25 November 2007
Review _ Volume 0 from Musicaoltranza
26/Nov/2007 21:52 Filed in:Music
Reviews
Artist: (Multiple artists)
Album: Volume 0
Label: Musicaoltranza
Want free IDM? Get Musicaoltranza Volume 0. (* Apologies for my clumsy use of the imperative.)
The Italian webzine / net-label released this sixteen track compilation of electronic listening music in November 2007 as a free download, and in the spirit of propaganda from the UK's Warp Label circa ten years ago they recommend that you pull up a comfortable chair or sofa in readiness. The compilation came to my attention because I keep an eye on the Italian scene via my great admiration for Retina.it.
There's good variety within the genre across this virtual disc and a nice upbeat through line. We're talking the IDM of beats, futurist textures, swooshy oscillations, the odd ticking sound and melodic and ambient fragments. The overall style here is more minimal, relaxed and in check than the British stuff I'm usually listening to. Sometimes it even gets downright simple and pretty at the same time, which can make the punk in you suspicious, but that guy should probably be donged on the head for a moment.
My fave track on here is Kreyk's Out V. A constant pulse of videogamey churning and ticking moves through an intermediate stage into a big, dark Autechre-like break, before coming back more aggressively for the finish. If anything I just wish this was longer. I also like Escape from the Circle's Coffee (ghost track) which hails from the Commodore 64 octave-bouncing school of spastic fun.
UnderElectricShock's Moki offers up one of the most steadfastly gradual developments of electro percussion possible, and does so over a Giorgio Moroder-like bassline. At first I thought this track might be too sparse for its own good but I ended up changing my mind. It also seems to have that particular Italian flavour that I really like.
Antani and Nheap's contributions rely too much on Buffer Override type retriggering of sounds, though NHeap's opener Az & Gio (intro) is still interesting and sounds exceptionally good. It takes a warm and noodly jazz piece and steers it slightly into electronic weirdness territory, rather than the more typical other way around.
Within the compass of what I've already described you'll also find examples of other current veins of electronica in Volume 0, including the classical samples and phrases meets breakbeats style (I'm not a fan). I like my electronica more up in the weird/extreme end than this compilation leans, but it's definitely a good collection of tracks with a distinct and consistent tone, and an overall lightness that makes for a fine straight-through listen.
You can download Volume 0 from Musicaoltranza for free here.
Album: Volume 0
Label: Musicaoltranza
Want free IDM? Get Musicaoltranza Volume 0. (* Apologies for my clumsy use of the imperative.)
The Italian webzine / net-label released this sixteen track compilation of electronic listening music in November 2007 as a free download, and in the spirit of propaganda from the UK's Warp Label circa ten years ago they recommend that you pull up a comfortable chair or sofa in readiness. The compilation came to my attention because I keep an eye on the Italian scene via my great admiration for Retina.it.
There's good variety within the genre across this virtual disc and a nice upbeat through line. We're talking the IDM of beats, futurist textures, swooshy oscillations, the odd ticking sound and melodic and ambient fragments. The overall style here is more minimal, relaxed and in check than the British stuff I'm usually listening to. Sometimes it even gets downright simple and pretty at the same time, which can make the punk in you suspicious, but that guy should probably be donged on the head for a moment.
My fave track on here is Kreyk's Out V. A constant pulse of videogamey churning and ticking moves through an intermediate stage into a big, dark Autechre-like break, before coming back more aggressively for the finish. If anything I just wish this was longer. I also like Escape from the Circle's Coffee (ghost track) which hails from the Commodore 64 octave-bouncing school of spastic fun.
UnderElectricShock's Moki offers up one of the most steadfastly gradual developments of electro percussion possible, and does so over a Giorgio Moroder-like bassline. At first I thought this track might be too sparse for its own good but I ended up changing my mind. It also seems to have that particular Italian flavour that I really like.
Antani and Nheap's contributions rely too much on Buffer Override type retriggering of sounds, though NHeap's opener Az & Gio (intro) is still interesting and sounds exceptionally good. It takes a warm and noodly jazz piece and steers it slightly into electronic weirdness territory, rather than the more typical other way around.
Within the compass of what I've already described you'll also find examples of other current veins of electronica in Volume 0, including the classical samples and phrases meets breakbeats style (I'm not a fan). I like my electronica more up in the weird/extreme end than this compilation leans, but it's definitely a good collection of tracks with a distinct and consistent tone, and an overall lightness that makes for a fine straight-through listen.
You can download Volume 0 from Musicaoltranza for free here.
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