Crossing experimental dub with a mixture of pop-sensibilities and electronic propulsion, this debut release is a step into past and future worlds.
In the 90’s the extended player and/or single format used to point to the possibility of a full-length follow-up. These recordings triggered the finer (more accessible) tracks culled from an albums worth of raw material in an attempt to wet the appetite of fans. Top this off with an EP displaying only remixes and you get an even foggier glimpse into what could possibly be the blueprints of a future release schedule, this time by chilled beatsmith Benny Sanches (aka Cavalcade). These audio teasers usually shine the light on one particular genre and rarely veer into the wider-picture due to time constraints, costs and the political tape associated with running a record label. Well, the folks at Electric Meter Room Records (a relatively new start-up imprint based on Los Angeles) seem to be getting it together. Their mission is to change the point-of-view of your typical release by pressing a handful of tracks tucked away neatly in the veil of an extended player. Not only are they set to release music for the masses, video production, performance art and photographer are also up their creative sleeves. Crossing experimental dub with a mixture of pop-sensibilities and electronic propulsion, this debut release is a step into past and future worlds.
Not only does The Variable EP pour the fluid to operate robotic engines, it lights-up an impressive remix project involving Meat Beat Manifesto, George Cochran, Velapene Screen, LoFeye and Cavalcade himself to draw-upon each artists’ strong points; a mixture of clip-hop infested mechanical-electro and smoothed experimental-funk bass lines. Vocal clippings, ghostly chants and lyrical splashes can be found underneath a bed of digital scribbling and low-bass activity. The overall 27-minute audio-package is very well produced with hints of hip-hop sprinkled around the edges spilling the frequencies evenly around its five-tracks. Meat Beat Manifesto’s remix of “Bypass” (video below) drives through laid-back breaks, signature bass-to-distortion and a jazzy atmospheric flow. Cavalcade’s remix of “Entertaining Circumstances” rips through dub, hip-hop and lyrical acrobatics (in the vein of Clark and/or Jamie Lidell). George Cochrane’s rendition of “Filthy” is a chilled-out rhythm factory of relaxed melodies, subtle vocals and a percussive head-nodding tone. LoFeye adds a unique bent to “Phase Of Danger” where lightly brushed atmospheric vocals slide across snappy beats; an eventual decay of rhythm occurs at its closing leaving you with an itch to hear more. Velapene Screen drops the RPM and bass lines on “Planes Of The Head,” a sample-laden onslaught of instrumental hip-hop, digital scratching and fuzzy software maneuvering.
So, with all of the above written ramblings, now is the time to dig into Electric Meter Room’s debut opener and discover for yourself how these creative slabs of electronics will affect your everyday. With this glimpse of thing-to-come, Cavalcade’s trajectory (as well as that of the label) should be nothing short of positive with this inaugural release.
The Variable EP is out now on Electric Meter Room Records.
BYPASS (Official Music Video) Cavalcade remix by Meat Beat Manifesto from Sophia Segal Films on Vimeo.
