A couple of masterpieces from the man himself; some his more out-of-the-box moments (and rather hard to find in decent prices), drawing from Detroit techno-funk as well as from purer forms of funk, soul and jazz. In my mind, these albums are his tribute to the pre- and post-WWII nightclubs, evoking the spirit of those places where black music tradition was cultivated. Vol.1 is raw and beat-oriented, trying certain things yet retaining its techno-house character; Vol.2 is more multi-faceted and sophisticated, possibly Hood's best work music-wise, a work of beauty and power.
I was been playing Vol.2 for some time in my HPs when I saw that 'Internal Empire' (*) was reprinted; I decided to remove the posted link and to post these instead. So, enjoy.
.
Robert Hood - 1995 Nighttime World Vol.1
Info here. (LP rip)
Robert Hood - 2000 Nighttime World Vol.2
Info here. (CD rip)
Nighttime Worlds
Internal Empire
Everybody's talking about the 'Minimal Nation' album as the tour de force of the '90s minimal wave of Detroit techno; in which I partially agree, since it's definitely a landmark, a real classic. For me though the absolute masterpiece of that era was this one; the ultimate, mature definition of the minimal sound from the Man himself, out through Tresor. Only for 'Minus' and 'Home', it should be immortalized in techno's Top Ten list; yet it's out of print at the time...
And I thought, what the hell... Until it's repressed (hopefully by M.Plant), here it is.
Robert Hood - 1994 Internal Empire
Info here.
Ripped from the Tresor 77 repress (there are no differences, as far as I know).
P.S. Link removed due to the 2010 Tresor repress. Glad it's back on the shelves. Please go buy it. Original post 2010-03-28
Le Catalogue Electronique
The Users And The Gadgets
Minimal techno compilation of Corrado Izzo & Bernd Maus related tracks, plus some from his special guests in disguise (see John Tejada, MonoJunk, Losoul, Sasse, Marco Carola), through his own Gadgets label.
An intentionally monotone record I'd say; nothing extremely experimental or something, yet each track has its own textures, its own atmosphere and character. And while they're all highly functional in the mix, the sounds and overall feeling are soft and soothing, fitting for home as well as for the club. A cross between Germany's tech-dub paradigm with Finland's minimalist tradition and late '90s US techno (a lot of Plug Research artists in here).
VA - 2000 The Users And The Gadgets
Info here.
Venex + Memory
Of all the artists with names I 'll never pronounce correctly, this one's the most troubling and artistically interesting at the same time. Here are two albums from Paul Brtschitsch, number two and three respectively (I don't have the first one), out through Frisbee Records - inactive for some time now, as GoodGroove's MultiColor (*) has also been.
Oldschool, Frankfurt- and Berlin-influenced germanic techno with Detroit overtones and acid touches, made by synths and drum machines and samplers; probably recorded in live sessions as well. A joy for the ears and very handy for mixing, although many tracks might feel a bit tool-ish the first time - with some crucial twists on subsequent readings (or hearings... my english fail me once more). Tracks are slightly mixed, just enough to keep the beat going and preserve the live set feeling. A technohead's pleasure.
Paul Brtschitsch - 2001 Venex
Info here.
Paul Brtschitsch - 2002 Memory
Info here.
I had promised these two some time (...years...) ago in the ShoutBox. Sorry for the delay.
If someone could ID the "I Love It" sample in the track with the same title from 'Memory' it'd be great. It's too similar with the voice sample later used in M.A.N.D.Y.'s 'Achaat', though it's probably not from the same source.
Update
OK, I feel I own an explanation for my absence, and it goes like this. Besides having no free time at all, I had surpassed my RS account's storage limit so much that I could't post anything more; had to erase old files to post new ones. Which I chose not to do, but to buy another one instead. So now everything's OK, new posts are coming very soon (I had them ready but not up). Hope you're still there, digging in the past posts. Cheers.
Edge Of Now
A speaker announces:
'Welcome to the Edge of Now'
And the menacing bassline kicks in. Then, a synthetic, in-your-brain voice transmits:
moving effortless
trying to forget
everything everything
feeling nothing
seemingly forever, while wave after wave synths wash our ears, each turn more lush and fat, a maximalist's joy of frequencies over slowly building fast pumping beats. Apparently, thoughts from that euphoric state that most people reach only at the peak of the curve of an extensively brain-damaging night. To its credit, the track ends with an equally burnt-out
moving
feeling
everything
Good times.
This is John Selway's debut solo album, as far as I know. I only have the LP of the [feis] (*) label version; I feel it fits the label's profile perfectly and that's why I used this cover (I happen to like it more, also) instead of the initial Ultra release's original. With its mix of techno/ electro beats and melodies, and with a couple of immediate hits ('Edge Of Now', 'New People', 'Digitalemotion'), it was a constant in my box for many years; I placed it close to Kiko's 'Midnight Magic' (*), and that's a really big compliment on my behalf.
I recently came upon this rip from the CD release and decided to share it at once. It stands as far away from minimal as you can get; fat, rich synthetic melodies riding over-compressed beats, it even sounds trance-like and oldschool. And mostly different from other Selway's more known works (say, his Smith/Selway collaborations). But I liked it then and still like it now, so here it is. Credits to the original uploader.
Selway - 2001 Edge Of Now
Info here.
Galaxy
I know it's been a while since my last (real) post. Besides my problems with RS, I'm in a truly shitty situation at work, that hasn't really ended yet; if I disappear again for a week or so, don't be upset. So, grab a quick one.
This is a deep, occasionally energetic and definitely housey compilation by our beloved Svek (*); disco, funk and breaks filtered through their trademark nord-house sound. It's the unofficial number five in the Lords Of Svek series, which I planned to post in full anyway at some time (and probably will do soon). All the usual suspects (Lekebush, Dahlbaeck, etc) are here, so you should need no more recommendations.
VA - 1999 The Lords Of Svek. Galaxy
Info here.
Blue - Red - Yellow
This is the famous trilogy that made Stefan Betke aka Pole known to music fans everywhere, released on Kiff SM label (a '90s sub of PIAS Germany that mostly published Kreidler, B.Friedmann and of course Pole).
Back then, Betke had a good name as a mastering engineer (and I can assure you, he cares a lot for his sound as I found out later in a concert) and a malfunctioning filter, a combination which gave him a distinctive sound, perfectly in the middle between the then rising clicks 'n' cuts movement and the Basic Channel/Chain Reaction type dub. I remember that comparisons with Maurizio made him nervous and he tried to distinguish himself from that posse from early on. The truth is that back then there just weren't many others playing some combination of dub and electronics or techno. Anyway, I believe his work lies closer to Jan Jelinek or Friedmann (whose works he released in ~scape a lot) or Vladislav Delay (who also built his sound on a cracked echo or something).
The Blue one came as a shock to the world with his new bold cracking and hissing proposal, covering a wide spectrum of tastes, satisfying critics, academics and dope-heads alike. Either seen as an experiment or as an urban chillout album, it still sounds really well and should be considered as a milestone in experimental minimal techno and dub music. The Red one, the shorter in duration, kept in the same track, although the previously understated melodies became (occasionally) more obvious and spiced his sound up; yet the minimalist vein was still running strong. The Yellow one might as well be considered his 'pop album' of the three, in the sense that the intricate bass lines form complex and groovy rhythms while sweet melodies jump out of the cracking sounds in a practically accessible way. Almost a 'song' album, it emphasizes the dubby elements and is danceable at parts. A great record to listen when walking or in a train through the city. Overall, if you haven't heard anything of Pole, start at the Yellow one but don't miss the other two.
After these and few 12''s, Betke started his own very well known ~scape imprint, and the rest is history as they say. His sound changed a little bit, but still he sounds great and he's been supportive for a lot of old friends and new talents alike through ~scape. Respect.
Pole - 1998 CD1
info.
Pole - 1999 CD2
info.
Pole - 2000 CD3
Part 1 - Part 2
info.
Some more info here.
If you can find the vinyls of these three (or his early ~scape releases), try switching rotation speeds at the turntable. They still sound good!
P.S. Original post 2007-11-15. Added new link for CD1.
