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TESTSPINZ 014
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  REVIEWS Testspinz: Albums + Singles This week’s AVANTRAX by: DJ Spooky Send vinyl 12"/CD for review consideration to:
Atau's first release steps back to the early years of electronic noise music with a twist. Tokyo-based Atau Tanaka has crossed the globe for years, forming Sensorband in Europe and gaining fame as well-known performer of the BioMuse, a biosensor musical instrument. "Heart:Beat:Monitor" starts off Biorhythms with a heartbeat at various levels of effects and synth ambience. The pinging of that blasted monitor puts you on edge! On "Arteries:Of:Tokyo" waves from distant beaches permeate my mind with electrostatic from under wet wheels of passing vehicles. "Delull" is driven by a hypnotic downtempo-experimental beat layered with polyrhythmic analogue tones. "28:23:33" is a simple bell-driven effect experiment will tantalize your senses. "F:M:R Techno" throbs, background breaks with real drum sounds, with a flare of house muzik bits and analogue synths exploring the pitch bend. "Surge" reflects vinyl static in ambient trance that takes you to the brink of nervousness, still within your trance like state. A very nice piece of loop art. "Adagio" is a relaxing, mellow, string piece, a bit on the minimal side. Less experimental than the other tracks featured. "Otaku," a downtempo reverbo-mania trip to somewhere is very listenable mind muzik with a minimal groove, Asian vocal loops, telephones etc. "Alias:To:The:Nextime" manipulates frequencies with dark overtones. Atau's album should interest all who enjoy exploring their own minds through experimental sounds. Jefsta
Coming to you from Brighton, UK, Joti Sidhu has proven that he is one of the top producers of Psychedelic-Trance music in the world today. Playing the global trance circuit, the man behind Psychaos is quite a live act to be reckoned with, too. He has formerly released tracks on Blue Room and Flying Rhino, among others, and this, his latest album Cause and Effect on Atomic is more than merely another feather in his cap. Solid kick drums and driving basslines are the call of the day. Get ready for more than just foot tapping--this is dancefloor mania (I've seen it happen). Twisting keyboard riffs will tear thoughts apart, leave your body dancing and your brain fried. Dov
Yes I! Time to pack a bowl and turn up the bass! Serious reggae-influenced electronic beats by Ras Command ready for harvest here. This CD rolls two of my favorite pastimes into an audible inhalation! Grab this CD and you'll always have a head stash of dub to fragment your reality: "Acid Dub," "Love Dub (drum remix)"--which previously appeared on Waveform's Earthjuice compilation, "Greendub" and "Moo Dub." Groove to the phat beats, steel drum and sick basslines of "Rashead," "Education," and "Revolution in Ras." None of the tracks are longer than 6 minutes so they are sure to satisfy those of even the most impaired attention span. The tracks on this CD are brief smoky interludes of stony delight! My only complaint is the annoying fade-out at the end of some of the tracks. But don't a you a worry, mon--grab the bong and add extra elevation with this mood-enhancing sonic extract! Indeed, as the sleeve proclaims: "another important transmission from Waveform." Sprout
Warning: this album contains sustained bounce! Start with an updated version of "Next Stop Oblivion (Y2K Remix)." The luscious Anglo party-babe voice that you remember from dancefloors past leads you into the altered state of Synchro: "dreaming with my eyes wide open...the mind tries to resist...I feel perfectly calm...relaxed...." Next a different Anglo party-babe voice in "Drugs(Hard)" asks for "another drop of bliss." (Stick out your tongue if you understand). Another voice whispers "drugs" repeatedly. Are you out of your mind, hearing voices? No--you're in the world of Synchro's new album, drugs where nothing is subtle except the clean, minimal tech-trance beats. "Foxhunt(Gonzo)" will make you shudder as it creeps its way up your spine. Feeling disoriented? Not to worry, the funky bassline and hypnotic melody of "Drugs(Soft)" sorts it all out. Prepare yourself for a serious stomp to "F-buckets"! Check out this album for a long-lasting high that will saturate your being starting with your ears! Sprout
Portland-based experimental label BSI has designed music to whet your appetite with a promotional EP from Systemwide, serving up a starter for their forthcoming full-length album. The three tracks on this EP are a dubbed-out mix, concentrating on the spacey basslines to tie together a nice melody of hollowed-out drums. The production could be reworked for a cleaner sound but the overall finish has me nodding along to the beat. This is a great little 15 minutes to focus on the simple things, so turn down the lights, take a deep breath and listen to the sounds. You will find yourself smiling, and wanting to hear it again. The four-man dub ensemble (bass, drums, keyboards/samples, vocals & percussion) should keep at it and keep the heads out there relaxing. AWT
Deep electro and Nu-skool breaks is the name of the game for my favorite compilation to date! Every single one of these tracks is smashing. Thanks to Smart Systems' Aldo Bender and Tony Thorpe for roping in playas like T-Power ("Intastate"), Rennie Pilgrem & The Thursday Club ("Someplace Funky"), FreQ Nasty ("Under Glass"), Elektric Outbarding Cast ("Bitter End 1"), Thomas Krome ("Electro Bitch") and Sons of Mecha, whose track "Rockweiler" appears at the peak moments of the movie Groove in theaters across America this summer. The jerkiest highs and endlessly cosmic flow, the grittiest, funkiest low-end frequencies characterize this twist on the tried-and-true drum breaks. Move your ass and your mind will follow...Rewind Selecta!! Ms.E!
