Art of Noise - State Of The Art box set (China)

Six years ago Art of Noise main-man JJ Jeczalik told me that his eyes popped the first time he heard the techno tribute album The Fon Mixes. But he had to admit that some takes did offer some interesting new perspectives and one - Graham Massey (of 808 State)'s version of 'Legs' - was even true to the band's original experimental direction. A couple of years later I found myself giving Massey a lift to an 808 gig and passed on this vote of confidence. He was plainly thrilled and it occurred to me just how much mutual, unspoken respect the contemporary dance scene has for the Art of Noise. Three studio space cadets who - 15 years ago - unwittingly pioneered much of the music we groove to today.

With this release taking the count of Art of Noise compilations to double that of LPs of original material, China Records could well be accused of overkill. It's a surprise to see State Of The Art appear, with last summer's Drum & Bass Collection still warm-off-the-press. But there is a method in the madness. The three disc State Of The Art combines all three AoN remix collections (all of which will now be deleted) in one tastefully designed package - and for just the price of a single CD! Combining 1990's Youth-mixed The Ambient Collection, the 1991 techno/rave remixes The Fon Mixes and last year's Drum & Bass collection pulls together an overpowering 38 remixes. Comprehensive this box set may be, but it's certainly not complete. The 1995 12"-only Ollie J/Arkana mixes of 'Yebo!' are strangely omitted, especially as they are some of the few AoN re-interpretations to gain sizeable club exposure in recent years.

Seven years on, Youth's Ambient Collection (Disc 1) is almost a museum piece. Released at a time when chill out rooms were a fascinating novelty, it served its purpose of proving that Art of Noise were the original ambient house/art house electronica crew. As if being DJ'd into legendary nights at Shoom and Spectrum hadn't done that already. But Youth added nothing that any bedroom mixer couldn't have done with a pile of original AoN CDs and some samplers. Listening back to Disc 2 - The Fon Mixes six years on is a hilarious and sometimes dreadful task. Alongside ambience, Art of Noise also predated the techno revolution with tracks like 'Close (To The Edit)', 'Beatbox', 'Legs' and 'One Earth'. So in 1991 the rave stars of the day came up with The Fon Mixes, something that was sincerely meant as a true homage to the third most sampled act of all time (just behind Kraftwerk and James Brown!). Hidden away here is probably the best track the Prodigy have ever recorded - certainly my favourite - their interpretation of 'Instruments of Darkness'. If you've never heard this track, you have at least one good reason to buy this box set. The brilliance of the Prodigy track is balanced by probably the crudest, poorest piece of music ever released under the name of Carl Cox - his homage to the single 'Paranoimia', 'Shades of Paranoimia'.

You don't need to look back through many copies of DJ to find a review of the Drum & Bass Collection, which is in State Of The Art as Disc 3. It features remixes by Doc Scott, Dom & Roland and Lemon D. The one thing that State Of The Art and the continual reinterpretations of Art of Noise material throughout this decade proves beyond doubt is just how influential they have been on all forms of dance music. And how much respect many of today's dance artists still have for them. 8/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine

Sandoz - God Bless The Conspiracy (Alphaphone)

From the first few seconds of track one, you can sense that God Bless The Conspiracy is important. The sounds, the production. This is not self-indulgent or overly serious, but an album of ominous, weighty consequence. But what else would you expect from Richard H. Kirk (for it is he!), the man behind the mask of Sandoz and a million other pseudonyms and labels?

This is Kirk's fifth album as Sandoz and appears on his own label, Alphaphone. It continues a career that started off as a founding half of the highly-influential Cabaret Voltaire back in 1974 and later spanned dozens of albums (released under at least five different solo monikers!). Along the way he has worked with the likes of Marshall Jefferson, Francois Kevorkian and Ministry and in recent months even found time to turn in a blindin' remix of Sneaker Pimps' '6 Underground'.

