ADA Mixtape #1 / Adaptions (Kompakt) cd 15.98

ADAMSON, BARRY + PAN SONIC The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion (Kitchen Motors) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
From its beginnings, the Icelandic arts organization Kitchen Motors has been pairing off interesting cross-platform artists who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to work together. "The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion" was a commission by Kitchen Motors for Pan Sonic and Barry Adamson to score a composition for the Hljomeyki Choir from Iceland. Surprised yet delighted to be working together, Adamson (best known for coining the term "imaginary filmscore" within his amazing noir albums such as "Moss Side Story) and Pan Sonic (the Finnish pioneers of ultra-minimal techno) had arrived an amazing piece that could have been a snippet from the eerie GYoRGY LIGETI chorales that were so instrumental to the sense of alienation within Kubrick's "2001." Utilizing the natural reverberation from Digraneskirkja church in Reykjavik, Pan Sonic and Adamson gently fluttered sustained vocal tones amidst the space, occasionally allowing for the choir to delve into a simple haunting melody, whilst Pan Sonic sets down a very subdued electronic back beat. Hopefully, the Kitchen Motors collaboration between Adamson and Pan Sonic won't end here!
Compounding the collaborative spirit, Kitchen Motors employed The Hafler Trio (whose solo member Andrew McKensie now lives in Iceland) to remix "The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion." As McKensie has been moving further away from the fictional research projects and more towards the electro-acoustic studies from Luigi Nono, The Hafler Trio is a perfect fit. This remix has stretched and abstracted the polyphony of the chorus into a very creepy extended drone collage. Very nice work!
RealAudio clip: "The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion"
RealAudio clip: "The Hymn Of The Seventh Illusion (Hafler Trio Remix)"

ADD N TO (X) Add Insult To Injury (Mute) cd 17.98
With the awesome explosion that Add N To (X) provided with the super limited single "Little Black Rocks On The Sun," there was hope that Add N To (X) would do something as good as the second album "On The Wire Of Our Nerves." But the two following releases including "Add Insult To Injury" proved that they only had about 90 minutes of good music in them. Right now, the UK trio has only been interested in the irony of using analogue synthesizers and vocoders... how boring.
RealAudio clip: "Adding N to X"

ADD N TO (X) Avant Hard (Mute) cd 15.98
Veering from the sci-fi bleakness of their last effort On The Wires Of Our Nerves, Add N To (X) have modernized the Moog exotica of the '60s with this propulsive collection of epic analog fuckery... Ignore the record-label hype that this is some sort of Stockhausen meets Motorhead experimental hard rock record (what were they thinking, it's not).

ADD N TO (X) Loud Like Nature (Mute) cd 16.98
When listening to the first track of the new Add N To (X), I could not escape the overwhelming feeling that I was listening to an analog synthesizer muzak version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. A rousing, campy, kitschful time. Confirming once again that they're a one-trick pony, ANTX have assembled another album that gets the toes tapping and rumps shaking yet ultimately leaves the listener's ears unsatiated. There's an abundance of burly vocoded vocals, and vintage synths that bloop and blurp out gelatinous cycles of riffs... which all sound super cool, if very predictable. Frankly this probably wouldn't be such an issue at all if only they'd never released their first two albums which surpass - in both composition and rocking power - anything they've done since. However... they did. If you're new to this London trio, definitely check out either of their first two before venturing into later territory. For further ANTX thoughts, please see the review of the "Take Me To Your Leader" ep.
RealAudio clip: "Total All Out Water"
RealAudio clip: "All Night Lazy"

ADD N TO (X) On The Wires Of Our Nerves (Mute) cd 16.98
Somewhere between Gary Numan and Jean-Jacques Perrey. The aesthetics of Kraftwerk fused with punk brought the industrial sounds of SPK, Esplendor Geometrico, and Nocturnal Emissions...this continuum continues under the guise of "post-rock" with Trans Am, Six Finger Satellite, and now Add N To X...a bloody assault of analogue synths, propulsive bass lines and hyper catchy tunes...recommended by those kids at the Wire!

ADD N TO (X) Take Me To Your Leader (Mute) cd ep 8.98
These three new songs (two of them edit versions) offer a mere glimpse at their fifth album Loud Like Nature. What to expect? Churning robot rock in 4/4 time featuring a whole gang of highly processed vocals - not unlike what you might think garage rock performed completely on analog synths would sound. Fun, funky and repetitive, these songs will probably make for ideal additions to a party comp tape, but will they stand up to repeat listens? Not so sure about that. Once again it seems this London trio recorded some jams, and from the outcome, chose a handful of cool synth and bass lines and came up with some even cooler synth sounds, but didn't pursue composing fleshed out songs around them. It appears their best work is still the aforementioned sophomore release. Note: the vinyl features an extended mix of "The Trees Are Dreamless Leafless Genius" whereas the cd version includes a video for the title track.
RealAudio clip: "Take Me To Your Leader"

