The Future Sound Of London - Dead Cities (Virgin)

This is obviously an amazing record to start off my Random Vinyl of the Week adventure, as I dig through my dusty archives. Released in 1996, Dead Cities was Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans' fourth full length album as The Future Sound of London. Dead Cities was that very last record and then there was a torturing silence for six years. Even when the duo returned in 2002 with The Isness, it was ... not the same... How can one describe the layered dark samples with memorable vocal lines that are implanted in my brain? "I have killed a man. A man who looked like me." The album is an absolute classic, and its complex ambient and cinematic fragments continue to offer new insight into the minds of FSOL. Dead Cities was not received with as much success as my absolute favorite, earlier 1994 release Lifeforms [the latter climbed to 6 position on the UK Album Charts, while Dead Cities got up to 22]. The music of Dead Cities features more sampled beats carefully blending in big-beat and bringing trip-hop into the mix. We Have Explosive (which also came out as a single) features several samples from Run DMC's album Tougher Than Leather. The rest of the sounds [all very dear and familiar to my mind at this point] all convey the atmosphere of urban decay. An album from the future that rusted in the past. Like a empty feeling after watching a rerun of Blade Runner [and the sample off Mary Hopkin's vocals from the movie's soundtrack], the eerie nostalgia of revisiting a dirty old friend crackles in the hindsight. Oh, and how's this for a shocker for you. On one of the tracks guess who's playing piano? I'll give you a hint. The title of the track is Max and the pianist's last name is Richter. In addition to restructured MIDI files, Max Richter has also contributed  other recordings and "environments". The album cover (and the two inserts that house the double vinyl) feature 3D graphics and digitally processed photography by Buggy G. Riphead. This is one of the albums to hold in your hands and marvel at its grandiose and epic stand in time. Since 2007, FSOL has opened up their vault and released a collection of forgotten tracks from their library, titled From The Archives (it is now up to its 5th volume). I hope I have excited you enough to revisit Dead Cities through my first adventure of Random Vinyl of the Week. I know that I have worked myself up enough to seek out the limited box set release [complete with a booklet!!!], and am now waiting for it to arrive in the mail!

myspace.com/thefuturesoundoflondon | futuresoundoflondon.com

Random Vinyl of the Week

First, a little preface... I have been very much obsessed about the quality of the sound lately, settling only on lossless files on my iPod. And with the last.fm collecting daily statistics, I have been compulsively feeding everything through its scrobbler. An OCD/ADHD audiophile collector. Sounds familiar? That being said, my humongous vinyl collection (pictured in this post) has greatly suffered from my lack of attention. And if I started to listen to my records now, at a rate of a dozen a day, it would take me... let's see... oh yes, only a year to finish! Oh good! So today I decided to pull out a random record and give it another spin. Of course, it brought back the good old memories. From the weight of vinyl, to the touch of needle, and the crackles in my speakers. And of course that warmer sound... Ah... I should do this more often. And I will. I spend too much time listening to digital representations on my headphone commute. And so I will attempt to dedicate the weekends to my archived vinyl. This process shall be simple. I will pull out a random record and listen to it. Then, if I like it, I will write about it. Sounds easy enough. Let's see if I can keep this going. You already should know, that I don't care about the date the music has been released. It's all music to me. And through this process I hope to dig up some gems that undoubtedly have been waiting for me all these years. To you, these writeups will appear along regular reviews. But they will appropriately be tagged with vinyl label. What do you think?

Nineteen Ninety Five

1995... It was the year of Oklahoma City bombing, launch of Yahoo!, Windows 95 upgrade, Nasdaq climbing over 1000, and the acquittal of O. J. Simpson. It was the 50th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb, the announcement of DVD format, and the launch of eBay. But for me it was a year of newly reborn music. It was the commercial success of electronica, the acceptance of IDM as a genre, the underground warehouse parties, and the letters PLUR smudged on my sweaty wristband. In this article, I wish to commemorate the year of 1995, remembering the monumental albums and the artists that continued to buildup on the foundation of electronic music. My purpose is to honor the contributions that still retain their quality and the position on my playlists. Take a look and see how many of these albums are in your collection. Pay attention to the currently well known names that had their first debut back in 1995. And, if after reading this article you dust off a few CDs or even 12-inchers, then my task has been accomplished.

