Groupshow - The Martyrdom of Groupshow

5/10

Groupshow. If for some reason you 'felt lucky' while googling this term, chances are great that you will be rather disappointed not to find some ideally shaped blond inviting you to come over and see her latest exploits with her friends. The Groupshow on your screen today is the joined effort of three German artists (Jan Jelinek, Hanno Leichtmann, and Andrew Pekler) who collaborated in crafting a release where their signature sounds meet. One must keep the stereotype of the efficient German in mind and assume that more effort went into selecting samples out of 200Gb of jam session data than choosing a name for this collaboration.

The sample palette of the album is one of the most exuberant I have heard in quite some time in the experimental and minimal electronic aesthetic. The digital cuts sound like they has been drenched in the same acid bath where DJ Food lay when crafting Kaleidoscope; the album's comparable off the wall quality and the difficult digestibility of this colorful sonic candy is striking at times. Rhythm is provided by the samples and their repetitiveness, as there is no snare or kick to be found in their respective recognizable form.

Most of the release's drive stems from the sometimes oscillating or stuttered, sometimes dreamy loops cascading over the always blunted variations of the twelve tracks that emerged from the artists improvised liaison. And although the exposition of the tight and copious audible scheme offers some tight constructions, the cohesion as an album suffers from the profound expertise of each individual artist. Each has his own background that influences the music, some have a more instrumental or electronic approach, but a failure to compromise sounds into a focused effort does the work in.

Making up the audible melting pot are the ambient jazz grooves of Leichtmann and Pekler submerged in a flattened out minimal chillout vibe sans kick courtesy of Jelinek. As such, it's a decent chillout album one might think, but it's there where the lack of cohesion and the LSD-colored plethora of influences make this a hard trip to ride out.


written for and published by The Silent Ballet
Groupshow website
Groupshow myspace
Scape Records

Alva Noto - Xerrox Vol. 2

Blurping about strange German sounds on The Silent Ballet Release of the Month: January 2009 article.


If judged as a follow up to the first volume of the Xerrox series - or his latest album Untxt - it's safe to state that the album disappoints. Not a single beat, uplifting pattern or surprising sample is to be found on the second panel of Alva Noto's audible “new world” exploration. For the brave few who are able to discard their expectations lies the challenge to embark on an unguided tour through a sonic landscape of a post-nuclear holocaust. Resurrecting static and spasmodic digital conversations are duplicated (Xeroxed) over an uncatchable, extra-terrestrial bass, which tries to shift its shape into something sustainable on the monotone surface. Those who don't fear the dark side of the Xerrox premise might find themselves haunted by ghosts on radiation-infested tape, but redemption can be found in the rumbling aftermath of vibrant delays and noise-scaping waves of strings. Just make sure you check your oxygen level and Geiger calibration before you head out there.


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Metro Area - Fabric 43

Those who were around in the early 80's might have had the pleasure of being introduced to a pop phenomenon called Stars on 45, also known in the States as Stars On and as Starsound in the UK and Oceania. This Dutch studio project under direction of Jaap Eggermont (see Golden Earring from the hits "Radar Love" etc.) embodied the idea to have a more polished, and legal, alternative for bootleg mashups appearing on compilation albums and radio stations. A more danceable mix was filled and strung together with popular compositions in an enjoyable medley fashion with one underlying uniform (disco) drumline. These early vinyl rarities bring me to the concept set Metro Area has thrown down on the 43rd of the Fabric Series.

At best, Metro Area achieves mediocrity on all fronts. The first half (apart from the intro) is a solid mix with a nice tempo, no extreme shifts in style and a cohesive vibe that delivers the promised groovy stuff. After the danceable first half comes a mess of awkward mixes held together by namedropping and the recognizability of a few classics. It's good fun if you feel the need to deviate from the usual Fabric Series sound or feel like busting some Chandleresque dancemoves in your bathroom, but definitely a fabrication to stay clear of if you like to pretend disco and the 80's never happened.


written for and published by The Silent Ballet
Fabric Records