ADD N TO FU(X)A And Another Thing (Rocket Girl) cd 10.98
This is a collaboration between Barry from Add N To (X) and Randall from Fuxa. Hardly the fusion of Michigan space rock and the antiquated electronic grooves of Add N To (X) we might expect, "And Another Thing" is a smug collage of looping dorky electronics that strives to be charming rather than innovative. And it is charming in the same way that Pram is. Randall and Barry have set up a monotonous rhythm around a sampled loop of a clanging xylophone and bass clarinet that strolls along at an awkward bowlegged pace. Little melodic elements of swelling Lawrence Welk strings and vibes waltz around the rhythm to sound much more like the obtuse comedy records concocted by People Like Us or Nurse With Wound.

ADULT. Anxiety Always (Ersatz Audio) cd 13.98
Is this highly anticipated Adult. full length: (a.) raw in an in-your-face punky fashion, or (b.) raw in an unfinished, half-assed state? It seems that folks have already begun taking sides. Either way if you haven't heard Adult. yet, this shouldn't be your introduction to the music of this Detroit duo. They've done so much better than this - namely their "Resuscitation" release. However, that wasn't an album proper; it was a lively collection of their assorted singles, and clearly that is where Adult. shine brightest. Despite their attempt at crafting a fully realized album, "Anxiety Always" just doesn't hold up to "Resuscitation." It seems obvious that Adult. has gotten frustrated with all of the hub-bub that has exploded around them in the electro-whatever crowd. "Anxiety Always" finds Adult. attempting to re-invent themselves, by emphasizing the punk snarl that was always lurking under that mechanical sheen of industrialized paranoia. Thus Nicola Kuperus' vocals jump to the foreground, spastically crashing into the electro-clash they've taken such care to craft. Furthermore, Adam Lee Miller picks up the bass on a couple of tracks to add a human touch to Adult.'s machinations, recalling the pre-Joy Division outfit Warsaw. At their best, Adult. also references the mutant sounds of Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire; but at the same time, their ability to flesh out their tracks into wholly realized, infectious songs isn't as precise as on "Resuscitation." The shrill and redundant cut "Turn Your Back" leaves little to the imagination, sounding like a mediocre, punk-grrrrl, electronic outfit on Kill Rock Stars. Yet the album picks up steam as it continues, highlighted by the ominous, electro-obliqueness of "People You Can Confuse."
Jim who has enjoyed revisiting all of those old Hula records from the '80s, has become rather fond of this admittedly flawed release.
MPEG Stream: "Turn Your Back"
MPEG Stream: "People, You Can Confuse"

ADULT. Anxiety Always (Ersatz Audio) 2lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Is this highly anticipated Adult. full length: (a.) raw in an in-your-face punky fashion, or (b.) raw in an unfinished, half-assed state? It seems that folks have already begun taking sides. Either way if you haven't heard Adult. yet, this shouldn't be your introduction to the music of this Detroit duo. They've done so much better than this - namely their "Resuscitation" release. However, that wasn't an album proper; it was a lively collection of their assorted singles, and clearly that is where Adult. shine brightest. Despite their attempt at crafting a fully realized album, "Anxiety Always" just doesn't hold up to "Resuscitation." It seems obvious that Adult. has gotten frustrated with all of the hub-bub that has exploded around them in the electro-whatever crowd. "Anxiety Always" finds Adult. attempting to re-invent themselves, by emphasizing the punk snarl that was always lurking under that mechanical sheen of industrialized paranoia. Thus Nicola Kuperus' vocals jump to the foreground, spastically crashing into the electro-clash they've taken such care to craft. Furthermore, Adam Lee Miller picks up the bass on a couple of tracks to add a human touch to Adult.'s machinations, recalling the pre-Joy Division outfit Warsaw. At their best, Adult. also references the mutant sounds of Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire; but at the same time, their ability to flesh out their tracks into wholly realized, infectious songs isn't as precise as on "Resuscitation." The shrill and redundant cut "Turn Your Back" leaves little to the imagination, sounding like a mediocre, punk-grrrrl, electronic outfit on Kill Rock Stars. Yet the album picks up steam as it continues, highlighted by the ominous, electro-obliqueness of "People You Can Confuse."
Jim, who has enjoyed revisiting all of those old Hula records from the '80s, has become rather fond of this admittedly flawed release.

