Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 15:55:48 -0800 From: Ryan Hicks Subject: Re: We, and what they mean Reply to: RE>>We, and what they mean to you. I'll attempt a description. Though since I bought this cd earlier this = year, my exuberance and inspiration have long since been silenced. Bummer = when you are excited about some new music and haven't anyone interested = enough to share it with... Thank you pureimpure. Chris Palacios >( Main Review)This is my first post to this list. After making a few >attempts at generating discussion and interest on the 4AD-L about one of >my favorite releases of this year I wanted to give a brief review of a >electronic act called We. But what do they SOUND like?! You've piqued my interest but I need to = hear some names dropped -- or at least some overheated adjectives -- before I = put them on my shopping list. ambient jungle (if that's not an oxymoron), and general unclassifiableness. If you don't count that as an oxymoron, you've got it. The album scurries through many a different mood. From the immersive = suspension of the Frippertronics-esque violin instrumental and few other = noise segues to the bone jarring percussive brilliance of the opening = track (and a few others on the album like it), "as is" is certainly an = experience. They get some urban-trance-blues-techno going (they are from = New York, after all) as well as some fleeting moments that are almost = goofy. I read that they recorded the whole album in (nearly) one go and = very quickly, so I imagine they got kinda punchy towards the end. Genre-wise name-dropping (and some may disagree), I've got them up there = with Amon Tobin and his Cujo project, some moments from DJ Shadow and DJ = Spooky, and Speedy J's new album, and a little Howie B. Interesting, = intelligent and challenging electronic music. I bought it after being = blown away by the first track. Upon listening to it time and time again, = it still stands up as a very interesting and inspiring album. There are humans behind these machines... -ry Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 15:47:43 -0800 From: Chris Palacios Subject: Follow Up on "We" >From www.forcedexposure.com I am determined to turn everyone on this list to them: Artist: WE Title: As Is Label: ASPHODEL Format: CD Price: $14.00 Catalog Number: ASPH 0971 Another staggering record of genre-morphing sound from the US label of the moment."We have three characters (DJ Olive, Lloops, and Once 11) interacting simultaneously. This aspect of multi-interrelations within the DJ construct not only has more faces to show the world, but there are also more points of view in introspection. Consequently, As Is, their first album as collaborators, yields a mysterious dichotomy, one of minimalism (everybody at peace) and ridiculous complexity (turmoil!). In sound they balance placid, bell-like keyboards against frenetic drum patterns, languid, deep, ascending tones with indecisive beats: are We hyper jungly? are We Jazz? are We drum and bass? are We hip hop? Ultimately, As Is resolves itself as muscles when being massaged -- after being pummeled and pummeled, somehow you're strangely relaxed halfway into it, anyway." Chris Palacios