Tuesday, December 14
New 12k/Line
12k and Line release music like clockwork--every few months, there will be new releases, and almost every release is a must-own. Well, I opened my mailbox today and found my latest 12k/Line fix waiting for me (I paid for them, by the way). The 12k release is Shuttle358's latest, Chessa. This is Shuttle358's (aka Dan Abrams') third release on Taylor Deupree's label. The first two releases, Frame and Optimal.LP, are considered two of the high points for this most respected of labels. I've only listened to the disk once--and intermittently at that (I was watching the Liverpool-Portsmouth match--great game, Pompey eeking out a tie with seconds to go). Hence, I don't know whether this latest release deserves to be lumped in with those earlier works. I can tell you that the work is supposed to be the companion to a book, also called Chessa. There are photos from the book in the digipack housing the disk. I'm going to take a stab and say the book is primarily photography, not text, but I could be way off on that. A lot of electronic musicians gain inspiration from the visual arts--in fact, many (like Abrams and Deupree) are actually graphic artists. I don't know whether the music on this disk is connected to the pictures, or if it was visually inspired, but I can tell you that the 11 tracks share many things in common with earlier Shuttle358 releases: subtle, melodic progression and abstract, propulsive rhythms, for example. But there are also some new touches here--at least, I think they are new. I need to listen more carefully. I'll try to write up a review later this week.
The Line release is Mark Fell's Ten Types of Elsewhere. I'm not very familiar with Fell's work, save for his tracks on the two 12k/Line compilations, Between Two Points and Two Point Two. I've only listened to the first track or so, but the album is a first for Line or 12k in that it contains a full-fledged essay in the liner notes. The essay is on topographical mathematics (what were you expecting, Dave Barry?), which is (I'm guessing) a key theme in Fell's music. In general, I like interesting liner notes, but there's usually a disconnect between the ideas purported in the notes and the music I hear on the disk. Here's hoping the notes and the music are in harmony here (I'll say more when I've heard more).
If you're interested in buying either of these releases, just zip over to the 12k/Line Shop. They're well worth the $13 or $14 apiece you'll pay for them, and Deupree uses Paypal, making it very easy to purchase the works.
The Line release is Mark Fell's Ten Types of Elsewhere. I'm not very familiar with Fell's work, save for his tracks on the two 12k/Line compilations, Between Two Points and Two Point Two. I've only listened to the first track or so, but the album is a first for Line or 12k in that it contains a full-fledged essay in the liner notes. The essay is on topographical mathematics (what were you expecting, Dave Barry?), which is (I'm guessing) a key theme in Fell's music. In general, I like interesting liner notes, but there's usually a disconnect between the ideas purported in the notes and the music I hear on the disk. Here's hoping the notes and the music are in harmony here (I'll say more when I've heard more).
If you're interested in buying either of these releases, just zip over to the 12k/Line Shop. They're well worth the $13 or $14 apiece you'll pay for them, and Deupree uses Paypal, making it very easy to purchase the works.
