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DJ Martian's Page

Intro: A diverse music positive weblog for the discerning listener with an interest in creative artistic music across the contemporary sound spectrum: Goto New Content Section for DJ Martian's Page

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Monday, December 31, 2001

The Wire - Jan 2002

Just picked up the new edition of The Wire - Jan 2002 from the local newsagents. It comes with a free CD and also stacks of end of year analysis.

[Strange front cover choice, Le Tigre - they are the sort of band that Magnet magazine rave about - that have never interested me]

# posted by DJ Martian 4:28 PM

electronicmusic.com 2001: A Year in Review

Rather than list this article provides an interesting overview of listening to electronic music in 2001 @ electronicmusic.com 2001: A Year in Review

With this being EMR�s last update for the year of 2001, it was decided that some sort of discussion should be held to analyze and contemplate what the past three hundred and sixty-five days have brought in terms of electronic music. So, we fired up our musical archives and began sorting through all we had heard, seen, or read about in an attempt to realize just what this year brought. What resulted was a collection of short, but interesting essays that provide insight and commentary on the current state of electronic music.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:48 PM

Sunday, December 30, 2001

New Music Weblog - Quicksilver Shapeshifter

Tom @ NYLPM alerts us to the fact that a new music weblog has been started by Melissa W called quicksilver shapeshifter and this is the current countdown of her Top 50 albums of 2001 with a footnote

No doubt I shall be rearranging and adding to it throughout even 2002.

I noticed that Ulrich Schnauss has moved up to 16, (for me this album improves with every listen - there is a definite Cocteau Twins feel to the sound and melodies throughout the album )

16. Ulrich Schnauss - Far Away Trains Passing By

[PS I also noticed that Melissa - has already linked to my weblog - thanks !]

# posted by DJ Martian 6:54 PM

Saturday, December 29, 2001

Philippe Petit, manager of the Bip Hop Label - Subject: top labels / albums for 2001

Philippe Petit, manager of the french based record label Bip Hop Label selects his top labels / albums for 2001:

top labels :

12K
Carpark
(KraaK)3
F�llt
Staugbold
Diskono
Rune Gramophon
Lucky Kitchen
Active Suspension
Touch
Morr Music

top single-only labels :

Expanding
Bottrop Boy

top albums (in chronological order from most recent to older one) :

To Rococo Rot : Kolner breit (Staugbold)
Ghislain Poirier : il n'y a pas de sud (12K)
Oren Ambarchi : suspension (Touch)
Takagi Masakatsu : pia (Carpark)
Stephan Mathieu & Ekkehard Ehlers : heroin (Bronbron)
Phonem : ilisu (Morr)
Fennesz : endless summer (Mego)
Electric Birds : panorama (Deluxe)
the 24 mini CD series "Invallid Objects" (F�llt)
Twine : circulation (Komplott)
Stephan Mathieu : frequency lib (Mille Plateaux)
Ovil Bianca : gravity = love (Kraak3)
Mitchell Akiyama : hope that lines don't cross (Substractif)
Marumari : supermogadon (Carpark)
Vert : 9 types of ambiguity (Sonig)
Manual : until tomorrow (Morr Music)
Komet : rausch (12K)
Jan Jelinek : loop finding-jazz records (~Scape)
Oleg Kostrow : the great flashing tracks from ivona (Stora)
Mokira : clip-hop (Raster-Noton)
Jurgen De Blonde : hidden rabbit (Tomlab)
Process : shape-space (Fatcat)
Shuttle 358 : frame (12K )
Pimmon : assembler (Fallt)
Mikael Stavostrand : lite (Mitek)
KPT Michigan : hey love (Kraak3)

+ every BiP_HOp (obviously I have been listening to them heavily...)

This list was picked up from Yahoo Groups idm - moderated

# posted by DJ Martian 5:26 PM

Bleedmusic.com critics - The Albums Of The Year

More end of year lists ! this time voted by the contributors @ Bleedmusic.com

When writing out a list of your top-twenty albums of the year, with all the relationship to experience and all the fucking fun they stand for, its weird seeing them conflated into a pulp of collective opinion that doesn't necessarily stand for the best, or worst records of the year, but more that enough people had heard said album and liked it enough to include it in their top twenty.

Bleedmusic.com - part 1 top 33 albums of 2001 including:

6. New Order - Get Ready

12. Life Without Buildings - Any Other City

15. Elbow - Asleep In The Back

18. cLOUDDEAD- cLOUDDEAD

26. Cannibal Ox - Cold Vein

33. Ladytron - 604

Bleedmusic.com part 2 numbers 34 - 66 including:

42. Beta Band - Hot Shots II

50. Her Space Holiday - Manic Expressive

55. Four Tet - Pause

58. Cex - Oops! I Did It Again

61. Les Savy Fav - Go Forth

62. Autechre - Confield

Bleedmusic.com part 3 Numbers 67 - 100 including:

76. Meanwhile Back In Communist Russia - Indian Ink

77. Perry Farrell - Song Yet To Be Sung

92. Mogwai - Rock Action

93. 2nd Gen - Irony Is

100. Pulp - We Love Life

# posted by DJ Martian 2:32 AM

Another year end list - Michael Goldberg

Tim Finney @ skykicking alerts us to Michael Goldberg's year end list

# posted by DJ Martian 2:07 AM

Fake Jazz - Vote for the Best Album of 2001

Fake Jazz - Vote for the Best Album of 2001 - Nominees - The List are as follows:

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO - La Novia
Laurie Anderson - Life on a String
Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Geologist - Danse Manatee
Boredoms - Vision Creation Newsun
John Coltrane - The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording
Explosions in the Sky - Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die...
Fennesz -Endless Summer
Fridge - Happiness
Jackie-O Motherfucker - Liberation
Kinski - Be Gentle With the Warm Turtle
Landing - Oceanless
Maya Shore- Farewell to Introductions
The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2
John Oswald - Plunderphonics 69/96
Pelt - Ayahuasca
Rothko - No Anchor No Chart No Rudder No Sails
Matthew Shipp - Matthew Shipp's New Orbit
Sparklehorse - It's A Wonderful Life
Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid
Surface of Eceon - The King Beneath the Mountain
Tarentel - The Order of Things
Tied & Tickled Trio - Electric Avenue Tapes
Yellow 6 - Lake:Desert

also see the initial Fake Jazz critic's faves list.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:12 AM

Almost Cool Reader's Best of 2001 lists

What a genius idea this is, the weekly personal music review site Almost Cool has started a Reader's Best of 2001 lists and some of the selections so far are well worth browsing through.

Although I probably won't be putting up my "Best of 2001" list until sometime early next year (still trying to catch up with this year), I'm going to be posting the lists of readers of the site. If you feel like contributing, send me your Top 10 list (in order, with or without some commentary) for the year and I'll post it (also let me know where you're from). I'll even give you a link if you want me to.

So send those lists to.. Almost Cool

# posted by DJ Martian 1:06 AM

CMJ List - The Best of 2001

A rather bland list from the US monthly CMJ - the type of list I would expect Spin to come up CMJ List - The Best of 2001 [however good to see Four Tet listed.]

Taking of the rubbish Spin magazine - what the heck have U2 done to deserve The Best Band Of Year - as featured on the Jan 2002 front cover. That recent single is dire it sounds like a duff stadium lite shite track that could have been made by INXS 10 - 15 years a go. I read in a newspaper this week that U2 are the biggest music money earners in the US this year, and the bland Dave Matthews came in at 5 !

There is also a slogan on the front of the Spin magazine, The Year in Music 2001 - should be laugh to browse at the newstand. Just who is Spin magazine aimed at ? Spin magazine what a useless music magazine.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:12 AM

Friday, December 28, 2001

John Peel Listener's Festive 50

John Peel Listener's Festive 50 - oh dear there is a lot of rubbish in this poll.

There were the naff entries from the usual Peel approved suspects.. Cinerama, Cuban Boys, Belle and Sebastian and even The Fall delivering a very drab boring album (from the tracks I have listened to on the radio) yet again managed to squeeze a couple entries in the 50. It seems that a Festive 50 without a Fall track, is like Christmas with no turkey - for some rabid Fall fans !

Then there were entries from what Simon Reynolds use to call Indie Rodents/ - unadventorous indie fodder that the dweebs in their cardigans at Track & Field Club go for ..Saloon, Shins, Moldy Peaches, Hefner and Melys - at number one - indie pop by numbers ! the type of music that I find so flat and lifeless - this completely baffles me why people like this stuff ! it floats straight over my head ..Peel approved Pap.

How they hell did no marks such as..Miss Black America / Anti Hero - that made no impression elsewhere in 2001 - make it on the festive 50 - these two bands had a split single, I can't even remember Peel playing them - they made no impression on me - and I am a fairly regular listener.

8 Camera Obscura - 'Eighties fan - I must admit this was the indie pop type track I actually enjoyed in the festive 50 from an upcoming band, at least it has a certain character and charm, the female sounds cute and interesting in her vocal style - that holds my attention and there is atmospheric quality to the track that flows as the track progresses.

Then there was the overhyped basic bore rock of The Hives, The Strokes, The White Stripes, zzzzzzzzz - I had to endure the flaming Strokes (Last Nite .. is the Strokes track I detest most that bog standard strumming guitar sound and those dragging grey vocals.. it so bad the guitar sounds like the Housemartins ! ) and The White Stripes (including that ghastly yelping naff Hotel Yorba song ) tracks of the top 10 whilst listening last night on Peel, ..then I switched on Xfm on channel 864 for the last hour of John Kennedy show on my parent's Sky satellite system - and caught 3 tracks from the late 80s Sonic Youth, Dinsoaur Jnr and The Pixies they still sounded vital and full of energy.

That leaves a few decent tracks from... Mogwai, Lift to Experience, Squarepusher, New Order, Pulp and Meanwhile, Back In Communist Russia.

It has to be said that this must go down as one of the worst Peel Festive 50 polls of alltime ! and yet I still find some of the music on Peel interesting - that was not represented in this poll - e.g I expected at least one drum n bass track to make it ! particularly as Teebee was a firm favourite of Peel !

In 2001 I have very little in common with the majority popularist block voters of this listener's poll.

# posted by DJ Martian 8:54 PM

Nelson's 2001 list - shoegazer/ dream pop

Another Blisscent Yahoo Groups 2001 list this time from Nelson of Clairecords

1. Poor Rich Ones - Happy Happy Happy
http://www.poorrichones.com

Poor Rich Ones had been creating enthralling and acclaimed pop music
in their native Norway for half a decade (they won the Norwegian
equivalent of the Grammy, the Spellemannsprisen, in 1998 for their
second album) before making it to the shores of America with their
third effort, Happy Happy Happy. It is hard to imagine a more
enticing introduction than the album provides. The album features the
kind of stunningly developed sonic world that, if not for the
relative isolation of the band, would probably vault them into the
elite along with likeminded bands such as Radiohead and Travis, or at
least into cult-favorite territory alongside an eccentric combo such
as Sparklehorse. These are comparisons that the music easily supports
and, in many ways, stands above. Poor Rich Ones also create richly
melancholic pop with melodies that can bring tears to your eyes, and
then tops it off with the gloriously anguished vocals of guitarist
William. He sings in a fragile falsetto that is chillingly similar at
times to that of Thom Yorke but with an ethereal heartsickness all
its own. Unlike the works to which you could compare it, if so
inclined, though, there is nothing detached or alien about Happy
Happy Happy. It swaps sweeping conceptualizations for something much
more radical: overwhelming waves of emotion. The music has a purity
of motive that gets beyond cynicism. It has both knowing and na�ve
qualities; or rather, the songs allow extreme disappointment and
extreme rapture to exist within the same experience without judging
one as better or worse than the other. They are works of transport
but also the stuff that keeps you tethered to your lives, passionate
pleas and small, temporary celebrations wrapped in some of the most
evocative melodies. Rarely is a chorus as instantly sorrow-pitched
and transcendent as the one that floats from "Drown." The song has a
core sensitivity about it that can't be fabricated, and yet William
sings like a resolute man, as if he has made a self-promise never to
be fooled by love, even if it seems likely that he will be, as most
are. In fact, the song in part oscillates between delusion and
resolution, and is more true to the impulse of love because of
it. "May Queen," too, sounds as if it is swimming in confusion, some
of the time suffocated, some of it dreaming itself out into the open
air. Producer Mark Trombino (Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World) does a
wonderful job allowing the songs to take flight along with their
otherworldly melodies, even when the band is constructing sometimes
agitated sonic walls with its guitars. Beneath the traditional guitar-
bass-drums setup, keyboards and vibes (and strings on the title
track) poke holes in those walls allowing the music to breathe and
flourish, or, as on the stunning "Things to Say When You're Not
Here," electronics create a swirling, gorgeous hymn. As one song
title accurately describes, it is album of new lullabies, but instead
of gentle dreams, it stimulates states of recognition, which are
trickier to handle but ultimately more liberating epiphanies. A
bleedingly beautiful and brilliant record, Happy Happy Happy deserves
every critical hosanna that was offered to The Bends and The Man Who,
and then an endless stream of its own. - Stanton Swiharthttp://www.allmusic.com

2. A Northern Chorus - Before We All Go To Pieces
http://www.anorthernchorus.indiegroup.com

3. Oldsolar - Many Visitors Have Been Gored By Buffalo
http://www.mintrecords.com

4. Bows - Cassidy
http://www.mp3.com/bows

5. Lassie Foundation - El Dorado
http://www.rollanet.org/~johnston/

6. Starflyer 59 - Leave Here A Stranger
http://www.starflyer59.net

7. Brittle Stars - Garage Sale
http://brittlestars.org/

8. Ivy - Long Distance
http://www.thebandivy.com

9. Clinic - Internal Wrangler
http://www.dominorecordco.com

10. Helio Sequence - Young Effectuals
http://www.cavitysearchrecords.com

11. Fonda - The Strange And The Familiar
http://www.fondamusic.com/

12. Lassie Foundation/Duraluxe - I Duel Sioux And The Ale Of Saturn
http://www.rollanet.org/~johnston/

13. Even Johansen - Quiet & Still
http://www.fiveoneinc.com

14. BRMC - S/T
http://www.blackrebelmotorcycleclub.com

15. Astrobrite - Crush
http://www.geocities.com/wavertone/

16. Bethany Curve - You Brought Us Here
http://www.bethanycurve.com

17. January - I heard Myself In You
http://www.poptones.com

18. Ides Of Space - There Are No New Clouds
http://www.betterlookingrecords.com

19. Rocking Horse Winner - State Of Feeling Concentration
http://www.ohevrecords.com

20. Cruiser - Northern Electric
http://www.devilinthewoods.com

21. Alsace Lorraine - Through Small Windows
http://www.darla.com

22. Collette Carter - The New Stroboscopic
http://www.tbtmo.com

23. Con Dolore - This Sad Movie
http://www.condolore.com

24. Readymade - On Point And Red
http://www.readymade_yvr.vom

25. Lenola - Treat Me To Some Life
http://www.phillymusic.com/lenola/

Reviews of the other albums can be found on Blisscent yahoo group message archives .

[A fair few of these I am completely unaware of, let alone heard ! ]

# posted by DJ Martian 7:27 PM

FRED of LA - 2001 List

I picked this up from a posting on the Blisscent Yahoo Groups list, by a person called FRED of LA - it is an interesting personal list from a music enthusiast that is worth sharing....

2001

First of all, I just want to say that Nelson and I have often disagreed on many things in the past....but on the merits of individuals posting their own personal year-end "best" lists, we couldn't be in more agreement.

Nelson is correct. These things are not about poll-taking. They are about noting and sharing the culmination of your own adventures and discoveries in music over the past 12 months.

This is how we all learn from one another and hopefully expand our knowledge on new music.

Thank you, Nelson...for all the time and effort it took for you to do your list and for, then, sharing it with this newsgroup.

Okay, now I'll take my own shot at it.

For me, 2001 has been a banner year for collectors of electro-ethereal music. Last year was pretty amazing as well; it was easy to assemble a list of 20 favorite albums.
But...for 2001 I have been able to assemble what I believe is a very potent group of 50!

Incredible!

Some albums that might have (in any normal year) been top ten contenders, just missed placing on my list. The three that immediately come to mind are Sparklehorse "It's A Wonderful Life" and Elbow "Asleep In The Back" and Simian "Chemistry Is What We Are." Yep. That's how fine the quality and quantity of 2001 turned out to be. It was a year that, for me, began with the amazing Arab Strap "The Red Thread" then peaked with Bjork's "Vespertine" and concluded with Stina Nordenstam's "This Is...." It was a year like no other for any and all fans of cutting-edge sensual etherealism.

Best wishes to all of us that 2002 may be as rich and rewarding as was the very bountiful and memorable year of 2001.

Enjoy.

Cheers.

FRED of LA

_____________________________

50) Marianne Nowottney "Manmade Girl"
...crazy and gifted and our own gothic Tori.

49) Her Space Holiday "Manic Expressive"
...a story is here and there and here, somewhere.

48) Om Attack "Heavy Rescue"
...funkster faux-prince is a beachboy, go fer it.

47) Suvome "Subomo" EP
...yes, there are angels in Aussieland.

46) Sappington "S/T"
...slowbeatedminimalshoegaze&IDM reveries.

45) Oldsolar "Many Visitors Have Been Gored..."
...picking up where Sigur Ros left off.

44) Autour De Lucie "Faux Mouvement"
...French has never sounded better.

43) Nitin Sawhney "Prophesy"
...post mod asian chillfest. Delectable.

42) Alpha "The Impossible Thrill"
...the What's Goin On for generation Z?

41) Lali Puna "Scary World Theory"
...not quite Tridecoder, but almost.

40) Air "10,000 Hz Legend"
...ecentric around the world in ____ seconds.

39) MUM "Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Was..."
...childlike indie folk IDM via Iceland.

38) David Bridie "Act Of Free Choice"
...the new Aussie Perry Blake?

37) Caroline Lavelle "Brilliant Midnight"
...soulful songs, post-modern production.

36) Mira Calix "Prickle" EP
...abstract electro-melodies w Stina-spiration.

35) Coastal "Winter" EP
...redefining the word intimacy here, again.

34) DNTEL "Life Is Full Of Possibilities"
...Silverlake IDM master sonic collagist.

33) Michael Schiefel "I Don't Belong"
...this record is his voice alone. Unreal!

32) Tojiko Noriko "Shojo Toshi"
...IDM lullabies in a stew of earthy haiku.

31) Mandalay "Solace"
...a tad more than Instinct, but still heavenly.

30) Waldeck "The Night Garden"
...more juicy triphop du noir.

29) (tie)
Enya "A Day Without Rain" and
...songs for every kind of Northern climate.
Madredeus "Movimento"
...songs for every kind of Southern climate.

28) The Real Tuesday Weld "Where Psyche Meets..."
...beats and loops from a vault of golden oldies.

27) Locust "Wrong"
...ultra-pop from the king of Scala and Seefeel.

26) Smoke City "Heroes Of Nature" (Jug Version)
...more sublime vocals and updated grooves.

25) The Helio Sequence "Young Effectuals"
...brilliant chaos for dreampoppers everywhere.

24) Lamb "What Sound"
...Louise, gonna take ya on a sea cruise. Lovely!

23) John Adams "El Nino"
...Nixon In China redux? Maybe....

22) Hector Zazou/Sandy Dillon "Las Vegas Is Cursed"
...Arnold Schoenberg a go go! Challenging stuff!

21) Radiohead "Amnesiac"
...dixie blues on a ravishing platter of IDM/LSD.

20) Surge "Wreckage"
...tough as nails fem voxed electro groove; wild.

19) Stereolab "Sound-Dust"
...their masterpeice so far.

18) Krom "This"
...downtempo par excellence.

17) The Cranes "Future Songs"
...the smoothest and creamiest Ali of all.

16) Mus "Aida: Blissout Volume 17"
...haunting minimalist medleys and more.

15) Halou "Wiser"
...even better than their debut LP.

14) Herbert "Bodily Functions"
...gaseous house beats & a voice to die for.

13) Banabila "Voiz Noiz"
...beyond the valley of the ultra-Avalanches.

12) Antenne "#1"
...chilled-out neo-ambient floating like Julee C.

11) cLOUDDEAD "S/T"
...hip hop finally meets MBV "Loveless"...yes!

10) Anja Garbarek "Smiling And Waving"
...minimalist tone poems of the heart.

9) Crooked Fingers "Bring On The Snakes"
...the year's best songwriting for sure.

8) GNAC "Buscuit Barrel Fashion"
...Michele Legrand inspired laughing phantomes.

7) Stina Nordenstam "This Is..."
...charming and eccentric and dreamy.

6) Arab Strap "The Red Thread"
...drunken hazes, thick beats, noise & dark tales.

5) Stacy Briscoe "Circumambient"
...Jessica Baliff meets Tory Amos on Neptune.

4) The Montgoflier Brothers "Seventeen Stars"
...heartfelt rapture with sonics to match.

3) Bows "Cassidy"
...Blush with bells on its toes.

2) The Broadway Project "Compassion"
...Portishead meets Led Zeppelin: astonishing.

1) Bjork "Vespertine"
...IDM enchantment ala CT's Victorialand.

# posted by DJ Martian 6:43 PM

Permafrost FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2001

Andy @ Permafrost presents his FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2001 split into two sections new stuff and another for OLD/ARCHIVAL/VARIOUS/ETC.

# posted by DJ Martian 6:29 PM

The Wire - Best of 2001

Michael Jones on the ILM messageboard has published The Wire - Best of 2001 -it is not in the shops yet, so he probably is a Wire subscriber !

No time for analysis, these are the facts:

1. Bjork: Vespertine

2. Cannibal Ox: The Cold Vein

3. Fennesz: Endless Summer

4. Charley Patton/Various: Screamin' and Hollerin' The Blues - The Worlds Of Charley Patton

5. Le Tigre: Feminist Sweepstakes

6. John Coltrane: The Olatunji Concert - The Last Live Recording

7. John Cale: New York In The 1960s - Sun Blindness Music

8. Missy Elliot: Miss E... So Addictive

9. Herbert: Bodily Functions

10. No-Neck Blues Band: Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But Names Will Never Hurt Me

11. Saul Williams: Amethyst Rock Star

12. Jay-Z: The Blueprint

13. Shuggie Otis: Inspiration Information

14. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: No More Shall We Part

15. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy: Ease Down The Road

16. Electrelane: Rock It To The Moon

17. Miles Davis: Live At The Fillmore East, 7 March 1970 - It's About That Time

18. Radiohead: Amnesiac

19. Low: Things We Lost In The Fire

20. Nerd: In Search Of...

21. John Oswald: 69 Plunderphonics 96

22. Spring Heel Jack/The Blues Series Continuum: Masses

23. Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO: La Novia

24. The Velvet Underground: The Bootleg Series Vol.1 - The Quine Tapes

25. The Necks: Aether

26. Taku Sugimoto: Italia

27. Tortoise: Standards

28. Toshimaru Nakamura & Sachiko M (sic): Do

29. Matmos: A Chance To Cut Is A Chance To Cure

30. Jackie O Motherfucker: Liberation

31. Fushitsusha: Origin's Hesitation

32. Mercury Rev: All Is Dream

33. Nam June Paik: Works 1958-79

34. Pulp: We Love Life

35. David S Ware: Corridors & Parallels

36. Glass Cage: Glass Cage

37. Roots Manuva: Run Come Save Me

38. Buck 65: Man Overboard

39. Cyclo: Cyclo

40. John Butcher/Derek Bailey/Rhodri Davies: Vortices & Angels

41. Blectum From Blechdom: Haus De Snaus

42. DJ/Rupture: Gold Teeth Thief

43. Morton Feldman: String Quartet II

44. Aesop Rock: Labor Days

45. Spontaneous Music Ensemble: Challenge 1966-67

46. His Name Is Alive: Someday My Blues Will Cover The Earth

47. Jemeel Moondoc: Revolt of the Negro Lawn Jockeys

48. Supersilent: 5

49. Sylvia Hallett: White Fog

50. Solid Steel Presents DJ Food & DK: Now, Listen!

Also various sections:

AVANT ROCK: Jackie O Motherfucker

DUB & ROOTS: Various: Studio One Roots

ELECTRONICA: Matmos

GLOBAL: The Monks of the Monastery of Gyuto, Tibet: Voice of the Tantra

HIPHOP: Aesop Rock

IMPROV: String With Evan Parker: s/t

JAZZ: Sun Ra & His Intergalatic Arkestra: It Is Forbidden

MODERN COMPOSITION: Stefan Scodanibbio: Six Duos

OUTER LIMITS: Keiji Haino: Abandon All Words...

# posted by DJ Martian 6:25 PM

Monday, December 24, 2001

THE BLUE ROOM�S COMING TO RADIO ONE

On Saturday 12th January 2002, Radio One launch a new chill out programme called The Blue Room. The show, which will be aired on Saturdays between 4am-7am, will cover everything from ambient to acoustic chill to dub.

The show will not have a regular presenter, and different artists will produce a Blue Room Mix each week. There will also be live highlights from major musical events across the globe, including The Big Chill, Creamfields and Ibiza.

Matt Priest, Excecutive Producer of Radio One Dance, told Muzikweekly:

"The Blue Room will be an eclectic mix of chill out sounds. It is three hours of laid back music that will encompass acoustic music as well as dance. Perfect to watch the sun come up to."

Artists to feature on the shows include Zero 7, Royksopp, Aphex Twin, Orbital and Kings Of Convenience.

Source: e-mail newsletter Muzik Weekly

# posted by DJ Martian 10:44 PM

Aversionline.com Jan 2002 Reviews

A drop of the harder stuff just in time for Christmas, as usual a sackfull of reviews from the underground Aversionline.com Jan 2002 Reviews

# posted by DJ Martian 10:31 PM

Playlouder Top 50 Records of the Year

Playlouder Top 50 Records of the Year includes:

Playlouder Top 50 Singles

Playlouder Top 50 Albums

# posted by DJ Martian 9:35 PM

Saturday, December 22, 2001

Pelicanneck End of year charts for 2001

More lists ! @ Pelicanneck End of year charts for 2001

Shlom/Pelicanneck

Albums :

the other people place 'lifestyles..' Warp lp/cd
lali puna 'scary world...' morr music lp/cd
robert lippok 'open, close open' raster cd
ulrich schnauss 'far away trains..' cco lp/cd
hood 'cold house' domino lp/cd
safety scissors 'parts water' lp/cd
fennesz 'endless summer' mego lp/cd
isan 'lucky cat' morr music lp/cd
tatsuhiko asano 'genny haniver' geist cd
herbert 'bodily functions' k7 lp/cd
hope sandoval 'bavarian fruit...' lp/cd
denzel and huhn 'filet' cco lp
restiform bodies 'restiform..' 6 months cd
christian kleine 'beyond repair' cco lp/cd
canibal ox 'cold vein' def jux lp/cd
japanese telecom 'virtual geisha' 2lp/cd
cloudead 'cloudead' mush/big dada lp/cd
keith 'hrvatski' fullerton '21:30 for guitar' cd
various 'the giga single' anticon cd
aphex twin 'drukqs' warp lp/cd

Singles -

isan 'exquisite honeyed tart' static caravan 7"
rhythm and sound 'king in my empire' burial 10"
bitstream 'retreat pod' pylon 12"
carl craig 'the climax' planet e reissue 12"
smyglyssna 'u don't jump..' vertical form 12"
monolake 'bicom/cut' imbalance 12"
other people's children 'clear day' morr music 7"
zorn 'eckermann/vian' cco 7"
mikael romanenko 'to let go' 12"
rjd2 'june' def jux 12"
scsi 9 'silkcome ep' trapez 12"
lawrence 'teaser' kompakt
pigeon funk 'ep' proptronix 12"
stendec 'avro' expanding records 7"
carl.a.finlow 'electrilogy vol.1' device 12"
8 doogymoto 'dakewa' soundslike 12"
ulf lohman 'because' kompakt 12"
the remote viewer 'walsh ambrose' cco 7"
yunx 'customer services ep' yunx 12"
various 'matchbox jump' gagarin 12"

Chad/Pelicanneck

Albums -

1 - cLOUDDEAD - 10" series - Mush
2 - Ulrich Schnauss - Far way trains passing by - City Centre Offices
3 - Zorn - The City's collapsing (but not tonight) - Lux Nigra
4 - Aphex Twin - Drukqs - Warp
5 - Fennesz - Endless Summer - Mego
6 - Tipsy - Uh Oh -Asphodel
7 - Squarepusher - Go Plastic - Warp
8 - Boom Bip and Dose One - Circle - Mush
9 - Casino vs Japan - Go Hawaii - City Centre Offices
10 - Isan - Lucky Cat - Morr Music
11 - Safety Scissors - Parts Water - Plug Research
12 - Josh Martinez - Made in china - Low Pressure
13 - Autechre - Confeild - Warp
14 - Park Like Setting - School day 2, Garbage Day 4 - Peanuts and Corn
15 - Stereolab - Sound Dust - Duophonic

Singles

1 - John Stammers - untitled - (recorded 2001, to be released 2002)
2 - Sirconical - But I won't do that - Twisted Nerve
3 - Edan - Rapperfection - Landspeed
4 - Anti Pop Consortium - The ends against the middle - Warp
5 - Zorn - Eckermann - City Centre Offices
6 - Roots Manuva - Witness (dub) - Big Dada
7 - Knifehandchop - Bounty Killer Killer - Irritant
8 - Bola - Pae Poe - Skam
9 - Gique - Device Rider - Device
10 - AFX - 2 remixes - MEN
11 - Toah Dynamic - Harvest Festival
12 - Aceyalone - Accepted Eclectic - Project Blowed
13 - Remote Viewer - Walsh Ambrose
14 - Cannibal Ox - Vein - Def Jux
15 - Herbert - Leave me now � K7

Rob Hall/Skam

1. autechre. confield. warp. (of course)
2. afx. flow coma/box energy remixes. men
3. team doyobi. cryptoburners. skam.
4. bitstream. the bionic hand of dj daddy long legs. pylon
5. passarani. phonok remixes. skam
6. atom tm. hard disk rock. vibragun
7. kosmik fallout. radioactive rhythms. phonoforum
8. sensorama. projektor. ladomat.
9. riviera alstars. ep. viking music.
10. carl finlow. (dont know what its called!). device.
11. smak series 1 to 10. smak.
12. frankie bones. metropolitan ep. missile.
13. bug orchestra. electro shop 1. raygun.
14. smash tv. now. bpitch control.
15. gd deluxxe. 21st door remixes. inter dimensional transmissions.
16. dexter. intruder. klaxon.
17. dhs. hypnosis. tino corp.
18. the wee djs. ep2. gassoline.
19. silicon scally. the silent years. satamile.
20. novel23/ambidextrous. split ep. shaped harmonics.
21. schneider tm. binokular. city slang.
22. v/a. zitrone. duftplatten/heimelektro.
23. lori d. roadhog. final frontier.
24. posthuman. unfinished monkey business. seed.
25. monolake. bicom. monolake.
26. anton price. the collapse of the state vector. audio.

