alt.frequencies - Disco Moonlight (Worm Interface)

This is the latest in a series of compilations from the Worm Interface crew, a collective which spun off from London's one and only emporium of mellow vibes, Ambient Soho. Disco Moonlight consists of 11 tracks of quite variable minimalist electronica from the likes of Tom Jenkinson (a/k/a Squarepusher), Asphere and the ludicrously-monikered Farmers Manual. But despite the name of the shop, there's little for ambient traditionalists here. In places this compilation is more reminiscent of iLL Record's recent Spunk Jazz collection, if only for the intermittent gleeful use of heavily filtered drum loops, which distort time, beats and all left-side brain activity. In fact Milky Boy from Bovinyl records does put in an appearance on Disco Moonlight, his 'Toilet Seat' includes what sound like covert tapes of a friend talking about some very intriguing behaviour with the aforementioned piece of bathroom furniture! But 'System 4v.7' is that track that most people will head straight for as it's from Squarepusher, albeit under his less well-known name (to the public, anyway) of Tom Jenkinson. It's a dark, cinematic track with the vibe of a sequel to Passengers (Howie B/Eno/U2)'s Original Soundtracks Vol. 1 album.

Also worth a listen are 'Stochast' from San Francisco's Rook Valard - space music based around a pulse of ice-cool precision - and Baraki from Japan, who is featured here as a direct result of just dropping a tape off at Ambient Soho when he was visiting England on holiday. Baraki's 'Departure' is a fully-devolved industrial clonk epic that sounds more German than Japanese. But the pinnacle of Disco Moonlight is 'Stealth' by Survivors, about whom I know little - apart from the fact that this track was featured on an award-winning advert on Kiss TV. 'Stealth' is a potent mixture of eerie orchestricks across a pounding backbeat mixed with Chill Out-era KLF ambience. Definitely the highlight of the album. 7/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine