… danzen jetzt - alles will los 2 EP
[Klangkrieg, 2003]
{8.2}


The Berlin/Montreal collective issues their first release as …danzen jetzt, and it’s a 14 track e.p. with a severe split personality disorder. Thankfully, they have assigned each identity with a corresponding side of the e.p. First at bat is the “Zeitgeilheit” suite, which supplements the ambience school of Cluster/Eno with a touch of static and glitch; blurry and beautiful soundscapes for an awkward November morning. The “Alle Kinder..” suite on the flip is a roller coaster of aural bedlam: tripped radio dial madness anchored with scattershot beats. What appears chaotic and random at the onset, acquires a sublime sense with repeated exposure.
[Everett Jang Perdue]


Matt Valentine - Glorious Group Therapy 12”
[Ecstatic Yod, 1990/reissued 2003]
{8.5}


Like the banjo-toting, colorized image of himself on the cover of this LP, Matt Valentine of Tower Recordings is possessed by a ramshackle, rambling spirit. His musings here are mostly on acoustic guitar, joined by a few regulars from the American “free folk” scene, and this is subdued back porch jamming at its best. MV’s Fahey-esque picking is expansive and evocative, calling up covered wagon trains to criss-cross the plains. Warm, inviting, and rich in detail despite its simplicity, this is modern folk that doesn’t just copy the old music’s form, but also its fiery emotional soul.
[Ed Howard]


Subtitle/John Wiese/Adlib/The Cherry Point - 4-way split 7”
[Troniks, 2003]
{8.0}


Subtitle starts things off with “Tech as Heck...”, a track so much better than anything on his GSL 12” I’m pretty astonished he threw it on here. John Wiese follows with the gurgling, mildly-sludgy-yet-still-choppy “Karaoke Pulse Camp” that could pass for an extra track from his latest disc if the session dates didn’t dismiss that right off. Adlib starts off the b-side with the, at first, very ambient instrumental “Terminal, ” which finds itself giving way to a huge rush of drums. This is easily numero uno here. The Cherry Point finishes things up with some off-the-wall insanity- the violent, crunchy “1982 Forever.”
[Mike Shiflet]


Souls of Mischief - Spark Remixes 12”
[Chocolate Industries, 2003]
{7.6}


Two takes on the same Souls song, one by RJD2 and one by Edan. RJD2’s side is as dense and raw as we’ve come to expect, filled with great, tactile scratches and a looping, unpredictable string sample. The moody backdrop is perfectly suited to the Souls’ aggressive raps, and the music is just as engaging when it’s isolated on the instrumental cut. Edan’s take on the song has the same basic drive as the RJD2 mix, but stripped down to a skeletal bass-and-drum groove and enhanced by occasional dub effects and electronic squiggles.
[Ed Howard]