Intro - Auld Lang Syne
Skrillex - Rock N Roll (Will Get You To The Mountain)
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Patrick Alavi ReRox) (Boba Edit)
Magna - Step Outside
Revolte - Weak Generation
Journey - Separate Ways (Boba Edit)
Kavinsky - Testarossa Autodrive (SebastiAn Remix) BOBAMASH:
Muse - Knights Of Cydonia (Feed Me Remix)
and
Daft Punk - Harder Better Faster Stronger
MSTRKRFT - Fist Of God
Revolte - Ironical Sexism (Sundance Remix)
Daft Punk - Superheroes
Paul - B2Luv
Daft Punk - One More Time
The Paradise - In Love With You
Good Junk - Magic Music Magic
The Denim Project - Freedom To Move (Galleon Remix)
Here's to 2011. May it hold wonders for all of us :)
-Boba
In what will be probably my last post of this year, I bring you a recent artist in my collection, Brooklyn based ambient musician, Daniel Lopatin AKA Oneohtrix Point Never. Working almost exclusivley with vintage analogue synths, OPN's music has same nostalgic qualities as heard in Boards Of Canada's tracks. If I could describe it to you, I'd say it's like the score to an old futuristic sci-fi flick.
First up, some tracks from 2009's Rifts, A compilation of his previous 3 albums. These became kind of rare due to limited print and being on casette. So along with being easier to find, many of the tracks are extended or alternate mixes. and so, let's begin.
One thing I love about OPN, as well as the vintage sounds, is how he builds tracks. often starting with a simple arpeggio and layering sounds over it, until each elements blends seamlessly, or conflicting in such a way the sounds blur together into one.
And to top it off: a Mix by OPN, bundled with my copy of Rifts by the nice folk over at Bleep.com titled Objects In Mirrors. I'd love to include a tracklist but I couldn't find one anywhere. The intro's a bit out of the blue, as are a lot of the selections if I'm honest, but stick through it, because there are some excellent choices scattered throoughout - the first coming in in around 3:50 in.
Memorable quotes:
- Aww yeah, Hufflepuff know what's up.
- All the House Elves clownin'.
- BANK!
- Death Eaters trying harm us. Well they better come quick with the flip of a stick or i'll drop em' with my Expelliarmus.
- Put ya, put ya wands up.
- ???
- PROFIT!
Drugs + Prostitution = Ke$ha
Memorable quotes:
- TurboSlut
- It started with smoking weed..
- I'm scouting out all the drug stores.
- If I keep this up i'm sure to be molested.
- Sooooooo.... You guna make something up for me and i'll suck your dick right quick?
- ???
- PROFIT!
I love winter, and odds are it's snowing where you are. Or at least cold. So I'd like to share with you a portion of my chilled winter playlist, as I do with every other season come to think of it!
Planning this post two artists came up a ton in my noted tracks, Let's start with the first: Röyksopp, with one of my favourite songs, Sparks is that special kind of song that hits every right note for me, and it really comes into its own around winter time. No doubt influenced a bit by that super cosy music video it has as well.
And now a slice from Senior, and even though it was released in the spring it was still quite cold in the good old UK. And I think they intended it to be a cold weather track, or at the very least an early morning one, judging by the sounds. And I can tell you from experience it goes very well with both those scenarios.
The second artists to come up alot were Boards Of Canada, famed for their nostalgia tinted melodies they seemed an obvious choice (and if I'm honest I could do an entire post between them and Röyksopp) but in the end it came down to two. Number one, Olson, is a short but very, very sweet piece that leaves you wanting more. Absolutely fantastic, 'nuff said.
Number two: Melissa Juice, another fairly short piece but with a lot more going on, starting with those simple keys and just layering on more substance as time goes on, all topped off with that layer of analogue fuzz.
I've posted this one before, but it holds a special place in my heart during winter. One night earlier this year, me and a friend were sat talking gazing out of the window, My iPod on shuffle in the background. There was a gap in the conversation. The track changed. For a moment everything was in sync, and it was like heaven. I only wish you have a similar experience with this one, Enjoy.
And to finish it off, another tune I didn't associate with snow until last year thanks to shuffle. this track plus empty streets and snowstorms make for a powerful combination, especially with the slow intro.
And that does it for another one of my seasonal Pick 'N Mixes, providing you with new music every step of the year!
Hey guys, sorry I haven’t been around recently. No I didn’t drop off the face of the internet, I was in fact busy being a slave to exams. Although fear no more as exams are over and I have acquired my freedom. Enough apologies, more music. I have compiled a cluster of songs following a theme of groovy/housey bass, which I assure you will get your groove on.
