V/A Space And Time (Hotflush) cd 21.00

V/A Space Oddities: Alexis Le-Tan & Jess Present A Compilation Of Rare European Library Grooves 1975-1984 (Permanent Vacation) cd 32.00

V/A Spacelines: Sonic Sounds for Subterraneans (New Atlantis Studio) cd 17.98
Everyone knows we at aQuarius love us some comps. That much should be clear on pretty much any list, and lately we've gotten some interesting compilations that place a new and different emphasis on things instead of merely throwing together a bunch of great tracks from whatever genre. The ones that stand out the clearest are the recent Dirty Water albums, which include artists who aren't necessarily "punk" in the '77 studded leather jacket way, but undoubtedly punk as fuck in their iconoclastic assault on the status quo. That's why you'll find Albert Ayler next to Captain Beefheart and Mott the Hoople, artists that inspired the great big giant fuck you to society that we all know and love. With Spacelines, we have a particularly intriguing batch of tunes put together by none other than Sonic Boom himself, and anyone in love with Spacemen 3, Spectrum, or Spiritualized (sorry Sonic!) will most likely dig this shit BIG TIME. It all makes perfect sense and while it's a bummer that there is no information about anybody here, they are for the most part familiar enough that you should already know what they're about or not have any trouble finding all the relevant info. Instead, this comp is a bit like hanging out and burning one down with your ol' buddy Sonic Boom.
The album kicks off with the Staples Singers' "This May Be The Last Time", the obvious roots for the Stones song and a clear influence on the Spacemen 3, sounding a lot like their rendition of "May The Circle Be Unbroken". Bo Diddley is next with "You Don't Care", a classic albeit stripped to the bare bones example of the man's trademark rhythm, its minimal approach clearly a huge influence on a band like Spacemen 3. "Transparent Radiation", which we described as perhaps one of Spacemen 3's finest moments, is presented here by its authors the Red Crayola in a super bare demo form. It's funny hearing Mayo Thompson singing with a sort of fey vocal and laughing from time to time. There are also contributions from Washington Phillips and Jessie Mae Hemphill, who should be familiar to many of you from recent Mississippi Records titles. Other highlights include "Can't Let Go" by Evie Sands (the melody of which was utilized with completely stellar results in Spectrum's "How You Satisfy Me"), Juicy Lucy with their swampy original version of "Just One Time" covered by Spacemen 3 as "Mary Anne", Daniel Johnston, MC5, and northwest garage legends the Wailers. At 23 songs on a single cd, this one may be perfect for those who might have had difficulty gulping down the massive double disc Dirty Water sets. All in all, a seriously kick ass collection, one that proves how many of the greatest bands are perhaps, more than anything else, great interpreters.
MPEG Stream: RED CRAYOLA "Transparent Radiation"
MPEG Stream: EVIE SANDS "Can't Let Go"
MPEG Stream: JUICY LUCY "Just One Time"

V/A Speicher (Kompakt) cd 15.98

V/A Speicher 3 (Kompakt) cd 15.98

V/A Speicher CD1 (Kompakt) cd 16.98

V/A Spirit Of Vampyros Lesbos (Sideburn) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Totally cool remixes from the likes of Doctor Rockit, Dr. Israel, Alec Empire, Witchman, Two Lone Swordsmen, DJ Wally, Spectre, etc. Sideburn is a subsidiary of Crippled Dick Hot Wax, and boy do those guys have good taste in electronic music.

V/A Spirit Of Vampyros Lesbos (Sideburn) lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Totally cool remixes from the likes of Doctor Rockit, Dr. Israel, Alec Empire, Witchman, Two Lone Swordsmen, DJ Wally, Spectre, etc. Sideburn is a subsidiary of Crippled Dick Hot Wax, and boy do those guys have good taste in electronic music.

V/A Split Series 9-16 (Fat Cat) cd 15.98
You suckers without turntables are spared once again. The last eight split 12"s in Fat Cat's amazing series finally get digitized and compiled for convenient listening. Tracks from Dat Politics, Christoph De Babalon, Kid 606, Fennesz, Main, Avey Tare, Matmos, David Grubbs, Ultra-Red and loads more!
MPEG Stream: CHRISTOPH DE BABALON "Cum On (Feel This)"
MPEG Stream: FENNESZ "47 Blues"
MPEG Stream: MATMOS "Freak N' You"

V/A SR:ample (souRce research) cd 10.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Label sampler from souRce research records limited to 1000 copies and packaged in a cool blue vinyl sleeve featuring tracks (some exclusive) from: CoH, Cylobe, Leif Elggren, Matmos, Andrew Poppy, Cattivo and more.

V/A Staedtizism (Scape) cd 14.98
Documenting the latest in click / pop dub trickery, "Staedtizism" is a compilation assembled and released by Stefan Betke (aka Pole). Whereas the ping-pong production of Lee Scratch Perry's schizoid '70s dub was terminally stoned, the Pole school of digidubbery (currently enrolling new students) doesn't make smoking pot a prerequisite to knob twiddling. Rather the clean and sober approach after many moons of tweaker behavior may be a more appropriate context for this increasingly canonized style of electronica. As a whole, "Staedtizism" encapsulates this digidub sound with each artist embracing a tonal palette that remains fairly similar on all of these cuts (bright electron flashes digitally decomposed through delay into frigid ambience). With Pole's recently released third album being a tepid rehashing of his previous ideas, the variety of patterned abstractions and rhythmic inventions from this lineup makes for a much better listen. Contributers include Vladislav Delay, Pole (of course), Kit Clayton, Thomas Fehlmann (ex-Orb), Burnt Freidman, Gramm, Trash Aesthetic, The Modernist, and To Rococo Rot & I-Sound.

