Flashback : Orbital - In Sides (ffrr)

Fourteen years ago, in May of 1996, Orbital released their fourth full length album, In Sides. I remember the day when the disk finally arrived, and I carefully put it into the CD tray while leafing through the booklet. I remember when The Box finally came on. The entire ritual of absorbing the music for the first time will forever be embedded in my mind. And how many times have I heard this album since then? The count is immeasurable. In the car, on the train and on the plane - it has always mesmerized me with its familiar path, unexplored depth, and hidden turns. This was the sound of electronica that kept my neurons alive. And it excites till this day. A true classic. Brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll came on the scene with their self titled album (aka the Green Album), Orbital in 1991. By the time the follow up hit the streets, Orbital 2 (aka the Brown Album), every aspiring DJ and closeted 'raver' knew of the group's name. Tracks like "Chime", "Omen" and "Satan" all reached the UK Singles Charts. And who could forget the beautiful Halcyon? Orbital's third album Snivilisation, released lon ffrr in 1994, reached #4 on the UK Albums charts. The track and single, "Are We Here?" featured vocals by Alison Goldfrapp, and once again topped the charts. Rising from the rave, into the bedrooms and headphones of discriminating listeners, the British electronic duo has become one of my personal favorites. Repetitive phrases that hypnotize and lift above the conscious plane of existence, loop and layer sound with endless instruments and melodies. Introducing one theme after another, these slowly build up, drop out, and then explode in one final array of sound. The building blocks of each track peel off and reveal the layers of individual elements that together comprise an elegant instrumental piece, folding and shifting, in the never ending configurations of the Rubik's Cube of music. And my brain is happy. In Sides became Orbital's second Top Five album, and revolved around a theme of "ecological disaster and dissatisfaction with society". The name of the album referenced the fact that it originally came out as a 3x12" 6-track LP box set, with only one track etched per side. The track "The Girl with the Sun in Her Head" was dedicated to Sally Harding, a photographer for the Volume magazine, who died in 1995. This track incorporates electricity from a Greenpeace solar power generator and opens up with a heartbeat that continues throughout the development of the track. A true marvel in itself. The track "P.E.T.R.O.L." was selected by Clint Mansell to appear in Darren Aronofsky's film p. While "Adnan's" was written for The Help Album for the benefit of War Child charity. Alison Goldfrapp appears on the album once again, singing on "Dwr Budr", which is Welsh for "dirty water", written after the MV Sea Empress oil tanker ran aground near the southwest coast of Wales in 1996. Hmm... How all of this is still appropriate with the recent news of Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The US version of the album included a bonus CD with additional tracks, which were also released as two separate singles: Times Fly EP and The Box. The latter included a 28+ minute extended version of the track, The Box, with lyrics and vocals by Grant Fulton, who previously contributed to Orbital's single, Belfast/Wasted. In 2007, Paul Hartnoll confirmed a list of gear used on the album to include the Oberheim Xpander, ARP 2600, Korg Wavestation and a collection of Roland synths like Jupter 6, SH-09, SH-101 and of course, TB-303. And yes, the drum machines TR-808 and TR-909 are always present. This should keep the geeks happy. Back when Orbital's sound was still classified as 'rave', 'breakbeat' and [god forbid] the early taste of 'techno', In Sides took a giant leap to represent the act as a contemporary piece of electronica worthy of professional studio and even radio play. Selected as one of the best albums of the 1990's by independent and mainstream critics, In Sides, continues to satisfy and fascinate. If this flashback got your taste buds wet, pick up Orbital's 20 year celebratory release, simply titled, Orbital 20 (Rhino, 2009). And guess what? Orbital is currently on tour! Check out the confirmed 2010 Live Dates on their original site, loopz.co.uk.

Arovane - Tides (City Centre Offices)

With only five albums and a handful of EPs and even some 7-inchers, Berlin-based Uwe Zahn, signed off from producing music altogether, with the last track on Lilies (City Centre Offices, 2004), titled Good Bye Forever. But Arovane's music doesn't age. In fact, it is one of those rare occurrences where it gets better and better as time passes. Today, as part of my Nostalgic Flashbacks series, I wish to revisit Zahn's sophomore album on City Centre Offices, released in the summer of 2000, titled Tides.