First up, a remix of my favourite artist of all time; Miike Snow. Much to my surprise, after multiple eargasms due to having this song on repeat for a solid week, Google informed me that eRNEST & AMz are in fact producers of the hiphop genre. I dare you to tell me that their not house producers after indulging your sensations in this track.
On the remix CD of Miami Horror’s new album I found this musical gem. Although the original song in question is from their Bravado EP (the likes of which I posted before my vast absence) it doesn’t make it any less spectacular. Dear Treasure Fingers *Whispers in a low arousing tone*I love youuuuu.
Next up is an original from an Aussie duo who gained mainstream (yes mainstream *shudders*) success throughout the world in 2008. Defiantly my favourite song from them, this song never gets old. Its just so sexy. I believe this song was original written with intentions to sell it to a female artist, however upon completion they decided to produce it themselves. May I say I am ever so glad they did.
If you even attempt to keep up on the blogging world at all, you've inevitably heard of Crystal Castles. Moreover, you've probably heard their recent collaboration with vocalist Robert Smith. In case you HAVEN'T, here it is.
Now clearly, this is a pretty epic track. It has a great 'I Listen To Obscure Indie Stuff' feel to it, while still maintaining some appeal for the non-indie kids who just like good music.
Now, compare this version to the version Crystal Castles (or rather, Ethan Kath... he did the whole track himself. No Alice.) put on their Crystal Castles (II) album earlier this year.
I honestly think the album should've waited until they had the Robert Smith vocals, but I suppose dividing the hype between multiple releases is better for them.
What a lot of people don't know about Not In Love is that it's a cover of an old 1983 rock track by a group called Platinum Blonde. They were a Canadian band, so understandably, they never made it that big. For some reason, the rest of the world seems to think Canada is a stupid place full of stupid people and stupid music. Now if they're BRITISH, or AUSTRALIAN... OH MY GOD SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN, THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER. Just something I noticed.
Seeing as there aren't many copies of the 1983 original available to the blog-reading community, I thought it might be cool to give you guys a taste of what was being emulated here.
Good old 80's rock. The hair, the sleeveless shirts... truly an era that could stand to return. An era when rock music had some testosterone in it. An era before gurlymen took over popular music (Hey Soul Sister, anyone?).
-Boba
I've had a ton of work to do this week, which meant a lot of time in my room. And so, once again through the magic of shuffle, I will spill some lovely tracks for all y'all out there. To make up for my abscence, ofc :).
Despite the title, I wouldn't really call some of these Lounge tracks. More 'Bedroom Tracks' really. Regardless, here's the first track: Honeydew from the Tea loving Mr. Scruff. The intro on this one is just brilliant, and it only gets better from there.
A recent addition to my collection, Massive Attack's Protection could fill every slot on this post with it's chill downtempo vibes. But it came down to this song or Better Things. I think it better suits the atmosphere of these fall months, and it's a cracking song to boot.
I was originally going to save this one for about december time, but I felt it fit much better among these tracks than the ones I had planned. featuring heavy beats and haunting vocals it all flows very smoothly. this'll be sure to keep you warm on these cold nights.
Squarepusher's always had a soft side, often doing chilled tracks on his albums. This is probably my favourite chilled number by him, taking influence from Jazz instead of Jungle and Breakbeat, it creates a great atmosphere and is perfect as something to listen to while you study. Or while you do nothing at all for that matter.
Topping things off today is the master of chill himself, N.O.W. The introduction to In A Space Outta Sound is a slow jorney filled with samples, vinyl crackles and analouge hisses. It's everything you want from N.O.W and more, staying consistently fresh for the entire 7 minutes.
Once again, sorry for the lack of content by me recently. I seem to have a few weeks of nothing and then I get tons of work dumped on me. Anyone out there in a simillar situation, I hope these tunes help you like they did me. As always, stay safe and enjoy.
I've said before a few times that I have a weakness for vocoders and effects like them, and I always have, I don't know why but something about that sound just makes everything AWESOME. (well, except speedbass maybe) and today, I'm going to dig through my collection to find my favourite examples of various vocal effects in use from the the early stuff to fairly recent tunes.
We've come a long way, baby
Up first is MSTRKRFT, who used it a whole bunch on their first album, The Looks. it was tough to decide on which track to pick, but I think I made the best choice in the end, it's just so infectiously smooth!
Teenage Bad Girl are another electro act who used vocoders alot on their album, there are many tracks I could've picked but many only feature vocals for s minute or two, or even unvocoded ones, I think I got the right balance with this one.
