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Review:
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I think it should be clear to you at this point
that i like the drone, the subdued beat, and the mellow wandering
vocal-less tune. Ambient, dronecore, dreampop -- call it what
you will, but i listen to lots of this stuff. I review little
of it (it's very hard to describe), but i do absorb lots of
it.
Yellow6 is the project of one guy, Jon Attwood, a guitarist
based in Leicestershire, UK. Additionally, Yellow6 is, in my
humble opinion, one of the best there is in this genre. His
guitar drones are exquisite, and the programmed beats he plays
over are slow and fuzzed out. It's beautiful music to just sit
and listen to.
Now, i know that a lot of you out there are thinking, "Jeez,
PostLibyan is ranting about his ambient fetish again", but before
you click to leave, let me state that Source: Remix
transcends the level of mere "ambient release". Ambient music
is written off as irrelevant, but here Yellow6 has pulled some
friends from critically acclaimed acts (Rothko,
Landing, Amp) to rework
his material.
The results amaze me. As a Yellow6 fan, i looked forward to
this disc. But in the months since i recieved it in the mail
i have simply adored it. I have listened to it over and over
again, and i could go on describing each and every tune.
But i will spare you the fine details and instead discuss the
broader categories. I divide the songs on this album into three
categories:
- Totally ambient (tracks 1 and 11 by Rothko, 7 byAmp, and
8 by Galena)
- IDM-influeced electronica (tracks 2 by ::lackluster::, 5
by Bauri, 9 by Phobos3, and 10 by Maps & Diagrams)
- Groovey beat dance music for the narcoleptically inclined
(tracks 4 by Innerise and 6 by Portal)
There are some real highpoints in all three categories, and
i will discuss my favorites briefly.
Although Rothko do a remarkable job of kicking the disc off
with a mellow mix, it is the mid-tempo chillout drone of the
Amp remix of Snowmelt at Track 7 that really impresses
me. The beat is slow and numb, entwined with the deliate guitar
drone. It's a deep space exploration that moves at a liesurely
pace for, oh, 7 + minutes. This song in some wierd way reminds
me of the music of Pub; i think
the tone of the music is similar. At any rate, this is well
done.
Personally, i think i am about over IDM. More and more of it
sounds utterly generic to me (like the Bauri remix of Leitmotiv
at Track 5 here). However, ::lackluster::'s remix of Expressway427
at Track 2 shows that the genre still has promise. This is a
song of beautiful ambient guitar with subtle dubby beats. The
guitar drone is on top, and the beats are light skittering things,
scurrying and hissing and popping under the overwhelming wash
of guitar. Reference points include Christian
Kleine and Fennesz,
but with that great Yellow6 drone slightly cut up and looped.
This is exactly what i thought that a Yellow6 remix album would
sound like, given the current flavour of electronica, and it
is a very worthwhile track.
The third category of songs on the disc are, i think, the most
interesting. not since the glory days of The
Orb (circa 1995 for those of you keeping track) has head-bopping
music been so slow paced. I listen and i feel as if i am moving
in slow motion: like i am really banging my head to some serious
thrash music, but time itself has slowed to a crawl. Maybe Yellow6
is the sound of powerchords stretched out beyond their limit?
Maybe i need more coffee!?! Who knows? In particular, Track
6, Portal's remix of Redleitmotiv, takes the Yellow6
drone and layers it over a dance beat -- skitering hi-hat and
thumping drums. The drums are spastic, and they add an energy
to the drone that it normally doesn't have. Very nice. The other
similar tune, Innerrise's remix of Silhouette at Track
4 could very well point to an interesting future for Yellow6.
This song really doesn't sound all that different from what
Yellow6 normally does. That is to say, the beat is a little
funkier than usual, but this could easily fit on a regular Yellow6
release.
Now, if you have been keeping track, you might notice that
i have yet to discuss Track 3. That's because it defies my categorization.
You see, this tune is a "remix" of Marble#1 by fellow
dronesters Landing. I really like these people, but this track
sounds less like a remix than it does a cover. Really -- i hear
Adrienne Snow's keys, the tinkling guitar of Mark Snow, and
the light rhythm section of Dick Baldwin and Daron Gardner.
In fact, Mr. Gardner's drumming sounds great here, perhaps because
it's the only organic drumming on the disc, and it's "realness"
shows through. At any rate, this is a lovely track, but i think
it pushes the limit of the term "remix". If you like Landing
you will love what they have done here.
So there you have it. I think that this is a brilliant release,
and would love to hear other artists play with Yellow6 tunes.
If you are a fan of mellower elctronica, then this is an excellent
purchase. Drone fans also should hear this to see what is possible
within the genre, and for ambient fans Source: Remix
is a must have. So, in all honesty, i would recommend this to
many people. I certainly have gotten much enjoyment out of it. |
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