Thomas Morr/Morr Music

hood - cold house
ulrich schnauss - far away trains passing by
radiohead - amnesiac
telefon tel aviv - fahrenheit fair enough
robert lippok - open close
fennesz - endless summer
new order - get ready
prefuse 73 - [can�t remember the title]
some of my own stuff _ haha!
sensorama - where the rabbit sleeps
benge - baud
lowfish / cim / isan : split
static - headphones
the notwist - trashing days

Robin Saville/Isan

1 morgan caney & kamal joory - darling 7" (cco)
2 brian eno - drawn from life lp (venture)
3 barbara morgenstern - eine verabredung 10" (monika)
4 bjork - vespertine lp (one little indian)
5 fs blumm - mondkuchen lp (morr)
6 herbert - bodily functions lp (k7)
7 low - things we lost in the fire lp (tugboat)
8 casino vs japan - via rouge/hotknives 10" (wobblyhead)
9 lali puna - scary world theory lp (morr)
10 robert lippok - open, close, open ep (noton clear series)

Anthony Ryan/Isan

1 barbara morgenstern - eine verabredung 10" (monika)
2 bjork - vespertine lp (one little indian)
3 ulrich schnauss - far away trains passing by lp (cco)
4 low - things we lost in the fire lp (tugboat)
5 solvent - solvent city lp (morr music)
6 merck - mr ep (merck records)
7 radiohead - amnesiac book/lp (parlophone emi)
8 money mark - change is coming lp (emperor norton)
9 casino vs japan - go hawaii lp (cco)
10 robert lippok - open, close, open ep (noton clear series)

Matthew Curry/Safety Scissors

Matmos-A Chance to Cut is a Chance to Cure- Matador
Chessie- Overnight- Plug Research
People Like Us- Fistfull of Knuckles- Caciocavallo
Boredoms-Rebore Vol. 0 by Eye- Warner Japan
Yesterday's New Quintet- Angles Without Edges- Stones Throw
Tarkovsky soundtrack reissues- Toei
Cornelius- Point- Trattoria
Prefuse 73- Vocal Studies-Warp
Plunderphonics- - Seeland
Kathy Mcginty- - Hamburger

Tom Brown/Warp

Ludacris 'Southern Hospitality'
Squarepusher 'Untitled'
Outkast 'Stankonia' LP
J-Zone & Huggy 'Fucking Up The Money'
Boom Bip & Dose One 'Circle' LP
V/A 'Lexoleum One'
Disflex6 'Hot Season'
Autechre 'Confield'
Kid Acne 'Rap Traffic'
Edan 'Mic Manipulator'

Simon Tonkinson/Baked Goods

Albums -

isan - lucky cat (morr)
smith'n'hack - tribute (smith'n'hack)
safety scissors - parts water (plug research)
cachaito (world circuit)
ulrich schnauss - far away trains passing by (cco)
gillian welch - time(the revelator) (acony)
hood - cold house (domino)
hausmeister - unser (karaoke kalk)
ulf lohmann - because before (kompakt)
various - darker than blue (blood and fire)
ward 21 - mentally disturbed (greensleeves)

Singles -

bill vanloo - tones (cco)
bitsream- retreat pod (pylon)
soft pink truth - (soundslike)
anything on trapez
rhythm & sound/cornell campbell- king of my empire (burial mix)
rjd2 - june (def jux)
all - alltag (kompakt)
monolake - bicom (imbalance)
max turner - matchbox jump and jeepbeats (gagarin)
riviera all stars (viking)
claudia acuna - slavery days (spiritual life)

Thaddi Herrmann/City Centre Offices

albums

01. ulrich schnauss - far away trains passing by (city centre offices)
02. hood - cold house (domino)
03. dntel - life is full of possibilities (plug research)
04: new order - get ready (london)
05. tim hecker - haunt me (substractif)
06. hilmar �rn hilmarsson - dust to dust (smekkleysa)
07. shuttle358 - frame (12k)
08. tindersticks - trouble every day (beggars)
09. monolake - cinemascope (monolake)
10. kuchen - kids with sticks (karaoke kalk)

singles:

01. static w/ ronald lippok - headphones (city centre offies)
02: girls on top: warm bitch (black melody)
03. notwist - pilot (city slang)
04. neil halstead - two stones in my pocket (4ad)
05. keith whitman - 21:30 for acoustic guitar (apartment b)
06. carl a finlow - electrilogy pt. 1 (device)
07. stendec (expanding records)
08. lilienthal (static caravan)
09. mikael romanenko - to let go (benbecula)
10. www.jz-arkh.co.uk - 01 (www.jz-arkh.co.uk)

Micha Zorn/Artificial Duck Flavour

Albums -

monolake "cinemsascope"
safety scissors "parts water"
the other peoples place "lifestyle of the laptop cafe"
various artists "immediate action"
rhythm & sound "compilation"
jean michel "new medium softpack"
vladislav delay "anima"
plaid "double figure"
jonesco "covert clients"
markus guenther "in moll"

Singles -

bl�tter "leaves"
girls on top "warm bitch"
shinichi atobe / chain reaction 34
log "in/out"
geiom & m.caney / city centre offices
stendec / expanding

Bernard Fleischmann/Morr Music

bonnie "prince" billy - ease down the road
calexico - even my shure things fall throug
couch - profane
dj attach� vs. the beige oscillator - waiting for wood
do you think you�ll be different when you�re through - hausmusik sampler
fennesz - endless summer
fs blumm- mondkuchen
mogwai - rock action
telefon tel aviv - fahrenheit fair enough
vert - the koeln concert/ nine types of ambiguity

Mark Kirby/Vertical Form

Albums -

1. Johnny Cash - American III - Columbia
2. Herbert - Bodily Functions - !K7 / Accidental
3. Papa M - Whatever Mortal - Domino
4. So Called Artists - Paint By Number Songs - Mush
5. To Rococo Rot & I-Sound - Music Is A Hungry Ghost - City Slang
6. Pullman - Viewfinder - Thrill Jockey
7. Radiohead - Amnesiac - Parlophone
8. The American Analog Set - Know By Heart - Tigerstyle
9. Autechre - Confield - Warp
10. Fennesz - Endless Summer - Mego

Singles -

1. Mike Ladd - Vernacular Homicide - Ozone
2. Log - In / Out - Din
3. Clouddead - The Peel Session - Big Dada
4. The Notwist - Trashing Days - City Slang
5. Rhythm & Sound - March Down Babylon - W/L
6. So Called Artists - Sideshow - Mush
7. Soft Pink Truth - Soft Pink Missy - Soundslike
8. Sonic Sum - Rocket - Ozone
9. Lima - 1/2/3/4 - Raster Noton
10. Metro Area - 4 � Environ

Paul aka Tench/Expanding Records

sybarite 'placement issues' static caravan
christian kleine 'beyond repair' city centre offices
to rococo rot & i sound 'music is a hungry ghost' city slang
rotor+ 'aileron' radiophonics trading co of new zealand(RTNZ)
static 12" audio.nl
domotic 12" active suspension
mum 'please smile my nosebleed' morr music
zorn 'the city's collapsing but not tonight' lux nigra
wavenfold 'on the blink 12"' witchita
mimi 'enthusiast' cross

Patrick White/Cardiff

LPs
1. Timeblind: Rugged Redemption CD (Orthlong Musork)
2. TEAMShadatek: Live NYC CDR (SHT)
3. Dis*ka: C2064 LP (Eckohammer)
4. Akufen: Quebek Nightclub LP (Perlon)
5. The Rip-Off Artist: Brain Salad Surgery CD (Hot Air)
6. John Oswald: Plunderphonics 2CD (Seeland)
7. COM.A: Dream and Hope CD (Noterek)
8. Safety Scissors: Parts Water LP (Plug Research)
9. Fennesz: Endless Summer CD (Mego)
10. Midisport: 14 Footballers in Milk Chocolate CD (Rather Interesting)
11. V/A: Anti NY LP (Gomma)
12. The Beige Oscillator & DJ Attache: Waiting for Wood CD (Charizma)
13. Anonymous Inc.: s/t CD (anonymous)

12s/EPs etc.

14. Electromagnetic Beam: King vs. Queen EP (???)
15. Team Doyobi: Gosub Cryptoburn cassette (Skam)
16. Dymaxion: x4+3=38:33 CD (Roomtone)
17. Kero: Windsor/Detroit EP (Shitkatapult)
18. Apparat: Multifunktionbene EP (Shitkatapult)
19. Smyglyssna: You Don't Jump EP (Vertical Form)
20. Cat Power: Bootleg covers MP3s (www.audiogalaxy.com)

Matthew Herbert+Crew/Accidental Records

1... NOAM CHOMSKY : A New Generation Draws The Line (Verso Books)
2... MARVIN PONTIAC : Grestest Hits (Strange and Beautiful Music)
3... N*E*R*D : In Search Of... (Virgin America)
4... BJORK : Vespertine (One Little Indian)
5... NOAM CHOMSKY : A New Generation Draws The Line (Verso Books)
6... SHUGGIE OTIS : Inspiration Information (Luaka Bop)
7... NOAM CHOMSKY : A New Generation Draws The Line (Verso Books)
8... STEPHEN MALKMUS : Stephen Malkmus (Matador)
9... SYSTEM OF A DOWN : Toxicity (Sony)

Miles Whittaker/Baked Goods

Singles

Rhythm & Sound feat. Cornell Campbell - King in my empire
Moodyman - JAN 12" KDJ records
Carl Finlow - Electrilogy pt1 Device electronic recordings
Theo Parrish - Sons of Osiris Sound Signature
Carl Craig - The climax (basic channel rmx) Planet E
Aphex Twin - Cock 10 12" Warp
RJD2 - June 12" Def Jux
The Remote Viewer - Ambrose/Walsh City Centre Offices
Destiny's child - Bootylicious 12"
Adult - Hand to Phone 12" Clone

Albums

The Other People Place - Warp
Ulrich Shnauss - Far away trains passing by LP City Centre offices
Hope Sanderval & the Warm inventions LP
Darker than blue compilation LP - Blood and fire
Autechre - Confield Warp
Detroit Escalator Co. - Black buildings LP Peacefrog
Lali Puna - Scary World Theory Morr Music
Robert Lippock - Open Close Open Raster Noton
Rhythm and Sound - Compilation R&S
Aphex Twin - Drukqs Warp

Kamal Joory/Geiom

dusty in memphis - dusty springfield
endless summer - fennesz - (mego)
manhattan research inc. - raymond scott
songs for the road - ted and ray (static caravan)
the adventurers sountrack - antonio carlos jobim
the toy chest - mummy fortuna theatre company - (lex)
the wild bull - morton subotnick
lookin' at tommorow - the beach boys - (from [surf's up])
videolight - celia (ragga 7" on [in time music])
wechsel garland lp (morr music)

Jonas Munk/Manual

Ulrich Schnauss : "Far away trains passing by" City Centre Offices
Beneath Autumn Sky: "enke duos mono" ( the Hefty 12")
Robert Lippok: "Open closed open" (Raster ep)
Tool: "Lateralus"
Talk Talk: "Missing pieces"
Autechre: "Confield"
Isan: "Lucky Cat"
Telefon tel aviv: "Fahrenheit fair enough"
To rococo rot: "Music is a hungry ghost"
Visor (tomlab reissue)
Silo: "Alloy"
Tortoise: "Standards"
Windy & Carl: "Consciousness"
FS Blumm: "Mondkuchen"

Also been spinning records a lot from:

Slicker, Funkst�rung, Andrew Coleman, Delarosa + Prefuse 73, Geiom, Other peoples children, Pub, Brian Eno, Fennesz....and lots of others.

Kristian Vester/Goodiepal

All: Altag 1-4 - Kompakt
Various: El Formato Is The Challenge - Alku
Lejaren Hiller/ Robert Baker: Computer Cantana - MGM
Various: I Love Fantasy - Lucky Kitchen
Hawkeye: G. Spot - Dawgz Records
The Caretaker: A Stairway To The Stars - V/Vm
Gamers In Exile/ My Selfish Desire: Split Your Cerebrum - Unbearable
Kevin Blechdom: The Inside Story - Tigerbeat 6
Fire House Crew: The Golden Piece - Peer Pressure
Pure: 7amber Live Recordings September 2K � Doc

Howard Mather/Baked Goods

BILL FRISELL/Blues Dream (Nonesuch)
ULRICH SCHNAUSS/Far Away Trains Passing By (City Centre Offices)
HERBERT/Bodily Functions (Soundslike)
WAYNE HORVITZ/From A Window (Avant)
ANTIPOP CONSORTIUM/Shopping Carts Crashing (Nippon Crown)
LALI PUNA/Scary World Theory (Morr Music)
HOOD/Cold House (Domino)
DAVE DOUGLAS/Witness (Bluebird)
JOHN SMITH/John Smith�s Blunderbus (Peanuts & Corn)
JIM O�ROURKE/Insignificance (Drag City)
PHIL PARNELL/Barcelona (Soundslike)
PATRICK PULSINGER/Easy To Assemble � Hard To Take Apart (Form & Function)
RHYTHM & SOUND w/CORNELL CAMPBELL/King In My Empire (Rhythm & Sound)
MIKAEL ROMANENKO/To Let Go (Benbecula)
LAWRENCE/Teaser (Kompakt)
ERRO/Don�t Change (Yoruba)
RJD2/June (Def Jux)
BITSTREAM/Retreat Pod (Pylon)
BILL VANLOO/Tones (For Sarah) (City Centre Offices)
FELIX KUBIN/Jetlag Disko (A-Musik)

Pelicanneck Honourable Mentions

Aaliyah (R.I.P.), Ryo Co, Dose One, Kid 606, Timbaland, Geiom, Bpitch Control, Datathief, So Called Artists, Casino Vs Japan, Sugababes, Raymond Scott, Delsin, Manual, Metamatics/Norken, To Rococo Rot, Barbara Morgenstern, Move D, Dabrye, Skanfrom, Adult, Drexciya, Bill Vanloo, Bola, N.E.R.D., North Manc Beds, Sirconical, Akufen, Anthony Manning, Irritant, Opiate, Hausmeister, Bjork, Kylie, Dexter, Gel, Radiohead, Donnacha Costello, Marumari, Mum, Detroit Escalator Co., Moodyman, Solvent, Team Doyobi, Timeblind, Kid Acne, Static, Felix Kubin, Ekkehard Ehlers, John Tejada, Human League, Dub Tractor, Bogdan Raczynski, Ulf Lohman, Komeit, Dntel, B.Fleischman, Matmos, Frederik Schikowski, Wechsel Garland, 12k, Mokira, Girls On Top, Domotic, Benge, Minotaur Shock, Four Tet, Jim O�rourke, Mr Tobacco, Mimi, Mils..........

Pelicanneck Labels of the year

Trapez
Morr Music
Warp
Static Caravan
Vertical Form
Def Jux
Lux Nigra
Ersatz Audio
ADSR
Plug Research
Din
Anticon
Skam
Hefty
Gigolo
Kompakt
Device
Burial Mix
Active Suspension
Signal/Pylon
Raster Noton
Monika
Irritant
Soundslike

Pelicanneck choice nights out

Safety Scissors @ Off Peak � August 2001
Gescom @ Skam 10th anniversary � Futuresonic � November 2001
Autechre � Live at Lovebytes, Sheffield � April 2001
.snd @ Off Peak � September 2001
Hood � Hop and Grape � November 2001
Remote Viewer � Supporting Mogwai @ Planet K � Spring 2001
To Rococo Rot + I Sound � Berlin � May 2001
Lali Puna � Jilly�s � December 2001
Monolake � Custard Factory Birmingham � August 2001
Herrmann and Kleine � Off Peak � September 2001
Alder and Elius @ Skam 10th anniversary � Futuresonic � November 2001
Pifaff Pif Nik � Manchester Cuba Caf�

Pelicanneck tips for 2002

Christ (Benbecula), Akufen (Trapez), Static (City Centre Offices), Bitsrtream (Pylon), Empress (Various), Kamal Joory + Morgan Caney (City Centre Offices), Donna Regina (Karaoke Kalk), Dabrye (Ghostly International), Limp (Morr Music), Smyglyssna (Vertical Form), Jello (Peacefrog), Ulrich Schnauss (City Centre Offices), The Notwist (City Slang), Lawrence (Kompakt/Dial), Req 1 (Warp), Pan American (Vertical Form), Herrmann and Kleine (Morr Music), Rawakari (various), Boom Bip (Lex), The Remote Viewer (City Centre Offices), Anti Pop Consortium (Warp).

# posted by DJ Martian 4:50 PM

Friday, December 21, 2001

Pitchfork Top 20 Albums of 2001

So here it is Pitchfork Top 20 Albums of 2001

with a surprising and obscure top album from Microphones, that apart from a Splendid Review has had zilch publicity. [I bet hardly anyone in the UK has listened to this album let alone aware of its existence.]

01Microphones
The Glow, Pt. 2
[K]

Good to see the following entrants: (although I am not saying that these would be per se be in my top 20 or indeed a top 50, at least they have been recognised and acknowledged)

02Fennesz
Endless Summer
[Mego]

04Unwound
Leaves Turn Inside You
[Kill Rock Stars]

10Prefuse 73
Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives
[Warp]

11Autechre
Confield
[Warp]

12Mouse on Mars
Idiology
[Thrill Jockey]

13Les Savy Fav
Go Forth
[Frenchkiss]

17Cannibal Ox
The Cold Vein
[Def Jux]

18Beta Band
Hot Shots II
[Astralwerks]

19Dntel
Life is Full of Possibilities
[Plug Research]

Anyway bottom line ..Pitchfork critics poll is far superior to NME's Top 20 choices.

and also these are the Individual Pitchfork Critics/ Reviewers Lists

# posted by DJ Martian 9:44 AM

Hot Press End of Year Polls

Hot Press, the Irish music magazine have published their end of year polls in their special Hot Press Annual 2002 ! yes 2002 strange these Irish types R.