And yes, even more from Squarepusher! Even before D'demonstrator he dabbled in vocoding and this track is the perfect example of it, Jazzy riffs mixed with fast amen break-esque beats, I can't get enough of it.
Royksopp don't use it at all in their studio work but their live shows are a different thing entirely. This is taken from a concert they did in full kraftwerk gear, (ie: red shirts, black ties etc.) it's probably my favourite version of Remind Me out there taking the best remix and adding that extra live atmosphere to it.
What's a vocoder post without one of the grandmasters of electronic music, Giorgio Moroder? He probably used a Korg like that to record this number which is one of my guilty pleasures, stay tuned for the awesome breakdown around 3:20.
and of course, everyone's favourite that needs no introduction...
I'd be lying if I said I'd been keeping up to date with Warp's new releases after trawling their back catalogue for classics, but as I went to pick up more stuff from bleep.com I noticed 'Pushers new album. I knew it was coming, I'd heard Cryptic Motion, so I decided to check it out. And I was stunned.
Squarepusher is back, with a new "band" and this time bringing what I can only describe as his own twisted vision of Electro House to the table, or as Warp describes it: "The perplexingly titled 'Shobaleader One' is a dizzy whirl of proggy, vocodered soul; double-jointed electro-funk; Daft Punk-esque disco; electrifying finger-taps and various other mutations of speed-metal and fluorescent pop music". And with that in mind, my first album review:
It begins with Plug Me in, opening with some simple guitar chords we've seen before on Ultravisitor and Just A Souvenir. And then the beat drops, and the vocals too which carefully dance the line between vocoded and auto tuned, and all of a sudden it's a different beast entirely from anything we've heard before. Almost perfect opener IMO, just a bit too laid back in comparison to the rest of the album. 9/10
Here is where the Electro dabbling starts, set to some funky guitar riffs and even more almost incomprehensible vocoded verses. And while it's not going to set the floors on fire like We Are From Venice, it's damn fine electro, just with added guitars. think Pourriture X or Planisphere Part 4, only less crunchy. Overall, a very decent song, but it can get tedious after a while if you're looping it as I am. 8/10
I honestly have no idea how to describe this track. There's nothing to compare it to but I'll do my best :). One of the more laid back tracks on the album, Into The Blue keeps it fairly simple and focuses on the lyrics, sounds like some crazy futuristic pop from the 80's. I can hate or love this track depending on when it comes up, so I'm going with my gut feeling at the moment.6/10
Frisco Wave is a very strange track indeed, it sounds like a more modern track from Aphex Twin's unreleased Melodies From Mars; and that's not a bad thing at all. No vocals on this one, and as the first instrumental (minus a few random vocalisations) track of the album it's not too shabby, something about it just hits all the right places. Perhaps it's that melody, rising and falling in waves (no pun intended), which is too damn catchy for it's own good! 9/10
Megazine (the track used in the D'demonstrator trailer) is what happens when 'Pusher decides he wants to do some Metal fused with his new Electro style. and he knows how to make it last, introducing the now expected vocoders over the top and some droney synths in the background. And just when you're getting tired of it, there's a kick ass guitar solo in the last quarter that injects the track with some much needed freshness at the right moment, and because of that Megazine gets an 8/10.
By far my favourite track on the album, Abstract Lover is a slow moving electro number, the satisfying beats lead into the synth-esque guitar riffing which is simply amazing. the way it merges and flows with the beats is just fantastic and the vocals only add to the winning combination. Already in my list of favourite songs ever and one of the best electro tunes I've heard in a long while, I only wish it was longer than three minutes. 10/10
This one's a bit of a mash. It's like Jazz mashed with an 80's power ballad and some hair metal. Yeah. The track gets much better after about a minute or so if you haven't given up on it by that time, only just my least favourite but still good, if only for the later parts. 5/10
I shouldn't really need to explain this one, but I will anyway. Released earlier as a single, it's pretty much the gateway to the album. In short: if you like Cryptic Motion, you will like D'demonstrator. One of the best tracks here as it pretty much encompasses everything the album is about. only compliant: could be a bit shorter, but that's me being picky 10/10
and the finale, which like Megazine is straight up screechy guitars in your face. This time with added kicks, even more guitars over the top and some soft synths for good measure. And while that kickdrum does come across as a bit obnoxious at first, it soon slides into it's place in the mix. It sets out to be as outrageously filthy as it can, and it succeeds.8/10
And that rounds up my first review, I would've included the Japanese bonus track, but it was hard to find a 320 of it, regardless it's similar to Planck and Megazine so if you like them, check it out, it's brilliantly titled "On Fire Again"
Now for Shobaleader One, the 'band' itself, I love the look and the anonyminity of them, it really adds to the aesthetic of the album as a whole. Odds are we'll never find out who they are (yet), they all have adopted psuedonyms and according to 'Pusher they come from a metal background but also are "mad into" R'n B. you can certainly feel that style on the record, as they set out to make what the Square man himself calls "Space Pop".
