At the Center
In Meat Beat Manifestoâ TMs nearly twenty-year existence, what began as a collaboration with fellow Perennial Divide member Jonny Stephens quickly became a revolving door forum for multi-instrumentalist Jack Dangersâ TM investigations into sonic possibilities and contemporary electronica rhythms. From the Industrial Dance of its â TM87 debut, Armed Audio Warfare, to the Acid House of â 02â TMs R.U.O.K., Meat Beat Manifesto has remained on the cutting edge of sound design. As an aural sculptor and remix innovator, Meat Beat Manifesto has worked with David Bowie, Aphex Twin, and the Chemical Brothers; under Dangersâ TM own moniker, he has produced albums by Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Public Enemy, and, most notably, this yearâ TMs Thirsty Ear/Blue Series collaboration between DJ Spooky and Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, Drums of Death.Now, for the first time since Satyricon (Elektra, '92), Meat Beat Manifesto is getting release on a significant independent label with its own brand recognition. At the Center is really just a logical progression in the MBM discography, but this association with Thirsty Ear may further broaden Danger's profile among an audience which may not already be aware of his creative talents. And by collaborating with the nearly-ubiquitous keyboardist Craig Taborn, Bad Plus drummer Dave King, and flautist/Thirsty Ear exec Peter Gordon, Dangers adds an improvisational element to Meat Beat Manifestoâ TMs already divergent explorations, broadening his reach even further.At the root of MBM's work is rhythm sometimes hypnotic, as on the trance-like â Bohemian Grove,â  elsewhere more insistently dance-floor, as on â Wild.â  But itâ TMs more than just about the beat. â Want Ads Oneâ  and â Want Ads Twoâ  have a deadpan voice reading a series of seemingly disconnected newspaper ads that just might reveal a greater link on further examination. â Flute Thangâ  blends improvisational interplay between Gordon and Dangersâ TM own bass flute, while â Murita Cyclesâ  is driven by Kingâ TMs almost-swinging 3/4 rhythms and Tabornâ TMs more outrÃ© piano work.As much as each piece has its own flow, one cannot be anything short of amazed at the mind that conceives such collage-like combinations of sound. There are all kinds of ear candy to be found deep in the layers of every track, and yet thereâ TMs an overriding ethereal quality that makes At the Center a softer cushion than Meat Beat Manifestoâ TMs earlier, harder-edged work. Even when the rhythm is dense and the harmonies dissonant, thereâ TMs a certain smoothness of texture in this music that never jars or disturbs the flow, keeping things eminently approachable.At the Center continues Thirsty Earâ TMs Blue Seriesâ TM drive to blend modern electronica with the riskier tenet of jazz improvisation. Dangersâ TM remarkable ear for sound potential makes At the Center one of the labelâ TMs most successful meetings to date.--All About JazzJazz composer/arranger/theorist George Russell used to explain his piece "Dimensions" as "a sequence of freely associated moods indigenous to jazz." Same could be said about At the Center but this time the person doing the free associating doesn't come from the world of jazz, at least not as far as his previous records have let on. As Meat Beat Manifesto, Jack Dangers has been responsible for some of the most in-your-face dance music available, recorded for the seminal industrial dance label Wax Trax, and paved the road for the garish sound of big beat. Dangers doesn't have the downtown pedigree that made DJ Spooky such a shoo-in for Thirsty Ear's Blue Series, but as At the Center displays, he's up to the series' "pushing the jazz envelope" challenge. Hearing jazzers Peter Gordon (flute), Dave King (drums), and Craig Taborn (keyboards of all types) interact with Dangers' soundtracky and experimental constructions stops just short of being compelling, but it's refreshing that no one is reduced to being a session musician. On "United Nations Etc. Etc.," Gordon finds plenty of inspiration in Dangers' groove, and Taborn is always contributing, adding funky fills, fluid improvs, and stabbing soul-jazz. Dangers himself proves to be a serviceable bass flute and bass clarinet player, but it's with the "everything else" that he's credited with that he really shines. Besides laying down some trippy soundscapes, he provides both snippets and lengthy tapes of dialog that give the improvisers something that's more tangible and narrative than what they're used to, and that's the record's big draw. Hearing Gordon, King, and Taborn respond to quirky readings of freaky classifieds on "Want Ads One" is an eye-opening experience. The band just shuffles underneath the taped voice, until the pitifulness of all this desperation works them into a more brittle and punchy workout. Jazz musicians versus the mundane world could be what Dangers is getting at, and it works. --All Music Guide