Urban-slick rhythms for the mind who's had enough of the hard, hard beats. This Latin flow to the future jazz-funk will soothe you. Still progressive, expanding on the concept of mutant beats that capture the essence of free jazz without losing the groove of the dancefloor, this is the 6th in a series from Compost Records, featuring previously unreleased tunes from United Future Organization ("The Planet Plan"), Ian O' Brien ("Moonlight"), Fauna Flash ("At The Movies"), Restless Soul ("Son of Ra Ra") and Earth Bound ("I See The Sun"). Highlighting the compilation are Tosca's "Chocolate Elvis" and Christian Zimmermann's "Diary Of A Lost Girl." Cheers to the Future Sounds of Jazz... Ms.E!
A distant wind brings the sounds of the earliest drum. Ancient flutes accompany the sounds of nature, leading into the synthetic sounds of the future as metallic tumbleweeds roll on by. Toires "Smoking Gun" paints a picture of the old west with a modern twist and rhythmic beats. Flash! You are then transported into "1968" and the re-interpreted psychedelic sounds created by Cosmos' "Diplomatik." As you continue along the unknown and newfound audio-roadways, you find yourself being slowly soothed into a place of meditation by the slow-grooving "Kalevala" that Total Eclipse brings from beyond. A soothing mixture and variety of tempos help create a unique collection of modern compositions. Wunjo
Psy-Harmonics has an extremely wide variety of styles in Vol. 4--Techno, Trance, Jazz, I don't know--somethin'! Sinister Association sets it off with "How Does It Taste." (Pretty damn good!). On the strange tip, there is nothing better than a "Texas Faggott With a Stiff Neck." This track is fun, fast and intense! Acid on the funky trance tip, tons of changes and surprises. The Visitors make us to believe that we will "Never Know"--ambient intro with building acidic strings and throbbing bass setting the mood for undetermined anxiety. Very intense, driving psy-trance droppin' large builds of techno insanity! "Trickster" is very interesting: Mutant Techno, Jazz, Trance. Huh? Not necessarily something I'd dance to, but ingenious in composition. Rip Van Hippy brings us another piece of work that if I weren't clinically insane, I'd say sucked, but now all I want to do is join "Brother Love & the Cult of the Unstraight." Assassin Device busts out with a techno break to take out all y'all with their track "That Is There." A little bit more on the dark side of a trippy break with a resemblance to Kraftwerk and early Wax Trax projects; this is a cool track! Drum & Bass on this comp? O.K. why not? Lo_Rez drop this deeply dark and delicious track called "I Hear It In My Ghost." Not too extra-ordinary, but very listenable--typical drum sounds and patterns with some nice strings attached. The next track "Heinous Groove Gland" by Higher Spin States stands alone! I must find this on vinyl. Unique, driving, ever-changing--I love it! I like a diverse label that branches out into eclectic styles. You can't put a tag on this one. Antediluvian Rocking Horse lets us end with their experimental D&B track "It's O.K, Mosquito." Well-rounded label I must say! Jefsta
My friend Marcia says that this is the best music she's ever heard. "It's perfect: funky, but not too funky; trancy, but not too trancy," she says. But don't get the idea that it's lightweight--this is some serious sound. Uplifting: yes, disturbing: no, full-on: for sure! Starting with Tarsis' "Sacral Excursion," a 6.42 minute psy-opera, you know you're in for it! Human Blue's intensifies the vibration further with "Sandal Wood," a morningish anthem sure to stir 'em up at that sunrise dancefloor peak. Bitmonx's big clean beats put you in "Pipemode"--time to stomp! And on it goes through to Noma's comedown classic "Soon." This is progressive trance at its purest: clean and to the point; no breaks, no over-the-top melodies, no stupid samples, no distracting video-game sounds or over-tweaked effects--progressive indeed! Plus psy-trance distilled to its essence. No stress, just sick basslines and phat beats layered with ethereal harmonies. So if you're looking for what Marcia is: "aural satisfaction," get this CD! Sprout
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