V/A Staedtizism 2 (Scape) cd 16.98
Stefan Betke (aka Pole) looks at his urban surroundings in Berlin with the same saddened gaze with which Carl Craig beholds his Detroit. Both of these electronica musicians bear witness to the dystopian elements of their hometowns, by creating different, but equally expressive musics which act as depressingly sympathetic soundtracks to the urban plight of their respective cities while also providing an escapist musical narcotic of pure jouissance. Before you dismiss this claim as some silly contrivance better suited for The Wire, ask yourself this one question -- when you're stuck in your car during a traffic jam, is it possible to detach yourself from the moment through music? Both Betke and Craig answer that question with a resounding yes.
While Carl Craig's techno fits perfectly in with the mythologies of the Motor City, Betke's work is better suited to the headphones of a walkman and the slower speed of the pedestrian. Betke himself describes his Scape label as presenting various neo-dub soundtracks for an urban state of mind. "Staedtizism 2" is certainly a perfect mix tape for Betke to enjoy on his way throughout Berlin. Yet only about half of this compilation falls close to Pole's personal brand of digital dub with contributions from System, Jan Jelenik, Nolte, and Bus. The non-digital dub contingent of this compilation revolves mostly around the way-out California electronica sounds of the Phthalo and Plug Research labels, with tracks from Low Res, Headset, John Tejada (whose contribution is a really nice downtempo house number woven together with post-rock guitar lines, sounding a lot like AQ-faves Fridge!), and Kit Clayton (offering a distinctly difficult track of Reichian piano arppegiations).
In contrast to the majority of electronica collections, "Staeditizm 2" has a nice personal touch that keeps this from seeming like it's merely a compilation of the flavors of the month.
RealAudio clip: SYSTEM "Red Click"
RealAudio clip: JOHN TEJADA "A World So Wide"
RealAudio clip: KIT CLAYTON "Painting Between The Numbers"

V/A Staedtizism 2 (Scape) 2lp 16.98
Stefan Betke (aka Pole) looks at his urban surroundings in Berlin with the same saddened gaze with which Carl Craig beholds his Detroit. Both of these electronica musicians bear witness to the dystopian elements of their hometowns, by creating different, but equally expressive musics which act as depressingly sympathetic soundtracks to the urban plight of their respective cities while also providing an escapist musical narcotic of pure jouissance. Before you dismiss this claim as some silly contrivance better suited for The Wire, ask yourself this one question -- when you're stuck in your car during a traffic jam, is it possible to detach yourself from the moment through music? Both Betke and Craig answer that question with a resounding yes.
While Carl Craig's techno fits perfectly in with the mythologies of the Motor City, Betke's work is better suited to the headphones of a walkman and the slower speed of the pedestrian. Betke himself describes his Scape label as presenting various neo-dub soundtracks for an urban state of mind. "Staedtizism 2" is certainly a perfect mix tape for Betke to enjoy on his way throughout Berlin. Yet only about half of this compilation falls close to Pole's personal brand of digital dub with contributions from System, Jan Jelenik, Nolte, and Bus. The non-digital dub contingent of this compilation revolves mostly around the way-out California electronica sounds of the Phthalo and Plug Research labels, with tracks from Low Res, Headset, John Tejada (whose contribution is a really nice downtempo house number woven together with post-rock guitar lines, sounding a lot like AQ-faves Fridge!), and Kit Clayton (offering a distinctly difficult track of Reichian piano arppegiations).
In contrast to the majority of electronica collections, "Staeditizm 2" has a nice personal touch that keeps this from seeming like it's merely a compilation of the flavors of the month.

V/A Staedtizism 3: Instrumentals (~scape) cd 16.98
Stefan Betke (aka Pole) has centered the third in the "Staedtizism" series for his ~scape label on the dialogue between hip-hop and its constant appropriation of other artforms. Like the Mille Plateaux compilation "Electric Ladyland: Click-Hop Version 1.0," "Staedtizism 3" seeks to reverse that dialogue by applying the tropes of hip-hop to ~scape's highly specialized form of techno-dub-minimalism. Quite frankly, it doesn't work. The obvious reason for "Staedtizism 3"s failings is that hip-hop succeeds through its adaptability, something which the minimalism of Chain Reaction, Pole, and Monolake completely lacks due to its dedication to tight mathematical programming and structural integrity. Thus, the skeletal hip-hop productions of "Staedtizism 3" have all of the trappings of ProTools polish as each of these tracks are composed from very clean blocks with hammond organ samples, jazz-y basslines, and spartan breakbeats all scrubbed of their sensuality, physicality, and general funkiness. What little vocal acrobatics found on this record are merely in the form of digitally clipped samples. Groan. The case could be made that this is another post-ironic piece of electronica; but either way, this is hip-hop that you're supposed to think about. Who the hell needs that?
Andrew Pekler, Bus, Jan Jelinek, Cappablack, Kit Clayton, John Tejada, Thomas Fehlmann, Deadbeat, Process, Gazoo, Antonelli Electr., and System are the suspects for this one.
RealAudio clip: ANDREW PEKLER "Steady Bounce"
RealAudio clip: THOMAS FEHLMANN "Lindt"