I will skip indepth analysis the albums chart as it wasn't partcularly interesting although there was blatant favouritism of an Irish band, The Frames - For The Birds won the best album award. They probably sold naff all copies outside of Ireland (although sales does not reflect the worth of the music), and no non Irish critic has namechecked this year, I have not heard them and they look as boring as Travis/Coldplay. Bar one or two exceptions the same Uncut/NME familiar choices are listed - there are no surprises.

However as usual there is a separate list for dance/ electronic releases:

Hot Press - Dance Albums of the Year

Good to see: Radioactive Man, Miss Kittin, Funk D' Void, Felix Da Housecat, New Order, Jamie Anderson, Norken and Manitoba.

Surprising to see Future Beat Alliance listed as the album has only been recently released and is fairly low profile. I have yet to hear The Youngsters - Lemon Orange on the F communications label - but if they are making music to a similar standard to Laurent Garnier then I want In.

1. Radioactive Man - Radioactive Man

2. Miss Kittin & Hacker - Ist Album

3. Stanton Warriors - The Stanton Session

4. Felix Da Housecat - Kittenz & the Glitz

5. Herbert - Bodily Functions

6. Future Beat Alliance - Disconnected

7. Technasia - Future Mix

8. New Order - Get Ready

9. The Youngsters - Lemon Orange

10. Royksopp - Melody Am

11. Norken - Spring Themes

12. Jamie Anderson - Blue Music

13. Cherry Bomb - Live

14. Funk D' Void - Dos

15. David Donohoe - First Course in Hygiene

16. Various Artists : Peacefrog Presents 10. 100

17. T Power - Long Time Dead

18. Manitoba - Start Breaking My Heart

19. Various Artists - Seismic Sounds - Kingsize

20. Richie Hawtin DE9

By the way Hot Press have a website.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:14 AM

Thursday, December 20, 2001

Other Music Top 10s of 2001

Other Music delivers it's verdict on the best music of 2001: Other Music Top 10s of 2001

Welcome to our annual year-end wrap-up of the best new releases
and reissues of 2001 as selected by the Other Music staff (both NYC
and Cambridge, MA) and newsletter contributors. Our goal in putting
these lists together is to celebrate exemplary artists and recordings
while hopefully shedding light on some stellar releases that might
otherwise get overlooked.

We hope you find these lists enlightening, fun to read, thought-
provoking, maybe even controversial. Please feel free to share
your thoughts with us. We�d appreciate the feedback.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:06 PM

If I were an editor of a weekly music magazine this week's front cover would feature: REVIEW OF MUSIC 2001

Yep I am late with this feature this week, no one artist would feature on the front cover, but in a massive typography - REVIEW OF MUSIC 2001.

I am not ready yet to do a Top 50 Albums feature or detailed overview (that will follow probably in early January), but the 150 artists listed below have made up the most prominent of my new 2001 listening re new albums, eps, a few reissues, mp3 downloads, some singles, artists that have featured on CD samplers with magazines, radio listening and selective taping off the wireless.

This is 2001

1. A Silver Mt Zion
2. Adult
3. Advent
4. Anathema
5. Jamie Anderson
6. Angels of Light
7. Anyone
8. Aphex Twin
9. Appliance
10. Ashfelt
11. Assemblage 23
12. Astrobrite
13. Autechre
14. Bad Company
15. Beta Band
16. Billy Mahonie
17. Bolz Bolz
18. Boredoms
19. Bows
20. The Boy Lucas
21. Calibre
22. Candiria
23. Cannibal Ox
24. Cex
25. The Chameleons
26. Ben Christophers
27. Church of Carbon
28. Clouddead
29. Converge
30. Crane AK
31. Cranes
32. Cult of Luna
33. Curve
34. Daft Punk
35. Danse Society
36. Defenestration
37. Vladislav Delay
38. Depeche Mode
39. Dillinja
40. DNTEL
41. Dream Disciples
42. Eardrum
43. Elbow
44. Electrelane
45. The Emerald Down
46. Emperor
47. Eternia
48. Perry Farrell
49. Felix Da Housecat / Miss Kittin
50. Fennesz
51. Fischerspooner
52. Flanger
53. Fort Lauderdale
54. Four Tet
55. Fridge
56. Funk D Void
57. Future 3
58. Green Carnation
59. Green Velvet
60. Hellfish
61. Her Space Holiday
62. Hood
63. Human League
64. Icarus
65. Isabel�s Dream
66. Isis
67. Jetone
68. John B
69. Juno
70. Kante
71. Katatonia
72. King of Woolworths
73. Kinski
74. Kosheen
75. Labradford
76. Ladytron
77. Lali Puna
78. Lamb
79. Les Savy Fav
80. Life Without Buildings
81. Lift to Experience
82. Manitoba
83. Manual
84. Maudlin of the Well
85. Meanwhile Back in Communist Russia
86. Meat Katie
87. Metamatics
88. Mice Parade
89. Minotaur Shock
90. Minus
91. Mira
92. Mogwai
93. Christain Morgenstern
94. Narcissus
95. National Skyline
96. New Order
97. No Man
98. Norken
99. Ian O�Brien
100. Omni Trio
101. Panopoly Academy Legionnaires
102. Panoptica
103. Paradise Lost
104. Andrea Parker
105. Playgroup
106. Polar
107. Prefuse 73
108. Stacey Pullen
109. Radioactive Man
110. Red House Painters
111. Rothko
112. Rovo
113. Ed Rush & Optical
114. Ulrich Schnauss
115. 2nd Gen
116. Senosorama
117. Set Fire to Flames
118. Shun
119. Sikth
120. Silo
121. Slam
122. Solefald
123. Squarepusher
124. Stakka & Skynet
125. Stars as Eyes
126. Stars of the Lid
127. Mikael Stavostrand
128. Sunroof
129. Suv
130. Symptoms
131. Taken
132. Tarentel
133. Techno Animal
134. Teebee
135. Thorns
136. 310
137. Tipper
138. Tool
139. Devin Townsend
140. Trance to the Sun
141. 23 Skidoo
142. Ulver
143. Unwound
144. When
145. Will Haven
146. Yellow6
147. Susumu Yokota
148. Zao
149. Zorn
150. Zyklon

[And my top 50 albums choices will come from these 150 artists, maybe a few others could be considered]

and there is stacks more albums that are worthy of further investigation that i have not listened to yet DJ Martian Tracking the Best Albums of 2001

A review of some of the music magazine end of year polls

NME

Their first Christmas trilogy came 2 weeks ago with a selection of albums that were chosen late October ! (Because the Uncut on sale November 1st - had an NME advert with the front covers of said NME faves of 2001 listed] - who the fuck does this in flaming October - only the daft NME.

The Independent - NME's Top 50 Albums of 2001 and there were 6 big turkeys in the top 10 alone !, The Strokes (retro, limited, monochrome, annoying and dull), Spritualized (I heard the entire album on playback on Xfm and it was a MOR snore fest), The White Stripes (the most hideous basic rock n roll act in living memory, ghastly vocals and a retro geetar sound - I can only laugh at), Stairsailor (there is always one big boring Brit guitar band of recent years - previous holders have been Coldplay and Travis), Slipknot (another Xfm radio playback album in its entirety that was generic, lame overproduced mess - samey loud rock packaged as aggression for hyperactive teenagers that have drunk too much Sunny Delight while growing up), Andrew WanKer ( white trailer trash - and complete idiot - simple rock music for morons) .

As I mentioned on my weblog recently - that I would award prize plonker of the year award to the first poll to place The Strokes at number 1 - it is fitting that Ben Knowles & co would collect.

Further down the list other complete Turkeys included such boring inept singalong songs based retro trash from (23) Travis, (30) the Charlatans, (37) Turin Brakes � that bloke has a horrid fog horn of a voice and the music is turgid � how they sneaked on to the Mercury Music Prize shortlist was a baffling episode of 2001.

What does Steve Sutherland (NME Brand director) do all year ! It would not surprise me that maybe this poll was gerrymandered - i.e. in market research whereby executives draw up a list of say 75 suggestions, print it up into a document ( artist/album in one column) and then a box to vote in another, with some space blank entries for other suggestions. How do you account for the fact that the only IDM/ experimental electronics album was Aphex Twin - either NME journalists are ignorant lazy bastards that Aphex was the only album in this vein they listened to and they are not interested in exploring new music or the poll was maybe someway distorted ! i.e. like in politics where there are whips - maybe Sutherland gave them a talk on "b(r)and values" in a German accent you must vote for The Strokez, zee White Stripez, Zlipnot, Starzailor, and Andrew WanKer !

Whole areas of music ignored - and that is important consideration to take in, only one IDM album!, hardly any avant rock apart from Boredoms/Mogwai, no micro house, no jungle, no electro !!!!, no Terrorizer style dark/extreme metal/noisecore, no tech-house, no techno, no shoegazer, no darkwave/industrial

However there are a few choices on a positive note on the NME�s 50 Countdown
12 Elbow, 31 New Order, 35 The Boredoms, 38 Four Tet, 43 The Beta Band and 46 Cannibal Ox

As for the rest of the NME poll there are a few listenable choices and the rest would not even get in my top 600 list.

As regular readers of this weblog will know only too well what I think of the NME - a pathetic lamentable weekly music rag - that lurches week to week constantly getting things wrong, backing stupid trends, championing rubbish music, bringing news stories that are a complete irrelevance, a reviews section that ignores so much, interviews artists that are not worthy of exposure and also over does the hype - to have starsailor, the strokes and the white stripes on the front cover once each was unnecessary in 2001 - to double glaze them i.e. 2 front covers each in year was beyond belief.

GIVE ME STRENGTH ! talk about spreading the jam thinly the NME are stringing us out for 3 weeks of NME's bullshit version of 2001 when for every year in the past ONE Double end of year edition - would be the NORM. This is desperate move by a sad magazine that is on it's knees - an embarrassment of a sickly publication - this is just so desperate.

So it was no surprise that part two of the NME trilogy last week was an almighty publishing catastrophe the worst review of the year - I have ever seen in a weekly music paper, as I turned each page - and saw pages and pages - of music that did not reflect my 2001 listening one jot. If you compared this to the heyday of Melody Maker in the late 80s - these were proper end of year reviews - when actually some attempt of in-depth analysis was made, when grand join the dots analytical articles were made, there were genre overviews. When individual journalists had space to write, to list their individual favourites rather than been swept up into one big homogeneous brand.

When the NME gave one of its writers Mark Beaumont to write an overview piece - it was so embarrassingly wide of the mark and irrelevant � that I laughed at him, particularly as he looked to 2002 - where generic loud one dimensional Brit Rock types were namechecked and hailed as the future ! what a clown.

Part Three of the NME Trilogy was the double edition on sale this week - and once again it adds very little and is stuffed full of crap, the same irrelevant names are wheeled out to bore me, The White Stipes, The Strokes, Andrew WanKer, The Moldy Peaches, Spiritualized, Wheatus, Marilyn Manson, So Solid Crew, Ash, Starsailor, Blink 182, Travis - what a load of complete total rubbish - the idea of a Christmas double edition is to celebrate the best music of the year - not the flaming worst ! Bring back Sounds and Melody Maker !

Kerrang

What surprised me about Kerrang�s top 20 was the absence of naff Nu Metal/Rap metal.

Negatives �
The trash pop metal merchant Andrew Wanker slipped in at 19 and the hyped packaged aggression Slipknot at 10 � (however many of the kids on kerrang�s message board seem to think that Iowa is an overproduced mess - Slipknot one dimensional sound has already been found out and the third album will stiff big time ! ) . There were nerdy types such as the annoying sing along Weezer at 3 and the naff simpleton stomp rock of Jimmy Eat World at 4 - are hard to comprehend, and it is most disappointing to see the basic garage rock of The White Stripes extended beyond NME towers ! and what I have heard of Incubus what are they doing at 13 when they are rubbish, overproduced and thoroughly dull.

Positives +
In at one was the esoteric epic rock of Tool, followed by metal kids favourites System of A Down at 2 � who have a distinctive sound of their own, other interesting entrants included at 5 Rival Schools � with a pedigree that includes ex Quicksand members it is easy to hear why they highly rated, 6 Fugazi � seem to be Kerrang post hardcore faves, 17 Emperor with epic post black metal orchestral opus and 18 Will Haven with their exhilarating tense, swirling noisecore and the earth shattering extreme Converge at 20.

The Kerrang Top 20 Albums listed

1. Tool - Lateralus
2. System of A Down - Toxicity
3. Weezer - The Green Album
4. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
5. Rival Schools - United By Fate
6. Fugazi - The Argument
7. Masters of Reality - Deep in the Hole
8. Rammstein - Mutter
9. Muse - Origin of Symmetry
10. Slipknot - Iowa
11. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
12. The Icarus Line - Mono
13. Incubus - Morning View
14. Tomahawk - Tomahawk
15. Slayer - God Hates Us All
16. Clutch - Pure Rock Fury
17. Emperor - Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & demise
18. Will Haven - Carpe Diem
19. Andrew WanKer - I Get Wet
20. Converge - Jane Doe

What I always like about Kerrang�s end of year polls - is you get to see how the individual journalists vote - something that the NME never does. We find out that for example:

Editor in chief Phil Alexander - voted Tool in at 1, Minus (6)
Paul Rees - the editor voted for Lift to Experience (3) and Ulver (5) and Anathema (13)
Dave Everley - Ulver (1) What a clever choice!, Thorns (6)
Dom Lawson - Emperor (1), Candiria (2) and Cult of Luna (7)
Lucy Williams - Lift to Experience (1)
Jo Kendall - Les Savy Fav (1)
Ashley Bird - Juno (6)
Paul Brannigan - Minus (3)
Catherine Yates - 2nd Gen (2), Techno Animal (9)

Uncut

I was most disappointed with the Uncut Albums of the year poll, it just looked so dull particular the top 10, however there was positive choices, Cannibal Ox (15), New Order (16), Lift to Experience (17) and Felix Da Housecat (18), Elbow (21), Ladytron (31), Human League (49), Four Tet (54) and Ben Christophers (59) - I was Surprised to see the Beta Band so low at (68). There is also far too much emphasis on boring, dull retro serious alt.country/ Americana at Uncut. Unfortunately the trend will continue into 2002 - with an Americana special next month. Someone pension off the editor Allan Jones NOW!

Mojo

If the Uncut chart was disappointing, the Mojo choices were a complete snore fest � one of the most boring end of year polls I have ever seen - full of dull earnest serious rock types and a bias to Americana zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, although there were dull brits too namechecked Travis, The Charaltans and Paul McCartney. Bring out the zimmer frames and slippers - for the Mojo staff !

There were however some interesting choices � Ben Christophers � Spoonface at 24 produced brilliantly by David Kosten and rivalled Mark Hollis in stark emotional music, New Order at 34, and Elbow (36). Mojo also had separate genre entries so in dance we had Felix Da Housecat, Playgroup, Miss Kitten. In the best Underground we had enties for - A Silver Mt Zion, Susumu Yokota, Fridge, To Rococo Rot, Four Tet and Tortoise.

Q

I didn�t buy it, but from a quick glance in the newsagent � it was remarkably similar to the NME�s.

7 magazine

The top 15 albums of the year were listed as

1. Royksopp - Melody Am
2. Zero 7 - Simple Things
3. Bjork - Vespertine
4. Slam - Alien Radio (This will be in my Top 50)
5. Herbert - Bodily Functions
6. Playgroup - Playgroup
7. Jay Z - The Blueprint
8. The Avalanches - Since I Left You
9. Radioactive Man - Radioactive Man (This will be in my Top 50)
10. Louie Austen - Only Tonight
11. Daft Punk - Discovery
12. N*E*R8D - In Search Of
13. Ladyvipb - Stories of a Broken Heart and Recovery
14. Groove Armada - Goodbye Country (Hello Tonight)
15. Dillinja - Dillinja Presents Cybotron (This will be in my Top 50)

DJ Magazine

Top 10 albums

Royksopp - Melody Am
Felix Da Housecat - Kittenz & the Glitz (This will be in my Top 50)
Slam - Alien Radio
Zero 7 - Simple things
The Avalanches - Since I Left You
Herbert - Bodily Functions
Air - 10, 000 Hz Legend
Basement Jaxx - Rooty
Daft Punk - Discovery
Mutiny - Secrets

Next 20 albums

Radiohead - Amnesiac
Riton - Beats du Jour
Playgroup - Playgroup
Lee Coombs - Future Sound of Retro
Rollercone - Rollercone
At Jazz - Lab Funk
Groove Armada - Goodbye Country
Omni Trio - Even Angels Cast Shadows (This will be in my Top 50)
Roots Manuva - Run Come Save Me
The Producers - Creative Influence
Ursula Rucker - Supa Sister
Green Velvet - Whatever
The Underwolves - Under Your Sky
Spacek - Curvatia
Rae & Christian - Sleepwalking
4 Hero - Creating Patterns
Snooze - Going Mobile
Princess Superstar - Princess Superstar is
Gotan Project - La Revancha De Tango
Inland Knights featuring To-Ka Project - Creative Spaces

Both DJ and 7 Magazine are both well worth picking up as they are packed with other features such as genre overviews, singles and compilations lists.