As the title of the album may suggest, in Tides, Zahn is exploring the incoming waves and their outflow, perhaps in relation to music, perhaps in relation to life. The ambient sounds are accompanied by intricately produced beats, re-sampled guitars, Arovane's staple-sound harpsichords, and organically layered developments. And those melodies... The melodies are simple, delicate and elegant. The sound is melancholic and contemplative. The downtempo slowed down hip-hop beats have lost their bouncy aggressiveness, and instead become loungy, laid back stretches of yawning morning rhythms. The arsenal of elements is limited, yet immediately effective.

At only a little under forty minutes long, the album remains one of Arovane's timeless compositions. I remember being overwhelmed by the sound then, and returning to Tides now, I can confirm that Zahn was ahead of his game, and one of the dominant pioneers of sound in the genre. But his journey towards this position was not rapid. Beginning his music experiments since he was 15, Zahn worked with acoustic instruments (clarinet), microphones, synthesizers and turntables, and in the early 90s began producing d'n'b influenced tracks and breakbeat. During his work at a Berlin radio station, Zahn was discovered by Torsten Pröfrock and his label, DIN. Arovane released his first 12", I.O. on DIN in 1998. This EP was soon followed by Icol Diston (DIN, 1998) and a limited 7", Occer / Silicad on City Centre Offices in January of 1999. The year 2000 finally yielded not one, but two full-length albums from Arovane. DIN released Atol Scrap in January, and as noted earlier, Tides came on the scene only six months later from City Centre Offices.

The stage was set for Zahn to shine, and so he did. Gaining quick recognition among notable international labels like Lux Nigra [under his Nedjev moniker], and Morr Music [remixes of Accelera Deck]; collaborating with Vertical Form, Phonem, Christian Kleine, Jake Mandell, and Markus Schwill [in a duo group Research Garden]; and touring across the world, Zahn established himself as a one of the top producers behind intellectually melodic, and rhythmic ambient sound. Zahn's short biography on City Centre Offices signs off with stating that "he is currently very much into motorbikes and might start recording a new album pretty soon." Please... Let's hope as much... The world needs more beautiful music. Until then, enjoy Tides and my all time favorite, Lilies.

myspace.com/arovane | arovane.de
myspace.com/citycentreoffices | city-centre-offices.de

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 

Propellerheads - Decksandrumsandrockandroll (Wall of Sound)

So whatever happened to these guys? You remember their hit single History Repeating, which at one point was played on every radio station back in 1997 after being featured in that hysterical film, There's Something About Mary. Then, there was the Spybreak! track which appeared in The Matrix. Meanwhile, the track Crash, was used in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Even the Take California track from this same album was the first song ever used in an iPod commercial. So, by my calculations, these guys had it going for them, and then poof! Nothing! Did they just cash out? The only full length album to date is Decksandrumsandrockandroll released on London based Wall of Sound back in 1998. The big beat sound by Will White and Alex Gifford quickly took the world by storm. The groovy and repetitive beats which were perfected at the time by The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, and The Crystal Method take on a jazzy, funky and playful spin, with a few vocal samples, turning on a few new mainstream listeners to breaks and breakbeat. On the track, 360° (Oh Yeah?), De La Soul contributes frozen-style urban rhymes that quickly flip the record to intelligent slow-groove loungy hip-hop sound. History Repeating is of course at the center of the album, featuring the vocals of '60s cabaret vocalist, Shirley Bassey. This is definitely a catchy tune that quickly got snatched  up by a few advertising campaigns (including a Jaguar and a Pantene Pro-V commercial... heh). But the big beat sound proliferates the album, prominent with plenty of breaks, James Bond-like spy film themes, and the head-bopping sounds that still sound super fresh a decade later. Propellerheads are still quiet. No new tracks and no new albums since the one and only. Well, there was one new track, appropriately titled 10 Years, which appeared on the Wall of Sound's compilation double disk, Off The Wall - 10 Years Of Wall Of Sound, commemorating the labels, well... you guessed it, 10 year anniversary. Last I heard, Will White played the drums for Long Range during its live performances. Long Range, of course, is a UK group comprised of Nick Smith and Phil Hartnoll of Orbital. Meanwhile, I continue to enjoy this album time and time again... And until the duo decides to get back into the studio, I have only one thing to say: Bang On!

Plastikman - Closer (M_nus / NovaMute)

This flashback is supposed to be another installmanet of my Random Vinyl of the Week series. But I'm already cheating... A little bit... I did indeed pull out this triple twelve-incher from my vast record library (the correct term is discothèque, right?). But it is still shrink wrapped! You can't expect me to break the seal on this collector's item, can you? And, of course, I have a CD version of this 2003 album right here. Plus the disk release contains four extra tracks! So back it goes, whence it came from, to age and marinate some more. Meanwhile, Richie Hawtin is already thumping, laying out some mean bass over reverberated strings. I turn up the volume. I always turn up the volume for Plastikman. Hawtin's control over dynamic range of cranium vibrating bass, and tiny little white noises in the background always creates a hypnotic experience. The pitched down, evil, and creepy Hawtin's voice is reciting some dark lyrics: "I don't know what's left to gain / All the guilt and now the blame / I don't want to stop this game / I'm starting to enjoy the pain." The rolling lower frequencies are penetrating every nook of my studio. The light bulbs are shaking in their sockets. Something just fell in the deep cavern of my closet. Closer is an intense experience, with little release, like an involuntary muscle spasm induced by an alternating current. The themes of paranoia, schizophrenia, and claustrophobia saturate the music. Is this what we get when we get closer to Hawtin? The album tends to continue the discomforting ground work laid out in Plastikman's previous minimal release, Consumed (M_nus, 1998). Moving further away from staple sound of 909 repetitive techno beats, 303 acid sweeps, never ending delays and mind warping arpeggios, Ontario based Hawtin continues his exploration into the deep, the dark and the minimal. A lot of people have dismissed Plastikman as just another speck in the Detroit techno scene of the early 90s, being in the right place at the right time. And at times I wonder if his sound is only exciting because I've been listening to his earlier albums, Sheet One (1993), Musik (1994), and Recycled Plastik (1994) nonstop back in the 90s. But as I mature, revisit, and analyze the sound [which continues to be imitated by many up and comers], I think Richie is here to stay. Even if we haven't heard from him in over five years! Hawtin's owned Canadian labels, Plus 8 and M_nus continue to thrive and output some solid material. For a quick taste of 2008 releases check out Heartthrob's Dear Painter, Paint Me and Gaiser's Blank Fade.



myspace.com/plastikman | plastikman.com
myspace.com/min2max | m-nus.com

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

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

Cujo - Adventures In Foam (Ninja Tune)

Before Amon Adonai Santos de Aravjo Tobin shortened his name to simply Amon Tobin, he released his debut album under Cujo alias (indeed borrowed from a Stephen King novel), on a small south London label, Ninebar Records. Soon after, Ninja Tune noticed the Brazilian born artist, and signed him in 1997 for his critically acclaimed Bricolage. The rest, as we say, is history. Covering Tobin's bio and discography is a lengthy task, so I'll leave the research up to you [and shame on you if don't know the artist already]. In 2002, Adventures In Foam was re-released on Ninja Tune, this time as a double CD, containing previously unreleased material. Here's a statement from the label: "[The] fact remains that "Adventures In Foam" was a really good record, one that deserved to be heard, so when Ninja were offered an opportunity to re-release it, they jumped at the chance. Not least, because a rather unscrupulous company in the States have been circulating a version of the record with a changed tracklist, different (and unapproved) cover art and mis-titled tracks". So this should settle it once and for all. If you first fell in love with Amon Tobin after hearing his Bricolage, full of jazz infused, Latin influenced downtempo and drum'n'bass breaks and broken beats, then you'll definitely enjoy another round of Tobin's signature sampling techniques. You'll even smile after recognizing familiar sounds and beats, later reused in his subsequent albums. Definitely still enjoyable after all these years, as a first or repeated listen. A must for collectors. Artist cloud includes DJ Food, Funki Porcini, Bonobo, Wagon Christ and The Herbaliser. Favorite unreleased track: The Brazilianaire.

