Paris - Unleashed (1998)
Paris is a rapper originally from San Francisco, who with the '98 release
Unleashed, his fourth studio album, was criticised for selling out, as it was his first venture into the G Funk sound (Gansta Funk, a reference to the P Funk influence, which in its turn is compound name for two bands, Parliament and Funkadelic). Paris' release history is riddled with notoriety: MTV banned his "The Devil Made me Do It", and he had great diffulties finding distributors for most (if not all) of his albums, mainly due to his explicit contents and artwork. His lyrics concentrate on social and political themes and are generally aggressive but nonetheless well written. Musically, his work is founded on fat, funky basslines, good samples and sine synths and strings, and of course your necessary share of hip hop beats. Recommended if you're open towards rap and hip hop.
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
The Prodigy - Experience (1992)
Experience is without the slightest doubt my favourite Prodigy album. From the first second till the last, you'll be bombarded with wonderfully complex dance beats & breakbeats, cool synths and mad hyperspeed samples. Bound to get you up and dancing, and if you're feeling down, it'll get you up! I would find it hard to imagine you've never heard this album, and if you really haven't yet - fie on you! To be played very loudly, by the way. Please discard your neighbours' opinions and ignore their pounding on the walls. You have an original human right to listen to this release in its one-hour entirety and as loud as you desire. At least, that's what my copy of Thomas Paine's
The Rights of Man tells me...
By the way, I just read in a review about Liam's "Dirtchamber Sessions". Can anybody tell me what they exactly consist of? I'm in the dark here. (Well, there's nothing new about
that!)
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman (1993)
One of the great dance classics of the 90s,
Dubnobasswithmyheadman is Underworld's debut after their switch from a rock combo, and it can be fairly said that it was an immediate and smashing success. Rightly so, I would argue, as the album is filled with great, laid back melodic electronic music. I bet most of you will have heard this release, but for the few who may have never heard Underworld's music, this is some highly recommended stuff. A key album of the 90s that brought electronic dance closer to the apprecation of the masses. Later on Underworld moved towards harder and more abstract techno, such as their superb double cd
Second Toughest In The Infants, which I once owned but some prick nicked. Anyway, enjoy!
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Male or Female - Recalled Moments (2002), And Failed Destruction (2002), Invented Scenes (2003) and Naked (2003)
Male or Female consists of two guys from Front 242, Daniel B. and Patrick Codenys, and Elko Blijweert from Dead Man Ray, a Belgian rock band. The music they make reflects this mix of industrial/electronic and rock, effectively culminating in pounding electro-pop and/or weird, rather subdued ambient soundscapes. I would advise you to play these rather loud, as on normal volume levels the music doesn't come through as it should.
Zpider upped these albums for us, so once again thanks go out to him!
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM (RM)IFNKOVHGROGHPRM (AFD)IFNKOVHGROGHPRM (IS)IFNKOVHGROGHPRM (N)
Dorks. (2006)
I would appreciate it if the dork who took too much amphetamine last night forbore posting 200 fucking meaningless comments. It's stupid. If I ever meet you on the streets of Antwerp, I will kick in your balls, punch in your larynx and destroy your solar plexus. Then I will make sure I find a dead pigeon and push it down your throat. I will then drag you to "Rue de Vaseline" and allow anyone willing to pound your backside with a crowbar or their own hard chocolate bar. You are a fucking twat. Goddamn spammer. Get a fucking life, get over your Oedipus complex and start living in your own flat instead of sticking your filthy tongue in your mother's punani, ignorant peasant. What you did is neither funny, nor interesting (which truly immoral things
always are- - there's absolutely nothing intriguing about sending me 200 bits of pure nonsense. I can't believe I'm spending more than a minute slagging you off, you moron. I hope your children die of blood cancer or something. Idiot.
Bryan Ferry - As Time Goes By (1999)
I knew neither Bryan Ferry nor Roxy Music before an ex-colleague of mine once put on this album at the office. I was immediately enthralled with this very special release. Ferry delivers fascinating renditions of the musical standard of the 1930s and '40s - and never allows these to descend to kitsch, which I presume is more than possible with a project like this. He manages to preserve the musical essence and quality that was accomplished with the original recordings from that era, and though his vibrato voice
could have been irritating, it actually serves this "style" perfectly (well, it's not really a style, nor is it a genre, but I don't know the word for it). A delightful little album containing 15 gems.
