FLUXION Vibrant Forms (Chain Reaction) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
We've been accused of being house music haters. And there's some truth to that. But is one certain obtuse branch of the house music family tree that had us the second we laid ears on it. A while back, the Chain Reaction label introduced a super stripped down, minimal house music, that was quickly dubbed "heroin house", for it's murky druggy laid back feel. It was like hearing house music through a drug induced haze. Or hearing the sound of throbbing four on the floor dance music seeping through the floor of your apartment from the late night dance club below. A super minimal throb. just a pulse really, a completely hypnotic, barely there rhythm, that just shifts and shimmers and works its way into your head, into your chest, into your soul. Hard to imagine people dancing to this music. It's a little like chillout music, but way more rigid and rhythmic. It sounds a little like the music that was created for those 3 o4 people still on their feet, after a night of serious imbibing, who are unwilling to stop dancing, but can't muster anything more than a druggy shuffle, or a barely visible shimmy. Playing on and on and on until the final one drops. For those of us who don't dabble in either drugs OR dancing, this music fulfills a function much like drone music, in fact, it is a sort of drone music, the beats and throbs and pulses are like a segmented drone, a completely hypnotic static sound that carries us into oblivion.
Fluxion's Vibrant Forms just might be our favorite of the Chain Reaction bunch, the most skeletal, the most monochrome, the most everything minimal, it's like techno music composed by Steve Reich. Slowly shifting subtleties and barely drifting overtones, over a framework of repetition. Loops that shift ever so slightly, creating the sensation of change, while keeping us suspended, drifting, in a state of dreamlike suspension. Maybe one of our favorite "techno" records ever. Fans of Gas and the more rhythmic end of the Pop Ambient spectrum NEED this. As might the more daring dronesters amongst you...
MPEG Stream: "Lark"
MPEG Stream: "Hiatus"

FLUXION Vibrant Forms II (Chain Reaction) 2cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
At its best, techno is an effortless sound with the technician merely setting up parameters for drum machines, basslines, and melodic patterns that get subtle tweaks, filters, and modulations applied to them to keep everything from being static, locked grooves. Chain Reaction has been at the vanguarde of techno productions with a post-dub sound that modernizes the delayed tape hiss which eerily floated through Lee "Scratch" Perry's '70s production work. The process of creating the Chain Reaction sound was of course a digital one, giving a cold metallic patina to the ghostly patterns which hovered above a classic Detroit techno groove. The sound of Chain Reaction had been pioneered by artists like Monolake, Porter Ricks, and Vainquer -- all German artists who have since left the label for other pursuits. While not populated by Germans, Chain Reaction has still attracted artists whose agenda is to continue in the Chain Reaction sound. They may not be German, but they certainly sound it.
Fluxion's "Vibrant Forms II" stands out from the recent croppings of Chain Reaction with a set of grooves that could easily hail from Wolfgang Voigt's Kompakt series that has been coupled with the cold shimmer of the Chain Reaction sound. Like Gas' "Konigforst," I could listen to this all day and never get sick of it.
RealAudio clip: "Equilibrium"

FLUXION [spaces] (Vibrant Music) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A far cry from Fluxion's previous heroin house sounding discs for Chain Reaction, "[spaces]" may have been created with the same software, but is an incredibly slow moving affair with crawling digital rhythms being stretched out over expansive fields of synthetic grit. Somewhat like the isolationist pieces of Thomas Koner, who also contributed to the Chain Reaction discography with those seminal Porter Ricks records.
RealAudio clip: "Field 1"

FLYING LIZARDS Secret Dub Life of the Flying Lizards (Mister E) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
While the Flying Lizards are best remembered for their new wave / post punk antics in the '70s -- avantgarde electronic novelty covers of pop tunes, most famously the dub influenced tinkering of their jaunty version of "Money (That's What I Want)" from '79, they had a more serious interest in dub and experimentation as well. "The Secret Dub Life..." is an example of such that should not go unnoticed, and here we have a reissue to check out. The somewhat murky story is that back in 1978, Flying Lizards main man David Cunningham was given the chance to remix some tracks laid down by Jah Lloyd and some unidentified Jamaican musicians. Confronted with a mono master only (and with no fancy studio or samplers at his disposal) he had to be rather inventive with the mixes, doing them in his free time so that this album was only fully completed and released in 1995! (Although, his original experience with these mixes informed much of his subsequent work through the eighties, we're told in his liner notes.) Real nice, authentic sounding low-tech ambient dub stuff, loaded with weird sound effects, and really not at all like the Flying Lizards "hits" you may have heard.
MPEG Stream: "Preface"

FLYING LOTUS 1983 (Plug Research) cd 11.98
We fell so hard for the latest Flying Lotus release, Los Angeles, that we knew we had to go back and give the proper attention to his debut. We'd heard bits and pieces of it before but never really got to spend any quality time with. Until now.
Proving that his latest great record was not just some fluke, 1983 offers up for display lots of the roots and promise that would blossom into the powerful cosmic instrumental hip-hop/electronica that made the latest Flying Lotus release one of our favorites of the year. This disc, from a few years back, barely pales in comparison. While not quite as explosive and engaging as FL's newest record, it's still a skillfully crafted and delightful to listen to chunk of crunchy yet smooth flowing beats and melodies with equal nods to downtempo, hiphop, and electronica. Definitely the kind of record that should appeal to anyone into Madlib, Boards Of Canada, Prefuse 73 or even prime era Morr Music outings. Glad we took a moment to look back, as this is proving to be a record that deserves a home here at AQ and we hope on your shelves as well!
MPEG Stream: "1983"
MPEG Stream: "Orbit Brazil"
MPEG Stream: "Unexpected Delight (Feat. Laura Darlington)"