myspace.com/tobinamon | amontobin.com
ninjatune.net

Wagon Christ - Tally Ho! (Astralwerks)

Hailing from Cornwall, England, Luke Vibert started his career early by releasing a debut album with Jeremy Simmonds on Richard D. James' Rephlex Records in 1993. He then moved on to Rising High Records releasing an ambient album Phat Lab Nightmare under an alias Wagon Christ. In 1996, Luke tried his hand at drill'n'bass with an alias Plug releasing Drum 'n' Bass for Papa on Blue Planet. Luke finally landed on Astralwerks - a Virgin Records owned New York label known for main stream electronic acts such as Basement Jaxx, The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Future Sound of London and the likes. Tally Ho! is Vibert's sixth full length album (third under Wagon Christ moniker) to come out on Astralwerks in 1998. Luke's sound fits in nicely alongside the friends and artists that defined the late 90's electronica, such as Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, µ-ziq and Cylob. "Together they assimilated such diverse elements as hip hop beats and drum & bass into the more eccentric take on electronica they tweaked, and kick-started a virtual insurrection in sound around the world," notes journalist Andrez Bergen. Tally Ho! is a perfect example of more stylistic exploration under the electronica umbrella, where jungle meets trip-hop, and new genres emerge. The sound is upbeat, confident and playful at the same time. Luke's other notable aliases among the many are Kerrier District, Amen Andrews and Ace of Clubs with a deep discography on defining labels such as Warp, Ninja Tune and Planet-µ. In 2007 Luke collaborated with Jean-Jacques Perrey on Moog Acid project for Lo Recordings. I think I did more name-dropping in this review than talk about the music, but I trust you get the idea. Five stars for this one.

brainwashed.com/vibert | myspace.com/lukevibertdj
astralwerks.com | myspace.com/astralwerks

Animals On Wheels - Nuvol I Cadira (Ntone)

Another album that keeps popping up on my rotations is the last release by Animals On Wheels, Nuvol I Cadira, released on Ninja Tune’s sub-label Ntone (originally named Ninja Tone). Animals On Wheels is a solo project of Andrew Coleman, whose last album, Tony Alva’s Hair appeared on Cocosolidciti Records in 2005. Nuvol I Cadira, on the other hand is almost ten years old now. Yet, if this is your first listen, I promise you a collection of light, jazzy, and refreshing beats. Falling somewhere during the prominent years of output from Amon Tobin, Prefuse 73, and Squarepusher, Nuvol I Cadira (translated from Spanish to "Cloud and Chair" and named after a sculpture in Barcelona), is a trip through chilled out organic downtempo with an occasional broken jungle beat. Recently, however, Coleman has been tinkering with some robot sci-fi, "crumpet nibbling", electronic hip-hop, in collaboration with Mike King under a project which he calls Robots With Hearts. In 2008 we can also look forward to Coleman’s soundtrack work for a video art project by Patrick Doan, Openland. The DVD release will include a separate audio CD featuring Coleman’s work as inspired by this collaboration, distinct from the soundtrack. Recommended if you like Funki Porcini, DJ Food, Coldcut, Blockhead, DJ Krush and Bonobo. Favorite track: A Plus Tard.

myspace.com/animalsonwheels | animalsonwheels.co.uk
myspace.com/ninjatune | ninjatune.net

Artificial Intelligence (Warp)

On July 9, 1992, a small label, starting off as a record shop in Sheffield, England, released a first installment of its Artificial Intelligence series, with the purpose of showcasing some of the most experimental electronic music at the time. The founders of Weird And Radical Projects (WARP), Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell, took the first leap in marketing dance music, produced for the purpose of listening. As suggested by the image of an armchair on the album’s cover, the listener was invited to engage in sound and contemplate its intelligent form. The release was a success, and became the topic of conversation on the electronic mailing list founded in August 1993, called Intelligent Dance Music List. Thus, the term IDM, was born. Allow me to take the time and go over each individual track and artist appearance that graced this monumental period of electronic music history.

