Harvey Mandel

Harvey Mandel - Lick This - 2000 - Electric Snake Productions

Harvey Mandel (born March 11, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, is well known for his innovative approach to electric guitar playing. A professional at twenty, he played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, and John Mayall before going solo. He is one of the first rock guitarists to use two-handed fretboard tapping.

“I was around him while he was recording the music for this CD. I am not going to reveal any of his secrets; I will just say that Harvey has completely jumped into the digital age of making music. He produces everything in his digital music studio and has become a hopeless computer junkie. He has also completely changed his sound and moved on from the sound and techniques from his Canned Heat and early solo days. (He can't be bothered to touch a Les Paul or Stratocaster anymore.) I also think his general technique on the guitar has, if anything, expanded from those days. He taught me a lot in the time I was with him. Guitarists: don't bother trying to figure out his compositions by ear. He uses innovative tunings that literally no one has ever used on the guitar, to my knowledge. As a result, the chord voicings on this CD do not resemble anything in the standard 12-tone diatonic scale. I think the biggest change on this disc is the rapid growth in his composition skills. He has written some very nice melodic compositions that stand up to almost anything written lately. He also keeps his ears open, which frankly can't be said for a lot of his cohort from those days. Harvey is not one for nostalgia. – from ***** “Support this guy, he deserves it. This is good stuff.” July 25, 2003 By & © Rich Grace © 1996-2013, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.com/Lick-This-Harvey-Mandel/dp/B00004S364

The 1999 CD release from guitar master Harvey "The Snake" Mandel (the world's premier psychedelic guitar player), is entitled Lick This, a modern contemporary techno recording which offers body-moving instrumentals and hip-hoppin' trance vocals from collaborator Sonny Reece. The bulk of the CD features instrumental tracks with Mandel spicing up the sonic stew with his unique guitaristic flavorings -- plenty of effects are used to enhance and humanize the techno backdrops. Lick This cuts a new musical path for Mandel, showing the boundless nature of his ideas and talent © Harvey Mandel; All Rights Reserved 2004-2010 http://www.harveymandel.com/solo_snake.html

The underrated Harvey Mandel is one of the most innovative guitarists to emerge from the late ‘60’s psychedelic blues boom. He was among the pioneers of electric fusion guitar and his music has always had a strong jazz and blues influence. In his early career, he played many of Chicago’s clubs and bars where only really good musicians were tolerated by the very discerning audiences. Nicknamed “The Snake” by his fans because of his fantastic signature snake-like guitar licks, he has always been ahead of his time. He has a unique sound and has always introduced very original effects into his music. He is constantly exploring new musical territory and is as unorthodox and unconventional a music as you will ever hear. Rich Grace reviewing the album on Amazon said that “He uses innovative tunings that literally no one has ever used on the guitar, to my knowledge. As a result, the chord voicings on this CD do not resemble anything in the standard 12-tone diatonic scale”. If you are a blues or jazz purist, you will possibly give this album a miss, but please don’t dismiss it until you hear it! “Lick This” demonstrates HM’s exploratory electronic approach to rock, blues, and jazz using a mixture of many different music genres. It’s really great to hear musicians trying something different and still producing great music while doing so. Musicians like Harvey Mandel are badly needed to nurture the evolution of music. It was a giant leap from “Love Me Do” to “Strawberry Fields Forever”. We’ll never have another Beatles or Zappa but thankfully there are still real musicians out there creating original, creative and inspiring music. Without experimentation, music would become stagnant. The music scene at the moment is full of 22 carat unadulterated horseshit and badly needs a good kick in the rectal area. “Lick This” is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Harvey’s outstanding “Baby Batter” album and support real music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps : File size = 134 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Mad Dog
2. Lost Out on the Street
3. Jack Hammer
4. Bugs
5. Black Magic
6. Cherry Dream
7. Freeflow
8. Another Days' Gone
9. X-Factor/Star Jam
10. Lick This
11. Honey Bunny
12. In the Mist
13. Whatcha Talkin' About
14. Nite Whisper
15. Rambolaya
16. Rainbow Bridge
17. Members Only

Tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 composed by Harvey Mandel: Tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 13 by Harvey Mandel & Sonny Reece (Lyrics)

MUSICIANS

Harvey "The Snake" Mandel - Guitars, Bass, Drums, Percussion, Various
Sonny Reece – Vocals

SHORT BIO

In the mold of Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, and Mike Bloomfield, Mandel is an extremely creative rock guitarist with heavy blues and jazz influences. And like those guitarists, his vocal abilities are basically nonexistent, though Mandel, unlike some similar musicians, has always known this, and concentrated on recordings that are entirely instrumental, or feature other singers. A minor figure most known for auditioning unsuccessfully for the Rolling Stones, he recorded some intriguing (though erratic) work on his own that anticipated some of the better elements of jazz-rock fusion, showcasing his concise chops, his command of a multitude of tone pedal controls, and an eclecticism that found him working with string orchestras and country steel guitar wizards. Mandel got his first toehold in the fertile Chicago white blues-rock scene of the mid-'60s (which cultivated talents like Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, and Steve Miller), and made his first recordings as the lead guitarist for harmonica virtuoso Charlie Musselwhite. Enticed to go solo by Blue Cheer producer Abe Kesh, Harvey cut a couple of nearly wholly instrumental albums for Phillips in the late '60s that were underground FM radio favorites, establishing him as one of the most versatile young American guitar lions. He gained his most recognition, though, not as a solo artist, but as a lead guitarist for Canned Heat in 1969 and 1970, replacing Henry Vestine and appearing with the band at Woodstock. Shortly afterward, he signed up for a stint in John Mayall's band, just after the British bluesman had relocated to California. Mandel unwisely decided to use a vocalist for his third and least successful Philips album. After his term with Mayall (on USA Union and Back to the Roots) had run its course, he resumed his solo career, and also formed Pure Food & Drug Act with violinist Don "Sugarcane" Harris (from the '50s R&B duo Don & Dewey), which made several albums. In the mid-'70s, when the Rolling Stones were looking for a replacement for Mick Taylor, Mandel auditioned for a spot in the group; although he lost to Ron Wood, his guitar does appear on two cuts on the Stones' 1976 album, Black & Blue. Recording intermittently since then as a solo artist and a sessionman, his influence on the contemporary scene is felt via the two-handed fretboard tapping technique that he introduced on his 1973 album Shangrenade, later employed by Eddie Van Halen, Stanley Jordan, and Steve Vai. © Richie Unterberger © 2013 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/harvey-mandel-mn0000668511

The Beauty Room

The Beauty Room - The Beauty Room II - 2012 - Far Out

This is glorious!’ – Mark Sampson (Songlines)
‘A very well produced West Coast soft rock album’ – Robbie Vincent (Jazz FM)
‘It sounds wonderful!’ – Dick Hovenga (Written In Music)
‘This project is amazing!’ – Dj Ausar (WFRG 89.3 FM Atlanta / Soulandjazz.com)
‘Quality!’ - Kevin Beadle

'It's a fantastic record, with some wonderful string arrangements. But most of all, exceptional songwriting.' - John Armstrong (BBC Radio 2 / Kilombo Soundsystem)

The craftiest revivalists of that early ’70s, soft, soulful LA rock sound are a couple of guys from the UK, virtually unknown stateside. But The Beauty Room, as they’re called, deserves wider notice on these and other shores. It’s been six years since their critically well-received self-titled debut but singer Jinadu and producer/keyboardist Kirk Degiorgio put in a lot of work on the follow-up release The Beauty Room II to avoid the dreaded sophomore letdown. A couple of new tracks which appeared on the band’s MySpace page in 2009 gave hope that the next album was forthcoming, and after a few more years, we finally got confirmation that this album will go on sale at long last next week. Ace session drummer Chris Whitten (Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney, Dire Straits) returns, but is now joined by Jamiroquai guitarist Rob Harris and superbassist Brian Bromberg. String arrangements? The legendary Paul Buckmaster has that covered, with Amsterdam’s Metropole Symphony Orchestra. Grammy winner Peter Henderson handles the engineering. So, like Becker and Fagen, Jinadu and Degiorgio carefully assembled together the right supporting cast, but ultimately it’s about their songs and how they present them. Theirs is a songwriting partnership that sparks from two opposing forces rubbing together: Degiorgio and his predilection for chord progressions that are a little unusual for pop and Jinadu’s ear for crafting compelling hooks and meditative verses. They got that down on their first collaborative project, and the chemistry persists on II. And like the first album, the most distinguishing feature of the record is Jinadu’s lushly layered vocals that snuggles up to the ears like the best Crosby, Stills and Nash recordings, or — dare I say — the Beach Boys do. Degiorgio conjures up warm, analog sonic washes, never revealing a preference for neither electronic nor acoustic instruments to get that kind of sound; one of the more gorgeous selections is the piano/strings “Walking The Fine Line,” in fact. On cuts such as “We Can’t Throw You Away”, “The Last Calling” and “No Rejection” you can pick up traces of his gurgling techno/electronica heritage submerged in the mix; there’s often small hints that these recordings indeed come from the present and not from 1974, but those hints are kept discreet. Whitten is once again perfect on these sessions: his precise fills, cymbal splashes and overall timekeeping is up to par with the craftsmanship applied elsewhere, and he even gives songs like “Shadows Falling” a little propulsive nudge. The progression from the first album to the second comes in the additional help they brought on board. Buckmaster has lost none of his touch with orchestral arrangements for about half of the tracks, he understands that in pop and rock settings, the role of them is to bolster the songs, not dominate them. Rob Harris’ presence introduces electric guitars into The Beauty Room mix for the first time, subtly pushing the music toward a more rock direction, but still deployed with a lot of discretion (his savory blues licks on “So Far” is the most up-front he gets). Resonant and quirk-free with refined production and swelling choruses, The Beauty Room II confirms that the Jinadu/Degiorgio union can recreate the thoughtful song craft, graceful production and soulful, soaring vocals of a bygone era when such things were in ample supply. by & © S. Victor Aaron © 2012 — Something Else! Reviews. All Rights Reserved http://somethingelsereviews.com/2012/09/18/the-beauty-room-the-beauty-room-ii-2012/

The Beauty Room return with their second album following on from their self-titled 2006 debut on Peacefrog Records. Recorded in LA and London the record updates and hybridizes folk, soul, RnB and soft rock of the late-60s and early-70s. World famous techno/electronica DJ and producer Kirk Degiorgio re-unites with vocalist Jinadu on a deeply musical record channelling the likes of the Doobie Brothers, David Crosby and Brian Wilson with a fresh sound all their own. 'Beauty Room II' was recorded at Sunset Sound - LA, British Grove - UK, Olympic Studios - UK and Studio Heuvellaan - Holland using the best session musicians including Chris Whitten (Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney, Dire Straits), Rob Harris (Jamiroquai), Brian Bromberg (Elvis Costello, Herbie Hancock) and engineered by Grammy-winning producer Peter Henderson (Supertramp, Frank Zappa). Perhaps the most exciting addition to the follow up is the incredible string arrangements of Paul Buckmaster (Elton John, David Bowie, Rolling Stones), which were recorded with the Metropole Symphony Orchestra in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Combining traditional craftsmanship and modern electronics, it stands uniquely alone, there's timeless urban sophistication alongside a strong cerebral groove reminiscent of Steely Dan. What The Beauty Room achieve here is a similar blend of sharp-creased strut and spiritual meditation, all of it laced with plenty of that most essential yet indefinable alchemical element, soul. © Far Out Recordings, London http://farout.greedbag.com/buy/the-beauty-room-beauty-room-ii/

