Shinigami San - Talk don't be silenced (2011)
Shinigami San - Toys (2011)
Shinigami San - Toys (2011)
Tracklist:
1. Intro 01:29
2. Lofi 06:33
3. Bounce 05:37
4. Percussive 04:15
5. Toys 05:59
6. Marsilia 05:41
7. Talk don't be silenced 07:53
8. Post Trauma 08:54
9. Immersive 05:35
10. Migra 08:29
2. Lofi 06:33
3. Bounce 05:37
4. Percussive 04:15
5. Toys 05:59
6. Marsilia 05:41
7. Talk don't be silenced 07:53
8. Post Trauma 08:54
9. Immersive 05:35
10. Migra 08:29
album info :
Shinigami San’s album is a signal that emanates from the underground of Tunisia: a hybrid of dubstep, techno and noise; very dark, but most importantly, very true. This is neither the sound of London nor Berlin, and if a couple of ingredients from here and there are recognizable in “Toys”, it is most definitely the electronic sound of Tunisia we bring to you here. From the dusty 8-bit dubstep of “Lofi” and “Toys” to the dark techno rollers “Post Trauma” and “Migra”, you will go by tribal beats, eerie atmospheres and heavily distorted sound textures. Shinigami San draws a panorama that shows both impressive skills and style.
“Toys” is not only about excellent and true music, but also about original product design and DIY manufacturing. This 450 digipack limited edition was hand-printed and crafted using silk screen printing, rulers and cutters. The graphic design is based on drawings from Sabrina Ben Hadj Ali, and each cd comes numbered, with 3 original prints on the graphic theme of the album.
Today, we are up to put Tunisia under the radar of electronic beats diggers; today, we bring you the frst album of Tunisian-born Shinigami San: nothing cheesy here, just a raw, brutally honest energy.
Kryptic Minds - One Of Us (2009)
Kryptic Minds - One Of Us (2009)
Tracklist:
01. Intro
02. One Of Us
03. Generation Dub
04. Stepping Stone
05. Something To Nothing
06. Six Degrees
07. Three Views Of A Secret
08. Secure Lost
09. Dissolved
10. Chosen Few
11. Organic
12. Distant Dawn
My Review :
By this point, I'm pretty confident about what I like in my dubstep. What I want is for an artist to know exactly what they want to do and to stick to that, almost pig-headedly. It doesn't matter what that thing is, just as long as there's a clear motive and directive - be it Vex'd and their love of harsh industrial noise and caveman rhythms, and subsequent determination to make music as heavy as possible, or Burial's constant evocation of urban loneliness, or the dancefloor-ready craziness of a track like Unitz's "The Drop" or The Bug's "Angry".
Kryptic Minds prove it, by being an act with a seemingly unlimited source of good ideas and smart touches, but no clear goal. While One of Us is definitely a good record, it's hard to work out a reason for it to exist, which is a problem for me. Some of it aims for Burial's atmospherics and cut-up vocals, some for Pinch's songcraft, some for a drum'n'bass/dubstep hybrid, some for Boxcutter's IDM experiments, and none of it ever really gels into a conhesive statement. It's not even really something you coudl call derivative, it just seems a little aimless, good as it is.
Kryptic Minds prove it, by being an act with a seemingly unlimited source of good ideas and smart touches, but no clear goal. While One of Us is definitely a good record, it's hard to work out a reason for it to exist, which is a problem for me. Some of it aims for Burial's atmospherics and cut-up vocals, some for Pinch's songcraft, some for a drum'n'bass/dubstep hybrid, some for Boxcutter's IDM experiments, and none of it ever really gels into a conhesive statement. It's not even really something you coudl call derivative, it just seems a little aimless, good as it is.
Kryptic Minds – Can't Sleep (2011)
Kryptic Minds – Can't Sleep (2011)
Tracklist
1 Brief Passing 4:48
2 The Things They Left Behind 6:05
3 Just After Sunset 5:50
4 Fade To Nothing 5:08
5 No More No Less 6:12
6 Can't Sleep 5:41
7 Alone 6:05
8 Myth 5:49
9 The Fifth 6:08
10 Depth Of Field 6:27
11 Arcane 5:43
12 A Glimpse Of Hope 5:37
13 1000 Lost Cities 6:15
My Review :
Kryptic Minds generally have two established sounds on Can't Sleep: trim and lean, or lumbering and heavy. No matter their goal, Simon Shreeve and Brett Bigden always manage to do it with the utmost finesse and grace. In a genre more and more often associated with crashing beats and unpleasant screeching, subtlety and nuance is precious; and while the kind of dubstep Kryptic Minds continue to dish out can rarely be said to be breaking down boundaries, it's solid enough to lay a promising foundation and detailed enough to keep you coming back.
