Various Artists - Clicks Cuts 2 (36 tracks) +Album Reviews

3 hours of music ... I can't complain

Matthew D. Mercer | Chicago, IL United States | 07/18/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mille Plateaux has been somewhat criticized for releasing this 3-disc sequel to the highly lauded "clicks_+_cuts" compilation from 2000. This I believe stems from a feeling of betrayal; whereas the first clicks_+_cuts set immersed itself in the glitchy electronic undercurrent of the moment, effectively capturing the experimental zeitgeist of that period in a rapidly changing time, the second volume combines that aesthetic with a much more conventional, almost dancefloor-friendly sound. However, I feel that this is satisfying the same genuine curiosity that permeated the first set; after all, like it or not, this is where the label (and a significant amount of its roster) have been heading for some time now. The better question to ask is whether Mille Plateaux was somewhat misguiding its listeners the first time around, giving listeners completely abstract tracks from usually more conventional artists like Kid 606?My personal answer to these questions is: I don't care. Because this 3-disc set is more than worth the price I paid for it. Not only does it fulfill the experimentalist in me but it also delivers several tracks in the glitched-up tech-house vein, which are equally sucessful in my opinion. How anyone could put on Kit Clayton's contribution and not wear a big smile (even if you're embarrassed about it) is beyond me. I think it's somewhat of breakthrough that someone managed to combine the severe sounds of the early clicks_+_cuts releases with a sense of humor.Those looking for extreme experimentalism in the minimalist genre might be better off heading the way of the Ritornell label (a sister label to Mille Plateaux) and its "Maschinelle Stratageme" compilation as an introduction. Those interested in where this new phenomena is currently headed, however, are likely to appreciate the variety and sheer quantity of material to hear on this very affordable set."

3 cds! What a spanking good deal!

donkeye | all up in your face | 11/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The cover and insert art is fantastic. This is really well designed package. Mille Plateaux have really outdone themselves with this 3cd bugger. Quite amazing, really.Musically, it all depends on what you look for in a comp. Do you like crazy variety, no two songs the same? Well, then this would not be your comp. But, if you are like me, and you like an album that holds together, stays consisent, but moves through a series of minor, subtle changes, then this is it. This is the comp for you. The music is spanking amazing.This is why I've always hated rock comps. Because you get all these different singers, these different lame guitar sounds, and cheasy drum effects and whatever else. With certain IDM comps, you get variety without the damaging idiocy of bad production sound and overly portentous singers.Keep it realistic."

Music of the Future

Mons | Norrpan | 10/21/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In two hundred years' time, at the World Annual Music Convention (2202), a bearded old man will take the stage to announce that a crucial missing link in the Movement in Techno has finally been found in a dusty cave near Baden Baden.
"There is absolut ely no doubt in my mind," he will say, " that this is the CD we have been looking for. This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is where it all started. A collection of northern European (and two american) electronica artists who one day saw the light, threw away thei r Roland drum machines and used the noises generated by the static, faulty equipment to create a minimal, understated offshoot of techno. And they saw that it was good."
The old man will then put Disc 3 on and the audience will sit back and listen with rapt attention to the i ntriguing sounds issuing from the speakers. Pan Sonic's Arvio and Twerk's Inorganic Clarity starts with a what seems like random rattling and whining noises but a rhythmic pattern soon emerges with elegant synth pa ds adding a spatial dimension. Taylor Dupree's track, Clir, sounds like a leaking tap onboard the Starship Enterprise while Kit Clayton's contribution, Marital Problem sounds like the 'Merengue' setting on a Bontempi organ played by your downstairs neig hbour. The audience soon n otice that all the tracks have certain things in common: the music has a tactile quality as though the composers have made a conscious decision to work with texture rather than melody, all the tracks are instrumental, it is quiet music which relies on the inventive juxtaposition of frequencies rather than volume for its impact, none of these tracks will make the Top 40 but will most likely be used as intro music for TV or radio programmes, it is more ambient than techno, and is not the ideal gift for a 13 year-old girl who loves Boyzone ...One wag in the audience suggests that it sounds like Autechre after someone's told them to turn the noise down.
"But what about Brian Eno, sir?
"Brian Eno," he will reply coldly, "belonged to the Postanalogue Period."
a"

Overwhelming.

Lorin Reed | moreno valley, CA United States | 12/29/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this is a collection of over 3-and-a-half hours of music from 36 different artists on the mille plateaux label. trying to describe the album as a single entity seems impossible. the title of the compilation tells you exactly what to expect; these tracks are composed of clicks, bleeps, bloops, pops, chopped up sine waves, and sounds that might come from a robot's mouth when it eats it's digital breakfast cereal. ironically, even though the theme and atmosphere remain consistent throughout the entire compilation, there's a huge amount of variation here.the variety of sounds is seemingly infinate. some songs stay relatively ambient, while others march with metallic hip-hop pride, and still others sound like something very hard to put into words- but i'll give it a shot anyway. On Taylor Deupree's "clir" we hear the humming of the warp engine on the starship enterprise, from the next room over. A ringing noise from the ship's shield is faintly heard. About three minutes into the track, we walk from our current room into the actual warp engine room, and the ringing of the shild is gone. We see tiny alien men sitting around the glowing, humming engine, and they start to bang their little sticks together to form a primitive, ritualistic rhythm, as if the engine is their campfire. Their rhythm slows as we walk out into the hallway, and after the door closes, we're left with nothing but the engine's hum.To try to describe any of the other tracks would be equally as pointless, and silly, so lets do it. Pan Sonic's "arvio" starts out like an intergalactic bling bling song made up of morse code bleeps. Somehow, that sound morphs into digital water droplets that feel compelled to drop in sync with a 4/4 rhythm. Behind the dropping of the water, there materializes a resonating sound that can only be satan, and we finally realize that he was orchaestrating the dropping of the water all along!I'll stop here. You should check this compilation out, because it is excellent, and i guarantee that your brain will have just as much fun with the imagery. There's far too much material here to digest in any short amount of time (look at the tracklist, for heck's sake!) so it'll unravel like a digital adventure. sooo worth the money!"

Enjoy the best ELECTRONICA

Rafael Cova | Caracas, Venezuela | 01/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the 2001 Clicks + Cuts compilation made a revolutionary step into the advancement of electronic music as anyone had yet to perceive. The cut-copy-paste-funk of unessentialist sounds colliding with the essence of electronic music s drive, has created a wave of influence that went on to infiltrate genre s such as house, techno and experimental electronic music. Arguably the first new genre of the 21st Century, click-electronics has been a focus of development with the Mille Plateaux label, and continues to be a key aspect of the releases it supports. Now, the second installment takes a step further, inviting those that have played a key role in developing this exploding sound (Farben, Ryoji Ikeda, Alva.Noto, SND, Geeez N Gosh, etc.) to some of the most progressive artists today (Swayzak, Pan Sonic, kid606, Hakan Lidbo, Matmos, Rude Solo (Andrew Weatherhall & Keith Tenniswood), etc.). This special priced triple CD, moves one step beyond, the artists keeping to their known styles of electronic music but incorporating and furthering the clicks + cuts sound with their unique interpretations. Expect an eclectic excursion into pop sensibilities, Clicks + Cuts 2 attempts to expand the horizons of electronic music s boundaries with this thorough collection."

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