for this comp.
A mix that covers -very lightly- a catalogue of tracks formented from the Land of OZ & beyond, it spectacularly hits the mark at 'PI'- Four minutes & Fourty-Eight seconds after the track fades, mind. It's a piano swimming through the ozone... or something. Whatever, it makes this compilation absolute. ... Read more

Album Description

Culled from the seminal Artificial Intelligence series, this was the debut release on Warp from Richard James, aka Aphex Twin. Surfing... sounds as refreshing today as it did almost a decade ago. This re-issue has two previously unreleased tracks 'Portreath Harbour' and 'Redruth School'. Standard jewel case. 2001 release. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Good, but not amazing... 3 and a half stars really...
I was in a local record shop a few weeks ago, and one of the guys working there pointed this album out to me... they had just ordered it in, and it was hidden in the back... anyways, I just HAD to buy it, cause I'm a huge fan of Richard D. James' work... My collection is small so far, but it's growing slowely... anyways, I played it, and it's ok... I love track 1, 2, 4, and others, but overall it's too dancy for me... now mind you, it's better then most dance music you'll encounter, but compared to his other releases, this is a mediocre release... I do like every song, except for Quoth (too damn annoying), but most of the songs I just like, and not love... anyways, if you're a fan of RDJ, then definately check this out if you find it somewhere, otherwise I'd suggest I Care Because You Do, or Come to Daddy to start out...

and a half stars! Another interesting one!
This is a great release from RDJ, but not as organic as his works under "Aphex Twin". This work is more like a rave, rather than an Ambient work. These you can dance to (awkwardly, at least).

The first 4 tracks are electronica bliss. Around the middle, you might become bored with it. Don't turn it off! The final two tracks recover the album as a whole.

If you don't know by now, Richard D. James (aka 'Aphex Twin, Polygon Window), is a pioneer in electronic music. He is responsible for the landmarks "Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2", and "I Care Because you do". This album is one of the last times he used self-made instruments to make techno, before switching to his "drill and bass" sound. Therefore, this work is a must have, that is if you are a collector.

If you are just a music fan, I suggest you look into his "Aphex" stuff first, and work your way to this one. Like all his other stuff, you may not like it at first listen. Give it time. It's really not as hard to get used to as SAW2. If you already like SAW2, this should be a piece of cake!

a little twisted
Just great. I am a fan of his music for quite a while and all of his records are special in their own way. Tracks with a little twist only RDJ can add. Sometimes a bit sinister, but thats ok for me! Most of his tracks are sertainly refreshing and energy boosting. A philosopher teacher once said: "to enjoy and appreciate the quality of sertain aspects (of whatsoever) you have to have rotten spots besides it". In case of some of the tracks ("ventolin" (medicine for asthmatic patiens) for example in which you hear a sample of a person hyperventilating), annoying bleeps, cracks and sounds are added in such way that when they fade away in a track you almost feel a releef....a contrast between serenety and rotten (no offence)

Don't buy 'expanded'- 2 tracks shorter than non!-
I guess this is what I get for not reading the tracklists) carefully enough. The so-called 'expanded' version of this cd is missing 'portreath harbor' + 'redruth school,' both of which are found under the "normal" release. The 'expanded' version is on WARP + TVT, and the (truly) expanded version is just on WARP. Don't I just feel like a schmuck? But seriously folks, don't make the same mistake.
PS- the 3 stars is because of the -2 trax; I haven't honestly heard an ugly or beautiful second of this disc yet, so this isn't a 'true'review.I'm sure it's all in the category of "Good, but Possibly Dated Early Works of a Genius"

or something.

An Essential IDM Classic
Polygon Window is one of Richard D. James' earlier pseudonyms, but more importantly, Surfing on Sinewaves is one of the first great IDM albums to be put out by Warp Records. Polygon Window is very different from Apex Twin's current output; it's a raw, moody, bleepy, and dark analogue bubblebath you'll want to soak in for hours. This album has influenced many artists such as Mu-Ziq, David Kristian, and Boards of Canada. If you loved Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Vol. I and II, you will definitely find a place for Surfing on Sinewaves in your collection. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Abstract junglist, leader of the illbient movement, or just plain organized noise progenitor: there's no denying New Yorker DJ Spooky's immense influence on the American experimental electronic scene. Songs of a Dead Dreamer is the first full-length testament to his position. The underground classic "Galactic Funk" (Tau Ceti Mix) clashes warm, breakbeat bass pulses with chaotic digital confusion. Other beefy numbers, like "High Density," are prime exercises in jungle and white noise interference, while "Juba" opts for slower breaks and offers a more intelligent and meditative ambiance. --Daniel Shumate ... Read more

Reviews (12)

One of the greater ambient pieces out there.
The New York City illbient scene has definitely paved the way for more ill/ambient artists still to come. Many people say that the ill/ambient scene is dead (the artsy types out there enjoy pronouncing an artform dead on arrival, it may make them appear to be on top of things) - a passing fad, so to speak. (WE and Subdub are still releasing fresh vinyl albums/singles/tools off of Theagriculture, Liquid Sky, and Asphodel, for you who claim that they have vanished).
DJ Spooky claims that the world is a mix, which is definitely the philosophy's adage - in that the listening to music is more than passive, its active dissection into your self, any sound can indeed be you.
The year is 2001, and I can fervently claim that this (along with Viral Sonata)is one of best ill/ambient albums out there, in that Spooky has effectively merged the spatial, sparse sounds of ambient music with the driving beat of hip-hop and dancehall reggae/dub to make a new product, a.k.a illbient music. I say that ambient music is still fairly vibrant, in that DJs/noise-progenitors can site this album (as well as Necropolis, and various releases by other artists from Liquid Sky and Asphodel, TheAgriculture and Wordsound are also in the house) for a common and mutual reference point - much like how progressive rockers refer to Pink Floyd or how avid hip-hoppers refer to Grandmaster Flash or Grand Wizard Theodore.
As a DJ, I find this to be an excellent tool in that one can fragment (deconstruct) it into different parts and create a fresh, brand new product. Miller understood this concept (one in which many electronic Djs still refuse to understand) way before the illbient scene developed in the mid 90's. One only has to understand Miller's philosophy to feel his music (I must admit, his written essays are a bit hard to follow for the common man, one has to understand philosophical jargon to read it - he has a very... interesting vocabulary, lets say).
This album has a right to anyone's collection. I still listen to/deconstruct this five years after its release, and it can only be stale to those who aint ready. Like many forward-thinking artists, Miller's works will probably be re-discovered sometime in the future, and hopefully it will accepted along the lines of Iannis Xenakis, John Cage, Brian Eno, and perhaps even Akrikaa Bambaata and Kool Herc.

seeminglyneverendinglyseamless
dj spooky is doing for hip-hop what pink floyd did for rock. he is making ambient soundscapes that all of a sudden swirl into hypnotic hip-hop tracks and then into some alien tribal rhythms and after that, maybe a little ambient classical music and jazz.

the sounds never seem to stop pouring out of your speakers.

this album proves that hip-hop does not need to rely on rap to keep it afloat. this is not your typical hip-hop scratch-a-thon where the dj plays a beat and scratches some overused rap lyric cliche. spooky is a sonic painter, who creates spacious aural vistas like no one else.

this album is by no means representitive of his catalog. all of his albums have a totally different sound. 'riddim warfare' is also very unique and reccomended for hip-hop lovers

Nocturnal, Cerebral, Hypnotic.......(5 Stars!!!)
The term 'illbient' is a sound largely based around eclectic atmospheric ambient sounds steeped in 'Dub, Hip-Hop, Drum 'N' Bass with a mostly conceptual nature. So what should you expect???....think the occasionally dense moods & atmospherics of "Dj Krush", coupled with the Avant garde downtempo of "Aphex Twin's - Selected ambient works", with a large helping of the textured Sonics and genre fusion and melodic beats of "Dj Shadow"...yet managing to completely separate himself into something completely unique to him. Usually starting with a simple wall of ambient sound, to start proceedings, a Multitude of layered samples are gradually applied over the course of some of the sprawling 7 minute epics....(one track doesn't even introduce a actual beat until 3 minutes into the track). Its truly is a great album, of that there is no doubt, but with an overall sound that is predominately Cerebral, abstract, creative & yet largely reliant on mood, its certainly not a widely accessible album, but those entering into this with 'Their eyes wide open' will treasure a artist willing to sacrifice commercial appeal or creative exploration.

dark, foreboding, and a damn good listen
Your driving downtown, the bars have closed for the night, and somehow you've managed to get yourself lost in the bleak concrete jungle. You pop in your favorite DJ Spooky cd and become convinced that you are being followed. Looking for a dark, after-hours, paranoid mood? This is your album. As a whole, the album is a coherent piece that should be heard in its entirety from beginning to end. That said, there are several stand-out tracks that have become personal faves: the smokey film-noir jazzish "Nihilismus Dub"; "Galactic Funk" which has a nasty 1970s inspired funk groove; and "Juba", an African-inspired piece sandwiched in between some organ playing that sounds fit for a baseball game; and "the terran invasion...", which has a distinctly Eno-esque quality supported by a reggae bassline. Well-worth the price of admission. Check it out.