A beautifully crafted album which hybridizes high quality late '60s and early '70s soft rock with modern R'n'B, folk, soul and electronica. This album has a wonderful cool urban groove throughout with some beautiful melodies and musicianship of the highest calibre and is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to Kirk Degiorgio's "Synthesis" album, and The Beauty Room's brilliant s/t album. Check out the piano & voice version of 'All In My Head' @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbjBujUio9U&feature=autoplay&list=PLOZYbYEYUmcgGxH27U9UI-COjD8sWzc6J&playnext=1 Beautiful stuff and very impressive [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 99.4 Mb]

TRACKS

1. We Can’t Throw You Away
2. Shadows Falling
3. All in My Head
4. But For Now
5. Wonders in the Sky
6. Walking the Fine Line
7. One Man Show
8. So Far
9. The Last Calling
10. Heaven Is In Your Mind
11. No Rejection

All tracks composed by Jinadu & Kirk Degiorgio

MUSICIANS

Rob Harris - Guitar
Brian Bromberg - Bass
Jinadu - Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Kirk Degiorgio - Keyboards, Vocals
Chris Whitten - Drums, Percussion
Paul Buckmaster - String Arrangements recorded by the Metropole Symphony Orchestra in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

BIO

The core of the Beauty Room is Kirk Degiorgio (producer, keyboards, vocals) and Jinadu (lead vocals, keyboards). Though the group didn't make its recorded debut until late 2005, with a low-key 10" single on the New Religion label, Degiorgio and Jinadu first collaborated four years prior, when the latter provided vocals on the former's 21st Century Soul album. For Degiorgio, an early champion of Detroit techno -- and, more importantly, a pioneering and prolific producer in his own right -- the Beauty Room represents a sharp turn away from 15-plus years of productions, a bold acknowledgment of his interests in the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Joni Mitchell, Terry Callier, Jon Lucien, and Steely Dan. Jinadu, a distinctive vocalist, has made a couple solo singles (both for Bitches Brew), in addition to guest vocals on tracks by a handful of other producers (Jimpster, Zoltar, Si Begg, Tidal). Aided by a host of associates -- including guitarist and longtime Degiorgio peer Ian O'Brien, keyboardist Tom O'Grady, drummer Chris Whitten, and the Heritage Orchestra -- the duo put together a self-titled album, released in September 2006 through Peacefrog. The album also featured an arrangement from Eumir Deodato, whose work for the CTI label (in particular) has significantly affected Degiorgio. © Andy Kellman © 2012 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved

ABOUT KIRK DEGIORGIO

As One's Kirk Degiorgio is one of the lesser recognized key players in the U.K. techno underground. While his visionary fusions of Detroit soul and cold, crystalline tech on records such as Reflections and Celestial Soul have earned him a strong reputation as a producer, Degiorgio has been as influential on the label front, with his Applied Rhythmic Technologies (A.R.T.) and more recent Op-Art imprints contributing greatly to the birth and continuing vitality of the U.K. experimental techno/electronica scenes often more closely associated with and credited to labels such as Rephlex and Warp. Formed in 1991, A.R.T. released early tracks from Black Dog, B12/Redcell/Stasis, and Neuropolitique, and helped bring wider attention to a core of U.K. artists working in a vein inspired by (but not simply reducible to) the music's Detroit originators. Although the label has gained wider acknowledgment through co-release projects with names such as Rephlex, B12, and New Electronica (with two label comps titled Objets d'ART released on the latter), A.R.T. remains something of a connoisseur's choice, with limited releases that tend to disappear soon after they're released. Degiorgio slowed A.R.T.'s already leisurely release schedule in 1996, establishing Op-Art as a more artist-oriented label geared toward wider exposure. With his own material, Degiorgio has released records through A.R.T. and R&S (as Future/Past), as well as New Electronica and future funk Rephlex breakaway Clear (under his As One guise). Degiorgio's music dwells most often on his split affinity for Carl Craig/Derrick May, -style Detroit gear and an ongoing commitment to the mid-'70s experimental jazz and funk fusions of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis. The latter influence is less evident on his earlier A.R.T. and New Electronica records (such as Celestial Soul and Reflections), which tend to stick to a comparatively more conservative dancefloor framework, but his more recent R&S and Clear material has moved progressively to the fringes of techno/jazz fusion, particularly in the increasingly bold keyboard work. His debut Clear release, The Message In Herbie's Shirts (a tribute to Hancock, whose artistic evolution, Degiorgio somewhat facetiously claims, can be traced through the styles of shirt worn on the sleeves of his records), though hardly characteristic of the label, remains one of its strongest, most consistent releases (and the higher seller of Degiorgio career). © Sean Cooper © 2012 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved

Moss

Moss - Corporation Pop - 2002 - Pork Recordings

Moss is Mancunian flute and sax player Bernard Moss. He worked with a lot of bands in the Manchester area like: Kalima, Swamp Children, Sub Sub, A Certain Ratio and Mark Brydon's Cloud Nine. He has been a contributor to the Pork sty for many years (Moss moved to the Hull area for a couple of years), working on albums by Fila Brazillia, Bullitnuts, Solid Doctor, Leggo Beast and Baby Mammoth. He released his first solo material in 1998, with the Bullitnuts-produced 'Fly Ball EP'. 3 solo albums have been released on Pork Recordings so far. It's incredible how obscure the Pork Recordings catalogue is. Pork Recordings has been releasing excellent downbeat electronica for years now and this album is no exception.This 10-track release features the understated, jazzy chill-out sounds created by Bernard Moss.. Check out Heights Of Abraham, Baby Mammoth or Fila Brazillia for more original downtempo chill out grooves. Try and listen to Moss's follow-up, Stone Soup which is every bit as good as this album. There is info on Moss' "East Coast Chip Shop" album @ MOSS/ECCS Heights Of Abraham's wonderful downtempo classic "Humidity" album can be found @ HOA/HMY Search this blog for other Pork releases, and information about this amazing record label

TRACKS

01 Long Way From Nowhere (7:21)
02 The Bonze (5:51)
03 Wintergreen (6:46)
04 New Augur (6:30)
05 Ching (5:20)
06 Simplicity (5:21)
07 My Chimera (5:48)
08 Illuminate (7:40)
09 Pot Pixie (6:22)
10 June As November (5:16)

REVIEWS

Hull's greatest import, Mancunian Bernard Moss, returns with his 3rd LP Corporation Pop. Having received much critical acclaim for his previous releases 'East Coast Chip Shop' and 'Stone Soup' our Bern wasn't about to rest on his laurels. The new LP expresses a rich variety of styles and moods though taken as a whole, is perhaps his most accessible to date. And by that we don't mean shoe-horned a girly vocal onto every track. From the thundering opener 'Long Way From Nowhere' to the simple beauty of 'June as November' each track is a quality example of all we hold dear at Pork. You can catch Bernard performing live in AIM's horn section for the tour starting mid-Oct. The Moss group will return to action shortly after and shiver me sausages, you can also hear the flute of Moss on Mr. Scruff's new LP Trouser Jazz. Corporation Pop is actually an old Mancunian term for tap water but the f@#ker is fresher than a mountain spring !' © 2006 Kudos Records Ltd

""launched without frills and fanfares, is a sure shot? it slots nicley alongside the finer jas=zz-meets-latin-meets-R&B-meets guitar-meets-world-meets-downtempo ventures this autumn. Now 'Corporation Pop' is there I'm wondering how I managed without it. 4/5 © Kate Wildblood (DJ Magazine)

Momma Gravy

Momma Gravy - Dribble It On - 2001 - Pork

Jazzed-down trip-hop for early morning hours in a field, Momma Gravy's Dribble It On extends Pork Recordings' arsenal of little-bit-peculiar chill-out. It's virtually unspectacular, but decent enough nevertheless, with an album-wide emphasis on warm electronic chitters, extended drum rolls, and the occasional floaty piano and acoustic guitar. Disappointingly, despite the name, humor is hard to come by (the skewed "Shatabagabaccy" being an exception). It's a safe bet for Jazzanova and Fila Brazillia believers, but never as unspoiled or imaginative as either of those bands. © Dean Carlson, All Music Guide

Another remarkable downtempo album from the Pork records label. A.O.O.F.C cannot extol the virtues of these chilled out, very original and unique downtempo electronica grooves highly enough. Search this blog for other Pork releases

TRACKS

1 Champagne At 6 Def (5:40)
2 Wet Planet (5:30)
3 Boot Boogie (5:05)
4 John Pill (4:45)
5 Gangmaker (6:15)
6 Blue String Pudding (5:21)
7 Shatabagabaccy (5:00)
8 Hold It (Lady Gravy) (5:18)
9 Codeine Covered Cocktail Nuts (3:46)
10 Russian New Year(5:50)
11 I'm Smoking Anyway's (6:35)

All music composed by Tim Ellerby

ABOUT MOMMA GRAVY / ALBUM

The foot and mouth crisis might have devastated the UK, but it doesn't seem capable of stopping Pork from taking quality product to market. If you haven't yet encountered this ace-for-chill-out label before, it's worth a gander. Momma Gravy, aka The Bullitnuts' Mr Beige and ex Pavement sound engineer Remko Schouten, make a warm post-acid house soundtrack, just great to come down to. All the right elements are in place: none-too-hectic breaks, nicely soothing mushy bits and a few TV samples from Dr Who and a bunch of rednecks. It flits and flirts, in a way ideal for fuzzy minds, none too focused on the here and now. It's like last year's Fink album on Ninja, except without Boss Hogg. So forget what other albums claim; this is chilled euphoria. © http://web.archive.org/web/20030208135244/www.pork.co.uk/framesets/toursframe.htm

V.A - Dub Plates from the Lamp

Various Artists - Dub Plates from the Lamp - 2000 - Pork

Great compilation of downbeat electronica from the legendary Pork Recordings' founder and DJ David "Porky" Brennan. A Dub Plate is a short run vinyl "proof", and The Lamp is Hull's happening joint, where these cuts are tried and tested. These tracks are some of the most popular demos and one-offs that have been spun at the Lamp club. Search this blog for more Pork artists, especially Heights Of Abraham, Moss, Baby Mammoth, Leggo Beast, Fila Brazillia, and Bullitnuts.

TRACKS

01 Kennedy-Women And Money
02 Free Drinks-Sound Of The Camel
03 Unforscene-Sunbear And The Orange Light
04 Anthorne Project-Pie Oh Pie
05 Xploding Plastix-Lets Pretend Desperate
06 ZKA4T-Quaterhead
07 Unforscene-Z
08 City-Your Life
09 Kennedy-Belize
10 Free Drinks-Box Sound
11 Jeremy Beecher-Passtime (World Remix)
12 Banabila-Mono/Metro

REVIEW

Living by its name, the notoriously publicity shy Pork look to future hopefuls to extend their admirable innings of some 70-plus releases. Revolving around the simple theme of road testing unsolicited demos at one of Hull's finer Leftfield emporiums (hence the Lamp title) the album takes in nine contenders who collectively cross mid-tempo orchestrated breaks (Jeremy Beecher's "Passtime") with human beatboxing (Free Drinks' "Sound Of The Camel") and chintz sampling (Banabila's "Mono/Metro"). Declared a touch rough due to its demo beginnings, what may be lost in production (which in reality is little) is compensated for in variety and construction. Xploding Plastic's "Let's Pretend Desperate" reflects this. A sprightly break and percussion stance accompanies muted horn and sax before dropping to an effective half-time mid-section. The formula is unpredictable; among the array of beats Kennedy's haunting stringscape "Women & Money" prevails, although the small doses of retro drum & bass could definitely go missing. Other than that, a fine collection of emerging talent. ---Found Sounds, © Amazon.co.uk

Heights Of Abraham

Heights Of Abraham - Two Thousand And Six - 2005 - Twentythree

Heights of Abraham are Jake Harries, Sim Lister & Steve Cobby. Steve Cobby (one half of Fila Brazillia), and Harries and Lister (ex Chakk, Sheffield steel city funksters) formed the "model chill-out with dreamy vapours" Heights of Abraham in 1993. Their first release, Humidity (1993), was decribed by Dave Simpson in Melody Maker "....the beauty of this album. Airy melodies rub up against subsonic bass, aural hallucinogens hide vividly real scenes, and there's always a surprise lurking around the corner." In Select Magazine Emma Warren described their 1995 release Electric Hush as: "One to file along with Massive Attack's 'Blue Lines', Mr Fingers' 'Classic Fingers' and Marvin Gaye's 'What's Goin' On?' - records that can't fail to make you feel. There's singing from Jake Harries' bass-tone voice, and the summer classic, 'EVA' that re-appropriates saxophones (Lister) away from chatshow intros and back into a glorious self-sufficient shimmer of melody. You'd be hard pressed to find a classier set of tunes, tears and soul-food bass this side of New York. An instant classic." Richard Dorfmeister describes the Heights of Abraham most recent release, Two Thousand and Six (2006): "Completely underrated downbeat album by Mr. Steven Cobby and friends - highly recommended.."

"Two Thousand And Six" is another brilliant downtempo electronica album from the sublime Heights Of Abraham. HOA originally recorded for the legendary Pork Recordings label, who produced such great artists as Baby Mammoth, Leggo Beast, Solid Doctor, Bullitnuts, Fila Brazillia, and Moss. Most of these Pork Recordings releases are superb, groundbreaking downtempo electronica albums. Listen to Baby Mammoth's "Motion Without Pain", Leggo Beast's "From Here to G", Solid Doctor's "How About Some Ether?: Collected Works 93-95", Bullitnuts' "A Different Ball Game", Fila Brazillia's "Jump Leads", and Moss' wonderful "East Coast Chip Shop". If you can purchase the original CD's, you will better appreciate the wonderful sonic quality of these classic albums. Search A.O.O.F.C for some of these albums. If you find any broken links, please report them. Bullitnuts' 1998 "A Different Ball Game" album can be found @ BNUTS/ADBG You can find Baby Mammoth's "Swimming" album @ BABMAM/SWMG Check out info on some of Pork Recordings greatest albums @ GREAT PORK ALBUMS Of all the albums mentioned in Pork's catalogue, arguably the greatest one is the classic Heights Of Abraham "Humidity" which can be found @ HOA/MUMY "Scoundrel" said this about "Humidity" on www.discogs.com, "Terribly underrated and nearly forgotten, the Heights of Abraham’s Humidity is a classic trip-hop album that never really got its due. And that’s a pity, since the band comprises of one half of Fila Brazillia and vocalist Jake Harries. “Still Waiting” is an absolutely gorgeous track, and, to this day, I still sing along with it when I hear it. “Sportif” is a wonderfully, bouncy mid-tempo track, while “In the Cold” takes us back to romance. “Love Flows Down” becomes an ethereal track, but “10.55” returns things to earth with a humorous spoken word riff on a small town. And the final track, “Tides,” ebbs and flows like the real thing, if instead of water, you had electro. Listen to this album and keep the spirit alive".

TRACKS

1 Intruder (4:35)
2 Striplight (4:50)
3 Bay Systems (5:00)
4 Open Source (4:43)
5 As The Night Descended (5:46)
6 Blackout (4:40)
7 Western Edge (3:15)
8 Silver Waltzers (7:01)
9 New World City (5:06)
10 Alt. Wakiki (5:07)
11 Everybody Knows (4:45)

COMPOSERS

All tracks composed by Cobby, Harries, Lister, except Track 8, by Cobby, Lister

MUSICIANS

Sim Lister (sax/programming)
Jake Harries (vocals/lyrics)
Steve Cobby (guitar/programming)

REVIEWS

After a ten-year sabbatical, three-piece UK trip-hop pioneers Heights of Abraham have returned. With an updated approach to their production techniques facilitated by a vast improvement in the tools available compared to the early ’90s, Sim Lister and Steve Cobby (one half of Fila Brazilia) lay down some sensual chill-out instrumentals for Jake Harries’ haunting vocals to float above. Indeed, Harries didn’t see the producers during the entire project as it was sent back and forth between computers. Harries’ soothing voice is hypnotic and it’s easy to ignore the words as he takes the vocal melody beyond lyricism. Although the song structures are fairly rudimentary, there is sufficient variation in sound and style traversing everything between the Mezzanine bass lines and breaks of “Open Source” and the soulful psychedelic synths of “Intruder,” with each track dissipating tension like a massage for the mind. (Put On Your Drinking Cap) © Rob Woo, exclaim.ca

Heights of Abraham are Sim Lister, the brains behind 23 Records and once part of the nascent Sheffield scene from the early 80s; vocalist and Lister's old Chakk team-mate Jake Harries; and Steve Cobby, one half of notorious beats & bobs explorers Fila Brazillia and Lister's 23 Records co-conspirator. While they've hardly been twiddling their thumbs, 'Two Thousand and Six', apart from being the first Heights record where everything is under their control, is their first since 'Humidity' (1993) and 'Electric Hush' (1994, re-released on ZTT in 1996). The essence of their previous 'freestyle techno' remains, with fresher focus on accessibility and melody, vocals and more straight song formats. offers Steve. "If anything, we're trying to make a grown up album," offers Steve, "without it being pipe & slippers music. We're still flying the flag for quality and invention, and trying to investigate that massive grey area no-one wants to occupy." There's no denying that Heights of Abraham maximise the conventions of late night tales and 'all-back-to-mine' get-togethers - rivulets of tingling, cyclic keys, soft-top horns and windswept tranquillity. "With chill-out", Steve remarks, "people think you really not meant to listen to it, you put it on as background music. But here, there's a lot to listen to." 'Two Thousand and Six' is therefore a classic, slow-burning soul massage of electric relaxation, continually bobbing between the sticky heat of summer siestas and the nip of the night air. Features 11 tracks including 'Striplight', 'Open Source', 'Western Edge', 'New World City', 'Everybody Knows', 'Intruder' and more. © www.music-city.org/Heights-of-Abraham/Two-Thousand-and-Six-585845/

BIO (Wikipedia)

The Heights of Abraham is an electronica collaboration based in Sheffield and Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire in North-East England. Formed in the mid 1990s by Steve Cobby, Sim Lister and Jake Harries, they play electronica, ambient techno, and chill out. Formed in 1992 their debut releases (Tides EP and Humidity LP) came in 1992 on the ambient-downtempo label Pork Recordings (also based in Hull). With David McSherry; who forms Fila Brazilia with Cobby; Cobby and Lister created their own music label, Twentythree Records.

MORE ABOUT T.H.O.A

Downtempo production team Heights of Abraham recorded two full-lengths and a few EPs for Pork Records during the early- to mid-'90s trip-hop movement. Being rather typical of the movement, Heights of Abraham lost momentum around the same time the movement began to get overly commercial. Group members Sim Lister (sax/programming), Jake Harries (vocals/lyrics), and Steve Cobby (guitar/programming) spent time with other projects: Lister and Harries were part of Chakk, and Cobby had considerable success as Fila Brazillia. © Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

Cuong Vu

Cuong Vu - Pure - 2000 - Knitting Factory Records

This jazz trio album, lead by trumpeter Vu, uses virtuosity, imagination and live electronic manipulations to make a thunderous and wonderful little album of what might be called "free jazz." © Keving O'Toole, wwuh.org

An excellent jazztronica album from the free jazz trumpeter Cuong Vu. Experimental, original, and accessible. You will really get into the great rhythms here. Really innovative basswork from Stomu Takeishi make this an album well worth listening to. Listen to Cuong Vu's "It's Mostly Residual" album. Give this music a chance. Don't be put off by the terms "avant garde" or "free jazz". Albums like these are full of musical merit, and need to be listened to carefully. They will pay dividends to the genuine modern jazz music lovers, or any music lover.

TRACKS

1 Faith
2 Vina, All Grown Up
3 Pitter-patter
4 Child-like
5 I Shall Never Come Back
6 Pure

All tracks composed by Cuong Vu, except "Pure" by John Hollenbeck, Stomu Takeishi, Cuong Vu

MUSICIANS

Stomu Takeishi - bass instrument
Cuong Vu - trumpet
John Hollenbeck - drums

REVIEWS

Trumpeter Cuong Vu, with the release of his third leader session, has to be counted as one of the major jazz instrumentalists working in the spirit of the best fusion. On Come Play With Me, Vu's raw, breathy tone is shrouded in refracting, misty clouds of echo, delay and feedback, all of which serve to intensify the instrument's essential brassy qualities. The result is something both hard-boiled and dream-like. © Joe Milazzo, onefinalnote.com

It’s pure art. Cuong Vu has dug so deep into himself that the ineluctable ghost of Miles Davis just isn’t an issue, even in an electronically oriented arena like Pure’s, where you’d think that, between 1968 and 1975, Miles did everything that could be done. Drummer John Hollenbeck slugs the toms a lot, plays sparely and with a wide range of volume, uses subtle repetition in a way that you wouldn’t have called a groove till you found yourself stomping your foot on the floor. Bassist Stomu Takeishi, who plucks so busily way up the neck when he’s with Erik Friedlander, completely reinvents himself with Vu, squeezing his mud way down between the beats; mutant loops of his riffs are also used here and there as thematic material. Vu himself is determined to play nothing that’s meaningless. He drones essential planes of sustain, sketches slow minisongs of improvisation one after the other, finds brand-new tonal regions of his horn, sometimes sounding like he’s stuffed his cheeks with popcorn just for the effect it’ll produce. And whoever oversaw the electronic touches (Vu? co-producer Laurent Brondel?) cut them in with diamond precision, using them as accents rather than as ends in themselves. All are terrific. But at least once, take the full 18 minutes and pay strict attention to “I Shall Never Come Back.” It starts with sparse echoes in an empty room, follows with some truly scary monster-bass effects, cuts loose the drums for an episode of soulless brutality, then ushers in a trumpet passage that reveals everything about anguish and despair in flat, naked beauty before introducing a beat and an echoing finale that can’t represent anything but a man staggering self-pitilessly toward his death. It will shake you. © Greg Burk, LA Weekly

With Pure, Cuong Vu seems to have created the jazz version of a rock music power trio. Just imagine his trumpet as the guitar hero-style lead instrument on this session, meshed with Stomu Takeishi's very obviously electric bass and John Hollenbeck's inventive drumming. That done you can easily think of the three as a very sophisticated version of Rush, Triumph or Z.Z. Top. More seriously, the reason this CD is so impressive is despite -- or perhaps because of -- their power, the trio members are versatile enough to adapt many different musical forms to their own ends. Take the 17 and 1/2 minute "I Shall Never Come Back," for example. It gradually evolves from a spacey, electronics-tinged trumpet tone exploration to an out-and-out rocker, complete with auditorium shaking drumbeats and Brontosaurus tooth chomping bass rhythm. © Ken Waxman, Jazz Weekly

Cuong Vu and his associates are creating a world of their own, presenting very long pieces based on the threesome of drums, bass, and trumpet. And if their jazz is of the experimental kind, it remains -- but for the rare noisy digressions -- very melodic. One will not find a classic type of jazz drumming here, since the drums are used as an instrument capable of making tunes. Stomu Takeishi plays the bass in a post-rockish style. Vu does not blow his trumpet like a crazy jazzman; well, he occasionally does, and at those times, it feels good. On the contrary, Vu takes his time for each note, letting it sound in a way that brings out all the trumpet's sonorousness. Sometimes, listeners may even wonder whether it is a trumpet or not, particularly when it gives the impression of a guitar solo. Most of the compositions follow the pattern of being calm at the beginning, creating tension, reaching a climax, and returning to normal. The pieces range from eight to 18 minutes in length and -- despite the tensions in them -- after hearing Pure, one thinks of the album's cooler aspects. © Romain Guillou, All Music Guide

BIO

Trumpeter Cuong Vu has gained increasing recognition as a great young talent through his live appearances and session work with some of today's top avant-garde jazz musicians, his membership in the Pat Metheny Group, and his leadership of a jazztronica trio also featuring bassist Stomu Takeishi along with some of the most exciting drummers on the cutting-edge jazz scene. Born into a musical family in Vietnam (his mother was a Vietnamese pop singer and his father was a multi-instrumentalist), Vu and his mother moved to the U.S. and settled in Seattle, WA, when he was six years old. He became enamored with the saxophone, one of his father's instruments, and finally asked his mother for a trumpet when he was 11. Vu was later awarded a scholarship at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied under Joe Maneri, who had a big influence on Vu. While studying in Boston, he was also positively affected by local improvised music act the Fringe. After graduating with a B.A. in jazz studies, Vu moved to New York and settled into the city's so-called downtown scene during the 1990s, performing with the likes of Dave Douglas, Bobby Previte, Chris Speed, Andy Laster, Jamie Saft, and Gerry Hemingway. Vu was also a member of drummer George Schuller's Orange Then Blue big band and Jeff Song's Lowbrow. In addition to these projects, Vu led his own groups, including Scratcher and Vu-Tet. March 2000 brought the release of his album Bound (featuring percussionist Jim Black, keyboardist Saft, and bassist Takeishi) on the Brooklyn-based OmniTone label. The same fall, Pure was released on the Knitting Factory label; the CD featured the trio of Vu, Takeishi, and drummer John Hollenbeck. A year later, the trio released a second Knitting Factory CD, Come Play with Me. One might have expected the subsequent demise of the Knitting Factory label to diminish Vu's profile somewhat, but instead the trumpeter found himself performing and recording for his largest audience yet after being tapped by jazz star Pat Metheny to join the guitarist's band. Vu toured extensively with the Pat Metheny Group and appeared on Metheny's CDs Speaking of Now (a 2002 Grammy winner for Best Contemporary Jazz Album) and Way Up (2005). During the early 2000s Vu also joined pianist Myra Melford's quintet The Tent. In 2005 Vu released It's Mostly Residual, his fourth CD as a leader, on the Japanese Intoxicate label. The CD again featured Vu and Takeishi, this time with a new drummer, Ted Poor, who propelled the band forward in the spirit of Vu's previous exemplary percussionists Black and Hollenbeck. And none other than Bill Frisell is featured as a guest star throughout the CD, proving that Pat Metheny is not the only high-profile jazz guitarist who finds musical common ground with one of the most innovative trumpeters on the modern creative jazz scene. [It's Mostly Residual can be purchased directly through Cuong Vu's website at www.cuongvu.com.] © Joslyn Layne & Dave Lynch, All Music Guide

Moloko

Moloko - Catalogue - 2006 - EMI/Echo (USA)

A great collection of Moloko's biggest hits and best album tracks. This is romantic funky, and stylish, with a great electronic groove. Roisin Murphy's distinctive vocals and Mark Brydon's production skills have now proven to be a winning combination. These tracks are not just dance anthems. They can also be judged on their own merits as original, and inventive electronic pop, and can also be taken seriously by lovers of any music genre. A great album, and it's well worth checking out Moloko's other albums. For more music in the same vein, listen to Morcheeba, and Zero 7. N.B: Catalogue /was released in the UK as a two disc set, containing Moloko's singles and a track exclusive to this compilation, "Bankrupt Emotionally". The second disc is a live recording of a concert recorded in 2003 at Brixton Academy. Catalogue is also available as a bonus disc in three different exclusive versions as digital downloads, one each for iTunes, Napster and MSN. These exclusive downloads are made up of live versions, remixes of Moloko tracks and B-sides. This is the U.S 13 track version, and does not contain the second disc.

TRACKS

1 The Time Is Now
2 Sing It Back
3 Fun For Me
4 Familiar Feeling
5 Pure Pleasure Seeker
6 Cannot Contain This
7 Bankrupt Emotionally
8 Day For Night
9 Indigo
10 The Flipside
11 Where Is The What If The What Is In Why?
12 Forever More
13 Statues
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, & 11 composed by Mark Brydon, Roisin Murphy. Tracks 4, 6, 7, 12, & 13 composed by Mark Brydon, Eddie Stevens, Roisin Murphy

CREDITS

Arik Marshall (Guitar)
Eddie Stevens (Piano), (Keyboards), (Programming), (String Arrangements), (Brass Arrangement)
Paul Slowley (Drums)
Tony Finigan, Christine Jady, Andrew Fuller, Sophie Harris , Joy Hawley, Anne Lines (Cello)
Susan Dench (Viola), (Vocals)
Audrey Riley (Cello), (Conductor), (String Arrangements)
Winston Rollins (Trombone)
Leo Payne, Ann Morgee, Brigett Davey, Helen Paterson, Kathy Share, Laura Melhuish, James Harris, Emma Welton, Richard George, Charles Mutter, Liz Partridge, Clare Thompson, Harriet Davies, Gregory Warren-Wilson, Chris Tombling, Juliet Snell (Violin)
Simon Finch, Henry Collins (Trumpet)
Rachel Syms (Bassoon)
Richard Steggall (Horn)
N. Bray, Graeme Flowers, Chris Storr, Dominic Glover (Trumpet), (Flugelhorn)
Barnaby Dickinson, Nichol Thompson (Trombone)
Peter North (Trombone (Bass)
Danny Manners, Elizabeth Bradley, Bill McGee, Corin Long (Double Bass)
James A. Hunt (Saxophone)
Nick Charles (Sax (Bass)
Ben Castle (Sax (Tenor)
James Knight (Sax (Alto)), (Sax (Tenor)
Clare Finmore, Peter Collyer, Peter Lale, Catherine Musker, Chris Pitsillides, Richard Nelson (Vocals)
Lisa Millett, Steve Edwards (Vocals (Background)
Matthew Sime (Engineer)
Mark Brydon (Programming), (Producer), (Engineer), (Mixing)
Michael Lenge, Boris Dlugosch (Producer), (Remixing)
Steve Orchard (String Engineer)
Matthew Lawrence (Engineer), (Mixing)
Rohan Onraet, Chris Barrett, Gavin Goldberg (Assistant Engineers)
Ian Porter (Programming)

REVIEWS

Released three years after their final album, Statues, a Moloko best-of was long overdue. Fortunately, the straightforwardly named Catalogue delivers an impeccably edited collection of the duo's eclectic, ahead-of-the-curve music, gathering their biggest hits and key album tracks. Gorgeous romanticism, drop-dead style, and a funky sense of humor -- not to mention Roisin Murphy's charismatic vocals and Mark Brydon's forward-thinking production skills -- were the key ingredients in Moloko's freewheeling mix of dance, pop, and rock, all of which are on display throughout Catalogue and especially on its first five tracks, which are, not coincidentally, the duo's most popular singles. "Fun for Me" and "Pure Pleasure Seeker" are quintessential examples of Moloko's sexy, mischievous take on dance anthems; "The Time Is Now" and "Familiar Feeling" are searching-but-glamorous ballads; and of course, the pair's breakthrough single "Sing It Back" is as alluring as it is inventive. Unlike some best-ofs, which have to stretch to fill out an album's worth of tracks, Catalogue is a welcome reminder of how strong Moloko's overall body of work is. From Do You Like My Tight Sweater?'s "Day for Night" and "Where Is the What If the What Is in Why?" to the title track of Statues, each song on the collection holds up. Catalogue's only flaw -- if it can be called that -- is that it doesn't include many of the flights of fancy that made Moloko's albums so distinctive. The closest the collection gets to the duo's deeply kooky side is the cryptic but irresistible shuffle of "Indigo" and the playful pop of "The Flipside." This is a minor drawback though -- Catalogue is a great Moloko primer, and any newcomers charmed by the songs here have even more to discover on the full-length albums. © Heather Phares, All Music Guide

Blossoming from a self-titled EP in 1995, Moloko has steadily built an international following and a healthy catalog. With six LPs, an EP, and a DVD documentary under their belt it was time to pull out the Best Of. Here are their finest early tracks and several tracks previously unreleased in the US. This record follows the underground success of lead singer Roisin Murphy's solo recording, "Ruby Blue". © amazon.com



BIO

The Sheffield-based dance-pop duo Moloko is the end result of Irish-born singer Roisin Murphy's attempt to pick up mixer/producer Mark Brydon at a 1994 party with the come-on, "Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body." Brydon saw musical potential in her attitude, and the two formed a creative and romantic partnership.Murphy, who had never sung outside of the shower before, was a newcomer to the music business. However, Brydon had many years of experience with U.K. house music acts House Arrest and Cloud 9, helped found Sheffield's Fon studios, and remixed artists like Eric B & Rakim and Psychic TV. Soon after forming Moloko, they released their debut single, "Where Is the What If the What Is in the Why?," and signed to Echo Records. The band's full-length debut, inevitably named Do You Like My Tight Sweater?, came out in 1995 and was an equal mix of Murphy's slinky attitude and Brydon's musical prowess. The album combined dance, funk, and trip-hop elements in an approach similar to Portishead or Massive Attack but with a sense of humor and sass unique to Moloko. Though the album's U.S. release occurred nearly a year later, the single "Fun for Me" was featured prominently on the Batman & Robin soundtrack and received some radio airplay.Moloko toured with kindred musical spirits such as Pulp, built a home studio, and recorded the follow-up to Do You Like My Tight Sweater?, titled I Am Not a Doctor. Released in 1998 (and late 1999 in the U.S.), the album continued in Moloko's witty, funky tradition and featured their breakthrough single, "Sing It Back." The group's third album, Things to Make and Do, which included the hits "The Time Is Now," "Pure Pleasure Seeker," and "Indigo," was issued in the U.K. in the spring of 2000 and was released in the States later that year via Roadrunner. Brydon and Murphy's romantic relationship ended just before they began work on 2002's Statues; after finishing the tour supporting the album, Moloko disbanded. © Heather Phares, All Music Guide

Burnt Friedman

Burnt Friedman - First Night Forever - 2007 - Nonplace

First Night Forever uses a motley crew of guest vocalists to sing Friedman's skeletal dub scores. This is a wonderful collection of dub, jazz, and funk-infused electronica. by a master of production skills. Famous for collaborating with top-notch electronic musicians and vocalists, Friedman here, is up to his usual high standard of excellence. Funkstörung vox contributor Enik, and Grace Jones-meets-Eartha-Kitt Berliner Barbara Panther are but two musicians who contribute to this brilliant polyrhythmic work. It is complex at times, but it's a very enjoyable album, and very accessable. Check out the Nine Horses album, "Snow Borne Sorrow," which is a great album and features sme beautiful jazzy arrangements by Friedman, and David Sylvian . If you can find it, try to hear Burnt Friedman's "Con Ritmo" album which is a unique blend of digital-age and latin lounge fusion. Marvellous futuristic electronica of the highest quality.

