Council Meeting Memo #027
Various Artists: Ritual: Magnetic North (Touch, Compilation)
Ok, this shit gets weirder and weirder yeah? First off, Gilbert & George are a right larf, so enjoy their company will you? Imagine they’re sitting there all stiff and suited in the room whilst they’re on. I could listen to the Renaldo & The Loaf track forever until my head explodes. Total Charles Hayward fanboy so the ‘Camberwell Now’ track is so ace it hurts. Get onto their stuff if you haven’t done so, as good as This Heat. Other bits I devoured was the weird throat singing of Gregorio Spini (who is now a lighting designer…go figure) and Zazou Bikaye who strangely sounds like David Byrne. SA
Various Artists: Samurai EP 1 (Ohrfeigen, EP)
Tokyo techno alert! Skip the opening rib-cage rattling pummel of ‘Dark Autumn’ by Ayako Mori & Lady Maru (who really do sound like a folk duo). And head straight for DJ Shufflemaster’s sublime ‘A.K.A. Serial Killer’ which is startling in its efficiency (also check his still astonishing 2001 album ‘EXP’ on Tresor) Mayudepth’s equally brilliant ‘Ray Pusi’ comes a close second in the vigorous head-nodding stakes. What’s Japanese for bangin’? SA
Zomby: Chaos Reigns III (Warehouse Rave, EP)
Brief (and I mean it) sketches of refined rave. 7 tracks with a total running time of 21 mins. Most tracks end abruptly, almost as if Zomby ran out of interest and just switched the machines off midway. Totally appreciate the brevity but would have been nice to extend some of the offerings. Namely the dancehall inertia of ‘Twilight’ and the razor-sharp amen break attack of ‘CYAN’. SA
Imaginary Number: YUKUWHT001 (Yuku, EP)
Despite the tag ‘Experimental Bass’ which has me cringing in agony, this is worth your time. ‘Fruaki’ is clunky, angular, weird and all the better for it. Warmed to the broken beat-tinged ‘Get’ which deftly twists and turns around some nicely-laid sonic traps. The scuzzed-up half-time breakbeat drive of ‘B-Strange’ is also worth a nod. Pretty decent label too. SA
Ark X / Duburban & Jahganaut: Ochre / Lose My Soul (The Game, 12”)
Old Junglist Rant Alert: The new flood of jungle that seems to be clogging up digital / physical channels in recent years is both welcome and terrifying in equal measure. I’ve a sneaking suspicion that despite the enthusiasm of eager producers, most of it is falling on deaf ears. Part of me thinks I should simply join them and ignore it. Lived through it the first time around and other than the odd release, I really can’t feel anything new is being brought to the party. Shame really as Ark X seems to have the chops though, ‘Ochre’ does everything I expect it to and more. A rise above the usual clatter. SA
