Sheen

It's been some time since I posted some music from KK Records, so here's a classic compilation - full of techno, harsh industrial beats and dark atmos.

Highlights include legendary Test Dept.'s excursions in electronics, plus classic stuff from artists already presented in this blog, like Uwe Schmidt's Lassigue Bendthaus project, PWOG, Riou, etc. The first CD focuses on technoid beats, the second one is more abstract and experimental in its sound.

VA - 1995 Sheen. Kk Records Compilation
CD1 - CD2
Info here.

Kraftwork @ Nu Skool Elektro 2

It's been a while since I did a solid electro post, so here's a compilation of robo breaks and nervous basslines with acid tweeks from all over Europe.

Contributions include a few tracks already posted before (by Scan X and A1 People), others by established artists like Scanner (*), Luke Slater, Carl Finlow (*), Stanny Franssen, Zzino, etc.; and a host of less known names of whom Ultradyne and Prozack are the only ones I knew and most of whom have disappeared ages ago.

Bad artwork and ridiculous titles are long-standing traditions for generic compilations like this one, solid soundwise but full of less known names - and we shouldn't like it otherwise. Awful covers scare away the hasty customers that don't reach the tracklist at all, leaving the CDs stored in dusty shelves, waiting for us to pick them up.

There was a Vol.1 (obviously...) that sounds promising, which I never managed to track down anyway.

VA - 1998 Kraftwork @ Nu Skool Elektro 2
CD1 - CD2
Info here.

Utopia. The Big Chill

This is a mixed compilation by Miss Elke K. and Henny V., an obscure DJ duo also going by the name of Dutch Ambient Federation; out through Guardian Angel, a trancey sub of Basic Beat.
With a cover pointing to just another mediocre compilation of easy listening 'balearic' music and an equally unexplainable title, the CD contains two mixes, one from each of the DJs.

The first mix by Elke K. partly borrows from the british tradition of chill-out DJing, yet without resorting to sloppy fem-vox stuff or anything like that, keeping the tones down and (like most successful female DJs) aiming for the heart with sentimental tunes and rich melodies. With tracks from the likes of Dr.Atmo & P. Namlock, Dub Tractor (*), Neotropic and A Reminiscent Drive, it's great for coming down, which probably was the purpose after all.
The second part on the other hand is a rather darkish, more abstract and experimental excursion, including some obscure tracks and highlights from Chain Reaction's one-off Ridis, Experimental Audio Research vs. Thomas Köner, Wolfram Spyra, etc. I could have actually named this post "What were they thinking?" judging from that 2nd part; if this is Utopia, what would Dystopia sound like I wouldn't know. Besides the more unconventional tracklist, this one doesn't flow that well as a mix but most of you will probably like it anyway.

VA - 1997 Utopia. The Big Chill
mixed by Elke K. & Henny V.
Info here.

Circulation. Abstract Funk Theory

From Obsessive's Abstract Funk Theory series, this is the one compiled by Circulation (*); it's unmixed and, along with Carl Craig's, my personal favorite of the lot.

Tech, house and electro sweetness by artists already presented in this blog, like Carl Craig (*), Carl Finlow (*) and themselves; plus from The Timewriter, Atjazz, Touche!'s Jamez vs. H.P.Vince and an early Bushwacka!. Despite the compilation's global representation and chronological variety, it sounds tight and stylish without losing its clubbish character, allowing us a glimpse of the late '90s UK techhouse/ techfunk/ whatever sound.

Sounds good in the summer heat too; hadn't noticed that before.

VA - 2001 Circulation. Abstract Funk Theory
Info here.

Tec House Living

A groovy mixed compilation, the first of Jesse Rose back from 1998, through Subversive Records (also see the Liquid California compilation).

Showcasing what was commonly thought as the UK tech house sound, contains tracks by local heavyweights like Jamie Anderson, Dave Angel, Charles Webster, Cevin Fisher and a newbie called Vince Watson, plus a couple of highly influential guests like John Tejada, Maurice Fulton, Steve Rachmad and Orlando Voorn (with early classic 'Flash').

In all, a great track list and a lively mix, full of emotional and energetic house anthems with that extra techfunk touch. I remember playing in sets that Plastic Avengers/C.Fisher mix a lot, possibly the only time I did something similar (I had neither the tracks themselves nor a way to edit them yet). Freaks came out.

VA - 1998 The Deeper Sound Of Bristol presents
Tec House Living
Info here.

Agendas

Oldschool Detroit influenced electronics and techno in a three-pack of compilations from much respected dutch label Eevo Lute Muzique, released both there (21, 22) and as showcases for british label New Electronica (22, 23).

For those who don't know EevoLute, picture it as what you'd call the first european neo-Detroit label, except of course that it operated at the same time with the mass of third wave Detroit producers; they even had a collaboration with Planet E (12"). Anyway, if you like Delsin (*), this is its blueprint. It made a comeback some years ago as digital EevoNext.

Besides owners Florence (aka Terrace) and Wladimir M., appearing here are artists that went much bigger later like 2000&One and Ross 154 aka Newworldaquarium, plus some less known but not at all less interesting like The Keyprocessor and veteran Max 404.

In all, a totally recommended pack of retro sounding sentimental crap from the past. I only had #22 and was looking for the rest since ages ago to manage a full post; thanks to Renueh, it is now possible. Miss them at your own risk.


VA - 1993 Agenda 21. An EevoLute Compilation
Info here.


VA - 1994 Agenda 22. Another EevoLute Compilation
Info here and here.


VA - 1998 Agenda 23. Another EevoLute Compilation
Info here.

#21 and #23 probably are 320kbps CD rips; #22 surely is.

P.S. Links removed due to request from EevoLute.

In Your Brain

Psychedelic electrodub excursions from a one-off project of Martin Damm (*) aka Biochip C. aka a fleet of pseudonyms. Out through dutch Sun Music. Rather rare, I'd say...

Braindub - 1995 In Your Brain
Info here.

Inner Light

It's been a while since I posted anything PWOG-related, so here's an album by Exquisite Corpse, Heynen's side-project (that soon turned out to be 'main'). This one went out just after he left PWOG, in collaboration with his future partner-in-crime Debbie Jones.

The music here is very similar to the early PWOG material, lots of tribal rhythms and ethno samples built on a minimalistic techno basis, yet without the overtly psychedelic dubby treatments we're so used to (that was Freeman's work, possibly); it still retains its meditative nature and function, anyway.

This is the Restless re-release, contains an extra remix (I've also included the original KK version covers).

Exquisite Corpse - 1993 Inner Light
Info here.

Alien Artform

You know the Delsin sound, I don't have to say much. If you don't... help yourselves and learn about it. Note that this one comes from their early era, when they focused on deep Detroitish projects; most tracks still had a kick, yet pointed more towards the couch area, compared to the recent more club-friendly phase.

Dimension 5 = D5 = John Harvey. This is his debut.

Dimension 5 - 2002 Alien Artform
Info here.

Intergalactic FM

I decided to embed the Intergalactic FM player in the blog, four net radio stations of dirty, brown and miserable music for stoned aliens and robots. Hope you enjoy.

Ghost In The Shell (Playstation Soundtrack)

Soundtrack from the PS game (never played it) based on the legendary anime (see here).

CD 1 is a collection of hard bangers with extra minimalistic tendencies (I guess they thought simple track structures help the gameplay), while CD 2 goes into weirder territories - not always with the best results, I might add, yet its good times are the most interesting.

All players are top notch artists, most of them at the peak of their time, see the info page. Still, I wouldn't call it really special as a compilation, just a sample of the tendencies of the time. Includes some rare mixes and good tracks.

VA - 1997 Ghost In The Shell (Playstation OST)
CD 1 - CD 2
Info here.

Btw, on my CD cover the last tracks of each CD are remixes of the Derrick May track 'To Be Or Not To Be'.

PWOG live 1995

Courtesy of Tim Freeman himself, a live set of PWOG from 1995, the Record Of Breaks era.

