Swap a CD: 15 Recently Posted CDs

Astralwerks New Music 2004 - Various Artists

Various Artists — 2009-11-18T12:53:54-05:00

Astralwerks is rarely mentioned in the same breath as the great labels of its generation, but maybe that should change -- an electronica-focused pseudo-indie owned by Virgin/EMI, its major-label ties no doubt contribute mightily to its marginal status in the hipster pantheon, but there's no denying the company has released some of the finest records of the last quarter century, with an impressively eclectic roster that includes Air, the Beta Band, the Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx, and Fatboy Slim. This 16-song sampler spotlights both the range and quality of the Astralwerks stable, with teasers from then-upcoming releases including the Beta Band's Heroes to Zeros, Athlete's Vehicles & Animals, and the Concretes' self-titled debut. Unlike most label samplers, this one hangs together as a seamless listen, which is a tribute to the consistency of the Astralwerks brand. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Technicolor Dreamer - Scott Hardkiss

Scott Hardkiss — 2009-11-18T09:57:05-05:00

Dirty Vegas - Dirty Vegas

Dirty Vegas — 2009-11-18T08:57:28-05:00

Capitalizing on the nearly ubiquitous "Days Go By" (courtesy of a Mitsubishi auto advertisement), the Dirty Vegas trio released their self-titled debut in mid-2002. The album is largely made up of rocktronica, but just consider the band's crossover potential; it's conceivable this album could be accepted by fans of Paul Oakenfold, the Verve, and *NSYNC -- all at the same time. The beats are up-tempo, but the atmosphere is nocturnal; singer Steve Smith is detached but slightly confessional, poised midway from Richard Ashcroft to Justin Timberlake. The band opens up later on the album, with a few imaginative productions slanted either toward a very smooth version of classic acid house ("Throwing Shapes") or Urban Hymns-type ballads ("Candles"). ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Global Underground Sydney US - John Digweed

John Digweed — 2009-11-17T22:30:27-05:00

Following his name-making collaborations with Sasha in the Northern Exposure series, John Digweed made his solo album debut with Global Underground: Sydney. The double-disc set moves along steadily through a range of mainly progressive house tracks, demanding a bit of patience from listeners expecting lots of hands-in-the-air action. Digweed opens the album wonderfully with Fortunato & Montresor's "Imagine" and Liquid Language's "Blu Savannah." From there he opens up a bit, pacing his way toward an excellent finale to the first set, Albion's "Air," by way of Danny Tenaglia's midset percussion workout, "Elements." The second set is a likewise varied affair, albeit one that's a bit more intense than the first, highlighted by the back to back punch of Deepsky's "Stargazer" and Paul Van Dyk's "Words." Regardless of the careful pacing, welcome variety, and choice highlights, however, Global Underground: Sydney isn't one of Digweed's more memorable mixes, seeming relatively uneventful relative to some of the more colorful ones he followed with. [The differently packaged U.S. and U.K. versions share the same track listing.] ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

The Antidote - The Wiseguys

The Wiseguys — 2009-11-17T19:15:24-05:00

Who would have figured that the English are, in reality, much less uptight and more genuinely humorous than Americans? The evidence lies in the hip-hop music that emanates from each nation. Mainstream American hip-hop of the late '90s consists mostly of posture or paranoia or darkness, a preoccupation with money, style, and MC'ing, while mainstream British hip-hop such as that spun by Touche (nee Theo Keating, founder of influential British dance music imprint Wall of Sound), who calls himself The Wiseguys and whose single "Ooh La La" rapidly shot to number two in its native country on the back of a Budweiser commercial, is stylish, mostly instrumental, and completely fun. On his debut as The Wiseguys, The Antidote, Touche fills his songs with familiar and unfamiliar vocal samples alike -- often the very same samples that American hip-hop DJs use with earnest reverence -- but places them in soundscapes full of buoyant brass and strings, lighthearted sound affects, and clever samples; what results is hip-hop that doesn't take itself seriously even as it does take seriously the history from which it comes and the legacy that it continues. Of course, The Antidote is grounded just as firmly in the British dance scene as it is in hip-hop, but that only enlarges the bag from which Touche pulls his tricks, and, arguably, places him in more of a direct line with Afrika Bambaataa and the early hip-hop innovators (as well as their disciples such as DJ Shadow and Dust Brothers) than are most practitioners in the American hip-hop milieu. It is certainly much more open to sounds and textures, so that even when MCs do grace the tracks with their toasting (various MCs, most prevalently Americans Sense Live and Season, appear on a total of four songs) -- such as on the immaculate "Experience," which opens with Pete Rock-type muted horns before really hitting its stride with a perfectly placed piano sample -- the songs end up sounding gloriously alien and entirely wonderful, much the same way as the Reprazent crew has reconfigured hip-hop into something propulsive and exciting and continental that avoids the clichÉs of the form while still retaining its core sense of purpose. Touche's production hits so many highs that it's impossible to take the music, with its emphasis on '60s and '70s funk and soul as well as old school hip-hop, for granted. The album is so packed full of great and fun sounds that it can be utilized either as dancefloor juice or a headphone soundtrack with equally compelling results. As for its place in hip-hop, it may not exactly be the antidote, but an antidote it is, indeed. ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide

Play - Moby

Moby — 2009-11-17T19:15:24-05:00

Following a notorious flirtation with alternative rock, Moby returned to the electronic dance mainstream on the 1997 album I Like to Score. With 1999's Play, he made yet another leap back toward the electronica base that had passed him by during the mid-'90s. The first two tracks, "Honey" and "Find My Baby," weave short blues or gospel vocal samples around rather disinterested breakbeat techno. This version of blues-meets-electronica is undoubtedly intriguing to the all-important NPR crowd, but it is more than just a bit gimmicky to any techno fans who know their Carl Craig from Carl Cox. Fortunately, Moby redeems himself in a big way over the rest of the album with a spate of tracks that return him to the evocative, melancholy techno that's been a specialty since his early days. The tinkly piano line and warped string samples on "Porcelain" frame a meaningful, devastatingly understated vocal from the man himself, while "South Side" is just another pop song by someone who shouldn't be singing -- that is, until the transcendent chorus redeems everything. Surprisingly, many of Moby's vocal tracks are highlights; he has an unerring sense of how to frame his fragile vocals with sympathetic productions. Occasionally, the similarities to contemporary dance superstars like Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers are just a bit too close for comfort, as on the stale big-beat anthem "Bodyrock." Still, Moby shows himself back in the groove after a long hiatus, balancing his sublime early sound with the breakbeat techno evolution of the '90s. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Live at Webster Hall New York City - DJ Taucher

DJ Taucher — 2009-11-17T16:53:24-05:00

Exit Planet Dust - The Chemical Brothers

The Chemical Brothers — 2009-11-17T15:40:25-05:00

The former Dust Brothers make oblique reference to litigation averted on their debut full-length. The Chemical Brothers' sound is big on bombast, replete with screeching guitar samples and lots of sirens and screaming divas. A breakthrough album of sorts, Exit Planet Dust was, upon its release, one of the few European post-techno albums to make any sort of headway into the stateside market. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide

You Are Here - Banco de Gaia

Banco de Gaia — 2009-11-17T12:59:59-05:00

Banco de Gaia (basically studio wiz Toby Marks and whomever he invites over) get their ethnic-electronic groove on again, but this time with extra vision. Maybe it's the four years since the last proper Banco de Gaia album, or maybe the troubled globe of 2004, but whatever it is, You Are Here feels better put-together than any other Banco album before and the most direct message to the listener that Marks has ever attempted. You can use the cover art as a representation of the general feel of the album. Marks' music is elaborate as ever but it's compact in purpose, like the cover's red dot and just as vivid. If Banco could cleverly noodle before, there will be none of that here and every bit of sampled filigree and every mystic sound fits. William S. Burroughs and a slew of news broadcasts fill "Waking Up in Waco," but they all have their place in this frightened vision of America. Igizeh's Jennifer Folker returns for an extra-smoky performance on the cinematic torch song "Gray Over Gray," a gripping number for all of its 12-plus minutes. None of the tracks are under seven minutes, which is a good thing since the slow development of the songs calls for it, and if "Not in My Name"'s hypnotic and heavy bass groove ended any earlier it would be a travesty. Two tracks aimed at the dancefloor, "Zeus No Like Techno" and "Tongue in Chic," are both excellent and keep the album from being a totally introspective, headphone record. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide

Le Funk - VHS or Beta

VHS or Beta — 2009-11-17T08:49:08-05:00

With song titles such as "Disco Parade," "Solid Gold," and "Teenage Dancefloor," a band name that suggests electronic experimentation, and a groovy-looking record sleeve, VHS or Beta could easily be thrown into a pile labeled electronic or house. house would be appropriate. But electronic? Not quite. Except for assistance from a few gadgets (effects pedals are the most popular here), VHS or Beta's fusion of house, funk, and disco is produced by guitar, bass, and drums. And the most unexpected thing about Le Funk is that it's irresistibly danceable. The two live tracks (including the jam-athon for "Flash") prove that it's no hoax. The band even mixes songs together, keeping the fluttering beat and bass alive and steady. Though Le Funk isn't as slick as Daft Punk's "Da Funk" and its house masterpiece, Homework, VHS or Beta's formula is undoubtedly inventive. ~ Kenyon Hopkin, All Music Guide

