Architect - Consume Adapt Create (Hymen)

While other Architect albums have been somewhat minimalist affairs, Consume Adapt Create is crammed full of sounds... individual and myriad in number, placement and aesthetic. You might have wondered what happens when Daniel Myer is placed in a creative vacuum and allowed free reign to run as far as his imagination will take him. This is the concrete evidence of where it goes. 'The Shadow of Eve' is the only hint I am going to give for this record. It's breakneck pace should confound and contuse any PA it is played through. Myer weaves in melodic lines throughout it, a hi-hat roll here... a syncopated break sped up to maniacal pace there. Power restored indeed. The connection to previous work could best be ascribed to his track 'Sir Alfred'. Suspense drum 'n' bass is alive and well. There's been a remix contest for this tune initiated by the band, it's no accident this track was the one chosen. You have not heard him push it this far before. One gets a healthy inoculation of atmosphere on this record, sure, there are alien peel offs into sci-fi land but more often than not it's the overall composition which unleashes this tone. Consume Adapt Create is all about this somewhat elusive aural currency. Van Delta's album 'Studio Reality' is the only thing which comes remotely close to the end result of this and even it didn't contain as many changes in tempo or emotion. Myer somehow manages to squeeze a lot of feeling out of his machines, a feat few others have pulled off convincingly. It is as though a part of him has been subsumed and re-patterned in an electronic exorcism of sorts; it's a lot to ask of the listener, I know, but the pay off is that by the time you do finish listening... the world is pleasantly askew. He's spent his time very wisely creating some masterful electronic scenes if this is the right word; each song is a soundtrack to places we have never been and worlds we never suspected existed. Christmas may have come late but at least it showed. If you were to take Galactic Supermarket and heap on the maturity accumulated in the last twelve years by this musician you'd have a small measure of the majestic heights Myer has encapsulated here. Unlike that record, though, there's a lot more flesh on the bones. He knows his sound design almost too well. All the time spent in the trenches of Haujobb's love/hate existence with it's fanbase was not undertaken lightly, neither was this record.

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Review prepared by Peter Marks, exclusively for Headphone Commute.

See also Two and a Half Questions with Architect

myspace.com/architectmusic | ant-zen.com/architect
myspace.com/hymenrecords | hymen-records.com

Mr. Projectile - To The West (Semisexual)

Mr. Projectile... He's back! After a five year silence, Matthew Arnold returns with his fourth full length album, To The West, and thrusts it right back up in our $%@#ing faces. The last time I marveled at Arnold's intricate IDM production skills was back in 2004, on the beloved Merck label with his release, Sinking. Following that, there was a two-track 12", Momentary Lapse Of Sensitivity (Semisexual, 2005). In 2007, Merck closed its doors, and for years I mourned the loss of the artists left stranded amidst the disintegrating landscape of dying labels. Until finally, out of nowhere, Arnold drops another bomb on his very own Semisexual imprint, for all the hungry ears. The sound will always find the way. Laced with a few short ambient pieces, To The West plays like a trip through a slinky, wobbling down the psychedelic stairs. Using a few of familiar sounds that my ear got accustomed to from Sinking, Arnold teases us with a few intelligent progressions and then slams a dark electro beat, full of 303-esque acid bass and dazzling arpeggios. Expert knob twiddlers will pick up on the analog sounds of Nord Modular and the unmistakable flavor of x0xb0x (pronounced "zocks box" by the way). Although I can't name the sounds of a drum machine (I'm not that good), the percussion is solid, tight, and very satisfying, ranging from the above mentioned electro patterns to the unrestricted domains of IDM. Arnold's beatless pieces are just as satisfying. Leaving Burning Man uses an accented bass line to set the progressing melody beneath the swirling ambient sweeps. And the mind bending twists of glitching and stuttering rhythms of Information Doubling nod to the sound of Autechre with that hidden gem that only reveals itself upon repetitive listens. And then there is my nostalgic love for all the scents of 303, that gets satisfied with an occasional prairie dogging of sound hiding just beneath the surface. And while the beat carries the movement forward, hazy melodies break through electrified cobwebs of sound to leave their unforgettable imprint. Delicious. Although, as of this writing, the Semisexual label's page is reduced to a sparsely updated blog with past touring schedules, the album can be picked up from a handful of digital outlets, like Addictech. And seriously, while shopping, don't forget to add Sinking (Merck, 2004) to your cart - you will not be disappointed - the album is still in my rotations after all these years.

See also Two and a Half Questions with Mr. Projectile

myspace.com/semisexual | semisexual.com

Jega - Geometry (Planet Mu)

Here's a brief history of Planet Mu, which is very much relevant to Jega. Planet Mu was born in 1995, and was originally setup as a sublabel of Virgin Records, on which it initially planned on releasing music by µ-Ziq (Mike Paradinas), and similar artists. The experimental electronic genre that initially was vultured upon by the major labels never took off in the United States, and Virgin gave up spending their marketing dollars on this back-shelf product. In 1998, Paradinas decided to take on the label single-handedly, and, prefixing the releases with ZIQ, released Jega's Type Xer0 as the very first 12-inch. This teaser was followed up with Jega's debut album, Spectrum (Planet Mu, 1998), and from that the rest is history. Prior to his signing on Planet Mu, the man behind the Jega moniker, Dylan Nathan, has already released material on none other than Skam Records. There, with his two EPs, Phlax (Skam, 1996) and Card Hore (Skam, 1997), Nathan fit along perfectly with such contemporary abstract and experimental IDM artists as Bola, Lego Feet, Freeform, Boards of Canada, and of course Gescom. On Spectrum, Nathan rips through melodic breakbeats with newly perfected IDM elements, fitting right at home with Paradinas' µ-Ziq style. Glitched out percussion draws influences from Aphex Twin and even some leftfield downtempo beats ala Amon Tobin, whose first release, Bricolage, came out a year prior on Ninja Tune . Two years later, and a few EPs in between, Nathan releases his sophomore album, Geometry (planet Mu, 2000). This album is much different in tone, and immediately made its impression on me. A lot darker, machine-like chopped up percussion, jitters its way through the cold corridors of sonic spectrum towards the experimental Autechre sound. Although a few atmospheric melodies remain throughout the album, the deep electro beats and metallic effects hold their solid ground. Geometry is definitely among my list of influential albums. In 2004, Jega showed up with a Theme From 1998 on Planet Mu's compilation, Children of Mu. Another track, Aerodynamic, appeared on the label's compilation, Sacred Symbols Of Mu, two years later, in 2006. In 2003, as Nathan was working on his third album, Variance, a copy leaked out onto the sharing networks, and Nathan had to scrap and rework almost all of the tracks. The album is definitely still in the works, and Paradinas mentioned that Variance Vol 1 and Vol 2 will be released as a double album sometime in July, 2009 (!!!). As a matter of fact, Jega showcased his upcoming work during his exclusive set on BBC Radio 1 Experimental on March 11th, 2009 (do your own digging  on the planet-mu.com forums to grab a recording). I hope that bit of news got your juices flowing, as I'm sure I'll be reviewing the album once I get my dirty hands on it.

myspace.com/dylanjeganathan | jega.com
myspace.com/childrenofmu | planet-mu.com 

Krafty Kuts - FabricLive. 34 (Fabric)

The FabricLive series has celebrated some really amazing output since its launch seven years ago. The monthly (!) compilation releases started in November 2001, by the London based nightclub Fabric. Alternating monthly between Fabric and FabricLive series, the club's offshoot label has covered a diversity of genres, from tech house to drum'n'bass, from dubstep to hip hop, from electro to disco. The mixed compilations feature an excellent roster of DJs and artists spearheading stylistic underground and commercial movements. Some of my most recent favorite FabricLive mixes feature Noisia, Caspa & Rusko, Spank Rock, High Contrast and DJ Craze. This 34th release (June 2007), is put together by Martin Randal, who goes by the name of Krafty Kuts. Randal is a Brighton (England) based electronic breakbeat producer and a DJ. In the last three years, he has has won the "Best DJ" title from the Breakspoll Awards. And this compilation does not under-perform. Krafty Kuts pulls out his crate favorites, like old-skool rap from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five and funky electro from Milke. The production is top notch, the mixing is of course superb, and the sounds are super fresh. I especially love Krafty's layering of acappellas over other instrumentals to create new sounds and essentially remixes. Artists appearing on the mix include Tim Deluxe, DJ Icey, Plump DJ's, Madox, Aquasky, Freestylers, and Primal Scream among the many. I was last this excited about the FabricLive album when I reviewed The Herbaliser's contribution towards 26th volume. Perfect for a weekend drive. Recommended if you want to catch up on the latest breakbeat sound. And I'm sure I'll be raving about other FabricLive releases pretty soon.



myspace.com/djkraftykuts | superchargedmusic.com
myspace.com/fabricfamily | fabriclondon.com

Modeselektor - Happy Birthday! (Bpitch Control)