ADULT. Blank Eyed (Clone) 12" 9.98

ADULT. D.U.M.E. (Thrill Jockey) cd ep 10.98
On their newest cdep/12" and first release on Thrill Jockey, Detroit electro-punk duo Adult. sure have got a bee in their bonnet. Continuing to move further from their icy, true electro origins into an increasingly raw'n'aggressive punky territory, vocalist Nicola Kuperus whoops and sneers her way through the lead-off track "Hold Your Breath" -- definitely in line with Glass Candy or Le Tigre -- while her partner Adam Miller churns out the dank, brooding bass and bristling guitars that punch through the unrelenting programmed beats. Actually this might've served as a better transitional follow-up to their fine compilation Resuscitation (which collected together a bunch of their singles) than was their last full length Anxiety Always. D.U.M.E. more cohesively bridges their electro past and recent more punky leanings. Really, Adult. comes across as much more focussed, infectious and potent on shorter format releases (12"s, EPs, etc). Not only are the songs more structured, but the lyrics are also more fully fleshed out (like Resuscitation's songs than A.A.'s more repetitive one-liners). Kewl.
MPEG Stream: "Get Me Out"
MPEG Stream: "Hold Your Breath"

ADULT. D.U.M.E. (Thrill Jockey) 12" 9.98
On their newest cdep/12" and first release on Thrill Jockey, Detroit electro-punk duo Adult. sure have got a bee in their bonnet. Continuing to move further from their icy, true electro origins into an increasingly raw'n'aggressive punky territory, vocalist Nicola Kuperus whoops and sneers her way through the lead-off track "Hold Your Breath" -- definitely in line with Glass Candy or Le Tigre -- while her partner Adam Miller churns out the dank, brooding bass and bristling guitars that punch through the unrelenting programmed beats. Actually this might've served as a better transitional follow-up to their fine compilation Resuscitation (which collected together a bunch of their singles) than was their last full length Anxiety Always. D.U.M.E. more cohesively bridges their electro past and recent more punky leanings. Really, Adult. comes across as much more focussed, infectious and potent on shorter format releases (12"s, EPs, etc). Not only are the songs more structured, but the lyrics are also more fully fleshed out (like Resuscitation's songs than A.A.'s more repetitive one-liners). Kewl.
MPEG Stream: "Get Me Out"
MPEG Stream: "Hold Your Breath"

ADULT. Gimmie Trouble (Thrill Jockey) cd 14.98
Lest they forever be genre-saddled with the electro-clash albatross, Adult. have wisely broadened their scope. And the path they've chosen is much more outwardly aggressive and punky. Truckloads of abrasive attitude. This is most evident in the vocal department which has claimed even more prominence in the band's sound. Formerly ice-cold monotone vocalist Nicola Kuperus further expands her range, swooping from a high pitched shriek to a mid-pinched sneer and way down to a deep throaty snarl. Brings to mind early-'80s Berliners Malaria! or more recently SF/Berliners The Vanishing. Likewise, Adam Miller's dirtied up his former ultra-sterile, scalpel-sharp, old school Detroit electro palette. Nevertheless, his steely mechanized beats are what link the tracks on Gimmie Trouble to those of the Adult. of old -- cutting through the newly added chunks o' industrial guitar which come courtesy of new member Samuel Consiglio. Their new(ish) direction and expansion aim them right for the spot recently vacated by the abovementioned, recently disbanded, art-punk/goth-dustrial duo-turned-trio The Vanishing.
MPEG Stream: "Gimmie Trouble"
MPEG Stream: "Scare Up The Birds"

ADULT. Gimmie Trouble (Thrill Jockey) lp 12.98
Lest they forever be genre-saddled with the electro-clash albatross, Adult. have wisely broadened their scope. And the path they've chosen is much more outwardly aggressive and punky. Truckloads of abrasive attitude. This is most evident in the vocal department which has claimed even more prominence in the band's sound. Formerly ice-cold monotone vocalist Nicola Kuperus further expands her range, swooping from a high pitched shriek to a mid-pinched sneer and way down to a deep throaty snarl. Brings to mind early-'80s Berliners Malaria! or more recently SF/Berliners The Vanishing. Likewise, Adam Miller's dirtied up his former ultra-sterile, scalpel-sharp, old school Detroit electro palette. Nevertheless, his steely mechanized beats are what link the tracks on Gimmie Trouble to those of the Adult. of old -- cutting through the newly added chunks o' industrial guitar which come courtesy of new member Samuel Consiglio. Their new(ish) direction and expansion aim them right for the spot recently vacated by the abovementioned, recently disbanded, art-punk/goth-dustrial duo-turned-trio The Vanishing.
MPEG Stream: "Gimmie Trouble"
MPEG Stream: "Scare Up The Birds"

ADULT. Hand To Phone (Clone) 12" 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Four versions of fab Detroit electro duo Adult.'s track "Hand To Phone". They are: the original as heard on their awesome album 'Resuscitation', an instrumental mix by the group themselves (which in my opinion falls a bit short without Nicola's unflinchingly icy vocals), plus two remixes by Carl Craig and Mat 101. Come over!

ADULT. Limited Edition (Ersatz Audio) 7" 7.98
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Two exclusive tracks from this increasingly popular electro duo. "Run Run Crying" might sound familiar if you saw their fabulous live set recently. Simply one their best tracks to date. The b-side is a new version of the first Adult. track from 1997, "Modern Romantic". Limited to 1000 hand numbered copies with a fold out 14"x14" poster featuring, as always, the stunning photographic work of Adult. vocalist Nicola Kuperus. Seriously, this one will not stick around for long, so act real fast.