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Kevin Saunderson - Live in Belgium
Okay, I won't hold any bars about this one: this is pure drug music... In order to fully appreciate this bootleg (at least I think it is), it is imperative you imbue xtc with a few friends, turn the volume right up to maximum, and ask yourself, "Can you dance to my beat?" This is the most drug-induced live release I've ever come across - and believe me, I've heard a lot of stuff ranging between a lot of musical genres (house, rock, classical, whatever) . Heavy beats, trippy samples, hardcore house. I will rest my case here. Too bad I don't take drugs anymore, coz this is some serious shit. Really, take an E when turning this stuff up. It's sublime. I'm listening to it right now and man, I don't even NEED drugs to feel the high!! Goddamnit this is soooo cool!!! Super trip heavy......... Really, turn this up!
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Carl Craig - More Songs About Food & Revolutionary Art (1997)
Carl Craig is another important second-generation Detroit techno producer (see Kenny Larkin, below). I've just noticed that he hasn't released a lot of studio albums, and the few he has have not been received as warmly as could be expected. To be honest, I have certain misgivings about this album, too. It contains a number of really great tracks (e.g. "Televised Green Smoke", "Dreamland", "Butterfly", "Dominos" and "As Time Goes By") but others are too depressing (e.g. "Goodbye World", "Red Lights"), mediocre (e.g. "Frustration") or even downright irritating ("Attitude"). What this effectively means is that I tend to select certain tracks or skip over the ones I don't like. But I'm the kind of person who either listens to a whole album or leaves it on the shelf. So, unfortunately, I don't tend to put this album on too often. Pity about the good tracks, really.
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
FSOL - Commercially Unavailable Music (1990-2005)
In the comments section of my post on FSOL's
Dead Cities,
Chardman provided us with a link to commercially unavailable music by FSOL. So finally I get to listen to that VPRO radio ISDN broadcast! I'm listening to it right now, and I would recommend it to all you FSOL fans. You can hear the
ISDN album in it, but it's also different, so it is of great interest if you want to compare the album with the "live" version. Apart from this VPRO broadcast, you get tons of other material: radio mixes (e.g. "Essential" mix), Peel sessions, even videos (e.g. interviews), and much more... Thanks, Chardman!
fsol.disenchanted.com
Cant or Cunt? (I can I can't...)
As to Don Juan, confess - confess, you dog (and be candid), that it is the sublime of that there sort of writing. It may be bawdy, but is it not good English? It may be profligate, but is it not life, is it not the thing? Could any man have written it who has not lived in the world? - and tooled in the post-chaise? In a hackney coach? In a gondola? Against a wall? In a court carriage? In a vis-à-vis? On a table - and under it? I have written about a hundred stanzas of a third Canto, but it is damned modest - the outcry has frightened me. I had such projects for the Don, but the cant is so much stronger than cunt nowadays, that the benefit of experience in a man who had well weighed the worth of both monosyllables must be lost to despairing posterity.From Letter from Lord Byron to Douglas Kinnaird, 26 October 1819
Diabolos Rising - 666 (1994)
Diabolos Rising is an industrial metal project set up in 1994 (I think) by Mika Luttinen from Finland (Impaled Nazarene) and Magus Wampyr Daoloth aka George Zaharopoulos from Greece (Necromantia, Thou Art Lord, ex-Rotting Christ). Both also formed another industrial project called Raism.
I rediscovered this release at my old neighbour p'Thoelen's place and it brought back some pleasant memories, as I used to have this on tape. It's somewhat similar to Impaled Nazarene, but more mechanical, closer to industrial than to heavy metal. At points the music reaches out to progressive structures; an interesting choice for both industrial and metal lovers. But be ready for some ultra-fast and aggressive stuff here!
