24.10.2006 von mk.

Better known as Volum and as one half of angry robots Volsoc (his musical partnership with Justin Maxwell), Jean-Paul Bondy’s output to date has often been categorised as electro, but not as we know it, Jim. Since the early 90s Bondy has been bringing us his vision of a cartoon future of blips, bleeps, squeaks and tweaks, all fed through your speakers and straight into your brain by a rhythmic salvo of breakbeats, bass, and straight-up, glitched-up funk.

Bondy’s first solo album, The Path of Most Resistors marks the culmination of this effort to date, while at the same time representing a subtle departure – not just for Bondy, but for Compost too. Make no mistake; this is a record that is grounded in the kind of solid, machine funk grooves, synthetic melodies and sci-fi atmospheres that the best electro has always brought us. But as Bondy appears to have asked, why stop there?

And that is why nestled in among dancefloor electro bombs like Xeno Persuasion and Prompted Some Observers, we also find some of Bondy’s downtempo vocal experiments such as the metallic melancholy of Monochrome (featuring vocals from Product.01’s Rochelle Vincente) and album closer Bit By Bit/Ear Worms, a twelve-and-a-half-minute collaborative epic featuring the additional production talents of John Tejada, Bass Kittens, David Deande, and Kay Knofe, as well as vocals from Alissa Keuker.

Of course, Bondy has lots more talented friends and he wants you to be jealous, so UK electro legend Carl Finlow lends his characteristically fragile tones to current single Cold Reformer (already remixed by John Tejada, Product.01, Ruxpin, Weedjs, Bass Kittens and Evader). Forthcoming single Something Is Not Right features the warehouse party politics of Blood of Abraham and is set to come with remixes from none other than Si Begg and Robag Wruhme. And former robot companion Justin Maxwell is back to have his bits crushed on Dry Humper.

That’s before we’ve even mentioned the videogame psychedelia of LA is Burning, the drum machine dub of Origami Mommy, or the fact that Delia’s Temptation sounds like watching your first Martian sunrise… and you probably travelled the Path of Most Resistors to get there. (Damien Hallsworth)

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24.10.2006 von mk.

In 2003, Berlin based record label Sonar Kollektiv picked up one of DIMLITE´s demos called «A/DD», a four tracker on which every tune is a shiny jewel of quirky, emotional boombap dopeness. After its release the record, produced only with an EMU ESI-32 and an Atari, received glorious underground radioplay, spins and charting from well known Djs from Zurich to London and Toronto, and from Los Angeles to Kyoto. The following debut album «Runbox Weathers» pretty much did the same in 2005 while it added to creating DIMLITE’s own niche of beat-science.
«Runbox Weathers» raised the stakes, definitely for himself and possibly for the listeners, too. As the time keeps passing, the spectrum keeps broadening, the synths keep swirling, the electric piano stays dominant, the bass got teeth and a big belly, and the drums speak of rhythm hidden in our bones. Random objects are being recorded and turned into waves of harmonies; beloved third party sources get interrupted on their fast voyages, chopped, rearranged and released again to start a new travel. Ugliness floats along with beauty – more than ever on the new album «This Is Embracing». For the first time we find real guests on a DIMLITE record. GABY HERNANDEZ from Los Angeles, known as a member of CARLOS NINO´s (AMMON CONTACT) bandprojects BUILD AN ARK and THE LIFE FORCE TRIO, lends her voice to a simple, but moving duet with Grimm. Gladly we can say that this most possibly won’t be the last Gaby and Dim collaboration. The second feature Sophisticated Youthpower happens to be a classic Myspace collaboration with BUDDY LEEZLE a.k.a. Buddy Leroy from the band 215/TFK. This young genious had just started some sort of international internet-collabo-vendetta when the two minds digitally clashed. Files quickly got swapped between Bern and Texas, and BUDDY took the opportunity to come up with a smacking verse to present his brand new attitude. By now he has probably collaborated with the entire planet.
Simply put, the next notch after «Runbox Weathers», an album like a trip, full of instrumental bliss to fill your soul and make your head nod like «yes».

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24.10.2006 von mk.

After a long break from working on new Karma material, the Cologne based duo (known for the classic “High Priestess”) is now presenting “Latenight Daydreaming”, their first new in seven years. Great pop songs influenced by Carole King, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Brian Wilson, Hall & Oates, Lovin’ Spoonful, Terry Callier, earthy folk, library sounds, soundtracks, The Zombies or J Dilla.
After careful assembly in a studio somewhere in the enchanting German Westerwald, their new album, ‘Latenight Daydreaming’, is in your hands. It has been crafted with a little help from fine vocalists Michelle Amador, Oezlem Cetin and Jerome Stokes (based in San Francisco, Hamburg and Manchester respectively) and displays a new facet to their sonic explorations: Pop music with a certain deepness. After challenging the club music of the early to mid 90’s combining club music with jazz influences, making the transition via Drum’n Bass and downtempo soundscapes, you now hold a
perfect Pop record in your hands. Taking the cue from cuts by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Carole King, Hall & Oates, Brian Wilson, Lovin’ Spoonful, Creed Taylor, Marcos Valle, the Zombies, Jay Dilla, Terry Callier, Linda Lewis and Soundtrack/Library music, amongst a host of others. Smooth orchestral elements, a nod to Neo Soul and Jazz instrumentation, earthy Folk elements and a curtsy to the waltz, recalling the virtuosity of classic pop albums of the late 60’s and early70’s..

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24.10.2006 von mk.

File under > Freestyle

Langsam aber sicher werde ich zum Griechenland-Fan. Innerhalb des letzten Jahres hab ich nun 3 sehr fette Alben aus dem Mittelmeerland bekommen. Und nun dieses Remix-Doppelalbum. Wie schon im Original geht es hier um das Überwinden von musikalischen Grenzen – Hauptsache es groovt. Damit auch bei den Remixen kein Fuß still bleiben kann, wurden Funky Freestyle-Heads aus der ganzen Welt beauftragt. CD 1 nennt sich „Freestyle Moods“. Geboten werden Downbeats vom feinsten. Basement Freaks liefern das Highlight, knapp gefolgt von den Remixen von Rephrase, Stefan Obermaier, Geriba und Ed Royal & DJ Enne. Aber auch die Remixe der griechischen Talente wie z.B. DJ Didis grooven amtlich. CD 2 nennt sich „City Groove“ und geht mehr Richtung House. Shanti Roots & Scheibosan liefern eine groovy Dub-Variante mit 4-to the floor-beats. Danach wird es leider etwas eintönig, obwohl jeder seinen Job gut macht. Allerdings stechen somit eher die Remixe von Mod X und So T heraus, die einen anderen Beat nutzen.

Insgesamt ein echtes Freestyle-Album, das viel Spaß macht und mich zum Grübeln bringt, ob ich meinen nächsten Urlaub in Griechenland machen sollte.

Quincy Jointz (4 von 5 Punkten)

www.timewarpmusic.org

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