V/A State of the Union 2.001 (Electronic Music Foundation) 3cd 35.00
This is the third installment in an ongoing series of compilations of experimental and avant garde artists, with its profits directed toward the National Coalition Against Censorship. Compiled by Elliot Sharp, the general concept here is to compose a track under one minute in duration. 171 artists are involved this time around, most of which are somehow involved with the Downtown NYC scene. Some of the more interesting artists this time around: Jonathan Bepler, Kato Hideki and Kazuhisa Uchihashi (both of Ground Zero and Altered States), Koji Asano, Loren Mazzacane Connors, Marianne Nowottny, Merzbow, Zbigniew Karkowski, Tape Beatles, Voice Crack, Zoot Horn Rollo (of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band!), Alfred Harth, Alvin Curran, Carl Stone, Foetus, John Duncan, Lloop, WE, White Out, Phill Niblock, Thomas Dimuzio, and so many more... A nice idea and a fine collection of new music. However, keep in mind that these tracks are sixty seconds or less in duration, and may not be indicative of the artists' usual output.

V/A States Of Abuse (Entartete Kunst) cd 14.98
From the formidable Bay Area music collective known as Entartete Kunst comes this potent compilation which in their words is "a radical assault on the mediocrity of our everyday lives, state government and corporate fascism". It features nineteen tracks by over a dozen outspoken underground artists from around the globe. Styles run the gamut including hip hop, grime and dub. Standouts include Monkeytribe and E.K. Collective.
Note: If you've got the vinyl version, you should be alerted to the fact that this cd contains new mixes and other exclusive material not on the LP.
MPEG Stream: MONKEYTRIBE "Domino"
MPEG Stream: E. K. COLLECTIVE "States Of Abuse"

V/A States Of Abuse (Entartete Kunst) 2lp 14.98

V/A Static (CCI Recordings) cd 17.98
Electronic drone soundscape experimentation by Jim O'Rourke, Ryoji Ikeda, Alan Lamb, David Toop, Christophe Charles, Paul Schutze, Akira Yamamichi and others, collected by the Japanese label CCI.

V/A Steppas' Delight (Soul Jazz) 2cd 25.00
Pretty soon we're gonna have to stop complaining about not getting enough dubstep. Elsewhere on this list you'll find the double cd collection from PDX label Lo Dubs, and now we've got this, another killer collection from Soul Jazz, a follow up to their Box Of Dub collection. But where Box Of Dub seemed to cover a wide sonic spectrum of dubstep and modern dub, Steppa's Delight is all the current hyped shit, dubplates, white labels, singles, lots of names we already know and love, Kode9, Benga, The Bug, Shackleton, but loads more we've never heard before.
Right out of the gate, it's already a winner, with Kode9's "9 Samurai", a dubstep classic if there ever was, sounding like the RZA gone dubstep, ominous cinematic samples, a strange skittery beat, brief squalls of intense synth buzz, some creepy spoken word, this is like the dubstep version of that ubiquitous Massive Attack song, groove but so full of dread. Would be surprised if this didn't start showing up in soundtracks pretty soon (Guy Ritchie? You listening?). Next up is Benga, who while not as grim sounding, still offers up some intense minor key grooves, complex skitter, and some jagged buzzing synth melodies. Shackleton's "Blood On My Hands" we already loved from that Skull Disco comp a while back, and it still sounds amazing, murky and menacing, the drums muted and murky, except for the occasional gunshot-like snare blast, mumbled vocals, haunting swells and deep atmospherics. The Bug Teams up with Warrior Queen, for a dense slab of buzz, some super heavy low end, a slithery bass line, simple stripped down beats, and some crazy catchy sing songy toasting. There's even some grime here and there, with Skepta contributing a killer convoluted flow to Plastician's "Intensive Snare". Uncle Sam's dubstep is almost straight old school reggae, except for that little dubby shuffle. Goth-Trad offers up some seriously darkened dub, the neverending bassline buzz, the clattery percussion, the haunting sampled vocals, a horror movie melody straight out of Halloween. Shit, we could go on and on, track by track, but by now you probably realize this is a must have. Like we mentioned in the Lo Dubs review, the dubstep and grime obsessed absolutely need this, and if you dug Milanese, Kode9 and the Box Of Dub comps then this too is another must have.
MPEG Stream: KODE9 "9 Samurai"
MPEG Stream: BENGA "Evolution"
MPEG Stream: GOTH-TRAD "Genesis"