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Covenant - Nexus Polaris (1998)
I'd been looking for this sublime work of metal art for years, until finally last weekend I dropped by my old neighbour (p'Thoelen!) at my parents' house to discover that he owned it. Oh the chirps and jollies that came out of my throat! I immediately had to run off home and change my underwear, as I had soiled it... Well, all good things in life have their price, I guess. Anyway, this is great music: cosmic, trippy melodic (black) metal. Don't be dismayed by the term "melodic" - I know what you're thinking. Nowadays when I see the term MDM (melodic death metal), I cringe in disgust: most of that stuff is crap, kitschy fagot metal (KFM). Not this album, however. I love it and I can listen to this over and over and over. The whole album is filled with superb tunes, you can clearly hear influences from classical baroque and the romantic era, probably due to the synth player. Simply one of the best metal albums EVER. Highly recommended for metal fans!
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Faith No More - Angel Dust (1992)
I wasn't too sure whether or not to post this album, but after listening to it again I made up my mind. It's just such an interesting release. It's quite hard to define the music: alternative metal with a lot of funk in it, sometimes even touching cheesy pop or kitsch. As a critic at allmusic.com tells us,
Angel Dust is "one of the more complex and simply confounding records ever released by a major label." And he's quite right, it really is a confounding record. I imagine that most of you will have heard this album, but for those who haven't yet: listen to it and listen to it again and you will almost certainly come to appreciate this. And what a sublime cover, by the way. Possibly among the finest delivered in the 90s...
Concerning their other albums, I've heard
The Real Thing, which is still alternative metal with a lot of funk in it, but it doesn't strike the "interesting" chord as
Angel Dust does. I haven't listened to their later stuff; maybe I'll have a look in the local library. Enjoy!
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Final Dream - The Future Is Dark (2000)
Here's another one for the smelly Dutchman. Epic new-wave acid house, heavy and dark - and it appears that Final Dream means it: both the name and the title are expressed by the mood of the music. If you don't like acid house and its corollaries (808s and the like), stay away from this. If you do like all that, you should give this a try, as I'm beginning to enjoy this album better on each hearing. But as I just said, it's pretty dark and heavy-going.
For the interested few, Final Dream is the working name of Frenchman Phil Klein, who also calls himself
Bass Junkie.
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Anthony Rother - Popkiller (2004)
This must be one of the shittiest covers I've seen in months, but the music counters it, thank diddly. If you've never heard any work by Rother, you should give it a try. He weaves together repetetive house beats, harmonic synths and vocoder-transformed vocals to create a kind of funky electro, usually with a darkish mood. Well written songs that do not bore me after three hearings - something which electro sometimes tends to do (personal taste).
I'm posting this for that smelly dude from Holland who was stupid enough to leave his external music HD on the train. Didn't your mommy ever warn you about
alcohol abuse? :-P
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Front 242 - Official Version (1986-1987) and Front by Front (1988-1989)
I found these two cds in the local library and they're crammed with great 80s industrial tunes by Front 242. I'm posting both of them under one heading, as they serve beautifully as a neo-classical diptych tripdish.
I presume that most of these tracks will be unknown to many of you. At least I didn't recognise too many (which basically means: none - I'm training to go into politics in order to abolish copyright - might go and live in China instead, saves me the bother). And you get a lot of tracks on these discs:
Official Version contains 13,
Front by Front 16. The music reminds me somewhat of what Skinny Puppy (see earlier post, March if I'm not mistaken) were doing at the time and during the early 90s. So if you like 80s melodic industrial music, you'll probably love this. It's a lot better than I originally expected and I personally don't think it feels dated at all!
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM (1986-1987)IFNKOVHGROGHPRM (1988-1989)
Uncanny similarities (again)
Kim Jong Il in a well-known feature film.
Kim Jong Il featuring on last week's Economist front cover.
Kim Jong Il featuring in this week's Economist cartoon.
I just wanted to share these with you all.
Too bad there's no North Koreans to laugh along with us...
Front 242 - Pulse (2003)
Wow, what an album! Industrio-psycho-punk-house, I don't know where to start and where to end. Check it out and BUY the fucker. The first five tracks, each respectively titled with one of the letters of "PULSE" are simply mind-blowing: a weird but brilliant combination of heavy industrial beats, trippy acid house synth thingies and that typical Front 242 dark mood ensure that from the start onward you're sucked straight into the album; the rest follows nicely and becomes a bit of an eclectic mix of electronica. Very, very different from any of their previous releases,
Pulse (Front 242's latest album) proves that the guys at the forefront (oooh witty!) of the sound wars are not dead yet, no matter how old they are! Really, you have to hear this. And, once again, I take off my hat to good old
zpider for upping this for us. (PS Use 'em if you got 'em - headphones, I mean...)