This new album is a real mixture of styles - but is so obviously conceived from one highly focused mind, that all tracks blend into one powerful blast. From the industrial film soundtrack of 'Lights In The Sky' to the chemical funk-meets-Starsky & Hutch themes of 'Demonology' to the patter of garage beats on 'Louisiana'. One of the most interesting cuts is 'Blow (This Mother Up)', a ruffed-up drive through a '90s urban jungle of archived jazz samples and breaks. The album seems to build up throughout every track to the grand finale - 'The Moon Rises'. If Chris Carter directed the next James Bond film and they needed a street active soundtrack, this would be a match made in heaven. And as if to perfectly illustrate the conspiracy theme of the album's title, found sounds and samples are sprinkled throughout each track like suggestive subliminal messages. Amazing. 9/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine

Various - Virtual DJ: Underground Garage (Breakdown)

The second in the series of Virtual DJ compilations offers exactly the same interface as before, but this time the content is pure garage. "Speed garage" tracks are included to either listen to on a standard CD-player or to plug into your computer to mix, scratch and edit to your heart's content. But the quality of the compilation has not been compromised with the inclusion of the CD-Rom element - all twelve tracks are well worth checking out. Stand-outs come from Gant - 'All Night Long', A Baffled Republic - 'Bad Boys' and Federation X - 'Odyssey One'. In fact the best thing about these compilations is that they are from an established English label. So many similar CD-Rom releases have come straight out of US computer corporations who put little emphasis on quality music and over-hype the interactive content. The virtual DJ decks are just as fun as before, even if I found garage a little harder to mix than the more dynamically varied drum & bass set. But, hey, that's what these CDs are for - they let you play around as a DJ (in an impressively life-like way), without the expense of buying a dozen 12"s, the decks and all the hardware.

But viewing the other interactive elements a second time began to drag. Elsewhere in the 'virtual bedroom', things are less interesting. The 'Interactive TV' is merely a high-tech way to entice you into watching full-screen video of adverts for other Breakdown compilations and the merchandise cupboard is an equally cheeky sales attempt for their range of clothes. There's a daft (but probably cool) hoop-shooting basketball game in one corner that I didn't have the patience to figure out and the quality of the interactive discography is poor - featuring only low-definition scans of other album covers.

In recent years CD-Rom content has been largely overtaken by the World Wide Web. Cool interactive music software that you used to have to buy and install from CD is now increasing plentiful - and free - on the Internet. But it will be some time until there's the Java skills and bandwidth to replicate Virtual DJ on the WWW. Until then, this is probably the best reason for any bedroom DJ to get hold of a CD-Rom-equipped computer. album: 6/10 interaction: 9/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine

Various - Virtual DJ: Drum N' Bass (Breakdown)

This is no ordinary compilation! Virtual DJ is a new series from Breakdown Records that includes an interactive CD-Rom element as well as the standard audio tracks. But the album is still open to anyone - you can play it on a standard hi-fi or, if you have a CD-Rom-equipped computer (Apple Mac or PC), then you can plug in and interact. On the music side, there are 12 tracks of above-average drum & bass. Notable appearances coming from DJ Red, Aphrodite and Swift. But when you plug this album into your computer you get a whole new dimension. The screen fills with a the view of one wall of a 'virtual bedroom'. Scroll left, right, up and down to look around. You'll find little animations, games and - tucked away in the corner - a pair of decks. It's this Virtual DJ booth that's the star of the show. Although a little daunting at first (there's no on-screen instructions), the virtual mixing process couldn't be more intuitive. Click the record box to browse the tracks on the album. Find one you like and drag it onto the first turntable. Do the same with the other deck and then set them both spinning. Mix between the two and - with some nifty mouse action - you can even even start scratching!

It may sound like a gimmick, and at this stage of it's development it is, but I'd like to see this interactive element becoming standard across most dance compilations. The mixing is surprisingly lifelike, having an easy-to-adjust BPM control helps a lot. In fact Virtual DJ is almost as addictive as real life - it's far too easy to lose an hour or two perfecting a mix on the screen! But it's the quality of the tracks on the compilation, and the sheer brilliance of the added bonus of the Virtual DJ session that makes this stand out. More than any other compilation, you know that the tracks have been chosen with the DJ in mind. Aphrodite's 'Dub Moods' is a brilliant laid back, pulse-driven track. Shy FX's 'Mad Apache' is full of mixable breaks and fills and Dream Team's 'Star Wars' has to be heard to be believed. In other words, plenty of variation for the first stars of the virtual DJ arena to play with. album: 7/10 interaction: 10/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine