Mod in Review

i talked about .mod music before; now i want to review it.
this time i will look at the module soundtracks of a few computer games that were released between the late 80s
and mid 90s.

The Sentinel (Amiga 500)

done by david whittaker; the legend of amiga music. this piece stands out from his other music; which is great, but this is also so futuristic, so outerspace, so out of it. abstract, shrill, exotic sounds and harmonies, weird pulsating snippets, an other world atmosphere. most of it is a ingame tunes which plays on and on, and is divided
into multiple parts. there is no composer i can compare to it; jean michel jarre might be a hint, with the space arpeggios, but also not; think of a jarre wrecked on LSD and abducted into a space utopia. this might come close to this music. this is one of the parts, where computergame music is not also a class, a league of its own, but can also compare well and excellent with "real" music, "serious" music.
future atmosphere for a future vibe.

Archipelagous (Amiga 500)

more of the same? more of the same! but how well done so! whittaker in action again. similiar to sentinel in style - in a sense - but less outer space, more green alien jungle exoplanet. this has some of the oddest melodies and structures i heard in a computergame ever. again, not much can compare. whittaker made a classic with that. scary at times, uplifting, and oh-so-shrill frequencies. menacing, in bad and in good.

Perihelion (Amiga 500)

perihelion. I can't say how much i adore this sountrack. perihelion was an obscure RPG done by psygnosis that is mostly overlooked these days. done by a not-so-known east european young coder group, it has astonishing large content for such a production, with well designed graphics and a packed story. but, to me, and to this text, the most important thing is the music, and how well done is it! the stylistic mixture is a bit bizarre. we got full classical symphonies done purely on sampling (someone said to me it resembles "romantic" classical composers - not sure, i am not an expert). but it also has hounding dark ambient parts, well for most of it. it is some of the saddest, most atmospheric, most thrilling music i ever heard. inside and outside the realm of computer music. this music does not only compare well to "real music", it blasts it away, and shows the extraordinary possibilites of mod music. this is mod music at its best. the soundtrack is divided into intros and outros, each location one visits in this RPG has a short little introduction piece, and then you get the ingame soundtracks.
the introductions are sad and menacing, almost heartbleeding. i wonder how this guy managed to arrive at these sounds and structures. but the real killer is definately the ingame stuff. think someone took the darkest parts of an biosphere album and repeated and built on it. it is so atmospheric, so creepy, so moving... can't describe. scary at parts, beautiful at others, or rather, at most parts. we get slowly creeping drones, outerspace bleeps, and otherwordly choirs.
check it out for yourself!

Spherical (Amiga 500)

spherical, oh, spherical. even as a kid, before i knew techno or hardcore or "real" music, i already was in love with this soundtrack. it is different from the abovementioned - now we have something that really sounds like 90s computergame music, major harmonies, saw and squarewaves, arpeggios. but it also has a different quality, a deep quality, that makes it stand out. yes, the melodies are catchy, but also in their own way bizarre, i dare to say, experimental. the harmonies and melodies just seem to fit, to snap in, to make a whole. i don't really know - i think so - what is it about it that makes it so special, but it is there, there to be listened. spherical, the game, takes places in caverns, and there really is a cavernous, hall feel to the sounds - but also that of wide open spaces, of large plateaus.
in style, we get slowly building up, almost droning track, as well as bass affairs and fast paced, rhythmic high pitched songs.
go for it!

Review: Senical - Dark Domestic Temper - Killing Rate 2

senical works on killing rate are imho his best.
the dark vinyl with its gloomy blue printing prepares us for what is to come on this record.

i will focus only on the tracks that i assume to be the best, or most interesting, this time:

A2 more mellow than most of the other tracks here. a very technoid feel, with a long, multi-channel build up. when the melody comes in, it is killer. we have exotic space synth hits that could be used in a movie such as blade runner. beat and melody stay with us for a long time, and this creates an intricate hypnotic feel. i guess this track would work wonders on a crowd on dancefloor in a dark, strobe flashed location. the, almost, howling synth at the end makes a great finish to this wonderful track.

B1 non-4/4 floor beats make a nice change here. it's hard to describe the feel of the track; it is almost electronesque. maybe if electro was done by a kind of cyborg soldier from the future. it has one of these almost oriental sounding melodies i adore in hardcore and techno of that era so much, based on high filtered saw-waves.
the build-up in this track is strong, as usual with senical, and deep space fx add the finishing touch here.

