Zomby and Machinedrum are both excellent candidates for post-dubstep status because of their expertise and reluctance to fully engage with dubstep as a genre. Both have made works that suggest broad musical knowledge and taste, and both are capable of pulling “post-dubstep” out of its confused mire. Is there really such a thing as post-dubstep? [...]
Post Tagged with: "Merck"
Proem :: You Shall Have Ever Been (Merck, 2CD)
(12.03.06) Thinking Cool 90s Alt Rock Man’s producer pin-up, Steve Albini (no, don’t go away, stay with it) is quoted as saying: “As the idiom developed, the music became more and more about the novelty of certain sounds and treatments, ridiculously trivial aspects like tempo and choice of samples, and the public personae of the [...]
Blamstrain :: Remixed (Merck, CD)
(12.05.05) Merck records assembles a strike force of their flagship artists as they get ready to close their doors with a release cataloged under Blamstrain. In reality, it is attributable to he and ten of his finest label-mates. In the dying era of the full-length LP, Remixed from Blamstrain displays a mature collection of electronic [...]
Secede :: Tryshasla (Sending Orbs, CD)
(07.21.05) Secede has clearly been very busy since his debut album, Bye Bye Gridlock Traffic was released on Merck in 2003. His second album, the long delayed Silent Flower Observers, is due for release on Neo Ouija in August, making Tryshasla his third full-length release. It is the second release on the fledgling Dutch label [...]
Machine Drum / Ilkae / Deru :: Merck Review-Roundup
(02.21.05) Soaring ambient opening notwithstanding, Bidnezz hiccups and stutters like it is the performance art piece for the Dance of the Misfit Toys. With twenty-two tracks that take anywhere from less than thirty seconds to more than five minutes to present their broken toy choreography, Bidnezz hums with the chaotic spasms of fractured hip-hop. Imagine [...]
Lackluster :: R U Oho? (Merck, 12")
Be it because of distribution problems, lack of publicity or even poor mastering, this collection of remixes of Lackluster tracks passed right under the radar on its initial release. This is a shame because there really is no reason for this 12″ not to be considered a classic. Clearly there are people out there who [...]
Helios :: Unomia (Merck, CD)
You don’t get one of these come by every day, I can tell you. Unomia is one of those wonderful albums where each track flows immediately into the next: no fades, no gaps, just a specially tailored stream of music. Whilst this may sound unremarkable, consider how many times you really, genuinely come across this [...]
Proswell :: Carrot Dossier (Merck, CD)
Proswell is Joseph Misra of Chicago, releasing Carrot Dossier as his second full-length for US label Merck. The follow-up to 2002′s Konami, Carrot Dossier clocks in at a fraction under 60 minutes and features no less than 20 tracks representing a progression in the sound of Proswell from his roots on the demo scene. Opening [...]
Esem :: Serial Human (Merck Records, CD)
Serial Human is Bulgarian George Marinov’s second album, this time released by Merck Records. Those expecting a natural progress ion from his Enveloped album on DeFocus are in for a shock. With only a few exceptions, Serial Human explores altogether darker terrain than Enveloped. Glittering washes and percussion are replaced by jagged, metallic synths that [...]
Proem :: Negativ (Merck)
Proem’s new release on Merck sees Richard Bailey taking the sound he carved out on his Burn Plate No. 1 (Hydrant) to the next level. While the production is cleaner and more precise this time out, this has not affected the percussion which is crunchy as ever. Distortion allies with the spacious melodies to carry [...]
V/A :: Aurora (Merck)
Welcome to 1993. Remember melodies? Lush, spacey, relaxing ambient tracks? Atmosphere? Remember music without CLICKING? Well, maybe you don’t, but I swear it used to exist. Honestly. And, as it turns out, the artists of Miami label Merck Records are still capable of producing — and with great results. Merck’s Aurora compilation features ambient tracks [...]
Aurora :: Compilation (Merck Records)
The Aurora compilation is a departure from the Merck releases thus far. It is a compilation composed of ambient tracks created by released and unreleased producers alike. Most of whom are primarily known for their IDM output. The music has a lot of warmth to it and a very high melody/noise ratio (as you would [...]
Syndrone :: Triskaideka (Merck)
Miami seems to be an absolute hotbed of labels lately: Schematic, Chocolate Industries, Beta Bodega and now Merck. Their first release is by Syndrone AKA Travis Stewart, and they have an absolute winner here. The beats are of the crunchy Funkstorung type mixing a definite hip-hop influence with brilliant processing and glitches. Melody, albeit it [...]