FLYING LOTUS 1983 (Plug Research) lp 16.98
Now available on vinyl!
We fell so hard for the latest Flying Lotus release, Los Angeles, that we knew we had to go back and give the proper attention to his debut. We'd heard bits and pieces of it before but never really got to spend any quality time with. Until now.
Proving that his latest great record was not just some fluke, 1983 offers up for display lots of the roots and promise that would blossom into the powerful cosmic instrumental hip-hop/electronica that made the latest Flying Lotus release one of our favorites of the year. This disc, from a few years back, barely pales in comparison. While not quite as explosive and engaging as FL's newest record, it's still a skillfully crafted and delightful to listen to chunk of crunchy yet smooth flowing beats and melodies with equal nods to downtempo, hiphop, and electronica. Definitely the kind of record that should appeal to anyone into Madlib, Boards Of Canada, Prefuse 73 or even prime era Morr Music outings. Glad we took a moment to look back, as this is proving to be a record that deserves a home here at AQ and we hope on your shelves as well!
MPEG Stream: "1983"
MPEG Stream: "Orbit Brazil"
MPEG Stream: "Unexpected Delight (Feat. Laura Darlington)"

FLYING LOTUS Los Angeles (Warp) cd 15.98
There is no doubt that this record is going to find itself near the top of many of our year end favorite lists. This is one of those rare records that on first listen you are grabbed by its immediacy & intensity and with each repeated listen you melt deeper into its richness. While just in his early 20's Steven Ellison (aka Flying Lotus) has crafted a record wise beyond his years. There is a fluidity and transcendence on Los Angeles that defies categorization. Call it instrumental hip-hop if you want, but these are songs that would sound right at home next to spiritual Afro-jazz, psychedelic soul and even dubstep. Taking inspiration from the late great J Dilla, Flying Lotus understands how to extract such punch and soul from all the sounds he takes and creates. Flying Lotus has a wide world vision that's as informed by Eastern grooves and psychedelia as it is hip-hop, electronica, video games and cartoon culture (he used to make music for Adult Swim). This is stirring many of the same emotions and excitement as when Four Tet released the Rounds record and in many ways it brings to the next level what so much of Prefuse 73 tries to do.
It actually didn't surprise us that much to find out that Ellison is the great nephew of Alice Coltrane as you can hear the amazing legacy of her spiritual and universal consciousness in the sounds that Flying Lotus create. In fact there are a few upfront Coltrane moments on the record including "Aunti's Harp" which is an all too short but beautiful majestic minute of Alice on the harp. Flying Lotus has found a spot next to Madlib as a much needed ambassador of someone taking hip-hop as a launching pad orbiting to such pleasing outer dimensions. In fact , some of us couldn't help but daydream about a Flying Lotus/Erykah Badu collaboration as they both are so tapped into a magical and exciting landscape of hip-hop & soul that soars in spiritual and psychedelic horizons. Filled with undeniable passion and of course highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Camel"
MPEG Stream: "Riot"
MPEG Stream: "Golden Diva"

FLYING LOTUS Los Angeles (Warp) lp 21.00
There is no doubt that this record is going to find itself near the top of many of our year end favorite lists. This is one of those rare records that on first listen you are grabbed by its immediacy & intensity and with each repeated listen you melt deeper into its richness. While just in his early 20's Steven Ellison (aka Flying Lotus) has crafted a record wise beyond his years. There is a fluidity and transcendence on Los Angeles that defies categorization. Call it instrumental hip-hop if you want, but these are songs that would sound right at home next to spiritual Afro-jazz, psychedelic soul and even dubstep. Taking inspiration from the late great J Dilla, Flying Lotus understands how to extract such punch and soul from all the sounds he takes and creates. Flying Lotus has a wide world vision that's as informed by Eastern grooves and psychedelia as it is hip-hop, electronica, video games and cartoon culture (he used to make music for Adult Swim). This is stirring many of the same emotions and excitement as when Four Tet released the Rounds record and in many ways it brings to the next level what so much of Prefuse 73 tries to do.
It actually didn't surprise us that much to find out that Ellison is the great nephew of Alice Coltrane as you can hear the amazing legacy of her spiritual and universal consciousness in the sounds that Flying Lotus create. In fact there are a few upfront Coltrane moments on the record including "Aunti's Harp" which is an all too short but beautiful majestic minute of Alice on the harp. Flying Lotus has found a spot next to Madlib as a much needed ambassador of someone taking hip-hop as a launching pad orbiting to such pleasing outer dimensions. In fact , some of us couldn't help but daydream about a Flying Lotus/Erykah Badu collaboration as they both are so tapped into a magical and exciting landscape of hip-hop & soul that soars in spiritual and psychedelic horizons. Filled with undeniable passion and of course highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Camel"
MPEG Stream: "Riot"
MPEG Stream: "Golden Diva"

FOG 10th Avenue Freakout (Lex) cd 15.98
Whoa Fog, we almost mistook your latest full length for a Beck album! Mind you, not any that Mr. Hansen's released to date, but sorta like one that he might make in an alternate universe. And with regards to the album's title, we wanna let you know that we haven't really registered much of a freakout here. If there were any, they must've been deeply internalized. No, this is slouchy, boyish, shufflin' about. They've always had indie rock leanings, but 10th Avenue Freakout pushes the farthest in that direction to date. Still very eclectic though, and much more cohesive than their previous release, the meandering Hummer EP.
MPEG Stream: "Can You Believe It?"
MPEG Stream: "Goody Gumdrops"

FOG Check Fraud (Ninja Tune) 12" 9.98
A nice 12" from Fog, the one man band from Minneapolis that sits expertly astride the line separating "rock" from "electronica". Gorgeous strummed guitar gives Check Fraud its texture, while numerous sonic interruptions, vocal snippets, and bloopy bleeps enhance it. Kid Koala provides a stunning remix of the piece, slowing it down and making the melody even more pretty and sweet. Very nice. Good for DJs. I'm going to spin this for sure.

