Recent Vital reviews

[Sean Cooper <scooper@xxxxxxxx>]

here are a couple reviews of this-listy releases from listmember frans de
waard's Vital Weekly (nice one frans!).

sc


VLADISLAV DELAY - ENTAIN (CD by Mille Plateaux)
Oh how much we envy good ol' Vlad. Having released a very nice CD on Sigma
editions last year, all the hip label babes in Europe picked up on him
(want a Vladislav Delay release? wait at the end of the line...). Releasing
almost in the same week an album for Mille Plateaux and Chain Reaction: a
bedroom techno producers wet dream coming through I guess. There are 4
lengthy, say almost 20 minute tracks, pieces here, and two double the
previous release on Sigma, but are remastered. The best word to descrive
Delay's music is hypnotising, even when this is a meaningless word when
used too often. His tracks start with synths washes or a simple click,
which gradually (and I mean very gradually) grow into a thick mass of oh so
many layers. Towards the end of a track, it is completely altered, changed
and it sounds like an entirely different track. Ultimate relax or work
music which you put on and let go. Great stuff. (FdW)
Address: www.mille-plateaux.com

ALVA NOTO - PROTOTYPES (CD by Mille Plateaux)
Noto is of course coming loverboy of glitch/click/micro workers scene, who
has been releasing his work so far on his own excellent label Rastermusic
and who curated the 20" to 2000 series. How apptly chosen is the title
'Prototypes': these are ten tracks of click electronica, microwave or
whatever it's called now. Computer generated and processed sounds, the bit
rot available, pasted into beats and streams of sound (sorry, but I am not
sure if the word 'melody' is very appropiate). High end sound, low end bass
sound, and hardly no mid range: here too the computer pushes things
forward. Differentely then many others, Noto - I am not sure what I should
think of the Alva thing before his name - tries and succeeds to write a
rounded off piece of music - head and tail are there, it's almost like...
er popmusic. This is an important quality that adds that extra needed to
differentiate from the rest. What can I say? If 'Clicks & Cuts' (the
compilation that Mille Plateaux just did with an overview from the scene
Noto comes from) is regard a true must have among the compilations, then
this is a must have under the solo albums. First entry in my best of 10 for
2000! (FdW)