V/A Steppas' Delight 2 (Soul Jazz) 2cd 23.00
The first Steppa's Delight dubstep comp on Soul Jazz totally knocked our socks off. We're so desperate for new dubstep and grime all the time, and we have such limited access to limited 12"s and white label dubplates, that we anxiously await the release of comps, hoping they'll compile some of the best jams, and usually offer up a bunch of new tracks as well.
Since the last Steppa's Delight comp though, a funny thing happened, dubstep continued to mutate and transform and is now something totally different than it was 18 months ago. The core sounds and structure remains the same, THAT beat, and THAT groove, the deep wobbly bass, but the sounds aren't so dark, or sinister, instead, the sound of dubstep has gotten a bit dancier, looking back to jungle and even house, incorporating more melody, more vocals, the sound almost more electro, with buzzy synths wrapped around that rumbling wobble. That said, there's still some darkness lurking in the grooves, and as much as we dig almost everything here, we can't help but lean toward those darker jams, Kutz's "Hardbody" is buzzy and bleak and ominous, "Purple City" by Joker & Ginz starts out all skittery and dancey, but then explodes with some of the fiercest most distorted bass on the comp.
A bunch of the tracks are super stripped down and skeletal, reminding us of some of the Skull Disco 12"s, all barebones and minimal, and some of the tracks are super atmospheric and ethereal. Killer stuff for sure, but be warned, if you're looking for stuff like Kode9 or Burial, you won't find much of that here, but if you're looking for big stuttery beats, thick throbbing bass synth wobble and can't get enough of that dubstep 'step, then this should definitely hold you over until the next comp...
MPEG Stream: JOKER & GINZ "Purple City"
MPEG Stream: SULLY SHANKS "Give Me Up (LD Remix)"
MPEG Stream: KUTZ "Hard Body"

V/A Steppas' Delight 2 Volume 1 (Soul Jazz) 3lp 27.00
Finally got this on vinyl! This is part one...
The first Steppa's Delight dubstep comp on Soul Jazz totally knocked our socks off. We're so desperate for new dubstep and grime all the time, and we have such limited access to limited 12"s and white label dubplates, that we anxiously await the release of comps, hoping they'll compile some of the best jams, and usually offer up a bunch of new tracks as well.
Since the last Steppa's Delight comp though, a funny thing happened, dubstep continued to mutate and transform and is now something totally different than it was 18 months ago. The core sounds and structure remains the same, THAT beat, and THAT groove, the deep wobbly bass, but the sounds aren't so dark, or sinister, instead, the sound of dubstep has gotten a bit dancier, looking back to jungle and even house, incorporating more melody, more vocals, the sound almost more electro, with buzzy synths wrapped around that rumbling wobble. That said, there's still some darkness lurking in the grooves, and as much as we dig almost everything here, we can't help but lean toward those darker jams, Kutz's "Hardbody" is buzzy and bleak and ominous, "Purple City" by Joker & Ginz starts out all skittery and dancey, but then explodes with some of the fiercest most distorted bass on the comp.
A bunch of the tracks are super stripped down and skeletal, reminding us of some of the Skull Disco 12"s, all barebones and minimal, and some of the tracks are super atmospheric and ethereal. Killer stuff for sure, but be warned, if you're looking for stuff like Kode9 or Burial, you won't find much of that here, but if you're looking for big stuttery beats, thick throbbing bass synth wobble and can't get enough of that dubstep 'step, then this should definitely hold you over until the next comp...
MPEG Stream: JOKER & GINZ "Purple City"
MPEG Stream: SULLY SHANKS "Give Me Up (LD Remix)"
MPEG Stream: KUTZ "Hard Body"

V/A Steppas' Delight 2 Volume 2 (Soul Jazz) 3lp 27.00
Finally got this on vinyl! This is part two...
The first Steppa's Delight dubstep comp on Soul Jazz totally knocked our socks off. We're so desperate for new dubstep and grime all the time, and we have such limited access to limited 12"s and white label dubplates, that we anxiously await the release of comps, hoping they'll compile some of the best jams, and usually offer up a bunch of new tracks as well.
Since the last Steppa's Delight comp though, a funny thing happened, dubstep continued to mutate and transform and is now something totally different than it was 18 months ago. The core sounds and structure remains the same, THAT beat, and THAT groove, the deep wobbly bass, but the sounds aren't so dark, or sinister, instead, the sound of dubstep has gotten a bit dancier, looking back to jungle and even house, incorporating more melody, more vocals, the sound almost more electro, with buzzy synths wrapped around that rumbling wobble. That said, there's still some darkness lurking in the grooves, and as much as we dig almost everything here, we can't help but lean toward those darker jams, Kutz's "Hardbody" is buzzy and bleak and ominous, "Purple City" by Joker & Ginz starts out all skittery and dancey, but then explodes with some of the fiercest most distorted bass on the comp.
A bunch of the tracks are super stripped down and skeletal, reminding us of some of the Skull Disco 12"s, all barebones and minimal, and some of the tracks are super atmospheric and ethereal. Killer stuff for sure, but be warned, if you're looking for stuff like Kode9 or Burial, you won't find much of that here, but if you're looking for big stuttery beats, thick throbbing bass synth wobble and can't get enough of that dubstep 'step, then this should definitely hold you over until the next comp...
MPEG Stream: JOKER & GINZ "Purple City"
MPEG Stream: SULLY SHANKS "Give Me Up (LD Remix)"
MPEG Stream: KUTZ "Hard Body"

