Reviews 01-18-2002

Music Reviews 

 

Voodoo Roux

by Various Artists

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Anyone who is familiar with Waveform Records knows that Forest, who programs the Musical Starstreams show, does one great job when it comes to finding the hidden talent scattered around the world and presenting them to us on these Waveform compilations and in his Starstream radio shows. Waveform has several artists who record exclusively for the label but Waveform really shines with each of its wonderul compilation CD's that they have released over the years which introduce us to artists that we might never hear about otherwise. One AD, Two AD, Three AD and Slumberland are prime examples of the unity that can be had even with a diverse group of artists and now Voodoo Roux joins this distinguished list of releases.

Voodoo Roux (subtitled "it's in the sauce") is a new compilation from Waveform.  It is comprised of 9 tracks of electronica from Tosca, deep-dive-corp., Omnimotion, Trance Groove, X.I. S., Potlatch, eer, mk-ultra and Journeyman.

Tosca presents us with Annanas.g-corporation.dub, an Austrian production, who's selection is a subtle and suggestive electronic movement featuring rhythmic motion brought to us by the writing and production team of Richard Dortmeister and Rupert Huber.

deep-dive-corp's "Imagination" from Germany, has more of a beat and a jazzy feel, with vocals and a surprise Aramaic break.  This reflects the current trend in the exploration of Aramaic rifts. Again, electronica, well produced and written by Peter Musebrink and DJ Turn.

Omnimotion, by writer and producer Stefan Lundaahl, a Swedish contribution,  gives us "Underdub", featuring the vocals of Linda Martio.  This is another sexy, sultry electronica work and is enhanced by the vocal work and a rhythmic beat provided by sound effects. With its lush production and its deep bass lines one is reminded of swimming underwater with the muted light filtrating down to where we are in the depths. The sound is laid back and guides us downward into the darkness below.

Trance Groove, a German 7 piece performance group, provides a live performance called "Paris".  The track is memorable for both the music and the vocals of Nicole Meyer.  Trance Groove presents us with a sleek, rhythmic feel to this track yet still remains  jazzy and  laid back. The horns offer us a traditional jazz feel to the whole atomosphere of the song which would be just at home in a smoky jazz bar late at night.  A very enjoyable and memorable presentation.

X.I.S. (Xploring Inner Space) is another German offering in "Sun Walker" written and produced by Thorsten Janert and Holger Buchholz.  This has more rock, some light vocals and a bubble backdrop to a hard rock rhythm.

Potlatch is from Seoul, Korea, and their track is entitled "Vacuum Conversation".  Written and produced by Jun Kim and DJ S-min, this track has a mysterious flavor, darker vocals, rock beat and some well mixed synth sounds that glide above the beat that holds the piece together.  This was the sophomore effort of Potlatch and is heard here on this compilation for the very first time.

eer is a group from Paris, and their contribution to this collection is "Hand Car".  Rhythmic as a train, almost trance like in its appeal as the beat holds the other aspects together and allows eer to work their magic with the synths and the sound effects. Soft electronica that is pleasant as it leads you through the various movements of the piece.

MK-ultra's "lll" is written and produced by Jeff/Mk-ultra and comes to us from Canada.  This is a piece that is best described as psycho-tronic in flavor allowing the BPM  to move the listener into a trancelike state. Good solid beat with some nice improv on the keyboards and synths.

The final track by Journeyman called "3001 (matrix II) is a U.K. contribution by Frankland/Waterton. This is electronica with hip-hop dubbing, featuring vocal samples taken from the movie Tron which adds to the listeners enjoyment of this composition and creates the perfect sci fi feel to the whole track. At times it reminds you of space music but on steroids and with a pulsing beat.  While a little out of step with the other tunes on this CD it makes for a great ending to a well thought out compilation.

Waveform presents us with yet another collection of some hard to find, new, international, original material that makes a fine addition to their already great and ever growing library of outstanding music.

Reviewed by Margaret Foster for Ambient Visions