Tyler Stephenson Music Supply

What is the best Autechre album or song (s)?

Well, I like Fermium, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikM9U3St540 and anyone who can like them, should listen and watch this one, Gantz Graf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4ZwTUUue1w

Autechre – Dropp

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Customized artistic image of Autechre using for commissioning a Genuine Oil Painting of Autechre in highest professional quality, completely 100% hand-painted by high-skilled oil portrait artist. Art style: photorealist. All sizes available. You have always been dreaming about possessing a genuine hand-painted oil painting of Your Greatest Idol Autechre but you are not sure whether you can buy one because genuine hand-painted oil paintings are often very expensive?We can help you. Just specify all your needs regardingwhat to paintfavorite backgrounds of your choice (e.g.sunshine, flowers, abstract patterns, on stage etc...)favorite co...

Oversteps $13.99 Autechre will see the release of their 10th studio album, ''Oversteps'' this March 23rd. One of the most distinctive and revered electronic groups of all time, they've previously been commissioned to remix the likes of Stereolab, Tortoise and Surgeon, and have notably been feted by Thom Yorke, with the Radiohead frontman stating on his official website that their 2001 album ''Confield'' ''made my ...

Oversteps $34.19 Autechre will see the release of their 10th studio album, ''Oversteps'' this March 23rd. One of the most distinctive and revered electronic groups of all time, they've previously been commissioned to remix the likes of Stereolab, Tortoise and Surgeon, and have notably been feted by Thom Yorke, with the Radiohead frontman stating on his official website that their 2001 album ''Confield'' ''made my ...

Quaristice $9.84 Autechre return with Quaristice, a vast, sprawling masterpiece that will galvanize their dedicated and sizable fanbase. With the Designers Republic back at the helm of art direction, Quaristice will be an album that impresses sonically but also visually. This warmer analog masterpiece recalls some of Autechre's most classic material. Quaristice is an enveloping blanket of Autechre's skewed sound s...

Autechre - Gantz Graf $12.99 ...

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Autechre - Untilted * $16.99 Description Not Available

Autechre - Incunabula $13.99 Description Not Available

Autechre - Quaristice $14.9 Disc 1:AltibzzPlc, TheIOPlyphonPerlenceSonDEremaweSimmmParalel SunsSteelsTankakernRaleFol3fwzE90101-51-1bnc CastlTheswereWNSNchenc9NotwoO...

Autechre - Oversteps [3/23] * $13.29 Disc 0:No track list availableDisc 1:r essilandersknown(1)Pt2ph8Qplaysee on seeTrealeos veix3O=0d-sho qubst epreoredfallkrYlonYuop

Autechre $11.99 Autechre

Confield Autechre $16.28 Buy and sell [Confield Autechre] at great prices.

Autechre : Oversteps (dig) $13.29 Autechre : Oversteps (dig)

Autechre - Gantz Graf $3499 Autechre - Gantz Graf

Bass Cadet Autechre $35.95 Buy and sell [Bass Cadet Autechre] at great prices.

Peel Session 2 Autechre $9.4 Buy and sell [Peel Session 2 Autechre] at great prices.

Autechre - Untilted * $16.99 Over a decade after its inception, Autechre remained at the forefront of electronica. While the English duo`s early work (1995`s AMBER, for example) boasted a warmer, more organic variation on the forward-thinking work of genre-mates like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher, the landmark double-disc TRI REPETAE++ found them exploring colder digital vistas with otherworldly, almost machine-like textures. UNTILTED (2005) bears many of the sonic hallmarks of that album (namely the highly processed, digitized quality of the sound), but there is something new here as well.UNTILTED is more up-tempo than much of Autechre`s previous work. There is an escalation of BPMs (beats per minute) that at times seems to approximate house or drum-and-bass, as on "Ipacial Section" and "Augmatic Disport." Yet the best way to listen to Autechre is still on a pair of high-end headphones, not on the dance floor. The compositions skitter and skim along, but with a subdued, ambient air, driven more by glitchy textures and the push-pull dynamics of space and density than by clear-cut beats. Sophisticated, meticulous, and often mesmerizing, UNTILTED maintains the qualities of the duo`s best work. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Autechre - Quaristice $14.9 Among detractors, electronic music is often criticized for wanting some undefined quality, most often related to some perception of a lack of "warmth" or "soul." The music of U.K. electronic pioneers Autechre makes no such easy concessions to what might be considered pedestrian concerns. Since the early 90s, Sean Booth and Rob Brown have been generating a parallel universe of sound--a sound that has pushed at the boundaries of musical abstraction by exploring the multiplicities and infinite variations offered by technology.On their ninth album, QUARISTICE, Autechre`s technology-driven imperative is as uncompromising as ever. But rather than construct a maze of refracted, endlessly variegated sound, they choose to break up the set into shorter sonic vignettes, each delving into a specific, focused area of exploration with more subtle gradients and variation. The spectral, pulsing drones of "Altibzz," the album`s opener, represents a return to the pastoral ambient electronica of the duo`s second album AMBER. But the becalming textures are short-lived as the methodical clanking of snares on "The Plc" reference the more brutal corners of minimal techno, even as the swirling, elliptical synths create a drunken counterpoint. Despite all the gloriously rumpled beat programming and intricate DSP-processing, QUARISTICE is, in many ways, Autechre`s most earth-bound effort, as revealed in the brightly colored, nearly baroque melodies of "Simm," perhaps the closest the duo have arrived to a pure pop moment. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Autechre - Incunabula $13.99 Although Autechre`s debut release doesn`t totally display the full experimentation which would dominate their future albums and singles, it is still striking nonetheless, as proof that the early comparisons to fellow Sheffield denizens Cabaret Voltaire weren`t just misguided hype. Lumped in with the "intelligent dance music" semi-genre popular at the time, Autechre doesn`t hit the same levels as Orbital or labelmate Aphex Twin, but Incunabula still stands out as being both good dancefloor material and equally pleasant listening, and not simply new-age hash with a backbeat. "Kalpol Introl" sets the overall mood for the rest of the record, with a sharp blend of minimal but effective beats and bass combined with a variety of keyboard textures and understated melodies. "Bike" ratchets the pace even more, reliant on crisp drum-machine patterns and careful arrangements to create something equally at home either in Detroit or on the autobahn. From there Incunabula follows the same general tone; tracks often experiment with ghostly keyboard backing and mostly clinical beats combined with odd, individual touches. Notable examples of this are the quirky organ sounds and vocal fragments on "Autriche" and the warning siren keyboards matched with notably more slamming percussion on "Doctrine." "Basscadet" is the album`s undisputed winner at combining avant-garde touches with club underpinnings, armed with a sparkling, clanging, mid-song break and a relentless, mechanistic rhythm not a million miles away from the contemporaneous work of Seefeel, who remixed the track for a single release shortly thereafter. Despite the relative sameness in the basic arrangements of tracks covering the better portion of the album -- a few song subtractions wouldn`t have hurt the 75-minute length any -- Incunabula still stands out as a better effort than many other U.K. techno albums of the early `90s. ~ Ned Raggett Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Remixes By Autechre, Carl Craig, Bl $64.53 Buy and sell [Remixes By Autechre, Carl Craig, Bl] at great prices.

Autechre - Oversteps [3/23] * $13.29 Disc 0:*No track list available Disc 1:*r ess *ilanders *known(1) *Pt2ph8 *Qplay *see on see *Treale *os veix3 *O=0 *d-sho qub *st epreo *redfall *krYlon *Yuop

Quaristice : 801061033323 $11.75 Autechre return with Quaristice, a vast, sprawling masterpiece that will galvanize their dedicated and sizable fanbase. With Design Republic back at the helm of art direction, Quaristice will be an album that impresses sonically but also visually. This warmer analog masterpiece recalls some of Autechre's most classic material. Quaristice is an enveloping blanket of Autechre's skewed sound science.

Warp20 (Chosen) $15.99 Track Listing: 11. Daddy's Car, 11. Paint The Stars - Hudson Mohawke/Wednesday Nite, 12. Freeman Hardy & Willis Acid - Squarepusher, 13. Spangle - Seefeel, 14. Drane - Autechre

Unconscious Ruckus [#1] $11.97 Whereas most abstract {\electronic} musicians ({$Autechre}, {$Funkst?rung}, etc.) proclaim {\hip-hop} as the inspiration behind their heavily gradated and severely fractured beats, Southern Califonia's {$Appogee} brings a more indie-oriented notion to sim

Kid A [Bonus Disc] $16.98 Instead of simply adding {\club} beats or sonic collage techniques, {$Radiohead} strive to incorporate the unsettling "intelligent {\techno}" sound of {$Autechre} and {$Aphex Twin}, characterized by its skittering beats and stylishly dark sonic surfaces,

Incunabula $12.97 Although {$Autechre}'s debut release doesn't totally display the full experimentation which would dominate their future albums and singles, it is still striking nonetheless, as proof that the early comparisons to fellow Sheffield denizens {$Cabaret Voltai

Qtio [CD/12] $5.98 Listening to {$Brothomstates}' first releases and hearing about the {@Warp} recording contract bring all kinds of biases about this album. {$Lassi Nikko} sure has listened to his {$Aphex Twin} and {$Autechre}, and therefore everybody had their doubts and

Peel Session 2 $5.98 The second EP from a session with {$John Peel} includes four tracks of the computer geek, point and click {\instrumental} programming that the duo known as {$Autechre} have built their name on. Clicks, sqwerks, squelches, and, of course, {\drum'n'bass} co

Animal Chin $11.97 On this absolutely intoxicating album, {^Animal Chin}, Norway's {$Jaga Jazzist} brilliantly combine everything from {$Stereolab} to {@Mego} recording artists like {$Fennesz} to {$Autechre} and {$Aphex Twin}. The title track brilliantly alternates between

Remit Recaps $9.97 In which some of the biggest names in dance-based electronic music -- both experimental and straightahead -- are given the midi files to {$Spacetime's} {^Emit Ecaps} and entreated to go nuts. Remixers include {$Carl Craig}, {$Autechre}, {$Higher Intellige

Confield $13.29 Despite the dozens of {\experimental electronics} producers constantly nipping at their heels, {$Autechre} remained at the forefront of academic sound processing with a highly awaited sixth full album. Whether pushing the next new thing in 2001 is enough

Empty the Bones of You $14.97 {^Empty the Bones of You} is a decent but not revolutionary entry in the moody, crunchy realm of {\IDM} favored by {$Boards of Canada}, {$Autechre}, and {$Aphex Twin}, in his more {\ambient} incarnations. Any of the album's 14 sonic noir pieces would fit

Untilted $13.79 During the '90s, before {$Autechre}'s {$Sean Booth} and {$Rob Brown} became fully enamored of their audio software, they were masters of {\electronic} composition. They built tracks that were epic and slowly unfolding ({&"Bike"}) or jarring and tight ({&"

Mas Confusion $12.97 For quite some time, the "F" pair ({$Funkst?rung} and {$Funckarma}) have been poised to take the place of the "A" pair ({$Autechre} and {$Aphex Twin}) as the leading activists when it comes to {\glitch}-filled {\techno} that is challenging for the toe tap

Kid A $13.79 Instead of simply adding {\club} beats or sonic collage techniques, {$Radiohead} strive to incorporate the unsettling "intelligent {\techno}" sound of {$Autechre} and {$Aphex Twin}, characterized by its skittering beats and stylishly dark sonic surfaces,

Incunabula $13.29 Although {$Autechre}'s debut release doesn't totally display the full experimentation which would dominate their future albums and singles, it is still striking nonetheless, as proof that the early comparisons to fellow Sheffield denizens {$Cabaret Voltai

Artificial Intelligence $12.99 Track Listing: 1. Polygon Window - Dice Man, 2. Telefone 529 - Musicology, 3. Crystel - Autechre, 4. Clan, The - I. A. O., 5. De-Orbit - Speedy J, 6. Preminition - Musicology, 7. Spiritual High - Up!, 8. Egg, The - Autechre, 9. Fill 3 - Speedy J, 10. Loving You Live - Dr. Alex Paterson

