Plaid - Polymer (Warp)

Before we start, look at Warp's catalog number for this release: it is WARPLP303! Coincidence? Sure, but anyway it's a fun fact.

Plaid is a duo made of Andy Turner and Ed Handle, one of the original members of The Black Dog collective, and The Black Dog fanatics knew them under the artistic name as Atypic and Balil. And the Black Dog becomes one of the first UK Techno groups, which success was also success for their label Warp. But Turner and Handle decide to leave TBD and pursue a carrier as Plaid. and within the year or two also riding the wave of Intelligent Dance Music or better known as IDM, with their peers as Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, The Future Sound Of London, Autechre, Spacetime Continuum, The Orb, Squarepusher, Plastikman, µ-Ziq, Luke Vibert, Venetian Snares, Biosphere, Telefon Tel Aviv, and The Black Dog, LFO which all had that bad luck, like always: music critics, coined term IDM, just when Warp super-important compilation Artificial Intelligence came out. All of this you can read in our own feature written by our friend Funky Jeff, in part one and part two.

                                  

But actually, if critics did what critics usually did: they fuck things over, cause you can't just give the genre name when all of those named artists were unique, they all created an original sound, never heard before, and light-years far away from escapist hard-core that ruled at raves all around the world - so they have to give the attribute "intelligent" to their music, cause indeed, they got attention of people who were tired of boring 4/4 rhythms, and search for another evolution in electronic music, and not only music lovers, but also other musicians, searching for something new, and inspiration perhaps.

                                



So it isn't surprising that for example, Plaid's success and collaboration with Bjork and Nicolette on their second album Not for Threes. Even remixed Bjork, Irresistible Force even Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five.

For sure those early albums and climate, really establish Plaid as original musicians, what make them different from their peers is their approach to a melody, melodies and harmonies usually are in different time signatures, but they became syncopated as two or three different melodies finally start to be played, every in their own parts. So that kind of approach to producing creates melodic masterpieces, which most the times are so melancholic, or ecstatic, depends on the mood.. plus beats, heavy Hip-Hop breakbeats, that are sometimes time-stretched, so that also gives uniqueness. for example, play the video above the text, called Eyen or the video below for track Itsu:

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Plaid are one of the most prolific and hard-working men in the industry,  Scintilli (2011), Reachy Prints (2014), so from the last previous album The Digging Remedy 2016, they released two ep's, and now they are ready to release their The Peel Session 2 album (coming 2019). Also worked on two soundtracks Heaven's Door (2006) and my favorite Tekkonkinkreet, with the opening track and main theme called This City;
                                             

                             



And what we got with this new album Polymer? We got a little bit harder album, with more focus on the beats, but that melodic aspect is still here. Also, there is more usage of conventional instruments like the clarinet, electric and Spanish guitar on tracks Pale Moth and Nurula, also violin, mandolin, and accordion on Crown Shy. You can hear that they grow up, and do not want to create another Not for Threes or new Double Figure, albums that made them Warp's mainstays. You can still hear experimentations and evolution. Nice and enjoyable album. Not heavy listening like Autechre (I love Autechre, but these are two different styles) or more 4/4 Techno or pure Ambient like The Black Dog (you should check mixes and ep's that TBD are releasing today) or going deep into psychedelic inspired sound like The Future Sound of London (for sure except new FSOL album soon to be reviewed). 

You may notice, on other videos, they tried to send the message about human greed, and it's an undeniable influence on the eco-system. And the new video and album do that.
It shows, and try to warn us about usage of plastic (polymer!!!) in everyday, and how much plastic bottle of your favorite drink needs couple hundreds or thousand years to decompose, so plastic stay as trash on the streets, or ends in other countries (like in here in Bosnia and Herzegowina), far away from "clean cities of Europe and 1st World", here is video, for the first single Dancers:


                            

                                                                           
         

Also on their album cover, there is a small print which says: "Thanks to Europe. We want to live there, still." And in the meantime check their website to know more about new projects and tour dates.

                                                   

Also if you want, you can hear and download the Plaid mix on the 600th XLR8R podcast. Enjoy!!!

    
                    
     

Mix: Beds Are Burning

Our so-called editor-in-chief made a mix for rainy days and trainspotting. Yes, We have playlist, but there is something for you to do, right. Ok, ok... there are Ulver, Fennesz, even Air (one of their most opscure track ever)... ok just try to track the tracks if you want, but if you want, and like some tracks - let us know in comments, we were be glad to answer. But for now it is better without playlist.

