Search - Clark :: Turning Dragon

The magic dragon

Catfood03 | in front of my computer typing reviews | 04/13/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Clark's music takes a highly aggressive and abrasive tone with his new CD Turning Dragon. The first half of the CD contains some deeply twisted takes on techno music, like the disjointed "Truncation Horn" and the dark funk of "Violenl". "For Wolves Crew" stretches out to be a multi-sectional masterpiece with peaks of building excitement. The second half is no less peaceful but rather allows for more atmospheric approaches to the techno beats that had gone before, allowing tracks like "Gaskarth/Cryk Dedication" (labeled here as "Radiation Clutch") and "Ache of North" to work in some twisted ambience into the mix.



The production on Turning Dragon is far from polished, although if the aim was to go low-fi or analogue it's to a fault. There's too many musical elements pushed into the gritty end and not enough "clean" sounds to balance it out. Beats and sound effects feel like sandpaper on the ears. This is definitely not a CD I would enjoy on headphones.



The music recalls some of Warp's past glories than any current electronic trend. (I'm thinking Squarepusher's Hard Normal Daddy and Aphex Twin's Richard D. James Album. Turning Dragon doesn't sound like either of those records, but has a certain aesthetic to it that would make it feel right at home in that time period. It's been a long time since a release on Warp had captured that excitement, when the possibilities of electronic music offered by those artists seemed so fresh and exciting. Turning Dragon does this and more.



Final Rating: 4 out of 5

Favorite tracks: "For Wolves Crew", "Ache of the North", "Penultimate Persian""

Super

Judith Rich | 03/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This such a great album. Everytime i listen to it, i always dance to it. Great album! I think this is clark's best!(except body riddle..)"

Headphone Commute Review

Headphone Commute | 04/20/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Chris Clark is growing on me. In 2001 we got introduced to Clark through Clarence Park. In 2003, we saw him evolve with Empty The Bones Of You. Body Riddle was the 2006 release when Christopher Stephen Clark simply went by his last name. But in 2008, Clark is Turning Dragon. This is a much harder, slamming, compressed thud, that keeps the heart pumping, and the brain tweaking. Five years in the making (guessing by the fact that previous LP was simply an archive of earlier and unreleased material), Clark is the front-runner of the experimental drive merging dark IDM and ferocious beats, where the genre thrives. The first half of the album employs a welcoming onslaught of pounding 4/4 beats. Turning up the volume, I'm reminded of the early warehouse events where the bass slapped off the cold walls. But does four-to-the-floor formula immediately categorize as techno? Slapping the latter term may understate the complexity of the production - it is very far from minimal or repetitive approach. The detail may surprise even the fans already familiar with Clark's perfectionism. Further into the album, Clark breaks up the rhythm, and keeps on grinding. To share in the brutal intensity that hurts so good, Clark has offered an Album Sampler [see direct links below]. If you enjoyed the ride, seek out the December '07 vinyl, Throttle Promoter, or hit bleep dot com for instant digital gratification. Recommended if you like the darker side of Autechre, Funckarma, and AFX."