This compilation comes from a label known for putting out great IDM of all types. Jvox was one of the first bedroom artists I found on mp3.com, back in 2000, who really impressed me. And a number of the other names that appear on Mafia Rip Bin have shown up on my radar in other places, most of them standing out as being experts at their craft.
Similar starts off this free-for-download collection with a steppy number called “Att.” Plucked strings play off of razor-edged drones and hard beats + bass. It’s over all too soon – the clicks it starts with wind it down at the end. Tim Koch answers with “Opfunk” that could start with a different version of Similar’s clicks. The melodies in this track are a little subtler, almost hinting at filter-disco-style richness –the bass gives it a definite funk mood. Proem’s name is perhaps the most familiar on this comp, and when “7 Stitches” hit, I felt the recognition was deserved (definitely a highlight on this compilation). It feels developed, unrushed and a little less obviously IDM than some of the other tracks. Damiak’s “Interlomas” starts off like it’s going to explode, but it doesn’t; He lets this track hover for a minute and a half until bringing in a drum machine beat (complete with toms), making your lip start to curl. The fast/slow drum programming reminds me of Velapene Screen (Coad/FEM). It’s disorienting while remaining consistent.
IDM is alive and well with this compilation. Sohcahtoa and his track “Silentfive” have all the elements needed – chill, squirrelly beats, pretty melodies, indistinguishable samples and a flow that ends too soon. The track feels like an unfinished sentence at 2min 20sec –a pretty ode to braindance classics like Autechre and The Black Dog. If there was a track for the ladies on Mafia Rip Bin, Jvox’s “The Window” would be it –beats and hums that make you itch are replaced by pads and a low-rider vibe that scratch that itch.
All these tracks end too soon, unfortunately (with the exception of Koch’s “Opfunk” and Portland’s mechanically enticed “Ellis Jones”) –just as they get going they wind down. My only complaint about this compilation is that variation is limited and it feels as if the tracks blend together in the end.
Mafia Rip Bin is out now on n5MD featuring Similar, Tim Koch, Vesna, Damiak, Sohcahtoa, ML, Proem, Keef Baker, Jvox, Spark and Portland.