B2 the space beauty of the other track is exchanged with jackhammer romance here. noises, screaming machines, pain, all around. the speedcore bits are another nice touch. this track proves how powerful and disturbing analogue equipment can be used.

B3 for me, this is the true gem of this record. marching drums come in, supported by a powerful techno beat. it goes, hypnotically, along like this. till the melody comes. and this melody is so deep space, so otherwordly, so far away in the universe, i can't describe. it could be the fuel for the most vivid dreams. it sounds as it was sent straight from the year 3035. this shows the true and deep skill of senical, and makes for a perfect ending track. of a wonderful, great record.

Review: Miro - Purple Moon / Understand - DE 2052

it somewhat doesn't feel right to review this record, as it has already be done a dozen times by other people. yet is one of miro pajic's most intriguing works, and worth reviewing.
when it came out, before, there was nothing. there was nothing like it. you can check the backcatalogues of the labels of that era, and you will see there isn't any record like this. maybe some earlier works of miro only can contend. and afterwards, there is nothing either. except for miro's tracks of course. but, as far as i can tell, no artist after this record has managed to pull off something similiar as this. it is definately one of the early highs of miro's music journey.

A1 Purple Moon

this is it. the purple moon. do i need to describe it? outer space beats open this records. we are moved along, more elements are added. while this track paces as a fast speed, it is nothing like the "hardcore" of it's time. this track feels more as if one of the great sonic pioneers such as jarre or klaus schulze had their go at techno, as if this was done by a techno man on a techno label. then, the breakdown, and the high-cutoff-synth-saws come in. i listen to a lot of music; especially melodical music. but this melody is something that is in a field of its own. i rarely heard something as beautiful; as sweet; as moving, as the harmonies of this track. it seems simple at first, but, in its simplicity it is extraordinary complex. the melody is what drives this tracks, and it creates a special track.

B2 Understand

this track is often overlooked in favor of purple moon. but, not rightly so. this too is one of miro and PCP's greatest work. the rising synth sound prepares us for what is to come here. i can't say what image this track invokes in me - a space station, space exploration, or an alien meeting somewhere far in the universe? but it is a powerful image.
the melody again is the main thing for me here, less melancholic, yet as powerful, and more complicated as in purple moon. i could listen to it in a loop for a long time.
the track is more of a hardcore affair than purple moon, yet again far removed from the normal "hardcore" of it's time. this track is a gem, and the whole record is a precious jewel.

Review: Fisch 22 - Auto-Psy - Necrophage

i picked this up as a white label from the container record store. this was one of the earliest releases of mouse aka stella michelsen - the 3rd or the 4th? i had listened to fisch 18 by her, and was enchanted by it.
the record came with a group of poems in the sleeve, one for each of the tracks. i thought this was a a nice touch, and the poems were touching. it is something i am missing with hardcore releases today - especially the connection with artforms such as poetry.

A2 i'll start with the second track so it's a bit of a change of order. this is one of the roughest track i heard at that time (i considered it to be the hardest track). after the creepy intro, killer bassdrums hit you hard in the head. very industrial sounding, very metallic, very dirty. they have a bit of a varispeed thing to them, which is nice too. the track keeps pounding the whole minutes it runs through. weirded-out, surreal, psycho samples come and go and make it somewhat of a sonic journey - a very fulfilling journey.

A1 the starter track. i remember the poem linked it somewhat to the "nerve cables" inside ones head being torn apart as being the sound source of the first seconds. a very fitting comparising. this is full on noise, yet not in a wall of white noise way, but screeches, ringing, like fingers running along the chalkboard to drive you mad. excellent!

B1 frantic, frantic, frantic. again. yet, this track also has somewhat of a relaxing feel. various "ambient" sounds - dark ambient - are employed here. the kick brakes down, comes back in, drags you forward. this has somewhat of a very interesting feel. different planet hardcore.

B2 next to A2 my favorite track on this record. it seems to me generally the B side on this record is more calm than side A? calm is an understatement though, since this is as frantic, hectic and brutal and it can get with hardcore. again we have a full on attack of noises and surreal, spacy sounds. the last seconds of this track are my favorite part, also my favorite part of this record. strange, bizarre, reverberated sounds that fade out and leave you on into your dreams - or rather, nightmares.

Atari Teenage Riot (Review)

Atari Teenage Riot - 1995

the debut album by Atari Teenage Riot. they had been around for a few years before releasing this, but they were more active in doing concerts and gigs before that than releasing stuff (as far as i know). this CD came out when the first hype about ATR, Alec Empire and DHR was at its high, with a lot of indie/underground magazines such as frontpage (now defunct techno magazine) praising them for their music and attitude.
it is almost a "compilation" of tracks on this CD, with some live versions, some tracks from other output, some older and some newer tracks. the name "1995" thus is quite a good name, since the album captures a lot of what was going on in that year then.
since there are 12 tracks on this record, i will only review a selection of them.

1. Start The Riot

what an absolute killer of a track. it's a clever choice that this is at the beginning of the listening experience. from then till now there are not many tracks that could be compared in terms of high adrenaline experience. after the strange intro ("i would die for peanut butter"?), the track blasts of into an assault of beats, guitar riffs, screaming and shouting. this track is just so hard hitting, i can't describe it, you need to listen to it for yourself. a legendary track.

2. Into The Death

this is the track that had the most effect and impact on me on the first listening ever, more then any other music i listened to in my life. i heard it first when i was listening to the "harder than the rest" compilation. when that track came on shivers ran through my body and i felt intense. i re-listened to it over and over again on the spot, with the same effect.
on the structure of the track, it is very similiar to Start The Riot, but i do not mind that at all.

4. Speed

this is the track most people know of Atari Teenage Riot, as it was used in the mainstream movie "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift". it is actually a very good track. the concept here is really well, it is an oldschool-ish Underground Resistance-like techno affair mixed with guitars and shouting. i don't think ATR ever made a track similiar to this again. it packs a lot of energy, especially since ATR made these elements really fit each other.

8. Hetzjagd Auf Nazis

this anti-nazi breakcore number really hit the scene hard when it came out. a necessary political statement and a very good track.

11. Kids Are United

the most unusual track on this record, with its anthemic singing and melody. i think someone denounced this as being too "pop" once. yet it was sort of a hymn for ATR fans back then and it still is for today's fans, i think. the video to it is quite known and features some hardcore slamdancing with a lot of the DHR people back then.
the track itself is a cross between breakbeat rhythms, electronic effects and punkrock.

12. Riot 1995

this track from this album is underrated, but it is one of my favorites.
basically just guitar sounds, effect machines and "riot" shouting on and on, it also has some killer vocals. it has its own emotion which is hard to put in words. well, i just love it.
"do you find it easy to confront your emotions, or do you run away?".

Somatic Responses (Review)

Somatic Responses - Passages EP

this record had a huge impact on the scene. it received praise from everywhere. it marks a shift in the transition of the sound of somatic responses, from the 4/4 driven, industrial-acidish relentless tracks they did on the likes of their first CFET EP or on Shockwave, to the experimental, dreamy music with arhythmic beats, limitless sonic exploration and deep space sounds they became rightfully famous for.

A1 - Sickwave
Sickwave starts with slow, spacey synth stabs, sounding dark and futuristic. a friend of mine told me that he thinks the synths in this track are full of despair. maybe the most defining track of this record. then distorted and hard beats come in, with a rhythm that makes one want to dance to (is it offensive to describe a somatic responses track as "dancable"?) and get the track going. in the middle part the melody changes and we get a different variation of space travel sounds. i remember the PCD catalogue described this record as "sounds like lory d meets the mover" (or a similiar wording), this might be an accurate description for this track (without taking anything away from the individual, unique style of somatic responses).

A2 - Freezing Point
indredible. this can't be made on earth, it must've been created on a planet far far away. i don't know how somatics created these sounds and melody, but i don't think i've heard something similiar in other artists' tracks yet. this is just the far away future feel that seemingly only they can do.
the track starts with ice cold cascading sounds - "Freezing Point" is correctly named so - then very hard distorted drums kick in, with a 4/4 rhythm this time. more elements get added in and the melody changes, the track progresses in a good way. the drones at the end of the track give me an extra chill.