ADULT. Misinterpreted (Ersatz Audio) 12" 8.98
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Detroit electro superstars offer one new track, "Don't You Stop". Three remixes follow, based on that old kids' game of "Telephone Operator" or "Pass It On" or "Chinese Whispers" or whatever you called it when you were young -- basically the original Adult. track was passed to Solvent, who reworked it and passed their results to Phoenecia, who worked their magic and passed those results to Skam artists Alder & Elius. Neither Phoenecia or Alder & Elius heard the original track, which of course is the beauty of the concept of this 12". Four individually wonderful and unique tracks grace another fine Ersatz Audio release.

ADULT. Resuscitation (Ersatz Audio) cd 13.98
Strap on your electro pants, baby. 'Cause Adult. (don't forget that punctuation) are here. Witness the awesome android power of this Detroit duo - one half of which is Mr. Adam Miller, formerly of the mighty electro-kings known as LeCar. If you were a fan of said group or fellow Motor City techno duo Drexciya, what are you waiting for? Get on this now! Imagine a hard electro hybrid of Berlin, Add N to (X) and Miami booty bass beats - and although they utilize plenty of super '80s retro sounds, Adult. never get stuck in the past. Instead, they forge ahead cutting a very new and now path of fresh 'n' groovy tracks complete with a battery of wonderfully tweaked, effected vocals (as performed by Ms Nicola Kuperus - the other half of Adult. not to mention uber-cool photographer to boot). Check out the anxious twitch and sputter of "Minors at Night" and "Nausea". On their own Ersatz Audio label. Yes, quite recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Contagious"
RealAudio clip: "Nausea"
RealAudio clip: "Lost Love"
RealAudio clip: "Pressure Suit"

ADULT. Suck The Air / High Heels On Tile Floors (Ersatz) 7" 5.98
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On "Suck The Air", vocalist Nicola Kuperus assumes a much more pissy-pouty tone than her usual cold android stare - aligning Adult. more with the punky rather than electro crowd. Think Glass Candy or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She's honed her sassily sneering delivery somewhat from their recent Anxiety Always album on which her vocals wavered dangerously close to the grating, shrill side of things. On the flipside, the rubbery beats and aquatic synth clangs of "High Heels..." aims the ear more towards the work of electro-technician Adam Miller. It's a fun no-frills track, but much too short to get the party fully rolling. Truly, this 7" should've been a 12"! Nonetheless, it (especially the A-side) shows the duo doing what they do best, crafting *single* tracks into terrific electro-pop.

AE Love Your Smile (Fresh Air) cd 16.98
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AEFFECT, THE A Short Dream (Fueled by Ramen) cd ep 7.98
Have to say that the current trend of new New Wave is right on with me. Love those old synth sounds and programmed beats... just as long as these new bands bring some fresh elements into the sound as opposed to simply rehashing Human League, Pet Shop Boys or New Order tracks. Unfortunately in the case of the Gainesville, FL trio known as The Aeffect, it seems to be leaning towards the latter. Perhaps they've not quite found their own boots, and in the meantime are trying on the ones of those mentioned above? I'm not quite sure, but Ladytron and The Faint do this much better. And to further puzzle me, the final track is an unexpected switch into a non-synth, piano prettiness.

AELTERS Volu Beit (Tigerbeat6) 3" cd 9.98
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Solo effort from a member of the Dat Politics crew. Much like his contemporaries, Aelters kicks out infectious shards of high frequency agitglitchfunk. If you like Blechdom and Dat Politics, you probably already have this. If you don't, there's very little reason to be concerned. Addictions are ugly.
RealAudio clip: "Volu Beit"
RealAudio clip: "Astericken"

AELTERS, E El Frustrator (Skipp) cd 12.98
E. Aelters (a member of Belgian PowerBook band Dat Politics) specializes in really active, wacky electronica Fuckery (with a capital F) that resembles one one-man version of Dat Politics: hyperkinetic babble and grating drone abound. Also reminiscent of the more recent output from Mouse On Mars or perhaps Kid 606, without the drill & bass workouts. Very nice lo-attention span stuff.