Puttin' on the Ritz w/ Dj Spooky
David Duchovy just picked up his mail on the Red Shoe Diaries, so it's going to be hard for me to pay attention to my review, so.

People used to go around calling this illbient music, which was in no way a clever name, and made all so-called illbient music basically feel dangerously close to expiring faster than 2%milk.

Sure enough, that's pretty much what happened. I mean, who ever really wanted to hear anything more by Byzar, or Sub Dub? Where did We go? The Incursions into illbient all meant quick excursions elsewhere. (Okay, ALLY SHEEDY is on the Red Shoe Diaries--that is just plain creepy.) Illbient went the way of the Monchichi, a craze that fell apart like cheap fluff.

This might be the one album that had some lasting power, Spooky's first lp, a mix of dark ambient noises, like a Brian Eno nightmare, and meddlesome trip hop. It was full of polemical liner notes and a lot of risky noises.
But it has not aged well. Now it sounds goofy and dull.

It's been like, what? 5 years since it came out? How often do I listen to it? Like, never? It's bland. That's what I think. There's something deeply bland about it. This is Triscuit-hop.

Ally Sheedy, I don't know. It's a roller-coaster ride, for sure, this thing called life. And who am I to judge? ... ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Brace yourself.
This is one of (M)u-ziq's (Mike Paradinas) best recordings and is also a good introduction to his sound. Several tracks contain soaring melodies accompanied by erratic beats. One nice thing is that the music never really gets old since you can't remember the structures immediately and don't know when and where to snap your fingers or tap your foot. Actually, its best if you don't try to do that - you might pull something. The album is also fresh for its manipulation of electronic, ambient, hip-hop, and other musical styles. My favorites from this album are "Brace Yourself Jason", "Hasty Boom Alert, "Mushroom Compost", and "Catkin & Teasel". All of these tracks, like I mentioned earlier, have a pleasant melody backed up by some very spontaneous and hyperactive beats. If you like Aphex Twin, then you may want to check this out. I don't like to compare U-ziq and Aphex because in my opinion their styles are different. U-ziq seems to have nicer melodies in his songs and his beats sound more drum like than Aphex's nut's & bolts in a blender sound. Not that Aphex Twin doesent have pretty melodies and varying beats, he just has less, and their usually placed in the middle of a set of unsettling tunes. The two actually made an album together, "Expert Knob Twiddlers", which isn't really that exciting when compared to either's individual recordings. Also recommended is U-ziq's 8 song EP, "Brace Yourself", which includes two remixes of "Brace Yourself Jason" and two more of my favorite U-ziq songs, "Summer Living" and "Abmoit". For something very refreshing and different in your CD collection, "Lunatic Harness" is definitely a must.

Nice album, worth a look
When I listen to the work of Mu-ziq I almost always have a grin on my face, it just sounds like fun music, it is fast, chaotic, and has great melodies. Ten out of the thirteen songs are great, but there are three weak tracks. "Approaching Menace" is just to much drill and bass, and gets supremely annoying after three minutes, it is to harsh for an otherwise fairly pleasant sounding album. "Wannabe" is just filler, pure and simple, it is weak stuff and makes me reach for the skip button. Finally I feel that "London" is a fairly junky track as well, it sounds like cheesy haunted house theme music.

Other than that it is a great album, it is like Aphex Twin without all the pretentiousness that comes along with RDJ. Mike Paradinas has made another nice album, check it out peoples.

Great range.
Consider what was happening in 97. This album was amazing when it came out and I still would put its creativity up against majority of the laptop generation of kids to this day.

This album is about knowing rhythm. Some of the most beautiful rhythms and composed beats I've ever heard when this album came out.

THE BEST ALBUM OF THE NINETIES
This is without doubt the most emotionally involving album ever made in the field of electronic music. And i think I've listened to just about all the rest of them.

Catkin And Teasel (Track 11) on its own displays more invention and depth than most other electronic artists manage in an entire career.