FOG s/t (Ninja Tune) cd 15.98
In early 2001 Windy got really into the original release of the Fog record, which I guess we and a few stores in Minneapolis carried, and that's it. Well, the fine and talented folk at Ninjatune signed Fog, and here's a re-release of the album, plus three extra tracks, one of which features Dose of the Anticon hip hop crew.
Fog is a one-man project out of Minneapolis that takes you on a journey through said guy's twisted brain. As evidenced by the preponderance of mournful, epic guitarwork on the record, Andrew Broder's background is certainly with guitar-based rock music, but hey it's the new millenium now and samplers have changed everything. Thus the record begins with a spoken piece by hip hop emcee MF Doom, followed by a lengthy tornado of manic samples and swirling percussion. The tension's got you half expecting the breakbeats to kick in at that point (yeah, that's how much this record's first few minutes sound like a DJ Shadow or other Mo'Wax record), but instead you get Beck-like stuttering beats and languid, albeit heavily processed, vocals. In fact this reminds us a lot of Beck (who in fact came in a few weeks ago with Dan the Automator and they both bought the Fog 12"). A bevy of swiped genres battle one another throughout the record, turntablist scratching overtakes doom-laden moans, Broder indulges his inner DJ's penchant for using sampled vocal snippets to carry on an album-length narrative, and it all finally culminates in a nine minute impassioned aching guitarsong at the end that reminds us of Joel Phelps or Rex. Eclectic indeed! In a good way. It's not perfect, but we still recommend it.
BTW, this The Fog is no relation to J. Mascis' similarly named band.
RealAudio clip: "Glory (w/Dose)"
RealAudio clip: "The Smell of Failure"
RealAudio clip: "Hitting a Wall Blues"
RealAudio clip: "The Truth in the Laughing Gas"

FOG s/t (Ninja Tune) lp 15.98
In early 2001 Windy got really into the original release of the Fog record, which I guess we and a few stores in Minneapolis carried, and that's it. Well, the fine and talented folk at Ninjatune signed Fog, and here's a re-release of the album, plus three extra tracks, one of which features Dose of the Anticon hip hop crew.
Fog is a one-man project out of Minneapolis that takes you on a journey through said guy's twisted brain. As evidenced by the preponderance of mournful, epic guitarwork on the record, Andrew Broder's background is certainly with guitar-based rock music, but hey it's the new millenium now and samplers have changed everything. Thus the record begins with a spoken piece by hip hop emcee MF Doom, followed by a lengthy tornado of manic samples and swirling percussion. The tension's got you half expecting the breakbeats to kick in at that point (yeah, that's how much this record's first few minutes sound like a DJ Shadow or other Mo'Wax record), but instead you get Beck-like stuttering beats and languid, albeit heavily processed, vocals. In fact this reminds us a lot of Beck (who in fact came in a few weeks ago with Dan the Automator and they both bought the Fog 12"). A bevy of swiped genres battle one another throughout the record, turntablist scratching overtakes doom-laden moans, Broder indulges his inner DJ's penchant for using sampled vocal snippets to carry on an album-length narrative, and it all finally culminates in a nine minute impassioned aching guitarsong at the end that reminds us of Joel Phelps or Rex. Eclectic indeed! In a good way. It's not perfect, but we still recommend it.
BTW, this The Fog is no relation to J. Mascis' similarly named band.

FON Proof (Werkzeug / Mego) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
The ultra-electronic parasitic duo Fon regurgitates the technological mutilations of wired arrangements of broken televisions, microwaves, metal detectors, etc. within piercing electronic architectural rhythmic packages. Released in conjunction with the Viennese conceptual electronics thinktank Mego, mutant electronics and digital glitch worship abound.

FONN Field 831 (Fat Cat) cd 16.98
Around these parts (Aquarius), 'post-rock' has become sort of a dirty word, synonymous with 'adult contemporary' or worse 'really bad jazz'. Yet a few gems have escaped the black hole that is Tortoise's all encompassing influence on the current state of indie rock, and done something interesting... Fridge's latest album "Eph" being one, and another being Fonn's "Field 831". Fonn's sonics do touch on the jazzy rhythmic elements of the Chicago scene, but employ the experimental spirit of Faust and bring a number of space rock guitar tricks to the realm of electronica, not unlike Bowery Electric.

FOOD Last Supper (Rune Grammofon) cd 16.98
4th album from Norweigan avant-fusioneers, 2nd for Rune G.

FOOD Veggie (Rune Grammofon) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Norway's Rune Grammofon label has become one of those imprints whose releases we ALWAYS have to pay attention to -- and not just 'cause of the lovely packaging courtesy artist/designer Kim Hiorthoy in which they are invariably resplendent, but because they are often quite excellent. As is this one, Food's "Veggie" (housed in, of course, a handsome Hiorthoy digipack). Apparently it's the third album from this experimental jazz group. The other two, unheard by us, were live recordings, but with "Veggie" Food move into the studio, and not just any: the "Audio Virus Lab" of Norwegian sound artist Deathprod. In the context of Helge "Deathprod" Sten's electronics-infused production, this becomes something rather other than normal "jazz". It's experimental indeed. Led by British saxophonist Iain Ballamy, the Food quartet also features Supersilent's Arve Henriksen on trumpet, Mats Eilertsen on acoustic and electric basses, and Thomas Stronen on drums (and most of 'em are also credited with "sampler", so it's not just Deathprod doing the electronicky stuff).
If you count Mr. Deathprod, who is also a Supersilent member (and who actually gets a whole track here, "Nofood", all to himself), this band is 2/5ths Supersilent, and boy, do we love Supersilent -- they're our favorite Norwegian "death-jazz" improv n' electronics group. So already we were anticipating good things from "Veggie", and you don't have to listen for very long to encounter echoes of Arve Henriksen's breathy solo album "Sakuteiki", the glacial drones of Supersilent's "5", and the electronic chaos of Supersilent's "1-3" as well. Bubbling underneath with electro-acoustic beats and drones, this is spacey, lyrical, melodic, 21st century jazz, establishing a range of moods from a mellow Miles Davis trumpet at sunset looking over a North Sea fjord kind of thing to more abrasive, paranoid glitching and shrieking experience... Really nice. Good, and good for you.
RealAudio clip: "Tofu"
RealAudio clip: "Veg"
RealAudio clip: "Chickpea"