At the moment he says he's writing more material for them to perform as it's an "ongoing experiment", and is in touch with Andre 3000 from Outkast after he stated he'd like to collab with him. Make of that what you will, I'm off :).
What the hell is a Shobaleader?, -Claude Van Foxbat
Hi there, it's been a while since my last post, so... here it is !
Madeon is a 16 years old eletrcopop producer from France, yay !
There is not much I can say about him, he is just really good at making good old upbeat electropop with lovely synths, just check out those tracks, you'll know what I mean.
Poka level for this track. Those catchy lyrics are pure awesomeness.
As I'm sure you've seen from my other Pick 'N Mix posts, I have a soundtrack for almost everything. And this October is no different, I have an assortment of tunes to make you dance, and some to creep you out. Let's begin :)
I'll start with the electro first, Oizo delivers with the original version of pourriture, not necessarily a Halloween song but fits the bill quite well with it's screechy guitars and haunting vocals. I'm also using it for my Zombie movie I'm doing at college, so there's that too!
This one earns it's place on the list simply because it samples old zombie flicks, what more can you ask for at this time of year, eh? There's a surprising lack of samples like that actually, I sense a gap in the market! I will team up with someone and create Progressive Zomstep House! any takers?
Next up is a track I heard best described as "the theme to the most messed up and awesome game show ever". Sébastien's weird combo actually works out pretty well, it's catchy as all hell despite sounding incredibly cheesy at the beginning.
And whats Halloween without thriller? 'cept this ain't the thriller you know, it's remixed by our man La Roche. 'nuff said.
One late addition that came up as I was writing, one of my recent favourite tracks - a real downbeat number from Fever Ray, for those of you who want a more ambient night :).
For the finale, one track that will genuinely creep you out. I'm not going to say much other than if you need some sounds for freaking people out, this is the track to do it with. (fun fact: Gwely Mernans translates to "Death Bed") also, if you want more creepy stuff from AFX check out Hankie from the Warped series.
sorry for the huge gap, been bogged down with coursework and stuff, you know how it is. (not as bad as being a Chilean miner, mind) This means I won't be as regular sometimes, but now I should be back to my old schedule (for a while). Warped will continue after this post, but for now, just be glad I finally got something up. :P
Define 'Regular'
-Claude Van Foxbat
Memorable quotes:
- Just one gear on my fixie bike.
- Tramp Balls.
- NEW AGE FUN with a VINTAGE FEEL!! lol
- WAREHOWZ RAVE DIS WAY <--
- Indeterminate sex reference.
- ???
- PROFIT!
I first heard word the V-Moda Crossfade LP in a press release email a few months ago. My first impression was that they were an incredibly stylish piece of hardware with impressive V-Moda internals. By the time I took a look at the technical specifications, I was salivating. The Crossfade LP packs a pair of 50mm dual-diaphragm drivers with a frequency response of 5Hz to 30,000Hz.
Recently, by a very lucky series of events, I was given the opportunity to get my very own pair of Crossfades. Now that I've had about a week with them, I'm excited to share my findings.
Right from the start, the Crossfades catch your attention. The packaging is sturdy, and has a nice heft that feels like professional equipment.
Inside the box you'll find the Exoskeleton case, which I am a HUGE fan of. This hard case is a great way to store the Crossfades and their extras for travel, and has a nice rubberized finish.
Also included in the box are a product manual, VIP warranty card, and a microfiber cleaning cloth with an embossed V-Moda logo. The Crossfades come with a one-year premier warranty, and with V-Moda's Replay-Replacement program, if they ever break, you get 50% off of a new pair!
The Crossfades come with two, count 'em, two kevlar-reinforced audio cables. The cables are detachable, which makes for easy storage. One is 3 feet long and includes an in-line mic with volume controls. The other cable is almost 6 feet long, and does not have the in-line controls. All of the 3.5mm jacks are gold-plated, and a 6mm gold-plated jack is also included.
The headphones themselves are a gorgeous example of brilliant design. The shape of the ear cups and frame gives the Crossfades a pointedly "different" look. There are subtle V-Moda logos on the frame above the ear cups, which are a very tasteful way of branding the product. The frame is all metal, and I have no doubt that the Crossfades will last me several years without wear.
The headband is padded well, and the pads on the ear cups are made of memory foam. I found the Crossfades to be EXTREMELY comfortable, and had no trouble wearing them all day.