Read Full Article : Nineteen Ninety Five

William Basinski and Richard Chartier - Untitled 1-3 (LINE)

LINE is a label of another breed and dimension. Created by Richard Chartier in 2000 under the 12k umbrella, LINE publishes experimental and abstract installation compositions by sound artists exploring contemporary digital minimalism. LINE has a nice roster of signal processing and deconstructing composers, including Alva Noto, Taylor Deupree, Vend and Asmus Tietchens. For the latest limited 2008 release, LINE has re-issued a 2004 acclaimed work by Richard Chartier and William Basinski, Untitled 1-3, first appearing on Japanese label Spekk. The two original Untitled tracks are remastered by Taylor Deupree and complimented by two new works - Untitled 3 and its Reprise. The initial edition of 1300 remained on the market for only two months before completely selling out. Basinski has been working on experimental soundscapes for over twenty five years. His installations and collaborations with filmmaker, James Elaine, have received international exposure and acclaim. Chartier has been producing experimental and minimal work that "explores the inter-relationships between the spatial nature of sound, silence, focus, and the act of listening." His sound works reached international exhibits and digital art/music festivals. Both musicians have appeared on Olaf Bender and Carsten Nicolai's hailed German label, Raster-Noton. In this aural documentary of another planet's lifeform, Basinski incorporates tape loops and elements from an eight voice polyphonic analog synthesizer from 1982, Voyetra-8. Chartier adds thick slabs of frequencies with elements from various sound installations. The piece is dark, haunting, and brooding, with alien feathered beings chirping in the background. Although the ambiance of composition is everlasting, the feeling of uneasiness remains with you well after you've downloaded these instructions into your brain. Untitled 2, at 35 minutes alone, is your guide for examining the album's abstract expressionist artwork by Chartier himself. Bring this album with you while visiting your local contemporary museum, select a dark, minimal, and abstract piece, and dissolve for a half an hour into the essence of being. You will find it... there...

Read FULL Two and a Half Questions With Richard Chartier only on Headphone Commute.

myspace.com/richardchartier | 3particles.com
myspace.com/12kline | 12k.com/line

Barry Lynn - Balancing Lakes (Planet Mu)

Barry Lynn is a sneaky fellah, and I must admit, he almost slipped this release unnoticed by my watchful eye of his usual releases under the Boxcutter moniker. Thankfully he didn’t drift too far, and comfortably settled on his home label, Planet Mu. Well, Barry, what have we here? A delicious collection of abstract glitchy IDM, with an occasional dub track and even some breakcore - must you make me mention Squarepusher in this writeup? Ah, but I guess it all makes sense: Balancing Lakes is mostly a collection of previously unreleased material, produced in the four years prior to Boxcutter’s LP debut, Oneiric (2006). It’s no wonder that I hear influences from all of my favorite Warp artists. And in this reviewer’s opinion, some of the drill’n’bass tracks don’t even feel that dated, but are instead welcomed by a nostalgic ear. It feels like discovering an accidentally missed artist. In fact, that’s true. That artist - Barry Lynn. The only down side to the release, is that thematically it’s a bit tougher to consume as an album, rather than a collection of tracks. Doesn’t mean that I won’t be ripping it apart and flag individual selections as favorites for my rotations. Pick up your copy over at bleep.com [I’m still fuming over iTunes attempting to slip 128kbps as acceptable medium]. Recommended if you like The Flashbulb, Aaron Spectre, Aphex Twin, and Clark. No dubstep here. Favorite track: London.

myspace.com/barrylynnmusic | myspace.com/childrenofmu