FOOD , DJ Kaleidoscope (Ninja Tune) cd 16.98
DJ Food's trip hop ironies appear not so tongue in cheek now, as if the jokes once required within the hip hop tricknological breaks to be a Ninja Tune record aren't a part of the matured DJ Food. Filmic scores of sweeping strings, stand-up basslines, and so-downtempo-you-gotta-be-stoned breaks. In spite of the seductive spoken poetry of Ken Nordine, there's an atmosphere of sadness that pervades the moody theatricality of this album. Nice.

FOOD, DJ A Dub Plate of Food (Ninja Tune) cd 9.98
It's been a longtime since we've heard from DJ Food, and the funkjaztikally tricknological lingusitics of DJ Food have certainly been missed. Working on one track with the seductive baritone spoken word of Ken "Colors" Nordine, DJ Food lays down four tracks of slippery noirish trip hop that would make Barry Adamson proud.

FOOD, DJ A Dub Plate of Food (Ninja Tune) 2x10" 11.98
It's been a longtime since we've heard from DJ Food, and the funkjaztikally tricknological lingusitics of DJ Food have certainly been missed. Working on one track with the seductive baritone spoken word of Ken "Colors" Nordine, DJ Food lays down four tracks of slippery noirish trip hop that would make Barry Adamson proud.

FOOD, DJ A Recipe for Disaster (Ninja Tune) cd 14.98
'U.K. co-conspirators Jonathan Moore and Matt Black record under a variety of names, including Hedfunk, Coldcut, Hex, and their more widely known moniker, DJ Food. A Recipe For Disaster is a collection of tracks--some old, some new--incorporating everything from lazy, ambient hip-hop to smoking R&B/funk to blazing, hyperkinetic jungle. Headz who've peeped the pair's past releases on the Funkjazztical Tricknology compilation and the handful of releases on their own Ninja Tune and Ntone labels will be pleased to know that the relentless experimenters have not rested on the laurels of their early successes (which include everything from the legendary "7 Minutes Of Madness" remix of Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid In Full" to cuts for Lisa Stansfield and Yaz, to full-length club gear such as Coldcut's Philosophy LP) ... Recipe is among Black and Moore's most listenable efforts to date, repaying repeated listening with a good mix of body and mind--sex music for the booksmart.' --Sean Cooper

FOOD, DJ Quadraplex EP (Ninja Tune) cd ep 8.98
Yay! With all the drama of DJ Shadow's seminal early single "What Does Your Soul Look Like", DJ Food's new EP on the always-dependable Ninjatune label is a 16-minute masterpiece of tension, buildup, and release. But where Shadow uses hip hop as a template with which to venture outwards, DJ Food beautifully manhandles post-rock. (And thank god, seeing how post-rock's been behaving badly lately.) This is the record Tortoise should've made. Filled with sounds of glass -- rims being rubbed, sustained chimes, etc. -- the record begins with four minutes of atmospheric minimalism that sounds like you're in deep silent outer space... and then Mr. Spock radios in (really) with some deep words and you realize you ARE in deep space. With a swoosh of broken glass, the drums kick in, brightly echoing layers of active breakbeats John McEntire probably has wet dreams over. The album concludes serenely with warm glass chimes. It's so lovely, a wonderfully refreshing surprise. Highly recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Hour Glass"
RealAudio clip: "Monocle (Silver Dub)"
RealAudio clip: "Shattered Glass"

FORMBY, RICHARD Vol. 1 (Mind Expansion) cd 12.98
Richard Formby is someone you are probably less familiar with than most of the bands he has worked with: Vibracathedral Orchestra, The Telescopes, The Jazz Butcher Conspiracy, Fuxa, Mogwai, Spaceman 3, Dean & Britta, The Pale Saints, Hood, the list goes on. Known mostly as a producer and remixer for the past twenty years, this is his first release as a musician, and we're surprised it's taken so long as this is really quite good. Part of a planned three volume set, Volume 1 is comprised of 8 instrumental compositions perfect for a blissful night-drive. From the motorik propulsions of "Karoli" (a memorium to Can's Michael Karoli), the minimalist groove of "Oscillate", the cinematic "Universi", and the wistful chamber pop of "Crater Ives" to the dreamy loping drones of the 20 minute final track, "The Church Bells at Filey". Recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Karoli"
MPEG Stream: "The Seveneight"
MPEG Stream: "Crater Ives"

FORREST, JASON Lady Fantasy (Soniq) cd ep 10.98
We see that the press release for this new ep from WFMU DJ Jason Forrest (nee Donna Summer) mentions that his previous full-length The Unrelenting Songs Of The 1979 Post Disco Crash "surprised many with its revolutionary rock-disco sample ideology". Well, yeah, it was pretty cool if that's what they mean! We dig Forrest's "rock-disco sample ideology" quite a bit! So now he's back with a teaser for his next full-length. There's four tracks here (with a bonus fifth on the vinyl only), starting off with a blissfully droney piece entitled "The Work Ahead Of Us" that's got the "feedback guitar" of none other than David Grubbs on it somewhere, for some reason. You can't tell it's Grubbs of course, but it is a nice shimmery cut, though not what we expect from Forrest exactly -- but what we expect (mash-up madness!) does for sure come into play on the next (title) track, a computer-assisted collison of prog and jazz, chaotically cut up and then synth-smoothed. Following that, there's "The Lure Of You" which sees Forrest collaborating with vocalist Margareth Kamerer for a schizophrenically new-wavey *and* folky pop number. Lastly, "Sperry And Foil" wraps things up with eight minutes of blenderized beats and snatches of spacey melody, including a sample of something we really like that we totally know but just can't quite put our fingers on right this second -- what is it? Some krautrock electronics, or Joe Meek or something? Argh it's gonna drive us crazy. You'd think that if Grubbs and Kamerer are gonna be credited, this significant sample should be too.... wait a sec, we figured it out, it's Neu! Anyway, the track is great, a little more manic than something DJ Shadow would do, but not that far from his stuff really. A nice lil' ep then, and we're looking forward to the upcoming album!
MPEG Stream: "Sperry And Foil"
MPEG Stream: "The Work Ahead Of Us"