There are still end of specials to come from Rock Sound, and in early January expect The Wire and Terrorizer to give coverage of the more esoteric, weird, leftfield and extreme choices.

The best web end of year albums round up I have seen so far on the web goes to Aquarius Records

As in the tradition of the weekly music press, this feature will take a rest next week and will return on January 1st with A 2002 Preview - when I will speculate what are the 100 most anticipated Artists/ bands that will release albums in 2002.

Thanks for reading in 2001. I will be posting a few weblog entries between now and the end of the year - but they will not be as prolific in quantity as usual.

DJ Martian

# posted by DJ Martian 1:22 AM

Wednesday, December 19, 2001

The Aphex Twin - Men Records

Find out what the Aphex Twin is listening to at the mo, and he is setting up another record label ! details @ BBCi Music New Room

# posted by DJ Martian 1:04 AM

Tuesday, December 18, 2001

The Brainwashed Brain - V04I49 - 12162001

This week's The Brainwashed Brain includes reviews for:

Funckarma - Solid State

The reviewer states: Solid State is, without a doubt, the best IDM album released in 2001.

Barry Adamson + Pan Sonic - Motorlab #3

Jazzkammer - Rolex

Jazzkammer are the Norwegian duo Lasse Marhaug and John Hegre. After two albums they've opted to make the third a collection of remixes for the Smalltown Supersound label. This means they have more time for snowball fights or whatever it is they do to keep themselves amused when they're not creating collages of glitch, noise, pop, static and those little pasta stars that are good in soup. Although this is a collection of remixes, it holds together pretty well as an album taking in candle flicker glitchscapes from relatively unknown Norwegians, big loping looping international laptop noise eruptions from Pita, Zbigniew Karkowski and Merzbow and some deep haunting ambience from Francisco L�pez and Reynols. ..

Miss Kittin & The Hacker - First Album

"Anti NY: Rare Music from the Early 1980s New York Underground and Some Contemporary Versions"

The "Anti NY" compilation gathers seven songs by bands from the early 80s scene that centered around the New York City's Mudd Club (perhaps best known these days for its invocation in the negative by Talking Heads, i.e."This ain't no..."). The sound stems from the collision of punk, disco and electronic noise that coincided with No Wave (bands like the Contortions or DNA) and the beginnings of rap.

Funkst�rung - Viceversa

Sorry, it's not a full-length album of all-new material, it's their second collection of remixes bearing Funkst�rung's name.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:12 AM

Monday, December 17, 2001

More Best of 2001 Lists

The Onion Club - The Best Albums of 2001 found via Bleeding Ears

Gareth @ 1471 presents Surface Vs Depth - best of the '01

Musicfolio.com presents Gothic, Ethereal, & DarkSynth/EBM
2001 Releases - Top 15 album releases of 2001

Paul Ilechko's 2001 list

also Rough Trade 100 Albums of 2001 is now published on the web.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:43 PM

Simon Reynolds Faves of 2001

This has taken me completely by surprise Simon Reynolds Faves of 2001 [as normally Simon gets around to doing this sort of thing in Feb/March or April?]

A thread on ILM has started to discuss Simon Reynolds Faves of 2001

Also that much promised extended post-punk article has arrived INDEPENDENTS DAY post-punk 1979-81 by Simon Reynolds

this is the director's cut of the piece in the December 2001 Uncut.... and a taster for my book on post-punk, due late 2003

# posted by DJ Martian 4:14 PM

Sunday, December 16, 2001

Cactus World News - CD Reissues coming in 2002 - YES

This has put a massive smile on my face - Cactus World News are going to release both of their albums on CD ! including the unreleased 1989 No Shelter album, and another rare tracks double CD.

Cactus World News - Biography

[states that Urban Beaches] ...copies of it eventually going into about a quarter of a million record collections [worldwide] ...

[however the album only spent two weeks on UK Top 50 albums chart - despite being a masterpiece - denied a wider audience due to the cretins in charge of Radio 1 playlist at the time]

More background information on Cactus World News @ Frank Kearns [ CWN guitarist and now studio producer]

The time had come to develop his own guitar style, which he did by using a unique harnessing of feedback almost 10 years before it became commonplace in music.

album hit the Number 1 spot on the US College chart and 'Lou Reed' named the single 'Years Later' as his favourite song of 1986.

Cactus World News, Urban Beaches album released in 1986 is an album that I rate amongst the finest rock albums of alltime, read the 5 star review that appeared in Sounds Magazine in May 1986.

Cactus World News had a unique guitar sound, they pushed melodic rock based music to a new extremity, the guitars were loaded with effects as precision sharp as laser guided missiles and their songs and vocals were evocative and highly passionate. Sometimes I view Cactus World News as the uptempo Joy Division, if some how - instead of being bleak, sullen and miserable - they were injected with hope, optimism and buzzing with positive energy - Joy Division could have sounded like CWN in a parallel universe if they were uptempo and positive.

I have said this many times before but the production on Urban Beaches still sounds ultra futuristic and epic, very few bands have taken their ideas on and matched them since some prime examples would be Tool - on Aenima and A Perfect Circle on Mer De Noms and Cave In on Jupiter.

[The producer at the helm for Urban Beaches was Chris Kimsey who as Killing Joke fans will testify was reponsible for the stunning production of the Nighttime album, released in 1985.]

Because Cactus World News were supported by Bono in their very early days and were from Dublin, lazy critics accused Cactus World News as being U2 copyists. But the guitar dynamics displayed on Urban Beaches, the songs, the production were far superior to anything U2 achieved on their first 4 albums...and indeed if anything some of the ideas on Urban Beaches actually inspired U2 on The Joshua Tree and Bono has backed this up !

Cactus World News - Urban Beaches on CD with bonus tracks only available via CWN website

URBAN BEACHES:
Worlds Apart
In a Whirlpool
The Promise
The Bridge
State of Emergency
Years Later
Church of the Cold
Pilots of Beka
Jigsaw Street
Maybe This Time
Cashen Bay Strand

BONUS TRACKS:
The Bridge (original EP version)
The Other Extreme
Frontiers
Go Dti An Tra
Tables Overturn
State of Emergency (RTE radio session)

Produced by Chris Kimsey and originally released on MCA Records in 1986, Urban Beaches was the debut LP from Cactus World News. Absent from record stores for many years, it has now been digitally remastered in Dublin by Mary Kettle, the assistant engineer on the original recording sessions.

Re-released in 2001 on Red Coral, this new version includes not only the eleven tracks of the original release, but also contains six bonus tracks comprising the three tracks from the bands debut EP on Mother Records, two B-sides from the early singles, and a radio session recording done at RTE, the Irish national broadcasters.

In addition, the expanded version comes with a full-colour, 24-page booklet featuring extensive new liner notes by the band�s vocalist, Eoin McEvoy, and (with the honourable exception of the front and back covers) a set of photographs none of which have ever been published before.

PLEASE NOTE: In February 2002, secure server credit card transaction processing will be available at the following prices:

Discography more releases in the pipeline

NO SHELTER - 2002 release (Red Coral)
Tracks TBC

Taken from the Frank Kearns website

Things were looking great when they recorded their second album with Peter Gabriel's guitarist, David Rhodes at Real World in Bath and also with Andy Wallace, best known for producing Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' and mixing 'Nevermind' for Nirvana, at Bearsville in Woodstock. Unfortunately for Cactus, changes in personnel at MCA prevented the release of the second album and they bowed out in '91.

CWN - FOUND ( 2-CD, Red Coral, 2002)
CD 1: Songs for "Beautiful Propaganda" (demo and live recordings, 1989-91)
CD 2: "Pointed Shadows" - Various studio/live & rehearsal recordings, 1986-91) Tracks TBC

These CDs are absolutely essential ! Cactus World News on CD ! yes

# posted by DJ Martian 4:16 AM

Saturday, December 15, 2001

Leonard's Lair Reviews

Three reviews @ Leonard's Lair to check out

Delicate AWOL - Our Genome

Hood - Cold House

The Lotus Eaters - Silentspace

# posted by DJ Martian 6:30 PM

Pelicanneck - This Week's New Releases

Pelicanneck - This Week's New Releases include:

KUCHEN - Kids with sticks - Karaoke Kalk

Meriel Braham used to be (believe it or not) in the Pale Saints - one of the great bands to have emerged out of the burgeoning 4AD scene in the early 90�s. Having spent the last few years in Leeds listening to and producing music of an increasingly electronic nature, Meriel developed her sound and Kuchen was born. This is a breahtakingly fresh album, floating sensibilities of the most delicate kind developed into an electronic daydream that could (at first listen) be compared to the pop emissions of Isan injected with an accoustic warmth. Take, for example �Steamboat Travels� - a marvel of semiconcious electronic bubbles, travelling at a snails pace, taking in the scenery, leaving behind it a trail of hearts and smiles. Title track �Kids With Sticks� is unbeleivably good - reintroducing the accoustic into proceedings : lovely guitar strums and electronic flicks that at one and the same time sound like a vocal-free Hope Sandoval, Slowdive and Wunder, extracting the gentlest sound imaginable and once again sending us off misty eyed to the land of dreams. What a way to end the year � an album of reflection and withdrawal...and, above all, an album that reminds us that electronic music doesn�t have to be faceless or cold..that it can make us smile, send us off to sleep and make us cry in the same breath. Stunning.

CHESSIE - Overnight - Plug Research

Somewhere between being awake and asleep there is a suspended dream state where sounds float and pulsate, where you can no longer trust your senses. Chessie is the soundtrack to this special place. Over the course of three albums, Stephen Gardner and Ben Bailes have plumbed a swirling, indistinct realm of sonic abstraction. Inspired by the sounds of railways, their work has blended electro-acoustic production techniques, live playing and non-sequenced electronics in an effort to capture the spirit and emotion of rail travel. The propulsive, inexorable clank of steel on track forms the rhythmic backbone of Chessie compositions, and makes a particularly American counterpart to the motorik rhythms of much post-Kraftwerk music. Excellent.

TIM HECKER - Haunt me, haunt me do it again - Substractif

Debut release by Tim Hecker, a.k.a. Jetone, and the first non-beat release for alien 8�s electronic sub-label. Not be confused with mego's florian Hecker, as techno maverick Jetone Tim has released a full length for pitchcadet as well as new set �ultamarin� on force tracks. This is the first release under his real name, and is a leap away from techno. Exploring structured ambient sound, he has constructed strong pieces using laptop, guitar and piano, and treated the material in programs such as audiomulch. 17 tracks blend seamlessly into one, making it perfect for headphone listening or as mood-setting music. At times glitch-based minimalism, but also capturing the drama of post rock, this is sad yet hopeful music that remains in the mind�s ear for hours. Further reference points might include Swim�s dual Danish art-attack of Silo and Symptoms, or Raphael Toral.

ANNIE GOSFIELD - Flying sparks and heavy machinery - Tzadik

Annie Gosfield�s second amazing CD for Tzadik takes acoustic and electric music into dynamic new realms. Factory sounds, improvisation, lush sonorities, junk percussion, twangy guitars, classic minimalism, delicate harmonics, odd drones, rock, sirens, string quartets, driving rhythms, ambience, noise, complex structures, jack hammers and more from one of downtown�s most interesting composers. Guest players include ikue mori and sim cain (rollins band).

ELLIOTT SHARP - Suspension of disbelief - Tzadik

Elliot Sharpe is one of the most versatile composer / performers on the new york downtown scene, a musician who has embraced free jazz, funk, blues, contemporary classical, rock, world music and more, and distilled them all into his own unique amalgam. �suspension of disbelief� is his most varied album to date and is one of the few CDs that showcases the full range of his talents as a composer, multi-instrumentalist, studio engineer and producer. A fascinating compilation of sweeping electronics, jungle / jazz / psychedelia, fragmented sonics and distorted club sounds from one of the masters of downtown border crosing. File under soundtracks / avant.

MAJU - Maju 3 - Extreme

Many have described Maju as sounding like their contemporaries such as Mouse on Mars and Oval. With Maju-3 they have matured and now fully display the unique qualities that make their first two albums so engaging. Maju is a contemporary view of Japan, with Sakana and Narita both actively involved in making the music that is a part of Tokyo life. Their production and musical talents can be heard on advertisements, in films and on the recently released DVD by acclaimed director Haruhiko Shono.

SAM SHALABI - On hashish - Alien8

Sam Shalabi is the most active player in montreal's blossoming improv scene. Over the last couple of years he has been documented on releases by Shalabi Effect, Detention, Molasses and A Silver Mt. Zion, and has played or collaborated with the likes of Evan Parker, Alexandre St-Onge, David Kristian, Tim Berne, Charles Papasof and Frank Gratkowski among others. �On hashish� is dedicated to German historian Walter Benjamin and highlights shalabi's compositional skills. he has enlisted the help of a dozen musicians from the montreal scene (including many godspeed & molasses alumni), spliced and diced their playing, and shaped it into his own compositions. The recording is broken up into three sections; one very long piece at 27 minutes and two others at around 7 minutes each, all with a sound comparable in some respects to legendary euro-improv super group Amm. piece # 1 weaves piano, bowed bass, flutes, percussion, distorted voice samples and other sounds, moving along quite smoothly for 10 minutes, then taking a psychedelic twist, with bizarre tape spliced flutes and unusual voice samples jumping in and out, then quietening and slowly coming to an incredible finish. The sound on this recording is based largely in the free jazz or free improv tradition and also incorporates a very strong use of space and silence. The second, shorter piece is a chaotic symphony of sorts that brings to mind some of Hermann Nitsch's orchestral aktions. The final work weaves field recordings of various forms of static with sparse piano, gently gliding with increasing static distortion before dissolving into silence. Packaged beautifully in Alien 8�s custom gate-fold wallet.

HRSTA - L'clat du ciel tait insoutenable - Fancy

Debut of montreal's hrsta, the latest project of Mike Moya, founding member of both Godspeed You Black Emperor and Molasses, as well as a member of Set Fire To Flames and the Lonesome Hanks. this scintillating release, infused with endless waves of psilocybin pathos, does little to enlighten listeners confronted with the mystery that has enshrouded the name moya, once thought to be a wayward rail-hopping tomcat. It does, instead, compound the intrigue with layers of hypnotic drones, haunting melodies, beautiful vocals, and streams of bewildering lyrics; leaving us to wonder how long these songs and sounds have been bubbling under the surface. A guitar player at heart, this multi-instrumentalist has just begun to show the world what can happen when he is left to his own devices. Essentially a solo effort with moya providing guitar, tape loops, organ, bowed desk, melodica, kazoo, and vocals, this release also features guest performances from Bruce Cawdron (Godspeed & Set Fire to Flames) on drums, bowed cymbals, and idiophones, and further members of Godspeed & Molasses on cello, acoustic guitar, and saw. A heady mixture of instrumental and vocal tracks bleeding seamlessly into each other. sad, exotic melodies with disquieting swells of six-string mayhem, creepy outer-worldly drones, volatile clench-teeth vocals and drums that start from nowhere then grow immense right before your eyes and ears, creating an epic 13 track 55 minute swirl of dense, rotting, blissful psychedelia. Recommended.

# posted by DJ Martian 6:13 PM

Friday, December 14, 2001

Do you realize how many albums are released a year? and Tracking the Best Albums of 2001

Uncle Fester has some wise opinions @Fast N Bulbous - Rants

Rating System

I get comments, questions and criticisms on how most of the albums in my BEST OF THE YEAR lists are rated 9- or better. Let's just jump into this can of worms and sort it out once and for all.
Let's look at the numbers for 1999, the most recent year the RIAA reported statistics in number of albums released. In that year, the RIAA reported that 38,900 albums were released. When I listen to and/or review albums, I don't do it randomly. I don't just walk into the new release section, close my eyes and pick whatever is in front of me. And I don't just review what's sent to me, although I try to at least give anything a chance that someone bothered to send me. I put a lot of thought, effort and research into tracking down what I think I would enjoy most. I read lots of reviews, pay attention to newsgroups, listen to CDs in local record stores that are recommended by knowledgeable people, search the Internet, download MP3s, and borrow music from friends.