V/A Steppas' Delight Vol. 1 (Soul Jazz) 2lp 26.00
Pretty soon we're gonna have to stop complaining about not getting enough dubstep. Elsewhere on this list you'll find the double cd collection from PDX label Lo Dubs, and now we've got this, another killer collection from Soul Jazz, a follow up to their Box Of Dub collection. But where Box Of Dub seemed to cover a wide sonic spectrum of dubstep and modern dub, Steppa's Delight is all the current hyped shit, dubplates, white labels, singles, lots of names we already know and love, Kode9, Benga, The Bug, Shackleton, but loads more we've never heard before.
Right out of the gate, it's already a winner, with Kode9's "9 Samurai", a dubstep classic if there ever was, sounding like the RZA gone dubstep, ominous cinematic samples, a strange skittery beat, brief squalls of intense synth buzz, some creepy spoken word, this is like the dubstep version of that ubiquitous Massive Attack song, groove but so full of dread. Would be surprised if this didn't start showing up in soundtracks pretty soon (Guy Ritchie? You listening?). Next up is Benga, who while not as grim sounding, still offers up some intense minor key grooves, complex skitter, and some jagged buzzing synth melodies. Shackleton's "Blood On My Hands" we already loved from that Skull Disco comp a while back, and it still sounds amazing, murky and menacing, the drums muted and murky, except for the occasional gunshot-like snare blast, mumbled vocals, haunting swells and deep atmospherics. The Bug Teams up with Warrior Queen, for a dense slab of buzz, some super heavy low end, a slithery bass line, simple stripped down beats, and some crazy catchy sing songy toasting. There's even some grime here and there, with Skepta contributing a killer convoluted flow to Plastician's "Intensive Snare". Uncle Sam's dubstep is almost straight old school reggae, except for that little dubby shuffle. Goth-Trad offers up some seriously darkened dub, the neverending bassline buzz, the clattery percussion, the haunting sampled vocals, a horror movie melody straight out of Halloween. Shit, we could go on and on, track by track, but by now you probably realize this is a must have. Like we mentioned in the Lo Dubs review, the dubstep and grime obsessed absolutely need this, and if you dug Milanese, Kode9 and the Box Of Dub comps then this too is another must have.
MPEG Stream: KODE9 "9 Samurai"
MPEG Stream: BENGA "Evolution"
MPEG Stream: GOTH-TRAD "Genesis"

V/A Steppas' Delight Vol. 2 (Soul Jazz) 2lp 26.00
Pretty soon we're gonna have to stop complaining about not getting enough dubstep. Elsewhere on this list you'll find the double cd collection from PDX label Lo Dubs, and now we've got this, another killer collection from Soul Jazz, a follow up to their Box Of Dub collection. But where Box Of Dub seemed to cover a wide sonic spectrum of dubstep and modern dub, Steppa's Delight is all the current hyped shit, dubplates, white labels, singles, lots of names we already know and love, Kode9, Benga, The Bug, Shackleton, but loads more we've never heard before.
Right out of the gate, it's already a winner, with Kode9's "9 Samurai", a dubstep classic if there ever was, sounding like the RZA gone dubstep, ominous cinematic samples, a strange skittery beat, brief squalls of intense synth buzz, some creepy spoken word, this is like the dubstep version of that ubiquitous Massive Attack song, groove but so full of dread. Would be surprised if this didn't start showing up in soundtracks pretty soon (Guy Ritchie? You listening?). Next up is Benga, who while not as grim sounding, still offers up some intense minor key grooves, complex skitter, and some jagged buzzing synth melodies. Shackleton's "Blood On My Hands" we already loved from that Skull Disco comp a while back, and it still sounds amazing, murky and menacing, the drums muted and murky, except for the occasional gunshot-like snare blast, mumbled vocals, haunting swells and deep atmospherics. The Bug Teams up with Warrior Queen, for a dense slab of buzz, some super heavy low end, a slithery bass line, simple stripped down beats, and some crazy catchy sing songy toasting. There's even some grime here and there, with Skepta contributing a killer convoluted flow to Plastician's "Intensive Snare". Uncle Sam's dubstep is almost straight old school reggae, except for that little dubby shuffle. Goth-Trad offers up some seriously darkened dub, the neverending bassline buzz, the clattery percussion, the haunting sampled vocals, a horror movie melody straight out of Halloween. Shit, we could go on and on, track by track, but by now you probably realize this is a must have. Like we mentioned in the Lo Dubs review, the dubstep and grime obsessed absolutely need this, and if you dug Milanese, Kode9 and the Box Of Dub comps then this too is another must have.
MPEG Stream: KODE9 "9 Samurai"
MPEG Stream: BENGA "Evolution"
MPEG Stream: GOTH-TRAD "Genesis"

V/A Strike 100 (Shitkatapult) 2cd 23.00

V/A STRP1 - Reactions To Raaijmakers (Basta) cd 21.00
One of the early Dutch electronic music masters, Dick Raaijmakers, gets his due here with this compilation, released as a companion to Basta's 3cd Raaijmakers Complete Tape Music set (seen elsewhere on this list). A bunch of big names on the experimental/electronic cutting edge either remix or entirely "reinterpret" old Raaijmakers pieces, among them Keith Fullerton Whitman (aka Hrvatski), Mouse on Mars, Jason Forrest, Phantom Orchid (Zeena Parkins and Ikue Mori), David Grubbs, Thurston Moore, Atom TM, Isolee, Beautyon, Vert. All sorts of cool sci-fi sounding shimmery sizzle, bleeping drones, and glitchy poptronic silliness (like Atom TM's version of Raaijmakers' version of that old chestnut "Colonel Bogey") abound.
MPEG Stream: KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN "Vier Fanfares"
MPEG Stream: ATOM TM "Colonel Bogey"

