From: jondr@sco.COM (Karen Silkwood's car)
Subject: many reviews!!
Organization: The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.
Date: Mon, 04 Jan 1993 22:24:30 GMT


JSD Reviews - in this issue:

cabaret voltaire - plasticity
r&s records - in order to dance 4
tomato records - two clouds above nine
ucr records - colours
sandals - a profound gas

If you want to make any comments on this, please mail them to me as
our incoming news is dead in the water and shows no sign of ever
coming back from the grave...

CABARET VOLTAIRE - PLASTICITY (plastex IKON 37 [EXLV 04])
12 tracks, 75:08 playing time

Low Cool / Soul Vine (70 billion people) / Resonator / Inside the
Electronic Revolution / From Another Source / Deep Time / Back To
Brazilia / Neuron Factory / Delmas 19 / Cooled Out / Invisible
Generation / Soulenoid (Scream at the Right Time)

Definitely a step in the right direction for the Cabs.  I had been
greatly unimpressed by everything they'd done since code (with the
possible exception of "Colours").  I'm not wildly in love with this
record either but it does represent a move towards a better sound for
them.  It starts off with "Low Cool" which I find unbearably slow
moving and long.  Fortunately the next track is a pretty good midtempo
dance piece with some nice percussive sounds and an almost-memorable
melody.  It would be much better if it didn't have the "70 billion
people of earth, where are they hiding" sample repeated to death.
Other good tracks are "Inside the Electronic Revolution" (which
reminds me of The Grid for some weird reason), "From Another Source"
(very slow and delerium-esque), "Back To Brazilia" (weird latin-tinged
house track), "Neuron Factory" and "Delmas 19" (both dead ringers for
Underground Resistance).  "Cooled Out" and "Soulenoid" are remixes of
"Low Cool" and "Soul Vine" respectively.  For trivia fans, the voice
samples on "Soulenoid" and "Soul Vine" are from the Outer Limits
episode "Demon With A Glass Hand" starring Robert Culp and written by
Harlan Ellison...


R&S RECORDS (Various Artists) - IN ORDER TO DANCE 4 (R&S 74321 122962)
CD1: 13 tracks, 73:42 playing time
CD2: 13 tracks, 76:54   playing time

disc 1:
RAMIN VOL 2 - brainticket
CJ BOLLAND - nightbreed
NRG - the real hardcore
SOURCE - neuromancer
HOUSE OF USHER - shades
DJ HELL - my definition of house music
DAVE ANGEL - bounce back
SVEN VAN HEES - emotional rehabilitation
TC 1992 - funky guitar
3 PHASE feat DR MOLLE - der klang der famille
PHUTURE PAST - clinically inclined
APHEX TWIN - digeridoo
NEURO - mama

disc 2:
MUNDO MUZIQUE - andromeda
MINIMAL VISION - magic staircase
FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON - papua new guinea
ELECTROTETE - i love you
PHUTURE - rise from your grave
JAM AND SPOON - stella
APHEX TWIN - analogue bubblebath
THE INFINITE WHEEL - lake of dreams
PIECE - free your mind
RHYTHM INVENTION - can't take it
MUSIC OF LIFE ORCHESTRA - the dream
JAYDEE - plastic dreams
GOLDEN GIRLS - kinetic

R&S are one of the most consistently great labels operating at the
moment.  This compilation, however, is anything but consistent.  It
veers all over the techno map.  I like variety as much as the next
guy, but be warned that you'll probably need a lot of patience
programming your CD player to make this compilation exciting.  On disc
one, the real standout tracks are "Neuromancer" (lots of blips and
conga hits), "Shades" (a nice dark typical R&S trance track),
"Emotional Rehabilitation" (more R&S trance), and "Digeridoo" (always
a classic).  Special mention must be made of DJ Hell's "My Definition
Of House Music" - I like this track but it is almost a complete steal
from the AR Kane remix of David Byrne's track "Ava" (found on the
"Forestry" EP along with two great Jack Dangers remixes).  The worst
track on disc one is "The Real Hardcore" which is pure breakbeat
vomit.