B1 - Milk Jugs
this is more of a traditional somatics affair here. faster, distorted 4/4 kicks and lots of sound exploration, and spacey synths too. a very great composition again.

B2 - Passage
Sickwave and this track are my favorite ones on this record. it starts with electronic sounds, then kicks off into relentless hardcore drums. it has a strong build up, first it is drums and effects only, and slowly synths are added which build up the tension and one starts to expect what might come. we arrive at it then; the kick drops off and the synths unfold to a huge composition of sound, like a space symphony, as i said, only somatics really manages to do melodies as this. after this breakdown, the drums come back in and synth and kicks move alongside. if dropped in a set, i am sure this track would give the crowd a total adrenaline rush from the start to the end of it.

this is a groundbreaking record, and one of the first big records of somatics in their own, special style.
if you are interested in the sound of the duo, this is likely something you would love.

Taciturne (Review)

Taciturne - 6 Fragmente In Der Chronologie Des Wahnsinns

Taciturne is one of the most sought after of the early underground hardcore producers. not a small feat when one takes into account that he only released 3 and a half records (or rather, two halfs - there is also a split EP he did under a different name) during his active period. Yet he fully deserves this appreciation.
"6 Fragmente In Der Chronologie Des Wahnsinns" means "six fragments in the chronology of madness" in english.
it is probably a reference to a well known independent movie, "Sechs Fragmente in der Chronologie des Zufalls".

A1 - Mourning

there are six tracks on this record so start with the first, "Mourning".
the name is rightly chosen. it starts with quiet, calm, choral chanting, a bit gregorian, but not "epic" gregorian, something soft and slow. then the beat comes in, sounds like a distorted 909. the speed is slow, but with a lot of offbeat kicks lined in the rhythm. after a while a breakdown comes, and we hear the sound of a heartbeat speeding up. in fact this creeped me out one night, when i was listening to it half asleep and wondered why my heart suddenly seemed to sound so strange, before i realised it was in the track.
this is actually all elements the track has, yet this is enough. the track is wonderful and great, the concept is just brilliant and well worked out. hardcore enthusiasts might label it as "doomcore" and it could be used in such a set, but it is also much more than that.

A2 - Dexpanthenol

if you're an experimental hardcore fan, go for this one. abrasive sounds, broken rhythms and hard beats.
to be honest, for me less interesting than the other tracks on this record, yet still hugely better than most productions

A3 - Boys Don't Cry (Revisited)

this track stands out with it's ironic sense of humor. it's a remix of Boys Don't Cry by everyone's favorite postpunkwavegothic band, The Cure. this was when a time when remixes of "pop" tracks where not common in the scene outside the "happy hardcore" world. i remember taciturne once did a chart for the french TNT magazine (one of the most spread hardcore zines back then) which had only synthpop and new wave songs in it, so i think he honestly likes The Cure. the track is a lot of fun either way, should put a smile on everyones face. what i especially like is the complete intentional trash/lofi way this track is produced, the sample often somehow muddles up as if token from a bad tape, and seems somewhat offrhythm most of the time. lovely.
"we're pleased to welcome Robert Smith from The Cure".

B1 - Phenylephrin-Hydrochlorid

from the fun of the end of the A-side to something very serious again. maybe this could be called nightmare techno? a very slow beat, a drone throughout the track, and one of the most creative uses of the mentasm sound i've ever heard. in the middle of the track it speeds up and becomes somewhat more of a hardcore affair.
brilliance. play this when it rains outside.

B2 - Haematopan F

anthem. the track starts with a slow, but very hard pounding, industrial distorted kickdrum. then more metal and noise sounds are added, and a female voice declares "hardcore" (where did he take this from?).
but it doesnt end at this, in the middle of the track choral sounds come in and add a very soothing touch to this track.
it's hard to find words for how good this track is. it just has such a big impact, while being cold and chill.

B3 - Phenprocoumon

the last track and this is my favorite track of this record. a bit similiar to A2 again, we have lot's of unstraight rhythms and distortion. but what makes this track so stunning is the melody that comes in now and then. it sounds almost japanese or chinese, very soft, very still. this antagonism between this melody and the abrasiveness of the rest is amazing.

so there are six complety great tracks on this record, that stand out from a lot of other music.
a masterpiece. top notch. magnificient.