Various Artists [Monolithic Minds 2]

Now for something completely different, away from the usual Classical, yes i do listen to all sorts of music, and i'm always trying to delve into new forms of music, and since this little compilation looked nice, i thought i'd delve in, i played this while travelling on the bus to and from Church today, i liked the variety, of course there's a degree of monotony, but in a way that's the point of the music.

This compilation comes from Artelier Records, put together in 1998, the front cover is superb, the shoes are by Johan Von Friedrichs, sort of like a bed of nails, except for the feet, 'these shoes are killing me' is very appropriate, though of course 'whats it got to do with the music?', the black lettering underneath is excellent, very sparse, on a white background, i guess the red of the insoles have some sort of meaning eh?.

Now this is the first time i've listened to this disc, and first impressions are a bit suspect, but already i can feel that there's things to like a lot here, my second listening in the future should really reveal a lot more, on this spin i found tracks 5, 8 & 10 to be the most exciting, here's a little synopsis,
5 Friend - Rama Rally [6:37] - This has the feel of steel drums about it, love the start, sort of bleeps at the beginning, and then the strong hard drums come in, so treble that they almost sounds like a cross between drums and cymbals, there's a logical rhythm to it but the drums are all over the place, i can hear all sorts of things going on in the mix, and like layers things are added, what sounds like hollow bamboo or woodblocks [0:34+] really effective, and the low screeching comes in [1:00+], sounds like every half a minute something else is thrown in the pot for luck, and the music quietens out somewhat to reveal tribal drumming [2:50+], a really good drumming frenzy starts [3:58+], sounds like a lot of different drums trying to outdo each other, just when you think the thing is coming to an end, the thing explodes into life again [5:35+].
8 Quant - Dark Phat Fukka [5:57] - A lot more electronic, a mechanical machinery chug at first, with synth doodlings, and then drum knocking sounds come in [0:50+], really effective, it's layered nicely so that themes keep coming back in and building up into a nice frenzy, and like the last track, it comes to a close, only for the thing to explode into life again [4:15+].
10 Perphane - Ezy Modos [6:44] - Ah the opening synth sounds like the aural equivalent of 'cooee', really effective, i love it!, almost random drumming just for the sake of it, and what sounds like vinyl scratchings, lots of drum smashes and hits, and it's the synth 'cooee' that has almost the last word!.

Here's some samples on the AllMusic website, though of course 30 second samples doesn't do the album justice.

Steve Lawler [Dark Drums - Volume 2] 

I played this disc almost a year ago [14th November 2011], and there i expressed my feelings about my first ever listening experience, i felt it was monotonous to a degree, but also an excitement that i was developing into something new, i was excited enough to want to listen to this again, and that time would tell if i would fall in love with the album, well this is my second listen, and i must admit that my feelings have improved for the album, i now see that each track has more variety than i at first thought, also each track is so more entertaining than on first listen, yes it's working!, i'm really delving into new areas of different genres to love, i'm more excited about this disc than i was before, plus i'm more excited about music than i was ever before.

Steve Lawler is an English DJ and Record Producer, he's now roughly 39, he made this disc in 2001, ok not exactly his own music, but using other peoples music as a base to create different mixes from, i like the front cover [photo by Carlos Amoedo], of some shutters on a window, or slats on a door or something, i like the fish eye feel of the whole thing, nice curved lines that are in fact really straight in life, plus the excellent different hues of blue, a really creative choice of a front cover.

The tracks that really affected me this time were 4, 6-8 & 11, yes there's a great sense of individuality that i didn't hear the first time around, now i see all these 'identical twins' as actually separate and different pregnancies, and i feel that the very best tracks are 4 & 11, notice also that i've rubbed some number transfers on the back, as each track is one out, and inadvertently calling the short intro as track one, when really it's tagged into the real first track [called track 2 on this album], and thus really there's only 11 tracks total, so here's a short synopsis of these two tracks.

4 Frankie Carbone - Everybody, the best track on the album as far as i'm concerned, there's a really excellent beat to the whole thing, with a wonderful wood block tapping rhythm, with a bass warble alongside, now that's a great start to the track, yes it's monotonous in certain ways, but that's the whole point, it consistently gets on your good nerves, further along after a few diversions, the main theme returns [3:03+], this time with a stronger beat / rhythm, a lovely moment, and the same happens two minutes later [5:18], wow strong moments of satisfaction, because the whole disc is a mix, means that each track merges and transforms into the next, but even the transition is great.
11 Robert Owens - I'll Be Your Friend / Foremost Poets - Moonraker, this track starts at 1:02:35 on the YouTube link, with two tracks mixed over each other, while the Robert Owens beat goes on, the Foremost Poets tracks 'announcement' introduces the piece, a mans deep bass voice as a DJ [0:00-2:36], warning people over the intercom 'please do not be alarmed, remain calm...', deep and electronic, slowed down slightly, it's like Barry White slurring away, i love it, he goes on and on, in almost a rhythmic but not rap style, '...the past, the present, the future', the musical rhythm is excellent, using two extremes, one complex deep bass drum, while a simpler treble drum beat over it, after the vocal intro, the music die down to a throbbing bass [2:35-2:58], and then opens out into more complex cymbals [2:58+], the guy naturally seems to know what will musically float your boat, the last half of the track is quite repetitive 'i'll be your friend', almost add infinitum, towards the close a nice trumpet solo comes [7:10-8:21], the ending is nice, the thing closes down into a bubbly bass rhythm solo [9:20-9:45], another disc that i'm falling in love with.

Various Artists [Total Science - Drum & Bass] 

I played this for the first time at the end of last year [26th December 2011], and i found it a new and strange experience, but also there was an excitement that i had found another rich vein of music, and that feeling is solidified here, new tracks are opening up as possible new favourites, and the clump of clones are separating into individually unique tracks, this proves the very essence of my ideology, that we should be musical Octopi, and the only way to truly fall in love with any music is to fall in love with all music, there's a cross fertilisation in delving into many genres of music that can be attained in no other way.

This compilation was made in 1997, and is Volume 3 in the Total Science series, compiled i believe by Darren Jay, the front cover photograph is superb, a grainy black & white shot of an empty turntable deck, shot at a diagonal angle, i love all those concentric rings, reminds me of Saturn!, and the light in the grooves bottom left to top right really give it depth, the lettering in white is simple and effective, very sparse.

Just like last time, tracks 2 & 5 were sublime, but also tracks 1-6, 9 & 14 really opened up to me, i'm excited for the next time i hear this disc, it's becoming a little treasure already, because Drum & Bass doesn't really have words, these 14 tracks may blur into each other, but repeated and concentrated listening separates the Siamese twins into separate and distinct entities [actually in this case quadecaplets!, 14 identical songs, haha], here's a synopsis of these two tracks i liked the best,
2 Salsa Flavour - Icons, what makes this stand out from the pack are the drums, not merely machine drums, but drums of different sounds, like small drums hit by hard objects, and larger deeper drums hit by softer objects [0:02-0:22], and drums inbetween too [congas / bongos?], this intro is fantastically superb, and then we get the jungle cry, like some Tarzan or ape [0:23+], that intermittently keeps coming back just when it's perfect for another yodel, the bassy beats kick in too, but it's the ongoing intro drums that are so infectious, i like the echoing call right at the end [6:03-6:09], the whole thing is a delight to hear again.
5 Subtropic - E-Z Rollers, again the intro is fantastic, starts off like it's going to explode into some New Wave electronic hit, and there's some tree frog calling [0:07+], and when the sharp woodblock roll goes [0:22+], wow that's very atmospheric!, the trebleness blends into a louder baseness around the 2 minute mark, you can imagine someone pushing certain sliders up the scale in the mixing room, the cymbals ring throughout, but are also muffled nicely too, very hypnotic, halfway through the track there's softer electronic music, missing the beats, i must admit that at just over 10 minutes it slightly outstays its welcome, but it's such a great track, loved listening to this today.

