From Adam J Weitzman Sent Wed, Jul 1st 1998, 15:01
From Adam J Weitzman Sent Wed, Jul 1st 1998, 15:01
Well, here it is, Gescom's MiniDisc-only release. It is titled _MD_. There are 45 "songs," split up into 88 "tracks," and many of the "songs" are pretty short (total time of the disc is 67:03). I was immediately reminded of Noto's _(infinity symbol)_ release, which had 72 tracks on it, many suitable for looping. The problem with the Noto release, of course, is that looping the disc seamlessly, or playing the disc in random order without pauses, is beyond the capabilities of most CD players. Not so with MiniDisc; it all works the way you would hope. <spoiler> It also allows you to do some things which are simply different. One cool thing they did was, when you look at the insert, it claims that track 74 is untitled. When you play the MD, the title on track 74 turns out to be the mastering credit for the release. </spoiler> Enough about the medium, how is the music? All I can say is, don't be expecting "Keynell." Many of the loops are screechy and noisy, some are quiet and contemplative. Precious few beats on this release. If you're familiar with their long noisy contribution to the _Mesmer_Variations_ compilation, then you'll know which well they're dipping into. There are a couple of longer tracks on it, which are nice for a change of pace. A lot of it is very weird and cool in a bizarre ambient way, and there are some great noises being made here, but there's nothing that jumps out at you and screams "brilliant!" I can see this being used as a source for occasional flourishes on future Gescom (and Autechre) releases. It is true that it works just as well on random play as it does going from beginning to end, which is both a strength and a weakness. A strength because you can listen to a different album every time just by hitting your "shuffle" button. A weakness because there isn't a lot of continuity even as you listen from beginning to end, and that disconnectedness is reinforced when you listen in random order. Also, they didn't spend much time on the artwork; it's mostly white. Some of the track titles are funny, though. This release is clearly just as much about the medium as the music. I think they did the medium part really well, the music, well, a bit less so. Think of it as a sample or loop release, and submerge yourself in the randomness of it all. Six out of ten. -- Adam J Weitzman NewsEdge Corporation Welcome to my signature. http://www.newsedge.com Please wipe your feet. http://www.newspage.com