FORREST, JASON Lady Fantasy (Soniq) 12" 10.98
We see that the press release for this new ep from WFMU DJ Jason Forrest (nee Donna Summer) mentions that his previous full-length The Unrelenting Songs Of The 1979 Post Disco Crash "surprised many with its revolutionary rock-disco sample ideology". Well, yeah, it was pretty cool if that's what they mean! We dig Forrest's "rock-disco sample ideology" quite a bit! So now he's back with a teaser for his next full-length. There's four tracks here (with a bonus fifth on the vinyl only), starting off with a blissfully droney piece entitled "The Work Ahead Of Us" that's got the "feedback guitar" of none other than David Grubbs on it somewhere, for some reason. You can't tell it's Grubbs of course, but it is a nice shimmery cut, though not what we expect from Forrest exactly -- but what we expect (mash-up madness!) does for sure come into play on the next (title) track, a computer-assisted collison of prog and jazz, chaotically cut up and then synth-smoothed. Following that, there's "The Lure Of You" which sees Forrest collaborating with vocalist Margareth Kamerer for a schizophrenically new-wavey *and* folky pop number. Lastly, "Sperry And Foil" wraps things up with eight minutes of blenderized beats and snatches of spacey melody, including a sample of something we really like that we totally know but just can't quite put our fingers on right this second -- what is it? Some krautrock electronics, or Joe Meek or something? Argh it's gonna drive us crazy. You'd think that if Grubbs and Kamerer are gonna be credited, this significant sample should be too.... wait a sec, we figured it out, it's Neu! Anyway, the track is great, a little more manic than something DJ Shadow would do, but not that far from his stuff really. A nice lil' ep then, and we're looking forward to the upcoming album!
MPEG Stream: "Sperry And Foil"
MPEG Stream: "The Work Ahead Of Us"

FORREST, JASON Shamelessly Exciting (Sonig) cd 14.98
We love the mashed up million beats per minute ragga jungle drum 'n bass spazzcore as much as the next guy. Breakbeats chopped to bits and re-assembled into unplayable-by-humans hyperspeed electronic grind. Can't get enough. But anyone with a computer can whip up a earsplitting storm of beats and NOISE. There are of course a select few who approach their beats and samples and fist-to-the-face aggression as if they were, well, WRITING SONGS. Obviously this stuff is not for the dance floor, and as much as we love a huge slab of all out white hot sonic mayhem, a deft touch and some strange ideas applied to the very same ingredients can result in something truly amazing. The most recent Venetian Snares is a perfect example, dizzyingly complex drill and bass perfectly placed amidst gorgeous strings and melancholy melodies. And now Mr. Jason Forrest, formerly known in electronic music circles as Donna Summer, has decided to take his own personal splattery drumfuck brutality and temper it with songs, pop songs, vocalists, guitars, some serious HOOKS. Every track on here is still an amazing piece of masterful slicing and dicing, a busy blur of sample upon sample, beats careening wildly into other beats, getting all tangled up into gnarled chunks of dense rhythm and strange lumps of rock guitars and clipped vocals. Each track sounds like it was assembled from someone with ADD whipping through the classic rock stations on the radio dial, lots of wild guitar leads, wailing rock vocalists, throbbing rock bass, groovy pianos, shuffling jazzy interludes, full on rock freakouts, snippets of Steely Dan, Blondie and about a million more almost recognizable samples and of course lots of incredibly dense and un-funky and completely unhinged drum programming. Country chantuese Laura Cantrell sings on one of the prettiest tracks, her gorgeous croon, laid atop a smeary blur of glitchy beats and hiccupping grooves, purloined from seventies AM radio. But that's merely the calm before, and after, and between the storms! Soon you're back on a bucking bronco made from every song you loved in highschool tossed in a blender, careening wildly through dense thickets of heavy metal guitar, prickly drum and bass, walls of guitar solos, cheezy synth jams, and old school funk grooves, creepy childlike vocals, and of course the kitchen sink. This is one of those records that seems too busy and too overwhelmingly jam packed to be at all listenable, but somehow Forrest manages to take all those parts and tie 'em up with a big red bow. Shamelessly Exciting indeed!
MPEG Stream: "The Walls Of The City Shake"
MPEG Stream: "New Wave Folk Austerity"
MPEG Stream: "Nightclothes And Headphones"