Mixing up everything from IDM to dub, electro and hip-hop, Modeselektor puts out a truly fun album that keeps me bopping up and down. There is evident humor in some of the tracks and that's exactly that attitude that forces me to spin Happy Birthday! on for a fun ride. Not to mention an excellent array of featured artists. We've got French hip-hop from Paris, TTC; some Dominican style fun vocals from Paul St. Hilaire; throw-your-hands-up party rap from Puppetmastaz; and an absolutely excellent track featuring Thom Yorke, titled The White Flash. [Side note: the 2008 12" Happy Birthday! Remixed #1, features The White Flash remixed by Trentemøller - it's worth picking up just for the B side]. Modeselektor returned the favor and remixed Thom Yorke's Skip Divided from The Eraser (XL, 2008). Modeselektor is a Berlin based duo of Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary. When Bronsert and Szary initially met in 1992, they were producing music under alias Fundamental Knowledge. In 1995 they renamed themselves to Modeselektor, after a function on Roland RE-201's effects module. Another interesting side project is called Moderat - a collaboration between Modeselektor and Apparat which only saw a single 12" on BPitch Control back in 2003 and now returned with a track on Happy Birthday! titled Let Your Love Grow. This is Modeselektor's sophomore release, named in anticipation of the unplanned accidentally synchronized births of the duo's children. Modeselektor is not afraid to whip any stylistic trend back into its cage. From four-to-the-floor acid infused electro beats, to heavy grime, this is already a favorite party album. In the middle of the album, after a heavy beat from The Black Block, my ear pricks up to a familiar melody. The track's name is The First Rebirth, and I immediately recognize the classic trance anthem from 1993 under the same name, written by Jones & Stephenson for Bonzai Records (and I still have my copy - actually just dug up Commander Tom's '94 Remix on Prolekult). The album finishes up with an excellent up-beat glitchy hard breaks featuring Maxïmo Park. Pick up this album and treat yourself to one of my 2007 favorites! Recommended if you enjoy Boxcutter, Pole, Plaid, Funkstörung and Mouse on Mars. Be sure to grab Modeselektor's 2005 debut, Hello Mom! p.s. Excellent popping music!

myspace.com/mdslktr | modeselektor.de
myspace.com/bpitchcontrol | bpitchcontrol.com

I Monster - Neveroddoreven (Karma/Dharma)

Thanks to my DVR, I never watch commercials these days. But there was this one ad, from AT&T, which got me to hit pause. It displayed flowers opening up, containing the cell phones inside. But it was also the music that stopped me. After the second time I saw the ad, I jumped on Google and sure enough, the first hit was people asking "what's that song on that commercial..." [I used the lyrics as keywords]. I've never heard of I Monster before, and after previewing a couple of tracks I just threw the whole album into the shopping cart. I was truly surprised to enjoy the entire album. It is now on its sixth rotation, and thus, deserves a write up. I Monster is a British group creating fresh, fun and bouncy trip-hop with very catchy samples and melodies. The two members are Sheffield based Jarrod Gosling and Dean Honer. Honer is also a member of All Seeing I and worked on some Add N To (X) albums. Together with Barry Smith (aka Barry 7), Honer founded a label, Cercle Records, on which the original 7" vinyl single of Daydream In Blue was released. In 1998 the duo has released their debut album, These Are Our Children. The track that got me all hyped up after hearing it only twice, Daydream In Blue, climbed the charts as a single, and soon after, the second album, Neveroddoreven, was released by Instant Karma and its sublabel, Dharma Records. [In 2004, Neveroddoreven, was also released on Atlantic]. I caught up with I Monster to get the spiel on their upcoming album. Here is the 411 - it is finished, no title or release date yet, a 7" vinyl single of a track titled A Sucker For Your Sound is coming up. Meanwhile you can preview the song on their myspazz. I seriously can't stop listening to this. Recommended if you like Moloko, Lovage, Portishead, Lemon Jelly, and Télépopmusik.

myspace.com/imonsteruk | imonstermusic.com

The Herbaliser - FabricLive.26 (Fabric)

I've been trying to chase down this mixed compilation for a couple of months now. Ever since I saw that The Herbaliser (Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba) contributed a mix towards London nightclub's Fabric label. Known for their trip-hop, downtempo, and jazz infused instrumental hip-hop tracks, The Herbaliser got signed to Ninja Tune back in 1995, and since then been a resident for the label's staple sound. Their last appearance was a 7" single on Skyline Recordings, as well as a track contribution (Gadget Funk) towards a 2008 triple CD  sampler from Ninja Tune, You Don't Know: Ninja Cuts. For the FabricLive.26 mix, The Herbaliser took a step back from downtempo sound to make a party mix. And what a mix it is. The turntable skills are flawless, but it is the track selection that makes this an instant gem for me. I feel it is my duty to take you on a quick tour of this genre-spanning collection of classics. We start off with ragga  track by Million Dan, moving quickly into dirty UK hip-hop, then a track by RJD2 and a label mate appearance by Dynamic Syncopation. Blufoot and Yungun add some North London rhymes followed by a classic Hurby's Machine with Antoinette. On track 8 (out of 24), we break down into James Brown! From here on The Herbaliser rock the tables with some funk, electro, and of course, soul. We've got J Rocc, old-skool breakbeat track from Demon Boyz, and even a 1971 soul disco from The Jackson 5! The Roots kick in with Boom! at track 21, and Dynamix II treats us to an '87 vocoder electro classic. We barely finish with some crunk from Diplo, as Bugz In The Attic contributes the last broken beat. Whew! It's a doozy! Thank you, Herbaliser, thank you!