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (2008 remaster)
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (2008 remaster)
1 Xtal 4:54
2 Tha 9:07
3 Pulsewidth 3:48
4 Ageispolis 5:23
5 I 1:17
6 Green Calx 6:05
7 Heliosphan 4:53
8 We Are the Music Makers 7:43
9 Schottkey 7th Path 5:08
10 Ptolemy 7:14
11 Hedphelym 6:03
12 Delphium 5:29
13 Actium 7:36
2 Tha 9:07
3 Pulsewidth 3:48
4 Ageispolis 5:23
5 I 1:17
6 Green Calx 6:05
7 Heliosphan 4:53
8 We Are the Music Makers 7:43
9 Schottkey 7th Path 5:08
10 Ptolemy 7:14
11 Hedphelym 6:03
12 Delphium 5:29
13 Actium 7:36
My Review :
This is the highest regarded album from a very, very young Richard D. James, and I suppose that for its time this was modern, but alas, for 2009 does sound a little dated, and is not more than a techno which doesn't go beyond than that: much of the stuff contained in this 'Selected ambient works 85-92' is not very different to the lounge music I used to hear on a radio programme in Buenos Aires that aired DJ music to chill out on weekends after hours.
I never was too skilled to determine what it was influential as fuck in the pop music (some people 'round here seem very skilled about and I admire them), and if this was that influential or not, I couldn't say it, but one thing surely this is not: so bold and adventurous as later James works (the exception maybe is 'Hedphelym'): I really got no clue why this is so generally rated as the greatest Aphex Twin record, while in reality, it's almost his weakest; the proof is easy: you can really dance to this, and when you can dance to electronic music, it means that is not so good.
On the other hand I can understand if this is meaningful for some people: the affective factor must be respected, and I do.
I never was too skilled to determine what it was influential as fuck in the pop music (some people 'round here seem very skilled about and I admire them), and if this was that influential or not, I couldn't say it, but one thing surely this is not: so bold and adventurous as later James works (the exception maybe is 'Hedphelym'): I really got no clue why this is so generally rated as the greatest Aphex Twin record, while in reality, it's almost his weakest; the proof is easy: you can really dance to this, and when you can dance to electronic music, it means that is not so good.
On the other hand I can understand if this is meaningful for some people: the affective factor must be respected, and I do.
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998)
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998)
01. Wildlife Analysis
02. An Eagle in Your Mind
03. The Color of the Fire
04. Telephasic Workshop
05. Triangles & Rhombuses
06. Sixtyten
07. Turquoise Hexagon Sun
08. Kaini Industries
09. Bocuma
10. Roygbiv
11. Rue the Whirl
12. Aquarius
13. Olson
14. Pete Standing Alone
15. Smokes Quantity
16. Open the Light
17. One Very Important Thought
18. Happy Cycling
02. An Eagle in Your Mind
03. The Color of the Fire
04. Telephasic Workshop
05. Triangles & Rhombuses
06. Sixtyten
07. Turquoise Hexagon Sun
08. Kaini Industries
09. Bocuma
10. Roygbiv
11. Rue the Whirl
12. Aquarius
13. Olson
14. Pete Standing Alone
15. Smokes Quantity
16. Open the Light
17. One Very Important Thought
18. Happy Cycling
My Review :
This album, is so fucking good. The few words to describe it. Fucking good. Fucking perfect. AHHHHHHHHHH. FUCK. Some songs have a Black Moth Super Rainbow kinda feel to them. Like Turquoise Hexagon Sun. The chords remind me a lot of BMSR's "I Think It Is Beautiful That You Are 256 Colors Too" off of Falling Through a Field. Then there are certain songs like Roygbiv, which are just simply amazing. By the time the song ends, I think to myself, "Jesus Christ, that was 2 minutes and 33 seconds?" Its repetitive, but in an extremely good way. The album in general is mysterious, curious, and magical. Very superb. I just wish it was endless.
Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher (2003)
Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher (2003)
01 The Wrong Side of Reflection (Intro)
02 The End of Biters-International
03 Plastic (feat. Diverse)
04 Uprock and Invigorate a Prefuse (produced by Dabrye)
05 The Color of Tempo
06 Dave's Bonus Beats
07 Detchibe
08 Altoid Addiction-Interlude
09 Busy Signal (Make You Go Bombing Mix)
10 One Word Extinguisher
11 90% of My Mind is With You
12 Huevos With Jeff and Roni (feat. Mr. Lif on a minidisc mic)
13 Female Demands
14 Why I Love You
15 Southerners-Interlude
16 Perverted Undertone
17 Invigorate
18 Choking You
19 Storm Returns with Tommy Guerrero
20 Trains on Top of the Game
21 Styles That Fade Away With a Collonade-Reprise
22 Esta
23 Pentagram
02 The End of Biters-International
03 Plastic (feat. Diverse)
04 Uprock and Invigorate a Prefuse (produced by Dabrye)
05 The Color of Tempo
06 Dave's Bonus Beats
07 Detchibe
08 Altoid Addiction-Interlude
09 Busy Signal (Make You Go Bombing Mix)
10 One Word Extinguisher
11 90% of My Mind is With You
12 Huevos With Jeff and Roni (feat. Mr. Lif on a minidisc mic)
13 Female Demands
14 Why I Love You
15 Southerners-Interlude
16 Perverted Undertone
17 Invigorate
18 Choking You
19 Storm Returns with Tommy Guerrero
20 Trains on Top of the Game
21 Styles That Fade Away With a Collonade-Reprise
22 Esta
23 Pentagram
My Review :
Constantly morphing and changing, these are melodies for those who grow bored quickly. I listen to One Word Extinguisher and think to myself, "electronic with a hip-hop base". That's what this essentially instrumental album does, and Prefuse 73 does it well. Each song gives off its own flair and spark of creativity, and they are generally kept short and condensed which is the perfect way of going about it. Rife with energy and always going, this is upbeat music for those on the move. The cut and paste feeling is fluent and lets the layers of sound breathe freely. Manic samples only help to round this out. Some of them are a little too much, but for the most part it's spot on. At times it's more glitchy and at other times it's focused more on grooves and atmosphere. At times I sense an Autechre influence which wouldn't surprise me since both artists are on Warp. There is a lot to analyze as well, since One Word Extinguisher is packed full to the brim with tracks. Luckily it stays coherent and doesn't fall prey to keeling over in a stupor of boredom.
Fennesz - Endless Summer (2001)
Fennesz - Endless Summer (2001)
1 Made in Hongkong 4:22
2 Endless Summer 8:35
3 A Year in a Minute 6:01
4 Caecilia 3:53
5 Got to Move On 3:48
6 Shisheido 2:58
7 Before I Leave 4:06
8 Happy Audio 10:55
2 Endless Summer 8:35
3 A Year in a Minute 6:01
4 Caecilia 3:53
5 Got to Move On 3:48
6 Shisheido 2:58
7 Before I Leave 4:06
8 Happy Audio 10:55
My Review :
There are times when I think that "Endless Summer" might very well be the best album of 2001 and one of the most important and relevant albums of the entire decades. There are other times when I don't understand why I am so fascinated with this record. A glitchy, ambient, obscene and serene take on sun, seen through the eyes of the inimitable Christian Fennesz. I don't hate this record ever, don't get me wrong, but I don't always love it. It's a "when the mood is right" type of record for me. It almost always sounds pretty (though the harsh glitches on "Shisheido" and "Before I Leave" wake me from my daydream), but about one out of every 4 listens reveals a record that stands on its own, with few sounding like it. The mixture of guitars, fuzz, and samples just hits the right emotions. One of the very few ambient that does indeed work on a sunny day. Keep it around, listen to it every now and then, you'll become obsessed eventually.
Murcof - Martes (2002)
Murcof - Martes (2002)
1. Memoria
2. Mapa
3. Mir
4. Mármol
5. Mao
6. Muim
7. Mes
8. Maíz
2. Mapa
3. Mir
4. Mármol
5. Mao
6. Muim
7. Mes
8. Maíz
My Review :
A pretty damn fascinating album. Martes sounds like a typical Warp records release with the weirdness replaced with thoughtfulness; while the processed drums and clicks certainly sound like something you might here on a rhythmically spastic Autechre track, they're arranged into regular, danceable, almost club-friendly beats, allowing what sits over the top of them to really breathe and stand on its own merit.