Various Artists [Total Science - Drum & Bass]

Well i guess officially here's my first Drum & Bass album for my Blog, over this last year, i've turned my ears towards acquiring more Electronic / Trance / Dance etc music, and i've been searching on Ebay for discs under £1, and this is one that i saw and liked the look of, 7 tracks on each disc, must be nearly ten minutes per track, in essence it's a shot in the dark somewhat, who knows what i'm going to get, but i feel i must overturn the strangest rocks to see what's underneath, a musically roving ear will find new and wonderful sounds, yep i might be a 'musical octopus', but i'm still trying to grow a ninth tentacle!, i was so excited about these discs today, this is what music is all about, falling in love with something you thought was beyond yourself.

There's an excitement in the air as i listened to this album, i was wowed by the rhythms and the beats, but especially the sounds of the drums, different drums, bass drums as well as treble drums, and cymbals too, though i'm sure a lot of it is electronic sounds, as well as samples of real drums, i found disc one to be superior to disc two, and the tracks that i really enjoyed were 2 & 5, 
2 Salsa Flavour by Icons [Justice & Blame], lasting just over 6 minutes, as it's title suggests, it has a jungle flavour to it, it's opening is excellent, with some nice treble drums that die away in a superb way, as well as bongo's [0:00-0:22], and then some primate in the rainforest screams like Tarzan! [0:22+], that sample is excellent as it keeps coming back again and again, it's the best thing out of the tune, the whole thing really gets under your skin.
5 Subtropic by E-Z Rollers, one of the longer tracks at just over 10 minutes, starts off like a Jean Michel Jarre Oxygene track, but then the gorgeous hard woodblocks come in [0:22+], really stunning, so crystal clear and bright, again there's a jungle feel to it as the title suggests, with some high treble frog croaking, it really warms up nicely [about 1:50+], the beats deepen, and it creates a nice trance, cymbals start to ring in somewhere [say 2:42+], and it's certainly layered in a satisfying way, quite repetitive yet hypnotic, there's enough subtle change and variation to keep me entranced, halfway through there's a lull, synths sound like strings, it's a great respite [5:47-6:10], i must admit it does slightly outstay it's welcome towards the end, better if it was shortened to 8 minutes or something, the high drums and cymbal attack get quite frantic and hard driven, female whispering at the end, and the outro is machine gun drumming.

The final verdict is that this is really new to me, but i'm hearing new things that i like, my ears are excited by all the new possibilities, i'll certainly get into some more Drum & Bass in the future.

Steve Lawler [Dark Drums - Volume 2]

Now here's something well off my usual beaten track, i saw this for sale on Ebay, and wanting to wean myself off of a heavy rotation of Classical music, and onto some very new ventures, i found this going cheap, so why not!, i guess it's called Tribal House Music, or maybe Dark Jungle or something, it's certainly very repetitive, i thought it would be more deep booming drums, and sharp treble drums and cymbals too, i found it recorded fairly quiet, and had to turn it all the way up to maximum volume, each of the tracks are too similar to really enjoy the whole thing, the beats seem to be hypnotically the same-ish on each track, the track listing is all wrong, there's 11 tracks on the disc, and 12 on the back cover, it was only on the second half of the album that i realized that the track listing is out by one, track 7 on the disc is actually track 8 on the back cover, i can certainly feel the musical scales falling from my eyes, and new loves developing, whether this becomes a disc i want to eventually keep, well time will tell, i certainly want to listen to it again.

Steve Lawler is English, not sure how old he is, must be late thirties, this disc was recorded in 2001, i bought it on the strength of the front cover [photo by Carlos Amoedo], a close up and fish-eye pick of some wooden window slats, lovely bent and bowed shapes, good to have the picture not completely symmetrical, and there's a superb range of blues in the picture, hinting at greens in places.

Well i found that all these tracks were equally good, it was hard to find something that really stood out from the rest, either good or bad, i suppose that it was track 7 on the disc [and therefore track 8 on the listing] 'Sound Of The Floor' by Menace which had that little something extra, 

Here's 'Sound Of The Floor' by Menace on YouTube.