After a little while off to work on his start-up label Tigerbeat6, former child prodigy Kid606 makes his epic return. Down With The Scene comes complete with the noise-dsp-glitchcore fuckery and tongue-in-cheek humor we’ve come to expect from him.
Now the title could have a double meaning – is Kid606 down with a scene, a part of the in-crowd? Or is he taking down a scene from the inside? But after a few listens it’s apparent the latter interpretation would make more sense. And Kid606 isn’t just taking down any one particular scene, he’s taking them all on. The influences of everything from Merzbow to Timbaland to Lesser to Christian Fennesz to Panacea to good ol’ fashioned rock n’ roll can be heard here. And it’s totally wicked shit!
For those who thought 606 went soft with the more standard-fare melodic IDM work of late (on the GQ on The EQ 10″ amongst other appearance), no need to worry, cuz there’s none of that sissy shit here. This is all 100% guaranteed to make small children cry and leave well-conditioned IDM listeners confusedly staring at the stereo.
Anyone familiar with Mr. 606’s earlier work can attest to the bizarre sense of humor and here he plays on his apparent obsession with um…being black. From the laugh-out-loud “I’m blacker than black and I’m black y’all” mantra of “Luke Vibert Can Kiss My Indie Punk Whiteboy Ass” to the deterioration of the Notorious BIG megahit “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems” on the ever so aptly titled “It’ll take Millions In Plastic Surgery To Make Me Black.” And who could possibly forget the official computer-nerd-turned-wigger-anthem, ‘Secrets 4 Sale’, which is incidentally the best track on the album. Here Ipecac label head Mike Patton (of Mr. Bungle/Fantomas/ex-Faith No More fame) lends his vocals for some wacked out glitchy R&B inspired shit. Sounding a bit like Super_Collider, if their influence was drawn from the Timbaland-school of soul rather than Prince. Patton’s trademark grunts and moans are even melded into the beat ala Timbaland’s trademark ‘aahs’ and crying baby samples.
Like any self-respecting hip-hop record, the listener is blessed with lots of guest appearances. In addition to the aforementioned Patton cameo, tigerbeat label mate Cex, Brad Lainer, and Dave from the Locust show up. Ice/Techno Animal contributor Kevin Martin even drops some saxophone noise into the mix. Plus, in true Roc-A-Fella Records style, Hrvatski’s brilliant “vatstepDSP remix” from Kid 606 & Friends Vol. 1 makes a second appearance as a bonus track, for no apparent reason but to sell more records!
But by no means is this a gimmicky record. Kid 606 is a serious musician. Sure, cynics might say “Anyone with a power mac and the right software could pull this off.” But Kid606 does it with style and finesse. The music is totally unexpected, and even after several listens, one still can’t get a feel for exactly where it’s going. Distorted, choppy, breakbeats gradually fall apart into noise and glitches and just when you thought a middle of the ground melodic and rhythmic base has been found, that once again, falls apart into a barrage of noise. All the while choppy distorted vocal samples are heard in the distance, occasionally coming to the forefront of the track to ramble endlessly about computer hackers amidst the noisecore riots of “kidrush.”
Although not for the faint of heart, Down With The Scene is a wicked exercise in laptop (de)composition and one of the more interesting releases of late.
