It's a bountiful fall Overview harvest at the AmbiEntrance; this is our overflowing cornucopia of audio goodies of assorted flavors. Some are freshly plucked while others have been seasoning in the root cellar. Dig in! boards of canada: music has a right to children   (Matador/Warp/Skam - 1998) (9.2) The best word to describe these 18 often rather rhythmicated, but always captivating tracks (0:59 to 7:55) is "dreamy", and I mean that with its more surreal connotations. Hip percussion structures set a stage for shapeshifting musical elements which are twisted into unusual sonic situations. For instance, slippy electronics wriggle under the sibilant beats an eagle in your mind, accented with muted samples and microsnippets of voice. Radically fragmentized voices intriguingly stutter like an alien speech pattern between the throbbing electrobeats of telephasic workshop, an impressively arranged audio freakout. Reverberating xylo-tones (and distant random chatter) are soon backed by fluffy-yet-gritty drum patterns, basking under the turquoise hexagon sun. Carefree and colorful, roygbiv is *such* a happy little number with intertwining layers of dancing synth, percussion and e-piano followed by the beat-driven hypnotic loops of rue the whirl, with brassy clouds mutating in its background. aquarius contains samples which points toward the "children" aspect of the disc's title, like giggling kids, the TV tutor voices and the (eventually discombobulated) counting sequence. A brief socio-political call-to-arms (one very important thought) is also included for your cogitation. Such a cool disc (and art); I heartily recommend it to all but the most severly rhythmophobic. Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars and Sitars   (Motel Records - 1998) (8.5) While this collection purports to be "Music from the original soundtracks" of Indian "Brownsploitation" kung fu/crime films, with titles like The Good, The Bad and The Chutney, Fists of Curry and Punjabis, Pimps and Players I can't decide how much of this is a put-on, but frankly that doesn't even matter... Cultures are crossed, media are mixed and eras collide in a hyperkinetic explosion of movie/musical (and often outrageously cheesy) fun! Besides a smattering of Indian b-movie samples, one finds '60s rock, funk and soul sounds with brass, vocals and the silky string sections of a '70s disco revival, plus assorted ethnic elements backed by fresh 90's percussion. My Guru mixes ethnic vocals and sitar with a modern electronic beat to quite a nicely haunting-yet-hip effect; Satchidananda performs similarly sweet magic with strings, flute and ethno-drums. The brass and electro-groove of Theme from Don provide spy thrills galore as do the vocal snatches of a "suave" Bond-impersonator. A couple of fairly blatant rip-offs include Fear of a Brown Planet which steals the time-worn (but still automatically pulse-quickening) "Mission Impossible" riff, dashing it with Middle Eastern flavors, and Swami Safari, a groovy surf guitar and organ "Wipeout" clone. But when it's this fun, who's counting? Perhaps too cheesy for the "serious" audiophile, it's a hell of a lot of fun for the rest of us! eM: motor sessions e.p.   (the foundry - 1999) (7.5) Assorted mechanical source recordings fuel this experimental sound vehicle, though the sonic emissions bears little resemblance to the original form. The rise and fall of surging oscillations are inextricably intertwined with the electronic streamers of machine congnates, backed by mecho-clatter. The burbling electrical gibberish of ratchet sputters as enthusiatically as the core of bee's house burning circuits powerbuzzes amidst crazily bleeping tones. The drive is a mere 15 minutes long, but it travels some distinctly unusual, if not a bit bumpy, terrain. If your mind and ears aren't accustomed to such exploratory maneuvering, disorientation may result. For your deep reading pleasure, Michael Bentley has included thoughtful cogitations on the interelations of technology and humankind. David Helpling: Between Green And Blue   (Spotted Peccary - 1996) (7.7) David Helpling's INDIE-Award-nominated release from 1996 meanders across each side of the divide between ambient-atmospheric and piano-powered new age, generally with pleasing results. You see, I've got a bit of a bias when unearthly sounds are invaded upon by blatantly mundane instrumentation, and to me, the piano (as amazing and versatile as it is) just really seems so out-of-place when plopped into alien soundworlds. Now that we've clarified that issue, many of Helpling's pieces incorporate slight percussion and actually a lot of synth sounds other than the tinkling of ivories. Wild Things is a gently surging slice of delicate power and moody piano-driven beauty. With electronic haze and flutey-tones, Loss of Words is as floatingly ephemeral as anything you've heard (and not a piano-string in earshot). Smooth urbane beats and occasional guitar glints sparkle from Emeralds. Read about the artist's newest release, Sleeping on the Edge of the World here, then learn more about David Helpling at his own page at the Spotted Peccary website. Kraftwerk: The Mix   (Elektra - 1991) (7.8) I'm not well-versed enough to compare this remixed "greatest hits" package to the originals, but it's my understanding that the 11 tracks on The Mix had been reworked for a 90's audience, with warmer tones and dancier rhythms. (Long ago, before embracing electronic music, I remember hearing