Deep Forest – Deep Forest (CD)

I bought this for a couple of almost logical reasons.

1 – The price was cheap (2.00 $ at Renaissance Montréal).

2 – The cover looked cool.

3 – I heard the name Deep Forest before.

4 – Did I mention the price?                                             

Deep Forest is Éric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez a French duo based in the north of France. They have sold more than 2 million albums in USA. Deep Forest are known worldwide as the precursors of `Global Pop`. A hybrid mix of: world music, ambient, tribal, electronic, techno and new age. This is their first release. The album came out in 1992, so it`s not recent music. This is my first Global Pop listening experience. If I could describe this album in one word, I would use the term sensuous. The music makes me think of old Silvia Kristel movies (from Utrecht, Netherlands 1952-2012). If the name doesn`t ring a bell, in the seventies she starred in a couple of Emmanuelle movies. Those where classic European soft-core erotic movies with a good dose of sensuality. My standout tracks are:

2 – Sweet lullaby (3.58 minutes) = an international hit world music + new age = what else is there to say.

3 – Hunting (3.27) = world music + techno = for once I actually feel like dancing.

Tracks 5 (the first twilight) and 8 – (white whisper) = ambient world music anyone? A good first album. Highly recommended.

homemade postcards of the day

Alastair Galbraith / Matt De Gennaro – long wires in dark museums volume 1 (CD)

I got this album as a trade. Alastair Galbraith is an experimental musician based in Dunedin, New Zealand. The three pieces where recorded live, in the dark at two different locations. Track 1 and track 2 recorded live 31 / 07 / 199 at Artspace, Auckland, New Zealand. The third song recorded live at the Waikato Museum Hamilton, New Zealand. This is interesting experimental, avant-garde music. I would love to see some visual elements from said concerts. To give you a better idea, here`s a brief description of each tracks.

1 – Autahi (12.08 minutes) = loud drones shifting, moving slowly i.e. ambient noise bliss.

2 – Rehua (8.17 minutes) = lo-fi, subtle long drones. I think I hear a violin (is it processed or you`re just happy to see me?) in the background. The frontier between noise and ambient noise has never been thinner.

3 – Antares (12.52 minutes) = long wires + high pitch violin = meditative noise for near ambient interludes. Good strong material. My only gripe? This album is too short (33.17 minutes) for my own taste buds. But then again, it`s good, it`s damn good. Signing off.

art is everywhere part 38

Mail art of unknown origin

The Cinematic Orchestra – every day (CD)

Stardate 61.09.000.666 cadet KZRX`s daily report:                           The Cinematic Orchestra is a British nu-jazz / electronic combo, created in 1999 by Jason Swinscoe.  This is their second album (released in 2002). There`s seven tracks for a total running time of 60.27 minutes). The music on this album is a mixture / jambalaya of electronic, future jazz / nu-jazz, downtempo, lounge, and chill-out music. It is near trip hop territory. Recommended after a hard day`s work when all you want to do is lie down, grab a cold beer and relax. The fourth track `Evolution`, sounds like something I heard before on Moby`s `Play` album. Play came out in 1999 which was three years before `Every day `. It`s just an impression, I could be wrong here. A good album nonetheless. My report is finished. I`m going to Deep Spaced Nine for some ice cold Romulan ale at Quarks fine establishment. Set phasers on stun.

Homemade postcard of the day

UL - III (CD)

ÜL are an Argentinian trio (formed in 2006) comprised of Alan Courtis (Reynols), Fernando Perales and Charly Zaragoza. As the title suggests this album released on Zhelezobeton in 2008 (limited edition of 250 copies) is their third album. They like to explore the timbric possibilities of the electric guitar. They combine elements of drone, noise, rock, psychedelia, musique concrete, electroacoustic with a sense of free improvisation in mind. I never jumped into the Maeror Tri / Troum bandwagon. They process electric guitar sounds beyond recognition in order to create floating soundscapes (almost ambient noise territory here). In the case of ÜL there approach is far more interesting. There`s 8 tracks for a total running time of 47.03 minutes. They like to improvise / experiment and it shows. You will hear various styles at work layers of processed electric guitar generating an outer worldly ambience (tracks # 1, 2),  distorted high pitch guitar (track # 6), walls of dark lo-fi ambient noise the end result of more guitar processing (tracks # 4, 5), synthesizer with guitar drones (track # 3) and processed rhythmic sounds with loops, found sounds (tracks # 7, 8). Fans of commercial music beware this baby`s not for you. Recommended for curious people with an open mind. This CD will definitely be your cup of tea. More information here: http://zhb.radionoise.ru/

Found picture of the day

Daydream Square – 1 (CD)

I got this one as a trade. Never heard of Daydream Square before. I do some research. There is not much information on the internet. This is their sole release (came out in 2001). They have a website ww.daydreamsquare.com. It is a dead link. I learned they were a band from Ottawa, Ontario Canada, and that`s about it. There`s eight tracks, the album is 54.04 minutes long. The first couple of songs made me think of bands like Kubelka, Cyanosis, The Jesus And Mary Chain, and Codeine. They are instrumental pieces done with droning, slowcore, grungy /sludgy at times, distorted and layered electric guitars. It gives a feeling, sensation of spacy / droning / meditative minimal ambient noise. The last four tracks are completely different. Out with the guitars, in with the analog synthesizers. This is my favorite part. Some pieces go into minimal techno with glitch undertones (pcp champion), minimal ambient electronics / techno (good bae bea, konstruktion) and spacy minimalism (put a hole on my heartache). Feels like old Kraftwerk and Plastikman also. It`s sad they broke up. Their music was a welcome change in the Canadian landscape. Less commercial radio friendly crap or pseudo flavor of the day local hipster mierda. And more interesting, introspective experimentations please.

Funki Porcini – hed phone sex (CD)

This is the first Funki Porcini album. It came out in 1995 on Ninja Tune. This is the solo music project of James Bradell from Great Britain. It is the first time I hear his music. James Bradell likes to experiment and mix various styles: electronic, nu / future jazz, downtempo, breaks / breakbeats, funk, drum & bass, hip hop dub, and trip hop. The end result feels like the soundtrack for some cop, blackexploitation movies from the seventies. It`s relaxing, funky, chill-out at times and really groovy. My standout tracks of the day are:

12 – The softest thing in the world (6.09 minutes) = chillout electronics mixed with future jazz and lounge undertones = inner bliss is just at the corner.

13 – Something wonderful (7.21 minutes) = future / nu jazz sometimes going into dub territory = Devon get the ganja!

15 – long road (8.03 minutes) = chillout, dub oriented future jazz. I like this album a lot oink, oink, oink.

Hiroshima Yeah! # 128 October 2015 (zine)

The latest issue of This 8.5 by 11 inches, black & white, cut & paste, six pages long   monthly zine. The cover star this time around is none other than the late and great (1943-1976), one of the founding members of The Supremes, Florence Ballard. Let`s begin with poetry and `sinister intimacy`. My favorite ones are:

Analogue man

I read books,

They stare at Kindles.

I spin vinyl,

They Spotify.

I am an analogue man <

In a digital world.

And

Enslavement

Did my ancestors bitch about

The advent of photography,

About cinema,

About the telephone

The way I bitch about

Smartphones,

E-readers

And social media?

Did my ancestors wonder

As I do,

When does technology

Become enslavement?

Damned straight baybee. I mean what more is there to say. Lord Gary Simmons enlightens us with `13.82 billion years of hell` (his monthly instalments, personal ramblings, and funny in a warped way writings). There`s some books, DVD and music reviews. We end it all with our usual trilogy of writing misfits: `retro old me`(Gary Simmons + Mark Ritchie warped texting), `uncle dysfunctional`(a shorty from Mark Ritchie), and `doctor Thornaby `(you have to read it to believe it). Contact: 

Mark Ritchie

94 Main street

Forth

Lanark

ML11 8AB

UK

 

 

Hiroshima Yeah! # 127 September 2015 (zine)

My favorite reading / drinking material. HY! is a black & white, cut & paste, 8.5 by 11 inches, monthly, seven pages long zine. Richard Burton (1925 – 1984 was a famous Welsh stage / cinema actor, a womanizer, and an alcoholic) is the cover star. We open things up with poetry `drunk with sadness`. Standout pieces this time around are:

Pretend normal

We all have to pretend

To be normal

In order to get through life

But all of us have skeletons in closets

Hard drives loaded with animal porn

And dead hookers under the bed.

Don’t`we?

And

Social interaction

Sitting alone at the bar,

Eyes glazed over,

Not really looking at anything

Or anyone.

This is the highpoint

Of my day.

Finally:

A somewhat perfect day

I spoke with my mother on the phone.

I sat on some grass in the park.

I ate boiled eggs and drank orange juice.

I had a few pints in a pub with some friends.

I saw a few people whom I wanted to fuck.

What else is there?

Now that`s what I`m talking about; short and sweet poems. Gary Simmons writes his wild, neurotic, crazy but funny as hell monthly column of `13.82 billion years of hell `. DEVON GET THE PROZAC! There are a couple of books, zines, DVD and music reviews. We end this zine with: `the unlocked keypad`(insane texting from the likes of Gary Simmons and Mark Ritchie), `8709531`(nice shorty from da man himself; Mark Ritchie), and `doctor Thornaby` (this one almost makes me feel normal if that`s a possibility). Contact address included here: 

Mark Ritchie

94 Main street

Forth

Lanark

ML11 8AB

UK

 

 

homemade postcard of the day

Chromeo – fancyfootwork (CD)

Second album from this electro-funk duo (formed in 2002) of Dave One and Pee Thuggg. I never heard their music before. I bought this CD out of sheer curiosity at Renaissance Montréal (again) for 3.00$. Upon the first listen I`m intrigued. This is dance floor material. I`m not much of a dancer but once every blue moon I listen to dance floor music, which any type of music / sounds / grooves which makes you feel like dancing, be it techno, house, disco, whatever work for you. Regarding this medium size (11 tracks = 39.53 minutes) album, it offers good positive vibes / energy. The music is a mixture of house, electro, techno, synth-pop, and disco. My standout song is #3 `fancy footwork` a groovy, funky booty shaking contagious like hell techno / disco track. These guys know how to groove, damned straight. Their music feels like the bastard offspring of, in no particular order: Ladytron, Miss Kittin & The Hacker, Human League, some Kratwerk on the side, Daft Punk, and Space. Believe that. Did I mention that Chromeo are from Montréal, well I just did.

Morcheeba – big calm (CD)

I bought this for two reasons: it`s electronic music (or so I thought) and it was dirt cheap (2.00$ at Renaissance Montréal). Morcheeba are a British band from London mixing trip hop, R&B, and pop (active since 1995). `Big calm`is their second album. To be honest I`m not much into trip hop. But I have to admit, and I do plead guilty your honor. This album is simply amazing. They do an infectious mix of trip hop, electronic, R&B, blues, pop and reggae (yes, reggae dammit!!!). This album came out in 1998 and still sounds fresh today, a rare treat in the field of trip hop / electronic music. I recommend this for people with sleeping disorders or stressed-out cats (like myself). No this is not boring at all. This is relaxing, chilling-out material. Highly recommended. I want more.

art is everywhere part 37

Mail art of unknown origin, enjoy!!