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Timothy Leary - How to Operate Your Brain (1992)
Nothing too special really, but interesting to see once or twice - if you can bear it till the end. This video presents flashing images with old school acid house and spoken words by Mr Leary himself. I posted this video for Chardman, on whose b-log
here he posted a few videos about the history of LSD. I wouldn't touch it for a million dollars. I wouldn't not touch it for a million dollars. Luckily, money has nothing to do with it. Anyway, the link below provides access to the avi file. You can also watch it through streaming
here.IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Storm - Nordavind (1995)
Nordavind is in my eyes the best folk metal album produced thus far. Fenriz (Darkthrone) and Wongraven (Satyricon, Wongraven) got together to combine Norwegian/Nordic classic folk and modern black metal; when the songs were finished, Wongraven "discovered" their female vocalist, Kari Rucslätten: a rather pretty girl with a voice that's perfectly suited for this music. Now, even though we have to use the epithet "black metal" for this release, it's more folk than "black". To be honest, this is a pretty laid back and emotional metal album. No fast drumming, no screaming or grunts - nope, you get some proper harmonious singing and just steady rock drums. Really great stuff & highly recommended. You won't be disappointed, unless of course you hate folk melodies.
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
FSOL - Dead Cities (1996)
Their last release under the name The Future Sound of London, and also their last "true" electronic one,
Dead Cities is a demanding piece of work. It starts out with the aggressive "Herd Killing", and continues through dark urban soundscapes, haunted abattoirs, eerie alienations and an unsettling void, before settling down with another aggressive (punk) track containing the only explicit reference to the album title. As I said, it's a demanding album, but it's also very rewarding. It poignantly shows that machine music can be emotional - and touch upon a wide range of feelings. You may be a little overwhelmed at a first listening, but
Dead Cities is definitely worth the purchase. I bought it yesterday for the second time, as the disc has a horrible crack in it (not a scratch, but a crack). My friend's copy simply snapped in two. I think we should sue the manufacturers. And while we're at it, sue the trolls for making immoral amounts of money off the backs of hard-working and deeply suffering artists. Sorry, can't help romanticising them...
By the way, the guys from FSOL have not stopped working; they've merely changed their gist. Nowadays using the name Amorphous Androgynous (which is actually their original name, first used in the early 90s), they tend to make a kind of music that's very much aligned to 1960s psychedelia, of course with added electronica. I'm going to check out their stuff out next month; lovers of that kind of music would probably like it, too. Their latest release is the 2005
Alice in Ultraland. Well, I'm off for the weekend to visit "les parents", enjoy yours (I mean the weekend, not the parents) and keep away from dark 'n' dingy bridges. ;-)
IFNKOVHGROGHPRMIFNKOVHGROGHPRM (Artwork)Pass is at the top right of the page in the panzy-pink box:
eclecticelectelectric 3.14159265
(Well, it's not really pink...)
Bad Joke of the Well (399 B.C.)
Well, well, well... So the trolls seem to be crawling from under the bridge, eh? Hmm, gets me thinking - just like a lot of other b-loggers - that I need to do some trimming. A bit like the Andyman on Muscle Beach... So I guess I'll have to go through the tedium of encrypting these rar files and putting a password on them. Sepulchre, sepulchre in the ground, who is the most morbid of them all? Still, I was thinking the other day, I don't believe I am doing anything "wrong" as long as I'm not making money out of it. Hell, this blogging shit even got me BUYING cds again! That's something I hadn't done since I graduated four years ago. Damnclit, I re-bought FSOL's
Dead Cities just today. So the big ugly troll needs some toll coins to let me pass over the bridge?
A goat is what I'll be on the lookout for - that's something I learned as a little boy playing King's Quest II...
(Bah, trolls...)Tee-hee! I've decided what the password will be in the future, you can find it at the top of the page:
eclecticelectelectric 3.14159265Now if that isn't clear... :-)
FSOL - ISDN (1995)
September 9th, 1994. Surely someone had died that day, but I couldn't care the least as that Friday night I was eagerly waiting for The Future Sound of London to come through to the Dutch VPRO radio via ISDN - something highly exceptional those days. The duo from London hardly ever turned up on stage, but they were all the more willing to show up in your own bedroom as invisible but definitely audible realities. Or as they wistfully hoped themselves, "to turn it into a death of rock 'n' roll statement." For over an hour, FSOL spewed unbelievable soundscapes over the ISDN cables, through the VPRO airwaves and then through my cheap stereo cables out of my speakers, through a few metres of air into my ears and brain. It wasn't the most pleasurable of evening hours for my dad, but the "gig" surely made my day.
If you're acquainted with FSOL's
Lifeforms, be ready for something different. If, on the other hand, you know their
Dead Cities, you can expect something more subdued, less aggressive. For the fudge-packing pigeonholers:
ISDN consists of jazzy trip hop with ambient sugar glazing and a psychedelic cherry on top. Well, perhaps "mushroom" is more apt? Personally, I think this release is the most accessible of the three; though I guess not everybody would agree.
Most of the tracks on this album are taken from live sets via ISDN to Holland, the U.K. and the U.S. As can be expected from FSOL, all the tracks flow smoothly into each other, effectively turning the album into one big journey through whatever your mind is willing to provide. One of my all-time favourites and highly recommended! And as for
headphones, use 'em if you got 'em - seriously, it raises the experience to a whole new level...
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Death of the Soul
Oh, back in the old days... I just found these pics on my pc - it's me with my sister and two friends! Boy did we have "fun" that night, prowling around the streets with torches, swords and corpse-paint...
"They who, deluded by no generous error, instigated by no sacred thirst of doubtful knowledge, duped by no illustrious superstition, loving nothing on this earth, and cherishing no hopes beyond, yet keep aloof from sympathies with their kind, rejoicing neither in human joy nor mourning with human grief; these, and such as they, have their approportioned curse. They languish, because none feel with them their common nature. They are morally dead. They are neither friends, nor lovers, nor fathers, nor citizens of the world, nor benefactors of their country. Among those who attempt to exist without human sympathy, the pure and tender-hearted perish through the intensity and passion of their search after its communities, when the vacancy of their spirit suddenly makes itself felt. All else, selfish, blind, and torpid, are those unforeseeing multitudes who constitute, together with their own, the lasting misery and loneliness of the world. Those who love not their fellow-beings, live unfruitful lives, and prepare for their old age a miserable grave."
From P.B. Shelley's preface to "Alastor: Or, the Spirit of Solitude"
Andy Gainsbourg and Muscle Beach
“Ugliness is in a way superior to beauty because it lasts.”
"My body is like breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
I don't think about it, I just have it."
Uncanny similarities between the Andyman and the Pandyman
"A Belgian court convicted Andras Pandy, a now-retired protestant preacher, of killing six family members and dissolving their bodies in chemical drain cleaner. He was sentenced to life in prison. His daughter, 44-year-old Agnes Pandy, received a 21-year sentence for being an accomplice in five murders and one attempted murder. Pandy, who is Hungarian but moved to Belgium to escape Communism, was found guilty of murdering two wives and four children, one of which, a daughter, he also was convicted of raping. Not the cornerstone in family values, he was convicted of raping two other daughters, the oldest of which, helped him with the killings."
Front 242 - Geography (1982/2004)
With this album we are -or rather Front 242 is- writing history. Originally released in 1982, it surprises me how fresh the music still sounds today. The "2004" tag in the title refers to the re-release of
Geography as a 2-cd edition, the second disc providing extra tracks and recordings of live performances (both of which are actually good, which is not always the case with such "bonuses").
Back then synths and drum machines often had a particular metallic sound: I guess nowadays you either like it or you don't. Personally I'm very fond of it, so this album is a treat. Great bass lines, real fun synth pad stuff and dark-sounding vocals: that's early Front for ya (someone tells me the lyrics are dark, too, but I haven't been able to check that yet). Okay, this might be yer olde style electro-punk industrial, but you need not fear that it is dated, as it simply isn't. Astonishing! Before today I had never heard the debut of Front 242, and I must say I'm positively surprised. A real gem, this... I am a born-again industrian!
Oh darn-diddly, I almost forgot to mention that this is another uppie from
zpider. So we should all nicely say in unison, "Thank you, mr & mrs zpider." :-D
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM (Disc 1)IFNKOVHGROGHPRM (Disc 2)
Arsenal - Outsides (2005)
Arsenal is a Belgian band formed in 1999 by Hendrik Willemyns and John Roan, the latter originating from Brazil - something which is quite audible in their music. Their first EP
Release received high critical acclaim and some track remixes even became dance club hits across the world. In 2004 they released their first full length album
Oyebo Soul, which unfortunately I do not know.
On Outsides Arsenal's music is interesting to say the least: it provides a mixture of indie rock, dance, hip hop and Brazilian bossa and samba. Now that's something you don't come across every day. Their lyrics are in English, Portuguese, French and even Chinese (yes, that's strange). As their album title suggests, many of their songs are about being "outside", especially the cultural contrast between Europe and South America; others touch upon dreams, love, etc . Highly listenable, filled with warm, pleasing, well-written songs, this is an album I would recommend to anyone. You won't be disappointed, so give it a go. I've also heard that their live acts are good, so if they ever come near you...
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Front 242 - Angels Versus Animals (1993) and Mut@ge Mix@ge (1997)
Firstly, I would like to thank
zpider -on behalf of Your Royal Highness the Queen- for his continued dedicated efforts towards the Commonwealth of Free and Liberal Audiophile States. That being said, here are two more releases for the Front 242 fans.
Stay low, lock the door...
Angels Versus Animals was released in 1993, the same year as
05:22:09:12 Off and
06:21:03:11 Up Evil. The album contains mostly remixes of the former album, except for track nine, which is a 17-minute excursion into ultra-minimalist sound (I don't think you can get more minimal than that). I don't know whether I like that track or not, but it's definitely interesting. If you tell a girl, "I don't know wheter I like you or not, but you're definitely interesting," would she be flattered or insulted? Please call 0800-555-6459. Synthed guitars with a lot of distortion, heavy industrial beats and aggressive lyrics is what this album is all about. What I really like about this release is the high quality of production - which means it's super-suitable for headphone paranirvana... Front 242 at the forefront of civil sound wars!
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Mut@ge Mix@ge is a very different piece of music. On this release well known artists such as The Orb, Underworld, The Prodigy (3, 2 and 2 tracks, respectively) and others provide remixes of Front 242 tracks - mostly from the "Evil" cds that were posted a little while ago. It also contains "Junkdrome" wich is perhaps one of my favourite "floating trip" electronic bits of all time... This album has a warmer mood than the '93 one, with the typical exception of The Prodigy - suprise, surprise. I love what The Orb and Underworld managed to do here, it's definitely worth a listen. Even if you're not a Front 242 fan (see picture above), chances are you might like this album.
IFNKOVHGROGHPRMIFNKOVHGROGHPRM (Updated link!)pass=paxdiero.blogspot.com
Kenny Larkin - Metaphor (1995)
Together with such notables as Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Derrick May and Richie Hawtin, though less widely known, Kenny Larkin is is one of the chief innovators of Detroit's so called 'second wave' of techno producers. Hawtin was a good friend of Larkin's, whereas Craig has done a fair amount of work together with him. Larkin's debut Azimuth, on Warp Records in U.K., was an instant success. I've never heard it, so I can't say anything about it myself. Then in November 1994 in Detroit he was shot in the abdomen by two unknown assailants - a shocking experience that nonetheless did not stop him from releasing Metaphor (R&S Records in Belgium, now defunct) a short while later, and beginning a massive touring project only two weeks after his release from hospital.
Metaphor is filled with beautiful, soulful synthpad sounds, funky basslines and great drum programming. I gave this album to a friend for his birthday years ago, and I still hit myself on the forehead for not having kept it myself. :-D Even after ten years, the music is lovely to listen to, so warm and luscious. An ultimate feel-good techno release, it counters much of the mechanical, emotionally "hard" techno that was -and still is- being created across the globe. Metaphor was nominated for best electronic album of the year in Keyboard Magazine. In his hometown, Metro Times voted Larkin ‘Best Techno Artist of The Year’ at its yearly music awards. Without a doubt one of the finest techno/house releases of 1995.
Kenny Larkin has also released albums on his own Art of Dance label under the “Dark Comedy” moniker. Moreover, he is supposed to release another great techno album somewhere this summer (2006), called Keys, Strings, Tambourines. If I can spare myself a few euros next months, I think I'll be on the lookout, prowling the night streets for that hmmm warm bass beat...
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Atheist - Unquestionable Presence (1991)
Death comes in many forms and many disguises. Coincidentally, so does death metal. On one end of the spectrum there's the thrashy style, as exemplified by Cannibal Corpse. Then, as we move towards the other side, we encounter such genre-defining bands as Deicide or Death. And finally, blissfully so, we arrive at the ultra-technical progressive side of the spectrum, and lo! we bow before Atheist. I found this release on the net a few months ago, and it's really grown on me. As I couldn't retrieve the source, I felt I should repost it myself.
This is not what most would expect from a band that's tagged with the death metal label. Sure, it's heavily guitar-distorted and overally fast, but the songwriting here is simply brilliant: incredible technical prowess combined with loads of highly surprising changes and swerves within each song. Anyone interested in progressive (rock) music must give this one a listen. Just try to look beyond the heaviness and speed... The only thing quite a lot of people really dislike about this band are the vocals. They're also much unlike most death vocals, ie the demonic grawls and grunts that put off the "decent" folk in our beloved society. No, these vocals have a murderous psychotic quality to them: something I can relate to! Erm, seriously though, I believe the vocals perfectly match the erraticism of the music as a whole, and we should all realize that true art is founded upon the maxim that all the parts should relate to the whole as the whole to the parts. But I'm not dogmatically minded, anyway. Give it a go and let it grow on you for a while before you judge this.
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Infectious Grooves - Sarsippius' Ark (1993)
Hilarious funk-metal is what you get from Infectious Grooves. The band consists of Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir and guitarist Dean Pleasants, and The Vandals drummer Josh Freese, as well as Metallica's current bassist Robert Trujillo. Truly an enjoyable album, this is a must for anybody into either funk or metal. Or the crossover, of course. The album contains two cover tracks: "Fame" by David Bowie and "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin.
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Tosca - Suzuki in Dub (2000)
Tosca are Austria-based Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber, the former better known as one half of Kruder and, well, you know who. I never got into Kruder and the other one, their music didn't capture my being as I expect music to do. (Admittedly, K&D is technically good music, so I must say it's purely a matter of taste.) Not so, I would say, in the case of Tosca.
The rhythm section strikes a fine balance between house, hip hop (or trip hop, if you're a fudge-packing pigeon holer) and funky jazz. To that are added chilled out or bouncy bass lines and bits of samples and synth. Even though the musical lineup is similar to The Orb's, the effect is very different: not psychedelic, just really laid back tunes, perfect for a sunday afternoon barbeque, or an evening in with a glass of wine. Or a bottle of whiskey, for that matter. But always in moderation, lads n lassies!
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Front 242 - 06:21:03:11 Up Evil (1993)
The companion piece to Front 242's
05:22:09:12 Off, both released in 1993. If you like
Evil Off, you'll like
Fuck Up Evil: similar use of synth-scapes, drum work is somewhat different, but still heavy dance-directed industrial. I even seem to recognise some samples that are used on both. I'm currently in the process of undergoing the album, but I'm a little afraid there are no more female vocals on this. Pity, that. I also wonder... Is that a devil's face on the front cover of this album, whereas there's an angel on the other one?
A million thanks to zpider, who uploaded the music for us!IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Air Liquide - Air Liquide (1993)
This is the second full-length album by a great duo from Cologne, Germany. It completely blew us away when we were teenagers back then, and I still love it. I'm pretty sure that two guys in Holland, Cromcrauch and Larve, do so too. :-) Somewhere between acid house, trance and ambient, this is one of the trippiest, most psychedelic electronic albums I know. Bound to enthrall your little human brain. Happy journeying, you psychonauts out there!
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
MP3 Peak Normalization
I reckon that some of you may find the following information quite useful. In the past, if I created a compilation of mp3s or albums and put them into my mp3-player, I'd often get really pissed off when the music volume suddenly soared or sunk. It's just super irritating. Well, it's a fixable problem and the solution is called mp3Gain. It "analyzes and adjusts mp3 files so that they have the same volume" - easy to use, totally free and you can get it
right here.
Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies (1994)
I found this little gem of an album floating around the net, so I thought I'd do a post on it, as I couldn't find it on another blog. So, about the music: if you know any of Alice in Chains' other albums, you will know they make pretty heavy guitar rock that is technically of high quality and of course Layne Staley's lyrics and vocals are unforgettable. But their 1994 EP
Jar of Flies is something quite different. Mainly accoustic, slower of pace and rather bluesy, but still keeping the surreal mood they're so good at invoking, this album is one I would recommend to anyone, except if you're a die-hard acid raver. Really superb, chilled out music, do check it out.
The file is split into two as the bitrate is at 320. Shouldn't stop you from trying it out, though.
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM (Pt 1)IFNKOVHGROGHPRM (Pt 2)pw: geop
I also hope that the person who upped these files doesn't mind me doing a wee article on them. Praise be to the unknown soldier...
Life of the Recluse
Look here chaps, I'll be quite honest with you all. Ever since I stopped playing games [:-p] with my friends (I won't place that word in quotation marks out of respect of the past), I've been working every so often on this music b-log - which is more or less since March. I hardly see anyone these days except random people in the pub or on the street; usually interesting people, though. But I would like
this activity to remain interesting, too. So, you see, I'd really like every now and then some of you (not all, I can't ask that) to notify me and other visitors across the globe (coz that is what all this is really about) what your opinion is on all this music. If you like it, please tell us, if you don't, idem. Ot if you've got andything else to mention, don't bar any holds or hold andy bars. Well, do hold out Andy's chocolat bar. Out of respect for the worms in our society, ok? Cheers and have a few more beers. Everything that rhymes is holy. Thanks, wanks... :-)
Btw, I'm not the kind of person to threaten with quitting this b-log (morning wood - can you control it?) as some other morning wooders do (Chris, piss), but I might get into a fit at some point and get fedEx up or cumthing. Just so you swallow... (Joke of the three wells...) I see it as a miniature suckciety: if you can't beshave propanely online, how can you be honey with yusuf undur's behaviour when in real madrid? The tittynet serves perfectly as a prelimination of modern date suckcietit. There now, so be nice...
I hope musk of youth can decypher my bush-it. Stanch you.
Tinky Winky? Andy Wanky!
Front 242 - 05:22:09:12 Off (1993)
Formed in Belgium in 1981, Front 242 were a huge influence on electronic music and industrial in particular during the 80s and 90s.
05:22:09:12 Off is by far my favourite: it's way ahead of its time, it never ever bored me even for a bit, it's got female vocals on a lot of tracks, and it's a brilliant concept album to boot. You may find it interesting to know that the numbers stand for letters, thus spelling "EVIL". This is simply great industrial dance music!
By the way, if any of you should possess or be possessed by
06:21:03:11 Up Evil, I'd love to give it a listen... ;-) And as they're still touring, go check em out live if you can (I haven't yet - doh).
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Unit Moebius - Bunker & Life Mood 1-8 (1996) and Status (1996)
From The Hague, The Netherlands, please welcome the conglomerate Unit Moebius. They'll provide you with some brilliant minimalistic pounding fast-paced acid house.
Bunker & Life Mood 1-8 is a live album, but you can't hear that this is the case. The first two tracks are "Bunker" tracks remixed by Starfish Pool, who of course is not unrelated to Starfish Enterprises, the experimental rock band I posted an album of a couple of months ago. Unit Moebius managed to build up a very strong reputation due to their appearances in their home-based squatters scene and with their do-it-yourself releases on obscure labels like Acid Planet, Referenc and their own label Bunker. They have also released successful albums on Germany's Disko B and Belgium's Kk Records. This release creates an image of what a Unit Moebius gig is like: non stop up-tempo grooves with constantly changing moods - from good old acid style to real experimental, minimal stuff.
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
Then there's
Status, Unit Moebius' Kk Records debut release which is significantly slower of pace, uses more harmonic and melodic devices, and even -at times- has a distinctively Detroit sound to it. If you're new to Unit Moebius, I guess
Status is where best to begin, as the tracks have a wider range and therefore is probably more accessible. A few of the tracks also occur on their
Life Mood album. Both are nowadays as good as impossible to get, so if you're somewhat open-minded towards house music, definitely give it a go!
N.B. Apparently they split up, too... Such a pity...
IFNKOVHGROGHPRM