I made it clear in Fast 'n' Bulbous that the albums listed are the ones I like best. Partly because I'd rather not waste time reviewing albums that are mediocre or worse, and partly because my main value to readers is being a consistent, specific source for recommending GOOD music.

[Uncle Fester continues to argue his viewpoints on grading music....which is worth reading, and also his information on post-punk]

As pointed out 38, 900 is an immense amount of albums that are released in the USA. [In the UK, Music Week state that on average over 250 albums are released a week, which works out at over 13, 000 albums a year, most are mediocore or rubbish .]

This is why throughout the year I have been tracking IMHO the best albums - because alot of people by the end of year judging by many polls suffer from amnesia and lack of informed insight. It has now reached over 600 albums released in 2001 and does not include retrospective, reissue or compilations.

Since I published the last 2001 list on this weblog, I have added in a few suggestions of albums I have overlooked, added in the Autumn releases and releases for December, and deselected a few previous choices.

DJ Martian : Tracking the Best Albums of 2001 covering a diverse selection of contemporary music

Jungle/drum n bass, industrial/ electro-industrial/synth sounds, dark metal, darkwave/ gothic/ ethereal, shoegazer/dream pop sounds, techno/tech house/progressive house & trance, electro and breakbeat, epic alt-rock/ art-rock/ electro-rock, IDM/ experimental electronics/ ambient sounds, Leftfield instrumental electronified hip-hop, post rock/ spacerock, hardcore/ metalcore/ noisecore, and many other hybrids and musical mutations.

[Tip if you need to print it out, it is easy to copy the text to MS Word and then print out]

Of course it is has not been financially possible to buy all these albums - indeed I own less than 20% listed, but further informed decisions can be made from selective radio listening, MP3 downloads, CD samplers from magazines and of course as Uncle Fester suggests reading reviews - both in print and online.

Also in subsequent years I will continue to use my informed knowledge as a basis for selecting what albums to obtain. I agree with the wise words of Uncle Fester:

I put a lot of thought, effort and research into tracking down what I think I would enjoy most.

If you don't you be left with a frame of reference of mind numbing mediocrity of... NME/Q/SPIN, your local alternative radio station's playlist, MTV2, The Charts, Radio 1 playlists, Steve Lamacq, VH1, Jools Holland, Virgin radio etal..

# posted by DJ Martian 6:57 PM

Thursday, December 13, 2001

The Independent - Critics Album of the Year Choices

More selections from 2001: The Independent - Critics Album of the Year Choices

# posted by DJ Martian 9:04 PM

The Brainwashed Brain

This week's The Brainwashed Brain includes reviews for the following albums:

The Album Leaf - One Day I'll be On Time

Monolake - Cinemascope

Rhythm & Sound - Rhythm & Sound

# posted by DJ Martian 1:35 AM

Muzik Magazine Top 30 Albums of the Year

Another list this time from Muzik Magazine: with a few snippets thrown in from me

1. Roots Manuva - Run Come Same Me (Big Dada) At least Muzik rate the British hip hop dude, that's more than a certain review today. A big favourite on London radio station Xfm this year.

2. Air - 10, 000 Hz Legend (Source)

3. Adam F - Kaos (EMI Chrysalis) Have not heard much of this on the radio

4. Felix Da Housceat - Kittenz and Thee Glitz (City Rockers) Excellent choice sublime one of my big faves of the year, what were the NME staff thinking of leaving out of their poll? ..too busy wanking over the hideous basic retro The White Stripes? and assorted other irrelevants. Kittenz and Thee Glitz was selected as Muzik album of the year in October at their awards show, so why the drop to 4 now. It should have been tops again surely?

5. Daft Punk - Discovery (Virgin) the ultimate "Annie Nightingale show" type album of 2001

6. Zero 7 - Simple Things (Ultimate Dilemma) has this album turned into the coffee table chill out album of 2001?

7. Smart Alex - Straight A's (Eukahouse) I have yet to hear this album it is on my long to get list. dub tech funky house.

8. Oxide & Neutrino - Exceute (east West) overrated fad of 2001, fade away...

9. Royskopp - Melody Am (Wall of Sound) Seems to be doing well on a lot of polls, not heard the album yet though.

10. Beta Band - Hot Shots II (Regal) Another popular choice what they do have is distinctive sound of their own.

11. Gotan Project - La Revancha Del Tango (XL)

12. Aphex Twin - Drukqs (Warp) Why do both NME and Muzik staff list AT as the only IDM/experimental electronics clanking album in their poll - are they ignorant or lazy?

13. Gorillaz - Lo Fi Thriller (Virgin) a lot of nonsense

14. Manitoba - Start Breaking My heart (Leaf) Seems to be the downtempo album of choice for many in 2001

15. Miss Kittin & the Hacker - First Album (International Deejay Gigolos) per-fect, Miss Kittin is the woman of 2001 surely.

16. Basement Jaxx - Rooty (XL) they are beginning to annoy me, I don't like their party singalong style cf new single.

17. The Avalanches - Since I left You (XL) Some clever ideas, but so much stuff released in 2001 I didn't not see it as priority.

18. Groove Armada - Goodbye Country, Hello Nightclub (Pepper) am I the only one that thinks GA muzak is lame and watery chill house downtempo boredom?

19. Teebee - Through The Eyes of A Scorpion (Certificate 18) Oh Yes good to see this selected - widescreen jungle par excellence.

20. Ladytron - 604 (Invicta Hi-fi) yeah electro/synths R back

21. Jim O'Rourke - Insignificance (Domino) A surprise choice for Muzik - have they been reading The Wire?.. yet to hear the album

22. Nitin Sawhney - Prophesy (V2)

23. Funk D Void - Dos (Soma) one of the top tech house albums of the past few years

24. So Solid Crew - They Don't Know (Relentless) overrrated bunch of scallies, I hate the jerky production style and the hideous vocal style. [Also the strange situation where white critic boys in their 20s/30s trying to get down with "the street", - not sorted but lame]

25. Ellen Allien - Stadtkind (Bpitch Relentless) never heard of em, apparently German tech house from a Google search.

26. cLOUDDEAD - cLOUDDEAD (Big Dada) this album is strange but interesting it reminds me of the green covered album by Bowery Electric with added strange rapping on top.

27. Badmarsh & Shri - Tribal (Outcaste) Signs was a clever single.

28. Bubba Sparxx - Dark Days Bright Nights (Interscope) Who the fuck R they?

29. Original Soundtrack - Logan's Sanctuary (Emperor Norton)

30. Panacea - German Engineering (Position Chrome) one of the first albums to be released in 2001, but 2nd Gen have overtaken Panacea in 2001.

[Also why did Muzik stop at 30 this year ?- when they normally list about 75]

... I will eventually get around to the NME (mind you they are such an easy target) and Uncut (on no - wave the stars and stripes it's Americana/Alt.country overdrive.. but it sucks and bores bigtime)

# posted by DJ Martian 1:09 AM

Wednesday, December 12, 2001

If I were an editor of a weekly music magazine this week's front cover would feature: British Avant/ post rock article with lead feature on Yellow6

If the two most prominent recent avant rock releases by British artists have been by Fridge (Happiness) and Hood (Cold House), there have been a whole host of other bands that have been releasing albums. Here are 12 for further investigation, starting with Yellow 6:

Yellow 6

I enjoyed last years instrumental Overtone album by Yellow 6 infact it was in my top 10 of 2000 - there new album is called Lake Desert. I have yet had a chance to listen to the new album, as it was been delayed for another week !

Album: Yellow 6 - Lake:Desert (Ochre Records)
Leonard's Lair

Black Curtain

From Manchester Black Curtain

Album: Black Curtain - Black Curtain (Golden City)

Since playing live at Off Peak for us last year the Black Curtain have been busy beavering away in their studio/garage and have come up with a superb debut album. Released on their own Golden City label, named after a take-away in Levenshulme South Manchester, they have unleashed a lovingly packaged nine track album of ingenius jamming, bizarre edits and squashed Rap. The highlight has to be the stunning closing piece, a driving groove reminiscent of Can at their very best. The electronic undercurrent is here but it is balanced by a score of instruments including live drums, melodicas and more. A thoroughly enjoyable release from these Manchester mavericks. Recommended.

Source: pelicanneck

The Boy Lucas

From Bristol The Boy Lucas
I recently picked this up, abstract music that reminded me abit of Third Eye Foundation.

Album: The Boy Lucas - Out Of The Wires (Output)

Lakescene

Lakescene

Album: Lakescene - Realityflows (Ochre)

Lakesecene draw on the stately twang of Godspeed You Black Emperor and the more understated musings of Labrdford and Mogwai, leading them on in their quest to put the many images and sounds that surround them, into an audibale format. 'Reality Flows' stimulates an all-encompassing desire to escape reality and live outside of its meandering melancholy, while at the same time drawing on the inner beauty of everyday consciousness.

Lefthand

Leftfhand their sound has drawn comparisions with Joy Division/ Spacemen 3/ Can

Album: Lefthand - Discovering Fire (3rd Stone/ Rayman)

Magoo

From Norwich I overlooked this release, Magoo but enjoyed their track on a recent Uncut magazine CD.

Album: Magoo - The Realist (Motorama / Powerman)

dotmusic.com review

Mountain Men Anonymous

From Cardiff Mountain Men Anonymous

Album: Mountain Mean Anonymous - Mountain Men Anonymous (Cytherea)

Meanwhile Back In Communist Russia

From Oxford Meanwhile Back in Communist Russia

Album: Meanwhile Back in Communist Russia - Indian Ink (Jitter)
[See the few reviews that I have linked to recently on this weblog.]

Saso

Download Saso music at epitonic: Saso

Album: Saso - Big Group Hug (Melted Snow)

Almost Cool review of Saso - Big Group Hug

Sunroof

Sunroof

Album: Sunroof - Bliss (VHF)

Aquarius Records

In my book, Matthew Bower can do no wrong. In fact, Bower and his whole noisy orbit are untouchable: Total, Skullflower, Ax, Ascension, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Derv, Jazzfinger, and of course Sunroof! Sunroof! (exclamation point mandatory) continue where his former outfit Skullflower left off, buzzing spaced-out improvised jams/drones. But where Skullflower skree-ed their way into our hearts, harnessing what sounded like an army of squealing reeds and a Guitar Center's worth of feeding-back axes, Sunroof! elaborate on later, gentler Skullflower, where the drones are more hypnotic and less chaotic, and the high end is more trance-y and 'snake charming' and less ear piercing. And how can you not love a band that pretty much only releases double cds?! But then, these sorts of extended space jam drone explorations take longer to develop and are quite well served by the 160 minutes of double disc space. Disc one is a lot of what we've come to expect from Sunroof!: swirling fuzzed out guitars over crappy lo-fi rhythm box, with distorted organs and soaring strings all gradually softening into a hazy, warbly underwater psych-jam. Disc two is a whole 'nother ball game. Bubbling synths and far away birdcalls over shimmering hissing sheets of feedback, home recorded, pots-and-pans jams with micro-psych guitars and gurgling infants, vibrating and wavering washes of high end and sped up children's toys, helicopter soundscapes and clanking gamelan, whirring scrapes over gentle melodic guitars and far away chimes. I know we say this a lot around here, but THIS...IS THE SHIT: totally otherworldly, mind bending, freaked out, late night, high on drugs, delirious from lack of sleep, falling into a bottomless pit, being sucked into the sky, kick you in the balls, lull you to sleep, manna from heaven, drop dead, fucking total hammer of the gods droning, hissing, screeching, rumbling perfection!

Volcano The Bear

From Leicester Volcano the Bear

Album: Volcano The Bear - Five Hundred Boy Piano (United Dairies/World Serpent)

Released under the guidance of Nurse With Wound's Steven Stapleton for his United Dairies label, Volcano The Bear has produced an album of such absurdist proportions that very few things (art, film, literature) can warrant comparisons. Volcano The Bear could ostensibly be an English folk band in the vein of the pagan folk of The Wicker Man soundtrack, with deft instrumentation for violin, guitars, piano hand drums, and banjo, but they always manage to throw in something really out of place like a free-jazz burst or a bellowing chorus of drunks. It's sort of like Captain Beefheart and Charles Hayward meeting at a Renaissance Fair, and neither knows if they should trash the place, make fun of everybody, or just join the merriment with a goblet of mead or maybe a couple tabs of acid. Really weird, even by Aquarius' standards.

Source: Aquarius Records

Zabrinski

From South Wales Zabrinski

Album: Zabrinski - Yeti (Ankstmusik)

Fantastic new album from ZABRINSKI on ANKSTMUSIK Zabrinksi's debut cd came out at the end of last year & the time inbetween has been put to great use as 'Yeti' marks a massive leap in the bands sound & rocks out in an electronic style.. Think Kraut Rock with a dash of MBV & Spiritualized. Electic & original! ZABRINSKI have been paving the way for the release of the album by supporting former Ankst recording stars Gorky's Zygotic Mynci on their autumn tour of Britain. Their live shows have steadily garnered great acclaim and a feverish response from sections of the british music industry . Their concerts and radio sessions for John Peel and Radio 1 have consolidated their position as one of the best new bands in Britain & within Wales the band are rightly acknowledged to be Ankst's rising stars

Source: pennyblackmusic.com

# posted by DJ Martian 1:54 AM

Tuesday, December 11, 2001

Woxy 97X Best of 2001

97 BEST OF 2001, I think this list is voted by the listeners of Woxy 97X unfortunately there is a large amount of rubbish listed and also albums that were released in 2000 (at least in the UK). I was most surprised that Gorrilaz was number one choice for an American audience, however number two was predictable the nerdy annoying Weezer that American's seem to love.

# posted by DJ Martian 7:13 PM

Meanwhile Back In Communist Russia - Indian Ink

Playlouder review Meanwhile Back In Communist Russia - Indian Ink

# posted by DJ Martian 1:30 AM

Killing Joke - The Last Laugh

Killing Joke - The Last Laugh has a new URL. No concrete news of a new album, but a member of The Gathering, (an e-mail Killing Joke fan list) spoke to Jaz last week "Yeah, yeah, we're getting it together" . Lets hope that in 2002 Killing Joke return with stunning effect.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:43 AM

Solefald - Pills Against the Ageless Ills

I have been listening to the new album by Solefald - Pills Against the Ageless Ills now for over a month, Solefald's composite approach to music is unique in 2001, music that flows, absorbs and cuts into you, music that channels it's sonic energy deep into your psyche. For a dark/post-black metal band, the album at times has a unusual uptempo melodic feel that has drawn comparisions to Teardrop Explodes/ Julian Cope and Richard Butler of Psychedelic Furs, also I can hear The Stranglers upto the Raven era. I am also drawn to how well Trans Am assembled their Red Line album - their is a similar complex electro math-rock approach that Solefald weave in their sonic template - music that constantly flows that morphs and evolves, that switches direction, tempo, contrast that is playful that actively involves your listening throughout.

Here are two reviews that attempt to explain far better than I can at the moment the complex genius involved in Solefald's creative expansive music:

Solefald - Pills Against the Ageless Ills - review @ Starvox

Solefald - Pills Against the Ageless Ills - review @ Aquarius Records

There is lighted hearted arrogance to Solefald's approach music that appeals to me because they know only to well how great they are (read their website and press releases). It is clear also that those who are privileged to experience their music will also acknowledge their brilliance.

Solefald remain an obscure band their music too complex and individual to conveniently fall into one music scene - they remain a secret for the few, and yet many that have enjoyed Tool's Lateralus I believe could appreciate Solefald - if only they could have media exposure - I have yet to hear them played on radio instead Xfm bore the London listeners with endless rubbish Nu Punk dumbness, the boring Travis, Strokes, Stereophonics, Ash etal and bland Nu Metal identikit rubbish. What is the point of returning to the playlist mafia after 1am?

Pills Against the Ageless Ills is album that I am beginning to rate alongside gems such as The Cure - Pornography, Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking, The God Machine - Scenes from the Second Storey, Killing Joke - Pandemonium, Katatonia - Brave Murder Day, Tool - Aenima and In the Woods - Omnio.

They are reference to points not some much in terms of direct sound comparision - but in terms of approach all personal testimonies of albums that flow, absorb into me, a sonic arrogance that sweeps you up that.. connects.