Now go away and listen, please comment, and if you want to have your mixes posted as our podcast WE WILL BE HAPPY TO DO THAT, and make new friends. Also you can mix any kind of music (Polka or 70's Mexican Psychedelic Rock or Modern Classic or Horror Movies Soundtracks but as far as mix we would like if you = can go away from the dancefloor, but we will post it if it really good, like techniqually, and tracks-wise, remeber we are 90's Techno and jackin' Chicago and Detroit first/second wave kids, also we are heavily into Ambient, Drone, Noise, Blues, Hard-Bop Jazz or Grunge, Krautrock, Prince, etc... ok we're into all great underground music new tech-house is not our game, but we have respect.

Doug Shipton - Beskrajne Dimenzije Mixtape (Not On Label/Unoffical Release)

Yes, I know we have resurgence of mixtapes, and yes tapes are back in big style. but what is fascinating about this mixtape!? Well it shows Doug Shipton's endless love for new sounds, and rare records. And on this mixtape, it is based all around Yugoslavian 70's psychedelic funk/soul/jazz rock with just a pinch of ethno jazz to make things little bit exotic, but perfect for the dancefloor. It reminds me of React's famouse series Dope On Plastic (which I followed till number 5 - after that, Bigbeat was music of moment, and Fatboy Slim became a superstar), but let's dig deeper, shall we?



Doug Shipton is one fine gentleman, with his partner-in-crime Andy Votel, "co-founder of accidental world music label Finders Keepers Records, South London rare-disc-detective", and pretty great DJ. I find, his mixing, at least on this mixtape, under the influence Hip-Hop, cause transitions are made in drum solos and breakbeats, and so fast, that keeps you wonder "where am I, which dimesion is this, now?!", but without any scratching or back-spins. And he constantly keeps your feet moving.



But what's fascinate me personally, how the hell he got these gems?! 
Almost all of this records was released before my birth, and that would for sure be a tragedy - at least for my generation, cause they would become even more obscure and lost. Also I feel joy cause this ubercool dance music is made "here", in my ex-country - but it got nothing with nationalism and patriotism, simply I'm proud cause people like Doug Shipton found it/made it cultural significant. And all of that is put on two sides of tape, with cca 20 minutes of pure funkyness.

And one more thing, this review would be impossible without Belgrade's finest Dj Brka, who helped me with the tracks ID's. We salute You, Sir Brkic!!! We Care A Lot!!

Playlist:

A-Side:
1. Iliriana Riza - Valla Bravo
2. Septembar - Florida 3. Ljubomir Sedlar - ??? 4. ??? 5. Nesalomivi - Ja Imam Ideju 6. KIM Band - Ljubi me brzo... 7. Josip Boček - Dinamit
8. Srce - Gvendolina, Kdo Je Bil?
9.  Sladana milosevic - Imam sve
10. Igor Savin - Alfa
11. Miki Petkovski - Budjenje
12.Igor Savin - U Mukama Rođena
13 - ??? (some prog-rock)

B-Side:
1.Grupa Dah - Majka Jugovica
2. Oliver Dragojevic - Sta Ucinila Si Ti
3. Radmila Karaklajic - Volecu I Sutra
4. Nada Knezevic - Neka Pati Ko Me Voli
5. ???
6. Bebi Dol - Mustafa
7. ???
8. Time - Kralj Alkohol
9. Andelko Klobucar - Tokata i Fuga u D-Molu, BMW 565 version (J.S.Bach)
10. ???
11. (???) Tamas Kelle - Laura
12. Zana - Ti Si Neko Staro Lice
13. Boban Petrovic - Meterologija
14. Pestner Oto - Novi Svijet U 2035
15. ???
16. ???
17. ??? - "Elum pasa Zumbul sadi u sred puste Arabije..."
18. ???
19. ??? - Gdje je Ljubav?

Leon Vynehall - Nothing is Still (Ninja Tune)

Leon Vynehall just a couple years prior was considered the prodigious young producer. Now, while I write these words, and his first long-play in career, he is became well established name. Was it through his ep's, his singles, or appereance on compilations (one we even reviwed, Music for Autobahns 2 curated by Gerd Janson for Rush Hour), even mixes and podcasts pretty fast cemented his future career.

