Pink Eyed Pony

Wonderfully titled, this is the only album by Crane A.K., a project known for its releases in ForceTracks (*) and a couple more 12''s in Poker Flat and Audiomatique. Teutonic techhouse that still sounds fresh, fat and groovy.

Crane A.K. - 2001 Pink Eyed Pony
Info here.

Digital Disco

This is ForceTracks' (*) disco vision; german techno and minihouse icons combine the original dance archetype with their repetitive rhythms, trying to build what they obviously hoped to be the new hyped resurrection. History proved that their bet was misplaced, still some efforts were genuine and still sound interesting. Others did worse; also, some tracks in here have little to do with disco (like that Swayzak exclusive). Interestingly, many of the relatively unknown artists contributing in Vol.2 later became really well known in the electro house circles. Anyway, I think that as compilations go they're good; and also tacky, cheesy, or kitsch - call them what you want.

There was also a later 3rd part, mixed by Unai, but I never did persuade myself to buy it.
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VA - Digital Disco (2002)
Info here.


VA - Digital Disco 2 (2003)
Info here.

Microfunk Klickhouse

While on that trip, here's a 2CD compilation by techno devoted distributor Neuton, presenting a multitude of artists from their labels cluster to define the (2003) cutting edge sound of ... (insert fanfare) ... Microfunk. Or Clickhouse. Microhouse, maybe. Noticed the initials? Anyway. I was going to post Akufen's track (that appeared as an extra in the 2nd print of his 'My Way' album, as noted here), then decided to post the whole compilation anyway.

The thing is, gathered here are artists from the rosters of Force Inc., Perlon, Boxer, SubStatic, etc., etc.; most of them have been presented through this blog before, so just check the tracklist. CD1 focuces more on techhouse a la Forcetracks, while CD2 delves more into mini-techno and occasionally experimental territory. In all, a representative comp of the tendencies of the time; once more, it's easy to recognize here the blueprint of what shortly became mainstream everywhere.

It was really weird to see Neuton crash (as was with EFA earlier); its labels did at that time really well; most of them still do, after all.

VA - 2003 Microfunk Clickhouse
CD1 - CD2
Info here.

Four times I wrote and erased the above text, took me more than an hour; which probably reveals more for the state of my mind during these last weeks (I'm working two office jobs overtime...) than a genuine oh-so-blogger-like gut spilling would do. Sorry for any delays in requests, keep annoying me for what I promised; assume I've forgotten everything.

Anima - Naima

The following two CDs are actually one piece of work, the original and a live performance. They signify one of the peaks of Mr. Ripatti's fame, while he was still enjoying the world's general wonderment and critics' ramblings about releasing in the same year (2000) the great 'Multila' in Chain Reaction and three albums in Mille Plateaux, ForceInc. and ForceTracks ('Entain' as Vladislav Delay, 'Vapaa Muurari' as Uusitalo and 'Vocal City' as Luomo). The volume of releases was not surprising as such (especially for an 'experimental' artist). The big surprise was the quality and originality of the material, as well as the chameleon-like way he overruled genres' stereotypes and norms, whether he chose to play techno, vocal house or just glitchy reverb noise.

The next album (out 2001) was a daring release in Mille Plateaux. Although there was also a 3x12'' release, it works best in the CD format as it's one solid ambient track, to my ears an improvisational smocky piece based on excellent quality raw material and tons of effects. It's obviously the closest he ever came to gallery 'art' music, still he manages to preserve all these qualities that make him that good in what he does as a musician and without the academic stench of most of the already mentioned 'art' works.
Not surprisingly, he performed that work in Ars Electronica 2001 in a more clear and a bit more abstract form, with a female beautifully accented voice on top giving a different meaning in this sea of reverberations. The recording of this version was later (2002) printed as a limited release in Staubgold, named 'Naima'.

P.S.: Both links were erased without notice. 'Anima' is reprinted through Huume (with an extra track), but 'Naima' remains in obscurity so I re-upped it. Original post 2008-03-30.