The drum programming on the album maybe have been surpassed in complexity, but never in inventiveness. Like watching Groucho Marx come out with a string of one liners, the rhythm tracks are utterly astonishing and display an impish sense of humour that appears simply nowhere else in music - especially in 2004.

Forget Weird Al Jankovic or DJ Rubbish. Think Thelonius Monk. Think Captain Beefheart. Real wit in music - not lyrically but in the actual notes - has been missing for decades. This album will make you wet yourself.

To combine such emotional intensity with a unique and seemingly inexhaustible rhythmic invention would be enough to ensure this album's place amongst the all time classics - but to present these ideas with a razor sharp musical wit makes Lunatic Harness come alive with a human personality that is sadly missing from the majority of electronic music - from 20 years ago or from today.

So all I can say is - "Ugh!"
(listen to track 1 "Brace Yourself Jason - you'll know what i mean)

Starts brilliant, ends weak
The first four or so tracks on this album are absolutely essential -- the spazzy xylophone and "ha!"-ing kung-fu girl on "Brace Yourself Jason", the churchy organ and demented drums of "Hasty Boom Alert", the off-kilter swagger of "Mushroom Compost", the almost-dancefloor-anthem of the title track. The first two tracks in particular are strongly reminiscent of an insanely breakbeaty take on In Sides-era Orbital, and that's high praise. Unfortunately, the inventiveness is too much to keep up for an entire album and the last few tracks are frankly dull. Still worth four stars for the quality of the start. Mind-expanding, infectious, enjoyable, and full of things to come back to. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

I 1st heard the song"Phiesope" playing in a record store.
When I was Dj ing for a living I would frequent record stores every week looking for music for my set and personal collection. The song "Phiesope" which is track 7 on this disc, came on over the store speakers. I went up to the counter and asked "who is this? It turned out to be u-ziq. I bought it that day and incorperated the song "Phiesope" into my Dj set, usually at the beggining of the night to ease my crowd into a dance mood. The song is so well done with is guitar strumming and total heavy "shoegaze/manchester" beat. I love this song and really enjoy others on the record. They are trax 1,2,3,7, and even track 8 "Mr. Angry" which features a heavy beat with this trippy grandfather clock chime timed into the beat. There is this dude screaming which under the right mood, or circumstance can kinda scare you. But it is a original song. I got the chance to see U-ziq perform live twice. Once in Hollywood and once at the Coachella Fest in Indio CA. He is very talented and I am a big fan! You should get this cd! PK

One of my favorite µ-ziq albums
The first track on this album "Roy Castle" just blew me away. I've probably listened to it more than any other µ-ziq song ever, it just has that ambient, computer, video game type beauty to it. The rest of the album is also good, with some annoying tracks like "Mr. Angry". My only disapoitment is that none of the other tracks come close to the beauty of the first one. Oh well, still a wonderful IDM album.

Not in full effect
This u-ziq album is slower and more melodic than most, lacking the frentic D&B that's in many of his others. It does get catchy after a while but it took me several listens. The first half of the disc is very warm and upbeat, almost popish. It cimaxes with Phiesope (which everyone else who reviewed it seemed to love), then gets disjionted and keeps me on my toes a bit more. There isn't really a stand out track on this for me. I usaully put it on track 7, skip 8, then listen to it through. I rate it smack dab in the middle of the U-Ziq collection, The best of his slow stuff but not better than any of his fast. (Which is better than most so it gets 3 stars instead of 2 1/2). It did disappiont me when I bought it, expecting (or hoping) for it to resemble more closely Squarepusher than Boards of Canada. Oh well, I'm still glad I own it, you'll be moderatly impressed with it too.

I actually really like this album
I am surprised to find myself enjoying Mu-ziq's music, but it really is great. As cheesy as it sounds his best work just sounds happy, and it puts a smile on my face. The album is good for just putting in and zoning out while on a drive, though it does get noticeably weak after "Phiesope" (track 7) click on that track now for a listen, it is the highlight of In Pine Effect and really a great song, I cannot believe it has not been co-opted for a commercial yet. (Or has it???)

After "Phiesope" it does get weaker, it just becomes more harsh and abrasive which I don't think is Mu-ziq's strong point. Still I can recommend this album, it is good fun. Check out his Brace Yourself EP too, good clean fun for the whole family.

Just one more excellent cd from Paradinas
While not perfect, this is certainly a nice little disc.