The Attraction - Evening Ocean

Evening Ocean — 2009-11-17T08:36:18-05:00

Youve Come a Long Way Baby Clean - Fatboy Slim

Fatboy Slim — 2009-11-17T03:44:33-05:00

Fatboy Slim's debut album Better Living Through Chemistry was one of the surprises of the big-beat revolution of 1996 -- an eclectic blowout, all tracked to thunderous loops and masterminded by Norman Cook, a former member of the British pop band The Housemartins. It might not have been as startlingly fresh as The Chemical Brothers, but the hard-hitting beats and catchiness, not to mention consistency, of Better Living was a shock, and it raised expectations for Fatboy Slim's second album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby. And that record itself was something of a surprise, since it not only exceeded the expectations set by the debut, but came damn close to being the definitive big-beat album, rivaling the Chemicals' second record, Dig Your Own Hole. The difference is, Cook is a record geek with extensive knowledge and eclectic tastes. His juxtapositions -- the album swings from hip-hop to reggae to jangle-pop, and then all combines into one sound -- are wildly original, even if the music itself doesn't break through the confines of big beat. Then again, when a record is this forceful and catchy, it doesn't need to break new stylstic ground -- the pleasure is in hearing a master work. And there's no question that Cook is a master of sorts -- You've Come a Long Way, Baby is a seamless record, filled with great imagination, unexpected twists and turns, huge hooks and great beats. It's the kind of record that gives big beat a good name. [You've Come a Long Way, Baby was issued in a "clean" version with all profanity removed.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

ExEl - 808 State

808 State — 2009-11-17T03:41:38-05:00

Capturing 808 State at their absolute best, none of their subsequent albums quite matched Ex:El's perfect blend of art, mass appeal, and zeitgeist (one of the most common vocal samples in techno, Willy Wonka's "We are the music makers," made its first major appearance here). A major change here from past releases is the increasing variety and power of The State's percussion: beats are heavier and more staggered, embracing earlier flirtations with hip-hop and industrial music with even greater success, as heard on heavy duty groovers like "Leo, Leo." A sign of how influential Ex:El ended up being can be seen in how one of the commonest clichÉs of U.K. techno albums -- the guest appearance of a noted indie/alternative rocker on a track or two -- got its start from the cameo vocals here. Fellow Mancunian dance pioneer Bernard Sumner of New Order sings one of his patented gentle ruminations over "Spanish Heart," a nice piano-led number with a solid backbeat. Meanwhile, even more notably, The Sugarcubes' BjÖrk lends her swooping singing to the lower-key but still active "Qmart" and the dramatic, flamenco-tinged "Ooops," establishing a partnership with The State's Graham Massey that would result in his working on many of her solo projects. Add to all this two of the best techno singles from the early '90s -- "In Yer Face," a subtly politicized anti-American slammer, and the almighty "Cubik" (in America replaced by an astonishing remix of the same song, the original having appeared on Utd. State 90) -- and Ex:El stands out all the more strongly. A true masterpiece. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Cubik - 808 State

808 State — 2009-11-17T03:40:40-05:00

Utd State 90 - 808 State

808 State — 2009-11-17T03:39:28-05:00

The canard regarding American releases of British records, from The Beatles on down, has been that the stateside company screws up, rearranges, or drastically pares down the original release. Quite happily for all concerned, American label Tommy Boy got its version of the 90 album almost exactly right. While the track order was drastically changed (and the 60-second concluding track, "The Fat Shadow," removed), there was no real disruption of flow, and seven bonus tracks were added to create a full CD's worth of early 808 in one easy package -- a perfect gift for American fans. The new tracks come from a variety of sources, most being earlier (or later) singles or remixes done exclusively for this release. Of these, "Cubik" is the clear standout -- three-and-a-half minutes of utterly compelling techno force, led off by what would shortly become one of the most commonly imitated and ripped-off electronic basslines ever. "Kinky National," while derived from the Quadrastate EP's "State Ritual," appears here with an almost industrial feel to it, armed with an ominous bass riff and a stiffer, complex percussion pattern. "Revenge of the Girlie Men" is another reworking of a decent Quadrastate track, "Disco State," minus samples from the band IOU. "State to State," the final Quadrastate recycle, remains more or less in its original form. Two fine, new remixes of "Pacific 202" -- numbered "212" and "718" -- appear at the end of the disc, while "Boneyween" appears to be the one wholly new track, a fast-paced house thump driven by some great squiggly keyboard melodies. The end result remains the best way to listen to early 808 State, and is a near-perfect demonstration of the band's work. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide