Acidburp - About Turn EP (2010) :: Review

Acidburp
About Turn EP
[Complex Sound Sagacity :: 2010]
Free Download

7.5/10

Melodic, emotional, and optimistic are all words I'd use to describe Acidburp's latest release "About Turn EP" out today on the relatively new Maltese netlabel Complex Sound Sagacity.  As stated in a previous Brainchops article about Acidburp back in April, his sound conjures up the same feelings we got from IDM in the early '90s while also staying updated and freshly inspired.

Title track "About Turn" starts the 4-tracker right off with some bouncy, resonant patterns, a quick acid bassline, and an uptempo beat that makes you want to dance.  Though the artist sometimes incorporates acidic sounds in his music, labeling it as acid would be grossly incorrect.  The intro to track 2 "Shark Delivery" features a lovely piano delay that reminds me a bit of his older track "Acidsnore" from The End or "On" by Aphex Twin, but then one of those signature Acidburp science lab synth sounds comes in and leads you down a melodic road away from any pre-conceived notions.  The EP climaxes with  track 3 "How Now Brown Stout", where he slices and intertwines some really cool textural percussion with a DnB style beat, and surrounds it with layers of schizophrenic synth and bassline bursts.  "Wasp Incident" is a beautiful come-down with warm, dreamily filtered sound waves and a fun Moog-ish Flight Of The Bumblebee moment that may have something to do with an actual "wasp incident".   A little more low-end throughout could have given these tracks bit more "umph" but the lack-of provides a light, happy feel we've come to know from Acidburp that keeps us coming back for more.  Hopefully "About Turn EP" is a sign that there IS more on the way, and you can bet we'll be all over it if and when it happens.

Download Acidburp - About Turn EP :: Direct Download (.RAR) | Release Page

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Acidburp :: MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud

Nuearz - Saturation Point (2009) :: Review & Interview

Nuearz
Saturation Point
[Skam :: 2009]
Review + Interview

9/10

Nuearz is the solo project of Kazuhiro Okuda in Osaka, Japan, and the mad style he debuts on his first album release Saturation Point sounds like no other.  Similar to what the Future Sound Of London did with Dead Cities, Nuearz creates a soundscape that, in my mind, paints an audible picture of the gritty, futuristic, chaotic and colorful Osaka city atmosphere.

The second you press play you are immediately thrown into the artist's neon world of crunchy concrete beats, glowing skyscraper billboards, flying cars whizzing past you in all directions, and a giant, 47-story Timex watch chiming out a digital alarm to keep everything moving on time.  Modern electronic synth sounds and samples are chopped, edited, and pasted into paranoid patterns that have your head spinning and your feet moving fast.  Hints of the old world peek through each track with the use of pentatonic scales and certain stringed acoustic instruments.  I normally cringe when guitar is added to IDM, however in this case the synthesized strings embellish this album's overall personality in a good way.  All of the artist's strong sound choices and high levels of compression make over-stimulation par for the course, but once you fall in step with the chaotic rhythms of this album, you'll be grooving with the rest of us.

Nuearz's sound is fresh and unique with title track "Saturation Point", follow up "Humble Diet" and popular pick "Counterpoise" being excellent representations of his signature electronic distortion and variety of moods.  "Non Linear Vibration" features a warm melodic vibraphone sound about halfway through that is cleverly juxtaposed with metallic factory klinks and klangs, giving us a welcomed reprieve from the rawness elsewhere.  The timing in the lead melody of this track is also slightly imperfect which gives it a humanistic quality to remind us that there is a man behind the machines.  A few vague and momentary comparisons can be made such as the way "Twist and Turn" comes in reminding me a bit of Autechre's "Dael" from Tri Repetae, and the track "Innerspace" begging for a female voice to announce "Welcome to Central Industrial" ala FSOL, but stylistically as a whole, I can't think of any other artist that sounds quite like this.

I got in touch with Nuearz with a few questions about the album.  Here are preview clips for you to listen to while you read.



Bc: How did you get hooked up with Skam Records?

Nuearz: I had sent my DEMO CD to Skam last year in March and recieved a response from the label after 2 weeks. They loved my DEMO CD that included 11 songs very much and wanted to hear my other songs. I sent about 30 songs totally. They planned to release a 2xCD last year at first but the plan was changed. My 2nd CD will be released in this year.

Bc: Can you describe your frame of mind while composing Saturation Point? Or the frame of mind you wanted to convey?

Nuearz: I wanted to create a non linear sound space so I needed to make twisted grooves, rhythm loops and odd structure.

Bc: What is your favorite piece of hardware used on Saturation Point?

Nuearz: I did not use hardware, only used softwares and PC and soundcard. My favorite softwares are REACTOR, FM8, Massive, Virtual Guitalists, STYLUS, and my most favorite effect is GuitarRig.

Bc: Who made the album cover?

Nuearz: Sleeve Art work is by Fernando F. Fonseca. He is a Portuguese artist.

Bc: Both your Nuearz and Neu Arz MySpace profiles have many wonderful pictures from around Japan. Does living in Osaka inspire your music?

Nuearz: It is said that Osaka is a very chaotic city compared with Tokyo. This Chaos stimulates my creativity.

Buy Nuearz - Saturation Point :: Skam Shop | Amazon

Connect with Nuearz :: MySpace

We Are Uncomfortable People - WAUP 10 (2010) :: Review

We Are Uncomfortable People
WAUP 10
[Self Released :: 2010]
Volume 10 of a Series
Free Download

7/10

I have an open mind when it comes to how music is made, but I do have a confession to make.  Knowing that something was lovingly and painstakingly made with physical hardware instrumentation (versus strictly software) gives it a greater worth to me.  I am certain that this mindset stems from having worked played countless hours with various pieces of hardware myself, and being able to appreciate the stimulation and enjoyment the composer must have experienced during his or her process.  This understanding adds another element that is taken into consideration while listening that often allows me to get into a recording even deeper.