herbaliser.com | myspace.com/theherbz
fabriclondon.com | myspace.com/fabricfamily

Bitstream - The Severed EP (Touchin’ Bass)

Bitstream are two brothers from Northamptonshire UK, Steve and Dave Conner, who produce some of the most corrosive, darkest, glitchy electro I’ve heard. Their earlier, sophomore full length release on Boomkat’s Modern Love label, titled Domestic Economy 7, had me bopping my head for years (I especially love track 6 on the album, Dragon 32). They have since migrated to Touchin’ Bass, a label more prominent with its electro releases. The Severed EP picks up exactly where the Conner brothers have left it off with their Streamlining EP three years ago, although I think their style got even darker, and almost industrial. I’d like to quote Kris Needs’ metaphorical image of "the electro-goat [...] charging around the garden butting everything in sight while waving an angry bell-end at musical conventions." And permit me to quote one more, since I myself couldn’t have said it better - "cold, chattering machines gnash at the skeletal groove’s pendulous testicles, again to an impenetrable background of small animals having a picnic." Next time, invite me to the picnic, will ya? I am hoping that the four tracks on the EP is just a sneak preview into a new album that Bitstream is working on. Similar artists include Gescom, Claro Intelecto, Chris Clark, AFX, and Cylob. Favorite track: Muspel.

myspace.com/pylonmusic | touchinbass.com

Skeetaz - Off (Proboscis)

I am a huge Jamie Watts (KiloWatts) fan, so it's no wonder that I'm excited about his side project with Bil Bless under the Skeetaz moniker. This 2008 debut album is released on the duo's own label, Proboscis Records. Watts seems to be all over the place these days - there's his latest full length release Ground State on Native State Records (which alone is worthy of foaming mouthful of praise), multiple singles on his own digital KiloWatts Music label, and a fantastic take on IDM meets folk sound - an album titled Focus & Flow, in which he collaborates with Peter Van Ewijk under KiloWatts & Vanek moniker. Whew! It seems that Watts is simply oozing music and excreting ideas... But back to mah- Skeetaz. The album features the usual excellent IDM treatments - still melodic, intelligent and very playful - but just a touch darker at times. I would even be brave to nudge the album towards dark electro and psychedelic breaks, as the sound is clearly influenced by psytrance bleeps, clicks, and other insects. Don't get fooled by a digital-only independent label release - the sound is groundbreaking and the production is super tight. Excellent brain tingle for the lazy Monday mornings. I snatched this candy from Addictech's new digital download outlet in FLAC - check out the online samples. Absolutely favorite track: Dirty Dobbers.

myspace.com/skeetazmusic | skeetaz.biz
addictech.com | proboscis.biz

Tipper - Tertiary Noise (Tipper Music)

Dave Tipper returns with the latest installment in electro flavored trip hop, downtempo, and nu skool breaks. This album, titled Tertiary Noise, is once again released on his own label, Tipper Music. With a couple of remixes (including two by Si Begg), remastered back catalogue selections, and never before released tracks, this 2008 flashback sounds a lot like... well... Tipper. And that's not necessarily a bad thing - from the very first track, you find yourself in a familiar territory of glitchy treatments, solid beats, and deep rumbling bass. From then on, the album is a rhythmic ride down the Tipper lane. It's a bit darker, crispy-crackly, and less melodic than Tipper's previous releases, with an occasional rehash of a recognized beat - but once again, this aspect doesn't make it any less appealing. Tipper's ability for continuous output in the genre is unrivaled, yet Tertiary Noise is rumored to be his final foray into the uptempo break beat sound. Excellent disk for the dance floor. Side note: my Grados lacked the bass response, but the studio KRK sub did not disappoint. So be sure to have a well equipped vehicle to feel the vibrations on this trip. Available as a lossless download from Addictech. Favorite track: A Touch Of The Vapours and Dissolve (Si Begg Mix).

myspace.com/tippermusic | tippermusic.net