How high will Pills Against the Ageless Ills feature in my end of year review? a top 10 place is already reserved, but where ?

# posted by DJ Martian 12:33 AM

Monday, December 10, 2001

The Chemical Brothers - Come With Us

Orange front cover art for the forthcoming album from The Chemical Brothers looks stunning and bright, see The Chemical Brothers - Come With Us @ Audiostreet

# posted by DJ Martian 12:44 PM

Sunday, December 09, 2001

Rough Trade Shop Staff End of Year Poll

Another record shop have got in on staff best of lists thingy, this time the folks at Rough Trade in London.

These lists will some time next week be placed on the Rough Trade website.

[the formatting is a bit wonky, as it is taken from an e-mail newsletter - and I have more important things to do than tidy up!]

Rough Trade Top 100 2001

1 the white stripes white blood cells
2 fischerspooner fischerspooner #1
3 felix da housecat kittenz and the glitz
4 roots manuva run come save me
5 adams, ryan gold
6 the avalanches since i left you
7 the strokes is this it?
8 spiritualized let it come down
9 simian chemistry is what we are
10 welch, gillian time (the revalator)
11 the dirtbombs ultraglide in black
12 cave, nick and no more shall we part
13 kings of convenience quiet is the new loud
14 sandoval, hope and the warm inventions bavarian fruit bread
15 zero 7 simple things
16 fugazi the argument
17 the moldy peaches the moldy peaches
18 bjork vespertine
19 stereolab sound-dust
20 pulp we love life
21 dj shadow / cut chemist brainfreeze
22 beta band hot shots 2
23 white, jim no such place
24 the legendary marvin pontiac greatest hits
25 beachwood sparks once we were trees
26 the detroit cobras love, life and leaving
27 tindersticks can our love...
28 prefuse 73 vocal studies
29 playgroup playgroup
30 gorillaz gorillaz
31 whiskey town pneumonia
32 lift to experience the texas-jerusalem crossroads
33 aphex twin drukqs
34 bonnie prince billy ease down the road
35 lincoln barcelona
36 mercury rev all is dream
37 radiohead amnesiac
38 royksopp melody am
39 sparklehorse it's a wonderful life
40 turin brakes the optimist
41 williams, lucinda essence
42 gallo, vincent when
43 harcourt, ed here be monsters
44 le tigre feminist sweepstakes
45 the pattern immediately
46 eitzel, mark the invisible man
47 hawley, richard late night final
48 i am kloot natural history
49 gotan project la revancha del tango
50 plunderphonics 69 plunderphonics 96
51 matmos a chance to cut is a chance to cure
52 arab strap the red thread
53 morris, chris blue jam
54 tahiti 80 puzzle
55 lowe, nick the convincer
56 rem reveal
57 life without buildings any other city
58 little computer people electro pop
59 o'rourke, jim insignificance
60 lali puna tridecoder
61 autechre confield
62 chao, manu proxima estacion:esperanza
63 dj shadow / cut chemist product placement
64 elbow asleep in the back
65 four tet pause
66 mogwai rock action
67 mull historical society loss
68 new order get ready
69 squarepusher go plastic
70 the czars the ugly people vs the beautiful people
71 tortoise standards
72 troublemakers doubts and convictions
73 daft punk discovery
74 the donnas turn 21
75 adult resuscitation
76 blue states nothing changes under the sun
77 echoboy volume 2
78 giant sand chore of enchantment
79 money mark change is coming
80 st etienne 1990-99 those heavenly years
81 super furry animals rings around the world
82 the hives your new favourite band
83 the tiger lillies circus songs
84 the von bondies lack of communication
85 tricky blowback
86 hem rabbit songs
87 dando, evan live at the brattle theatre
88 austen, louie only tonight
89 boredoms vision creation newsun
90 jay-z the blueprint
91 american analog set known by heart
92 camera obscura biggest bluest hi-fi
93 handsome family twilight
94 beachbuggy sport fury
95 bobby conn the golden age
96 earl zinger put your phazers on stun throw your health food sk
97 electrelane rock it to the moon
98 farrar, jay sebastopol
99 low things we lost in the fire
100 rose, eileen shine like it does

Top 10 Compilations

1 rough trade shop25 years
2 darker than blue
3 dread meets punk rockersuptown
4 studio one soul
5 sympathetic sounds of detroit
6 clicks and cuts 2
7 avalon blues - a tribute to the music of mississippi john hurt
8 philadelphia roots
9 studio one rockers
10 the braindance coincidence

Top 10 Re-Issues

1 the white stripes de stijl
2 liliput / kleenex complete recordings
3 otis, shuggie inspiration information
4 dion born to be with you / street heart
5 gainsbourg, serge l'histoire de melodie nelson
6 neu neu
7 sun ra lanquidity
8 love forever changes (expanded version)
9 gaye, marvin what's going on
10 23 skidoo seven songs

# posted by DJ Martian 9:16 PM

Aquarius Records Staff List Favourites 2001

Check this Aquarius Records Staff List Favourites 2001 from one of the finest music stores in the USA.

# posted by DJ Martian 5:33 PM

Saturday, December 08, 2001

Her Space Holiday

Bleedmusic have a feature on Her Space Holiday

# posted by DJ Martian 4:54 PM

Cex - Oops, I Did It Again

Almost Cool review Cex - Oops, I Did It Again

This album is Stuart Braithwaite's from Mogwai's favourite album of the year as mentioned in the NME.

# posted by DJ Martian 4:48 PM

This Week's New Releases @ Pelicanneck

This Week's New Releases @ Pelicanneck include:

JAPANESE TELECOM - Virtual Geisha - International Deejay gigolos

Oh my God!! First there was Other People Place (Warp), then there was Transllusion (Supremat), and for a final moment of Drexciya genius for the year 2001, Japanese Telecom release their long-awaited debut LP 'Virtual Geisha' on the Gigolo label. After releasing the awesome 'Cigarette lighter' on Intuit Solar's Comin' from tha D compilation, a buzz surrounded the Japanese Telecom name. The track was simply too good to have come from anyone new to the game. Well, take a listen, you know who the name is associated to, the legendary Drexciya. Classic, genius, the originators, whatever. We�re so excited about this album. Classic sounds, harking back to vintage Submerge releases, and, yes I know that�s a big thing to say, especially about Drexciya. But take a listen. 'Virtual Geisha (she interacts)', 'Cigarette lighter', 'Beta capsule' all illustrate what electro is all about � more than just beats and twists, a sense of depth is required and that depth can only TRULY come from Detroit and can only TRULY be made this good by a collective who sometimes go under the name of Drexciya. This is a record that goes to show that certain producers not only break the mould, they forge it. Devestating.

VARIOUS - Komfort Labor presents Native Lab - WMF

The 3rd compilation on WMF�s Komfort Labour series brings together tracks related to Software Develepors Native Instruments who are the people behind the Reaktor application. All the tracks here are exclusive to this compilation and come from � Vladislav Delay, Jake Mandell, Richard Devine, Rob Acid, Solar X, Errorsmith, Kosmik Kommando, while the CD version also has tracks from Kid 606, Lazyfish, Vert and many more. Check.

and something from Last week's releases @ Pelicanneck that I missed

BIOCHIP C - 2001 - Lux Nigra

Martin Damm has been one of the most prolific and versatile electronic musicians since he started producing in 1990. Since then, his numerous projects have appeared on more than 200 releases on labels as diverse as Mille Plateaux, MonoTone and Force Inc. While he probably gained the most recognition as a speed freak with his work in the fields of hardcore and gabba, his most personal project remains Biochip C. Flirting with the darker undercurrents of crunchy electro and tweaked 4/4, �2001� represents the finest kind of afterhours warehouse music cross fertilised with a cinematic wash of dark strings and layers of atmosphere. The production here is superb, �Sunblocking� tweaks into existence with a heavy acid punch and an orchestral melancholy....the beats quantized just the right side of hard. Biochip veers off in multiple uncharted directions while always clinging to a foothold in abandoned futures. �Still on a Mission� twists the vocal into a dark vocoded mass that reminds us of Team Doyobi�s integration of treated vocals into the percussive make-up of tracks. The Hip Hop element here is crushing � treated stretches of scratch, even utilising the same Last Poets vocal sample that was featured on M.A.R.R.S.� �Pump Up The Volume�. If you like your beats abstracted � at times tweaked into acid, at times nodding towards DSP Hip Hop, and at times just intricate and complex, this is an album that will mess with your preconceptions at home and on the dancefloor with equal success. Ace.

# posted by DJ Martian 4:28 PM

Friday, December 07, 2001

etronik frontline

etronik frontline Issue 119 has news of a forthcoming album from Oliver Ho

Oliver Ho - Universal (Meta) Feb 22nd

UK producer Oliver Ho releases a new album, �Universal� on his own Meta label on February 22nd, 2002. Ho first released on James Ruskin's Blueprint label back in 1996 and, over the last five years has become one of techno�s most respected names. �Universal� is Ho�s third album to date, and follows last year�s �Listening To The Voice Inside' work.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:19 AM

Thursday, December 06, 2001

Symptoms - Apathy

Splendid review Symptoms - Apathy on the Swim label. [This is an album high up on my to get list at the mo]

The thing that makes Apathy stand out from the crowd of ambient electronic, however, is its reliance on the guitar. By using a "live" instrument to repeat the patterns, Ammitzb�ll introduces subtle variations in modulation and timing, giving the music a living vibrancy. As a result, Ammitzb�ll emerges as a guitar hero in a land of synthesizers

Symptoms is working in a sound terrain akin to Fennesz.

Symptoms is from Denmark - an emerging music nation this year, with fine releases from Future 3, Manual, and Silo.

# posted by DJ Martian 10:48 PM

Careless Talk Costs Lives - Website

There is now a website for the new music magazine Careless Talk Costs Lives including contents of the debut edition and details of how to order the magazine via e-commerce.

# posted by DJ Martian 3:51 PM

John Peel Listener's Festive 50

Reminder, last chance today to vote in the John Peel Listener's Festive 50

# posted by DJ Martian 1:32 AM

Aversiononline

Similarly Aversiononline has a bumper double edition of reviews covering the more extreme/underground rock and some experimental electronics/noise music. Including reviews for:

5ive "The Telestic Disfracture" CD
9/10 - [Tortuga]

Khanate "s/t" CD
7/10 - [Southern Lord]

Knut "s/t" CD
9/10 - [Hydra Head]

Robert Rich "Bestiary" CD
7/10 - [Release]

Sicbay "The Firelit S'coughs" CD
7/10 - [Obtuse Mule]

Ulver "Silence Teaches You How to Sing" CD ep
7/10 - [Jester]

# posted by DJ Martian 1:10 AM

IMPACT Press

IMPACT Press has a truckload of album reviews, worth a browse through.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:54 AM

Godbrain Distribution - Adventurous Underground Music

Godbrain Distribution is a Swiss based music store that has interviews and reviews on a range of leftfield electronic music from breakbeat to tech-house to IDM to Jungle.

Including a reviews of

16 MILLION DOLLAR MAN - "THE WITCH EQUATION" (UNDER THE COUNTER)

TIPPER - "HOLDING PATTERN" (FUEL)

# posted by DJ Martian 12:30 AM

Warpmart

Warpmart have added to their range, including Warpmart recommended albums on Morr Music and City Centre Offices label.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:22 AM

Wednesday, December 05, 2001

SoulWhirlingSomewhere - Please Sennd Help

Ink19 review SoulWhirlingSomewhere - Please Sennd Help (Projekt)

SoulWhirlingSomewhere is lead by Michael Plaster whose music is often compared to David Sylvian.

Most songs start with heartbreakingly fragile piano or slow-strummed acoustic guitar, soon joined by shimmering synth, muffled electronic percussion, and Michael's heart on his sleeve, exquisitely expressive vocals.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:47 PM

Red Harvest - Sick Transit Gloria Mundi

DigitalMetal.com provide details of a forthcoming album from the avant garde dark metal industrial band Red Harvest

Red Harvest's new album, tentatively titled Sick Transit Gloria Mundi, includes 10 songs and a cover of cult industrialists GGFH. Mainman Ketil Eggum (aka Selveste Turbonatas) didn't reveal GGFH song title, but said the rest of Red Harvest album is a "really heavy one" and an "industrial paranoiametal for Feinschmeckers. If you can imagine a mixture of Voivod, Laibach, Neurosis and GGFH you should get the point."

Look for Red Harvest's Sick Transit Gloria Mundi's out in spring 2002.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:26 PM

Saso - Big Group Hug

Playlouder review Saso - Big Group Hug

They occasionally float somewhere between Mogwai and Bark Psychosis but are no 2D cut-out. The ghosts of Sonic Youth, Eno, Satie can also be heard. And they have a visceral side too, though usually the mere threat of imminent detonation is more than enough to engage us.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:17 PM

XLR8R - Issue 55

Details of the new edition of XLR8R with Aphex Twin on the front cover, read the interview here

Also further details of the edition, taken from an e-mail newsletter:

THE RISE OF UK BREAKS >> A diverse amalgamation of post-drum&bass breakbeat hybrids, NU SCHOOL BREAKS has blazed a fiery trail in the UK and America over the last six years. With UK breakbeat fragmenting into multiple subgenres, loosely affiliated labels and production coalitions, will the music be able to make a long-term impact? Featured artists include TIPPER / 10SUI / TAMSIN / SOTO / 2 SINNERS / GENERAL MIDI / DANNY MCMILLAN / RENNIE PILGREM / KEVIN BEBER / MARK PEMBER / LEXI LOVE / PHANTOM BEATS / PLUMP DJS / LEE COOMBS / STABILIZER / TERMINALHEAD / TAYO / DJ HYPER / COLD FUSION MAFIA / BUCKFUNK 3000 / T POWER / BLIM / FREQ NASTY / CHRIS CARTER

Dig into the new issue which also includes the word on >> MADLIB / DJ RADAR / DUB TAYLOR / ASHERU / MRI / HRVATSKI / LADYFEST / NOTTINGHAM CITY GUIDE / GURU GUEST REVIEWS

# posted by DJ Martian 11:07 PM

Dr John Peel - another Honorary Doctorate for Peel - that makes Two in 12 Months!

Ananova report John Peel to be honoured by Bradford University

John Peel to be honoured by Bradford University

John Peel is to receive an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bradford.

The Radio 1 DJ will become a Doctor of Letters at the ceremony on December 7.

He is being honoured for his contributions to the field of popular music over the past 35 years.

The amazing fact this is the second Doctorate for Peel, the first was a Honorary Doctorate Degree in Music from University of Liverpool that only was awarded in December 2000 - Peel was awarded a Doctor of Music

See Radio Times Article for details

also in BBC Radio 1 John Peel Profile has a Honorary Degree from University of East Anglia.

Is to be awarded two Honorary Doctorate degrees in the space of 12 Months a world record?

Anyway congratulations to John Peel a true maverick sound explorer. He has seen a truckload of muppets, careerists, bores and wally DJs come in and go from Radio 1 since the late 60s - and he still remains an individualist following his own sound path.

# posted by DJ Martian 2:22 AM

If I were an editor of a weekly music magazine this week's front cover would feature:

British Techno & Tech-House Special Feature Late 2001 and Onwards

[Another late feature this week]

No single choice this week but I would have commissioned a big analyical article and interview series reflecting the contemporary underrated and underexposed British Techno & Tech-House Music scenes.

Including artists who have released albums recently

Jamie Anderson - Blue Music (Nrk)

Review [I am listening to this album as I type this feature ...sublime deep tech house that I would put on par with exponents such as Slam, Funk D Void, Layo & Bushwacka, 16B and Circulation. Fresh Flowing Futuristic music. ]

Jamie Anderson, one of the UK�s brightest hopes for the house/techno crossover scene, has completed his debut album for NRK. Titled �Blue Music�, the album features a wide range of Jamie�s styles, from the jazz and Latin tinged tech-house tracks, to deeper, more tribal tracks and some acid house thrown in for good measure. The album also features the absolutely massive �Black Sun� single from earlier this year, a record that was in the boxes of house luminaries such as Slam, Josh Wink, Carl Cox and Pete Tong.