Such is the case with the We Are Uncomfortable People project.  Each volume is a small collection of hardware jams from alternating co-conspirators "Hard Cornelis" (aka Fah) and "Mad Mads" (aka Retape) that get more creative and diverse with each installment, and their latest is one of their best yet.  Keeping with the tradition of previous volumes, Cornelis and Mads separately contribute their own tracks but with WAUP 10 we get 3 from each instead of only 2.  Each artist's style and background are quite different, Mad Mads being kind of crazy and un-tamed while Cornelis maintains a more refined and traditional acid approach, but the two combined achieve a sort of yin-yang balance that works quite well.

It's always a guessing game as to what the overall vibe of each release will be as it varies from volume to volume, ranging from progressive and hardcore acid to humorous oddball melodies to sometimes melancholy hymns, but the familiar sounds of their respective synth and drum machine collections manipulated with their own personal styles keep a common thread running through the entire series.  WAUP 10 takes on a more low-key experimental feel, which brings me back to my earlier point.  Mad Mads' "Untitled" track is based on a sliding two-note bassline and straightforward kick drum but he spends the entire 4m21s on another channel tweaking knobs to create this kind of exploratory solo that keeps you engrossed until the very end.  Listening to this piece, and all the pieces within WAUP 10, you can almost feel yourself in the artists' space... the faint aroma of baking circuitboards hanging in the air... vibrations of sound waves buzzing across the floor and up your spine... making the ability to really feel the music one of its greatest qualities.  "Cornelis Counter" is a warm, pensive warbler with an enveloping reverb and a hypnotic beat that casts a spell over your brain.  "Brendan Fraser Acid" is a favorite in this collection, the acid equivalent of a happy slow-paced walk through the park.  It starts off simple and somewhat bouncy, but as it goes on you start to feel the effects of some kind of psychoactive you ingested earlier and suddenly the world around you begins to unfold.  I think rather than wasting time and energy on complexity or theme in these tracks, the boys let their patterns breathe and repeat, enjoying the atmosphere they were creating, and living in the moment.  Sharing the resulting recordings with us is like an invitation to a memory; a Vulcan mind meld of music.




Allegedly the WAUP project began as a joke, the name of course being a humorous nod to WARP's "We Are Reasonable People" compilation.  Though many seriously good tracks have come out of it, I believe it's this kind of jovial approach to music making that allows an artist to be creatively free, transcending all boundaries and expectations within a genre.  With the WAUP releases Cornelis and Mads bring you along on their analog explorations and it's a fun ride.  Do yourself a favor and snag Volume 10, or if you have some catching up to do, the whole series (see below).

Tracklisting:
1. Mad Mads - WAUP10 Grand Opening - 1:36
2. Hard Cornelis - Cornelis Counter - 5:52
3. Mad Mads - Brendan Fraser Acid - 3:04
4. Hard Cornelis - Count Cornelis - 5:15
5. Mad Mads - Untitled - 4:21
6. Hard Cornelis - Corrie's Toolbox - 6:09

Download WAUP 10 :: ZIP (40.5 MB)

Download Series WAUP 1-10 :: ZIP (275 MB) Over 3 Hours of Experimental Acid!

Links :: WAUP Series Official Site | Fah MySpace | Retape MySpace

Vertical67 - Daydreamer (2010) :: Review

Vertical67
Daydreamer EP
[Schwa! Records :: 2010]
Free Download

8.5/10

If you're on the prowl for summery electronic music, here's a good one for you.  Vertical67's "Daydreamer" EP out recently via Schwa! Records is a breath of fresh air, and as the cover art suggests, could very well be the perfect audio companion to any activity on a warm summer afternoon, such as relaxing in the shade or cycling through the city.

Here Vertical67 blends dreamy IDM with upbeat acid house, achieving a nice balance of energy and feel-good melody.  Opener "Awaiting This Moment" gets things started with a laid-back bpm and a classic house dance feel that is sure to get your toe tapping.  Around the 2:06 mark is the moment I was waiting for with enthusiastic bursts of sprinting synth piano rolls backed by a solid 4-on-the-floor and a warm, underlying trance pad. Stand-out track "Sunday Afternoon Jam" is a creative melodic piece comprised of bubbly bass, syncopated rhythms, and a peculiarly cute synth lead that reminds me a bit of Global Goon's "Vatican Nitez".  The atmospheric reverb in this track is a lush wonderland where the haze of yellow incense and purple bumble bees swirl around your head as you sink deeper into a bed of fluffy green grass.

I enjoy the way Vertical67 applies his psychedelic influence without being too obvious about it.  "Cosmic Falafel" incorporates subtle tongue clicks and some textural microsounds you can almost feel in the back of your sinuses whilst headphone listening, and "Moondance" gives us an acid bassline that occasionally flutters up into 8-bit-ish bleeps.  The entire release is sprinkled with abstract samples and brainy changeups, but still maintains a steady dance floor feel, rounding out nicely with a solid remix from Volitune.

Information found on the Schwa! Records site says this EP "features mostly tracks comin out of jamsessions with hardwaresynths and TR-606 and some other bits created under the influence of chocolate cookies, sunshine and other nice things" which, I have to admit, makes me love it even more.



Download :: Vertical67 - Daydreamer (90 MB .ZIP, 320kbps .MP3)

Connect with Vertical67 :: MySpace | Facebook | SoundCloud