Vladislav Delay - 2001 Anima LINKS OFF
Info here.


Vladislav Delay - 2002 Naima
Info here.

All That Glitters

The second album from MRI and the last one in ForceTracks (*); find their debut here.

More house- and disco-influenced, compared to either their earlier dub tech excursions or their later profile; still, in terms of track development they're leaning towards the minimal side as expected.

MRI - 2002 All That Glitters
Info here.

Rhythmogenesis

Another ForceTracks (*, *) record, this is the debut of MRI, founders of the always reliable Resopal. Archetypal late '90s deep and dubby Germanic techhouse with that extra minimalistic touch.

MRI - 2000 Rhythmogenesis
Info here.

Judging from this CD's cover and other RSP releases, I thought it was really weird when they named one of their recent 12"s 'Take Kare Not Acid'. There must be a wordplay somewhere here I'm still not getting...

Rebel Swing

Erik Møller's first album under the Unai moniker, out through his own short-lived Nusond.

Though he became well known through his later ForceTracks/ DiscoInc. releases as well as his remixes, I believe this one has aged better than expected. It's rather easy to see his primary influences here (Berlin dubtech, electronics, disco, funk) and to hear his first attempts in combining them together to propose his sound - a sound that was to influence others towards a direction that only Luomo's debut had done before (*). Bridging nord electronics and the techhouse/ minimal/ dubtech/ tendencies of the time, he added an occasional (then missing) disco touch, while still shying away from his pop side (which he went to explored thoroughly after this one).

The real reason I prefer this record though is that even though he later undoubtedly bettered his production skills and reached higher levels in terms of song-writing, his sound became a bit homogenized. I mean, most of his remixes are similar to each other, he does similar tricks, etc. And even though I adore 'I Like Your Style', the vocals sound an awful lot like Phil Collins. Anyway, this one has all the advantages of a first album (variable material, desire for experimentation, enthusiasm), shooting at different directions at the same time and succeeding. Here you'll find dub techno epics, disco-influenced heavy house, even dubby 2-step beats, all in a nice tight package (a lot of NordLead sounds in there). Aimed for home listening and a smart dancefloor alike.

Unai - 2001 Rebel Swing
Info here.

Contains a slightly extended version of 'Brave Star' (*), a track I still play after all these years. The other Nusond vinyl I had encountered and passed it by - I remember it sounded 'too' vocal house to my ears back then. How I'd like to check that out again...

VocalCity

A lot of people I talk to lately haven't even heard this album. How can this be I don't really know. This is the record that alongside Motorbass' 'Pansoul' and Daft Punk's 'Homework' changed the course of modern House music in general. And bred a few sub-styles (like Micro- or Mini-House, you know) in particular, as DeepHouse or TechHouse seem too poor a tag for a work like this. Also it put Northern Europe on the map again (at last...), long before the Viking disco wave or the Trentemoeller-Martinez-etc invasion (which incidentally owes a lot of credit to this one).
Out in Forcetracks label (the older incarnation) in 2000, it's a collection of three 12"s that impacted on dancefloors and chill couches alike from the one and only (tah-daaah) Luomo aka Uusitalo aka Sistol aka Conoco, named Sasu Ripatti yet mostly known as Vladislav Delay, the prodigy child that managed to stand out even in labels like Chain Reaction and Mille Plateaux. And he's a great guy too from the little I've got, friendly and sort of low-profile. Luomo is the more accessible project, Uusitalo goes towards experimental Techno territory, all other stuff is mostly pure and good listening music, minimalistic deep and spacious excursions into the unknown, with a sentimental anchor here and there to keep the balance.
Right now he's putting out some new stuff and reprinting his discography and stuff with AGF and others in his own label Huume, so go there and buy everything. Even in MP3 it's worth it and it's for a good cause, trust me.

Just listen to 'Synkro' or 'Tessio'. A true classic.

Luomo - 2000 VocalCity
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here.

P.S. Links were erased without notice, probably by Huume. Well, go there and buy it.