Read full article Artificial Intelligence only on headphonecommute.com

The KLF - Chillout (KLF Communications)

If it's one thing we're sure of by now, it's that The KLF are justified and ancient. Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty began to taunt and subvert the music industry back in the early 90s. I will spare you the long and very interesting history of The KLF (Wikipedia is a good start). All you should be aware of for this review, is that in 1988 Cauty and Alex Paterson founded The Orb and that the Chill Out LP was born out of their monthly DJ sessions at the London's Land Of Oz. The album was recorded in a single 44-minute "live" take straight to DAT, and took a whole two days to put together (ha!). The ambient textures and sounds within the album attempt to capture a trip through the American Deep South, derived by pure imagination of Drummond, and sampled from Elektra's Authentic Sound Effects Volume 2. I remember listening to Chill Out for the first time when it came out in 1990. I'd close my eyes in the dark and imagine the sheep, the train, the Tuvan throat singers, and the evangelist's sermon. My friends just thought I was insane. Some of them were right, of course. But, in my sober opinion, even back then I was aware that I was witnessing something transcending, evolutionary and prophetic. Listening 18 years later, I know that I was right. The KLF was clearly ahead of their time with the new textured and organic sound, and Chillout is one of the most essential and influential ambient albums of the era.

myspace.com/justifiedancientsofmumu | klf.de

Flashback : Goldie - SaturnzReturn / Mother (ffrr)

Being lately in this nostalgic mood to take the flashbacks on music from years ago, I decided to dig back into my collection and dust off the double CD released by Clifford Joseph Price, aka Goldie, back in 1998, titled Saturnzreturn. When Price was just a kid, his father walked out on him and his mother. The one hour track, appropriately titled Mother was created by Price with the burning question - "why?" Here's Diane Charlemagne with her recognizable voice (think Inner City Life). Accompanied by violins, and other synthesized strings, the ambient pads swirl in a hypnotic pattern for over twenty minutes. I doubt that I've listened this far last time, and frankly, I'm totally captivated by the mode of the track. At twenty two minutes, high hats with high-pass filtered beats begin to ride in slowly with the sampled waves. I didn't even realize when the rolls came in, when suddenly [and finally] the bass drops and now I'm bopping my head to the beat of drum'n'bass. The return (and perhaps the landing) is a similar soft glide back into nothingness. I can barely remember this album, so I was very much surprised of how much ahead of its time it was. I recommend a revisit for all d'n'b headz!

myspace.com/goldiedrumsandbass

Philip Glass - Music In Twelve Parts

Orange Mountain Music, a label created by Kurt Munkacsi, producer of most Philip Glass recordings, re-[re]-releases a new recording of the classic Music In Twelve Parts as a set of twelve individual [iTunes only] files (upgraded to 256 kbps), scheduled at one per month in celebration of the great composer's 70th birthday year. I grabbed the first two parts from iTunes (at $1.99 a piece), and became instantly entranced in the hypnotic repetitive patterns that explored the flow of melody, and just when I would "tune into" the presented concept, it would change like a school of rapidly swimming tiny fish. Throughout the pieces I find myself drifting in and out of consciousness, and after twenty minutes (per track) I feel relaxed and refreshed, like from a lengthy meditation. Not surprisingly wanting more, I looked up an earlier, 1996 recording of the same work. Although the three disc set is offered by some retailers at over forty dollars, I was shocked to see the entire performance available in MP3 format (also at 256 kbps, yet DRM-free) from Amazon at only $9.99. What a steal - DONE! I must comment that I like this older recording to be better - it is warmer, more organic, and is a tiny bit slower. My recommendation would be to skip the marketing gimmick and head over straight to Amazon, to try the digital rip before you commit to the entire album. Perfect head-cleaner for a busy mind. Prescribed for musicians at a piece per day, prior to recording sessions, preferably on an empty stomach.

myspace.com/philipglasspiano

Music In Twelve Parts (Amazon MP3 Download)