This Is Book’s Music

Almost 30 years after they formed, Art Of Noise’s impact on music is still being felt, defined, and discussed. They were there when Malcolm McLaren wanted a hint of Afrika Bambaataa’s swagger, and arguably gave hip-hop, through sampling, its initial boom bap. Influence (ZTT) is a 2CD collection that explores the hit songs of a group that never intended to be embraced by radio, and unreleased artifacts from their library of sounds. It is comprehensive for old and new fans alike, but also doubles as a gift for devotees who have absorbed the known. This is the group supplying uncut crystals of the unknown.

Art Of Noise were very much experimentalists who combined a love for soul, funk, classical, and opera with the avant-garde, and musique concrete. While some artists had constructed songs that made attempts to give rhythm to the rhythmless (interpret as you wish), no one had quite done it the way Anne Dudley, Jonathan Jeczalik, and Gary Langan did, all of whom were overseen by producer Trevor Horn. Music journalist Paul Morley became their “voice” and initially the human persona of a group who originally were represented as masks, photographs, and wrenches. It was the unintentional funk of “Beat Box” that made legendary radio DJ Kool DJ Red Alert take notice one day, offering it to a community of listeners who seemed to be waiting for something more distorted and abrasive than the sounds supplied by Sugar Hill Records. It was “Close (To The Edit)” that made people hear the ignition of a car in a different way, but it was also “Moments In Love” that made people hear electronic music as something seductive with the use of only four words (the song title and the repetition of the word “now”).

When the group had internal struggles with their record label, they jumped ship to a new label (China), but it did not take away their heart. Fans will get a chance to “Legs,” “Peter Gunn,” “Paranoimia,” “Ode To Don Jose,” “Dragnet,” and their surprise hit with Tom Jones, their cover of Prince’s “Kiss.” It seemed as if the group made a conscious effort to create properly structured songs, perfect for radio, television, and motion pictures, a slight shift from what they originally started out as. Perhaps for AoN, in order to manipulate art, they in turn had to be artists too. Disc 1 features songs from their last album, The Seduction of Claude Debussy, which also doubled as their return to the ZTT empire.

Even if you have the 4 CD box set And What Have You Done With My Body God?, everything on Disc 2 of Influence will be new to you, as all of it is unreleased. The songs are a mixture of unreleased tracks, alternate mixes, rough demos, and variations of the familiar, not unlike classical music where one might here variations of a theme, or variations of the variation. Some spoken pieces heard in AoN songs are isolated so you’ll get a chance to hear what was recorded without instrumental interruption. Even what was discarded could be turned into new songs, but that will be for the diehard fans to create and mash-up.

Comedy and tragedy: symbols that have represented Art of Noise even when they might have had the last laugh. Influence is the audio story of a group who weren’t a group, but perhaps architects of buildings everyone would end up praising long after its creators went home. Yet within its construction were sounds of hope, fear, sarcasm, shame, and fame, intentional or not.

NeptunePinkFloyd.co.uk reports that electronic music pioneers The ORB have collaborated with guitarist David Gilmour for the group’s forthcoming album, Metallic Spheres, due out in October. According to the article, all artist royalties will be going to helping British hacker Gary McKinnon fight off extradition to the USA. Considering that some of The ORB’s music could be considered hacking to some degree, it would make sense that they would take to McKinnon’s cause.

Also, it would also make sense for them to be working with Gilmour, since they were often called “the Pink Floyd of ambient” by critics, and of course their Live ’93 album featured homage to the 1977 album Animals.

Incansescent Sky are a band who haven’t released a new album in four years, but individually have created a plethora music that goes well beyond what people may know of them with this group. Together, John MacNeill (keyboards), John Orsi(drumset and percussion), Don Sullivan (guitar and guitar-to-MIDI), and Mike Marando (bass guitar) pull together all of their unique influences for Four Faradays In A Cage (it’s Twilight Time) to create a sound that sounds familiar at times, but you’re so caught up in what they’re creating that the “strangeness” (if you want to call it that) sounds like the comforts of home, or a time when new musical discoveries were the reason you looked forward to waking up in the morning.

Incandescent Sky merge together touches of jazz, rock, progressive rock, and new age to the point where they become one. It may sound like some long lost hippie scriptures from the high mountains of Bangla Desh, but those who were/are true to the improvisational music of the late 60′s and early 70′s, and those who have looked to creating spontaneity in music in the modern day, will love how each of these songs unfold from one envelope to the other. It’s tranquil when it wants to be, but then becomes complex a few minutes later, like some of the best Italian soundtrack albums. “The Byways” is a track that goes for only 4:17 but may be the one compact way to take in what they do in the shortest amount of time, in fact it is the shortest song on the album. Sullivan’s guitar work builds on itself, layer upon layer, it may bring to mind the slide guitar of David Gilmour before grooving on in a Stone Gossard-type fashion. Orsi’s drum work is an important core to the their song, it may sound simple but is consistent just as Jaki Liebezeit was to Can, and with a different perspective, one can hear how the others in the band build around Orsi. With an altered perspective, you may hear everyone building around MacNeill, and that’s the thing about Incandescent Sky, every perspective is a legitimate one.