TRACKS

1. Where Should I Go - (with Steve Spacek)
2. Machine in the Ghost
3. Walk With Me - (with Steve Spacek)
4. Need Is All You Love - (with Theo Altenberg)
5. First Night Forever - (with Daniel Dodd-Ellis)
6. Healer - (with Theo Altenberg)
7. Western Smoke - (with Enik)
8. Thumb Second - (with Enik)
9. Chaos Breeds 1
10. Chaos Breeds 2 - (with Daniel Dodd-Ellis/Barbara Panther/Theo Altenberg)

CREDITS

Acoustic Guitar - Tim Motzer (tracks: 7)
Acoustic Guitar, Guitar [Electric Rhythm], Bass - Mandjao Fati
Backing Vocals - Adulis Ghebru (tracks: 3, 5, 6) , Don Abi (tracks: 4) , Sascha Cohn (tracks: 1, 9)
Bass - Daniel Schroeter* (tracks: 4)
Drum Programming, Bass, Percussion, Keyboards - Burnt Friedman*
Drums - Jochen Rueckert* (tracks: 5, 7)
Guitar [Electric Rhythm] - Richard Pike (tracks: 1, 8)
Guitar [Electric] - Joseph Suchy
Lead Vocals - Barbara Panther (tracks: 2, 10) , Dodd-Ellis* (tracks: 5, 10) , Enik (tracks: 7, 8) , Steve Spacek (tracks: 1, 3) , Altenberg* (tracks: 4, 6, 10)
Producer [Backing Vocals] - Enik (tracks: 7, 8)
Recorded By - B. Friedman* , James Fletcher (tracks: 1, 8) , Jochen Rückert (tracks: 5, 7) , Steve Spacek (tracks: 1, 3) , Tim Motzer (tracks: 7)
Recorded By [Intro, Transition Field Recordings] - David Franzke
Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute - Hayden Chisholm
Strings - Alexander Meyen (tracks: 3, 7) , Claudio Bohórquez
Voice - Burnt Friedman* (tracks: 2, 9)
Written-By - Friedmann* , Dodd-Ellis* (tracks: 5, 10) , Enik (tracks: 7, 8) , Steven A. White* (tracks: 1, 3) , Altenberg* (tracks: 4, 6, 10)

REVIEWS

Burnt Friedman has a rep for flirting with the funk. Early on, his approach and his output-- intricately polyrhythmic, meticulously crafted "hypermodern jazz" tracks full of shimmering vibraphones and cheeky Latin percussion-- often found him branded as an ironist. But his productions, whether solo, with Atom Heart (as the duo Flanger), or alongside a growing cast of collaborators-- like Root 70 saxophonist Hayden Chisholm, improvising/experimental guitarist Joseph Suchy, vocalist Theo Altenberg and, perhaps most importantly, Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit-- have never been reducible to kitsch. Listen to Burnt Friedman & The Nu Dub Players' 2003 album Can't Cool: for all the obvious digital traces (oddly truncated hi-hats, drum patterns physically impossible for a single percussionist to play) there are no winks or nudges. To say that "Fuck Back", the record's lead cut, is a postmodern take on Afrobeat is hardly to deny its ferocity: no matter how many steps removed from the source, urgency remains coded in the music's DNA. Indeed, it's in the collaborative work that Friedman has really dug into the groove, particularly on his two records with Liebezeit: both volumes of Secret Rhythms offer an approach to polyrhythm rarely heard in electronic music. By slowing everything down, the two amplify the wiggle room, leaving more space for drum hits to bounce beyond the strictures of quantization, allowing for rhythms that restore liquidity to the idea of pulse. After 2006's sublime Heaps Dub-- in which the jazz quartet Root 70 performed acoustic versions of Friedman and Flanger classics that Friedman, in turn, remixed into 10 tracks of exactly five minutes apiece, a sort of dub of a dub of a dub-- Friedman, aided by an expanded cast of characters, returns with a far more conventional album. Formally, it's probably the most conventional of his career: these aren't krautrock jams or ambient dub meditations or electro-cumbia dustups, they're proper songs fronted by a rotating crew of vocalists. Longtime Friedman collaborator Theo Altenberg lends a Tom Waits-like croak to three songs; Hamburg soul singer Daniel Dodd-Ellis, Berlin's Barbara Panther, Funkstörung collaborator Enik and UK broken-beat veteran Steve Spacek all guest on two apiece. All of them dusky, throaty singers, they give First Night an unmistakably late-night vibe. The closest reference point might be to the acoustic-guitars-and-edits approach to soul practiced by His Name Is Alive on 2001's Someday My Blues Will Cover the Earth, which might not be as surprising as it first seems: Friedman actually covered "Someday" on Can't Cool, and he also remixed H.N.I.A.'s "Nothing Special" for a set of Someday-derived singles. Timbre and voicing play a central role, because these songs hardly live and die by their chord changes: propelled by scraggly guitar figures and dub's ruminative bass lines, they remain classically minimalist in spirit, splitting the difference between Steve Reich and Roy Ayers' RAMP (or Philip Glass and Tony Allen). What makes even the most static of the songs so engaging is the way they seem to shimmer in place, as diverse lines of winds, strings, guitar, accordion, synthesizers and effects weave porous webs. It's somewhat shocking that only two tracks are credited to a session drummer, Root 70's Jochen Rückert-- the majority of the record's rhythms are presumably Friedman's own programmed creations. If true, it's one hell of a percussive coup; for all their understatement, these are among the most sophisticated beats Friedman's ever come up with. Like virtually everything on the album, they never call attention to their own virtuosity. The whole record, in fact, has been put together so subtly that at first it may fail to stick. For a long time, I thought of First Night Forever as a nice, relaxing mood piece, and bided my time for a new Friedman/Liebezeit collaboration. But somehow I kept coming back to the album; where most records on my review-assignments list find their way back to the shelves, this one crept into regular rotation in those rare slots I listen to music for pleasure: morning coffee, cooking dinner, the bedtime wind-down. Such domestically functionalist music often gets the short end of the critical stick; 30 years after Music for Airports, we still have an innate distrust of music as wallpaper. First Night Forever's trick is that it functions on two levels at once: behind that calming, rippling, jazzy veneer there are strange forces at work, peeling back the wallpaper to reveal a passageway to points unknown. © Philip Sherburne, February 06, 2008, © 2008 Pitchfork Media Inc. All rights reserved

Veteran producer and master of electronic kraut-funk, Burnt Friedman returns for another solo album after his acclaimed collaboration with David Sylvian, Stina Nordentsam and Arve Henriksson on the Nine Horses project. First Night Forever finds Friedman recruiting a number of vocal contributors, including Australian singer Steve Spacek, Funkstorung collaborator Enik, Berliner Barbara Panther and Daniel Dodd-Ellis. The productions themselves are the real stars here though, Friedman's multi-layered studio excursions sewing together detailed drum edits, misty horn sections and even the odd burst of strings when needed. There are some very peculiar moments on the album though, most of which come on tracks lent vocals by Theo Altenberg, an artist whose roots lie in the Berlin commune scene of the '70s. He makes a number of appearances on the album, seemingly styling he's hollered, gruff vocals on a hybrid of Tom Waits and James Brown, resulting in the screeching electro-gospel mania of 'The Healer' and dub freakshow 'Need Is All You Love'. Good stuff. © www.boomkat.com

BIO (Wikipedia)

Bernd Friedmann (also Burnt Friedman) (born 1965 in Coburg, Germany) is a german musician and producer who works under a variety of project names in the fields of Electronica, Dub und Jazz. Friedmann was raised in Kassel where he studied painting, performance and video at the Kunsthochschule from 1984 to 1990. His first recordings of found and self-built instruments, done with Wolfram Der Spyra from 1978 to 1982, have been released under the name TOXH in 1989. Since then the ever-growing list of projects includes: Some More Crime (1990 - 1995, Friedmann and Frank Hernandez) ; Drome (1991 - 1995, Friedmann and Frank Hernandez) ;Nonplace Urban Field (1992 - 1997) ; Flanger (1999 - , Friedmann and Atom Heart) ; Nine Horses (2005 - , Friedmann and David Sylvian). Friedmann's music defies easy categorisation. His instruments include ambient noise and speech samples, analogue synthesizers and organs, as well as toy piano, steeldrum, kalimba, vibraphone or Melodica. Over the years his trademark sound became easily recognizable even in his remix work for other artists. Often complex polyrhythmic patterns stand beside long passages without audible drums. Since 2000 Friedmann runs his own "nonplace" label. He lives in Cologne.

Leggo Beast

Leggo Beast - From Here to G - 2000 - Pork (UK)

Leggo Beast presents another aspect of the Pork Recordings amazing pool of talent. This incredible label has produced some of the finest downtempo electronica albums ever released.This album produces beats that have continuity throughout the album but would not bore you. Incredibly original melodic rhythms are mixed with kick ass beats that make your heart thump and your mind relax and let you just go with the flow to these wonderfully mixed tracks. For other brilliant Pork recordings, you just have to listen to "Humidity" by Heights Of Abraham," and "East Coast Chip Shop" by Moss. Marvellous music.

TRACKS

1.Mudlark (5:22)
2.There And Back (2:14)
3.One Size Fits All (6:12)
4.A New Home (5:02)
Flute - Bernard Moss
5.Meanwhile... (0:58)
Bass [Additional] - Paddy Tobin
6.Bizarre Love Pentangle (6:30)
7.Step Up (5:27)
8.Break In New Shoes (6:25)
9.Tumbledown (4:47)
10.Dream Topping (4:40)
Vocals - Audrey Okyere-Fosu
11.Summer Lightning (2:01)
12.Itchy Feet (5:21)
13.On Loan (5:59)
14.In (6:16)
15.Flik Flak (3:49)
16.Unplugged (3:59)

CREDITS

Clark Murray, Bernard Moss (Bass)
Bernard Moss (Flute), Bernard Moss (Vocals)
Audrey Okyere-Fosu (vocals)
Mr. Moss (flute)
Clark Murray (Producer)

Various Artists (Pork Recordings) - Downtempo

Various - Pork 100 - 2002 - Pork Recordings [Subtitled: "...in the craters the flowers are blooming"]

Great electronica downtempo compilation featuring Baby Mammoth, Leggo Beast, Momma Gravy, Moss and more great artists with many unreleased tracks. An ultra cool compilation from the great Pork Recordings label. Try and listen to the albums, "Humidity" by Heights Of Abraham, "Motion Without Pain" by Baby Mammoth, and "From Here To G" by Leggo Beast.

TRACKS

1 Baby Gravy You Really Are (6:31)
2 Momma Gravy Hadakemus (5:24)
3 Sheik And Arch Deacon* As You All Know (5:26)
4 Moss Ching (5:19)
5 Leggo Beast Elephant Legs (7:00)
6 Baby Mammoth Spike's Lament (7:50)
7 Shapes, The Fossilized Oesophagus (4:58)
8 B & B (3) Mrs Ripley (5:56)
9 Rawcliff Piggy Back Wind (5:37)
10 Tetris Diving Up (5:13)
11 Last Supper Danceband New Bionic Boogie (5:29)
12 Dustin Another Missing Link (10:46)

Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man

Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Out Of Season - 2002 - Go! Beat

READ THIS REVIEW - Portishead were a simulacrum, their anchors sunk deep in sample culture with Beth Gibbons' torch singer stylings and Adrian Utley's soundtrack scrapings operating merely as tools in the sample yard. In its evocation of forgotten jazz, blues, film music, and hip-hop, Portishead's Dummy was the quintessence of "even better than the real thing", yet when the magic ceased on the band's eponymous sophomore album, it was ultimately due to their desire to be the real thing. On Portishead, the trio retained their hip-hop elements only in principle-- they played every sound themselves, pressed the results to dubplates, and then cut and looped them into backing tracks. In practice, Portishead had abandoned the sampler's art-- the recontextualization of sound and the creation of history from history-- and so, the thrill had gone. It's no coincidence that the best post-Dummy release from the Portishead camp remains DJ Andy Smith's eclectic mash-up, The Document. Beth Gibbons, one assumes, was never much into hip-hop. Hers, after all, was the bleeding heart at the center of it all, and her remarkable, tortured voice (equal parts Billie Holiday and Sandy Denny), remains capable of gravitas for any occasion. "Mysteries" opens Out of Season brilliantly, folk arpeggios plucking their way around Beth's gasps while a cadre of gospel singers in the background oooooh the record into being. "Tom the Model" takes that cue and runs with it, answering delicate folk verses with a nicely retro big-band soul chorus. Beth attacks the song with verve, and even the hint of self-pity in the lyric is kicked into touch by her defiance. If only the rest of Out of Season displayed that energy. Instead, we're quickly plunged into moodiness for the sake of moodiness, overwhelmed by Gibbons' frankly unpitiable obsession with her own misfortune. At their best, Portishead turned this kind of smoky cabaret blues into an invigorating showpiece. But replace crackling vinyl and subwoofer bass with somber piano and mournful cello, and all you're left with is... well, a pretty goddamn miserable woman who happens to have a great voice. That's "Show" for you, and for all its miserable pleading, it's as forgettable a song as Gibbons has ever crooned. "Romance" tries some moaning french horns on for size, and frankly looks ridiculous in them. Chrissakes, who suggested a 90-second french horn solo was a good idea? And again, if Gibbons' Billie Holiday routine was engaging in Portishead's hip-hop context-- reconstituted blues that fit their mix perfectly-- here it threatens to go a little pantomime. And now to the issue of Rustin Man: What is the deal with calling yourself Rustin Man? Are we supposed to let that slide? Turns out it's an alias for ex-Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb. Now, Talk Talk did some wonderful things-- Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock both proved what can be achieved with emphasis on mood and atmosphere. Here, however, Webb allows Gibbons to dictate both, and it just doesn't work. Striking as her voice can be, she does little to prove that it has the emotive range to match its power. Elsewhere, "Resolve" is a pretty but inconsequential folk tune, and "Drake" and "Funny Time of Year" waltz their way in and out of the frame without forcing you to take much notice. Which leaves "Rustin Man" the song, a frustrating hint of what might have been. Its pure ambience (think Dot Allison's recent album, if produced by Tim Friese-Greene) sounds remarkably modern next to the trad fare that precedes it, and the warbling and sizzling of the synths forces Beth to be a little more active with her vocal-- she slips in and out of the mix, allowing atmosphere to build rather than overwhelming it with her moods. Sonically, of course, it's no less bleak than the rest of this album, and though it does bring in some much-needed excitement at the end, it's just not powerful enough to save the whole from its vanilla dejection. © Jesse Fahnestock, November 20, 2002, © 2008 Pitchfork Media Inc. All rights reserved - NOW READ REVIEWS FURTHER DOWN PAGE. A.O.O.F.C would be very interested to hear your comments about this album.

TRACKS

A1 Mysteries (4:38) - TRACK 1
Accordion [Wind], Effects [Sonic Fx] - Beth Gibbons
Backing Vocals - Joy Rose , Lauraine McIntosh* , Rachael Brown
Engineer - Adrian Utley , Andy Montgomery , Neil Perry , Niven Garland
Engineer [Assistant] - Paul Webb
Guitar, Effects [Sonic Fx], Guitar [Ebo], Other [Rain] - Adrian Utley
Producer [Additional] - Adrian Utley
A2 Tom The Model (3:40) - TRACK 2
Backing Vocals - Lurine Cato , Marion Powell , Michelle John
Bass [Mexican Acoustic] - Simon Edwards
Cello - Ben Chappell , Frank Shaefer* , Jonathan Tunnell , Martin Loveday
Congas, Percussion [Additional] - Martyn Barker
Drums, Timpani - Clive Deamer
Engineer - Andy Montgomery , Niven Garland , Phill Brown
Engineer [Assistant] - Albert Pinheiro , Geoff McLaughlin* , Mark Bishop
Guitar [Baritone] - Adrian Utley
Harmonica - Mark Feltham
Horns - Leo Green , Mat Colman* , Matt Holland
Orchestrated By [Strings], Conductor [Strings] - Nick Ingman
Organ - Gary Baldwin
Percussion - Lee Harris , Paul Webb , Sam Webb (2)
Piano - John Baggott
Producer [Additional] - Adrian Utley , Niven Garland
Viola - Bruce White , Pete Lale* , Phil Dukes*
Violin - Benedict Cruft* , Boguslav Kostecki* , Chris Tombling , Dave Woodcock* , Eddie Roberts (2) , Gavyn Wright , Mark Berrow , Pat Kiernan* , Perry Montague-Mason , Warren Zielinski
A3 Show (4:27) - TRACK 3
Cello - Rachael Samuel
Double Bass - Simon Edwards
Engineer - Beth Gibbons , Niven Garland , Phill Brown
Engineer [Assistant] - Albert Pinheiro , Geoff McLaughlin* , Mark Bishop
Flute - Rebecca Samuel
Piano - John Baggott
A4 Romance (5:09) - TRACK 4
Backing Vocals - Joy Rose , Lauraine McIntosh* , Rachael Brown
Cello - Ben Chappell , Frank Shaefer* , Jonathan Tunnell , Martin Loveday
Double Bass - Mary Scully
Drums - Lee Harris
Engineer - Niven Garland , Phill Brown
Engineer [Assistant] - Albert Pinheiro , Geoff McLaughlin* , Mark Bishop
Euphonium - Steve Cooper
Flugelhorn - John Barclay
Flute [Alto] - Andy Findon* , Nina Robertson
Guitar, Bass - Adrian Utley
Horns - John Pigneguy , Nigel Black
Orchestrated By [Strings & Horns], Conductor [String & Horns] - Nick Ingman
Organ - Paul Webb
Producer [Additional] - Niven Garland
Trombone - Richard Edwards (2) , Roger Harvey
Trombone [Solo] - Mark Nightengale
Viola - Bruce White , Peter Lale , Phil Dukes*
Violin - Chris Tombling , Eddie Roberts (2) , Gavyn Wright , Pat Kiernan* , Perry Montague-Mason
A5 Sand River (3:51) - TRACK 5
Acoustic Guitar, Guitar [Ebo] - Neil MacColl
Backing Vocals, Guitar - Paul Webb
Double Bass - Simon Edwards
Drums - Clive Deamer
Engineer - Niven Garland , Phill Brown
Engineer [Assistant] - Albert Pinheiro , Geoff McLaughlin* , Mark Bishop
Keyboards - Paul Webb
Percussion - Lee Harris
Piano - John Baggott
Producer [Additional] - Adrian Utley , Nik Lloyd
Synthesizer [Moog] - Adrian Utley
B1 Spider Monkey (4:10) - TRACK 6
Acoustic Guitar - Graham Kearns
Drums, Percussion - Lee Harris
Engineer - Adrian Utley , Neil Perry , Niven Garland
Engineer [Assistant] - Geoff McLaughlin* , Mark Bishop
Guitar, Bass, Organ [Pedals] - Adrian Utley
Piano, Electric Piano [Wurlitzer] - John Baggott
Producer [Additional] - Adrian Utley , Niven Garland
B2 Resolve (2:51) - TRACK 7
Acoustic Guitar, Engineer - Beth Gibbons
Mixed By [Assistant] - Mark Bishop
Producer [Additional] - Adrian Utley
B3 Drake (3:54) - TRACK 8
Acoustic Guitar - Neil MacColl
Backing Vocals - Joy Rose , Lauraine McIntosh* , Rachael Brown
Bass [Mexican Acoustic] - Simon Edwards
Effects [Keyboard Fx] - Paul Webb
Engineer - Niven Garland , Phill Brown
Engineer [Assistant] - Albert Pinheiro , Geoff McLaughlin* , Mark Bishop
Harmonica - Mark Feltham
Other [Vibes] - Frank Ricotti
Percussion, Drums - Lee Harris
Piano - John Baggott
Producer [Additional] - Niven Garland
B4 Funny Time Of Year (6:48) - TRACK 9
Acoustic Guitar - Pete Glenister
Acoustic Guitar, Guitar, Bass, Bass [Tremolo] - Adrian Utley
Drums - Clive Deamer
Engineer - Niven Garland
Engineer [Assistant] - Mark Bishop
Organ - Gary Baldwin
Piano, Accordion, Guitar - Paul Webb
Producer [Additional] - Adrian Utley , Niven Garland
B5 Rustin Man (4:18) - TRACK 10
Engineer - Beth Gibbons
Harmonica - Mark Feltham
Mixed By [Assistant] - Mark Bishop
Organ, Effects [Sonic] - Paul Webb

Written-By - Beth Gibbons (tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 10) , Paul Webb (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 10)

MORE ALBUM INFO.

Artwork By [Design] - Ryan Art
Mastered By - Frank Arkwright
Mixed By - Phill Brown (tracks: 1 to 7, 9, 10)
Photography - Eva Vermandel
Photography [Additional] - Nik Lloyd , Pete Dickinson
Producer - Beth Gibbons , Paul Webb
Programmed By - Paul Webb
Programmed By [Additional] - Steve McNichol
Mastered at The Townhouse.

REVIEWS

Described as a one-off collaboration, the most evocative female voice of the nineties, Beth Gibbons, has joined forces with former Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb, now trading under the guise of Rustin Man. With Portishead, Gibbons had played a vital role in the conception of two of the decade's most astounding musical artefacts. Five years have now passed since the release of "Portishead", and gaps like these are never normally perceived as being creatively beneficial. However, Gibbons never really conformed to the norms. Beth never really gave a damn about record sales, PR or public perception, and she usually stayed out of the limelight. In fact not much has been heard of her in the last five years, with this record just creeping up on us, seemingly out of nowhere. Any fears that her extended sojourn from music has drained her creative juices are immediately quashed with the remarkable opener "Mysteries". The most remarkable thing about this track, and indeed the album itself, is the changes in Gibbons' voice. Imagine if Joni Mitchell had teamed up with some British folkies like Nick Drake and John Martyn in the early seventies. This is what "Mysteries" sounds like. Gibbons' voice is stripped down, as is the understated production of Webb, which is dominated by quiet acoustic and outdoor sounds. Not only does this record sound fundamentally different to Portishead, but it also seems that Gibbons is using "Out Of Season" as a testing ground for her voice (she is supposedly working on new Portishead material with Geoff Barrow). Indeed, her vocal remains the most important instrument throughout the record. "Tom The Model" sees her adopt a more soulful voice while tracks like "Romance" and "Drake" see her sound closer to two of the finest singers of all time: Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. Her vocal on "Show" is husky, possibly the closest to her Portishead "sound". It was as if this track was recorded in a late night jazz bar sometime after midnight with just a piano, before Joe Boyd (Drake's Producer) popped in and decided to add some cellos at the end of it, with Alison Goldfrapp on backing vocals! Simply sublime. Like many of the album's songs, it takes the best facets of genres and mixes them together rather magically. The most wonderful embodiment of this is in the album's highlight "Funny Time of Year". It starts quietly, with yet again an acoustic dominated sound. However, as Beth's voice changes in the song, so does the music. It shifts from folk to jazz, combining elements of electronic furriness on the way. "Out Of Season" leaves us the way it came in, with the slow-burning "Rustin Man". Each listen of "Out Of Season" rewards the listener, with hidden subtleties and charms emerging. The three female backing vocalists alone deserve a medal, as they consistently sound wonderful, without intruding on Beth's "ground". It's as if they are the plectrum/bow to her strings – vital, yet inconspicuous. Webb does a wonderful job also, content to stay in the background. Portishead fans will be glad to see the involvement of Adrian Utley. However, it is Gibbons who shines throughout, instilling herself as one of the great female vocalists. By the end of this breathtaking experience, we have an album that can be put in the same quality bracket as "Dummy" and "Portishead". "Out Of Season" may be a one-off, and it may not "fit" neatly into any category, but what we have is a late contender for Album of the Year. © Ciarán Ryan © www.cluas.com
Hailed by some as work of genius and by others as a pretentious statement, Beth Gibbons’s first album is definitely causing a bit of a stir. Better known for being the voice of Portishead, Beth Gibbons has cast an unforgettable mark on British music. With a truly unique voice, able to carry a multitude of emotions by adapting to the atmosphere of a song, Beth had long since joined Marianne Faithful and Liz Fraser in the ranks of the greatest British female voices.
Formed in Bristol in the mid nineties, Portishead brought a new dimension to the trip hop scene with cinematic melodies, emotional definition and hip hop beat structures with their first album, Dummy, released in 1994. Instantly recognised as a classic recording, Dummy went on to become one of the biggest sellers that year, not only in the UK and Europe, but also across the Atlantic, where the band enjoyed great success on the alternative scene, despite their refusal to attend any interview. Both Barlow and Gibbons are famously media shy. The band’s second, eponymous, album followed three years later, with a live album recorded at New York’s Roseland Ballroom with a thirty-five piece orchestra released in 1998. Since then, the band members have been taking an extended break, with Barlow working on new songs for Portishead, and Gibbons working on this project.
Written and recorded with former Talk Talk Paul Webb, Out Of Season is everything but a variation on Portishead. Webb and Gibbons met long before the singer joined the band, while Webb was auditioning for a singer for his band, O’rang. The idea of collaboration between the two friends came up at the end of the last Portishead tour. With very little material to work on to start with other than the melody for the beautiful Mysteries and lyrics for Rustin Man, the pair developed an approach which lead them to work with stripped down soundscapes, emphasising entirely on Gibbons’ voice and interpretation.
Unanimously recognised as one of the finest piece of song writing in British music history, Mysteries, which opens the album, is a delicate pop song built around a simple guitar line on which Gibbons’ voice blows a gentle breeze. Defining the timeless character of this album, the song is a haunting reflection on personal beliefs and destiny as Gibbons almost whispers ‘And when the timebell blows my heart / And I have scored a better day / Well nobody made this war of mine’. Carrying the same melancholic views on existence and depicting distorted love stories and lives, the rest of the album retain the same intrinsic characteristics all the way through. Very often using elements of nature and passing time as metaphors to emphasise on the down-to-earth atmosphere of the music, the duo elaborate rarely on the simple, acoustic, arrangements, only once reaching for dramatic effect, on the stunning Funny Time Of Year. Starting with just an acoustic guitar to support Beth’s fragile voice, the track slowly builds up to a magnificent coda. Perhaps the closest to the ambience of Portishead, and at the same time the furthest away, Funny Time Of Year presents this album with its most poignant moment.
Reminiscent of the poetry of a Nike Drake, Out Of Season is totally unique, and most definitely out of time. A very strong piece of work, this album will be remembered as a milestone in Gibbons' career. 5/5 © themilkfactory 1999-2006 All Rights Reserved
The Portishead songstress strays from the flock. Beth Gibbons is the woman behind Portishead’s heartfelt, crooning vocals. And before you ask – no they haven’t split, a new album is currently in development. Out Of Season is a one-off project with Rustin’ Man, aka Paul Webb from Talk Talk, a pre-Portishead friend. And it’s great. Much more than Portishead without the beats, the album has a timeless feel. Think Carole King, Billy Holiday or Joni Mitchell. Typically it’s downbeat, but this time there’s hope and it’s certainly more optimistic than her previous projects. "I do like sad songs," Beth says. "I find it really hard to write a happy song without it sounding somehow melancholic.” But the familiar smoky atmospherics are there, featuring Portishead’s Adrian Utley on guitar work which complements Beth’s distinctive, hauntingly honest vocal. It’s a gentle autumnal sounding album, gracefully produced, with themes of nature and isolation. Let’s hope it isn’t really a one-off. © Matt Walton 24 October 02 [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective] Note: some of the content on collective is generated by members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. If you consider this content to be in breach of the House Rules please alert our moderators. www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/
It's been several years since the one-two punch of Portishead's Dummy and the group's equally astonishing self-titled follow-up, so it's difficult to imagine what a new record by the Bristol natives might sound like after all this time. Whether it's a carbon-copy of their previous work or a decided departure, Portishead's as-yet-unreleased third studio album is bound to disappoint someone. (Perhaps it's this manufactured pressure that keeps the album from being completed.) Last year, the trip-hop trio's head mistress, Beth Gibbons, released her first "solo" album (in actuality, a joint-effort with Paul Webb, bassist of '80s band Talk Talk, and Portishead guitarist Adrian Utley), and though most hardcore fans have probably snagged the import already, Out Of Season is finally getting a proper stateside release (which includes a bonus live performance of the Velvet Underground's "Candy Says"). Geoff Barrow may have been Portishead's sonic backbone, but Gibbons provided the humanity, the heart, the soul and the softly wrenching sorrow. Tracks like "Tom The Model" evoke Barrow and Utley's cinematic orchestrations of sweeping strings, brass and pumping organs, but Webb's delicate arrangements are less in-your-face, allowing Gibbons' every gritty vocal tic, every whimper and every pained lyric to rise to the surface. The wraith-like "Spider Monkey" begins with a hypnotic Wurlitzer pattern, followed by Gibbons' worried meditation on time. Acoustic guitars and ethereal sound effects ensue, capsizing into a quietly frenzied panic. Gibbons' lyrics are familiar and spooky, whether she's observing the seasons change ("Autumn leaves/Pretty as can be/Everyone can see, everyone except me," she sings atop the supermarket smooth-jazz of Webb's "Sand River") or (surprise!) sardonically enjoying life ("God knows how I adore life" are the very first words on the album). As versatile as Gibbons' vocal is, though, you won't find her wailing in the sinister Portishead style, and she rarely draws on the killer-kitten coquettishness of Dummy. Instead, Webb and Gibbons' influences—from folk (Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell) to jazz (Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone)—float skillfully to the surface of Out Of Season. The only moment Gibbons truly lets go is at the very end of the gorgeously terrifying "Funny Time Of Year," in which she howls, "I can see no blossom, no blossom on the trees!" (Talk about Seasonal Affective Disorder!) Out Of Season is still one of last year's, this year's (or any year's) best, and it's probably as close as we'll ever get to the long-promised new Portishead album. Here's hoping it's not. © Sal Cinquemani, © slant magazine, 2003.

Fragile State

Fragile State - Voices from the Dust Bowl - 2004 - Bar De Lune

Brilliant , atmospheric, cinematic electronica from the genuis of Neil Cowley & Ben Mynott, programmed with some of the most amazing string sections you will ever hear. This album has a truly beautiful sound guaranteed to make you chill. If you like Air, John Barry or Zero 7, this album is for you. Note : Fragile State have now split up. However, Neil Cowley under the name of Pretz has produced a solo album called Soundcastles. Definately worth tracking down if you like Fragile State. Also check out Fragile State's superb album from 2002, 'The Fact And The Dreams.'