Disc two is packed with classics, including "Papua New Guinea",
"Andromeda", and "Stella."  My favorite tracks (apart from the
certified classics) are "I Love You" (in a brilliant new remixed
form), "Rise From Your Grave" (trippy and trancy), "Lake Of Dreams"
(tribal and pounding - unfortunately not the 13 minute ultra slow 97
BPM version from the 12"), and "Can't Take It" (an SF rave classic).

This is a good compilation overall although many of the tracks are
pretty old already.  Still, if you can find it at a reasonable price,
it's two jam-packed discs that will probably keep your ears happy for
quite a while...


TOMATO RECORDS (various artists) - TWO CLOUDS ABOVE NINE (tomato CD 1)
10 tracks, 67:23 playing time

THE PROP DEPARTMENT - move 2 the groove
RIOT OF EMOTION - take my hand
SCAT PROJECT - ba ba's theme
THE CAINE - keep keeping on
NEW BEGINNING - the drop
GAYLE LYNNE - rain come down on me
ANTHONY - party time
INVISIBLE MAN - low down
SOLOMON'S HOUSE - solar funk
BAD FRIENDS - groove to get down

not quite what i expected based on the previous tomato records that
i've heard.  this is apparently a showcase for tomato artists based in
the ladbroke grove area of england.  almost all the good tracks
feature the involvement of The Infinite Wheel (who produced one of the
top singles of last year - "lake of dreams").  it's hard to give this
disc a thumbs up or down.  bits of it are interesting.  some songs
start off really cheesy and move into great trance themes.  it's just
not consistent enough.  i suppose if you found it for cheap it might
be worthwhile but at the current pocket gouging import prices i find
it hard to wholeheartedly endorse this product.


UCR RECORDS (various artists) - COLOURS (cducr 1)
12 tracks, 75:18 playing time

UFI - understand this groove
METROPOLIS - metropolis
MOMBASSA - cry freedom (malawi mix)
MK feat ALANA - burning (mk remix extended)
M.A.N.I.C. - i'm coming hardcore (original)
TC 1991 - berry
URBAN JUNGLE - bad man
TC 1992 - funky guitar (lion rock inna milanese stylee)
METROPOLIS - hyporeel
B.M.EX - appolonia (quatmix)
MK feat ALANA - always (12" underground)
UNITY - unity (piano city)

another wildly uneven compilation.  from bad house (UFI, MK feat
Alana) to the best that trance has to offer (Metropolis) and
everything in between.  Standouts are the two Metropolis tracks
(Metropolis is Future Sound Of London under a different name), "Cry
Freedom" (incredibly uplifting prog house with african chants), "Funky
Guitar" (a much better mix than on the R&S comp - this remix features
samples from my very own 12" single!!), "Appolonia" (nice and weird),
and "Berry" (a great track that fades out the beat several times
leaving one synth note hanging).  it has enough good cuts for me to
consider it worthwhile (those metropolis tracks practically justify
it!).


SANDALS - A PROFOUND GAS (acid jazz Jazid 47CD)

Vocal Mix
Cheetall Mix
Ardens Bud Phase 1
Ardens Bud Phase 2
Profound Dub

Someone told me that Sandals are "the next Orb."  I can't say that's
an entirely accurate estimate although it definitely has *some* basis
in truth.  The Vocal and Cheetall mixes are similar, being a rather
laid back jazzy track with nice flutey lines.  The real meat for me,
though, is the Ardens Bud mixes - both are very heavy, dubbish in an
Orb style, spaced out tracks.  There's this insistent wood-blocky
percussive sound that comes in at the beginning and doesn't stop until
your brain has been reduced to jelly.  I've heard another Sandals
single which had a similarly good dub-esque mix.  I'll definitely be
following their output in the future to see if they can keep it
going...

-- 
Jon Drukman (God's personal DJ)                 uunet!sco!jondr   jondr@sco.com
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I was an infinitely hot and dense dot.