Also a Jamie Anderson Interview

Future Beat Alliance - Disconnected (Delsin)

Future Beat Alliance @ Delsin Records

Neil Landstrumm - She Took A Bullet Meant For Me (Tresor)

Neil Landstrumm interview @ Overload

Norken - Spring Themes (Hydrogen Dukebox)

Album Profile @ Forcedexposure.com

Ian O'Brien - A History of Things to Come (Peacefrog)

Album Profile Homebass.ca

Justin Robertson - Presents Revtone (Nuphonic)

Review @ Armchair.Dj.com

Sandoz - Afrocentrics (Intone)

new project by Richard h Kirk ex of Cabaret Voltaire Front Cover Image of Album

16 Million Dollar Man (AKA Omid Nourizadeh) - The Witch Equation (Under The Counter)

Album Profile at Music ESP.com

The 16 Million-Dollar Man is one of the many alter egos of Omid Nourizadeh. The Putney based producer has recorded under a variety of aliases, the most renowned being his 16B moniker under which he recorded the classic deep house album 'Sounds from Another Room'. He also records as Changing Shape (for Hooj tunes deeper offshoot Airtight), Phaser (for his own Disclosure imprint) and ORN (for Deconstruction). Each pseudonym represents a very different style of music, but 16 Million-dollar Man is the dark horse. You'll find him twisting the dance floor with full-on drug-crazed machines and whipping crowds into a frenzy with his mixture of pounding bass and rapid-fire beats. When the 16 Million-Dollar Man is around, things get very messy indeed. This is a stunning collection of electronic music that highlights Nourizadeh as one of dance music's most innovative and versatile producers.

and onwards into 2002 expect albums from:

Carl Cox (Is working on a new album)

Dave Clarke (New album on Brighton's Skint label)

Circulation (a second album hopefully will follow up 2000 sublime Colours album - a DJ Martian top 10 album of 2000)

Death in Vegas (yep they have gone deep spacey detroit techno ! watch out for the new sound)

Dirty Vegas (new techno/house artists not to be confused with DiV)

Fluke (they are back again)

Layo & Bushwacka (new album on XL excellent)

Leftfield (Hopefully a new album in 2002 )

Metamatics (another album set to drop on Hydrogen Dukebox feb 2002)

MR C (much delayed album from the top tech house radio DJ)

Oliver Ho (new album called Universal on the way early 2002)

Sasha (5 years plus in the making, high reputation lets see if he can deliver)

16B (AKA Omid Nourizadeh UK answer to Detroit's Carl Craig - everyone into tech-house knows that Omid is a supreme producer, new album on Hooj Choons)

Luke Slater (new album on NovaMute next February)

Surgeon (Birmingham's numer one techno producer and big Peel favourite will hopefully deliver a new album)

Underworld (much delayed album but now of course minus Darren Emerson)

Xpress 2 (Annie Nightingale faves deliver an album on Skint in 2002)

# posted by DJ Martian 1:47 AM

Tuesday, December 04, 2001

BBCi Music Recent Reviews

BBCi Music have started to archive their album reviews:

BBCi Experimental Music Reviews including one of my favourites of 2001 Future 3 - Like

BBCi Dance Music Reviews

BBCi Rock Music Reviews

# posted by DJ Martian 1:57 AM

Monday, December 03, 2001

NEW music magazine - Careless Talk Costs Lives

Everett True mentions on the ILM messageboard that his new music magazine Careless Talk Costs Lives can now be ordered:

by sending a cheque for �3.50 made payable to EMINENT Management and Production. You probably won't find us in your local store right now, because I'm deliberately going underground for the first few issues to build up a good solid support. And... THEN! We pounce.
Eminent's address is: Studio 4 4th Floor The Old Truman Brewery 91-95 Brick Lane London E1 6QL

Mark the envelope ref: Careless Talk Costs Lives, and please write your name and mailing address on the back of the cheque. Subscriptions are �15 for six issues. If you're abroad, add on a sensible amount of money to compensate. Any queries please talk to Colin on colin@carelesstalkcostslives.com

# posted by DJ Martian 11:41 PM

Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness

DigitalMetal.com review Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness

This is an emotional, atmospheric release of boundary-shattering melodic music.

For those looking for some comparison - If anything, In The Woods� Omnio, comes to mind as a similar approach and delivery, and possibly intermingled with some mid-era Anathema, at the height of their trudging Pink Floydian interpretations. Either way, as with those influences, the crucial elements to this mammoth effort are the emotion and atmosphere that exudes from every note.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:29 PM

Steven Roach - Streams & Currents

Steven Roach releases a new album, Streams & Currents on Projekt available in the shops Jan 22nd, or order now online.

This all-new release, recorded late Summer 2001, is an evolution from earlier footsteps first taken on MIDNIGHT MOON. Utilizing the guitar as a painterly tool, Steve's continuing evolution of atmospheric processed guitar-based zones provides a harmonically rich world full of nuance and subtlety, built from webs of melody and pure texture. STREAMS & CURRENTS is imbued with an ephemeral quality that seems to linger at the edge of conscious perception, creating an introspective, enveloping flow of mood-altering pieces. The album progresses into deeper, darker, warmer, and quieter zones, towards a beautiful submerged ending. The mercurial ebb and flow found within STREAMS & CURRENTS creates a sanctuary that is rarely found in today's music. In his own silent way, Steve Roach has created the perfect atmosphere for contemplation and dreaming with eyes open. Recommended for continuous playback....

Some music off the new album can be listened too @ Steven Roach - MP3.com

The composer, producer, synthesist and multi-instrumentalist Steve Roach is restless in his search for new sounds that connect with an ancient source of truth in this ever-changing world. Over the last 20 years, Roach has earned his position in the international pantheon of major new music artists through his ceaseless productivity, constant innovation, open-minded collaborations and the psychological depth of his music.

# posted by DJ Martian 11:20 PM

The Brainwashed Brain

This week's The Brainwashed Brain includes reviews of these albums:

Antipop Consortium - The Ends Against The Middle

Volcano The Bear - Five Hundred Boy Piano

Venetian Snares - Doll Doll Doll

To Rococo Rot - K�lner Brett

M. Gira / D. Matz - What We Did

Godflesh - Hymns

Flanger - Outer Space / Inner Space

Kammerflimmer Kollektief - Incommunicado

# posted by DJ Martian 10:42 PM

Sunday, December 02, 2001

Carbon Disks

Carbon Disks have another update of upcoming releases.

# posted by DJ Martian 8:52 PM

Shriekback

Shriekback the 'Class of '85' (Allen, Andrews, Barker, and Marsh) - are currently in a studio recording a new album for 2002 having recently performed a reunion concert in Belgium!.

So this is the same core line up as the artists involved in the seminal art electronic album Oil & Gold - one of the first "alternative" albums I bought. They are also doing a "Marillion" i.e fan financed self managed album rather than being tied to a record company. [See the website for more details if your interested in contributing.]

# posted by DJ Martian 4:21 PM

Wire album due in 2002

Posteverything have the following news relating to Wire

Wire themselves have been hard at work on their new album slated for a 2002 release.

# posted by DJ Martian 4:10 PM

Saturday, December 01, 2001

Terrorizer (December 2001)

Details of the new (December) edition of Terrorizer including Atomsmasher, Anathema, Cevin Key, Green Carnation and Will Haven.

# posted by DJ Martian 12:30 PM

Pelicanneck - This Week's New Releases

Pelicanneck - This Week's New Releases include:

Coti - Metamemoria - Vibrant Music

Opening with an assortment of sounds � a car alarm going off, a train hooting and all manner of field recordings, Coti�s debut album for Fluxion�s Vibrant Music label quickly develops into a tour de force of deep minimalism and ambient warmth. Featuring collaborations with Fluxion himself and members of Tuxedo Moon, this is a strikingly original piece of work that veers from found sound to Chain Reaction-esque dusty 4/4 to deep electronix. �M Key� is immense � the run out groove of an old record rotating and collecting dust before a half-a-sleep beat creeps in and (avoiding the Brinkmann route) warm tones envelope the organic sounds with freespace melodies. �La Gru Gialla� is a breathless trip through Isan-esque analog phrases and chopped beats, while �AHD� (believe it or not) sounds like Yazoo remixed by Autechre � awesome stuff. Highly Recommended.

Cylob - Mood Bells - Rephlex

In stark contrast to last week�s �Cut the Midrange� anthem, this latest full-length from Cylob goes it all spacious with a textural collection of mood pieces that have a disticnt oriental vibe and are composed entirely out of chimes, gongs, vibes and (you guessed it) bells. Sparse and incredibly well-measured, this is a mature take on a complex genre from an artist that has built his reputation on beats rather than atmospheres. The Oriental influence turns more overt on tracks like �China Gong� that come complete with treated percussion, but the overall tone of the tracks work best as one continuous piece desgined primarily for home listening and meditation. Check.

Funkstorung - Vice Versa - K7

Killer second remix compilation from Funkstorung. The first thing to point out with this release is that it�s criminally limited � the vinyl version is restricted to a one time pressing of 500 copies only, while the CD version gets an equally miserly 1000 copies for the UK. The material? There are moments of pure class on here � the opening remix of Plaid�s �Eyen� is drenched in sweetness, a melancholy vibe with the syncopation of the beats kept to a minimum. A track with almost epic proportions. The collaboration between Funkstorung and the Anti Pop Consortium�s Beans is devestating � the vocal thankfully left largely untreated, the beats flowing with serious depth and substantial crunch. Awesome. More excellent remixes follow for the likes of � The Notwist, Funckarma, Speedy J, Tocotronic, Jean Michelle Jarre and plenty more. The packaging is eleaborate and lush, as expected, so don�t miss out on this one. Ace.

Station 17 - Hit Parade - Mute

Now available on CD!! As concepts for remix projects go, this is as weird as it gets. Station17 is a German-based collective of mentally handicapped talents that write and produce their own tunes. Bring in an A-List of remixers, namely - Pole, The Modernist, To Rococo Rot, Barbara Morgenstern, Kreidler, Thomas Fehlman, Antonelli Electr and many more and what you get is an inspired collection of Kindergarten tunes mixed in with the cutting edge of electronic music composition. The Modernist opens up with a light, breezy gem of a poppy tune, short and ever so sweet. Steve Bug's contribution is a real highlight - heavy basslines conjured up out of static and layered with lovely warm accoustic guitars and plick-plock wooden rhythms. Pole offers up one of his poppiest tracks - kinda like Rhythm and Sound with Inuit vocals, before Barbara Morgenstern (the Lovely Barbara Morgenstern, rather) injects a bit of her gently crafted piano-melancholy into the proceedings. Killer. To Rococo Rot, finally, deliver as per usual with stretched chords and reversed loops slashing accross the dry, kraftwerk-esque monotonal vocal delivery. Utterly charming.

The Rip Off Artist - Pump - Mille Plateaux

More than just an occassional production assisstant to Uwe Schmidt (Atom Heart), Matt Haines has managed to develop his own sound across releases for labels like Quatermass, Hot air and now Mille Plateaux. �Pump� is undeniably his funkiest release to date � a mixture of cut-up glitch beats and micro-grooves, this is a decidedly poppy affair that utilises the same precise techniques as those used by Atom. Digital glitch funk is the order of the day, all observed with an ultra-intricate splicing ingenuity. At times, as in the awesome �Downhole�, the mood becomes almost micro-housey, with a sublime assortment of lush tones and steppa rhythms ensuring the up vibe. For those of you who hark back to classic Atom Heart releases in the vein of �Dropshadow Disease� and �Fonosandwich� - this is an album that will hit the spot. Awesome.

Various - Pop Ambient 2002 - Kompakt

Cologne�s cognoscenti deliver once again, their second compilation of the warm, flowing currents alive within new ambience, 2002 style. Nine tracks in all, seven exclusives from Wolfgang Voigt as All and Tal plus gems from Ulf Lohmann, Marcus Guentner, Triola, Tomlab�s Novisad and Dettinger. Its highly appropriate that the compilation starts and ends with Mr Voigt, his awesome body of work as Gas represents the starting point for much of this genre and his two contributions here are quiet, orchestrated masterpieces of tender restraint. Jawdropping. Licensed in from his beautiful Mille Plateaux album, Donnacha Costello�s Dry Retch, sounding like the most tranquil moments of Ryuchi Sakamoto, only more developed. And from dreary old Manchester, the pocket of warmth that is www.jz-arkh.co.uk, which long time subscibers to this list may fondly remember on a dinky little grey seven inch, still sounding better than ever. Hugely consistent and highly recommended.

Various - RND_0.34873349921 - Pause Two

The Pause 2 Label first came to the public�s attention with the release of the debut 7� and CD album from Russia�s EU. This 3rd release on the label compiles tracks from � Sybarite, Metamatics, Quinoline Yellow, Novel 23, EU, Com.a, Wauvenfold, Andreas Tilliander and more. Sybarite�s �Square One� kicks things off with another gem of a track � this guy just seems to get better and better. Restrained accoustic guitars, piano and the slightest electronic accompaniment collude to create a sumptuous ode to loneliness. Eu provide a devestating crunch-attack, Gescom stylee squashed beats and a simple analogue bassline � turn up loud for full effect. Lee Norris delivers some more Metamatics loveliness on �Byeway (Clan)� - finding him in slightly more cutup territory, but the distinct metamatics arrangements and heartmelting melodies are still present in ample quantity � flawless stuff. Tigerbeat 6 cadet Com.a brings some hyper-beat splice action to the table, the lush undercurrent that�s present throught the compilation even managing to infiltrate his manic sensibilities with an emotive hook that juxtopeses endearingly next to the surrounding syncopation. Skam / Neo Ouija artiste �Quinoline Yellow� keeps on the crunchy tip with an ever-so-short Aphex-inspired beat-attack that jumps in the right places before ending abruptly. There�s plenty more to be found within, the overall flavour of the compilation leaving a sweet taste in the mouth � an exciting new label that�s brimming with ideas and a welcome enthusiasm for a fast-expanding genre. Recommended.

Rhythm Maker - Landing - Background

Truly fantastic debut full-length from Antonelli Electr�s leftfield alter-ego : Rhythm Maker. The hypothesis here is not unlike that conceived by SND � the creation of deep and full 4/4 grooves with a bare selection of components making up each track. The holistic effect of much of the material here is that of creating stripped and microscopic house, techno and dub grooves that build from a series of distinct percussion loops. �Normal Music� starts off with nothing more than a high-end tap loop and builds into a seriously deep tech-house driven groove complete with dub stabs. �Leap� is the standout track, flowing into Jazz-tinged territory that Move D has perfected over the years, the track comes complete with a To Rococo Rot-ish melody and soulful 4/4 percussion. Recommended.

Restifoirm Bodies - Sun hop flat - Restiform Bodies

What happens when the crew who drop your favourite hip hop album of 2001 drop another full length just before Christmas? You buy it and worry later. This album from Passage, Telephone Jim Jesus, Agent Six and The Bomarr Monk stretches the unformula even further out. Almost refusing all hip hop structures bar the rap and the scratch, production and sample sources make up pure hip hop plunderphonica. Many backing tracks would make grade-A electronica if released under different circumstances. Passage continues to lurk in the shadows of Dose One as a lyricist who instantly shouts out Anticon quality. It's maybe too early to fully take in the effects of the two albums this year from Restiform, but try looking back to the massive (but still relativiley unheard of) Greenthink project, three years bc (BEFORE cLOUDDEAD) then see what the future holds. 2001 has been a year where you could be excused for not following all the many Anticon related projects that have come out but please believe in the Restiform!! Rarely has a hip hop project shocked out with such confidence and originality.

M Gira / D Matz - What we did - Young God

Dan Metz (windsor for the derby) and Michael Gira (Swans) recorded these songs over the last two years. The collaboration grew from snippets of tunes both players brought to eachother. Alternating lead vocals from both Gira and Matz, a variety of instrumentation, including violins, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, various organs, piano, synthesizer, drums and percussion, some samples, harmonica, banjo and various toy and miniature percussion instruments. Guesting on guitar and vocals on several of the songs is james plotkin, and also guesting on vocals is anna neighbour. In Gira's own words "we look at it as a pop record".

Yellow 6 - Lake:desert - Ochre

�Lake:Desert� is Yellow 6�s third album release following on from those released on enraptured and jonathan whiskey. 'Lake:Desert', is an 11 track 70 minute cd featuring tracks recorded during the first half of 2001. These recordings move further into the field of utilising the digital studio as an instrument and include more elements of looping and cut and paste techniques along with the semi-improvised guitar work of previous releases. Yellow 6 began in 1995 as the solo recording project of jon attwood, a guitarist based in leicestershire, uk. Early recordings consisted of guitar drone, slowly evolving to more structured melodic music including samples and drum machine rhythms but still with a large improvisational element.

# posted by DJ Martian 1:34 AM