When it comes to looks and comfort, these headphones are fantastic. However, it's the sound quality that matters when reviewing headphones. The Crossfades don't dissapoint.
They have stood out from the crowd in every testing scenario. Val Kolton and V-Moda have given the Crossfades a very healthy dose of Bass. Mids and trebles are refreshingly crisp as well. They especially shined while playing dance and bass-heavy music, but they also made acoustic tracks sound great. V-Moda has many well known DJ partners that have helped them develop the Crossfades, which may explain the strong presence of bass. It may come close to overpowering higher ranges of sound for some, but it comes down to personal preference. Personally I don't think the extra bass muddies the higher ranges.
If you have a chance, test-drive the Crossfade LP headphones at your local Apple store, and enjoy their top of the line performance. They retail for $249.99, which is more expensive than many pairs of over-ear headpones on the market, but they are worth the money. Still cheaper than a pair of Beats Studio headphones, and with very comprable sound quality, these should definitely be on your list if youre in the market for new headphones. Their solid construction, fantastic audio quality, and impressive level of comfort make the V-Moda Crossfade LP and excellent pair of over-ear headphones.
Two weeks ago now, I set off on a quest to get into a band. Any band would do and I had an idea of who I was gonna look for, but I didn't really like what I heard, somehow I stumbled onto a video of The Knife I forget which song exactly but that didn't matter, all that mattered was I LOVED it. Within the hour I had listened to every track from their three albums and counted the cost, and now here we are.
Bit of backstory for them first before I jump into the tracks: The Knife are an electronic duo from Sweden, consisting of Karin Dreijer Andersson and her brother, Olof Dreijer. Olof does the tracks whilst Karin lends her vocals to them. And if you've heard What Else Is There? by Royksopp you'll have an idea of how she sounds.
Onto the tracks: probably their most popular one (famously covered by José Gonzalez and used to advertise Sony's Bravia TVs) is Heartbeats. chances are if you liked José's you'll like this, after all they ARE the same song, although The Knife's is slightly more upbeat.
They rarely perform live, but when they do, it's really something else. I'd say it's up with Kraftwerk's and Daft Punk's concerts as an experience. Hell, the live audio is entitled "An Audio Visual Experience". have a look for yourself, first of all: The Audio, it's much slower than the studio one, I don't know which one I like more.
Second: The Visuals, they certainly know how to put on a good show, minimal as it may be.
I don't really have much more to add than that, so have more songs instead; This one's a nice slice of lovely electronica. The hype sticker inclded with my copy of Silent Shout has a quote on it along the lines of "...echoes of Kraftwerk, stunning", and while I do kind of roll my eyes at that description, Forest Families certainly lends itself to that comparison at least a little. Like the entirety of Silent Shout there's much more of a cold atmosphere to the electronics, and it's one I am totally in love with.
A rare instrumental this one - taken from the soundtrack they did for a swedish indie film called Hannah Med H (Literally meaning 'Hannah with a 'H' if I recall correctly). It's a bit of a shame there aren't more instruwmntals from them on the main albums, as much as I love Karin's voice, though there are plenty to go at on this soundtrack. It's in a strange valley between the delightfully indie first album and the poppier follow up Deep Cuts, even as far as various tracks from the soundtrack being included on re-issues of both those albums. The soundtrack is worth picking up even if you haven't seen the movie, The Knife's work stands alone and isn't overly 'soundtrack-y'. There's some gorgeous acoustic bits that you can expect to make an appearance soon too, in the meantime get a load of this trancy cut The Bridge
There's definitley an overall bleakness to their lyrical content, very pronounced on Silent Shout as you'll have heard above but even on the initally bubblegum-sounding Deep Cuts there's an element of that present. Take One For You for example, aside from being more downbeat than say Heartbeats, Karin's delivery is fittingly subdued. The glittery explosion of sound around 2 minutes in is lovely though backed by slightly concering lines like "Then they let us go to hunt us down again"
Definitley expect to hear more from them in the future, I'll do my best to keep it varied and to break up this slow streak we're having latley. damn life interfering with my internet self!
Hi there,
Just a quick post because things were going a little slow... So here are two amazing tracks to keep you dancing:
I know this one is old, but I really like Tiga and I really like Chromeo.
This remix is beyond amazing. I was expecting it to be a slightly altered version of the original, but Chromeo truly shaped the song towards their own style. The added vocals, guitar solo and synths just give this song so much more depth.
And here's the new Jamiroquai track.
It's Jamiroquai, it's funky and it makes me happy. So that's why I posted it.
As we know, every journey needs a soundtrack, and me? After a long day at college I just wanna walk home and get my swagga on along the way, and I'm sure you lot do as well, so today I'm picking my current favourites; the ones that make you feel like an unstoppable king as you saunter down the street :).
A bit like this
I like the kinda song that has a bit of funk and catchiness to walk to, the kind where you end up taking steps to the beat without realising, as demonstrated in classic Oizo fashion by the man himself, I DARE you not to get you groove on to this one!
A bit more funk and a little less electronic fiddling this time, and also featuring Del Tha Funkee Homosapien on the vocals. It's real old, but the track itself is timeless, due in part to that ever so catchy sample and Del's flowing rhymes. who says we only post house? :P.
This track is the same as Around The World and Eple in the "that song I know but I don't" category, and like both of them it's an amazing tune, highlighting Scruff's excellent sample work, essentially making the song his own. If you have an ear for funky tunes, this will be your jazz flavoured fix for a while, that gets sweeter everytime you come back to it.
This isn't to say I only like that stuff to walk to, no sir, sometimes you just gotta have some lovely electro. For example, Soulwax does it again with another excelent remix that manages to remain interesting despite being the same few bars repeated over and over. Oh, and it's about 10 minutes long too, so it's perfect for those loooooong trips, Enjoy :).
Topping off the Electro side of things is Zombie Nation. This version of Worth It is from the EP and is slightly slower than the album one, making it just the ideal tempo. This is by far my favourite to walk around to, and even though my favourites change weekly, this track remains in my playlists, which I only only do to truly great tracks, like Da Funk. And now I'm rambling, better shut up and post the player already.
To all of you who walk to your daily distraction, be it work or school, Enjoy. That tops off another installment of Pick 'N Mix, hope you have as much fun with these tracks as I do, stay safe, enjoy the tracks, don't get caught and make like Leo up there wherever you go and strut like you mean it!
No street is safe from my swagger,
-Claude Van Foxbat
This post. this was the one I anxiously awaited doing when I started this series. Some of you will like it, many of you will probably not, Some of you may even grow to love it as much as I do, as is the case with the majority of these Warped posts. It peaked at number #11 in the UK album charts, being another case of Warp's success stories and probably their most unconventional and experimental release. And you know it's going to be good when Aphex himself describes it as "like standing in a power station on Acid" But that's enough chit chat, let's get stuck into it shall we?
Selected Ambient Works Volume II is one of my favourite albums of all time, (and I'm not kidding when I say it owes me weeks of my life back, it's over two hours long) I'm sure most of you think of grinding beats and snare rushes when you think of AFX, but this album is full on ambient in the style of Brian Eno's soundscapes of his "Ambient: X" series. It's unique in that none of the tracks (apart from one) are actually named, Instead of a tracklist on the rear you are given this image:
Confusing right? that is, until you learn that the symbols match up with pictures in the linear notes. an example of one can be seen here, showing the one named track, Blue Calx, and a full decode and explanation can be found on this page. I love that idea, leaving the names entirely up to the listener/viewer, and is only the beginning of the mysterious properties of SAW2. Also, no matter how natural and smooth the tracks sound, remind yourself that ALL these tracks are electronic. Yes, I was blown away too.
Now, onto the actual tracks; as mentioned before it is entirely ambient with only one or two tracks featuring any kind of beats at all, but it's not about that, it's about the textures and compositions of them. Some are dark, some are light, but each has it's own specific feel. Here are some of my favourites (leaving out most of the more sinister tracks to make it easier to listen to)
Take for example, Track One (or Cliffs, if you've seen the pie charts). This is where you'll decide if you like, dislike or love the album. I'll let the music talk for me on this one. turn the lights off, relax, and just listen
Arguably the most "known" track from SAW2 is 'Rhubarb', it's been used in plenty of things from animation shorts to service testing for the BBC. And it's also arguably one of the best, I can't really describe the feeling, a combination of melancholy and nostalgia maybe? Regardless, give it the same treatment as Cliffs and you can't go wrong.
I feel the album flows much better with all the mellow tracks together, but that's not to say I hate the more sinister pieces. sometimes you gotta creep yourself out you know? oh, and this track isn't included on the US release so enjoy, it's a semi-exclusive! (2019 update; thanks to the advent of streaming, no longer as exclusive. Hope this works for all you in the US)
Moving back to the relaxed side of the spectrum, the opener from the second CD and the explicitly named track, Blue Calx. Picture a more ambient version of Nil from the first half of this post and this is what you'll get. You know what to do. (2019 update: oddly not named on the spotify track listing for some reason. Oh well, much the same for all the others I suppose)
Another quasi-popular track and one of the more accessible from the album is Z Twig, much like Rhubarb it has that "I've heard this before but I dont know where" feeling. Stay tuned for this one cropping up again in a themed post soon, I have other plans for it.... planned.
Time now for Exclusive number two, released only on the vinyl version and hard as hell to find a decent rip of on the net (I Scoured for months to find this copy), enjoy a 320 of probably the best track from the whole album; Stone In Focus. It's not posted on any blogs as far as I can tell. it's fascinating in that the little click in the background changes tempo sporadically, and the song speeds and slows in the same way. Amazing stuff. (2019 update, not on spotify this one, so youtube embed it's got to be. Also not as rare as it was 10 years ago, you can buy it digital and direct from the man himself here
Annnnnd time for one last track before I wrap this one up, Lichen is more of a classical piece, it's lovely for doing nothing at all to. So much so that AFX himself used to put it in his sets as a cool down song in the late 90's, and the crowds loved it, maybe for the occasional wave of bass, maybe for the smoothness of the sounds. You decide for yourself.
So there you have it, Selected Ambient Works Volume II in a nutshell. And it sums up Warp pretty well too: a label releasing experimental music that are moderately popular, and then become cult classics that people like me get to rant and rave about.
To all those who aren't a fan of Ambience; I apologise, BUT I will say that you should really tune in for the next few entries as we enter the prime time of Warp in the mid-nineties, they're a lot more accessible and less... shall we say "out there"
As I mentioned before I went to Laundry Day yesterday, so it’s time for another festival review I guess…
Because Laundry Day was an open air festival that happened during daytime, some pretty fun stuff happened you’d normally miss: I saw a 14 year old girl vomiting at 2 o’clock, some guys stealing fire extinguishers backstage and trying to make a foam party by themselves ... But above else the festival was a safe one considering all the buzz since the Love Parade incident.
The first noteworthy performance I saw was a live performance by the Waxdolls. This electropunk duo from Ghent (off course they’re Belgians) knew how to work a crowd. It’s probably best to describe them as a mix between the Subs (they bring the same energy to the stage) and MSTRKRFT back in the day (combining rock with electronic bleeps)…
After only one year of existence, Waxdolls shared the stage with Vitalic, Digitalism, and Alter Ego. And if that still doesn’t convince you these boys are doing a great job, here’s their most recent single:
And here’s another track from their first album High Speed Killer Ride (buy it, these guys rock!):
The next performance I want to talk about is by CJ Bolland. He was giving us an amazingly consistent techno set, when suddenly the music stopped and a beatboxer took over. He gave it his all for about five minutes to end with the famous “this is going to make you freak routine…”. Mister Bolland immediately took over again by dropping it and a magical collaboration was born.
And as a little special, here’s a classic:
Last artist I want to talk about is my new hero, DJ Feadz, the reason I went to Laundry Day in the first place. His set was a mix of ravy choppy tunes and supreme mixing brilliance. He managed to keep me interested for the entire two hours he performed by giving the crowd lots of variety, lots of teasing and some catchy tunes everybody likes to hear from time to time. Highlights of the show were him dropping MC Hammer, Mr. Oizo’s Rubber (after teasing it half an hour beforehand, I was afraid you were never going to play it again, you sly devil Feadz…) and Meet Her At The Love Parade by Da Hool.
I’m just to forget the obligatory Uffie you played and keep watching out for your next performance. I will try and get my hands on the set DJ Feadz played and post it when I finally track it down.
All in all Laundry Day was a nice festival (but damn you Netsky playing at the same time as Feadz, I felt bad missing you). Sorry for spamming the blog with posts, but I might be gone for 3 weeks…
So, it looks like we already are in September, that means I have to make my top 5s again, yay !
I've heard a lot of really good songs during August and I'll give you my 5 favorite calm ones today.
Rei Harakami is a Japanese IDM DJ, his work reminds me a lot Wisp's, really peaceful, but with some DnB in the back.
#5
An amazing remix by Port-Royal, one more talented band from Italy, it's hard to define their work, some songs are pure Electronica, some other are way more Ambient and they make some nice Post-Rock too.
#4
OK, you know me, I need to talk about french artists, I can't help it. Pilooski makes some of my favorites edits. So what happens when Pilooski meets Nina Simone ? I'll let you decide.
#3
Squarepusher's new project on Ed Banger Records : Shobaleader One. What can I say ? This is pure genius, I love Squarepusher and he didn't disappointed me with this little gem. Get ready for an epic Mr Oizo remix in my top 5 Bangers.
And of course, the best comes at last. Cassius's new song, from their soon to be released on ED Banger EP : "The Rawkers". I've listened to it for about 2 hours, and I can't get enough of it.
And so I return to my regularly scheduled programming, the next Warped entry. 1994 was a big year for Warp (and for me, cuz I was born). Two legendary albums came out in that year, and they both deserve separate posts in my opinion so I'm splitting it into two.
The first of which is Autechre's Amber. Released only six months after Incunabula it's a very similar style (albeit with some experimental and ambient pieces thrown in) for this would be their last album in this style moving onto more Aphexy style IDM after this release. It's a more refined Incunabula but while that may take a few listens to grow on you, Amber shoots straight for your heart.
With such a short time span between albums they share certain aspects (even sharing the same number of tracks) but while Incunabula was cold and metallic, Amber goes for a smoother, more natural approach while maintaining it's predecessor's elements. Like so.
Only three tracks in and Autechre experiment with a quasi-ambient track, Silverside. Combining heavy beats and muffled vocals, it has ties to Autriche from the first album, and even sounds like it uses the same effects that are at the end of Kalpol Introl. but enough comparison, just listen.
Here things take an upbeat turn with Slip, it's very smooth with catchy hooks and various other bleeps. It's one of my favourite examples of early IDM along with Aphex's Selected Ambient Works 85-92. I once heard it described as "music to write code to" so you can guess what it sounds like.
The next few tracks on the album are more Ambient experiments, and this one is hands down my favourite track from the album, tracks like these were what I was referring to with the "shoots for your heart" comment. I can't say much more that that if I'm honest, it's a wonderful song packed with emotion, Give it a listen, it deserves it
Another of the Ambient pieces, it's beauty lies in the simplicity. The same few synth notes play through the entire 6 minutes (although it seems like only 3), along with various other added effects to break it up. Very, very hypnotic.
For the final stretch Autechre return to the stylings of the opening tracks like Montreal, but much softer. the intro to this reminds me of rain (I've never listened to it when it is raining though, sorry Adam) but before I have time to think about that, the driving bassline hits and it just gets better from there. Things take a mellow turn around 4:40 which is a pleasant surprise!
Amber ends on the same note it began on, strong bassy notes and heavy beats with other synths laid over it but this one has a twist, it slows down gradually throughout, making the beats heavier and the bass notes softer, until it gradually fades out. an great end to a fantastic album if I do say so.
That ends another Warped instalment, as we enter the prime time of their releases, we'll be seeing some really classic stuff. And the next half of this post is only the beginning, So please stay tuned for that, you won't wanna miss it!
It's my Birthday on the 8th, and it was a tough choice on whether to do another Warp entry or knock up a lil' treat for you, loyal readers, a nice fresh dollop of Pick 'N Mix :).
You've probably had enough of my Warp posts for a while. Good news because so have I, and instead have this mixed bag to share with you all, a whole 2 days early - you lucky bunch.
This will be you very soon
First up is a fairly old track I decided to look up on Elbo.ws a while back and I only found broken or low quality links. Which is a real shame because this track is super sweet, definitely one of those cult classic tunes you will have heard before but won't know the name of. Good thing ol' uncle Claude is here to shine a light on it once again! As the mix says, it is really heavenly house.
An oldie but goodie that's been motivating me lately, Mehdi's Busy Being Born. The build up a minute in just kills me every time. When it all comes together, it's brilliant.
Now for any of you out there complaining about the lack of electro again, let me pull this ace from my sleeve (pun intended), probably my favourite Beetroots remix ever, it's a shame the don't do stuff like this anymore. Anyway, enjoy the face melting goodness.
Guess what? I'm gonna throw in some dubstep too so you lot don't complain either! first up is some euphoric remixing by D1, taking a chill track and applying some filth. you'd swear it was a trance track weren't it for the seismic bass. Enjoy, 'cause I know I do.
and this one's just here because it popped up while I was playing through my Dub folder and I thought you'd all like it :), I forget the details of the band besides they have a myspace under toastdubstep or something, check 'em out!
this final track's a bit of a wild card, but this is Pick 'N Mix, and I wanna have something for everyone. from a legendary album (that wasn't released on Warp, you'll be glad to hear!) enjoy the smooth synths and heavy bassline on this number way ahead of it's time for 1992.
Your probably thinking I have more reason than simple boredom for me to slow down my posting/the warp series, and you're right. truth is, I'm trying to prepare for my inevitable return to school and the schedule it will give me. BUT I also want to focus on some side projects I had planned and make the most of the free time I have left (as I mentioned in the shoutbox) for said projects. Stay tuned for the results of them, it might take a while.
I'll still be lingering on the site despite all this, even if I aren't feel free to E-mail me with anything you want (within reason!)
