Ufotogenetiske Sjumilssteg

Miss Kittin - I Com

Postet 16:12, 26/6 2006
Kategori: Electronica | Musikk
Kommentarer: Ingen! | Skriv

If the electroclash movement did anything besides get a bunch of gawky people laid, it nourished the liberal vertical marketing of electronics through the sediment of music.

That fief’s unintentional yet nevertheless influential royal Miss Kittin takes its latent notions to heart and foot for I Com, her solo debut.
By 2003 a mostly full-time Berliner, Kittin collaborated for the record with that berg’s Tobi Neumann and Thies Mynther, producer dudes who have files on both Chicks on Speed and Peaches.
This feels right, as Kittin has cut a solo rug that’s informed by the Chicks’ newsprint clothing art beat futurism and dyed in Peaches’ sexy muddy juice, but is drier and droller than either, and cooler than a night on the town with the universe’s most hippest kid.

She’s always been smart, this one called Kittin. But with I Com, she has winnowed her dueling personas — brilliant techno-inflected DJ and haughtily self-aware vocalist — into a fantastically complete, wildly inventive package that offers the lunatic best of both badass sides.
“Professional Distortion” splatters guitar distortion over clicking rhythms and rap detachment from the woman herself; “Requiem for a Hit” drops salty lyrics (”Um, excuse me, would you mind to…pump?”) on a peppery beat, before getting all naughty over lite rock plinks.

But I Com isn’t all about the dancefloor. “Happy Violentine” is a coldly functional valentine, a blippy Teutonic take on Björk’s odd bird emotion poetry. “No love is part of the job,” intones Miss Kittin.
“Switch me in a standby mode/Until someone presses play.” “Allergic” and “Clone Me,” too, sound like electronicized versions of shrill post-punk detachment, while Kittin’s old pal Hacker appears for “Soundtrack of Now,” I Com’s Detroit techno interpretation.

The album’s production is strong and the beats are varied and inventive throughout. But Kittin’s album truly excels in its darkest, weirdest moments. The seven-minute-plus “Dub About Me” is unsettling in its extrapolated, minimalist rhythms — its dark shadows steadily coalesce into a demonic lover built from blown circuit boards.
Best is “I Come.com,” where Kittin becomes the robotic voice of Wi-Fi feminism, daring you to take a trip through her wires. Careful — the essence of Siouxsie Sioux is haunting your Blackberry.

In the end, none of I Com is really techno — it’s technique. The best bits and pieces of the post-everything genres have been rearranged in a newfangled data stream to represent Miss Kittin’s very elusive, entirely accessible muse. The alluring result is cool, reloaded.

(AMG)

Daddy G - DJ Kicks

Postet 15:53, 26/6 2006
Kategori: Electronica | Musikk
Kommentarer: Ingen! | Skriv

After a decade and a half, Daddy G finally stepped out of the shadow of Massive Attack for his solo debut release, a mix album entry in the long-running DJ-Kicks series.
It’s a good move for G. He’s ensured plenty of exposure with this release, given the high-quality reputation of the series, and it gives him a chance to showcase whatever sort of personal style he brought to Massive Attack.

Judging by this 17-track mix, his personal style is a fairly eclectic one, as his mix veers all over the place yet surprisingly flows quite well. There’s a particular emphasis on reggae, which serves as the backbone of the mix.
Occasionally G veers off into something unexpected, such as when he drops the Meters’ “Just Kissed My Baby” or Foxy Brown’s “Oh Yeah,” but for the most part, his selections are either straight-up reggae or only a few degrees removed.
Examples of the latter include dubby trip-hop tracks like Melaaz’s “Non Non Non,” Tricky’s “Aftermath,” Leftfield’s “Inspection/Check One,” and Massive Attack’s “I Against I” — none of which are far removed from reggae, at least as far as beat-making goes.
In addition to “I Against I,” with its standout Mos Def feature, there are a few other Massive Attack inclusions: a pair of typically claustrophobic remixes — of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s “Mustt Mustt” and les Négresses Vertes’ “Face a la Mer” — and the vintage breakbeat-driven “Perfecto Mix” of “Unfinished Symphony,” which closes the album on a high note.

Practically every track here is a highlight, with Danny Krivit’s edit of Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” perhaps being worth the price of admission alone and the opening “Armagideon Time” being a particular joy for anyone familiar with the Clash’s B-side cover.

Yet another standout mix in the DJ-Kicks series this release is. If you’re a Massive Attack fan, you’re sure to love this, and even if you’re not but simply enjoy creative, well-done mixes with personal flair, there’s a good chance you’ll find much to enjoy here.

(AMG)