(12.14.05) Reading Brandon LaSan’s bio at Quake Trap, I am struck by the amount
of musically chaos which has pursued this lad (or, even, which he has
pursued) over the last ten years as he been an itinerant DJ, a bedroom
producer, a ring-tone noise-maker and a classroom instructor (in
‘beat-making,’ naturally). The Beeps, his latest effort
recorded under the moniker of Yoko Solo for Quake Trap, follows this
same sort of chaotic path through modern music genres.
Beats abound; let’s not stray from that thought. Beats drive
everything in Yoko Solo’s world, whether they are break-beat, hip-hop,
dirty drum ‘n’ bass or the sludge which percolates through the
sub-basements of old school buildings during the winter months.
“Kluge (?!)” churns and hums with increasing tension, building up to
chaotic plateaus which vanish beneath the rolling rhythm. The three
part “Infinite Collapse” winds through multi-faceted terrain,
beginning with a simple melody in “Pt One: I Blew It (Infinite Undo)”
that picks up a drum kit and hitches on down the road (staggering
slightly as it drops notes and skewed bits of noise). “Pt Two: Sickly
Assassin” lurches with heavy beats and atmospheric stabs of misshapen
synth noises while a chorus of spectral monks moan in the background
like a forgotten choir. Solo pulls a nice sequel into “Pt Three: Bang
U Up Dummy,” transforming the sepulchral second part into a downtown
beat-box vibe with a hiccuping loop of hip-hop vocals, a bit of tight
guitar and that same drunken beat.
Sirens wail through “These Are The Beeps” as beats echo up and down
empty city streets while “The Alarm (9000)” hovers overhead in a
shuddering downdraft of glitch and scattered rhythm. “Partial
Collapse/Useless Control Systems (I’ve Got No Rights)” bubbles with
metallic percussion, back-alley beat construction that sounds like the
sanitation workers are trying out for Stomp!. “noWave” hums with
theremins, satellite transmissions and celestial keyboard harmonics
while marching around the room to the rhythm of an old synthesizer
drum loop.
LaSan’s got an inventive mind and he leaps without prevarication from
style to style, bouncing off all manner of sounds and textures.
The Beeps spews itself across the musical landscape a little
too haphazardly; a bit of cohesion would have made this record a more
fluid listening experience. As it is, it is an interesting glimpse
into the every-changing mind of a modern beat mixer.
The Beeps is out now on Quake Trap.
