Albums CLASSIC IMPRESSIVE SOLID FORGETTABLE AVOID B E a T .S + P E a C E S
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***** **** *** ** * albums CLASSIC IMPRESSIVE SOLID FORGETTABLE AVOID b e a t .s + p e a c e s AKlii!OO Aspects of Physics Badorb.com Cage Cassius Shoot to Kill Systems of Social BlessYou Movies for the Blind AuRive ***'i Recalibration **** ***'i *** *** The big man leads all-Ameri- Dr. Alex Paterson reissues Harrowing pulp fiction from the Sacre bleu! French house can drum lit bass to the A span of music equal parts collectible progressive "horror-core" hip-hop stalwart favorites keep it consistent Promised Land Autechre, Gang of Four and dub-house excursions Commodore 6' (Eastern Conference) "Horror- (Astralwerks) It's been estab- (Lakeshore/Runl We never (Shanachie) After a decade and core" hip-hop never quite lished: Cassius is indeed in the let the Limeys forget that we (lmputor?) Rattling software then some fighting one record measured up to expectations, house, Theiralbum 1999as well pulled their fat out of the fire drums and gentle, spacious label after another for creative but even as that sound went as its stand-out singles like the in the "Big One" (that's World guitar strums open Systems of control of the vision behind his the way of the upteenth slasher title track and "Feeling for You" War IIto you, buddy!. Similarly" Social Recalibration, the debut of excursive dub house music, the sequel, it was the insidious Cage propelled the Parisian duo of they rejoice and coddle us with San Diego, California's Aspects Orb's Alex Paterson has finally who kept its creative potential Boombass and Philippe Zdar the fact that drum & bass first of Physics, The quiet storm of made peace with the record alive, locked up and chained to outside the scope of the French walked the earth over on their that opener, "Pulse Width," industry by starting his own the goth-hop rhythm of 1997's house scene and onto the path "Isle of Enchantment:' So be it. proves to be as duplicitous as we label - Badorb,com,Theinitial "Agent Orange" or any number of a global magnifying glass, As one of the only Americans are, and then it's launched into premise behind Badorb,com, of hyper-violent verses kicked Three years of exposure later, in the scene who's feared and the head-spinning "Level 4,2," which launched in May 2001, on last year's Smut Peddlers the Frenchmen face the dreaded respected abroad, AK1200 has which at 17 minutes could com- was intriguing: For one month, debut. sophomoric feat of following chosen to collaborate with UK prise an EP of its own, Several in-the-know peeps place online On Movies for the Blind, Cage up their famed filtery electro- jungle legend Rob Playford well-chosen synth chords evolve orders for a featured release by finally gets the solo vehicle that house debut with evenfresher (fiilovingShadows, Goldiel on achingly slowly and eventu- one of Paterson's musical inner he deserves, kicking the LP and more sexified production, his first artist album. Shoot ally collapse in a heap of fuzzy circle, then Badorb,com presses off with a fitting nod to Stanley Somehow, the French make to Kill veers wildly about the digital processing that evokes up exactly the number ordered Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange everything look so easy, various flanks of drum & bass, both Stockhausen and Aute- and deletes the release from the ("Morning Dips'" and then fol- Those in touch with Cas- Hip-hop beats and jazzy vibes chre, "Level 4,2" is maximized catalog immediately,Instant col- lowing through with some of the sius' sampledelic methods (via chill happily alongside head- minimalism that encourages the lectible, But inevitable business most harrowing pulp fiction this their alter-alias La Funk Mob or banging peak-time rave-ups, listener to don the headphones goof-ups and escalating demand side of a dollar book bin, Most Boombass' Motorbass identity) The breaks and hooks are mas- and philosophize out. have pushed Paterson to initiate striking among these "movies" will soak up the album's shin- terful, psychedelically brilliant Aspects' leader Jason Soares represses and yes, this compila- is the RJD2-produced "Among ingly sharp synths, well-man- even. Inventive walls of