AER Project (Touch) 7" 7.98
The newest entry in Touch's ongoing series of limited 7"s singles, with past installments from Oren Ambarchi, Fennesz, Philip Jeck and Chris Watson, this is the first one by an artist new to us, but it manages to fit well with the other releases in the series, and has us dying to hear more from the mysterious AER (actually the musical moniker of Touch design director Jon Wozencroft). Utilizing nothing but "four atmosphere recordings, radio and an organ stop" AER concocts a darkly minimal soundscape of field recordings and hushed melody. The sounds from the street outside, footstep, voices talking, singing, sirens, thunder (or automobile backfires, or perhaps firecrackers), interwoven with strange clicking, machine like chatter, like a spinning bicycle wheel, random clanks and clatters, room noise and other sonic detritus, while beneath it all, warm whirring melodies drift up from below, adding nuance and mood to what might otherwise be a straight field recording, a rhythm way off in the distance or buried way down in the mix, is sometimes discernible, but only barely, and in fact, could be a trick of the ears, random sounds falling into place, creating not-really-there rhythms. But it hardly matters, we hear them, and they offer a sort of ghostly structure to the proceedings. Quite nice, and we can't wait to hear more.

AERIAL M Post-Global Music (Drag City) cd 12.98
Remixes of ex-Slint-er Dave Pajo's solo work as Aerial M, by none other than Bundy K Brown of Tortoise, Tied and Tickled Trio, DJ Your Food, and Flacco.

AERIAL M Post-Global Music (Drag City) lp 12.98
Remixes of ex-Slint-er Dave Pajo's solo work as Aerial M, by none other than Bundy K Brown of Tortoise, Tied and Tickled Trio, DJ Your Food, and Flacco.

AERO-MIC'D s/t (Aero-Mic'd) cd ep 7.98
From local musician Wayne Smith comes this *excellent* little slip of a 25-minute album. A record this genre-hopping might in lesser hands be a chore to listen to, but with Aero-Mic'd the first few minutes are just so good that you easily put your trust in wherever he's going to take you. It starts with echoing layers of nefarious percussion, then seamlessly moves into fucked up dub and then lots of gorgeous treated and looped guitar that sounds like the arty instrumentalism of Gastr del Sol mixed with the melodic electronica of Mouse on Mars. It also occasionally reminds us of His Name is Alive and Fennesz. Yeah, it's that good, and that fun to listen to. The arrangement and juxtaposition of the pieces is the key. With the aforementioned Gastr del Sol and Mouse on Mars leanings, plus droning layers of metallic tinny guitarness and shimmering pure, vibrating tones, this album displays so many of the general sounds and separate sub-sub-genres that the AQ-staff likes to listen to whole albums of, yet here they are compacted into short segments that build up to a perfect whole. A very good record, sez Windy, and the price is right too. (Fans of the Brian and Chris record will like this too.)
RealAudio clip: "A Flat Tax"
RealAudio clip: "Dead Ends"
RealAudio clip: "Cold Dust"

AERO-MIC'D Under A Sun (self-released) cd 7.98
We sure loved the first Aero-Mic'd record from a few years ago, a genre hopping electronic excursion touching on melodic melancholy pop, laptop glitch, cinematic ambience, and arty instrumentalism. Hard to believe, but we may like this new one even more. It's much more focused and cohesive, with the focus this time on ambience and drone. Reminds us of a more vaired, less low-end Kopernik. Soaring Orb like ambient flutter, chirping birds, the sound of children playing, muted percussion, sing song-y melodies, fuzzy, whispery drones with melodic swells, industrial clatter under gauzy slowed down loops all coalesce into one seriously great listen.
MPEG Stream: "Lifesize Timeline"
MPEG Stream: "Take Acre!"

AERO-MIC'D & SADNESSES Cloud Mama (Aero-Mic'd) cd-r 7.98
According to the back of this limited-to-100-copies cd-r release, the mathematical equation is as follows:
Aero-Mic'd + The Sadnesses = Cloud Mama
And if you ask us, that adds up perfectly well. It's no secret, we here at AQ have been mighty fond of the past two releases by SF's Aero-Mic'd, and this new collaborative effort with the likeminded Sadnesses is no exception. Ultra delicate glitchiness, wispy clouds of shimmer, whimsical sounds and song titles. Oh so nice 'n' soothing. We only wish it were longer than its fleeting 25 minutes.
MPEG Stream: "The Righter You Smell"
MPEG Stream: "Inefficiency Of Candy Clocks"

AF URSIN Murrille (La Icie Doree) lp 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

AFX 2 Remixes by AFX cd ep 8.98
Richard D. James -- aka The Aphex Twin -- had reportedly gone into retirement after the sexually grotesque production "Windowlicker," emerging briefly with an oblique composition on the aptly titled "Or Some Computer Music Compilation." Fortunately, his plans of retirement will be put on hold with the release of his upcoming album "Drukqs" in the near future... Although in the meantime, James offers two remixes from the height of UK Acid House movement (808 State's "Flow Coma" and something by DJ Pierre) under his AFX moniker. James maintains the integrity of the manic proto-jungle breakbeats (then the 'ardcore sounds of XL Recordings of Prodigy and Altern 8) of the originals, as well as all of the Acid squiggles and electro-psychedelic effects. Yet he warps everything with lots of timestretching, vocoded deconstruction, and oddly timed starts-n-stops. While fans of Lesser and Kid 606 may find the teacher to be tame and conservative in comparison to his students, James is a production force to be reckoned with, and this makes for a worthy teaser for his upcoming album.
RealAudio clip: "Remix 1"
RealAudio clip: "Remix 2"

