(02.03.07) U-COVER is a label that knows what they like and what they like is
calming, melodic, beat-infused music that is carefully considered,
thoughtfully constructed and unrushed. This ethic is reflected in the
label’s well chosen releases, each with their gently melodic
characteristics and own endearing qualities.
Back in April 2004, U-Cover started a new sub-label named simply U-Cover CDR Limited that aims to present experimental electronic music with
their usual high standard of melodic tendencies. The label produces CDR
releases in small quantities of usually around 95 – 155 copies by
artists linked to the label or new talent from around the world. Each
release is packaged in a simple grey card gate-fold sleeve with a black
and white picture/tracklisting insert and a title sticker to seal it.
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COOLER :: Do Aliens Cry? (CDR)
One such newcomer to the experimental electronic scene is András Jakab,
a 20 year old Hungarian artist that records under the moniker Cooler. Do
Aliens Cry? is Jakab’s debut album and is likened to a fusion of
Funckarma, Bauri, Luisine ICL and Loess by U-Cover themselves; high
praise indeed. What Jakab delivers is a smooth and evolving mix of
rhythms and melodies that constantly but subtly mutates. Often bassy and
rhythmic, his music is not minimalistic or ambient and appears to draw
on a diverse range of musical influences. The end result is a unique
musical style that it is hard to tire of; in fact, Jakab’s style is so
varied and original he could easily play for an extended period of time
and still be captivating. Take the title track for example; it
seamlessly shifts from crunchy grinding bass through a short ambient
interlude and back to the former totally naturally. Jakab’s use of
fairly up-front bassy rhythms diverts from the myriad of subtle sounds,
melodies and textures discreetly underpinning each track as it
progresses. It is not until this side of his music comes to the fore, as
it does during the quieter phase of “Do Aliens Cry?,” that its presence
and contribution really becomes evident. In complete contrast, the next
track – “Pavement Picnic” – starts out some super-cool 70’s funky TV cop
show theme before diverting towards slick beats and highly manipulated
vocals but always hinting a little at its retro introduction. Vocoder
vocals are also used on the album opener, “Sorrowful-Go-Round” which is
a bassy but altogether more restrained and moody piece, as the title
might suggest. Only in the closing minute or so does the mood lift and
become bright and more insistent. A strong debut from Jakab. (3/5)
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TOMCATS IN TOKYO :: Billow (CDR)
Following their debut release on the UK’s Static Caravan label, French
act Tomcats in Tokyo release Billow on U-Cover Limited CDR. Featuring 2
tracks recorded live in Grenoble, France in 2004 and a rework of “Turbid
Liquor”, the album was recorded during 2004 and 2005. Compared to
Cooler, Tomcats in Tokyo are a more digital and busier sounding prospect
with a sound that is more clinical but not greatly detached from that of
Cooler. Opening with the hyperactive and slightly haphazard “Bismuth
Vacuum,” the album progresses to the entirely calmer and more
atmospheric “Retrocyclium” that wouldn’t be out of place on a movie
soundtrack as the ideal tension builder. Sitting between the two is the
just shy of 8 minute “Even Thau” that places gentle melodic atmospheres
behind crazily erratic digital beats. The first of the live tracks,
“Insurrection Coléoptère,” is largely based around stabbing beats and
building tension that slowly develops into a futuristic journey across
desolate wastelands. Before reaching the second live track, we are first
treated to the reworked “Turbid Liquor” that takes simple but charming
chime-like melodies and adds a sinister edge with vibrating digital
interference and static drone. Closing the album is the almost 12 minute
live track “Metamorphine,” a track that starts out as a harrowing
atmospheric piece but soon transforms into a powerful and uplifting
exploration of beats and bass. Billow glimpses at the two sides of
Tomcats in Tokyo; the melodic side capable of minimal cinematic
atmospherics and the mad beat obsessed side. Both sides are represented
here; “Retrocyclium” or “Turbid Liquor [Rework]” for the atmospheric
side or “Metamorphine” for something more frantic and energetic. Billow
provides an interesting showcase for Tomcats in Tokyo and opens up
several possibilities for the development of their sound in the future. (3/5)
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ONTAYSO :: 16102004Stage (CDR)
16102004Stage is a recording of Ontayso live on stage during the
Cultuurcentrum Luchtbal in Antwerp on Saturday 16th of October 2004
alongside such names as Tim Koch, Kettel and Ten and Tracer. On this
occasion, Ontayso consisted of Esther Santoyo on synths, Steven
Lambrechts on guitar, Dave Vanderplas on sax and percussion and Koen
Lybaert on guitar and laptop. Over the duration of the single 50 minute
plus track Ontayso explore an ambient soundscape incorporating slow
drifting synth textures and minuscule digital effects over low rumbling
drones and guitar texture. The result is a combination of the intense
listening music created by the likes of Biosphere, Hazard, Yellow 6 and
Matthew Florianz. Everything about this piece is focused on feeling and
mood, taking the listener on a journey that slowly unravels as it
progresses, not knowing what lies ahead in its unknown but beautiful
landscape. There is no aggression, no abstract digital mayhem, no static
soaked beats, just captivating mood and intensity inviting you in to
experience it. 16102004Stage often portrays an exotic atmosphere and one
that is warm yet somehow anxious about what lies ahead. At the midpoint
the performance becomes darker with heavier drones before calming to a
more mournful and introspective tone during its second half. As the
performance draws to a close the mood lifts and becomes lighter and more
euphoric before closing on a short, tormented nightmarish passage.
16102004Stage guides us through an experience portraying optimism,
trauma and on to reflection, euphoria and finally torment – all from a
single 50 minute musical performance! A wonderful album documenting the
full intensity of the Ontayso live experience that tells a story of its
own without the need for words. Definitely the best of the U-Cover CDR
Limited series reviewed in here. (4.5/5)
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SONMI451 :: Vladivostok (CDR)
Sonmi451, who takes his name from a slave robot who works in an
underground diner in David Mitchell’s novel Cloud Atlas, is the
creation of Belgian Bernard Zwijzen. U-Cover liken his work to the more
atmospheric output of labels such as Mille Plateaux, Scape, Kompakt and
the output of artists like Jan Jelinek, Biosphere, Shuttle 358, Twerk
and Akufen. Spanning 50 minutes and 8 tracks, Vladivostok is an
experiment in minimal techno with warm enveloping melodies and bassy
tones. Totally unrushed and gentle in nature, this album gently meanders
along with its laid-back electronic demeanor, occasionally breaking out
some precise rhythms and throwing in a treated vocal sample alongside
the ambient setting it creates. The striking feature of Vladivostok is
its undeniable warmth; although it is not wildly experimental or
abstract in any way, it is a relaxing and subdued listen. (3/5)
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All releases above are out now on U-Cover CDR Limited.
