Timothy Leary - Chaos And Cyber Culture (Ronin)

Timothy Leary, the 72-year old ex-Harvard professor who taught a generation to "turn on, tune in and drop out" now recognises the PC as the LSD of the 1990's and explains all in his new book. The book collects articles and lectures that Leary has given over the past few years in publications as diverse as underground zines and Sunday supplements and at events from rave parties to the Whole Life Expo.

Across almost 300 pages he travels through such subjects as Chaos Engineering, Counter Cultures, Info-Chemicals and De-Animation/Re-Animation. Just delving into the latter I learnt that Andy Warhol was cryogenically frozen on dying and will be re-animated when M.I.T.'s nanotechnology department has mastered the process so he can meet his idol Walt Disney, who also took the cryonic hibernation/re-animation option.

As if it needed it, the book is coloured in along the way with some hi-tech/hand made computer art and interviews with William Gibson, David Byrne, William S. Burroughs and Winona Ryder. Yes, *that* Winona Ryder. She's Leary's goddaughter, you see. Winona and Timothy chat about everything from The Mission soundtrack to the information age and it all makes for pretty interesting reading. This is an essential handbook for the unfolding decade. Just Say Know.


This review also published in: On magazine

Various - The Secret Life Of Trance 4 (Rising High)

Someone asked me the other day, 'where did rave go?'. Not that they wanted it to come back or anything, but they had a point. One moment it was there, coming at you big, fat and fluorescent from all angles via endless compilations and novelty singles like 'Poing', the next minute it's gone. Don't panic, rave isn't back but there's some of it's positive energy and BPMs in a lot of the tracks on this new quadruple LP, minus the any of the tacky hooks and chants, of course.

Sitting somewhere between ambient and jungle and with a touch of that rave energy are tracks from a host of atmospheric house artists like Neutron 9000, Air Liquide (who also remix M-Age), Influx, Basic Gravity, Phax and Caspar Pound, who also co-compiled the set. Quite a few German artists are featured but there's more softness and sense of melody than you might expect from a compilation that features bands with names like Tanzmuzik. Excellent sleeve too, courtesy of Jon Black, the label's "in-house artist".


This review also published in: On magazine

Project 1 featuring Mad Cooli - Cheeba 95 (I Like To Smoke Marijuana) (Rising High)

The one hundredth single on Rising High and the first essential jungle tune of 1995. Marc Williams takes the track out to an abrasive extreme with a beat that agitates and rolls through 3 new mixes. 'Cally Mix' is a rough work-out with ragga and dubby influences, only slight marred by the soon-to-be jungle cliche of screeching sirens and obligatory Vocoder screams. But this record gets better and better so by the time you've whizzed through the 'Sensi Mix' (more beat and a more fluid female vocal) and 'Bonus Beats Remix' you're there at the Original Cheeba from 1992 which - three years on (imagine!) - is still pretty out there. Out January 23.


This review also published in: On magazine