And it's a good job too, because some of these arrangements are excellent. Murcof clearly has a passing interest in classical music, but he treats it in largely the same way he treats his beats - tiny snippets reconstructed into something bigger. He occasionally hints at shifting tone clusters but only actually uses two or three dissonant notes and holds them - similarly, "Memoria" makes out like it's about to introduce a long, flowing cello melody, but the instrument only ends up repeating the same two notes. Ditto the pizzicato playing on "Mir" - it's another loop, just hitting in a different register. It's like everything, tonal or not, is treated as percussion, whether it has clear melodic content or it's just a dull thud.
Martes succeeds, though, because it pulls off the same trick that acts as diverse as Massive Attack, Lamb, Kraftwerk, Burial, and New Order have typically relied on - placing sad, dark, affecting music over steady dance beats. Considering the general lack of anything 'human', this is a pretty emotional album - it'd be as welcome on a chill-out mixtape as it would on a glitch or techno one. Despite its refusal to ever truly spazz out and go properly nuts, you suspect IDM would be a much more fitting description for this than most things; this really is intelligent.
And it's a good job too, because some of these arrangements are excellent. Murcof clearly has a passing interest in classical music, but he treats it in largely the same way he treats his beats - tiny snippets reconstructed into something bigger. He occasionally hints at shifting tone clusters but only actually uses two or three dissonant notes and holds them - similarly, "Memoria" makes out like it's about to introduce a long, flowing cello melody, but the instrument only ends up repeating the same two notes. Ditto the pizzicato playing on "Mir" - it's another loop, just hitting in a different register. It's like everything, tonal or not, is treated as percussion, whether it has clear melodic content or it's just a dull thud.
Martes succeeds, though, because it pulls off the same trick that acts as diverse as Massive Attack, Lamb, Kraftwerk, Burial, and New Order have typically relied on - placing sad, dark, affecting music over steady dance beats. Considering the general lack of anything 'human', this is a pretty emotional album - it'd be as welcome on a chill-out mixtape as it would on a glitch or techno one. Despite its refusal to ever truly spazz out and go properly nuts, you suspect IDM would be a much more fitting description for this than most things; this really is intelligent.
Dhafer Youssef - Divine Shadows (2006)
Dhafer Youssef - Divine Shadows (2006)
1. Cantos Lamentos (Dedicated To A. Part)
2. 27th Century Ethos
3. Miel Et Cendres (Dedicated To Mohamed Choukril)
4. In Human Sense
5. Odd Poetry
6. 27th Ethos (Dedicated To Jatinder Thakur)
7. Persona Non Grata
8. Postludium
9. Eleventh Stone
10. Ivresse Divine
11. Un Soupir Eternel (To A Norwegian Girl, Karen Steen Aarset 1931 - 2004)
2. 27th Century Ethos
3. Miel Et Cendres (Dedicated To Mohamed Choukril)
4. In Human Sense
5. Odd Poetry
6. 27th Ethos (Dedicated To Jatinder Thakur)
7. Persona Non Grata
8. Postludium
9. Eleventh Stone
10. Ivresse Divine
11. Un Soupir Eternel (To A Norwegian Girl, Karen Steen Aarset 1931 - 2004)
My Review :
This isn't my favorite disc from Dhafer Youssef but it's still pretty darn good. He manages to mix in a good selection of styles of jazz in here and some tracks he'll even toss in some catchy beats, like on Persona non grata. For the most part this is farsi or eastern style jazz and it's a great chill out album. Tracks like Eleventh Stone and Odd Poetry are prime examples and take you right to the Eastern side of the World into a beautiful memory forgotten. The tracks flow into one another as well making Dhafer a great producer because if I'm not watching the track list on the stereo sometimes I have no idea what track I'm actually listening to. Very well done and I recommend this to any World Jazz fan!