Confield $15.98 Despite the dozens of experimental electronics producers constantly nipping at their heels, Autechre remained at the forefront of academic sound processing with a highly awaited sixth full album. Whether pushing the next new thing in 2001 is enough to keep listeners coming back to this LP years later is a much different question, and the assault of non-rhythmic beats sprayed all over Confield is enough to keep most from even trying. Opener "VI Scose Poise" is a bouncing-ball-in-a-ring-modulator production that reveals only a few of Autechre's excellent minor-key melodies, while the second off, "Cfern," keeps listeners guessing as well with a parade of conflicting rhythms and head-spinning beats. In fact, it's a palpable relief when "Cfern" leads directly into more straightforward electro territory with "Pen Expers." There are faint glimpses of the melancholy beauty of Autechre's early work, but this experimental, rigidly academic work is a record to respect, not enjoy. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Maximum Priest [EP] $9.99 Track Listing: 1. Our Underwater Torch, 2. Decathlon Oxide, 3. You're Going Down, 4. Cranium Oxide, 5. Two Bass Hit - (Autechre remix), 6. Circular Flexing - (Matt Yee King remix), 7. Shin Triad - (Wagonchrist remix)

Loudboxer $13.79 Abandoning the high-IQ {\experimental-techno} of his last two {@NovaMute} records, {$Speedy J} turned in a surprisingly straight-ahead collection of pummeling {\techno}, boasting more in common with a {$Richie Hawtin} mix set than the latest {$Autechre} L

Sleep No More $12.97 When infamous abstract {\electronica} label {@Warp} started its {\hip-hop} branch, known as {@Lex Records}, one hoped that the same A&R sophistication that had brought the world {$Aphex Twin} and {$Autechre} would shine some light on the {\experimental} r

A Shocking Hobby $8.97 {$Speedy J} followed up the most lauded album of his career with yet another work of excellence, an album that ranges slightly farther afield than the insistent {$Autechre} references recalled by {^Public Energy No. 1}. After a short ambient opener, the u

Until Tomorrow $10.97 Operating in the same rarified air as {$M?m}, {$Jonas Munk}, aka {$Manual}, mixes equal parts {$Autechre} glitch and emotional melodies on the accessible, beautiful {^Until Tomorrow}. Like the music of his electronic peers and fellow {@Morr Music} artists

Scumtron: A Tribute to Merzbow $9.97 Standing next to two deafening {$Merzbow} originals ({&"Eat Beat Eat 1,"} "Eat Beat 2"), remixers {$Autechre}, {$Jim O'Rourke}, {$Panasonic} and {$Russell Haswell} can't help but come off a bit muted. The best contribution is {$Bernhard G?nter's} atmosphe

Draft 7.30 $14.97 After an LP and several EPs of baffling, beat-damaged digital concrete, {$Autechre} was definitely due for a change. {$Rob Brown} and {$Sean Booth} have never turned in a substandard production, but 2001's cold, dispirited {^Confield} merely flaunted thei

Artificial Intelligence $12.97 The premier listening-techno label for the early '90s, Warp (distributed by TVT) released seminal albums by {$Polygon Window} (aka {$Aphex Twin}), {$Black Dog}, {$B12}, and {$Autechre}. Great tracks from all these artists appear on {^Artificial Intelligen

Quaristice $12.97 "Unified" and "cohesive" would not be two of the first couple hundred words used to describe {^Quaristice}, the first {$Autechre} album since 2005's {^Untilted}. The only aspect that prevents {^Quaristice} from seeming open-ended, as a bunch of tracks spl

Gescom - Minidisc $16.13 A change from the beat-orientation of most Gescom material, the world`s first MD-only release is a 45-track, hour-long collection of assorted ambient noise and other detritus, most of which sounds as though it came straight from Autechre`s samplers with no editing to speak of. Designed to be played on a random setting (MD technology allows skips throughout a disc with no lag time), the album works quite well considering its avowed purpose. Since Gescom and Autechre have always phrased their electronics experimentation with plenty of beats though, it`s difficult to take Mini Disc as anything more than a cast-off. ~ John Bush Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Phoenecia - Odd Jobs [Maxi Single] $11.98 Audio Remixers: Ectomorph; Push Button Objects; Richard Devine; Soul Oddity; Autechre; Takeshi Muto.The seven-track OddJobs remix EP features two versions from the Phoenecia alias Soul Oddity, as well as one each from a few friends (Richard Devine, Push Button Objects, Takeshi Muto) and compatriots from Detroit (Ectomorph) and England (Autechre). Except for the warped bass shots of PBO`s production and the stuttered experimental techno of Richard Devine`s, the first Soul Oddity remix is best, with an acid-era siren paving the way for some heavily processed neo-electro. ~ John Bush Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Peace Love Productions Warped Space 2: Glitch Ambient and Space Music Loops $29.95 Warped Space is an Ambient, Glitch, Electro, Space Music, Chill Out, and Downtempo, construction kit. This collection was inspired by Robert Rich, Alio Die, Autechre, Waveform, Musical Starstreams, Boards Of Canada, Unkle, and Bola. You'll find long droning synths, blippy grooves, ambient texures, and more. 282 ACIDized wav and 282 .rx2 files.

Fur Dich [Import] $14.99 Track Listing: 1. Intro / Superlotado, 2. Time Control, 3. Check Your Buddah, 4. Huone, 5. Puma, 6. Daisy Love, 7. Deux, 8. Autechre RMX, 9. Go Out, 10. Nachschub - (Michael Mayer remix), 11. Feeling Love, 12. Sometimes I'm Blue, 13. Stereolove

OddJobs [EP] $11.99 Track Listing: 1. Odd Jobs - (Soul Oddity remix), 2. Odd Jobs - (Soul Oddity rhythm box remix), 3. Odd Jobs - (Autechre systems mono remix), 4. Odd Jobs - (Richard Devine skinpeel remix), 5. Odd Jobs - (Ectomorph & Godfather remix), 6. Odd Jobs - (Push Button Objects citrus canker remix), 7. Odd Jobs - (Takeshi Muto ketalonia lakes version remix)

Sub Rosa vs. Kompakt $12.99 Track Listing: 1. [Untitled Track] - To Rococo Rot, 2. Elbchaussee, 3. TR7AE - Autechre (Remix), 4. [Untitled Track] - Dettinger/Neil Harvey, 5. Triumph, 6. [Untitled Track] - M. Mayer/Reinhard Voigt, 7. I Like to Know - Lelonek/Osmani Sounz (Remix), 8. Blond - Dettinger, 9. Orangerot, 10. [Untitled Track] - DJ Olive, 11. 17 und 4 - M. Mayer/Reinhard Voigt, 12. Reliefpfeiler Blau - Freiland (Remix)

Artificial Intelligence, Vol. 2 $12.99 Track Listing: 1. Release to the System - Mark Franklin, 2. Selinite - Higher Intelligence Agency, 3. Arcadian - Link, 4. Scriptures - B12, 5. Chatter - Autechre, 6. Symmetry - Speedy J, 7. Utuba - Beaumont Hannant, 8. Reality Net - Richard H. Kirk, 9. Parasight - Balil, 10. Spangle - Seefeel

Warp20 (Unheard) $13.99 Track Listing: 1. Seven Forty Seven - Boards of Canada, 2. Dett - Plaid, 3. Oval Moon [IBC Mx] - Autechre (remix), 4. Elecktroids Bonus Circuit - Elecktroids, 5. Rattlesnake - Clark, 6. Sam Lac Run - Plaid, 7. Mega Donutz (Dub) - Nightmares on Wax, 8. Biofeedback (Dub) - Nightmares on Wax, 9. Tronix - Flying Lotus, 10. Sixty Forty - Broadcast, 11. As Link - Seefeel

Tried By Remixes $12.99 Track Listing: 1. Tried By - (Original Mix), 2. Tried By - (Ko-Wreck Technique Mix), 3. Tried By - (Bisk Mix), 4. Tried By - (Squarepusher Mix), 5. Tried By - (Autechre Mix), 6. Tried By - (The Herbaliser Remix), 7. Tried By - (Funkstorung Remix), 8. Tried By - (Trapazoid Remix), 9. Tried By - (Freeform Remix), 10. Tried By - (Nick Fury Remix)

Legacy of Dissolution (Earth Remixed) $13.99 Track Listing: 1. Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine - (Mogwai remix, with Earth), 2. Tibetan Quaaludes - (Waveset Sloth Mix, Russell Haswell remix, with Earth), 3. Thrones and Dominions - (Jim O'Rourke remix, with Earth), 4. Coda Maestoso in F (Flat) Minor - (Autechre remix, with Earth), 5. Harvey - (Justin Broadrick remix, with Earth), 6. Rule the Divine (Mysteria Caelestis Mugivi) - (SunnO remix, with Earth)

Warp $22.48 Since its foundation in 1989, Warp Records has become a synonym for futuristic adventures in sound and vision. WARP tells the story of how a small Sheffield dance label grew to foster an international range of artists including Aphex Twin, LFO, Autechre, Boards Of Canada, Squarepusher, Broadcast, Vincent Gallo, Tortoise, Antipop Consortium, Maximo Park, Jimi Tenor, Plaid and Prefuse 73.

Warp $19.86 Since its foundation in 1989, Warp Records has become a synonym for futuristic adventures in sound and vision. Warp tells the story of how a small Sheffield dance label grew to foster an international range of artists including Aphex Twin, LFO, Autechre, Boards Of Canada, Squarepusher, Broadcast, Vincent Gallo, Tortoise, Antipop Consortium, Maximo Park, Jimi Tenor, Plaid and Prefuse 73.

Warp Labels Unlimited $20 Since its foundation in 1989, Warp Records has become a synonym for futuristic adventures in sound and vision. Warp tells the story of how a small Sheffield dance label grew to foster an international range of artists including Aphex Twin, LFO, Autechre, Boards Of Canada, Squarepusher, Broadcast, Vincent Gallo, Tortoise, Antipop Consortium, Maximo Park, Jimi Tenor, Plaid and Prefuse 73.

Scumtron: A Tribute to Merzbow $11.98 Standing next to two deafening Merzbow originals ("Eat Beat Eat 1," "Eat Beat 2"), remixers Autechre, Jim O'Rourke, Panasonic and Russell Haswell can't help but come off a bit muted. The best contribution is Bernhard Günter's atmospheric mix, which comes off as a photographic negative of the usual Merzbow material. ~ John Bush, All Music GuidePerformers: Masami Akita - Metal Percussion, Noise

Wax Trax! MasterMix $9.98 This compilation, which masquerades as a Wax Trax presentation, is really a TVT (Wax Trax's parent company) promotional sampler, as Wax Trax itself was basically a defunct label in all aspects but name by the time of this release (1999). Focusing on the electronic side of TVT's roster, the CD's highlights include Underworld's otherwise unreleased "Spikee," Nightmares on Wax's blissed-out after-hours jam "Bless My Soul," and Autechre's chilling ambient masterpiece "Eutow." A few mediocre tracks pad out this collection, but it's generally strong. ~ Andy Hinds, All Music Guide

Remit Recaps $10.18 In which some of the biggest names in dance-based electronic music -- both experimental and straightahead -- are given the midi files to Spacetime's Emit Ecaps and entreated to go nuts. Remixers include Carl Craig, Autechre, Higher Intelligence Agency, Subtropic, Matthew Herbert, David Moufang (as Move D), and Spacetime's own Jonah Sharp. The stealers are up for grabs, but the spicier cuts include Subtropic's jungled-up take on "Kairo," and Herbert's deep house fry of "Movement #2," and HIA's dense electro mix of "Funkyar." Also released on Reflective as two separate 12-inches. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide

Soup [Import] $14.99 After a three-year gestation, Darrell Fitton's debut Bola LP turned out to be a varied, engaging listen. The tracks mostly follow in the style of heavily mechanistic, wistfully melodic post-techno first explored by Warp label artists like the Black Dog, Autechre, and Aphex Twin, but just as evident are the influences of artists such as Tangerine Dream, Skinny Puppy, and Vangelis (the 14-minute closing cut, "Whoblo," sounds like the soundtrack to a pornographic Blade Runner). Soup includes the best moments of Fitton's two previous Bola releases, Bola EP ("Forcasa 3") and the Aguilla 7" (the title cut). ~ Sean Cooper

Wax Trax! MasterMix $9.99 Track Listing: 1. World Wide Funk - Expansion Union, 2. L.B.P. - Frontside, 3. Rock Me - Pills, 4. Game On - Infiniti, 5. Birth - Adam X, 6. Don't Talk Me Down - DJ Dmitry (Trance-Dimensional Wormhole Mix), 7. 70's in the Cut - DJ Hurricane, 8. Never Gonna Let You Go - Trinity Hi-Fi, 9. God Is God - Juno Reactor (Front 242 God Zilla Mix), 10. Bless My Soul - Nightmares on Wax, 11. Eutow - Autechre, 12. Spikee - Underworld (previously unreleased)

The Work of Director Chris Cunningham - $18.99 Part of the Director's Label DVD series from Palm Pictures, this volume focuses on the work of director Chris Cunningham. Based in London, England, Cunningham did special effects for feature films before directing his first promo video for electronic musicians Autechre. He has since directed the award-winning videos for "Come to Daddy" by Aphex Twin, "Only You" by Portishead, and "All Is Full of Love" by Bj?rk. He has also collaborated with Squarepusher for the video accompaniment to the track "Come on My Selector." Cunningham has also been prolific in the area of commercials as well as experimental short films. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Skinny Puppy - ReMix Dys Temper $14.32 REMIX DYS TEMPER is a collection of remixed Skinny Puppy songs.Divided down the line between tracks charting the emerging electronica process of remix-by-obliteration and lame tributes by industrial-trance groups, the Skinny Puppy remix album is just a bit too diverse for its own good. Electronic fans will be most impressed by Autechre`s "Killing Game," Josh Wink`s "Chainsaw" and Neotropic`s "Love in Vein," and ignore the questionable inclusions of the Deftones, God Lives Underwater and Guru. ~ John Bush Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

A Shocking Hobby $9.99 Speedy J followed up the most lauded album of his career with yet another work of excellence, an album that ranges slightly farther afield than the insistent Autechre references recalled by Public Energy No. 1. After a short ambient opener, the ungodly "Borax" comes crashing through with a sound that manages to encompass terms like funky, experimental, and beautiful with equal degrees of excellence. It's easily one of the best productions of Jochem Paap's career, not to mention one of the best in contemporary electronic music. True, a few of the later tracks ("Balk Acid," "Drill," "Vopak") are quite close to the brand of super-computing electro-techno that Autechre pioneered a few years before, but even these productions have an immediacy, an enormity of sound, quite lacking in Autechre. A world away from this music-for-eggheads sound lies what just may have been another influence on A Shocking Hobby -- namely, the insanely stupid dance style named big-beat techno. These tracks don't exactly have the can't-miss-'em drum breakdowns and old-school samples of yr average big-beat record, but when Paap places a massive explosion of sound on the first beat of every bar, it's difficult to escape the feeling that these songs are akin to Fatboy Slim on brainfood. Creating intelligent, difficult music that also feeds the attention-span deficit inherent in post-rave music isn't just a good idea, it's the recipe for another excellent album. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Last Rights $14.43 Last Rights, Skinny Puppy's final album before a five-year hiatus, and their second to last overall, is a hailstorm of electro-distortion ten years ahead of its time. Even while industrial pop stars like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry were strutting their way across the charts and media outlets trumpeting the industrial revolution, Dave Ogilvie and cEvin Key's ambitious production talents reached what is easily a technical peak (and, arguably, an artistic peak). "Inquisition" is the pinnacle, a heart-stopping single whose production contributed just as much to the air of menace as Ogre's vocals. Skinny Puppy even attempts a ballad on "Killing Game," with surprising success. Though the dense production occasionally masks Ogre's vocals and songwriting, Last Rights is a sonic masterpiece that undoubtedly influenced sound manipulators from Autechre to White Zombie. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Evanescence/Ellipsis $14.99 Track Listing: (DISC 1:), (DISC 2:), 1. Silver Rain Fell, 1. Silver Rain Fell [Meat Beat Manifesto Mix] - (remix), 2. Exodus [Scorn Mix] - (remix), 2. Light Trap, 3. Dreamspace [Coil 'Shadow Vs Executioner' Mix] - (remix), 3. Falling, 4. Automata, 4. Night Ash Black [Bill Laswell 'Slow Black Underground River' Mix] - (remix), 5. Days Passed, 5. Night Tide [Scanner 'Flaneur Electronique' Mix] - (remix), 6. Dreamspace, 6. Falling [Autechre 'FR 13' Mix] - (remix), 7. End [P.C.M 'Nightmare' Mix], The - (remix), 7. Exodus, 8. Automata [Germ Mix] - (remix), 8. Night Tide, 9. End, The, 9. Light Trap [Scorn Mix] - (remix), 10. Slumber

Incunabula $16.98 Although Autechre's debut release doesn't totally display the full experimentation which would dominate their future albums and singles, it is still striking nonetheless, as proof that the early comparisons to fellow Sheffield denizens Cabaret Voltaire weren't just misguided hype. Lumped in with the "intelligent dance music" semi-genre popular at the time, Autechre doesn't hit the same levels as Orbital or labelmate Aphex Twin, but Incunabula still stands out as being both good dancefloor material and equally pleasant listening, and not simply new-age hash with a backbeat. "Kalpol Introl" sets the overall mood for the rest of the record, with a sharp blend of minimal but effective beats and bass combined with a variety of keyboard textures and understated melodies. "Bike" ratchets the pace even more, reliant on crisp drum-machine patterns and careful arrangements to create something equally at home either in Detroit or on the autobahn. From there Incunabula follows the same general tone; tracks often experiment with ghostly keyboard backing and mostly clinical beats combined with odd, individual touches. Notable examples of this are the quirky organ sounds and vocal fragments on "Autriche" and the warning siren keyboards matched with notably more slamming percussion on "Doctrine." "Basscadet" is the album's undisputed winner at combining avant-garde touches with club underpinnings, armed with a sparkling, clanging, mid-song break and a relentless, mechanistic rhythm not a million miles away from the contemporaneous work of Seefeel, who remixed the track for a single release shortly thereafter. Despite the relative sameness in the basic arrangements of tracks covering the better portion of the album -- a few song subtractions wouldn't have hurt the 75-minute length any -- Incunabula still stands out as a better effort than many other U.K. techno albums of the early '90s. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Empty the Bones of You $17.98 Empty the Bones of You is a decent but not revolutionary entry in the moody, crunchy realm of IDM favored by Boards of Canada, Autechre, and Aphex Twin, in his more ambient incarnations. Any of the album's 14 sonic noir pieces would fit nicely on a film score, preferably in a gritty crime drama or a spooky zombie fest. Genre fans should know exactly what to expect with just a look at the snappy and somewhat creepy sleeve from Designers Republic: unsettling keyboard drones, thunderously deep slow-moving bass tones, and enough bizarre sound effects to keep listeners on their toes. As Chris Clark isn't adding anything new to this particular style of music and melody is basically an afterthought, it's up to his arrangements to provide a unique atmosphere. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a mastery of pacing or sequencing, or he simply chose a somewhat bland blueprint for the album's layout. From track to track, the music shifts through inspirations such as those mentioned above, drifts decidedly into ambient Seefeel territory for better or worse, and occasionally provokes an emotional response. The effect is such that one can't help but see Clark as a follower or mimic operating in a genre that's past its peak. Released a time when IDM forefathers like Richard D. James, Mike Paradinas, and Autechre have to struggle, and sometimes stumble, themselves to innovate and generate an audience, Empty the Bones of You brings to mind fond memories of days of electronica past, but fails to add anything new to the equation. Still, with stronger material and a more adventurous scheme, Clark's obvious skills as an engineer and producer would most likely bear exquisite fruit. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Music Guide

Chris Clark (Electronic) - Empty The Bones Of You * $17.99 Empty the Bones of You is a decent but not revolutionary entry in the moody, crunchy realm of IDM favored by Boards of Canada, Autechre, and Aphex Twin, in his more ambient incarnations. Any of the album`s 14 sonic noir pieces would fit nicely on a film score, preferably in a gritty crime drama or a spooky zombie fest. Genre fans should know exactly what to expect with just a look at the snappy and somewhat creepy sleeve from Designers Republic: unsettling keyboard drones, thunderously deep slow-moving bass tones, and enough bizarre sound effects to keep listeners on their toes. As Chris Clark isn`t adding anything new to this particular style of music and melody is basically an afterthought, it`s up to his arrangements to provide a unique atmosphere. Unfortunately, he doesn`t have a mastery of pacing or sequencing, or he simply chose a somewhat bland blueprint for the album`s layout. From track to track, the music shifts through inspirations such as those mentioned above, drifts decidedly into ambient Seefeel territory for better or worse, and occasionally provokes an emotional response. The effect is such that one can`t help but see Clark as a follower or mimic operating in a genre that`s past its peak. Released a time when IDM forefathers like Richard D. James, Mike Paradinas, and Autechre have to struggle, and sometimes stumble, themselves to innovate and generate an audience, Empty the Bones of You brings to mind fond memories of days of electronica past, but fails to add anything new to the equation. Still, with stronger material and a more adventurous scheme, Clark`s obvious skills as an engineer and producer would most likely bear exquisite fruit. ~ Tim DiGravina Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

DJ-Kicks $15.98 Andrea Parker's contribution to Studio !K7's long-running mix series DJ-Kicks is, expectedly, heavy on electro past and present. The set's timing was market-driven; electro's periodic "revivals" are almost as predictable as the scores of second-rate tracks full of preset 808 beats and overzealous vocoders that inevitably follow. !K7 at least had the sense to call in someone with the knowledge and skill to put an interesting set together; Parker's DJ-Kicks also does double duty as a peek behind the curtain of her own fascinating, still-developing sound. The mixing is adequate, but Parker's set is ultimately about track selection, and most of what's on offer here is excellent, including classics like 69's "Desire," Model 500's "Night Drive," Man Parrish's "Hip Hop Be Bop (Don't Stop)," and C.O.D.'s "In the Bottle," as well as relative newcomers like Drexciya, Dopplereffekt, Voigt Kampff, and Gescom (aka Autechre). ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide

Mas Confusion $15.98 For quite some time, the "F" pair (Funkstörung and Funckarma) have been poised to take the place of the "A" pair (Autechre and Aphex Twin) as the leading activists when it comes to glitch-filled techno that is challenging for the toe tapper yet utterly sensible in the arrangement of such quirky clicks. This CD, compiled by brothers Don and Roel Funcken, was assembled mainly from promo tapes sent to Funkstörung's label, Musik Aus Strong. So obviously, newcomers like Xela and Tomato Weirdo don't stray too far from the melodic chime and glitch of their seniors. Fortunately, additional invited guest Adam Johnson and Stars as Eyes shine through with similar yet exciting methods of production, while elder producer Quench shows everyone how it's done with the sweeping drama of "Zane." Funckarma itself contributes a selection, as does Funkstörung's Michael Fakesch, both sounding exactly as you'd expect from each respective outfit. The variances in sound found on Mas Confusion are more than enough to make for a complete listen, while the obvious connection of all the included artists means that nothing strays too far off course. This is complicated yet easily accessible music that continues the classic juxtaposition of harsh and beautiful electronic sounds coming together. ~ Joshua Glazer, All Music Guide

All Things Change $16.98 Timing is everything, certainly in the quickly moving world of electronica, and All Things Change, the album debut from L.A. producer Doug Rimerman, sounds just a bit behind the times. Though he's an innovative, clever producer, Rimerman is caught between the rugged sound of early-'90s ambient techno (B12, Autechre, Black Dog) and the glitch-heavy programming monsters who, by the end of the decade, became the mark of a real professional in the world of electronic listening music. All Things Change has neither the production intricacies of later techno or the strong melodies and graceful programming that occasionally save any exceptions to the rule. Most of the tracks just have too many similarities: fast-moving, distorted percussion; squelchy acid melodies; and waves of synth over-arching all. There's an understated flair to a few inclusions ("Distorted Ripple" for one), but Rimerman should either spend more time in front of the computer or come up with stronger songs for future records. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Snatch $11.98 From the languished trip-hop of Music for Babies to the sublime big beat on Turn the Dark Off, Howie B. has excelled at rewiring the latest thing in electronica to display not only his stellar production skills but also his ear for unheard beats and overall knack for creating excellent headphone music. To that extent, Snatch is a similar record. The jumping-off point for this one, however, is the increasingly experimentalist slant of electronic music during the late '90s, displayed by the slipped-disc sample minimalism of artists such as Autechre, Panasonic, and Mouse on Mars. The opener, "Gallway," takes a few minutes of static electricity to launch into its muted beat attack, while the sub-bass depth on "Cook for You" is practically off the charts. "Trust" blends a few phlegmatic effects reminiscent of Mouse on Mars with glazed-eye minimalism of the Philip Glass variety and a melodica sample perhaps gleaned from his trip to Jamaica (the results of which appeared on Sly & Robbie Stripped to the Bone by Howie B., released less than a month before). Of course, a month's working vacation in Kingston is going to result in radically different music than spending time in the new-experimentalist center of Köln, but Snatch successfully fuses the earthier side of dub and trip-hop with abstract electronics. It's by far his best album yet. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Enjoy Your Rabbit $12.99 Sufjan Stevens' second release, Enjoy Your Rabbit, is a vast departure from the pan-ethnic folk of his debut. Using almost no exterior samples, Stevens crafts an electronic, all-"instrumental" song cycle based on the symbols of the Chinese zodiac. While working within these considerably narrower confines, he still maps out a wide musical territory by using each symbol as a mode, each one exploring different textures and tempos and, in the process, evoking a surprising array of moods. At times eerie and ominous like a backwoods Autechre, other times sounding like more club-oriented fare, Stevens sometimes trades in bloops and bleeps for oblique glitches and crackles, but the underlying guiding principle is wide-eyed exploration that fills nearly every track with a sense of playfulness. Enjoy Your Rabbit never gets too serious, although at times it's very intense. Many tracks even have some sort of musical pun working just under the surface; for instance, "Year of the Horse" is by far the longest, clocking in at over 13 minutes, and "Year of the Ox" has a regular, heavy thudding beat. ~ Jason Nickey, All Music GuidePerformers: Liz Janes - Vocals

Evanescence/Ellipsis $16.98 This Earache reissue pairs Evanescence, Scorn’s “breakthrough” album released in 1994, with its attendant remix album, Ellipsis, issued in 1995. The former (the band’s third proper full-length) is important for one basic reason: it made other musicians -- many of whom are included on Ellipsis -- sit up and take notice of the sonic attack produced by Scorn’s Mick Harris and Nicholas Bullen. The huge bass throb soundscapes were likened to the 'eavy dub effects of Lee Perry, while the music is a dead slow crawl between the sound of industrial and the pair’s association with Napalm Death, with slow churning guitars, nearly subsonic basslines that emerge from the ether to get right inside the listener’s spine, and vocals that are deathly slow and subdued, and all but buried in the thicker-than-corn-starch mix. Ellipsis includes tracks reworked by Meat Beat Manifesto, Bill Laswell, Scanner, Autechre, Coil, and more. The remaster sounds terrific and comes packaged as a double disc. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music GuidePerformers: James Plotkin - Guitar, Guitar (Synthesizer)

Balance 010 $24.99 Track Listing: (DISC 1:), (DISC 2:), 1. Ethiopia - Bill Laswell, 1. Floating Windows - Miles Tilmann, 2. Babylon Ghost - Bill Laswell, 2. Minutes - Miles Tilmann, 3. How Are You? - Steve T., 3. Study of Six Guitars - The Future Sound of London, 4. Coming Down the Glass - Laika, 4. Oil Zone, The - Speedy J, 5. Autumn Leaves - Coldcut, 5. Kriegspiel - Adam Johnson, 6. Port-au-Prince - Deadbeat, 6. Water Drums - Union Jack, 7. Bubbles - Ellen Allien, 7. Sb Bid Beliwave - Casio Vs. Japan, 8. Falmer - Nathan Fake, 9. Dayvan Cowboy - Boards of Canada, 10. Beloved - Anoushka Shankar, 11. Angels - Wax Poetic/Norah Jones, 12. Nine - Autechre, 13. Everything You Is a Balloon - Boards of Canada, 14. Rising Dust - Brian Eno/Jan Peter Schwalm, 15. Halo - Depeche Mode, 16. Walking Away - The Egg, 17. Everything You Do - Bonobo

Warp20 (Recreated) $15.99 Track Listing: (DISC 1:), (DISC 2:), 1. 3/4 Heart - Mark Pritchard, 1. Milkman/To Cure a Weakling Child - Born Ruffians, 2. In a Beautiful Place out in the Country - Oliver Coates/Mira Calix, 2. Japanese Electronics - (featuring Jimi Tenor), 3. Colorado - Pivot, 3. When - (featuring Max?mo Park), 4. Kaini Industries - Bibio - (featuring Stephen James Wilkinson), 4. Little Bit More, A - Tim Exile, 5. Little Brother - (featuring Jamie Lidell), 5. Midnight Drive - Rustie, 6. LFO - Luke Vibert, 6. Vordhosbn - Leila, 7. Phylactery - John Callaghan, 7. What Is House? - Autechre (LFO Remix, remix), 8. Cabasa Cabasa - Russell Haswell (previously unreleased), 8. I Found the F - Gravenhurst - (featuring Nick Talbot), 9. On My Bus - (featuring Plaid), 9. So Malleable - Clark, 10. Acrobat - (featuring Seefeel), 10. Fool in Rain - (featuring Diamond Watch Wrists), 11. Paint the Stars - Wednesday Nite/Hudson Mohawke

Refried Food [1-CD] $14.99 Track Listing: (DISC 1:), 1. Fungle Junk - (Lemon D mix), 1. Strange Taste, 2. Spiral Dub, 2. Valves - (Journeyman mix), 3. Conciousness Dub - (Ashley Beedle mix), 3. Freedom - (Fila Brazillia mix, remix), 4. Sexy Bits - (Autechre AegV mix, remix), 4. Stop Phink - (Hidden Chipsters mix), 5. Inosan - (Neotropic mix), 5. Scratch Yer Hed - (square pusher mix, remix), 6. Inosan - (Colcut 1 mix), 6. Mella - (The herbaliser drive faster mix, remix), 7. Half Step - (Dr. Rockit mix, remix), 7. Inosan - (Coldcut 2 mix), 8. Turtle Soup - (wagon christ mix, remix), 8. Wildstyle Beatfreaks Megamix - (Jeep Beat Collective mix), 9. Ninja Tune Megamix - (Mr Scruff mix), 9. Spiral - (tongue & groove mix, remix), 10. Dark Lady - (skint mix, remix), 11. Dark River - (The angel mix, remix), 12. Dark Blood - (Mlo Nu Blud 2 mix, remix), 13. Consciousness - (Ashley Beedle Cosmic Consciousness mix, remix), 14. Taste Strange

Lamb (Electronica) - Remixed * $13.84 Personnel: Jimi Goodwin (guitar); London Session Orchestra (strings); Guy Sigsworth (bass programming).Audio Mixers: Dave Bascombe; Steve Christian.Audio Remixers: A Guy Called Gerald; Luke Vibert; Peter Kruder; Photek; Richard Dorfmeister; Si Begg; Tom Middleton; Tom Withers .Liner Note Author: David Hemingway.Recording information: EMI Abbey Road Studios, London, England; The Toyshop, Manchester, England.Editor: Gavyn Wright.In 2006, the U.K. electronica act Lamb (singer Louise Rhodes and musical mastermind Andrew Barlow) followed up its `04 retrospective and BACK TO MINE mix with yet another collection. Essentially a companion piece to BEST KEPT SECRETS, the two-disc REMIXED features the duo`s IDM contemporaries offering their takes on some of Lamb`s finest songs. While some tunes are interpreted multiple times, no rendition sounds the same--Mr. Scruff`s dreamy version of "Gold," for example, is nothing like Autechre`s stuttering, abstract reworking of the same track. Although some remixes downplay Rhodes`s emotive vocals, they all bring out fascinating aspects of Barlow`s trip-hop-oriented compositions. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Sufjan Stevens - Enjoy Your Rabbit $14.83 Composer: Sufjan Stevens.Personnel: Liz Janes (vocals).Recording information: 2001.Sufjan Stevens` second release, Enjoy Your Rabbit, is a vast departure from the pan-ethnic folk of his debut. Using almost no exterior samples, Stevens crafts an electronic, all-"instrumental" song cycle based on the symbols of the Chinese zodiac. While working within these considerably narrower confines, he still maps out a wide musical territory by using each symbol as a mode, each one exploring different textures and tempos and, in the process, evoking a surprising array of moods. At times eerie and ominous like a backwoods Autechre, other times sounding like more club-oriented fare, Stevens sometimes trades in bloops and bleeps for oblique glitches and crackles, but the underlying guiding principle is wide-eyed exploration that fills nearly every track with a sense of playfulness. Enjoy Your Rabbit never gets too serious, although at times it`s very intense. Many tracks even have some sort of musical pun working just under the surface; for instance, "Year of the Horse" is by far the longest, clocking in at over 13 minutes, and "Year of the Ox" has a regular, heavy thudding beat. ~ Jason Nickey Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Beans (Rap) - Tomorrow Right Now $16.99 Personnel: Beans (synthesizer, percussion programming); Earl Blaize (keyboards); Leon Gruenbaum (synthesizer).Recording information: Chicky World Service; Earl`s Basement; L. Gruenbaum`s Bedroom.Photographer: Timothy Saccenti.Unknown Contributor Role: Earl Blaize.Arranger: Beans.The first release from an Antipop Consortium member following the dissolution of the group, Tomorrow Right Now is a catchy but challenging mix of Beans` almost academic flow and crisp, unlikely samples and electronics. "Phreek the Beat" crosses reggae with simple loops for a disarmingly lo-fi groove; "Mearle" employs ominous drones and freaked-out vocals that are closest to DJ Shadow on his masterpiece Endtroducing; "Crave" is a banger that joyfully pushes the limits with a straight-up rap and beatbox, and "Hot Venom" layers old-school rhymes over tricked out sounds straight out of Aphex Twin and Autechre. With Tomorrow Right Now, Beans proves to be the perfect hip hop artist for Warp Records. Though he`s never as instantaneously gratifying as the Streets, the Roots, or Jurassic 5, his efforts to continually defy convention in both production and lyrics -- simultaneously looking forward to electronics and back to days of good rhymes, talent and passion -- make for a rewarding, maybe even educational, listen. ~ Charles Spano Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Jonn Serrie - The Stargazer`s Journey $15.99 THE STARGAZER`S JOURNEY takes ambient music to a cosmic level. Jonn Serrie has pioneered the genre of "space music" in his long career as a composer for such distinguished clients as NASA, Lucasfilm Ltd., and New York City`s Hayden Planetarium. While other New Age composers might shy away from such a distinction, Serrie embraces it and continues to create unique music. His signature sound is an ethereal, gossamer twinkle that listeners around the world will immediately associate with cinematic scenes of space flight. THE STARGAZER`S JOURNEY, when removed from any visuals, becomes an aural voyage in itself. Serrie maintains enough subtle rhythm to keep the listener`s mind engaged, and adds synthesizer melodies that shimmer through the compositions to soothing effect. On "Goldstone," a rapid four-note bassline provides the grounding over which shimmering chords. Fans of techno-pop groups like Air and Autechre will find similarities in Serrie`s music. THE STARGAZER`S JOURNEY is the perfect music for body workers and massage therapists, providing a far-off, blissful mood. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Scorn - Evanescence/Ellipsis [11/17] $16.13 This Earache reissue pairs Evanescence, Scorn`s "breakthrough" album released in 1994, with its attendant remix album, Ellipsis, issued in 1995. The former (the band`s third proper full-length) is important for one basic reason: it made other musicians -- many of whom are included on Ellipsis -- sit up and take notice of the sonic attack produced by Scorn`s Mick Harris and Nicholas Bullen. The huge bass throb soundscapes were likened to the `eavy dub effects of Lee Perry, while the music is a dead slow crawl between the sound of industrial and the pair`s association with Napalm Death, with slow churning guitars, nearly subsonic basslines that emerge from the ether to get right inside the listener`s spine, and vocals that are deathly slow and subdued, and all but buried in the thicker-than-corn-starch mix. Ellipsis includes tracks reworked by Meat Beat Manifesto, Bill Laswell, Scanner, Autechre, Coil, and more. The remaster sounds terrific and comes packaged as a double disc. ~ Thom Jurek Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Mira Calix - Skimskitta * $17.99 Recording information: Loxwich.Unknown Contributor Role: Mira Calix.Chantal Passamonte`s sophomore album for Warp follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, One on One, in its collision of the awkward with the beautiful. Despite living in the English countryside and having conjured up many of the sounds on the album from naturally found materials, the sonic vision of her alter ego is more dilapidated cityscape than untouched wilderness, with a density forged from the constant push and pull of opposing elements -- the taps and scrapes of splintered percussion never quite amounting to a recognizable beat before they collapse under the weight of subtle tones and an occasional swell of melody. Like labelmates Aphex Twin and Autechre, this all amounts to something of a tough listen, though it is tracks like "Sixnot6" and "Distracted2" that really reward the listener willing to wade through the bleak atmospherics. The human interference that defines these two tracks has the effect of a brittle emotive film holding the rest of the album together as a tangible whole, emerging from the clangs and clatters with a minute or so of silk-spun synthetic orchestration like a shaft of sun through an overcast sky. ~ Kingsley Marshall Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Arctic Hospital - Neon Veils [9/16] $18.98 Under the Arctic Hospital guise, Wisconsin`s Eric Bray works a vein of techno that`s at once seemingly out of time and now timeless, a melange of approaches from the 1990s -- from classic Detroit techno descended from Derrick May via Plastikman to the early releases on Warp Records (especially Autechre before they went completely out of expected bounds) -- that recombines to elegant, powerful effect. At its most energetic and powerful, as on the driving, slick polyrhythms of "Stepping Back" and the stomping blast of "Neon Seven," the album runs off a huge live wire, working against both restrained minimalism and aggro Ed Banger-style frat-dance in distinct ways. Meanwhile, the big house-happy drum punch on "Encompass" helps Neon Veils feel like a wonderfully uptempo, vibrant summer record, while "Placement by Air" adds more space and very overt dub touches in the mix, slow pacing against the hyperdrive of the beat that adds enjoyable, unexpected depth to the arrangement. ~ Ned Raggett Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Play $13.58 It's ironic that an electronics-reliant duo notorious for complex and difficult productions had an involuntary hand in the making of an instrumental rock album so simple, natural, and flat-out gorgeous. Play is Larsen's third studio album in eight years. They weren't merely inspired by Autechre, as indicated in the inner sleeve. Rather than write material the old-fashioned way, the band took some of the groundbreaking experimental techno duo's melodies and improvised around them, which eventually gave way to fully formed songs that only left traces of their inspiration. In fact, the notion of this method actually taking place turns out to be so faint that only those who know Autechre inside out are likely to pick up on it. Compared to 2002's Michael Gira-produced Rever, this album is less explosive and dynamic, but it's often as riveting. Save for churning opener "C," grinding guitar riffs and howling vocals are nonexistent, the loudest passages carried instead by Marco Schiavo's drums and two guest collaborators -- cellist Julie Kent and violinist Matt Howden. The gradual gradations -- like the layering of droning guitars and accordion on "G" -- that previously offset the thunderous moments on Rever -- are allowed take control of most of the album's duration. On "S," the band locks into a poised stasis not unlike the uneasy calm that sets in before a violent storm, but the threat slowly deteriorates, leaving the tension unresolved. As always, Larsen seem driven to make an album that swims through your head hours after it's played. "P" would be a tranquil finale, an easy way to let the listener out, if it weren't for the dark glimmer and sinister background swarm laid over a sparsely played guitar; rather than act as a quick outro, its effect is just as penetrating and lingering as any of the lengthier tracks in the middle of the album. Unfortunately, Larsen have also been remained willfully elusive throughout their career. They don't record often, hop from label to label when they do, and garner a small sliver of the interest they deserve. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music GuidePerformers: Paolo Dellapiana - Accordion, Bass, Keyboards; Julia Kent - Cello; Paul Beauchamp - Synthesizer; Roberto Maria Clemente - Guitar, Vocals; Matt Howden - Violin; Marco Milanesio - Keyboards, Piano (Electric);

Haunted Weather: Music, Silence, and Memory $19.98 This two-CD compilation album came out in conjunction with David Toop's book of the same title. Compiled by Toop, it is designed as a companion to or "audio version of" his book (his choice of words). But since it is sold separately, this review will focus on the album as a stand-alone artifact. The title is a metaphor for a period of uncertainty and profound change. Toop links it to the development of computer technology in music-making (both in the act of making music and the performance of music) and furthermore to a certain awareness of silence and history. All these elements have been factored in his selection, and a wide selection it is. The two CDs contain a total of 33 tracks (a third of them are extracts from longer pieces), most of them from the late '90s or early 2000s. The scope of avant-garde music covered is impressive: from the acoustic improvisations of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble (one of the rare tracks arching beyond the '90s) to the electronic constructions of Autechre, Pan Sonic, and Matmos; from the readily accessible melodies of Fennesz to the highly demanding, Spartan pieces of Taku Sugimoto; from the delightful field recordings of Chris Watson, Sarah Peebles, and Toshiya Tsunoda to the alien sounds of Kaffe Matthews, Max Eastley, and John Butcher. Toop's compiling sense is flawless. Each artist is represented by a striking piece, often a groundbreaking one, and these pieces are sequenced into quasi-seamless play lists that gently guide the listener through their extremes and contradictions. The booklet presents track-by-track information that lets the listener use this album as a starting point for further discoveries (a feature too many compilers ignore). Haunted Weather is still just a compilation album and detractors of the format will not be converted, but it is a highly personal one, with a higher than average level of quality and interest. It's also remarkably easy to listen to, despite the challenging nature of the music it presents. And for that, it is a complete success. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide

Radio Caroline, Vol.1 $16.98 Some listeners have always suspected that Caroline Herve's Euro-princess persona, Miss Kittin, was a bit of an act. But as her detached vocal delivery has become more and more ubiquitous, it is exceedingly difficult to tell where the character ends and the real person begins. With her first stateside mix CD, Herve finally tears down the facade, proving that she is much more than the champagne-toasting chanteuse that her sensual accent and fashionista lyrics have always suggested. Granted, Miss Kittin continues the practice of speaking over the tracks, offering challenges such as, "How can you be a DJ if you don't shake your ass in the middle of the ground?," but following an opening statement about her life and family, Herve has already informed listeners of which voice she is using to speak. Almost as a side effect, Herve also proves that she is a wicked DJ, easily blending hiccupping beats by IDM operators Autechre and Pan sonic into subdued house rhythms compliments of Blaze. Click-stepping German minimalism, hyperspace Detroit techno-electro, and even languid trip-hop beats all deftly come together with precise manipulation that few DJs would ever have the nerve to pull off. As the title says, Radio Caroline is a far more esoteric and complicated musical place than the sleek electro-trash ghetto where Miss Kittin is usually placed. The only concession made to the nouveau sound comes with the inclusion of Alexander Robotnick's "Dance Boy Dance," but even that selection rides the line between wave and techno. This mix will surely surprise the public, whose only perception of Herve is her electro-fad alter ego. But to the increasing amount of fans who are tiring of that particular strain of dance music, the surprise is a pleasant one. ~ Joshua Glazer, All Music GuidePerformers: Miss Kittin - Voices

Animal Chin $10.98 On this absolutely intoxicating album, Animal Chin, Norway's Jaga Jazzist brilliantly combine everything from Stereolab to Mego recording artists like Fennesz to Autechre and Aphex Twin. The title track brilliantly alternates between laid-back jazz and tweaked Squarepusher drum'n'bass -- that is, until it spirals into a retro chic, vibes-and-synthesizer, bachelor-pad groove. "Low Battery" has an eerie slow-motion shimmer that's complimented by up-front beats and a film noir moodiness, but it's immediately followed by "Toxic Dart," a buzzing, simmering, out-of-control laptop jam that's crisp, clean, and utopian. Herein lies Jaga Jazzist's greatest strength -- the ability to hopscotch between startlingly hip and experimental genres while making it all sound so perfectly coherent and resonant. ~ Charles Spano, All Music GuidePerformers: Martin Horntveth - Drum Machine, Drums, Keyboards, Percussion; Mathias Eick - Bass (Upright), Keyboards, Trumpet; Lars Horntveth - Clarinet (Bass), Flute, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Keyboards, Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor); Andreas Mjos - Drums, Keyboards, Marimba, Percussion, Vibraphone; Even Ormestad - Bass, Keyboards; Lars Wabø - Trombone

Ballad of the Round Ball $13.98 The second full-length expedition by Josh Presseisen manages to send the listener simultaneously outward beyond the stars of the imagination and inward into the remoteness of the individual consciousness. The album skillfully balances polar musical terrain: the eerie, alien barrenness of a dreamed technological future, almost too rapidly encroaching, vs. the world of complex human emotions which necessarily must give meaning and shape to that future. Like Aphex Twin, Marumari puts rhythmic track after rhythmic track one atop another until they begin to congeal into soundscapes that are almost organically verdant in impact, if that is possible with electronic sound. They are very nearly made to swing in a clanging, mechanical way (until now the peculiar trick of Richard D. James, who also proves to be an influence by way of the cryptically, trigonometrically titled tracks). Although the tone is, to a certain degree, one of chilly bleakness, Presseisen imbues his beats with a lushness that softens the harshest angles. They are then transformed into songs -- and made considerably more warm-blooded -- through his gift for protracted, intricate electroid melodies that bear comparison to those of another expert knob-twiddler, µ-Ziq. The result is not unlike an orchestration of technology, pieces of music that are both automated and Luddite at once, wide-eyed but insular. In addition, Marumari frequently employs a smothering (in the best sense of that term) overlay of modulation à la Autechre, giving the music an even more extraterrestrial surface quality, a mysterious skin that brings the tracks under a single body. Comparisons aside, Ballad of the Roundball introduced a highly individual and distinctive American voice to the international cabal of electronica, one that flirts with the sort of instantly identifiable and endemic hallmarks that have elevated certain names (Moby, for instance) into mainstream techno circles, but, nevertheless, one whose flirtations are subordinate to the music's adventurousness, its sense of exploration, and its vision. The music neither panders to a least-common denominator nor is it inaccessible, a difficult space to find and one that bodes well for Marumari's future body of work. ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide

Remix Dys Temper $14.43 Divided down the line between tracks charting the emerging electronica process of remix-by-obliteration and lame tributes by industrial-trance groups, the Skinny Puppy remix album is just a bit too diverse for its own good. Electronic fans will be most impressed by Autechre's "Killing Game," Josh Wink's "Chainsaw" and Neotropic's "Love in Vein," and ignore the questionable inclusions of the Deftones, God Lives Underwater and Guru. ~ John Bush, All Music GuidePerformers: Mark Blasquez - Guitar; Chino - Vocals; Coco Chinomiya - Vocals; Saki Kaskas - Guitar; Eric Stenman - Guitar; Devin Townsend - Guitar; Serena Whitters - Vocals

Radio Blackout $9.99 As you might or might not be able to discern from the skull 'n' crossbones 'n' headphones artwork, T. Raumschmiere's trucker-capped cross between big beat and IDM is in full effect throughout most of Radio Blackout, his first release for Novamute. Closer in approach to his noisy The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle than his more minimal-minded Anti (both of which were released in 2002), each of the 11 tracks on Blackout feature distinct assaults that range from corroded shuffle-tech to paranoid ambience. The opening "I'm Not Deaf, I'm Ignoring You" has a riff that's just begging to constantly creep up in the background of a low-budget horror movie. "Monstertruckdriver" and "The Game Is Not Over" (the latter featuring Miss Kittin) are buzzing cyborg mating rituals that fall closer to T. Rex and Foghat than Aphex Twin and Autechre. There's a weak hip-hop tangent and a couple of other low-wattage clunkers, but the highlights have no trouble adding up to an album that should satiate those who have grown weary of overcerebral, prissy laptop producers. If most of the full-lengths released by Raumschmiere's German brethren in 2003 are autobahn-traversing Lamborghinis, Radio Blackout is a bog-bustin', mud-caked Ford pickup. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music GuidePerformers: Renate Dirix - Vocals; Miss Kittin - Vocals

Oneric $15.98 Boxcutter is an apt title for the songs constructed by one Barry Lynn, from Northern Ireland; the sounds on Oneric are sharp yet utilitarian, rusty and grungy yet dependable. These percussion-riddled dreamscapes (oneiric means "of or pertaining to dreams") reside on the edgier side of the land of IDM, or "intelligent dance music," one of the most egregious misnomers in music categorization ever. Can you dance to it? Sure -- its forms are derived from DJ and sample-based techno or dance music. But is it intelligent? Heady yes, but it's much more visceral than intellectual. As is the case with most IDM artists (Aphex Twin, Autechre, Boards of Canada, µ-Ziq, Plaid, Squarepusher, Wagon Christ/Plug, et al.) the rhythm patterns here are derived from dancefloor catalysts but systematically dismantled and reassembled in a way that pleases both mind and body, and may be more appropriate for headphones and the couch than a swanky underground club. Boxcutter manipulates his own electronic micro genre, too: whereas Squarepusher or Amon Tobin exploit drum'n'bass, Aphex Twin tweaks jungle, and Luke Vibert and his ilk implode acid techno, Boxcutter's starting points are the relatively obscure grime and dubstep. Regardless of any needless categorization, the overall sound here most closely resembles his Planet Mu labelmate µ-Ziq, all dark noirish ambience, splattery and disjointed beats, kinetic soundtracks to documentary films about spasmodic alien life forms. "Tauhid" buzzes and lurches its way through an Arabic film noir, until the action sequence takes off with a decidedly Amon Tobin-esque cymbal loop. "Grub" has a µ-Ziq-like flavor, its rhythm seemingly comprised of Brontosaurus stomps and bug zappers. "Skuff'd" exhorts you to "put the drum machine on," then proceeds to crank it to 11 as the boogie bassline and scattershot snares propel you down the intergalactic superhighway. And that's just the first three tracks. This album never lets up and is extremely enjoyable the whole way through, and as Boxcutter's debut it ranks among the finest releases of IDM, whatever that is. ~ Brian Way, All Music Guide

Everything Ecstatic $15.98 Kieran Hebden had every right to retreat from the folktronica tag stapled to his Four Tet recordings. Although he was the premier name in the sub-subgenre, and although his productions transcended even the cutest label that could be attached to them, the folktronica term was too clever by half; more importantly, no respectable artist in the indie underground can stand idly by while he's being pigeonholed. Nevertheless, the left turn Hebden has taken into jumpy Krautrock with 2005's Everything Ecstatic will make listeners yearn for the clever, nuanced productions he turned in on Pause and Rounds; fortunately, he hasn't completely forsaken his old ways. Early in the program, Hebden sounds more clearly derivative than he ever has; the spotlight track "Smile Around the Face" has one of Kanye West's chipmunk divas blandly merging into a sunny-day Avalanches production. "Sun Drums and Soil" begins with the menacing bell tones of an Autechre track and ends with the blatting horns of a free jazz workout, but the barrage of a percussion section never relents over six minutes. "Clouding," a criminally short interlude, is a turning point for Everything Ecstatic -- all of the album's best moments occur on the second half (and they are very good). "Turtle Turtle Up" and the shifting epic "Sleep, Eat Food, Have Visions" are nominally electro productions, but they're some of the oddest and most attentively produced electro tracks to ever appear on record. (On the latter, the slight influences of the Orb are assimilated into the whole, not pasted on top.) The final track, "You Were There With Me," transforms the sound of Balinese gongs into an isolated, nightmarish production with only a faint heartbeat for a rhythm track. Hopefully, using Everything Ecstatic as necessary distance, Hebden can either return to the sound of his early records or transform his new direction into styles worthy of his production talents. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Sonata for Sine Wave and White Noise $14.98 This is a fascinating work that takes listeners back to the early days of electronic music without sounding nostalgic or retro. Satoru Wono uses two extreme elements: sine waves (pure tones, no harmonics) and white noise (all frequencies, saturation). He shapes and combines them with a computer, which gives the music its contemporary feel. But it retains the excitement of early experiments, both academic and popular (with a nod to Wendy Carlos' famous Moog-ified classics). The "Overture" and "Canon" expose in two short pieces the range of available possibilities, from sickening sine wave drones all the way to driving techno. But the main course is in the "Sonata," in four very different movements. Here, Wono's structural talent comes into play. The first movement, "Sonata," is an abstract construction of tones reminiscent of Herbert Brün's early computer music (but warmer). The "Scherzo" is beat-driven, something like Autechre playing with oscillators. The computer's role becomes more apparent as Wono shapes tones into interlocking beats and patterns. The "Adagio" takes the form of a delicate drone of white noise and sine waves. The "Divertimento" reminds listeners that Wono also works as a techno DJ: it is a playful skeletal techno track, fast-paced and relentless. The album is completed by the 18-minute "Variation in A," a slowly escalating composition on a single note. Wono gradually stacks parts and patterns to put together a techno symphony of monophonic electronica -- nice, but not as impressive as the "Sonata." This album provides a surprisingly gentle listen wrapped in an enticing artistic concept. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide

Fashion Lounge [Box] $15.99 Track Listing: (DISC 1:), (DISC 2:), (DISC 3:), 1. Don't Put All Your Dreams in One Basket - Ray Charles (Healer Mix), 1. Last Journey - Fahtima, 1. Return of Super Ape - Lee "Scratch" Perry, 2. New York City - Norah Jones/Peter Malick (DJ Strobe Brooklyn Vibe Mix), 2. Nice Words Among Friends - Nature TM, 2. Put It On - Bob Marley (Astralasia Remix), 3. Fried Neckbones and Home Fries - Santana (Millennium Remix 2000), 3. Hypnotic Tendencies - Out of Phase, 3. Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday (Outsider Mix), 4. Can of Ghost - Loop Guru, 4. Lovers, The - The Future Sound of London, 4. Transcending - Out of Phase, 5. Trunk Road - Jarm Wet, 5. Vapor - Maroon Shaker, 5. Weissensee - Autechre, 6. Giraffe Man - Deuce & a Quarter, 6. Lavender - David Gainsford, 6. Same as It Ever Was - Waghouse, 7. Correodores #7 - Sistema de Ambient, 7. Feelin' Mellow - Nature TM, 7. Lost Horizon - Code Name: Scorpion, 8. Lock Jaw - SBI, 8. Things Change Like the Patterns and Shades That Fall from the Sun - The Future Sound of London, 8. Unwind - Fletch, 9. 7 Days in My Land - SBI, 9. Maxwell's Demon - Taran, 9. Mouth Organ - Deeper Throat (Chemical Brothers Mix), 10. Clutch Control - Various Artists, 10. DNA Barcode - Syn?sthesia, 10. Hallucinate - Silverbeam, 11. Nuthatch - Maroon Shaker, 11. Reborn - Fluff, 11. Revenge of the Bomberclad Joint, The - Knowtoryus (Kruder & Dorfmeister Session, Pt. 2 mix), 12. Entropy - Syn?sthesia, 12. M64 - Hidden ID, 12. Workroom - Hesperus, 13. Oh Girl - The Chi-Lites (On Fire! Remix), 14. Friends Circle - Deep In

Fashion Lounge Remix [Import] [Box] $11.99 Track Listing: (DISC 1: COCKTAIL LOUNGE:), (DISC 2: DUB SMOKIN' LOUNGE:), (DISC 3: ECSTASY LOUNGE:), 1. Don't Put All Your Dreams In One Basket [Healer Mix] - (remix), 1. Last Journey - Fahtima, 1. Return of Super Ape - Lee "Scratch" Perry, 2. New York City [Dj Strobe Brooklyn Vibe Mix] - Peter Malick Group (remix, featuring Norah Jones), 2. Nice Words Among Friends, 2. Put It On [Astralasia Remix] - Bob Marley (remix), 3. Fried Neckbones and Home Fries [Millennium Remix 2000] - Santana (remix), 3. Hypnotic Tendencies - Out of Phase, 3. Strange Fruit [Outsider Mix] - Billie Holiday (remix), 4. Can of Ghost - Loop Guru, 4. Lovers, The - The Future Sound of London, 4. Transcending - Out of Phase, 5. Trunk Road - Jarm Wet, 5. Vapor - Maroon Shaker, 5. Weissensee - Autechre, 6. Giraffe Man, 6. Lavender - David Gainsford, 6. Same As It Ever Was - Waghouse, 7. Correodores #7 - Sistema de Ambient, 7. Feelin' Mellow, 7. Lost Horizon, 8. Lock Jaw - Moon Base Marx, 8. Things Change Like the Patterns and Shades That Fall From the Sun - The Future Sound of London, 8. Unwind - Fletch, 9. 7 Days In My Land, 9. Maxwell's Demon, 9. Mouth Organ [Chemical Brothers Mix] - Deeper Throat (remix), 10. Clutch Control, 10. Dna Barcode - Synaesthesia, 10. Hallucinate - Silverbeam, 11. Nuthatch - Maroon Shaker, 11. Reborn, 11. Revenge of the Bomberclad Joint [Kruder & Dorfmeister Session, Pt.Ii], The - Knowtoryus, 12. Entropy - Synaesthesia, 12. M64 - Hidden ID, 12. Workroom - Hesperus, 13. Oh Girl [On Fire! Remix] - The Chi-Lites (remix), 14. Friends Circle - Deep In

Haunted Weather: Music, Silence & Memory [Import] $19.99 Track Listing: 1. Jukebox Capriccio - Christian Marclay, 1. Parhelic Triangle - Autechre, 2. 8.- - Oval, 2. Caecilia - Fennesz, 3. C7: Continuum - Ryoji Ikeda, 3. L.A.S.I.K. - Matmos, 4. Reflecters - Derek Bailey/John Stevens, 4. Resistance to Change Parts 2 & 3 - Terre Thaemlitz, 5. Analapos - Akio Suzuki, 5. Missing Voice, The - Janet Cardiff, 6. Flight Path Trace - Peter Cusack, 6. Vatnajokull - Chris Watson, 7. J'adore La Boucle #1 / Berlin 1936 - Yuko Nexus6 , 7. Maa - Pan Sonic, 8. Swan Style - John Butcher, 8. Three Active Serves - Sarah Peebles, 9. Clean Tone Falling - Kaffe Matthews, 9. Start Up / No Wave - Haco , 10. Bottle at Park - Toshiya Tsunoda, 10. Filament 2-5 - Otomo Yoshihide/Sachiko M./G. Muller, 11. Dotted Music No. 1 - Taku Sugimoto, 11. Sferics - Alvin Lucier, 12. Line 3 - Evan Parker, 12. Two Listening Rooms / Birmingham - David Cunningham , 13. Duoon - Carsten Nicolai/Ryuichi Sakamoto, 13. Eyelash Turned Inwards - Max Eastley/David Toop, 14. Cathnor - Keith Rowe/John Tilbury, 14. First Fold - Akiyama/Nakamura/Sugimoto/Wastell, 15. Longplayer 13.2.2003 - Jem Finer, 15. Only Geezer an American Soldier Shot Was Anton Webern, The - Spontaneous Music Ensemble, 16. Aden, Yemen 4am - Tacita Dean, 17. Lune - John Oswald, 18. Door Practice: Summer Solstice, The - Yurihito Watanabe

Savath & Savalas - La Llama [5/19] $14.23 Personnel: Matt Crum (percussion).Recording information: 355 Bowery, New York, NY.Expanding the Savath y Savalas project to include another member and yet more musical ties to obscure South American folk music, La Llama may have been recorded on the busy Bowery but the setting sounds more like rural Brazil. Guillermo Scott Herren`s project with Catalan singer and songwriter Eva Puyuelo Muns grew after 2004`s Apropa`t and 2007`s Golden Pollen to include the Ecuadoran-by-way-of-Florida sound manipulator Roberto Carlos Lange, who makes for a perfect fit with Herren`s skills and philosophy. As before, enterprising beatheads who assume that anything from Herren (or the label of release, here Stones Throw) must be chock full of breakbeats will be very surprised; Savath y Savalas productions are odd curios of slow-motion clockwork, only slowly rotating their gears and occasionally halting entirely -- a naturalist`s version of experimental-techno stalwarts like Autechre. The songs are airy and atmospheric, and aside from Puyuelo`s vocals, tie most closely to Herren`s heroes in the early-`70s Brazilian psych-folk movement: Milton Nascimento, L\u0013 Borges, Lula C\u0013rtes, and Z\u0002 Ramalho (especially the latter two). That style of music being obscure to modern listeners makes this project`s viability a good one, and La Llama reveals material of quality from a great ensemble of musicians. ~ John Bush Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

