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Cognition's November 1999 Electronics Report and Chart
Happy Birthday, Warp Records! The seminal British label started releasing in 1989 and celebrates ten years of recordings with a marvelous package available as a set of three double CDs. First up is Influences, featuring tracks from 1986 through to 1990 on labels such as New York's Cutting, Chicago's Trax, Detroit's KMS, Metroplex, and Transmat. This was the material that inspired Warp's Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell to start the imprint. Classics 89-92 brings together early Warp material from acts like Nightwares On Wax, LFO, Sweet Exorcist, Tricky Disco, and many others who would go on to prove influential themselves. And the Remixes discs see artists like Surgeon, Jim O'Rourke, Ellis Island Sound, and others remixes more recent material from the Warp catalog. If you don't buy this yourself, put it at the top of your Wish List for the upcoming holidays. One of America's better new labels is California's Hydrant, who've kept their quality high in an era when some labels are contain to throw product at the wall in an effort to see what sticks with the public. A new baby in the camp is Sprout, a CDR-only imprint that will have limited presses. First up is an EP from Brittle Ones, then Baretta's "Kicking The Horse" EP (mentioned in a column earlier this year), and the Chipsett 4 tracker. All are fine examples of electronic music well worth checking. New to these ears is the Moscow based Arttek label. Don't know much about this crew, but delve into your nearest search engine and make an effort to check out their Artefacts compilation-you won't be disappointed. A favorite Canadian label, Toronto's Suction, is unveiling two pieces in November. Solvent's Solvently One Listens will be available on CD and double vinyl (rest assured, it's damn good and a must-have for IDM and electro fans), while the 5 track "Assortedd Pieces" compilation will be pressed to 10". From Montreal, Alien8 are about to unleash a new album from electronic wunderkind David Kristian. The man has been busy scoring and doing sound design for some independent films of late, and Room Tone, as the title suggests, features some of his work in that area. Hip hop fans will definitely want to investigate DJ Revolution's mix CD, R2K, Version 1.0 on California's Blackberry. The syndicated radio show host mixes up plenty of exclusives with shoutouts and his own productions. First singles from the release are Otherwise with "Some Other Ish" and Dr. Oop Capone's "Subterrain"/"Reign", both out now on 12". Grab double copies of these. Jerry Granelli teams up with Halifax's Stinkin' Rich, Berlin's Christian Kogel, and Brooklyn's Jamie Saft and J. Anthony Granelli (the master's son) on Music Has Its Way With Me. Out now on Halifax's Perimeter imprint, this can be purchased and CD and vinyl. Smart move, as DJs will appreciate having this for their 'tables. Going overseas, the first single from the upcoming album from Orphic is the "Transient Phaze" EP; electronics with plenty of oomph and thought behind it as well, and apparently whetting the appetites of many in the UK and North America. Buenos Aires artist Gustavo Lamas has a fine potpourri of sounds exhibited on his Celeste full length (released through Germany's Traum); on the Force Inc label, Porter Ricks and Techno Animal team up for 8 new tracks on Symbiotics that range from dubby atmospherics to more edgy material. From Sweden, Stalaktiten Och Mirjam is shopping some Semi-New Shit that bathes quirky tones and drones in a watery reverb to great effect. We'll fill you in when this finds a label home. And we'll finish with some recommended earthy sounds for your head and feet: grab Afro-Mystic's Future Tropic on Om for some new school spicy funkage, The Chantells & Friends' Children Of Jah 1977-79 for some top notch roots reissued on the British Blood And Fire, and Uman's You Are Here on California's Six Degrees for some innovative world music. Cognition Electronics Top 25 1. Adult-"Entertainment" EP (US Ersatz Audio CDR)
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