synth and cohorts feel no compunction tion, So, for those who missed the Sleep," during which Cage aged vocal treatments and Cas- and sampler noodlings set the to stick to genre rules, so they out the first time, the double-CD advances half a plot and unveils sius' all-around flirty personal- album apart from the average may attack with Commodore Bless Youis the best wayto get a world of hurt with four well- ity, Stronger tracks include "I'm rabid drum & bass wolf pack 64 sound chips, massive synth- a taste of Paterson's unfettered calibrated lines: '" pickedmy a Woman" (featuring the goose- while lending it a certain Miami and-guitar sweeps or a robot creativity, head up with a face full of drool/ bump-inducing guest vocalist flavor. "Dawn Raid" and "Seared voice intoning the weather at any And it is Paterson's creativity; Look around the classroom, now Jocelyn Brown) or the tense ride Rare" have a reflectively sweet, given time, Each track is orga- while each release features a I'm some geek in high school/Get driven by Wu-Tang's Ghostface almost sentimental vibe, "Fake" nized by a few key melodic ideas different artist name, Paterson fucked with in the hallways, can't Killah on "Thrilla" (the boys got (featuring the heavenly voice of that are allowed to spin slowly is involved in most of them, do shit/But write names on bullets their start as hip-hop heads!. Terra Deva) is one hell of a vocal out of control, subverted by dis- Loophead's dense driving dance and fill a few clips," Fanswill groove to the opening charge, and Last Emperor rap- sonant elements that drilt in and fuel on "Firefly" comes from Production partners have track "Hi-Water," which peaks ping on about Klingon warships out of the track, It's so subtle him reconnecting with System 7 always played a key role in into a psychedelic explosion, on"Contact" is a must for any that it seems garish when "s,id" mates Steve Hillage and Miquette unfurling Cage's dementia, and but be confused by the obnox- discerning purveyor ofjungle begins with discordant bleeps, Girady, Multiverse's quixotic this time around, assistance iously coy, endless ringing of vinyl. but it's more an eye-opening sample psychedelics on "Puffin' comes in the form of Mighty "Telephone Love" (perhaps No other genre in electronic interlude than a song, in Paradise" bear the mark of Mi's elusive time-bomb ticks playing off fellow Frenchies Dalt music has more olten been Aspects of Physics emerged Paterson in Pomme Fritz mode, on "Suicidal Failure" and the Punk's "Digital Love"I, Alter the declared dead only to rise again from the same San Diego post- And while he gives brother devil-may-have-played strings friend-uniting club-closer "Till as jungle, With this LP as a rock/electronic punk scene that Martin Paterson free reign on of J-Zone's "Stoney Lodge," We Got You and Me:' the album battle plan, AK1200is spear- spawned The Locust and Lesser, the Creatures tracks, Paterson's With an unhealthy lean toward trails off some, but it's nowhere heading the charge to the top and they wear punk politics lit- remixes of Creatures' "Stuffed debauchery and misogyny, cuts near a disappointment,Au Reve of the big sonic mountain from erally on their sleeve, Systems of Hostage" and '''Ow Much?" along like these won't do your brain is testament to the fact that decidedly colonist shores, God Social Recalibration supplements with two all-new Orb cuts blos- any literal kind of good, but these French boys are not fried, help the Queen, its thought-provoking music som with the crushing progres- expect the darker recesses of They're a long way off from Mark vonPfeiffer with a booklet of essays, blurbs sive abstract dub power of the your imagination to experience a allowinganyoneelse to housesit and set of shout-outs that reveal Orb's greatest singles, "Assas- marathon of activity by the time the funky foundation to which Aspects as a kind of plugged-in sin" and "The Blue Room," And the closing credits roll, they're still adding, Gang of Four, mixing anti-cor- that's such a nice thing to hear Rehan Mirza Jen Boyles porate ideals with Slashdot-style - an elder electronic genius like tech awareness, Alex Paterson offering up great RobGeary creative ideas again, Heath K. Hignight URB97 I 100 I SEPr02.