Long-time analogue synth collector and relative newcomer to the electronic music scene Kell Simon (aka Phasmid) of Birmingham, Alabama claims an aversion to computer technology and chooses to produce his music using his synths and drum machines. It was not until 2001 that Simon was persuaded to release his music to the public by Skylab Operations of Vienna, Austria.
Her Friend the Blue Star is Simon’s first full length release and appears in a 2CD format; the first CD featuring a collection of 11 original tracks while the second treats us to 12 remixes by a series of electronic musicians from around the world including Isan, Tim Koch, Figurine, Printed Circuit, I Am Robot and Proud, Bernard Fleischmann and Bochum Welt. Also worthy of a mention is the beautiful blue snowy cartoon landscape artwork produced by Klon Design.
Simon’s music sits well against this blue cartoon world and is optimistic, playful and melodic, with his love of Kraftwerk evident throughout but particularly on “Electrod” and the title track. Employing an electro-pop outlook with chiming melodies and clean jabbing beats, Simon occasionally livens things up with the addition of some crunchy breakbeats (“Drunk on Opals”) or vocoder vocals (“Les Mananitas” featuring The Uberkids). The result of his effort is a warm uplifting collection of tracks with a child-like innocence and sense of fun.
The list of remixers on CD2 is a who’s who of the similar minded artists of the genre. Sweet Trip’s rework of “Drunk on Opals” and both Tim Koch’s “Fuensanta” and “Littlefinger” remixes of “Sun Pictures” take the cutup sonic collage route with the expected abstract results. David Figurine’s take on “Over Gold Angels” and Printed Circuit’s “Kitty Cat Bye Bye [Hello Jenny Remix]” opt for simplistic sounding arcade remixes, the former adding a sharper edge to the original and the latter taking a funky electro air. Snospray’s “Her Friend The Blue Star [Silver Sleigh Remix]” fairs better with its creative use of old-school cutup breakbeats with some choice samples and excellent use of female vocals while “Checking for Deads [Possibilities of Harmonization Remix]” by Frederik Schikowski is an impressive retro rework with a classic analogue feel that morphs from driving 80’s synth into ambient techno by its close. Similarly, Bernard Fleischmann’s “Les Mananitas [Can We Hear That Remix]” is a flowing ambient techno excursion with added crackling beats and buzzing tones. The remaining remixes maintain a similar melodic quality to the original with the exception of “My Smallest Ghosts [Lambent Remix]” by Isan which bears all their classic hallmarks and is very relaxed and melodic. Finally, a few seconds after the final track, is a short bonus track in the form of “Trip to the Blue Star” by .Tape which is a melodic computerised blip bloop track under rhythmic beats.
Simon’s style of electronic music may not be to everybody’s taste but he does have his weirder moments such as “Checking for Deads” where he gets all noisy and moody, giving his signature melodic style a darker edge. Of the remixes on CD2, standout tracks are the reinterpretations by Snospray, Frederik Schikowski, Bernard Fleischmann and Isan. One of the especially catchy tunes on this album “Cooper Is On Bubbles” has also been afforded the ambitious honor of a remix project in its own right with Skylab issuing it as a 15-track remix album.
Her Friend the Blue Star is OUT NOW on Skylab Operations.
