Search - Scannerfunk :: Wave of Light By Wave of Light

Everett P. (ptv023)
Reviewed on 1/20/2008...

a.k.a. Robin Rimbaud, otherwise known as Scanner

Outstanding

Peter A. Carbonaro | Oceanside, NY | 06/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Scannerfunk, a.k.a. Scanner, is the one-man project of Robin Rimbaud. Over the past several years, Rimbaud has made quite a name for himself by constructing fascinating music -- "soundscapes", although clichéd, really best describes his compositions -- that fuse subtle, dreamy, intense music with the "found" sounds of intercepted cellphone and police scanner conversations. He's also branched out into multimedia art, participating and creating installations that combine visual and technological elements with his music. As Scanner has evolved, its sound has become less and less sample-heavy, and although the cut-and-paste feel of Rimbaud's samples still weave their way through his latest album, Wave Of Light By Wave Of Light, they've moved from what used to be a primary focus for the music to a subtle element of the composition itself. Compared to his earlier works, it appears as if Rimbaud is using his samples with the restraint and grace, to accent his compositions rather than define them. Make no mistake, though: like Lauwarm Instrumentals, Scanner's last album, Wave Of Light still has an eavesdropping, conspiratorial feel to it. Its mysterious, obtuse sounds make it the perfect soundtrack for late-night chillout sessions, but this time around, its moods are more the result of music than sound effects. Rimbaud seems more confident in his ambient, constructed music, and it will be intriguing to see where he takes his sound next. In the meantime, though, Wave Of Light By Wave Of Light should produce enough listening enjoyment to tide over fans of intelligent, ambient music until Scanner's next incarnation."

Beautimus!

Jason Bylinowski | Augusta, GA, United States | 03/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ah yes, Scannerfunk.......who...is scannerfunk?Well, I'll be honest with ya, I don't have the foggiest. I know what I know about him from reading these other reviews here, and from that standpoint, you'd be better off listening to their rants than reading my review, but what I do know about Scannerfunk is that "Wave of Light" is an incredible album, and the first IDM release I've ever heard that is befitting of the word "epic recording". They flaunt those words around a lot in electronic music, and it is true, you'll get some big sounds from some creative guys at times.....but Scannerfunk's album goes beyond that, and turns the whole album into a singular listening experience.Technically speaking, Rimbaud isn't breaking any new ground, but I don't care too much for that side of the music anyway. I play guitar, not a sampler, so I'm not a connoisseur of the ins and outs of techno. But the music is fantastic, from the first beat of the first song to the last of the last song. If you like symphonies with african drum beats, if you like ambient repetitive structures a la Philip Glass, you will have everything you need right here in this album. If you're not a techno afficianado, start with the sample of "Speechless" to see if you like it. It's got a very solid breakbeat style to it that stays true to its roots....the first thing I thought of when I heard of was "Simon From Sydney" from LFO's old "Frequencies" album: it has that classic synth sound, only with layers of new beats and new emotional directions. I love it."Cozy Veneer" gets down to what I love about this album, even though it is a bit harder to listen to than a song such as "Speechless". Again, fans of PG will be impressed at Rimbaud's use of what I call "modular beat-perspective"....layers of beats and synths that only seem to loop back into themselves, to the point that you can't really tell where the melodic line begins or ends. It's great, because you can start the song from any point, and get a new take on it based on the beat you started from. Anyway, it's a little harder to explain than it is to appreciate.To anyone who feels disappointed with what's on the radio these days, do your collective selves a favor and buy albums like this...Jason B."