26.9.07

big island odyssey



Today's first track is a real killer by Len Faki, out now on a split 12" with 2000 & One. "Odyssee I" has big pulsating bass, great kicks, finger-snaps, well-placed congas, and the synths! High, panning washes reminiscent of Basic Channel, super-bright melodic lines coupled with harsher (yet strangely complementary) lines forming wonderful harmonies, and even some low, acidy squelch thrown in for good measure. At 125 BPM, it is a mid-paced yet epic track that is made to rock the dance-floor hard. Finally, though it is altogether different as a whole, the finger-snaps and movement of the track sometimes made me think of the excellent Eulberg & Ananda remix of Cold's "Strobelight Network."

Faki himself has been having a great year, what with the success of "Rainbow Delta/Mekong Delta" (and its remixes), as well as this new work. His mixes are also terrific, and I urge a listen to them.

Len Faki- Odysee I



Next up is the newest remix from Luciano, a name synonymous with lushly minimal, complex techno. His take on "Honolulu" by the boys of Digitaline does not hold any surprises: it is fantastic. Though not as banging and bouncy as the original, Luciano takes the bass lines, bright idiophones and Hawaiian-flavored percussive elements and creates a masterpiece of syncopation and phase changes. Incorporating the panoply of sounds found on the original to create an entirely separate and different track, it is almost hard to conjure the track as a remix. (Though it is quite easy to hear a bit of mid-period Ricardo on the track). Nevertheless, most everything Luciano touches seems to turn to gold, and this narcoleptically mesmerizing record is no exception.

Digitaline- Honolulu (Luciano's Liliuokalani Mix)

Tomorrow? A new Ink & Needle remix! The next day? A break from the beats for a wonderful Buchla piece by Harold Budd! So keep on coming.

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