TRACKS

01 Four-Four-Four (8:21)
02 King For A Day (6:34)
03 New Bassa (6:33)
04 Cleo (6:20)
05 600 Bliss (5:15)
06 Stolen Generation (2:21)
07 At Last (5:11)
08 Paper Smile (4:52)
09 Overcurrent (5:12)
10 Train Time (5:34)
11 Paper Tiger (5:59)

MUSICIANS

Neil Cowley & Ben Mynott

REVIEWS

Musical dilemma#27: How do you follow up an acclaimed debut album that had heaps of praise bestowed upon it, including being voted Down tempo Album of the Year by Blues & Soul magazine, the Big Chill's Pete Lawrence and BBC Radio London's Robert Elms? Logic would dictate the old adage of it-ain't-broke-don't fix-it. But logic is not what Fragile State are about. Our two protagonists of the beautifully chilled and deconstructed - Zero 7's Neil Cowley and music journalist Ben Mynott - have instead created a soundscape that boarders on soundtracks, afrocentric rhythms, jazz and contemporary classical. Conceptually - intentionally or otherwise - Voices From The Dust Bowl is an album for listening to from beginning to end. Don't go looking for singles, as whilst several might be flagged as suitable candidates, it's the overall feel that counts. The journey beginning with the minimalist bass and Rhodes led afro-beater "Four-Four-Four" allowing subtle harmonies to draw you in, before ebbing-and-flowing into the airy light rock of "King For A Day" (imagine Steely Dan jamming in some downtime). Highlights include the warm ambience on the Moby-esque "Cleo" - folky melodrama in the best tradition of Air and (not surprisingly) Zero 7; the near-classical arrangements on the John Barry-inspired "New Bassa"; and the chilled drum 'n' bass tempoed "Overcurrent". While the big tune finale, "Paper Tiger", sounds uncannily like a seventies Blaxploitation number scored by Quincy, Curtis or Marvin. Voices From The Dust Bowl is a sophomore set of bucolic impressions and beguiling dream-inducing electronica, electing not to be a Xerox of their debut, but a worthy adversary. It's that which may similarly see it being crowded as an Album of the Year come December. © Andrew McGregor, 08 March 2004 , http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Combining the talents of Neil Cowley and Ben Mynott, Fragile State drops a collection of exquisitely soulful and funky down tempo jams on this full-length release. From the haunting, soundtrack-esque “Four-four-four” to the soul inspired “King For A Day” and lush magnificence of “600 Bliss”; this is a lovely and inspired ride on summer afternoon. Well actually, it is just a CD but if you close your eyes tight enough, you can almost feel the heat. © 2008 About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved

Fragile State are made up of Neil Cowley formally of Zero 7 and Ben Mynott the well known and revered journalist who writes for Blues & Soul. 'Voices From The Dust Bowl' and 'Facts And The Dreams' are two albums that when they were released received wide spread critical acclaim making them standout chillout albums of the year. © 2002 – 2008 Last.fm Ltd.

For some, Fragile State evokes the orchestral style of British film composer John Barry — best known for the James Bond theme — but the duo's undulating, atmospheric sound owes more to '70s psychedelic soul, ethnic trance and electronic sci-fi music. Neil Cowley brings his recent stint on keyboards with Zero 7 to the funky syncopation of “Overcurrent” and the opening “Four-Four-Four,” which recall the bouncy grooves of State's debut, The Facts and the Dreams, while the string-heavy “Paper Smile” is a pure stroke of ethereal ambience. © Bill Murphy, http://remixmag.com/

BIO

Neil Cowley is an experienced musician whose keyboard skills has seen him tour extensively with Zero 7 amongst others. His production credits include East West Connection and Freil who recently had a single out on San Franciscos globally acclaimed Naked Music Recordings. Ben Mynott is a highly respected music journalist and has a monthly jazz/house column in B&S magazine. Ben has compiled two albums for Jazz Fm (Spirit Of The Street Pts 1 & 2), the nu*phusion album on Quiet Riot, and has a new series of soulful & sexy house compilations called Nu De Lune for Bar De Lune. © www.giantstep.net


BIO (BEN MYNOTT)

Ben Mynott has firmly established himself as a mainstay in the downtempo field and goes from strength to strength as a compilation connoisseur. He was one half of the critically acclaimed downtempo act, Fragile State, who were compared to Air, John Barry and Zero 7, and his talents and production prowess was lauded by the music press and record buying public alike. Over the three years Fragile State became, through the beauty of their acclaimed debut album 'The Facts & The Dreams', a firm favourite with the likes of Pete Lawrence, Mixmaster Morris, Rob Da Bank, LTJ Bukem, Groove Armada, The Bays, Jimpster, Ali B, Patrick Forge, Phil Mison, Richard Dorfmeister, Rainer Trüby, Faze Action, Ashley Beedle and Mr Scruff. The list goes on. 'The Facts And The Dreams', was an album that was awarded the title of Downtempo Album Of The Year by Robert Elms (BBC London) and Pete Lawrence (The Big Chill) amongst others. They were then this year soundtracked for the UK Vodafone Adverts which built their reputation further and Ben's marketing skills went even further still resulting in major sponsorship deals with Creative and Fred Perry, Fragile State split during the summer to concentrate on new projects, new ambitions. Ben is also a freelance journalist, with a regular jazzy house/downtempo column for B&S Magazine and is no stranger to the compilation market. He compiled albums for Jazz Fm/Hed Kandi Records (Spirit Of The Street - Pt's 1&2), the nu*phusion album on Quiet Riot, and a series of soulful & sexy house compilations called Nu De Lune for Bar De Lune. Ben also compiled the acclaimed and highly sought-after 'Just Got Home' album which brought together tracks from Yukimi Nagano, Weekend Players Gare du Nord, Hint, Troublemakers, Cocteau Twins and RSL. Others albums of his include 'Ben Mynott presents Unearthed', 'Café Karma', 'Private Party', 'Fashionista Métropolitain' and 'At Home...' on Slip 'n' Slide. Ben has a successful radio show on Worldspace Radio, Washington DC and the emphasis is always on stunningly beautiful melodic downtempo music - 'just beautiful tunes really'). The Fluid shows for this have gone down well both sides of the Atlantic. One Fluid show mix was described by a Big Chiller as 'Probably the best I've heard since Erlend Øye did the DJ kicks'. In additional, Ben has a new Chillout Show which he presents on Bournemouth's Fire FM, Saturday's 4am-7am, Sunday's 4am-7am, playing the very best in Chillout, downtempo, leftfield and jazzy breaks. Aside from making and playing music, Ben runs Fluid Nation, a music marketing company that looks after and promotes such labels as Naked Music Recording. © www.fluidnation.com/

Arc

Arc - Fracture - 2007 - Inner Knot

ARC is the recording alias of electronica staples Mark Shreeve and DiN label boss Ian Boddy, a duo who have been working together for almost a decade. The two producers bring very different elements to the table: Boddy mans all things digital, running a variety of synthesizers in conjunction with software, while Shreeve brings an analogue presence to the album, sequencing via a vast Moog Modular system. This meeting of new and old technologies makes for a brand of electronica steeped as much in thick, tangible electronic textures as it is in modern sound designs. Pieces like 'Fracture' and 'Slipstream' have as much to do with the primordial circuitry of krautrock as they do with IDM, based around a sturdy mainframe of rhythmic pulsations and floating, vaporous synth densities. This combination works best on the epic closing track 'Rapture', which clocks up almost twenty-three minutes of melodic ambience and layers of deep synthetic atmosphere. A pretty ideal release for any devotee of the DiN sound. © www.boomkat.com/artist.cfm?a=15902

Ian Boddy & Mark Shreeve strike again! This ARC album is by far their most sonically sophisticated. Both light and dark melodic themes blend exotically with slow undulating, dense ambient layers of sound and incredible diverse sequential riffs. The result is totally modern EM at it’s most creative. © www.eurock.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=1721

TRACKS

1. Fracture
2. Departed
3. Slipstream
4. Friction
5. Rapture

MUSICIANS

Ian Boddy (electric piano, synthesizer);
Mark Shreeve (synthesizer, sequencer).
Producer: Ian Boddy, Mark Shreeve

REVIEWS

A really deep menacing but contemporary sounding rhythm provides an impressive start to the title track. There is a snarl to proceedings full of menace. A superb melodic sequence bounces forward, forming quite a contrast to the earth shaking syncopations. Things subside for a moment but the bass rumbles soon return, this time accompanied by a slow but stunningly effective water droplet lead. Shuddering rhythms reappear juxtapositioned by the most sublime of melodies. The level of sound manipulation and production on this track is just awesome. More wonderful sounding sequences weave around each other from the very first moment of 'Departed'. A haunting lead line floats above the pulsations like some lost soul. Another lead conjures a feeling of longing. As with the first track it's the way that the melodies combine with the rhythms that is so impressive, both elements exquisite in their own right. Then quite unexpectedly the rhythms depart for a piano solo before the intensity builds once more to epic proportions. It's the sort of music that would accompany some triumphant conclusion to an intense film.
The film would have to be one Hell of a classic to justify music of this standard however. 'Slipstream' uses deep sonic stabs and string pads to create quite a melancholy atmosphere through which another bass laden sequence (fans of their last album should love this) rumbles forward. Another sequence, much brighter that the first is deployed then a playful organ lead. The sequences morph and combine in differing patterns whilst fresh leads come and go so that the mind is kept in a state of wonder. Sometimes it all seems quite mellow and then at others, when the growling sequence snarls to the surface, we are treated to that ever-present darker edge. 'Friction' takes the standard of production to even greater levels, the pulsations so bass laden that they are felt as much as heard- then in come layer after layer of melodic but intense sequences. This is really in your face stuff. As is becoming quite a trademark of this album the lead line is simply stunning but also a softening element to the mayhem.
The final track, the twenty-two minute 'Rapture' is well named, as it will have fans of 'Arcturus' in Berlin School bliss. We commence with atmospheric swirling sounds with quite ominous undertones. These take over the mind providing a sort of uneasy peace until we are brought back to wakefulness with strange animal noises. A storm starts to brew and the biggest beast of a sequence on the album so far (and that is really saying something) is unleashed. A lead skips over the top, and excellent it is too, but it is that sequence that will grab you most, getting the whole body moving to its irresistible power which grows and grows - turn that volume right up and really let yourself go! We return to fantastic moody atmospherics to finish. Absolutely awesome! (DL) © www.synthmusicdirect.com/arcfrac.cfm

With each release, Arc (the British duo of Mark Shreeve and Ian Boddy) ventures out across new sonic territory. The CD Fracture (53'34") exists at the intersection of their previous works (the space-rock based) Blaze and (cosmic-influenced) Arcturus. The title may be referring to the odd arithmetic that yields the engaging sequencer rhythms found on Fracture. The patterns roll and crest dramatically as Boddy and Shreeve follow the beat's story. Lyrical melodies lend a sense of dramatic narrative while chilled synth pads pull the mood into dark areas. The first four of the five tracks build amazingly from spare beginnings. On top of a halting, mechanistic pattern grows layers of synchronized arpeggios that switch direction and colour in breathtaking dexterity. The closing piece is a sprawling realization that extends into a cool textural and atmospheric realm - an excellent ending, one shrouded in fine cosmic dust. Continually finding new meaning in the Spacemusic style, Arc has produced yet another unexpectedly perfect album. © Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 1 November 2007, www.starsend.org/Fracture.html

Ian Boddy & Mark Shreeve have been at the centre of the UK Electronic Music scene since the late seventies and have known each other since they both appeared at the very first UK Electronica festival in 1983. They've both enjoyed considerable success in releasing a succession of solo albums. However it wasn't until 1998 that they first collaborated under the ARC banner for their first CD release, "Octane". Then in 1999 Boddy set up the ambient electronica label DiN that has achieved considerable success in releasing CD's by artists such as Robert Rich, Tetsu Inoue, Markus Reuter, Chris Carter, Surface 10, RMI & of course Ian Boddy. "Fracture" is ARC's fifth album release and their fourth on the DiN label. It features their fabled retro style sequencing, courtesy of Shreeve's giant Moog modular system, coupled with a heady mix of quirky melodic lines and spacy atmospheres. The album is wholly instrumental and the first four tracks constantly morph and evolve with a set of chilled out grooves and sublime melodic themes. The fifth track, "Rapture", is an epic in every sense. Nearly 23 minutes in length it features a central, pounding sequencer riff section cocooned within truly awe inspiring deep space ambiences for a truly memorable track. Voiceprint © 2006