FORREST, JASON Shamelessly Exciting (Sonig) lp 14.98
We love the mashed up million beats per minute ragga jungle drum 'n bass spazzcore as much as the next guy. Breakbeats chopped to bits and re-assembled into unplayable-by-humans hyperspeed electronic grind. Can't get enough. But anyone with a computer can whip up a earsplitting storm of beats and NOISE. There are of course a select few who approach their beats and samples and fist-to-the-face aggression as if they were, well, WRITING SONGS. Obviously this stuff is not for the dance floor, and as much as we love a huge slab of all out white hot sonic mayhem, a deft touch and some strange ideas applied to the very same ingredients can result in something truly amazing. The most recent Venetian Snares is a perfect example, dizzyingly complex drill and bass perfectly placed amidst gorgeous strings and melancholy melodies. And now Mr. Jason Forrest, formerly known in electronic music circles as Donna Summer, has decided to take his own personal splattery drumfuck brutality and temper it with songs, pop songs, vocalists, guitars, some serious HOOKS. Every track on here is still an amazing piece of masterful slicing and dicing, a busy blur of sample upon sample, beats careening wildly into other beats, getting all tangled up into gnarled chunks of dense rhythm and strange lumps of rock guitars and clipped vocals. Each track sounds like it was assembled from someone with ADD whipping through the classic rock stations on the radio dial, lots of wild guitar leads, wailing rock vocalists, throbbing rock bass, groovy pianos, shuffling jazzy interludes, full on rock freakouts, snippets of Steely Dan, Blondie and about a million more almost recognizable samples and of course lots of incredibly dense and un-funky and completely unhinged drum programming. Country chantuese Laura Cantrell sings on one of the prettiest tracks, her gorgeous croon, laid atop a smeary blur of glitchy beats and hiccupping grooves, purloined from seventies AM radio. But that's merely the calm before, and after, and between the storms! Soon you're back on a bucking bronco made from every song you loved in highschool tossed in a blender, careening wildly through dense thickets of heavy metal guitar, prickly drum and bass, walls of guitar solos, cheezy synth jams, and old school funk grooves, creepy childlike vocals, and of course the kitchen sink. This is one of those records that seems too busy and too overwhelmingly jam packed to be at all listenable, but somehow Forrest manages to take all those parts and tie 'em up with a big red bow. Shamelessly Exciting indeed!
MPEG Stream: "The Walls Of The City Shake"
MPEG Stream: "New Wave Folk Austerity"
MPEG Stream: "Nightclothes And Headphones"

FORREST, JASON / DONNA SUMMER Mastadon Razor / 100% Goodiepal (LJUD) 7" 9.98

FORT LAUDERDALE 1001 Revolutions (Worm Interface) cd 17.98
Fort Lauderdale's '1001 Revolutions' could easily be a lost DJ Food or Depth Charge album of funky breaks (some which sound as if they're live) and catchy film noir melodies.

FOUR TET DJ Kicks (Studio K7) cd 17.98
Most DJ mix cd's end up leaving us a bit cold. Either the selections are too obvious, or the need to scratch and make it "funky" kind of kills the mood and wastes the good tracks that might be there. But leave it to Kieren Hebden (aka Four Tet) to get it just right! We would kill to walk into a club to find him behind the decks. Especially if this is the stuff that was flowing from the speakers. His taste is pretty damn immaculate and refreshingly varied as well. Starting off with the avant pioneer David Behrman (cofounder of Sonic Arts Union) and along the way dipping into everything from Heldon, Curtis Mayfield, Gong, Madvillian, Cabaret Voltaire, Heiner Stadler, Stereolab and so much more. Like the best DJ's, Hebden is a master of timing, pacing and flow. Seamlessly spinning from an early '80s electro jam to a classic Nonesuch explorer series track from Zimbabwe like they were always meant to be side by side. Keeping your body twitching and your synapses firing... what else could you want from a DJ? Highly recommended!!!
MPEG Stream: "Les Soucoupes Volantes Vertes (Heldon)"
MPEG Stream: "Taireva (Shona People Of Rhodesia)"
MPEG Stream: "Leapday Night, Scene 1 (David Behrman)"

FOUR TET Everything Ecstatic (Domino) cd 16.98
Everything Ecstatic introduces an unexpected, fresh direction for Four Tet. We haveta say though that the title does seem somewhat incongruous with the music. After referring to the dictionary, we wouldn't say this album evokes: 1. a state of being beyond reason and self-control; 2. a state of overwhelming emotion; especially: rapturous delight; 3. trance; especially: a mystic or prophetic trance; nor 4. a synthetic amphetamine analogue... (with) mood-enhancing and hallucinogenic properties. Nope, none of the above. Really, that title seems like it would've been more fitting for any of Kieran Hebden's previous releases. The song titles are oddly playful and sweet too. Weird, maybe Hebden was ON ecstacy when he was naming stuff and deciding on the kooky album art?! Hmmm. Anyways, after a consistent stream of well-crafted, dreamy, shimmery electronica, Hebden (also of Fridge) has allowed the storm clouds to build. This is a much darker, heavier and even funkier Four Tet, encorporating considerably more aggressive rhythms and ominous sounds (for instance deep resonant chimes replace delicate tinkly cymbal washes). Edges are harder, resulting in tracks that come across as more sturdily constructed and defined. It's not a complete transformation however, you'll still find some of the old Four Tet loveliness lingering.
MPEG Stream: "A Joy"
MPEG Stream: "Turtle Turtle Up"

FOUR TET Everything Ecstatic (Domino) 2lp 21.00
Everything Ecstatic introduces an unexpected, fresh direction for Four Tet. We haveta say though that the title does seem somewhat incongruous with the music. After referring to the dictionary, we wouldn't say this album evokes: 1. a state of being beyond reason and self-control; 2. a state of overwhelming emotion; especially: rapturous delight; 3. trance; especially: a mystic or prophetic trance; nor 4. a synthetic amphetamine analogue... (with) mood-enhancing and hallucinogenic properties. Nope, none of the above. Really, that title seems like it would've been more fitting for any of Kieran Hebden's previous releases. The song titles are oddly playful and sweet too. Weird, maybe Hebden was ON ecstacy when he was naming stuff and deciding on the kooky album art?! Hmmm. Anyways, after a consistent stream of well-crafted, dreamy, shimmery electronica, Hebden (also of Fridge) has allowed the storm clouds to build. This is a much darker, heavier and even funkier Four Tet, encorporating considerably more aggressive rhythms and ominous sounds (for instance deep resonant chimes replace delicate tinkly cymbal washes). Edges are harder, resulting in tracks that come across as more sturdily constructed and defined. It's not a complete transformation however, you'll still find some of the old Four Tet loveliness lingering.
MPEG Stream: "A Joy"
MPEG Stream: "Turtle Turtle Up"

