Scanner - Sound for Spaces (Sub Rosa)

Las time I reviewed a Scanner LP I gave it 10/10. Not because I thought I'd discovered the future of music (as Thomas H Green suggested in his recent review of Neil Landstrumm), but because it was one of those LPs that we always strive to find in the shops - the sort that you have doubts about, bring back home anyway, but then turn out to love every single track. Is Scanner's new LP equally awesome? I can't give you the answer to that as this is not exactly a new LP. Sound for Spaces is a collection of Scanner's best unreleased works, running in reverse chronological order from 1997 back to 1984. There are certainly some brilliant tracks here - 'Documenta X' is the sort of ambient music that gives your bass bins some serious trouble.

The sleeve notes make for fascinating reading. Tracks from sound symposiums, ANAT (Australian Network for Art and Technology), the European Broadcasting Union and Video Positive 95 show just how active Robin Rimbaud has been outside of his album work. Although most of the pieces have been created with the public in mind, it's surprising how much personal feeling lay behind these tracks. 'Invisible Choirs' (ambience that sounds like a five minute root through the inner workings of an immense cathedral organ, complete with pulses of light and percussion bouncing around inside), for example is a very personal homage to a friend that passed away.

Compilations that run in reverse chronological order are rare but work really well. Another that springs to mind is Die Krupps' Past Forward. Especially as when you reach the end of this LP (or rather the beginning) you find that Scanners tracks from over ten years ago are well worth a listen. Call me retro but I still love the feel of randomised reel-to-reel tape loops. This compilation could actually be Scanner's most complete work to date. 8/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine