techno

The Theory of Tides

admin — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Oceans and tides have served as artistic muses for centuries, and I was curious to listen to music inspired by a scientific theory that explains "the dynamics of fluidity, the pull of bodies in motion, the ebb and flow of attraction." Upon first and second listen, The Theory of Tides didn’t grab me, but the third time around was a charm, and I found myself appreciating the music more.

Lead singer Mirana has the kind of voice that can sound almost dissonant at times, but it suits The Theory of Tides' style of music, which has the feel of urban techno pop. The first track, “Unsure,” is probably my favorite lyrically, as I find the words repeating in my head hours later. In the chorus of the song Mirana asks, “When did I become so unsure, of you, of me, of everything?” The question is posed against a backdrop of pulsating electronic sound. Another favorite track is “Corner” because of its sophisticated, jazzy, Latin quality that serves Mirana’s voice well.

On “Elated,” the vocals have a sultry, chanteuse-like quality that wouldn’t be out of place in a French cabaret, but the electro-pop background is straight out of the twenty-first century. This may not be my favorite album, but I play it on days when I feel slightly out of sorts and disconnected from my surroundings. It's music that matches my mood.

Written by: Gita Tewari, March 14th 2010

Fabric 39

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:47:00 +0000

By Robert Hood

Fabric Records

Robert “Noise” Hood is one of the original members of the Detroit collective Underground Resistance (UR) and a solo DJ with an incredible discography. His work is informed by militant politics of music as a tool for social chance, and coming out of Reagan-era inner city Detroit, his radical views are personally informed. Solo after leaving UR in 1992, Hood still focuses on minimalist techno and has since also started his own label, M-Print, on which he continues to release collaborations with other UR artists.

On Fabric 39, we find Hood remixing disco samples and focusing on heavy repetition. In terms of this record as part of the ongoing Fabric and FabricLive series, I think it’s safe to say this album falls outside what some have come to expect from the collection. But this departure is in no way a negative thing. It should, instead, push people’s expectations about what a techno or dance album has been and will be in the future.

Hood doesn’t use mainstream samples in heavy rotation, and his music can seem a bit obscure in that sense. You don’t catch a ten second beat you know from your childhood and jump up to dance, but the album grows on you, and its fast repetitive beats, which are not immediately catchy, become mesmerizing the longer you listen. It also reminds me of the DJs on my more youthful days in the Midwestern rave scene, so despite the album’s lack of initial appeal, it holds a soft spot in my former ravergrrrl heart.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, June 12th 2008

Stromata

admin — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:25:00 +0000

By Charlotte Martin

On Charlotte Martin's latest album, Stromata, the songstress presents her most experimental work to date. Stromata presents Martin's typically earnest and honest lyrics against a complex background of synthesizers and electronic beats. Her influences on the album are so varied - from techno to folk to Middle Eastern - that the album lacks a sense of cohesion. Martin is a classically-trained singer with a powerful voice that cuts to the core, but even her aggressive vocals get lost in overproduced techno-infused tracks like "Little Universe."

It is when Martin strips the background - and gets back to her On Your Shore roots - that she shines brightest. Tracks like "A Hopeless Attempt" and "Inch" have simpler melodies, which showcase her adept vocals and create a more intimate sound. At times her vocals echo those of Bjork and Tori Amos - fans of Amos' From the Choirgirl Hotel will appreciate the album's melancholic sound. Lyrically, Stromata is an intriguing and insightful examination of sexual desire and love, the "forbidden fruit" and "demons" she acknowledges in "Redeemed." One of Martin's greatest strengths in this album is her refreshing candor. In "Keep Me In Your Pocket" she asks her lover to "sink your teeth into the taste of me and squeeze hard/til you can feel me splitting and you want more." "The Dance" is a meditation on a relationships end, in which she decides she "better stop crying/hello and goodbying...you get your time and the other half's mine."

Stromata features some lyrical misfires; "Drip" being the worst offender with "can't train myself to hold back any longer/breath mint fornicator." Despite this transgression, however, the album is largely intriguing and insightful. With infectious hooks ("Four Walls") and lyrical gems ("Redeemed" and "The Dance"), Stromata is worth your attention.

Written by: Joanna Chlebus, July 22nd 2007

SoukSonik

admin — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 02:48:00 +0000

By Jef Stott

Six Degrees

After listening to the first 10 seconds of SoukSonic, I had no doubt that Jef Stott's work is strongly influenced by Middle Eastern music. According to his label's profile, Stott is a musical anthropologist who plays several traditional Middle Eastern string and percussion instruments. His anthropological training "inform[s] his sensibility about cultural relativism and issues of appropriation”--an intriguing statement since souk is Arabic for "marketplace."

The album is basically Middle Eastern-infused techno. It is at times too frenetic, as though Stott hit the fast forward button and liked the results. At other times, it almost strays into trance, though the tracks are too short and the tempo too fast.

Stott is an experienced producer, but SoukSonic eschews the full-bodied mellowness of the instruments and sounds as though it used a synthesized facsimile rather than the real thing. Overall, the EP is worth a listen, but not memorable enough to get into my favorites playlist with the possible exception of the infectious “Lamacet.”

Written by: Vita Foster, June 8th 2007

Revenge of the Killer Slits EP

admin — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 13:30:00 +0000

The Slits

s.a.f. Records

The Slits are back! If you are not familiar with this band, the most recent release, _Revenge of the Killer Slits _EP, is a good introduction. For those who relished their punk and dub fusion back in the '70s, this sample of three songs is enough to get you back in the mood. Reggae calls are answered by techno-alternative dance beats in the first track, “Slits Tradition.” The beat is basic and backs up nicely the chanted lyrics and bits of spoken word. The Slits even find room for a couple of quick jazzy riffs. The second track, “Number One Enemy,” is Joan Jett-ish, including a snotty solo with predictable back up singing; this is easy listening for fans of soft-core punk. The third track, and my personal favorite, “Kill Them With Love,” is as close to what I would call an R&B torch song as you can get. The track finishes, with vocals that are intriguingly similar to the caterwauling of Diamanda Galas, an end that is both fun and pleasantly ludic. This album is fun, refreshingly eclectic, and packed with sweet “revenge.”

Written by: Aaron Nugua, February 24th 2007