V/A Structure of Scientific Misconceptions, The / The System of Scientific Misconstructions (Toyo) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Volumes four and five of Toyo's Science Series of split singles, scientifically restructured for confusion and discomfort. Artists featured this time around (unintentionally?) reside in the regions of San Francisco, CA and Olympia, WA. Erase Errata kick off the disc with a structure handicapped chainsaw attack, followed by their show stopper "Marathon" (non-album version, mind you). The Need smash your teeth in with two fistfuls of crushing metal (including a cover of Judas Priest's "The Green Manalishi"). MeMe America (featuring Wynne of Tracy and the Plastics) offer a portion their unseen magnum opus "Part 2: Baby". San Francisco's Deerhoof grace this disc with their final recordings made over two years ago with Rob and Kelly still in the lineup. Possibly their finest songs ever laid down to tape - four brilliant, fractured pop songs that demand repeat listens. Blectum From Blechdom cough up two tracks of hyperelectro and a live rendition of the hilarious "Jump Jo Bones". The disc is rounded out by the pretty pop dreaminess of The KG (Tae of Kicking Giant with some dudes in the Microphones). All tracks exclusive, save for one Erase Errata track, available only on their self titled 7". Nice!
RealAudio clip: ERASE ERRATA "Marathon"
RealAudio clip: NEED "The Green Manalishi"
RealAudio clip: BLECTUM FROM BLECHDOM "Jump Jo Bones"

V/A Studio One DJs Volume 2 (Soul Jazz) 2lp 24.00
Most of us have come to know the DJ as a behind the scenes mover and shaker, not so much the star attraction, but more of a journeyman, playing the records, not playing ON the records, but the DJ in the heyday of reggae and dub culture was very much right in front of the action. The main attraction in most cases. Often adding their own voice loud and proud over the top of whatever sounds happened to be spinning. Screaming, singing, rapping, goofing, adding much of the DJ's individual personality to the dubbed out grooves. Soul Jazz has once again used its master key to the Studio One vaults for this, the second collection of Studio One DJ's. Digging deeper into the dancehalls of Jamaica in the 70's and coming out with a bunch of gems. If you're a fan of all things Soul Jazz, Trojan, Dancehall and the like, this is absolutely essential.
MPEG Stream: PRINCE JAZZBO "Pepper Rock"
MPEG Stream: SOUL VENDORS "Whipping The Prince"
MPEG Stream: BIG JOE "Get Out Baldhead"

V/A Sub Rosa vs. Sha-Ra-Nui (Sub Rosa) cd 15.98

V/A Sub Stance (Aeclectrick Records) cd 21.00

V/A Substancia 3 (Quatermass) cd 7.98

V/A Superlongevity 3 (Perlon) cd 16.98

V/A Superloooongetivy 4 (Perlon) 2cd 23.00
Two discs of blissed out thumping pulsing Kompakt style minimalist techno. Late night chillout, early morning groove, cold and clinical but strangely somehow soft and warm. Killer!

V/A Sur-Terre.Net (Ytterbium) cd 9.00
**SALE **SALE* *SALE**
Sur-Terre.Net is an interactive project by the Parisian multi-disciplinarian Gregory Chatonsky, involving film, sound, and a generative web interface. With only a cursory glance at the website (go figure, it's www.sur-terre.net), it appears that the work deals with layers of observation and being observed within social spaces, all with a vaguely psycho-sexual overtone. The project also happens to incorporate a very impressive soundtrack from a who's who in the world of abstract electronica and fractured sound-art: Fennesz, Scanner, Francisco Lopez, Steve Roden, Tim Hecker, Hazard, Pita, General Magic, and many others! We'll leave discussion of the sociological insights of the entire Sur-Terre.net project to the experts (or if you want to tell us what you think about it, be our guest!); but we most definitely can say that the soundtrack is exemplary almost from start to finish. The one minor hiccup is the clumsy rhythms of the Vladislav Delay track, but beyond that, richly textured electronic ambience and static vibrations dominate the compilation, laced with historical allegories, memory, disillusionment, and dislocation. Standouts include Fennesz' impeccable blurring of pixel-points, Atau Tanaka's eerie field recording manipulations, Francisco Lopez' grinding swells of gritty hiss, and even the sometimes lackluster Scanner contributes a brilliant piece of crepuscular electronics more in keeping with Biosphere's work. Unlike a lot of compilations which merely collect interesting tracks to be unceremoniously dumped onto the iPod, the soundtrack to Sur-Terre.net is totally engaging from start to finish. Recommended.
MPEG Stream: FENNESZ "The Man With The Sewing Machine"
MPEG Stream: HAZARD "Bronze"
MPEG Stream: ABSTRACK KEAL AGRAM "Echotrain"