T.Raumschmiere - Radio Blackout $9.99 This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Personnel includes: T. Raumschmiere, MC Soom.This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Personnel: Renate Dirix, Miss Kittin (vocals).Recording information: Monkeytribe International Headquarters.As you might or might not be able to discern from the skull `n` crossbones `n` headphones artwork, T. Raumschmiere`s trucker-capped cross between big beat and IDM is in full effect throughout most of Radio Blackout, his first release for Novamute. Closer in approach to his noisy The Great Rock `n` Roll Swindle than his more minimal-minded Anti (both of which were released in 2002), each of the 11 tracks on Blackout feature distinct assaults that range from corroded shuffle-tech to paranoid ambience. The opening "I`m Not Deaf, I`m Ignoring You" has a riff that`s just begging to constantly creep up in the background of a low-budget horror movie. "Monstertruckdriver" and "The Game Is Not Over" (the latter featuring Miss Kittin) are buzzing cyborg mating rituals that fall closer to T. Rex and Foghat than Aphex Twin and Autechre. There`s a weak hip-hop tangent and a couple of other low-wattage clunkers, but the highlights have no trouble adding up to an album that should satiate those who have grown weary of overcerebral, prissy laptop producers. If most of the full-lengths released by Raumschmiere`s German brethren in 2003 are autobahn-traversing Lamborghinis, Radio Blackout is a bog-bustin`, mud-caked Ford pickup. ~ Andy Kellman Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

The Work of Director Chris Cunningham (DVD) $20.89 Chris Cunningham is one of the most innovative music video directors in the field. Combining a passion for special effects (he built a robot for the JUDGE DREDD movie and picked-up an Oscar nomination for special effects in ALIEN 3), electronica, and a dark sense of humor, Cunningham has infiltrated the underground and the mainstream with his state-of-the-art video techniques. Included on this compilation are his amazing, grotesque and groundbreaking videos for Aphex Twin, as well as work from Madonna, Portishead, Bjork and Squarepusher. Additional features include behind the scenes material, short films, commercials (for Playstation and others), as well as work Cunningham submitted to the highly lauded Flex exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art in London.DVD Features:Region 1Keep CaseFull Frame - 1.33Widescreen - 16.9Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 - EnglishAdditional Release Material: Additional Footage - 1. MONKEY DRUMMER - Video Installation 2. FLEX - Excerpt from Video Instillation 3. MENTAL WEALTH - Sony Playstation Commercial 4. PHOTOCOPIER - Unused Levi's Commercial 5. ENGINE - Nissan Commercial Making Of - 1. Bjork - All Is Full of LoveAdditional Products: BookletTracks:1. Autechre - Second Bad Vibel2. Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy3. Portishead - Only You4. Madonna - Frozen5. Leftfield featuring Afrika Bambaataa - Afrika Shox6. Squarepusher - Come On My Selector7. Aphex Twin - Windowlicker8. Bjork - All Is Full of Love9. Aphex Twin - Windowlicker (bleeped version)

Fischerspooner - #1 [PA] $11.82 This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.Enhancements include the "Brand New Junkie XL Remix" and "Emerge 2003" videos.Fischerspooner: Casey Spooner (vocals); Warren Fischer.Additional personnel includes: Lissy Yoder, Adam Dugas, Karen Fischer (vocals).Recorded at Rare Book Room, Brooklyn, New York.This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.#1 is the sound of 1980 as filtered by two new wave revivalists in 2002. The nine songs here have been remastered and resequenced from Casey Spooner and Warren Fischer`s original take on a debut (released in 2001 on International DJ Gigolos). Though they`re known primarily for their campy, elaborate live-concerts-as-dramas, Fischerspooner prove themselves to be as talented working studio boards as they are at staging those Ziggy Stardust-style freakouts. Many listeners will be surprised by the emotional depth of the album, especially since most will have been introduced first to the ravey "Emerge." Their cover of Wire`s "The 15th" might not be as suited to the dancefloor, but it`s a perfect, energetic electro-pop creation and quite possibly the album`s high point. And while there are plenty of moments where one wonders if Fischerspooner is channeling the Human League, Information Society, Giorgio Moroder, or Yaz, it might just be the slow songs that best showcase the duo`s talent. Unlike fellow nostalgia-mongers Ladytron, it`s obvious that Fischerspooner have a foot in the past and the present. The sweet, minimal "Ersatz" blends Eno, Add N to (X), and Autechre all at once. "Tone Poem" recalls and equals any one of Martin Gore`s fragile ballads. Other songs simmer with modern techno glitches, mix diva vocals with vocoder rants, and paint vistas that haven`t been visited since the 1980s. Remarkably varied, lush, and fascinating from start to finish, #1 is a great album. ~ Tim DiGravina Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

DJ Signify - Sleep No More [Digipak] * $13.32 Personnel: Sage Francis, Buck 65 (vocals).Audio Mixer: DJ Signify.Arranger: DJ Signify.When infamous abstract electronica label Warp started its hip-hop branch, known as Lex Records, one hoped that the same A&R sophistication that had brought the world Aphex Twin and Autechre would shine some light on the experimental realm of hip-hop, giving music lovers a much-needed break from the eternal cycle of redundant beat-making that seems to seismically shift every three to four years, only to suffer from unbearable stagnation in between. Listening to the beats on DJ Signify`s debut release, there are moments of terrific innovation, but equal amounts of utterly dated trip-hop dirge. The opener, "Fly Away," is not a good start, groaning like vintage Mo` Wax for the first four minutes. But then the coda kicks in with a wickedly upbeat scratch-up of Latin samba samples, making you believe that everything is going to be all right. This method of tease and withdraw becomes the premise of the entire record, meaning that the distinctive jack-step beat of "Haunted House Party" gives way to an all-too-familiar Eminem cadence, which is particularly disheartening given the hope that MCs Buck 65 and Sage Francis would come up with something a little more original. But listeners shouldn`t hold this completely against Signify and company. It has been proven again and again that hip-hop, much like evolution, goes through long periods of stasis with sporadic fits of change. The Lex roster still remains well ahead of the curve. ~ Joshua Glazer Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Languis - The Four Walls $9.98 Languis: Marco Chloca, Alejandro Cohen.Additional personnel: Paul Larson (guitar); Chris Hathwell (drums); Jimmy Tamborello; Nobody.Personnel: Paul Larson (guitar); Jimmy Tamborello (accordion); Mark Lewis, Chris Hathwell (drums).Additional personnel: James Tamborello (accordion); Mark Lewis, Paul Larson, Chris Hathwell.Audio Mixer: Languis.Los Angeles (by way of Buenos Aires) duo Languis switch record labels with their fifth album, 2004`s The Four Walls, but the brief remains the same: the more melodic side of European electronica (Air, Stereolab, Red Snapper, and Mouse on Mars are all obvious reference points) combines with acoustic guitars and other live instrumentation. The results aren`t quite "folktronica," as artists like Beth Orton and Nyles Lannon have been dubbed, because the cool digital groove remains paramount over the acoustic textures, even on songs like "Side of the Road," where the sequenced blips share sonic space with twangy guitars. The combination of electronic and traditional instruments gives The Four Walls a sonic richness (even on beat-heavy tracks like the chilly pulsating "Even When You Sleep") missing from the likes of Autechre, and much of the record (especially the sweeping cinematic "The Turning Point") sounds lushly melodic in a way that this sort of electronic bliss-out rarely manages. ~ Stewart Mason Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Francesco Tristano - Not For Piano [2/12] $16.13 Personnel: Francesco Tristano (piano); Raimundo Penaforte (vocals, violin, percussion); Rami Khalif¿ (piano).Don`t let the title of Francesco Tristano`s CD deceive you, for he plays acoustic piano on all the selections, enhanced by occasional ghostly electronic background trimmings. It is not necessarily a jazz piano recording, but one where he has paid attention to the minimalist 20th and 21st century players influenced by Steve Reich. Tristano`s music is also keyed into techno (modifying a tune by Autechre) and alternative rock, some ethnic elements, and pure improvisational keyboard stylings. The introductory piece, "Hello," establishes the repeat-line concept with attributions, different accents and dynamics, bouncy and soulful components, and some improvisation. "Strings of Life," an adaptation of Detroit techno pioneer Derrick May`s "Strings," exploits underground phantom effects in a two-chord development that builds momentum. A rumbling free improv discourse during "Ap" features a string of mini-arpeggios, while "The Melody" shows Tristano in joyous counterintuitive play. Three selections team Tristano with the brilliant Lebanese pianist Rami Khalife (his CD Scene from Hellek is a must-buy), and they display instant rapport. Tapping the pianos inside and out during "Jeita" to start, they move into a fractured theme and then a train trip with consistent forward motion. "The Bells" is closest to Steve Reich`s concept -- slow, steady, then speeding within a controlled melodic framework -- while "Hymn" takes a dramatic and boisterous turn with a sense of purpose that speeds past the Reich visage. Tristano is in many ways a sensible and somewhat predictable player, but takes sufficient risks and uses shadings of gray and blue, a bit of Latin samba as on "Two Minds One Sound," and lighthearted romanticism or delicate simplicity offering diversity beyond strict minimalism. A most enjoyable and interesting project, it should please most progressive music listeners, and serve as a credible prelude to future works. ~ Michael G. Nastos Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Various Artists - Warp20 (Recreated) [9/29] $17.09 The component of the WARP20 box set spectacle directed at neophytes, WARP20 (CHOSEN) placed the track selection process in the hands of fans, who voted online with the option to add messages like "This song makes you feel like a proud parent, ¿ la John Hurt in the movie ALIEN," as reprinted throughout the booklet. The ten tracks that received the most votes make up the first disc. After track five, the disc makes a swift transition from covering exemplary material (Aphex Twin`s bent lounge-porn single "Windowlicker," Boards of Canada`s eerie yet blissful "Roygbiv"), to looking more like a sampler of recent releases (from Plaid`s "Eyen" to Clark`s "Herzog," all 2001-2006 territory). The 14 tracks on the second disc were picked by label co-founder Steve Beckett. Unsurprisingly, it`s more successful at showcasing the breadth of the Warp catalog, touching upon all the eras while bouncing between the well-known and unjustly neglected. Even if you`ve been aware of Warp`s developments from the beginning, it`s astonishing to see its history documented in a fashion that juxtaposes Sheffield bleep at its most thrilling (Nightmares on Wax`s "I`m for Real"), acid techno at its most rigid (Mike Ink`s "Paroles"), IDM at its most affecting (Autechre`s "Drane"), and even progressive rock at its most dazzling (Battles` "Race: Out"). Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Various Artists - Warp20 (Chosen) [9/29] $16.8 The component of the WARP20 box set spectacle directed at neophytes, WARP20 (CHOSEN) placed the track selection process in the hands of fans, who voted online with the option to add messages like "This song makes you feel like a proud parent, ¿ la John Hurt in the movie ALIEN," as reprinted throughout the booklet. The ten tracks that received the most votes make up the first disc. After track five, the disc makes a swift transition from covering exemplary material (Aphex Twin`s bent lounge-porn single "Windowlicker," Boards of Canada`s eerie yet blissful "Roygbiv"), to looking more like a sampler of recent releases (from Plaid`s "Eyen" to Clark`s "Herzog," all 2001-2006 territory). The 14 tracks on the second disc were picked by label co-founder Steve Beckett. Unsurprisingly, it`s more successful at showcasing the breadth of the Warp catalog, touching upon all the eras while bouncing between the well-known and unjustly neglected. Even if you`ve been aware of Warp`s developments from the beginning, it`s astonishing to see its history documented in a fashion that juxtaposes Sheffield bleep at its most thrilling (Nightmares on Wax`s "I`m for Real"), acid techno at its most rigid (Mike Ink`s "Paroles"), IDM at its most affecting (Autechre`s "Drane"), and even progressive rock at its most dazzling (Battles` "Race: Out"). Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Not For Piano : 016728118521 $12 The piano is the foundational instrument of western classical and modern music. So it s no surprise that pianists have created some of the most eclectic recordings: from Wendy Carlos s Switched on Bach to Lyle Mays Improvisations For Extended Piano. brbrNow, the phenomenal, twenty-six year old, Luxembourg-born, Barcelona-based Francesco Tristano, a Julliard-trained, classical pianist, schooled in Bach, Vivaldi, Scarletti, Berio and Francesconi, Tristano, and fluent in the language of jazz improvisation and electronica, joins that impressive pantheon with his stunning debut American release, Not For Piano; an astounding ten-track collection that blends Paul Bley s intelligently designed improvisational verve, with Glenn Gould-like pianisms, layered in evocative, synthesized textures. Tristano won the prestigious Orleans International Contest in 2004, and in 2005, he recorded Strings of Life a CD-single remix of the Derrick May s techno hit featuring remixers, Kiki and Apparat. brbrThe success of Strings of Life led to the recording of this disc, produced and mastered by Mexican producer Fernando Corona AKA Murcof. The opening track Hello with its Ahmad Jamal Poinciana-like refrains, the digital, duende-draped Barceloneta Trist, and the spacey, AP, dedicated to French composer Pascal Dusapin, are composed by Tristano, while Jeff Mills s rave favorite The Bells, is rendered with rhythmic complexity, and the aforementioned Strings of Life, is recast here in a more streamlined mood. The remaining tracks are collaborations. Murcof s inventive input imbues the cool cover of the rave group Autechre s Overand, retitled here as Andover. Two Minds One Sound a dynamic duo with the Brazilian composer/instrumentalist Raimundo Penaforte, is a samba-fied, Al Jarreau-meets-the Maghreb showstopper, and Lebanese pianist Rami Khalife teams up with Tristano on the Latin-tinged selection, The Melody, the pensive and percussive Jeita, and the contrapuntally swinging Hymn. brbr@(