AFX 2 Remixes by AFX 12" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Richard D. James -- aka The Aphex Twin -- had reportedly gone into retirement after the sexually grotesque production "Windowlicker," emerging briefly with an oblique composition on the aptly titled "Or Some Computer Music Vol. 1." Fortunately, his plans of retirement will be put on hold with the release of his upcoming album "Drukqs" in the near future... Although in the meantime, James offers two remixes from the height of UK Acid House movement (808 State's "Flow Coma" and something by DJ Pierre) under his AFX moniker. James maintains the integrity of the manic proto-jungle breakbeats (then the 'ardcore sounds of XL Recordings of Prodigy and Altern 8) of the originals, as well as all of the Acid squiggles and electro-psychedelic effects. Yet he warps everything with lots of timestretching, vocoded deconstruction, and oddly timed starts-n-stops. While fans of Lesser and Kid 606 may find the teacher to be tame and conservative in comparison to his students, James is a production force to be reckoned with, and this makes for a worthy teaser for his upcoming album.

AFX Analogue Bubblebath 3 (Rephlex) cd 16.98
All in all Richard D. James (Aphex Twin) recorded four different parts to the Analogue Bubblebath series...however this is the one to have. Warped electronics and electro breakbeats.

AFX Analogue Bubblebath 4 (Rephlex) cd ep 9.98
Recently reissued, Analogue Bubblebath 4 originally appeared in 1994 under Richard D. James' acid damaged moniker AFX. This four track EP opens with a huge, rolling techno breakbeat whose machinist rigor bears similarities to James' rhythmic structure for the Aphex single "On" and the Polygon Window track "Quoth". Instead of one of his mad-scientist melodies, James merely plants an overblown scream to punctuate the fourth measure of his rhythmic pulse. Back in the day, there were plenty of technohedz who weren't too keen on this track for its overt bloodcurdling vibe; although in comparison to the recent horror IDM excesses of Venetian Snares, this is hardly sounds like a transgressive number anymore. Solid nonetheless. James flushes out the remainder of the EP with less bombastic pieces, more in keeping with the sound of the Richard D. James LP with deftly manufactured acid percolations over midtempo fractured breaks and plenty of bubbly ambience.
MPEG Stream: "Elephant Song"
MPEG Stream: "Sloth"

AFX Analogue Bubblebath 4 (Rephlex) 12" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

AFX Chosen Lords (Rephlex) cd 15.98
It's actually been quite a while since Richard D. James has produced a a proper full length album, with the Aphex Twin double disc Drukqs being released five years ago, way back in 2001. In recent years, he's returned to his infatuation with acid techno and breakcore by releasing a series of Analord singles under the AFX moniker. Chosen Lords collects the best material from those 11 Analord singles and gives those tracks a slight trim to fit as much material on the CD as possible. No one is going to confuse anything on Chosen Lords with the repulsive electronica brutality of Aphex' "Come To Daddy" or the grotesque hip-hop bastardization of "Windowlicker", instead the tracks here harken to his earliest experiments with 303 melodic squiggliness and fidgety drum-machines struggling to keep together a constant rhythm amidst the rollicking breakbeats. James has long been an exceptional programmer; and even if there's nothing super innovative here, Chosen Lords is an absolute joy to listen to. Certainly on par with his Polygon Window and Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1 releases!
MPEG Stream: "Fenix Funk"
MPEG Stream: "PWSteal.Ldpinch.D"

AFX Hangable Auto Bulb (Warp) cd 13.98
Originally released as two EPs back in 1995 before his seminal Richard D. James LP and name change to Aphex Twin, Hangable Auto Bulb has long been a collectors' rarity, mentioned with hushed reverence amongst electronica types everywhere. When situated against contemporary breakcore / drill 'n' bass artist such as Plug, Mu-Ziq, and even his own Aphex releases, Hangable Auto Bulb holds its own quite well, with clincal tones shaped into wistful melodies on top of complex skittering breakbeats and stalking basslines. Yet in the huge leaps that have been made technologically since '95, whereby beats, samples, and the digital code itself have been imploded / exploded by Hrvatski, Otto Von Schirach, Lesser, and many other post-IDM artists, AFX's Hangable Auto Bulb appears sparse in its production and curiously nostalgic for a time when "Intelligent Dance Music" wasn't a thoroughly laughable concept.
MPEG Stream: "Children Talking"
MPEG Stream: "Hangable Auto Bulb"