More than a rarity or an iffy bootleg, it's also a proof of their power in concerts, sadly a gift I never had the chance to witness in person. A lot of analog sound in there, fat and heavy, and lots of real-time FX knob twists, while samples are used in moderation and for aesthetic purposes. The mix is breathing, monotone percussion sounding clear and in your face while the more subtle atmo elements are drifting in the background, appearing in crucial moments for drama. I noticed as well their tendency to preserve the equilibrium between the ritualistic atmospheres and sheer drive, choosing their tracks well, shifting between moods. Most of the above characterize their sound at the time anyway.
Concerning structure, my favorite part is the flawless transformation of the funky take on 'A Kind of Prayer' into a 'Kraak' variation.

I guess the link comes from Tim Freeman's archive, so I hope he'll leak some more of the good stuff eventually. He released some 12"s and CDrs in the obscure I-S-I-S / Hidden (a PWOG-related den I discovered only a few months ago) as HIMOG and one half of Dogon, plus collaborations with equally respected Being - apparently all of them in good terms with the Black Dog guys (see here). Which btw did an awful lot of good to post that mix, giving them publicity and all. Because, while I truly respect the no-ego underground attitude, it strikes me as weird that even a fan like me didn't know shit about those labels - stick your heads up just a bit guys, it's a pity for you not to be recognized as you should be (and for us not to listen to your stuff).

PWOG - 1995 Live @ VPRO's Villa 65 radio show

More posts here.
I also noticed there are a few more PWOG posts by TheeBradMiller here.

Stored in zshare till I find the time to switch it to RS.

P.S. Moggieboy also got a link and already posted this set.

Buckingham Palace

The other day I found this one in a stock-shop for less than a euro. I knew LA Synthesis (*) and Clatterbox (*), so I gave it a try.

I knew nothing of District Six. From what I gather, they were a London-based label with loose connections to the underground electronics network of the time. Its artists also had releases in Clear, Evolution and legendary Irdial (see Anthony Manning) - later on in Ai, Touching Bass, Hydrogen Dukebox and Delsin. Another famous artist here is Metamatics, there is a very early appearance by Deepart, while another key figure seems to be Andy Jaggers (this bio explains things a bit). Still, even though many of its artists did more or less well, the label itself mustn't have spread its fame much outside UK - it's apparent from the inside notes that they had other plans, yet this is their only compilation (a rather common case at the time).

The inlet also informs us that 'District Six was a notorious slum area at the foot of Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town' (in South Africa, more crucial info here) - and that 'Buckingham Palace was a row of five cottages in the heart of District Six', where lived a 'community of bizarre, close friends. it was an island in a sea of apartheid and was their own to live life as they pleased'. Since I sense no direct connection to the area, I can only guess that the label's name was inspired by the book of Richard Rive with the same title. Anyway.

The reason I post this one is... that it's weird. It's late '90s british electronics, ambient techno with an acid touch. It sounds mostly analog-based and rather minimal, simple yet serious music for listening. And there are no 4/4 tracks, all beats are electro- and breaks- infected, even the more energetic ones. The results are like a cross between Irdial's experimentalism, the accessible melodies of early Black Dog and techno funk dipped in Detroit juice. Interestingly, a similar blueprint was drawn by the dutch (see Delsin, etc.) in their version of post-Detroit or neo-Detroit or call it what you want - yet the deephouse/ dubtechno influences where stronger there than the british IDM and techfunk background of this one.

So, this one's (not only) for the '90s electronics and UK tech fans. If someone has more info on this scene or similar stuff (say the early Deepart 10"s), please drop a hint.

VA - 1998 Buckingham Palace
A District Six compilation
Info here.

The Maenad and the Mix

The other day I came across a mix of PWOG (*) tracks in the Black Dog site, as the third part in a series where the Black Dog guys pay tribute to artists like Robert Hood and UR (so far). They mix the original stuff with some of their own re-edits, a treasure for the fans. Check the page out:

The Black Dog:
One Hour With The Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia

You know I'm a PWOG sicko. And I consider myself to be a fan of the Black Dog - not a collector per se, but 'Spanners' might be the 'IDM' album I've listened to the most (I still do, after all these years). As Robert Hood is also the Detroit guy I respect the most and UR are undoubtedly leaders in their field, seeing all these together there it felt like a serotonin-party. Then I came upon a post by Moggieboy (the Ripped In Glascow guy), where the 'Maenad' 12" was posted. It was too good to be just a coincidence, so here it is:

PWOG - Maenad 12" by Moggieboy

I'll borrow the eXquisite CORpsE 1994 Kupuri 12" later on.