The best songs on here are those that are over the ten minute mark, such as “Orange Ice” (10:20) and the mindblowing title track (16:25), for they truly explore the potential of sound, both in each other and what the song can provide in terms of emotion, elegance, and sheer strength. Fans of Embryo, Tangerine Dream, Supersilent, and The Necks will find this to be the kind of listening endurance test that results in the kind of satisfaction that can only come from musicians who truly know about and love the music they create. While I don’t do drugs, I can only imagine the possibilities of Four Daradays In A Cage in the proper settings, so for those who are into audio mind expansion, get ready to roll.

Health recently received attention for their amazing video directed by Eric Wareheim, “We Are Water” (click here for a look). Now, they’re about to release Health2, featuring a number of previous unheard-of remixes. This album, a double LP in the vinyl realm, will be released on June 22nd. First orders will contain a poster for an album, plus a bonus disc called DISCO2++ with extra goodies.

What moved Jonas Reinhardt to title his album Powers Of Audition (Kranky) is an interesting one: “the human capacity to audition sound and fill in blanks where the composer leaves space for interpretation.” For some, that is a great way to listen to music and/or improvise as a musician, to take it to other levels unknown.

Powers Of Audition, his second album, continues on with his minimalist exploration of electronic music, somewhat nostalgic but very much of the now and the future. It sounds like music you’d hear on a television show you’re not sure you’re really watching because it’s 2:42am and you’re in that zone. This album, in a more alert state, will bring you to another state without you having to leave your easy chair.

Vinyl and CD can be ordered individually from Kranky.

The Beat Broker already has a healthy discography, and he now adds a new one to it with his new 12″ EP, Deep Sleep (Sentrall. There’s a heavy 80′s influence on this, sounding like everything from music from the Zang Tuum Tumb empire to classic soundtracks like Blade Runner.

You can order Deep Sleep by clicking to the Sentrall website, limit of 5.

The vinyl pressing for Autechre‘s forthcoming album, Oversteps, is very impressive. The double-LP is described as such:

Simon James and Matt Ford are the two men behind the UK duo of The Simonsound,who are about to drop their debut album in May, with the vinyl pressing to be released on First Word Records. It’s not the first time the duo have released vinyl, their debut single (“It’s Just Begun” b/w “Bad Love”) was released as a 7″ 45 along with a digital release in both MP3 and lossless forms.

While the group is making an effort to release their new album on vinyl, the CD will have two bonus tracks that the vinyl does not (I suggested it should’ve been the other way around, give vinyl buyers an extra incentive.) However, the vinyl version promises to come with a code to download the tracks.

The two are fans of analog synths, but merge it with a modern mentality so if you liked their first two singles, they plan on exploring the sound of The Simonsound even more

Woodhands are an electronic duo from Toronto, Canada whose instrumental focus consists of keyboards and drums.

That’s it.

What they do with it however is a very energetic mix of powerful vocals and motivating lyrics that has already pushed audiences over the edge at venues. The group’s 2009 debut album, Heart Attack, was praised by a number of critics but they’re ready to surpass that and take critics fans over that edge again with their new album, Remosecapade. Like their last album, Woodhands worked with Paper Bag Records for this one, and the label will do what it takes to make people become Woodhands devotees. The album has already been released digitally in Canada, and will hit the U.S. MP3 circuits on Tuesday, February 23rd. For those who prefer hard copy, the vinyl and compact disc will present themselves on March 23rd, you can pre-order your copies directly from Paper Bag by clicking here. Samples of songs from Remosecapade can be found on their MySpace page.

Woodhands are Dan Werb and Paul Banwatt are ready to meet you and/or your of-age daughters, because they know love is a battlefield. Meet them halfway.

Danny Krivit is a legendary club DJ who has been providing music to people for years, and 718 Sessions is a mere sampling of the kind of music people come to him to hear and dance to.

If you don’t know Krivit’s history, do a Google search or check Wikipedia, but we’re talking a vinyl and music junkie who not only loves music, but also knows how to select them and what will move people at any given time. In this case it’s music selected for a compilation CD, which means a different sense of structure but he still gives his all with a well-selected collection of dance tracks that work greatly even outside of the club. Songs on this include “That’s What Love Is” by Louie Vega featuring Sara Devine, a Sting International Controversy Mix of Roy Ayers’ “Brand New Feeling,”, and even a bit of B.T. Express with the use of the classic “Peace Pipe.”

What I also like about this compilation is how the music program is set up, for it feels like it was created with the club in mind. The first few songs are the entrance way into the Krivit experience with powerful beats, a hint of funk, and luxurious female voices to pull you in almost as a means of comfort. It’s as if to say “this is home, it’s time for you to get loose and familiar.” Vocalists like Monique Bingham (who sings with Shake The Dog for “Run”) and Alexis Simmons (for Steal Vibe’s “Selene (The Goddess Of The Moon)”) help bring the listener in and want to stay in, even as the music celebrates life and the world, and in many ways one another. It may be a CD of various artists, but it’s also a tribute to Krivit as a tastemaker and mood enhancer. If you put faith in the DJ, the DJ will give you all that you want and more, and 718 Sessions (Nervous) is not only a testament to Krivit as a DJ, but also the power of music that can move you to let loose and be free.