FOUR TET Everything Ecstatic - Films & Part 2 (Domino) 2cd 15.98
Geez, should we be calling this release Four Tet's 'black' album? Besides the predominant color of the cover art, the music contained within is some of the darkest to date from Mr. Kieran Hebden aka Four tet. This album follows up his Everything Ecstatic 'white' album which came out last summer, and which offered some hints as to the heavier, edgier direction in which he was apparently heading. This jam-packed Part 2 is comprised of a dvd filled with videos and animated bits plus a cd with five new tracks (including radically expanded and revised versions of a couple of numbers from Part 1). We'll cheekily propose that the second track places Hebden firmly in the running to uproot Philip Glass from his Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack throne. These thirty five minutes of music are at times meditative and hypnotic, at others highly kinetic and frenetic. In fact, there's an explosive segment around the ten minute mark of the lengthy lead-off "Turtle Turtle Up" during which it wouldn't be at all surprising for a big pink stuffed teddy bear to drop from the ceiling amid a cloud of streamers, confetti, bells and whistles. Yay, you win!
MPEG Stream: "Turtle Turtle Up (Extended Version)"
MPEG Stream: "Sun Drums And Soil (Part 2)"

FOUR TET My Angel Rocks Back And Forth (Domino) cd + dvd 13.98
My Angel Rocks Back and Forth delivers pleasant, slightly sweet, non-threatening electronica by Fridge's post-rocker, Kieren Hebden. The sound is minimal and ambient using broken chimes, a little backwards feedback and a DJ Shadow kickdrum. This album is more just contemplative than overly challenging. Some very pleasant listening. It also includes a DVD disc featuring four music videos!
MPEG Stream: "My Angel Rocks Back and Forth"
MPEG Stream: "All the Chimers"

FOUR TET No More Mosquitoes (Domino) cd ep 10.98
As a companion piece to Four Tet's newest full length Pause, this 4-track EP is a nice bit of more of the same, which is to say it's a wonderful mix of electronica and organic sounds. Four Tet is the solo work of one Kieran Hebden, also of Fridge. Just one song in common with the full length Pause (which you should get before this). For fans of Mouse on Mars and Aphex Twin and Fridge.
RealAudio clip: "Look After Your Mermaid"
RealAudio clip: "Flon"

FOUR TET No More Mosquitoes (Domino) 12" 11.98
As a companion piece to Four Tet's newest full length Pause, this 4-track EP is a nice bit of more of the same, which is to say it's a wonderful mix of electronica and organic sounds. Four Tet is the solo work of one Kieran Hebden, also of Fridge. Just one song in common with the full length Pause (which you should get before this). For fans of Mouse on Mars and Aphex Twin and Fridge.

FOUR TET Pause (Domino) cd 15.98
Hey! At last, a domestic version of this popular record, so it's not $21 any more! Here's what we said about the otherwise identical import: Kieran Hebden, Putney, London-based wunderkind, has released some lastingly beautiful records as part of Fridge (whose amazing Eph was Windy's #1 album of 1999). Four Tet is his solo project. A little more "electronic" than the post-rock Fridge, this is very high quality stuff. Sure, it will appeal to those of us who like usual suspects Boards of Canada, Oval, To Rococo Rot and Mouse on Mars, but in between all that nice electronica, he's also programmed the sounds of harps and chimes and bells, hollow metallic percussion, fingerpicked guitar, childlike voices, harpsichord-like tinniness -- all melding into a very charming, murky yet light, introspective album that hints more than it conveys (in a good way) as if each song is a "prelude" to a more bombastic piece that we don't get to hear. There's a lot of rhythm and enough smatterings of lightly-used beats to hold the whole thing together, keeping it interesting and not overly abstract. For a guy who's only like, 21 or something, his music sounds so assured and finished and well-executed, in contrast to the MANY MANY demos we tend to get from folks with their hearts in the right places but the musical maturity of someone who picked up a sampler 3 months ago. Four Tet delivers. Highly recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Twenty Three"
RealAudio clip: "Hilarious Movie of the 90's"

FOUR TET Paws Remixes (Domino) cd ep 6.98
From Kieran Hebden of Fridge comes a remix ep ("Paws") from his latest album ("Pause") under the moniker of Four Tet. Four tracks, including remixes by Konshik, Manitoba, and Boom Bip (who makes the most unpalatable song from Pause, that "No More Mosquitoes" song, actually listenable.)

FOUR TET Paws Remixes (Domino) 12" 9.98
From Kieran Hebden of Fridge comes a remix ep ("Paws") from his latest album ("Pause") under the moniker of Four Tet. Four tracks, including remixes by Konshik, Manitoba, and Boom Bip (who makes the most unpalatable song from Pause, that "No More Mosquitoes" song, actually listenable.)