Dhafer Youssef - Abu Nawas Rhapsody (2010)
Dhafer Youssef - Abu Nawas Rhapsody (2010)
1.Sacré 4:59
2. Les Ondes Orientales 9:09
3. Khamsa 7:40
4. Interl’oud 1:44
5. Louage (Odd Elegy) 4:52
6. Ya Hobb 4:07
7. Shatha (intro) 2:08
8. Shatha 5:36
9. Mudamatan 4:54
10. Sabaa 5:00
11.Sura 6/05
12. Profane 4:38
2. Les Ondes Orientales 9:09
3. Khamsa 7:40
4. Interl’oud 1:44
5. Louage (Odd Elegy) 4:52
6. Ya Hobb 4:07
7. Shatha (intro) 2:08
8. Shatha 5:36
9. Mudamatan 4:54
10. Sabaa 5:00
11.Sura 6/05
12. Profane 4:38
My Review :
If you're at all inclined to the sort of music that invites you to a simultaneously intensely personal and all embracing communal meditative experience, buy this CD immediately. Ten or twenty years ago, I surrendered to the Middle Eastern magic of a group called Night Ark. This seems to be the next chapter, the next semester in the course. At its core, it is a small jazz ensemble: percussion, bass, guitar (in this case, 'oud) and vocalist. But here is a group that is deft at the long-time tradition of middle eastern music, predating the development of American jazz by centuries, if not millenia. And it is highly skilled, highly virtuosic improvisation that is focused away from the ego and toward the adoration of The Beloved, Love personified, if you will. I have only to add a comment on the liner notes. In the spirit of the music, in the spirit of the inspiration of the ensemble, the notes for each song are presented as a spectacular, one-page painting by a contemporary watercolorist
Mr. Meeble - Never Trust The Chinese (2008)
Mr. Meeble - Never Trust The Chinese (2008)
1. Fine
2. Raindrops
3. Cultivation of the Imagination
4. Dragonfly
5. It All Came To Pass
6. Every Thing is Good Part One
7. A Ton of Bricks
8. I Fell Through
9. Everything is Good Part 2
10. Until I Grasp the Second
11. 100 Pills
12. Forget This Ever Happened
2. Raindrops
3. Cultivation of the Imagination
4. Dragonfly
5. It All Came To Pass
6. Every Thing is Good Part One
7. A Ton of Bricks
8. I Fell Through
9. Everything is Good Part 2
10. Until I Grasp the Second
11. 100 Pills
12. Forget This Ever Happened
My Review :
Flying in the face of earthly convention, Mr. Meeble issues a warning to everyone who checks out their indie debut album: Never Trust The Chinese. Between its title and content - this Phoenix based trio’s sensual and soulful pop meets dark electronica record is bound to drop jaws, turn heads and offend, oh, maybe about a billion people.
But it’s nothing personal… well, except for the one nameless female who inspired this collection of songs that tell stories of the denial and despair of lost love, personal accountability, remembering, mourning and finally, just maybe, a glimmer of hope.
Like their nearest ‘sounds kinda like’ cousins, Mr. Meeble incorporates both stellar instrumental work and an ethos of lyrical authenticity. Reminiscent of fellow French band Air, NTTC has moments of smooth, breathy vocals over spacey synths, chilled-out Rhodes and orchestral strings. At other times, it sounds similar to Thom Yorke’s Eraser with its emotive, pained vocals over minimal, tense electronics. Those familiar with Massive Attack’s Mezzanine will identify with NTTC’s dark, plodding and ominous vibe. The curious mix of stops, glitches, pops, whizzes, bleeps, stutters, and scratches together with sweeping, sometimes unnerving, visceral emotion is as close to opposites becoming singularly effective as you will find in music, or any art form, for that matter
But it’s nothing personal… well, except for the one nameless female who inspired this collection of songs that tell stories of the denial and despair of lost love, personal accountability, remembering, mourning and finally, just maybe, a glimmer of hope.
Like their nearest ‘sounds kinda like’ cousins, Mr. Meeble incorporates both stellar instrumental work and an ethos of lyrical authenticity. Reminiscent of fellow French band Air, NTTC has moments of smooth, breathy vocals over spacey synths, chilled-out Rhodes and orchestral strings. At other times, it sounds similar to Thom Yorke’s Eraser with its emotive, pained vocals over minimal, tense electronics. Those familiar with Massive Attack’s Mezzanine will identify with NTTC’s dark, plodding and ominous vibe. The curious mix of stops, glitches, pops, whizzes, bleeps, stutters, and scratches together with sweeping, sometimes unnerving, visceral emotion is as close to opposites becoming singularly effective as you will find in music, or any art form, for that matter
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