V/A Swarf Pot (Ringo) 2cd 17.98
One of two new dubstep comps on this week's list. The other is a sort-of-mixtape from DJ/beat maker Diplo, and is more a collection of dancefloor destroying party jams, big beats, HUGE wobbly basslines, booming system sort of stuff, and then there's this one, a double disc collection of past, present and future 12"s cut on the legendary lathe at Transition Studio, which is South London dubstep HQ, with most of those 12"s being released on one of the two in-house labels, Transition and Ringo. A quick look at the lineup should be all it takes: Distance, Skream, Cluekid, Kromestar, LD, Coki, Benga and more, all the big names, as well as a handful of up and comers, crafting some seriously deep and dubbed out darkness.
And that is basically the difference between these two comps, obviously, we're nuts for dubstep so we think both are essential, but the Diplo one is the one you're gonna blast in your car, the one that will get you out on the dancefloor and all sweaty, where this one is more laid back, stripped down, this is for after hours, winding down, late night drinks, chilling out, making out, and sure, you might blast this in your car, but you'd have the windows up, speeding down the highway, into a black expanse, or rolling slowly through rainswept empty city streets.
Low slung, dubbed out, skittery and stuttery, the beats minimal, the bass still warbly and wobbly, but more muted, this one's more about mood and atmosphere, and has some of our favorite dubstep jams yet.
Benga's "The Germ" is a haunting cinematic spy theme, with some very old school sounding horns, draped over the pulsing bass buzz and the skeletal rhythm. Distance and Skream team up on "Wiseman", a sample heavy bit of dubbed out crawl, dark and atmospheric, laced with occasional swells of ultra dense rib cage rattling bass. Kromestar takes that dubstep bass wobble and works it, choped and looped, sped up and slowed down, layered, pulled apart, the song is mostly a single stripped down beat without it, but that bass is so heavy and hooky and groovy and goddamn great! And speaking of heavy bass, Coki takes it even further out on "Goblin", playing that synth bass like some sort of metal guitar, buzzy and fuzzy and distorted and totally blown out. LD swaps his dubstep for some classic jungle on "Guerilla Warfare", a hazy old school drum and bass workout. We could go on, but needless to say, two discs, full to overflowing with some of the best dubstep out there, and if you're like us, you're gonna want this. Actually NEED this. This AND that Diplo dubstep comp. Cuz really, this is the perfect companion to that comp, one hard and heavy, one deep and dark, both totally bad ass...
MPEG Stream: DISTANCE & SCREAM "Wiseman"
MPEG Stream: BENGA "The Germ"
MPEG Stream: KROMESTAR "Get Up"

V/A Tangent 2002: Disco Nouveau (Ghostly International) cd 14.98
Don't be fooled by the title, this new fancily book-packaged compilation actually leans much more heavily on electro sounds than disco. Sort of a melting together of the two genres with the former as the dominant. Tagged in the liner notes as the "new disco", "robot disco" or "Italo disco", this playful collection of current artists gives a solid nod of reverence to disco maestro Giorgio Moroder with all of its thumping'n'pulsating processed beats, squidgy electronics and a vocoder frenzy at almost every turn. Featuring new material ripe for the dancefloor from DMX Krew, Susumu Yokota, Adult. (a fun track if not one of their strongest), I-F, Solvent, Ectomorph, as well as Hong Kong Counterfeit (a hot-pink rump-shaker), Perspects, Lowfish and more.
RealAudio clip: ADULT "Nite Life"
RealAudio clip: ECTOMORPH "Lost Angles (Manyangles Version)"
RealAudio clip: HONG KONG COUNTERFEIT "Metal Disco Rmx"

V/A Team Kitty-Yo (Kitty-Yo) 2cd 16.98
Okay, nevermind the birthday cake! Here's a double disc compilation to mark ten years for the German label Kitty-Yo! The mountain of exclusive and previously unreleased aural gifts is stacked 26 tracks high and included are ones from familiar faces Tarwater, Laub, Richard Davis, Gold Chains and Sue Cie, To Rococo Rot, Maximillian Hecker, Peaches and Gonzales, Jimi Tenor, and Louie Austen as well as less familiar ones Sex In Dallas And Biladoll, Taylor Savvy, Spyritual, Raz Ohara, Preed, Kante, Rhythm King And Her Friends Rechenzentrum, Litwinenko and Jay Haze.
MPEG Stream: TARWATER "Her Body Is Alive"
MPEG Stream: LOUIE AUSTEN "Danger (Feat. Shake)"

V/A Tectonic Plates (Tectonic) 2cd 22.00

MPEG Stream: ARMOUR "Iron Man"
MPEG Stream: DJ PINCH & P DUTTY "War Dub"
MPEG Stream: M.R.K.1 "Slang"

V/A Tectonic Plates Volume 2 (Tectonic) 2cd 22.00

V/A Tektonics (OM) cd 16.98
Turntablists and electronica artists meet up on this new OM comp. DJs Z-Trip, J-Rocc, Disk, Craze, Curse, Apollo, Rob Swift, Vin Roc, Tomcat, and more cut up grooves by Howie B., Meat Beat Manifesto, Photek, Propellerheads, Wagon Christ, and others.

V/A Tempa Allstars Vol. 4 (Tempa) lp 18.00

V/A Tempo Technik Teamwork (Staubgold) 2cd 13.98

V/A Tetragramaton: Submerge (Ion) cd 15.98
Bill Laswell masterminded this meeting of jazz and jungle, with a cast including DJ Spooky, Material, DJ Soul Slinger, Graham Haynes, and Byard Lancaster.