                    

His main weapon is melodies and track structures, that easily allowed you to just dip-in. Even most of his tracks were house oriented, this album is perfect down-tempo future classic. Main inspiration for album was, as Ryan Keeling in RA wrote was:"The record is basically an imagined soundtrack to his grandparents' journey from the UK to New York City—and the life that followed—in the 1960s. Four years ago, Vynehall's grandfather died, and in the period of mourning his grandmother told him the story of their immigration. As he looked over his grandparents' old Polaroids, Vynehall began to conceive of the project. The resulting album, which has a pair of accompanying short films and a novella that comes with the box-set version, is a convincing musical translation of the hope, expectations and disappointments of starting a new life somewhere else."

And he is right, you can hear perfect New York's Manhattan soundtrack on jazzy tracks like Movements (Chapter III), which you can hear on video above, or Drinking It In Again one short track that last enough while you sip-it your two fingers of pure whiskey.


                       

Envelops (Chapter six) is another perfect imaginations of streeets of Manhattan on the cloudy day. While tracks like English Oak (Chapter VII) or Trouble (Chapter V) suddenly turns into darker mood, even with 4/4 kick drums. While droney and orchestred, with the sound of small birds, Ice Cream (Chapter VIII) reminds me on visiting Central Park
And of course, it is worth to mention last track on album It Breaks (Chapter IX) have a sensation of late night Manhatten skyline, a perfect ending of an album.

This album is pretty short, but it is worth to go and get it, and listen. me personally enjoyed very much, and I have still no doubts in his, let's say that word' geniusness (is it a word??? please remind me, I will change it 😎 ). Also keep in mind this, cause while I finally decide to write down review, there is out his own contribution to Dj-Kicks series.

All I can say: "I want wake up in the city that never sleeps..."


Damir "self-proclaimed editor-in-chief" Plicanic

Current 93 -The Light Is Leaving Us All (The Spheres)

"And in the First Book
And in the Last Book
And in all the Books InBetween
And between the books and the words
There is something at war with nothing
There is someone at war with no-one
And everything at war with you
Your left eye is at war
With your right eye
And your lips are at war
With your tongue
And the jaw is flaming
And just over beyond the Hill
The birds sing so sweetly
And through the flames they see That The Light Is Leaving Them All"  - Current 93 - "30 RED Houses"


"And The Light Is Leaving Us All
On Long Lane where we fall
Into the CauseWay
I heard the Stars split open
By the post–by the Moon
By the chapel–call the surgeon
The surgeon is dead
Call the PoliceMan
The PoliceMan is dead
And the Moon is drunk
And the NightNurse is sick
And the murderer's dead
The assembly is killing time
And the clock has slowed to sugar
By the way–have you heard?
The Light Is Leaving Us All" - Current 93 - "Policeman is Dead"



David Tibet, with his project Current 93, literaly gives us his heart,soul, nightmares, and fear, with his hand, he is just giving us as a present, as a gift. And when I recived this gifts (almost all Current 93 releases I own) i find this gift so heavy. It is not the burden, it is just so heavy... so heavy to even review, to express myself and my emotions. But as he was so grateful and honest, this is the most hard review I want to write, but I will do it. I guess he want to see me brave and hard-working, and to know that Light Is Leaving Us All.

Current 93 is musical project of David Tibet (with little help from Nurse With Wound's Steven Stampleton). Current 93 belongs to that part of English post-Throbbing Gristle scene, same scene from which will came cult projects as Coil, Nurse With Wound, Death In June, Sol Invictus, etc...

Current 93 with above mentioned friends.

    

I know you can't pin-point any of these bands, but their interest was influenced by psychology, occultism, magic, astrological occurrances, history of mostly Brittish forgotten traditions, runes, hinduism and buddhism, sociology, anthopology, obscure artists and arcane knowledges. 

Current 93 was on forefront of British neo-folk movement, but Current  93 couldn't simply put in the "neo-folk scene." Same goes for, above mentioned, Nurse With Wound, Coil, Psychich TV, Death In June, but instead they all create their own little scenes and art spaces, and connection with alternative and independt scene and artists, mostly squat scenes all over Europe, kraut-kosmische ex-band members, uncommon painters and writers. Also you may find some releases of these groups very, very hard to find or with hefty price tag, because of their experimental modus operandi, constant changes of band members, unfinished projects, and most important thing - their own releases, paid by and sold by the artists themselfs - without any need and desires to be in mediocre and mainstream labels and thiefery distributions. So they practise DIY (today so much used acronym), and some of them even toured all year just to eat and have shelters.

I said Tibet along with Steve Stapleton from Nurse With Wound (who produced and musically helped Tibet to achieve his visions -  and only consist member of C93, with Tibet) is interested in so much/many things and easily inspired by many, but mostly exotic, and rare artists and art techniques - that most of them are too rare, obscure and "far-away" for us "mere mortals" and "consumers" of the Art (with capitol A).
I can say he is a man who was introduced to it by early age, and spent his time with people who had similar interests into rare books, paintings, etc, so even interest in The Light That Leaving Us All. 

Noddy with bunch of Noddies

For a long time because his lyrics and his involment with TOPS (Temple ov Psychic Youth - trivia: David Michael Bunting was named by Genesis P. Orridge as David Tibet, name he still use, as we know): he was called satanist and black magic occultist, something which he always carried with his name and projects, but even his interests in buddhism or pre-Romans Brittain religions, hinduism, Crowley, runes, and of course Noddy he always said in his interviews that he is a christian. By the way have you heard... that Light Leave Us All.

For those who want to go deeper into his discography, there are plenty of releases, that will satisfy your need for knowledge, and if you like I would recommend classics such as:
Nature Unvield, Earth Covers Earth, Christ and Pale Queens Mighty In Sorrow, All The Pretty Little Horses, Of Ruins or Some Blazing Stare, and absolute classic Thunder Perfect Mind. Music where you can hear neo-folk in combination with psychedelic and experimental and post-industrial music, while he sings his beautyful poems, (my mind) creates images of woods, forgotten grave stone, birds, and bright light of Sun. His singing also has that power to make every word count. When we would start to talk about his poetry... well some people could make thesis in English, anthropologie, history, or religion, by just listening his poetry or write on how Light is Leaving Us All.
   

Cover of Thunder Perfect Mind

      
Someone called this new album as a "...deeply hallucinatory, eschatology fairy tale, that villagers will see only one in their time. Everybody, even I with all of colleagues 'reviwers' can agree that this piece of apocalyptic neo-folk/pop is one those albums that have powerfull magic, a real art that demand your time and effort to really appreciate it, and to decode it to enjoy it with use of your senses and mind and to see the way the Light Leave Us All.

                   


Here is whole album on bandcamp. enjoy and remember That Light Is Leaving Us All!!

Ursula Le Guin And Todd Barton - Music and Poetry of Kesh (Freedom to Spend)

How can Science Fiction lover miss name Ursula Le Guin. At first I thought it was ones pseudonym, or just using name of the one of the greatest Science Fiction writer. Quick check on the internet and the record is bought, right away.
Ursula K. Le Guin unfortunately died, last year in January 22, 2018. but she left enormous body of work, and just to mention some of the books: Left Hand of Darkness (lovers of Yugoslavian rock band EKV may know, that singer and guitarist, leader of the band, Milan Mladenovic, in one of his last interviews that is the best book he has ever read - enough words, when such a poet praise that book), The Lathe of Dreams, The Telling (my fav, and also one of books from Hainish cycle where Humans send their agents to planets with civilisation, and sent agents study those societies, write diary for every society, and every book is about different civilisation), Earthsea cycle (six books about world of islands surrounded by uncharted sea), and more.

Her style often had anthropologist approach, understanding, also creating new cultures and behavioral patterns, her subjects also included were politics, gender, enviromental problems, and religion, ethnography. And beauty of those words in those books: were writen by great artist, great writer, so her books very often crossed the line of Sci-Fi literature to classic novelism and fictional books. Yes she was the one of the greatest Scinece Fiction writers, but also she was/still one of the greatest writers on this planet.

There are few interesting things to know about this release. In that Time Le Guin start to write another book which will become "Always Coming Home", and during her touring, in early 1980's she met Todd Burton, who approach to her by starstrucked words:"Hi, my name is Todd, I'm a fan boy.", and as she was going to leave, cause she supposed to read her book on local campus radio, he offered to play music during her reading.




Todd Burton had already started to play analog electronic music and experiment it with traditional religiouse Indian music and already was Buchla synthesizers "lover", so when Le Guin got idea to present her new book with other mediums such as music, she already had a Todd in mind. They started to make new instruments that Le Guin requested and play them. Of course Le Guin got deep into the life of the tribe, she was writing about in "Always Coming Home", that she started to drawn their clothes, weapons and tools, usage of technology that survived apocalypse, and most important: she started to create their leanguage.

By the end of the book, they have already made music, and the new fictional language is born. So they slowly finished music for album utill the book is finished in 1985. And book came with the cassette they recorded. And Le Guin always said in the interviews that book and the music is unseparable, they are one piece, but publisher decide to continue publishing book, but without tape - so tape became this rare object forgoten, till the good peeps from Freedom to Spend, decide to re-release the music from the tape. Only 300 tapes were in first edition - there was no second edition with the tape, just to let you know.




So what we got here. It is hard for me to listen this collection of songs in invented leanguage, lots of Spoking Word, and tracks with invented and made instruments with Buchla synth, without the book. But I will give this idea, and realisation of "long-lost" project highest mark, cause even without the book, this project really shows - where you can go with your own musical experience and creation. Also, when I listened on my iPod, i was transported somewhere in other space, where human civilisation survived some-kind of apocalypse and live as one with the nature, and I was "transported" into far away future, where even the oldest ones in Kish tribe, do not remember that apocalypse. Beautiful collections of field - recorded tracks, that can be lullabies, or prayers, or something else, with two purely instrumental tracks that perfectly guide you trough the territory were Kish tribe lives.Where people using technology, but on the other hand live with the nature - almost perfect combination.
 

Just go and get yourself into ethno music from a tribe that never existed, or maybe this is soundtrack and collections of people, that will come after us. What a magical and metaphysical journey into the... unknown.

Damir "Datzee" Plicanic
 

Lucrecia Dalt - Anticlines (RVNG INTL)

"Anticline: a ridge or fold of stratified rock in which the strata slope downwards from the crest." 

Dictionary result for anticlin

1. 
   

"In an anticline, you have the old strata on the bottom and the new strata on the top  Because of the compression on both sides, the strata that is the oldest is coming to the centre and sometimes it can be revealed." - Lucrecia Dalt inteview for Wire.

RVNG INTL slowly becoming one of top 10  favorite labels of all times.. they release such a strange, and obscure music, plus every album is different then previouse, and they are genre and style free!!! enough with free advertisement. I will dig more for you, so check their website for more info, maybe you will find your favorite album on the label.


Lucrecia Dalt is an ex - student of geology, and geotechnical engineering, turned into electronic/experimental pop producer. And obviously artist that will shine more into the future. cause her first albums were somekind neo-folk-ish and electro pop, but by humble opinion nothing to write home about, but also she get her exerience working with Julia Holter or Laurel Halo, but main influence might be Argetinian artist Juliana Molina, which we here at Datzee Blog her masterpiece "Halo".


                            



"Anticlines" is made with producer Henry Andersen. My whole experience about this album is that: it is purposly made as Spoken Word meets Musique Concrete, or even easier explanaition: If Bjork's "Biophilia" album is about every little organism, and celebration of love act, pregnancy and new life's coming to this World, Anticlines is all about beauty of stones and their powers as they provide possibility for living on the solid ground. Also in stones and rocks we are directly connect with our far past that can be measured in eons.




But also I was surprised by Lucrecia Dalt's songwriting. First singl and album opener "Edge" was one of most beautiful poetic lyrics about bonding two bodies into one, as lovers slowly become, not only menthal, but physical:
"I wanted to fill you up with my exhalations/And drink out all your flesh/But keep your bones and skin still flawless/And blow through the tiny opening in the top of your scalp./Until all there was, was perfect you and perfect me./And breath and shape and pressure...
And I would be the breath/And I would press against the back of your eyeballs/The root of your spine/The back of your teeth/The small of your shoulders/The inside of your navel/The slippery side of your throat/Your vocal chords/Your voice box/Your Adam’s apple/Your cheeks."

But then I read that is story about Colombian serial killer who had this fetish to drink blood from his victims from a hole in their head, and song suddenly turns into this gore scene, about how persons, killer and victim, even in act of killing, become one!!!

   

"Tar" is second single, and could be most accsesible track on album, with almost South American rhythms, but very minimalistic, and few samples which all create space for Lucrecia Dalt's poetry about "basic chemistry" and life. Track that is perfect for adventures DJs to play on dancefloor. Also worth to mention tracks like "Axis Excess", "Concentring Nothingness" - a perfect minimalistic track, or "Analog Mountains" my favorite track (after "Edge"), that could be made in BBC's Radiophonic Workshop under supervision of Daphne Oram.

I will try to wrap-it up. Lucrecia dalt made an album of her career, and after this only way is up. Album is full of little strangeness and experimental sounds, plus beautiful poetry, recite in cold, cold voice, but also album is for those who really enjoy in experimental electronic music, and on the other side tracks are not "symphonies", but short "songs" about elements, mostly rocks and stones. But this album will make every heart of stone into living and breathing thing.




Damir "Datzee" Plicanic

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