P.S. Actually, he's posted a lot of PWOG stuff so go there and get them.

Kraak

This is 'Kraak', from the 'Record Of Breaks'. Two EPs containing three versions-jams by PWOG, two remixes by Plastikman , an epic paean by Mark Broom and a weird as usual reconstruction by Coil.

Though it sold mostly through the (rather weak) Plastikman remixes and thus got assorted with the Plus8 type of minimalism, it reminds me more some of the first and harder Basic Channel tracks.
This is also the point where people stopped referring to PWOG music as 'trance'.


PWOG - 1995 Kraak EP
Info here.


PWOG - 1996 Kraak Remixes EP
Info here.

Ov Biospheres And Sacred Grooves

The first album of PWOG, out in 1992. I had promised ages ago to post it but found it only now, so..
Tracks are merged in suites, as the LP in a way is; there are no deeper grooves between the faintly blended intros / outros - the album is obviously intended to be heard as a whole, not as a compilation of tracks. CD extras like 'Anathema ov Jean-Jack Derrillard' and 'New Edge Mantra', two darkish ambient themes, make a contrast with the rest of the material (more uptempo) that reinforces the atmosphere of the album and accents its mystical side. Finally, this 1993 (US) CD version also contains 'Exit 23' in a remix I don't recall from the 12'' I briefly had in the early '90s.
If you're into oldschool techno, proto-trance, tribal, deep electronics or just curious ('magickal') stuff, don't miss it.

Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - 1993,
Ov Biospheres And Sacred Grooves:
A Document Ov New Edge Folk Classics
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here.

Durations per suite:

1. [23.25]
00.01 -> the challenge (part one)
07.57 -> linkage
16.39 -> the tides (they turn)

2. [06.50] obsidian

3. [24.41]
00.01 -> anathema ov jean jacques derrillard
07.16 -> the challenge (part two)
14.17 -> the key (version)
20.35 -> new edge mantra

4. [10.47] exit 23 (remix)

The Man From PACK

Then came the Man.

I-F - 1999 The Man From PACK
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here.

Fucking Consumer

It began when someone sang something about some heavy smoking space invaders.

I-F - 1998 Fucking Consumer
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here.

Solid State

Another one for the more listening-oriented ones out there (I try a lot to stay clear of the IDM tag, eh?).
Most of you must be familiar with Funckarma, or Quench. Back then I wasn't, just knew the name and had a good vibe from the DUB compilations which I kept in track with, although mysteriously I missed the 'Parts' CD. But not this one, and I'm happy about it.
In my mind there are obvious similarities between this album and Arovane's 'Tides' or other Berlin electronics artists (Lux Nigra, Morr, etc.), in a sense that they all draw from the 'Incunabula' and early '90s AFX trickery and feeling, yet they're more relaxed affairs concerning avant-guardisms. As if they laid back and tried to make out their way first, they explore new territories without rushing in. Almost indistinguishable from the 'normal' electronic sounds, a lot of natural instruments blend in the mix, while drum samples roll and groove without showing off. Similar ideas (not style of music) were developed by the excellent Murcof (and many others actually, I just like his work a lot) and Leaf label.
Still the chemical tease under the tongue is there, under all the vibes and pianos, so don't think it's sweet chill-out comfy crap electronica. In loud volume it gets wider, weirder, just better actually. After all DUB is a Clone sublabel, right?

Funckarma - 2001, Solid State
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here and here.

Actually, I think I'll post these compilations later on.

P.S. I still don't have the 'Parts' CD, anyone does?

Biometrics

In the same vein with the previous post, Heinrich Mueller as Der Zyklus in 2004 releases this one in Clone's electronic (as opposed to electro...) sublabel D.U.B. Abstract dark ambient tracks flow thickly over a really interesting concept, yet still it feels that it's a solo effort, a little single-minded and simple. Of course only compared to previous and later efforts of the same people, full of the crossbreed of styles and ideas that characterize them. Still, it's a Drexciya Nation record.

Der Zyklus - 2004 Biometry
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here.