FOUR TET Remixes (Domino) 2cd 15.98
Kieren Hebden keeps himself busy, and it's a good thing 'cause most of what he keeps himself busy doing results in some really incredible, inventive music. Besides making great Four Tet records, he's also slowly piecing together a new album with his old band Fridge, collaborating with free jazz legend Steve Reid and of course lending his imaginative remixing skills to the work of other artists. This 2-cd collection features one disc of remixes Hebden did, while the other disc is remixes Hebden had done TO his band. Both discs are awesome! Disc one features Hebden working his magic on tracks from Radiohead, Madvillain, His Name Is Alive, Aphex Twin, Rothko, Bloc Party, Pole, Beth Orton and more. While the bands chose to remix Hebden include Jay Dee, Manitoba, Battles, and Boom Bip among others.
MPEG Stream: LARS HORNTVETH "Tics (four tet rmx)"
MPEG Stream: RADIOHEAD "Skttrbrain (four tet rmx)"
MPEG Stream: FOUR TET "A Joy (battles rmx)"

FOUR TET Ringer (Domino) cd ep 10.98
This is the most minimal and repetitive sound we've heard from Four Tet and we are loving it! Taking inspiration from 20th Century composers as well as minimal techno, Ringer finds Kieren Hebden back in the saddle as one of the premier forces in all of electronic music. The ep seems to be the perfect format for Hebden to really dive in and explore a new direction as he does so perfectly on Ringer. The songs are long enough to really reel you in, yet once the record is over you want to press play again right away and get swept away into the melodic trance that Four Tet so effortlessly creates in these four songs. Imagine if someone gave glow sticks and ketamine to Steve Reich and Terry Riley. Hmmm? We've always been fans of Four Tet in the past and while we haven't been as absorbed by the last couple records, this one is making us jump right back on board as big time fans once again!
MPEG Stream: "Ringer"
MPEG Stream: "Swimmer"

FOUR TET Ringer (Domino) lp 16.98
Now available on nice thick vinyl!
This is the most minimal and repetitive sound we've heard from Four Tet and we are loving it! Taking inspiration from 20th Century composers as well as minimal techno, Ringer finds Kieren Hebden back in the saddle as one of the premier forces in all of electronic music. The ep seems to be the perfect format for Hebden to really dive in and explore a new direction as he does so perfectly on Ringer. The songs are long enough to really reel you in, yet once the record is over you want to press play again right away and get swept away into the melodic trance that Four Tet so effortlessly creates in these four songs. Imagine if someone gave glow sticks and ketamine to Steve Reich and Terry Riley. Hmmm? We've always been fans of Four Tet in the past and while we haven't been as absorbed by the last couple records, this one is making us jump right back on board as big time fans once again!
MPEG Stream: "Ringer"
MPEG Stream: "Swimmer"

FOUR TET Rounds (Domino) cd 15.98
The super pretty and stirring full length from Four Tet begins with what sounds like a muted irregular heartbeat, the track then gradually fans out into an airy mingling of drum beat shuffles, glinting wistful piano melodies, chimey sparkles, reedy (oboe?) bleets, an occasional groovy bassline and a smattering of odd buzzing jolts. Actually the latter which happens only early on in the album closely resembles that sound when you slip up while playing that old board game Operation, and they're what keep the listener from completely drifting off on the mesmerizing lake of Four Tet. No complaints though, this album is quite simply a delight - layer upon layer of shimmering goodness that draws a very warm response every time we've played it in the store.
MPEG Stream: "Unspoken"
MPEG Stream: "As Serious As Your Life"

FRANK HEISS presents...370 degrees (Blue Planet) cd 17.98
For fans of Plug and Two Lone Swordsmen, pleasant, bubbling, mellow neo-electro.

FREE BLOOD Never Hear Surf Music Again (Rong / DFA) 12" 8.98
Latest single by former members of !!!.

FREEFORM Audiotourism: Original Music Vietnam And China (Quatermass) cd 15.98

FREEFORM Audiotourism: Original Music Vietnam And China Vol. 2 Remix (Quatermass) cd 16.98

FREEFORM Audiotourism: Original Music Vietnam And China Vol. 2 Remix (Quatermass) 2lp 16.98

FREEFORM Outside In (Skam) cd 17.98

FREIBAND Homeward (Bottrop-Boy) cd 15.98
Freiband is the most recent project of Frans De Waard, the Dutch chameleon whose collection of musical projects/recordings so far is larger than most musician's entire output. Yet to De Waard's credit, each project attempts to be its own entity with an intellect and an aesthetic all its own. Freiband finds De Waard working by himself, but everything that he uses on the Freiband albums is either stolen or borrowed... from the source material, to the software, to the equipment, to the compositional ideas, etc. Yet, De Waard is quick to point out that Freiband is not an example of the Plunderphonia of John Oswald or Wobbly. Musically, "Homeward" - the second Freiband album - is firmly entrenched in the ephemeral digital errata of Stephan Mathieu and Ekkehard Ehlers with a more pronounced sense of digital rhythms over the atmospheric drone; but unlike those two artists who have been forthright in who they had been paying homage to and / or remixing, De Waard doesn't allow us any insight into the origin of his 'stolen' samples, other than stating that Freiband pilfers from the "music of his youth." So the question remains, why tell us you're committing a felony when you're not letting us check out the stolen goods? Regardless of this conceptual conundrum, De Waard's "Homeward" is a solid album.
RealAudio clip: "A67-A11"
RealAudio clip: "Swing"

FREIBAND Microbes (Ritornell) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Freiband is the project of 'borrowed ideas' from the ubiquitous Frans De Waard, whose name has worked under the names Goem, Beequeen, Kapotte Muziek, Captain Black, Quest, Shifts, and probably a couple of other monikers. The process that De Waard borrowed for this album was Asmus Tietchens' technique of manually running pieces of magnetic tape (which in this case were borrowed from his recent sessions with Beequeen) back and forth over the heads of multi-track tape decks. Thus De Waard began with a series of squiggles and scratches which he then reconstituted and deconstructed through various digital programs (which he borrowed from a few friends of his). De Waard's end results are probably some of the best work that he's done in a really, really long time, as he has developed an album of ominously skittering drones and soiled ambience, mutated with a very nice use of time stretching, square wave generation, and staccato delay patterns. "Microbes" could easily be the impossible, absurdist project of Maurizio Bianchi remixing John Hudak's microscopic compositions into distant thundercracks and muffled mortar explosions.
RealAudio clip: "Remember"
RealAudio clip: "Echo"