AFX (APHEX TWIN) Smojphace ep (Rephlex) cd ep 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Richard James jumps into the dancehall fray, or jumps on the dancehall bandwagon, whichever you prefer. Either way, this single kicks serious ass. 'Run The Place Red' is a remix of a track from the amazing Bug record from a few lists past, and while James adds a bit more skitter and drill and rapidfire drum and bass, and does a little slice and dice, it would have fit perfectly on that Bug record. Dancehall just the way we like it, pounding and crushing and a little fucked up. The other two tracks are full-on speaker shredding noise. Weird and brutal and pretty tough to listen to. Definitely a quick fix for those of you who don't like how 'soft' and dynamic and un-Merzbow-like Merzbow has become lately. All three tracks are pretty darn great, but get it mostly for the dancehall track. Wicked.
MPEG Stream: "Run The Place Red (AFX mix, original by The Bug)"
MPEG Stream: "ktpa2"

AFX (APHEX TWIN) Smojphace ep (Rephlex) 12" 8.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Richard James jumps into the dancehall fray, or jumps on the dancehall bandwagon, whichever you prefer. Either way, this single kicks serious ass. 'Run The Place Red' is a remix of a track from the amazing Bug record from a few lists past, and while James adds a bit more skitter and drill and rapidfire drum and bass, and does a little slice and dice, it would have fit perfectly on that Bug record. Dancehall just the way we like it, pounding and crushing and a little fucked up. The other two tracks are full-on speaker shredding noise. Weird and brutal and pretty tough to listen to. Definitely a quick fix for those of you who don't like how 'soft' and dynamic and un-Merzbow-like Merzbow has become lately. All three tracks are pretty darn great, but get it mostly for the dancehall track. Wicked.

AGF Delay On My Pillow (Mixer) 3" cd 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
On DelayOnMyPillow, AGF -- aka Antye Greie-Fuchs of Laub -- offers a digitized variation on the musique concrete tradition, in particular the psychological narratives described in Luc Ferrari's work. Just like Ferrari, Greie-Fuchs amplifies closely mic'd whispers to capture all of their lip-smacking and breathy intonation and positions those whispers right up against the speakers while tiny digital events and processed environmental recordings flutter in the background. She effectively creates an artificial stage for those vocalizations coupled with her own Bjorkish vocals, alternating between sounding charmingly intimate and downright creepy. Extending what cinematic allusions can be drawn from such a composition, Greie-Fuchs offers brief interludes of detached electro-funk, bip-hop, and post-techno acting as segues between the bulk of the work. A curious, modern-day reinterpretation of musique concrete.
MPEG Stream: "Delay On My Pillow"

AGF / DELAY Explode (AGF) cd 15.98

AGF.3 & SUE.C Mini Movies (Asphodel) cd+dvd 17.98
A conceptualist first and an electronicist second Antye Greie-Fuchs has developed a successful career mapping out the dullness of daily life. This was particularly true for her post-Laurie Anderson monotone recitation of dictionary definitions for 'code' over glitch-hopped electronica, found on her recording Language Is The Most. She and San Francisco's highly decorated multi-media artist Sue Costabile have been collaborating for some time now, performing mostly through the European sound-art festival circuit; and Mini Movies marks their first release together sprawling across a CD and appropriately a DVD. While smeared with brittle digital glitches, AGF and Sue C do little to hide their infatuation with R&B slowjam grooves. In turn they replace the narrative excesses of R&B lovesongs with topics as banal as possible: recipes, commuting, jetlag, e-mail, etc. Even when Sue C pines for the next time she can "get really fucked up," it's more of an afterthought as if there's nothing else of any real value to wish for. Composed and filmed in New York, San Francisco, London, and Berlin, Mini Movies acts as something of a fragemented travel diary between the two artists, communing with both artists' shared sensibility of everyday modernity.
MPEG Stream: "Marzipan"
MPEG Stream: "Exist Slow"

AGUAYO, MATIAS Are You Really Lost (Kompakt) cd 15.98

AGUAYO, MATIAS Ay Ay Ay (Kompakt) cd 15.98
Long gone are the days when you could pigeon hole or easily predict the sound of a release on Kompakt. While they made their name with their trademark releases of minimal techno and pop ambient gems, the label has proven to be a wide ranging force in innovative electronic music of all shapes, colors and styles. We had heard previous releases by Matias Aguayo as well as with his collective Closer Musik, but we either weren't paying close enough attention or he has totally upped his game because Ay Ay Ay is by far one of the most colorful, immediate and rewarding electronic records of the year! Imagine some amazing combination of the hypnotic repetitive beats of Ricardo Villalobos fused with the more dance minded stylings of folks like Swayzek and Herbert, topped off with a nice backdrop of Aguayo's Chilean South American roots and you have all the ingredients for total party record of the year!
But what makes Ay Ay Ay so great is that it's not at all a disposable party record, instead it's immaculately crafted so it's the kind of record that satisfies whether you listen to it alone on headphones and get lost in its sonic swirlings or if you blast it out loud with good folks around as you shake your stuff.
MPEG Stream: "Ay Ay Ay"
MPEG Stream: "Rollerskate"
MPEG Stream: "Koro Koro"