V/A Teutonik Disaster (A Munk Production) cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
After the giggles subsided over the cover art (which features a photo of a shadowy warrior figure with a drawn-in red rose in his teeth), we settled in for the no-wave and electro action. This is the real deal from the late '70s and early '80s, folks. None of that watered down replication that's been tagged 'electro' these days. However, the catch of Teutonik Disaster is that this music was not coming from the New York scene back in the day, but instead from the depths of Germany. Much of this may sound silly and absurd today, and taken in their historical context many are... absurd and silly! But many are also so far ahead of the pack, groundbreaking even. It's a fun'n'eclectic mix of tracks scattered with funky basslines, saxophone skronk, gluey detuned analog synth lines, programmed beats, plus spoken, barked, grunted and moaned vocals. Some tracks are clunky and strange like "Je t'air" by Reifenstahl which is punctuated by a "La Bamba" guitar lick. Others like Schwarze Bewegung's Traumfrau" are like a ska-tinged herky jerky comrade of Von Lmo and James Chance (psst, no-wave fans! be sure to check out the brand new James Chance box set too!). And others like Carmen's "Schlaraffenland" are just a real good time. Very entertaining!
RealAudio clip: "Schlaraffenland"
RealAudio clip: "Traumfrau"

V/A The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari / Nosferatu (Elegaurd) 2cd 18.98
It used to be jazz combos and chamber ensembles who would try making new, original music to accompany screenings of classic films from the silent era. Now, the new generation of electronic "clicks n' cuts" artists are getting into the act on this double cd. Folks from the Beta Bodega collective and the Schematic stable put their bleeps and glitches to appropriately skin-crawling use: Needle & Io doing disc one's score for "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", Needle, Jeswa, and Otto von Schirach providing disc two's "Nosferatu" soundtrack. Eerie ambience, evoking thoughts of creaking doors and worse -- their music, drawn from live performance, matches the dark, scary mood of those films very well, although perhaps sounding a bit too futuristic considering the black and white source material...

V/A The Cosmic Forces Of Mu (Planet Mu) 2cd 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Two discs, 26 tracks of all new and exclusive tracks from the Planet Mu roster: Hrvatski (record forthcoming, we hope), Jega, Capitol K, Luke Vibert, Hellfish, Producer, Phthalocyanine, Electric Company, Venetian Snares, Speedranch, Leafcutter John, Joseph Nothing, Mike Paradinas (as Kid Spatula, Tusken Raiders and Rude Ass Tinker) and so many more! A great collection of cutting-edge electronic music from around the globe!
RealAudio clip: HRVATSKI "Lullaby"
RealAudio clip: VENETIAN SNARES "Defluxion"

V/A The DFA Remixes: Chapter One (Astralwerks) cd 16.98
Remix anthologies are almost always varied affairs. While one may like the re-mixer, one may not always like the artist being remixed or vice versa. Here the DFA Team offer up their takes on ten cuts from artists who exist outside of the DFA family, with predictably mixed results. The best cuts are from the artists whose sound already has an affinity to the DFA style of production (Metro Area, Radio 4), and the remixes of Chemical Brothers, Soulwax and Gorillaz offer some nice surprises. But even re-mixers sent from GOD can't ever make the Blues Explosion sound good, so why bother? All in all, this is a decent compilation that would have been better if there was more to sink our teeth into, but what is here is a nice appetizer that keeps us hungry for a more up-to-date main course. Hopefully we'll find that in Vol. II.
MPEG Stream: RADIO 4 "Dance to the Underground"
MPEG Stream: GORILLAZ "Dare"
MPEG Stream: METRO AREA "Orange Alert"

V/A The DFA Remixes: Chapter One (Astralwerks) lp 19.98
Remix anthologies are almost always varied affairs. While one may like the re-mixer, one may not always like the artist being remixed or vice versa. Here the DFA Team offer up their takes on ten cuts from artists who exist outside of the DFA family, with predictably mixed results. The best cuts are from the artists whose sound already has an affinity to the DFA style of production (Metro Area, Radio 4), and the remixes of Chemical Brothers, Soulwax and Gorillaz offer some nice surprises. But even re-mixers sent from GOD can't ever make the Blues Explosion sound good, so why bother? All in all, this is a decent compilation that would have been better if there was more to sink our teeth into, but what is here is a nice appetizer that keeps us hungry for a more up-to-date main course. Hopefully we'll find that in Vol. II.
MPEG Stream: RADIO 4 "Dance to the Underground"
MPEG Stream: GORILLAZ "Dare"
MPEG Stream: METRO AREA "Orange Alert"

V/A The DFA Remixes: Chapter Two (Astralwerks) cd 15.98
The second edition of DFA remixes improves upon the first by delving into less obvious rhythm and dance territories. Increasing the atmospheres rather than cowbell-driven propulsion, DFA's reworking of Goldfrapp, UNKLE, Tiga, N.E.R.D. and Nine Inch Nails, among others are often more expansive and symphonic, at times extending passages and compositions to almost 14 minutes in length. This is an excellent dose of dance tunes for the mind as well as the body. Awesome!
MPEG Stream: HOT CHIP "Colours"
MPEG Stream: NINE INCH NAILS "The Hand That Feeds"
MPEG Stream: GOLDFRAPP "Slide In"

V/A The DFA Remixes: Chapter Two (Astralwerks) lp 14.98
The second edition of DFA remixes improves upon the first by delving into less obvious rhythm and dance territories. Increasing the atmospheres rather than cowbell-driven propulsion, DFA's reworking of Goldfrapp, UNKLE, Tiga, N.E.R.D. and Nine Inch Nails, among others are often more expansive and symphonic, at times extending passages and compositions to almost 14 minutes in length. This is an excellent dose of dance tuneage for the mind as well as the body. Awesome!
MPEG Stream: HOT CHIP "Colours"
MPEG Stream: NINE INCH NAILS "The Hand That Feeds"
MPEG Stream: GOLDFRAPP "Slide In"