From Brad Shelton Sent Wed, Mar 4th 1998, 14:53
From Brad Shelton Sent Wed, Mar 4th 1998, 14:53
> > Offhand it sounds like you would enjoy their 'Systemisch'
> > full-length the best. [...] 'Systemisch' features subtle but
> > definitely-felt rhythms (clicky-pseudo-beats) on all but a couple of
> > tracks.
>
> Indeed it does : sounds like a CD version of scratched vinyl, the
> sound of a skipping disc - which wears pretty thin after a while.
You equate "(clicky-peusdo-beats)" with "The sound of a skipping disc"
but I see a distinction.
The latter is Oval's signature sound.. seen as a gimmick by some,
enjoyed by some, groups not mutually exclusive. By itself, that sound
can be musically tiring ("wears pretty thin after a while"), though I
like it just fine in controlled dosage. =) Around half of the Oval
tracks I've heard are like this- a cloud of clicks without a prominent
underlying structure or rhythmic pulse, they are purely made up of
swirling, scraping CD-skips, without benefit of rhythmic context or
feel.
In contrast, the former is a superset of the latter- the raw Oval-stuff
quantitized and tweaked until a tempo and rhythmic elements and patterns
emerge. There's still plenty of randomness and clickety-click skittering
over the top, but there's a definite pulse or feel implied by all the
chatter. The tracks on "Systemisch" are pretty much of this type. Look
no further than track #1 ('Textuell') for an example of a laid-back dub
feel ina Oval style.
That having been said, it's all 100% subjective. I say that 'Textuell'
has a dub feel, but it's open to interpretation. Oval pieces are kind of
impressionistic that way- you hear and recognize patterns that are not
always plainly stated. They are in the ear of the beholder.
> I don't geddit at all. What am I missing here? Is there some gnostic
> secret I'm not in on? I was greatly disappointed with Systemisch.
I think there are some clear avenues of discovery and appreciation for
Oval's sound.. if you like the alternating warm/cool of Seefeel's music,
or the percolating sound of mid-to-recent Mouse on Mars, you're halfway
there, I would think. If on the other hand, you are into good old
fashioned experimentation, you're halfway there. If you like both,
you're there. =)
- Brad Shelton
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