Various Artists
"Project Bicycle" CD
Ache Records
Genre: experimental electronic
Ache Records
PO Box 138
1001 W Broadway
#101
Vancover BC
V6H 4E4 Canada
June 2006 |
Put together by terrific Vancouver label Ache,
Project Bicycle is a concept album, with each track created using
a common sample of a bicycle making noise. The record is dedicated to
promoting the environmentally-friendly transportation method of
bicycling, and while it doesn't really make me want to jump on a bike
and jet it to the corner store for a handful of licorice laces, it is
a very solid sampling of experimental electronic music from the
scene's current citizens. For the most
part this record favours a strongly rhythmic approach, with the likes
of Aelters, Secret Mommy (who sound identical to Niun
Niggung-era Mouse on Mars), and current buzz-collector
Jason Forrest adding solid slabs of complex electronica. Of
course the concept of "beats" can become a little skewed - selections
from Job Mica Och El and Wobbly use glitchy
experimentation to construct their rhythms. Meanwhile, a few of the
tracks are much more abstract, like Uske Niko's "Les Claxons De
Madame Du Pont" and Greg Davis' sparse "Sagres."
In the end, we get a rather varied experimental electronic release; this
inconsistency results in a record that's a little tough to get a
handle on, but also offers much to the open-minded ear. And for the
glitch enthusiast, it means you're guaranteed to find one artist that
appeals especially to you (mine is DJ Elephant Power). What
are you waiting for?
MP3s (from acherecords.com):
Jab Mica Och El: Side Car Bicycle,
Romanhead: Bike Work
87%
Fun Fact:
This project is open-sourced,
meaning anyone who gets this album can take the sample (included at
the end of the disc) and make their own creation based on it.
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 11 tracks +
original sample, distributed by
the label,
released June 6 2006] |