Everything Ecstatic [Films & Part 2] $15.98 Kieran Hebden had every right to retreat from the folktronica tag stapled to his Four Tet recordings. Although he was the premier name in the sub-subgenre, and although his productions transcended even the cutest label that could be attached to them, the folktronica term was too clever by half; more importantly, no respectable artist in the indie underground can stand idly by while he's being pigeonholed. Nevertheless, the left turn Hebden has taken into jumpy Krautrock with 2005's Everything Ecstatic will make listeners yearn for the clever, nuanced productions he turned in on Pause and Rounds; fortunately, he hasn't completely forsaken his old ways. Early in the program, Hebden sounds more clearly derivative than he ever has; the spotlight track "Smile Around the Face" has one of Kanye West's chipmunk divas blandly merging into a sunny-day Avalanches production. "Sun Drums and Soil" begins with the menacing bell tones of an Autechre track and ends with the blatting horns of a free jazz workout, but the barrage of a percussion section never relents over six minutes. "Clouding," a criminally short interlude, is a turning point for Everything Ecstatic -- all of the album's best moments occur on the second half (and they are very good). "Turtle Turtle Up" and the shifting epic "Sleep, Eat Food, Have Visions" are nominally electro productions, but they're some of the oddest and most attentively produced electro tracks to ever appear on record. (On the latter, the slight influences of the Orb are assimilated into the whole, not pasted on top.) The final track, "You Were There with Me," transforms the sound of Balinese gongs into an isolated, nightmarish production with only a faint heartbeat for a rhythm track. Hopefully, using Everything Ecstatic as necessary distance, Hebden can either return to the sound of his early records or transform his new direction into styles worthy of his production talents. [Domino subsequently released the record in an intriguing DVD/CD combination. The first disc was a DVD including films of every song on the original Everything Ecstatic record. The second disc was a half-hour EP of new material that also included extended versions of "Turtle Turtle Up" and "Sun Drums and Soil." The DVD portion earns high marks; most of the films function as high-quality student or festival films, excepting only "Smile Around the Face," which gets a professional, MTV-ready workout from director Dan Wilde. The CD portion is also a very good addition, a noisier, more experimental vision of the original record.] ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

#1 $38.99 #1 is the sound of 1980 as filtered by two new wave revivalists in 2002. The nine songs here have been remastered and resequenced from Casey Spooner and Warren Fischer's original take on a debut (released in 2001 on International DJ Gigolos). Though they're known primarily for their campy, elaborate live-concerts-as-dramas, Fischerspooner prove themselves to be as talented working studio boards as they are at staging those Ziggy Stardust-style freakouts. Many listeners will be surprised by the emotional depth of the album, especially since most will have been introduced first to the ravey "Emerge." Their cover of Wire's "The 15th" might not be as suited to the dancefloor, but it's a perfect, energetic electro-pop creation and quite possibly the album's high point. And while there are plenty of moments where one wonders if Fischerspooner is channeling the Human League, Information Society, Giorgio Moroder, or Yaz, it might just be the slow songs that best showcase the duo's talent. Unlike fellow nostalgia-mongers Ladytron, it's obvious that Fischerspooner have a foot in the past and the present. The sweet, minimal "Ersatz" blends Eno, Add N to (X), and Autechre all at once. "Tone Poem" recalls and equals any one of Martin Gore's fragile ballads. Other songs simmer with modern techno glitches, mix diva vocals with vocoder rants, and paint vistas that haven't been visited since the 1980s. Remarkably varied, lush, and fascinating from start to finish, #1 is a great album. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Music GuidePerformers: Cindy Greene - Singer, Vocals; Lizzy Yoder - Singer, Vocals; Adam Dugas - Vocals; Lady Y Von La Force - Vocals; Casey Spooner - Vocals

Work of Directors Series [4 Pack] - Box Collector's $58.99 Includes:The Work of Director Spike Jonze (2003) The Work of Director Chris Cunningham (2003) The Work of Director Michel Gondry (2003) The Work of Director Spike Jonze Palm Video's Director's Label series compiles the short-form work of some of the most innovative names in music videos, advertisements, and short films -- some of whom have gone on to even greater success in features. One of the first in the series, The Work of Director Spike Jonze collects many of the director's most memorable videos, including his early clips for the Breeders ("Cannonball"), the Beastie Boys ("Sure Shot" and "Sabotage"), and Weezer ("Undone (The Sweater Song)" and "Buddy Holly"). Many of Jonze's short films are also featured, including his work with artist Mark Gonzales as well as his short-form documentaries. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide The Work of Director Chris Cunningham Part of the Director's Label DVD series from Palm Pictures, this volume focuses on the work of director Chris Cunningham. Based in London, England, Cunningham did special effects for feature films before directing his first promo video for electronic musicians Autechre. He has since directed the award-winning videos for "Come to Daddy" by Aphex Twin, "Only You" by Portishead, and "All Is Full of Love" by Bj?rk. He has also collaborated with Squarepusher for the video accompaniment to the track "Come on My Selector." Cunningham has also been prolific in the area of commercials as well as experimental short films. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide The Work of Director Michel Gondry Palm Video's Director's Label series compiles the short-form work of some of the most innovative names in music videos, advertisements, and short films -- some of whom have gone on to even greater success in features. Though he might be best known for his video collaborations with Bj?rk, director Michel Gondry got his start playing drums in the French pop band Oui Oui, before his clips for the band's songs started garnering him more attention as a filmmaker than as a musician. From there, he went on to direct award-winning commercials, short films, and countless videos for bands the likes of the White Stripes, Foo Fighters, and Daft Punk, many of which are collected on The Work of Director Michel Gondry. Also included are interviews of the artists with whom Gondry has collaborated. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Johan Agebj¿rn - Mossebo $14.07 Personnel: Johan Agebj¿rn (synthesizer, programming); Lisa Barra (vocals).The material on Johan Agebj¿rn`s debut album, much of which predates his work with Sally Shapiro, is a good distance from the melodic dance-pop of that project, which was overtly influenced by early-`80s Italo-disco -- although Shapiro`s instrumental album closer "Sleep in My Arms" suggested something of what was in store. In a sense this is another sort of throwback, to the even earlier ambient explorations of Brian Eno and Tangerine Dream, but this kind of music arguably has little use for concepts like progress and timeliness, and Mossebo`s lush, limpid soundscapes are equally redolent of contemporary artists like Susumu Yokota. Agebj¿rn himself cites the celebrated early-`90s work of Autechre, Aphex Twin, and Future Sound of London, as well as his fellow Swede Krister Linder (Yeti) and the Norwegian Biosphere, as primary influences, which gives a good idea of what to expect here, though Mossebo definitely rests on the more placid and soothing end of things. As suggested by song titles like "The Sound of Snowflakes Touching the Ground" and "Putting More Wood in the Fire," there is something palpably Scandinavian and wintry about the album`s tone, less due to icy twinkling synths (as in his work with Shapiro) than a gentle, glacial sweep that suggests the quiet grandeur of the Northern lights. Sonically, there`s an even blend between electronic sounds (hazy synthesizer washes, gently pulsing clicks and hums) and organic ones (most notably Lisa Barra`s entrancing wordless vocalizing, but also occasional pianos and field-recorded sound effects.) A handful of the pieces are entirely beatless, while only the vaguely electro "Ambient Computer Dance" has anything approaching a danceable groove. Mossebo functions well as a fluid but slightly varied whole, although the two-part "Siberian Train" offers something of a respite from the unmitigated new age serenity -- the first half, which Agebj¿rn record in 1996, has a darker, foreboding cast that sets it apart from the rest of the album. It`s accomplished, if not entirely distinctive mood music, and well worth experiencing, though clearly a different animal from the Agebj¿rn of Disco Romance. ~ K. Ross Hoffman Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.

Kid A $17.98 Instead of simply adding club beats or sonic collage techniques, Radiohead strive to incorporate the unsettling "intelligent techno" sound of Autechre and Aphex Twin, characterized by its skittering beats and stylishly dark sonic surfaces, for Kid A. To their immense credit, Radiohead don't sound like carpetbaggers, because they share the same post-postmodern vantage point as their inspirations. As a result, Kid A is easily the most successful electronica album from a rock band -- it doesn't even sound like a rock band, even if it does sound like Radiohead. So, Kid A is an unqualified success? Well, not quite. Despite its admirable ambition, Kid A is never as visionary or stunning as OK Computer, nor does it really repay the time it demands. OK Computer required many plays before revealing the intricacies of its densely layered mix; here, multiple plays are necessary to discern the music's form, to get a handle on quiet, drifting, minimally arranged songs with no hooks. Of course, the natural reaction of any serious record geek is that if the music demands so much work, it must be worth it -- and at times, that supposition is true. But Kid A's challenge doesn't always live up to its end of the bargain. It's self-consciously alienating and difficult, and while that can be intriguing, it seems deeper than it actually is. Repeated plays dissipate the mystique and reveal a number of rather drab songs (primarily during the second half), where there isn't enough under the surface to make Radiohead's relentless experimentation satisfying. But mixed results are still results, and about half of the songs positively shimmer with genius. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music GuidePerformers: Stan Harrison - Horn (Baritone); Mark Lockheart - Horn (Tenor); Steve Hamilton - Horn (Alto); Henry Binns - Sampling; Andy Bush - Trumpet; Colin Greenwood - Bass; Jonny Greenwood - Guitar; Ed O'Brien - Guitar, Vocals; Phil Selway - Drums; Thom

Kid A [Bonus Disc] $22.98 Instead of simply adding club beats or sonic collage techniques, Radiohead strive to incorporate the unsettling "intelligent techno" sound of Autechre and Aphex Twin, characterized by its skittering beats and stylishly dark sonic surfaces, for Kid A. To their immense credit, Radiohead don't sound like carpetbaggers, because they share the same post-postmodern vantage point as their inspirations. As a result, Kid A is easily the most successful electronica album from a rock band -- it doesn't even sound like a rock band, even if it does sound like Radiohead. So, Kid A is an unqualified success? Well, not quite. Despite its admirable ambition, Kid A is never as visionary or stunning as OK Computer, nor does it really repay the time it demands. OK Computer required many plays before revealing the intricacies of its densely layered mix; here, multiple plays are necessary to discern the music's form, to get a handle on quiet, drifting, minimally arranged songs with no hooks. Of course, the natural reaction of any serious record geek is that if the music demands so much work, it must be worth it -- and at times, that supposition is true. But Kid A's challenge doesn't always live up to its end of the bargain. It's self-consciously alienating and difficult, and while that can be intriguing, it seems deeper than it actually is. Repeated plays dissipate the mystique and reveal a number of rather drab songs (primarily during the second half), where there isn't enough under the surface to make Radiohead's relentless experimentation satisfying. But mixed results are still results, and about half of the songs positively shimmer with genius. [The bonus disc on EMI's expanded 2009 reissue of Kid A hammers home how Radiohead precisely crafted the album proper. Radiohead pulled no singles from Kid A, so there are no B-sides or EPs with unheard songs and remixes, only live versions of almost all the album's songs (only "Kid A" and "Treefingers" are not here): a four-song BBC Radio One session from November 15, 2000, a version of "Optimistic" from Lamacq Live in Concert in October 2000, a seven-song set at Canal+ Studios in April 2001 and "True Love Waits" from the I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings EP. While there may not be any little-known gems, the bonus material is quite useful in how it opens up and warms the sometimes chilly Kid A, illustrating the core strength of the material plus Radiohead's force as a live band.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music GuidePerformers: Andy Bush - Trumpet; Andy (Stewart) Hamilton - Sax (Tenor); Stan Harrison - Sax (Baritone);