Staedtizism

Seminal nu-dub vs. clicks 'n' cuts compilation by Stefan Betke aka Pole's ~scape label (see *,*). Everyone here is a star (just check the tracklist) and all tracks are more than just good backdrop for smoking. For those who don't have it already, just don't miss it.

VA - 2000 Staedtizism
Info here.

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.

Für Dich

You know my love for the Cologne scene. Well, here's the CD that established Kompakt in my mind as a fixation to love and cherish and Tobias Thomas (*) as a DJ to watch (eventually I had the chance to open for him during a beautiful night in Athens, but that's another story).

I had bought it without knowing anything about it or himself. I recognized only a few of the artists involved, I remember it was really expensive and I had no way of listening to it beforehand, but I took my chance - turned out to be a turning point for me, an epiphany and an example to look up to. From post-pop to hard club techno, from abstract synthetic tool tracks to jazzy vocal house, Tobias builds a rollercoaster of emotions, trippy ideas and bold proposals that stands the test of time, beyond hypes and cliches. For you.

Contains rare Gamat3000 original gem 'Feeling Love', Various Artists' Autechre remix (*), some early Kompakt classics ('Puma', 'Nachschub', etc.), subtle paean 'Check Your Buddah' from Ford/Melchior (*), Lali Puna's heavenly 'Superlotado', an uncredited intro, etc. etc. etc. And of course Vladislav Delay's monumental 'Huone', mixed so subtly that it took me a couple of years to understand how he did it.

It won't stay up for long, for the reasons stated here. Makes a good couple with this Mayer mix, yet this one is far more effective. And I hate cliches, but occasionally I have to use them: I cannot recommend it strong enough.

VA - 1999 Tobias Thomas _ Für Dich
Info here.

P.S. Link removed; you had your time. Go to any shop and buy it, it's worth 100%.

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.

Olento

Mika Vainio as Ø, in one of his most decent experimental excursions, out in Sähkö Recordings.

It was also one of the first of its kind that I got to know - I mean this cold, post-industrial, post-ambient, post-techno electronic-something; call it what you want. I call it the sound of a neon light going nuts with a beat. Actually, my PC went mental just before and it took me some time to realize that something was wrong. No kidding. Admittedly, this one fits better into the 'Isolationism' niche, compared to the industrial-influenced noise walls of his other projects. There are also a couple of extremely minimalistic crispy techno tracks; beats are thin and right in the front, while ambient sounds barely appear, only to return where they were buried in the deep.

To make harsh and scarce noises like these sound interesting it needs a certain talent and none of us can deny his. But I don't really follow his numerous releases and collaborations; I've seen Panasonic live a couple of times and had a good time but didn't go crazy. And I watched him play reggae 7"s under the Sonar chillout tent once, one deck, no headphones; the music was great, but he wasn't. Anyway, I'd like to check them all in their earlier rave/tech phase, before they messed up with the art crowd. pHinnWeb might have something to say about that time.

Tip: even if you think you won't like the album much, check the tracks 'Stratostaatti' and 'Ilta', or simply the intro 'Oleva' (which btw seems to also be the title of his last album). But be warned. This album needs its own time; and silence. Don't try it on headphones in a bus, for example.

Ø - 1996 Olento
Info here.

Compare his techno side with the Riou album posted here. More Ø here.

Vlad linkz dead

Some Vladislav Delay and assorted links are dead (*,*), I guess by Huume intervention. Which I consider to be fair for some, like 'Vocalcity' and 'Anima', which were re-issued after all (I had similar thoughts of my own about them). Still, The 'Naima' album is really difficult to find, so I'll re-up it separately - unless I get a direct notice from them, that is.

The old Uusitalo 'Vaapa Muurari' live and the 'Sistol' album are still there.

Going South

So, this is Klas-Henrik Lindblad, either known as Sasse, Freestyle Man and/or the owner of Moodmusic label. This I believe is his first album, as well as the only CD out through Keys Of Life, the housey daughter of Sähkö.

House music, deep and laidback mostly, with a lot of horns, guitars and (guess...) keys; also weird enough to grab our interest, while not turning 'experimental' just for the name of it. In turns hypnotic, hedonistic and artistic, I consider 'Going South' to be a true album. More than the sum of its tracks, it's full of soul in a way deeper than many many other supposedly 'soulful' records by well-known artists. It reminds me of similar Jimi Tenor excursions into 'conservative' music styles, which is no wonder since both artists come from the same background (he even has a remix included here, as I see). And it was a major influence in certain works by the Innervisions guys; let's not forget that Henrik Schwarz got a lot of support from Lindblad in his starting days (see also ???).

For house fans it might be refreshing; for the others a pleasant surprise. For me it's house music I can always count on.

Freestyle Man - 2000 Going South
Info here.

When No One Is Watching, We Are Invisible...

An existential declaration like the one so blatantly stated in the title cannot hide the fact that this album contains a most emotional 'house' number with some of the best lyrics I've ever heard ('The Moment'), plus a bunch of other hits and good tracks of course. The third album from Jori Hulkkonen (*) manages to equal the 'Spirits' one in quality and atmosphere while reaching out for a broader audience at the same time.

Jori Hulkkonen - 2000
When No One Is Watching, We Are Invisible...
Info here.

The Spirits from Selkäsaari

More music from the beautiful north. Finn housemaster Jori Hulkkonen's first two albums, out through F Comm.

The debut balances between Chicago-like harsh beats and starry synths and deepness. 'Spirits' is just incredible, future house for the soul. Listen and learn.


Jori Hulkkonen - 1996 Selkäsaari Tracks
Info here.


Jori Hulkkonen - 1998 The Spirits Inside Me
Info here.

Sistol

This is one of the early releases of the Finn boy wonder Vladislav Delay released in the same year with the 'Ele' album, 1999. Out in Phthalo, the label of Phthalocyanine, weird-breaks artist relatively known through early Plug Research and with releases and compilation appearances in Planet Mu, Klangkrieg and Mille Plateaux.

Here dear Sasu follows the Panasonic path of techno - old equipment, minimal attitude, experimentation. This one-record project in a way set the ground for the future Uusitalo outputs, yet without the (later developed) sense of groove. Definitely a cerebral project. In my opinion, despite some brilliant moments it doesn't reach the heights of later albums. Still it's interesting to hear and curiously has more similarities to today's music than, say, the incredible 'Multila'.

Sistol - 1999, selftitled
Here.
Info here.

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.