Kraftwerk and thinking it was too "mechanical" and "cold", so I can't say how much of my enjoyment of this disc is due to my own changing tastes and how much is due to the (now-not-so) "new" mixes... At any rate, electronic pop has seldom sounded sweeter, probably all the more so for its doubly-dated approach. Several highpoints include the danced-up beats and sentimental phrasings of Computerlove, which of course was way ahead of its time (as was the future-minded Homecomputer). The technosymphonic sounds and robochorus harmonies of Trans Europe Express explore a darker pathway. The clanging machine-precise beats of Metal On Metal give way to artful bleepiness and the filmic swell of majestic synthstrings. The pseudo-Oriental-robotic voices of Dentaku don't do it for me though. Liquid Zen: Liquid Zen   (Waveform - 1999) (7.3) Here's something different. The dark electronic moods of Ultraviolet are promising enough, with nicely-rendered space-drones, female whispers and e-beats. With Claiming Salvation comes the "different" part... over the moody soundwaves and cymbals, the one-man-band (and composer and producer) Roland St. John Perez begins to sing, with words and everything. Not a bad voice, but not great either... same with the lyrics. I generally get a more-electronic, Pink Floydian impression, though the vocal style of Harold Atom sounds more like a Jim Morrison impersonator doing e-music with less-psychedelic lyrics (and the driving, nocturnal backing music of that track seems to be operating in a "Depeche" mode). Starless juxtaposes quick, buzzy rhythms with slow, drifting synth fog, and whispery, manipulated voice, then more cymbal percussion. Spacey instrumental Kateri does a fine job, slipping between radiant waves and shifty cosmic drones interwoven with floating strands of wordless female crooning. Overall the disc is quite well-executed, mind you, but for all the reasons I don't much listen to a million other lyric-driven electronic tunes, I probably won't be listening to this much. If you're not like me, maybe you will. Get a taste at the Musical Starstreams archive and you'll find some RealAudio clips from Liquid Zen and dozens of other artists. Ma Ja Le: Dreams in the Orchards of Saturn   (A.J. Grey Sound - 1995) (8.4) Improvisational explorations follow interesting routes in these early live recordings from Paul Vnuk Jr. (synth, loops, African percussion, effects) and Chris Short (electronic guitar, loops, synth, flute). These spontaneous musical abstractions tend toward avant-experimental meanderings with light neo-tribal accents, strikingly coherent given their off-the-cuff construction. Soft, spacey warbles and muffled chimes ring out over the primitive beats of platipus epitome. Sinuous serpentine guitar strands dance in sands, weaving between drumbeats and synth haze. Perfect for setting your surroundings with an arty, low-key and often mysterious mood. Both of Ma Ja Le's full-length CDs are available from James Johnson's Zero Music website. (I was supposed to see these guys perform with James Johnson in Milwaukee last weekend, and I had to cancel, and am still pouting about missing it...) Seofon: Causal Collapse   (Visible - 1994) (7.7) An early solo release from Seofon (interviewed this month, along with Thermal [see below] and Richard Sun, as part of an Ambient Temple of Imagination feature). The 9 tracks (with durations from 6:19 to 10:22 equalling 71 minutes) make for quite a nice, often energetic, listen. While a few of the sounds seem understandably dated, the disc remains fresh via enthusiasm and artful arrangements. prota is an energetically pulsing entity with whispy synthvoices slipping between the cyclic notes and rhythms. Big cushy beats and digitribal micropercussion patters throughout paseq cushioned by flutey waftings. Sorry, but the continually tweedly-deedling notes of aeserai wear on my nerves like some ritual torture, wheras the thundering, though somewhat abrasive, percussion which offsets the murky respirations of locatha is perfectly acceptible in my ears... go figure. On the other side of the spectrum, emys-ephecsys, simply wafts, drifts and floats on waves of synthetic symphonics. The track nicely abuts ylem, which rises from soft waves on pulsing bass and softly surging drumbeats. Thermal/Freezer/CUE: Time out of Mind   (Boxman - 1998) (7.9) Three long pieces (ranging from 19:52 to 28:58) are the first production from the artistic communal network of the Archipelago. Thermal's Tone Ref contains assorted sonic visitations draped atop each other... a dulcimer-like riff, various countermelodies, washily swirling background, increasing percussion... piled high in a dense-yet-fluffy arrangement which retains a light mood. Spacey/spooky tones lead into Ether Leak by Freezer (the collaborative efforts of Thermal and BPM/0); radiant shimmers pass through several unknowable zones, meeting with celestial warbles, rough feedback, gurgly synthtones and brushy cymbal rhythms during the starward journey. A subtler, more spacious outing awaits with Thermal and CUE's 71 Scuba - Owl Service... droning electronics are backed by spaceship hum and topped with various, quietly shapeshifting digital mutations and slight percussive patterns. Learn more in this month's interview with Thermal (and his ATOI co-horts, Seofon and Richard Sun). Posted September 29, 1999 | 1999 Overviews Index

AmbiEntrance © 1999-97 by David J Opdyke (except CD cover art, rights retained by original owners).