Thursday, February 22, 2007
bodyvehicle
i received this from james of black horizons earlier this week. prior to that, the only thing that i knew about the label was that they co-released an oscillating innards 7", apparently his first release on that medium.
being being 2 x cs (c38 & c26)
[2006, black horizons]
here's just a few of the words being thrown at bodyvehicle: "unknown", "mysterious", "obscurity", "trip-hop"..err, that last one is for finer bodyvehicle. seriously hoping these two projects are not related...here's the facts about bodyvehicle a) they are russian b) it's more than one person. for a group that no one seems to know anything about, they've been gaining some exposure with a warmly received cassette on devillock's tone filth imprint. from what i've been reading, they're making fans out of anyone that gives them a listen.
firstly, there's some very eye catching packaging for these cassettes. it has all types of digital fancy pantsness which i can't (or choose not to) articulately describe, so i'll just copy and paste james' words: presented in a black vinyl album, with color art on blue/gold shimmer vellum cover and color on transparent labels. tracks listing is printed on blue shimmer paper, which is glued to the inside. edition of 50 hand stamp #'ed copies on hi-bias chrome tapes. well said.
tape number one opens up with deep strobbing (their spelling, not mine) and right away all of my perceptions about what this might sound like are rendered null. where i was expecting dense, thick and unyielding, i got minimal and ambient. thankfully, no trip-hop. there are; however, slight electronic flourishes here and there, all tastefully done within the structure of the music, so they're not in danger of becoming a distraction. the sight, side b's first offering, aims for more psychedelic ground. there's a very nice use of guitar combined with electronic processing and effects. bodyvehicle have the panning for this one perfectly as it is complimenting the trippy aesthetic marvelously. this side closes with breathable gel filled room, which centers around, what sounds like, an affected sax freakout/one person jam session. while i'm totally into the music itself, there's a lot to be said for these guys' production skills. that's what i'm really loving about this tape, so far. the back and forth channel hopping bass static from 1:25 to about 2:10 is a perfect example. if you're not really paying close attention they're probably not going to stick out, but it's really where they're winning me over. all the while that someone's blowing away on the sax there's a wealth of interesting stuff going on in the background which continually changes. great track that took a few listens to fully appreciate. yes, when i put on the big ass headphones everything became so much clearer.
a dark filled event walks similiar sonic ground as the first tape's track. heavy on atmosphere with some sparingly used electronic work. i'm liking the pulsing electronic hum that serves as the foundation, but outside of that there's just not that much going on. flip the tape over and things get a bit better with shine and princess are watching the lights. this is a pleasant, multi-layered, piece that's rooted, first and foremost, in ambient electronic. there's a lot of interesting and pattern-based sounds that are being employed to hold my attention. at just under six minutes long it's the ideal length. the closer, warm charcoals, is another pleasant and minimal affair.
my overall thought is that the first tape is the clear stand out. it's the least minimal and bodyvehicle was doing more that really stuck with me after i listened to it, but if nice sounding ambient electronic music appeals to you, you won't be disappointed by the second cassette. for what it was, it was well done. fans of the ash international label would likely dig this one.
this is only the sixth release by black horizons but the combination of good music plus thoughtfully produced packaging (the anakrid cassette looks mighty fine, too) is sure to keep me checking out their progress.
Breathable Gel Filled Room
being being 2 x cs (c38 & c26)
[2006, black horizons]
here's just a few of the words being thrown at bodyvehicle: "unknown", "mysterious", "obscurity", "trip-hop"..err, that last one is for finer bodyvehicle. seriously hoping these two projects are not related...here's the facts about bodyvehicle a) they are russian b) it's more than one person. for a group that no one seems to know anything about, they've been gaining some exposure with a warmly received cassette on devillock's tone filth imprint. from what i've been reading, they're making fans out of anyone that gives them a listen.
firstly, there's some very eye catching packaging for these cassettes. it has all types of digital fancy pantsness which i can't (or choose not to) articulately describe, so i'll just copy and paste james' words: presented in a black vinyl album, with color art on blue/gold shimmer vellum cover and color on transparent labels. tracks listing is printed on blue shimmer paper, which is glued to the inside. edition of 50 hand stamp #'ed copies on hi-bias chrome tapes. well said.
tape number one opens up with deep strobbing (their spelling, not mine) and right away all of my perceptions about what this might sound like are rendered null. where i was expecting dense, thick and unyielding, i got minimal and ambient. thankfully, no trip-hop. there are; however, slight electronic flourishes here and there, all tastefully done within the structure of the music, so they're not in danger of becoming a distraction. the sight, side b's first offering, aims for more psychedelic ground. there's a very nice use of guitar combined with electronic processing and effects. bodyvehicle have the panning for this one perfectly as it is complimenting the trippy aesthetic marvelously. this side closes with breathable gel filled room, which centers around, what sounds like, an affected sax freakout/one person jam session. while i'm totally into the music itself, there's a lot to be said for these guys' production skills. that's what i'm really loving about this tape, so far. the back and forth channel hopping bass static from 1:25 to about 2:10 is a perfect example. if you're not really paying close attention they're probably not going to stick out, but it's really where they're winning me over. all the while that someone's blowing away on the sax there's a wealth of interesting stuff going on in the background which continually changes. great track that took a few listens to fully appreciate. yes, when i put on the big ass headphones everything became so much clearer.a dark filled event walks similiar sonic ground as the first tape's track. heavy on atmosphere with some sparingly used electronic work. i'm liking the pulsing electronic hum that serves as the foundation, but outside of that there's just not that much going on. flip the tape over and things get a bit better with shine and princess are watching the lights. this is a pleasant, multi-layered, piece that's rooted, first and foremost, in ambient electronic. there's a lot of interesting and pattern-based sounds that are being employed to hold my attention. at just under six minutes long it's the ideal length. the closer, warm charcoals, is another pleasant and minimal affair.
my overall thought is that the first tape is the clear stand out. it's the least minimal and bodyvehicle was doing more that really stuck with me after i listened to it, but if nice sounding ambient electronic music appeals to you, you won't be disappointed by the second cassette. for what it was, it was well done. fans of the ash international label would likely dig this one.
this is only the sixth release by black horizons but the combination of good music plus thoughtfully produced packaging (the anakrid cassette looks mighty fine, too) is sure to keep me checking out their progress.
Breathable Gel Filled Room
:: posted by avant gardening, 11:59 PM