Starting out with a pretty simple little bass note, you can tell this is gonna be something special just the way it slowly builds. After the initial few seconds, a nice kicking drum beat comes in and basically continues through for the rest of the album. The best word to describe the entire piece of "crunchy". Great texture with the drums, nice beats, good melody.

Definite highlight of the disc, however, is 'Phiesope'. The guitar strumming and nice bassline gets this song placed on repeat quite often. If in doubt about u-Ziq's talent or whether or not you should get this album, just find yourself a copy of this song somehow and listen away. Question answered.

It's not without it's flaws, however. After a while, the disc becomes somewhat repetetive. Not horribly so, but enough that it's noticeable.

Track 8, "Mr. Angry", is simply one of the worst songs I've ever heard. While the song structure and whatnot isn't all that bad, the main portion of the song, featuring a man screaming out something unintelligible, is quite unbearable. It warrants a 'Skip Track' every single time now.

The first half of the disc, up to Phiesope, is by far the better portion. There's a few gems in the latter half as well, particularly the title track and Problematic (featuring a wonderful, almost Old West even, piano bit to start it off).

If you like u-Ziq's other work, you'll certainly enjoy this. If you're new to the man, try the Brace Yourself EP first, chances are you'll get into it much easier than this. But don't ignore this disc, which is often underrated as I've found.

Go for it, it's good! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Mtv doesn't have the right!
Mtv doesn't have the right to even pretend they know whattechno music is. Come on, DJ Skribble is so bad it's not even funny, and the only thing they know how to play is Barfy Spears and the Skankstreet Boys. This collection does have some good artists on it, that's why it gets 3 stars. The Chemical Bros., Fluke, Underworld, Aphex Twin, Orbital, And Prodigy are all great musicians, but the thing is MTV just slapped all this together in one big sticky mess. How bad is the world when Underworld is anywhere near Atari Teenage Riot (or as I call them, Atari Barfage Riot.) The good songs on here are okay, but nothing special. Any fan of these artists can find these songs on their CD's. They could have at least had remixes or something special on them. The way this CD is set up, there is virtually no reason someone would have to rush out and buy this CD.

An artifact of '97 Electronica
It's funny, in looking back at this CD, I feel some peculiar nostalgia in listening to what folks in 1997 believed was the future of music.

As for the content, there are some essentials. Underworld's "Pearl's Girl" still melts my cortex with its synth line that ebbs like amniotic fluid. The tracks by Photek and Apex Twin are still great abstract electronica(see the Mille Plateaux label for further excursions.) There are also some overproduced misfires like the Chemical Brothers remix of "Voodoo People and the Chrystal Method's work that sounds like Musak for future "extreme sports" commericals(whoops! it did.)

Overall, Amp marks a time when MTV had this brief period of innovation before the advent of the Boy Bands and Total Request Live.

One of the BEST electronic compilations
First that all, I'm an electronic music fan from Colombia. I remember that my first SERIOUS contact with electronic music was the AMP TV show, via cable television, way back to 1996. In south america, just like in the U.S. the fresh new sound of the AMP TV show captivated a lot of people like me. And just like in the U.S., here in Colombia, finding good quality electronic music was a lot harder than now...

So when this CD came out, I ordered it in a music store that worked with imports, and WOW... even now after six years, few discs on my collection have the ammount of quality that this one has. It has the biggest artists in electronic music, as well as some of their most famous tracks. Of course, this cd may not be of the likeness of the "bang-bang-bang-boom-boom-boom" techno-fans, because every track on this album is pure flowing style. Real quality. Buy it NOW.

the original gangsta
This CD's a great starting point and nothing more. it was best back in 97 in my friend's car when we first heard aphex twin and atari teenage riot and laughed it off, only to end up putting it back on later. before circuit city came along and labeled it "electronica" and god knows what else, this was the best starting point for american listeners to get into british techno. only a few stinkers out of an otherwise very diverse (drum 'n bass, chaos, cyberPUNKROCK, straight up big beat) and catchy bunch, sure to sell any disbeliever after time.

Experimental MTV?YES!
Can you believe I have owned this CD since 1997? I stumbled across AMP one Sunday night after watching 120 Minutes. On AMP, I was exposed to for the first time Prodigy, the Chemical Brothers, Future Sound of London and many other cutting edge artists. From that moment on, I knew I had to have the CD! I agree with the other reviewers here, it is a taste of what MTV in the US can be if they chose to get back their experimental and groundbreaking roots. With songs from the likes of Goldie, the Chemical Brothers, Underworld and the now infamous Prodigy...this CD gives you an overview of the first AMP shows. I can tell you, all of these groups are still very much popular here in Europe and are not "One Hit Wonders" by any means. If you want a taste of experiemental MTV before the Nu-Metal and Boy Band take over of 1998, respectively, then pick up this CD, you wont regret it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Paul D. Miller, a.k.a. DJ Spooky, is a musician, writer, and conceptual artist from New York City. Trailblazing a new definition of environmental music, Spooky reconstructs sonic data and produces sounds of a futuristic metropolis. A contextual agitator intent on artistic rebellion, Miller fuses urban rap and contemporary electronica. He imaginatively unites large chunks of hip-hop, unearthly jazz, and reggae beats with ambient soundscapes. Besides using drum programs and interludes of spoken word, Spooky is joined by several talented musicians. Featuring Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and trumpeter Ben Neill as well as rappers like Kool Keith and Killah Priest, Riddim Warfare is Miller's most ambitious undertaking to date. Displaying ability on bass guitar and a mastery of the studio, DJ Spooky makes music for the next millennium. --Mitch Myers ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Will the real DJ Spooky stand up?
Though I'm always looking for interesting, innovative electronic music, I have resisted DJ Spooky for a while. Mainly because what I heard from him prior to Riddim Warfare sounded like someone tuning their ham radio while practicing their bass down the hall from any microphones. But (his pompous theorizing aside) I wanted to like him. And I figured Riddim Warfare might be my window into his work. It was on a major label. Hell, he was even working with rappers. Well, unfortunately, Spooky's still a work in progress. Despite a few interesting tracks, Riddim Warfare is all over the place. It's drum n' bass, it's Brazilian music, it's underground rap, it's reggae, it's pompous theorizing! All of this with no strong unifiying purpose. And unfortunately, he still drops into that annoying "illbient" vaporousness. I'm all for artistic diversity. But until Spooky develops some consistency to his work, he will just seem like he's genre browsing.

Overexpirimentationalism
I am largely disappointed with this album. Some of the reviews I have read hailed DJ Spooky's attempt to conjoin multpile genres with his expirimental style, but to me the result is an an incoherent bravado of noise. The only enjoyable tracks are those featuring guests such as Kool Kieth and Sir Menelik, but between Spooky's silly pseudo-intellectual music-science rationalizations and his overly filtered effects, it sounds less like music and more like someone having fun with a mixing board.

Good thing it's digital
Otherwise I'd wear it out. Of the three Dj. Spooky Cd's
I have this is my favorite. It has the right amount of rapping
and enough smooth beats to make it pleasant to listen to. The other stuff i've heard of his is harsh and disjoint enough that you really have to be engaged with it to enjoy it. An earlier posting expressed their disdain for cool keith. I actually think he enhances the album. I've never like anything he has produced himself, but his voice works well with this sound. It's sometimes cheesy to hear peeps with philosophy backgrounds appropriate scientific terms to sound futuristic, but when Cool Keith does it on this album, it actually works.

Made a good impression
This is my first and only DJ Spooky CD. I got it about a year ago because it was on Columbia House and I liked the samples.
Although I find myself skipping a few tracks, I like it enough to buy more DJ Spooky which I eventually will do since he has so many CD's.
I don't know DJ Spooky is for everyone. His music is very eclectic and a mix of just about everything. I like that, some may not.
I read a review that called him the "Pink Floyd of hip-hop". I think that's true, but I don't know if Pink Floyd fans would appreciate that.

Why do they always have kool keith?
I don't understand why anybody likes kool keith. Really though his rapping is horrid and he ruins any song you put him on. If Dj spooky would have just cut the kool keith tracks this would have been much better. on the other hand the other tracks on this album almost always range from the stellar to great range, and even the filler tracks are entertaining (like conversation).

Ben neill is god .. and I highly recommend his "goldbug" album. anyways this albums gone out of print now anyways .. sadly ... Read more

Reviews (4)

music light and pretty, casting a soft glow
Lambent...ambient and gentle like a lamb? Actually the word means luminous, which is appropriate as well, for music this light and pretty, casting a soft glow. Wispy, but not wimpy. Eluvium is the work of Portland Oregon's Matthew Cooper, a post-rock bliss-out artist if there ever was one.

