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Belladonnakillz :: As If (CD)
Belladonnakillz really reach unexplored territories with this record. If you think that mixing a drum’n’bass hit with cheesy piano licks is an absurdity, you’re absolutely right, but you should be aware that this is precisely what Belladonnakillz do in “Neverever.” Don’t be scared though, there’s more freakiness to listen to; the emo-trance hybrid of “Liez Thru The Eyez” that ends up in a breakcore outburst, or the Gameboy reggae “Let U Go,” that features some hilarious fetish lyrics like “I jerk off to your pictures all the time… I sniff the panties that you left behind.” And what can I say about the rotten version of The Prodigy style (The Fat of The Land era) that is “Pitch The Bitch?” Raw acid drum’n’bass contaminated with easy metal and the raving rhymes of MC Proteus, I feel it’s a good thing if I can’t understand a word of what he says. You can easily follow the other lyrics, because they are included in the booklet! In this way you can enjoy the odes to heroine and abort in full effect, and sing ’em along with your friends while passing out. At this point, you should think either As If is the worst load of trash ever put together or a sick joke to test whether your mind is still young enough. I reckon it’s both of these things: the aim of Belladonnakillz seems to be picking the cheesiest features of different teenage music genres (emo, trance, pop, breakcore), blending them all together with really brutal technique and equipment to show the world they’re OG electronic punks. The final result is so grotesque that it could easily disgust, but could also easily give the opposite effect, fascinating and charming the primitive side of the listener. After all, producing a euro-trance anthem like “Bi” with the lyrics that are precisely what a sixteen year old nerd thinks after a dozen beers –it’s pure genius. I find myself singing this song during day life, and luckily my friends and parents don’t pay attention to what I say, or there would be some serious issues. As If is indeed an excellent record for a laugh, but I fear the joke won’t last long, it could be boring after several listening, so it’s better that Belladonnakillz evolve a bit in the near future or they’ll get stale within the next album. Buy it at Amazon.com.
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Nick Forté :: Young Man’s Disease (CD)
I really appreciate the previous Pasted Lakes on Schematic, it’s a record that fits on that label because it’s deeply processed, like a Richard Devine or Phoenecia work, and while not being rhythmically insane such as a Otto Von Schirach mash-up, it’s instead more subtle and puzzling, hiding obscure feelings under an apparent warmth. That peculiar style is even more evident in Young Man’s Disease: since the very first look at the unsettling cover, you’re introduced to the digital sickness trademark of Nick Forté. Irregular tempo, hiccupping beats, ticking clicks and rustling melodies are the constant features of this album, where everything seems covered by a thick blanket of digital dust. Excellent examples of this intriguing electronica are “Big Nurse,” “Metallic Impurities” and “Distal Joints,” while a special mention goes to “Mymble,” where an angular rhythm is surrounded by the scariest alien nightmare you can imagine. There are also some oddballs that get you suddenly awake, irritating with shrieking and grinding high frequencies: the very first track, “An Awkward Age,” hits your face upon hitting play and so does “Dropsy” that comes after the mesmerizing “Up To Snuff.” The latter could be a nice tapping micro-glitch-house piece, but the entire track is floating weightless, sending the listener to a hypnotic state rather than on a trendy dance-floor. Finally the tension accumulated during the record relaxes with the gentle guitar arpeggios of “Fever Dream,” but the strange sensations won’t leave the listener after Young Man’s Disease is over. Buy it at Amazon.com.
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Method Of Defiance :: The Only Way Is To Go Down (CD)
Looking at the names involved in this project, you’d expect a non standard record: I won’t waste words about Bill Laswell, but maybe I should remember that Submerged is an underground drum’n’bass producer who released on the most obscure labels, collaborating with Scorn/Quoit (no less!) before approaching Ad Noiseam and Sublight. Method Of Defiance is allegedly the first collective to play instrumental breakcore, and with great success. The drummer, Guy Licata, is a fuckin’ monster, he’s got the skills to compete with any software geek in beat mangling, reaching easily two hundred BPM’s. Above an intense storm of drums, I am also astonished by the other players, the bass arrangements reach infinite complexity, here and there are notable appearances of horns, while distorted guitars and abrasive synths battle one against each other, it’s often hard to distinguish what is being played. A crucial feature of this record is precisely the complete fusion between instrumental and software generated music: there’s a drummer who plays breaks inspired by electronic artists who themselves sampled drum-loops from famous funky drummers, a spooky producer who wants to emulate the brutality of heavy metal and a bass player whose aim is to damage subwoofers severely. The final result is total rawness; take for example, “Holiday In Guantanamo,” or “Torture Photos,” there’s no chance but surrendering to the heavyweight artillery unleashed by the trio. There are also a couple of moments where the beat slows down, but don’t expect to relax, because gloomy atmospheres and screeching trumpets won’t relieve the tension. The Only Way Is To Go Down is a harsh wall of sound built with talented intricacy; it’s for sure one of the most original and fresh works coming from Sublight in a while. Buy it at Amazon.com.
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V/A :: Eyelicker (CD)
In the middle of a hectic release schedule, Sublight Records found the time to put together a compilation with the aim of showing their huge roster to a wider audience. Eyelicker starts predictably with Venetian Snares, anticipating the sound of his forthcoming album on Planet Mu, made of hyperkinetic jungle drum loops and acid videogame soundtracks. Then comes the emotional drum’n’bass of Wisp, evocative as usual but the final build-up is a bit of a let down, you’d expect an explosion of breaks and anthemic melodies and instead everything gets smooth and almost silent. Belladonnakillz collaborate once again with MC Proteus (he is not mentioned anywhere on the record, but I’m pretty sure I recognize him), giving rise to another drunk Prodigy track, made of hip-hop turntablism, hard clipping noises and an emo chorus (you shouldn’t be surprised). Datach’i’s “Breech” is by far the best tune on this disc, a smashing robotic piece of mutant drum’n’bass with a surgical production you’d think is Richard Devine.
I am a bit disappointed that the last Datach’i album doesn’t sound like this and instead extensively borrows ideas from Do You Know Squarepusher? (I’ll get flamed for saying this, I know). Speaking of Richard Devine and listening to this “JiffAcid,” I wonder why he didn’t produce another masterpiece such as his Enduser remix, instead of this plain techno piece. I find the weird funky rave of “Building Peax 2” by The Gasman more interesting, where a slap bass sounds incredibly good over a hardcore beat and nostalgic bleep. Vorpal brings some more funkiness but there are too many ideas in his contribution, I don’t see where he’s going, after a few minutes I get lost in the mess of skipping melodies. Nick Forté provides a nice extension of his equally nice album (see other review), while Machine Drum made me feel guilty. I think I had checked his stuff in the past, but I can’t remember such a blowing example of fractured hip-hop as this “Brutality Juggle…” –either he changed style or I fear I missed something due to a superficial listening. Fanny leaves breakcore and noise behind and travels in time back to the 70s; “Heidi’s Goatherd” is a cinematic, breathtaking moment of pure funk, with drums running fast and furious. More drums come with Enduser; he retains and even enhances the usual brutality, reaching a complexity that would appeal even to the metal listeners out there. The apocalyptic ending is reserved by Bong-Ra, but as often happens I find his menacing sound more boasting than effective. As you probably understood, this is a record of striking contrasts, spanning almost the entire spectrum of electronic music, from the warm experimentalism of Nick Forté to the cheesy chaos of Belladonnakillz. You’ll hardly like every track on Eyelicker, but if this happens then you really should get Sublight Records’ entire catalogue. Buy it at Amazon.com.
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All releases above are out now on Sublight Records.