AGUAYO, MATIAS Ay Ay Ay (Kompakt) lp + cd 19.98
Long gone are the days when you could pigeon hole or easily predict the sound of a release on Kompakt. While they made their name with their trademark releases of minimal techno and pop ambient gems, the label has proven to be a wide ranging force in innovative electronic music of all shapes, colors and styles. We had heard previous releases by Matias Aguayo as well as with his collective Closer Musik, but we either weren't paying close enough attention or he has totally upped his game because Ay Ay Ay is by far one of the most colorful, immediate and rewarding electronic records of the year! Imagine some amazing combination of the hypnotic repetitive beats of Ricardo Villalobos fused with the more dance minded stylings of folks like Swayzek and Herbert, topped off with a nice backdrop of Aguayo's Chilean South American roots and you have all the ingredients for total party record of the year!
But what makes Ay Ay Ay so great is that it's not at all a disposable party record, instead it's immaculately crafted so it's the kind of record that satisfies whether you listen to it alone on headphones and get lost in its sonic swirlings or if you blast it out loud with good folks around as you shake your stuff.
MPEG Stream: "Ay Ay Ay"
MPEG Stream: "Rollerskate"
MPEG Stream: "Koro Koro"

AGUAYO, MATIAS Minimal (Kompakt) cd ep 13.98
Matias Aguayo is one half of what used to be Closer Musik, a minimalist goth-techno project on Cologne's Kompakt label. The Chilean-born Aguayo and his German "bandmate" Dirk Leyers split after one album, and both went on to other things. Leyers went even more minimal and more blissful. While Aguayo put out one of the weirdest releases to have been considered techno at all, his solo record Are You Really Lost? Well, this ep is the first we've heard from him since then. Once again, he brings back his signature bizarro mix of Latin beats, come hither vocals, and all manner of randomly sampled and sequenced whatever. Along with the single new track, there are two remixes, one from DJ Koze of International Pony and one from Markus Rossknecht. Koze produces a remix that could make friends with any number of Miami Vice meets French filter house jams. Pretty fun, really. On the other hand, Rossknecht's work is fairly run-of-the-mill minimal techno, which is fine but not particularly memorable. If nothing else, this is worth picking up to play the Koze track at your next cocktail party. Closer Musik fans, listen up! Good stuff.
MPEG Stream: "Minimal (DJ Koze Remix)"
MPEG Stream: "Minimal (Original Mix)"

AIR 10,000 Hz Legend (Astralwerks) cd 15.98
The French Band (remember they informed us of this fact on the cover of their first album?) has returned. Whatever -- we've been very vocal in the past about our strong dislike for the puffy shallowness that is Air. My main argument was that their music made no musical sense -- they just seemed all moody style and no substance. And they still haven't got any depth, but... I think Air is finally starting to get better. I think they've taken enough bong hits and sort of seen the light and taken off the poseur fashion victim outfits, deciding to truly be their own goofy selves. This new album comes across as a pastiche of sunny pop tidbits, with songs sounding like the Beach Boys, Serge Gainsbourg, and Beta Band. There's stoopid flute, psychedelic guitar solos, propulsive Neu-derived rhythms, weird stuttering vocal glitches that sound like the cd player is skipping, and best of all, a Macintosh computer voice that says stuff like "I am spacing out with you. I will be your angel." It's pretty ridiculous and that's what makes it A-OK. As big hyped electronica albums go, this one is way better and more interesting than UNKLE, Chemical Bros, Gorillaz, Beck, etc. We really like this new Air album!!
RealAudio clip: "How Does It Make You Feel?"
RealAudio clip: "Electronic Performers"

AIR 10,000 Hz Legend (Astralwerks) 2lp 17.98
Now on LP! The French Band (remember they informed us of this fact on the cover of their first album?) has returned. Whatever -- we've been very vocal in the past about our strong dislike for the puffy shallowness that is Air. My main argument was that their music made no musical sense -- they just seemed all moody style and no substance. And they still haven't got any depth, but... I think Air is finally starting to get better. I think they've taken enough bong hits and sort of seen the light and taken off the poseur fashion victim outfits, deciding to truly be their own goofy selves. This new album comes across as a pastiche of sunny pop tidbits, with songs sounding like the Beach Boys, Serge Gainsbourg, and Beta Band. There's stoopid flute, psychedelic guitar solos, propulsive Neu-derived rhythms, weird stuttering vocal glitches that sound like the cd player is skipping, and best of all, a Macintosh computer voice that says stuff like "I am spacing out with you. I will be your angel." It's pretty ridiculous and that's what makes it A-OK. As big hyped electronica albums go, this one is way better and more interesting than UNKLE, Chemical Bros, Gorillaz, Beck, etc. We really like this new Air album!!
RealAudio clip: "How Does It Make You Feel?"
RealAudio clip: "Electronic Performers"

AIR Cherry Blossom Girl (Source) cd ep 9.98