His music, constructed of layers of guitar, piano melodies, and some distant voices perhaps, swells and falls, wrapping the listener in pale, gauzy colors and textures. On the fourth and longest (15 min.) piece, "Zerthis Was a Shivering Human Image" Eluvium gets nicely fuzzed, warm and deep and droning -- not so light but still pretty. Whoosh. There's five lovely tracks here total, all of which should appeal to fans of Stars Of The Lid, Brian Eno, Landing, Labradford, Sonna, P. Jeck, etc. I like.

Junkmedia.org Review - Please and yes thank you
The Temporary Residence label is making quite a name for itself as it continues to quietly release quality albums that range from the backcountry warbling of the Anomoanon to the post-rock hush of Sonna to the bombastic aural explorations of Explosions in the Sky or Tarentel. Add to that list Eluvium 's debut album, Lambent Material, which puts the "bien" back in ambient.

Matthew Cooper (the man behind Eluvium) crafts music best suited for decompression chambers with its pulsating electrical currents, oscillating waves of distortion and tiny piano all overlapping in a starkly beautiful way. It's oddly moving, but make a note that this is not your mother's ambient music. Take the central track, "Zerthis Was A Shivering Human Image", which wraps the listener in a cocoon of fuzzed guitar distortion that shimmers and twists into a gorgeously mellowed drone. It's a deconstructed My Bloody Valentine sans vocals that will surely leave one's elders scratching their heads and running for cover. Other pieces like "Under The Water It Glowed" or "There Wasn't Anything" throw off a soothing phosphorescence that occasionally startles.

So the next time you return from an electric night of busting the latest dance-punk moves and find yourself vacillating between wired and exhausted, put Lambent Material on for the slow fade to sleep. I can't help but concur with the cryptic phrase in the liner notes: "please and yes thank you."

Barin McGrath

Junkmedia.org Review

Junkmedia.org Review - Please and yes thank you
The Temporary Residence label is making quite a name for itself as it continues to quietly release quality albums that range from the backcountry warbling of the Anomoanon to the post-rock hush of Sonna to the bombastic aural explorations of Explosions in the Sky or Tarentel. Add to that list Eluvium 's debut album, Lambent Material, which puts the "bien" back in ambient.

Matthew Cooper (the man behind Eluvium) crafts music best suited for decompression chambers with its pulsating electrical currents, oscillating waves of distortion and tiny piano all overlapping in a starkly beautiful way. It's oddly moving, but make a note that this is not your mother's ambient music. Take the central track, "Zerthis Was A Shivering Human Image", which wraps the listener in a cocoon of fuzzed guitar distortion that shimmers and twists into a gorgeously mellowed drone. It's a deconstructed My Bloody Valentine sans vocals that will surely leave one's elders scratching their heads and running for cover. Other pieces like "Under The Water It Glowed" or "There Wasn't Anything" throw off a soothing phosphorescence that occasionally startles.

So the next time you return from an electric night of busting the latest dance-punk moves and find yourself vacillating between wired and exhausted, put Lambent Material on for the slow fade to sleep. I can't help but concur with the cryptic phrase in the liner notes: "please and yes thank you."

Barin McGrath

Junkmedia.org Review

This album is worth your time.
I was just sitting around listening to this when the thought occurred to me that I should review it on amazon. I don't know why. Seriously. I've probably reviewed like 3 things in the past few years. But, about the album:

Lambent Material kinda sounds like something in between the long drones of Windy & Carl and the slow, sad instrumentals of Mogwai (Like from young team or EP+2). You can classify it as an ambient record I suppose.

A cool thing about it is that it's immediately accesible, though it still works it self out in your mind after several listens. It has a nice low key feel to it. There are a lot of winding loops of slow melodies with sounds from field recordings in the background. The replay value is good on this album, it's not something you'd get sick of after listening- it's the type of album you'd play several times in a row.

The most intense this album gets is on the fourth track, "Zerthis was a shimmering human image". It's amazing how the track is so simple in that it shifts back and forth between two drones for 15 minutes, but it never fails to lose your attention. Throughout the track there is buzzing and rumbling that constantly comes in and out of the mix. The rest of the album is full of slow, beautifully constructed late-night songs in the vein of EP+2.

So, I would recommend this highly to fans of Windy & Carl, Gas, Mogwai, Stars of the Lid, and even Aphex fans. Actually, this would appeal to anyone looking for a good ambient record to listen to in the middle of the night. I'm glad to have heard this. It's just that nice. ... Read more