resurface.se

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It’s been a while, however resurface.se is actually about music and all about music. It may be hard to believe, yet resurface.se is what is left of Electronic Desert. It always has been an it will continue to be so. Normally (this is actually the first time that it happens ever, there’s a first time for everything right) that I write about a release that I don’t actually own. It’s never happened before.

I’m not a reviewer. I don’t write about things that I don’t like and music is not an exception. I don’t see the point in writing about things negatively or things that does not matter to me. “Someone” once told me: critics are the ones who failed in their own field. I (may) concur fully. That would be design, art and architectural critics to begin with; I’m referring to the ones that do not in actuality produce anything at all and they’re closely related to: alla-kan-tralla*.

– Stop it, right now! Let’s get on with the business at hand will you not?

Max Kanding – Legebarn => The business end of things and no I’m not joking. Trust me… oh my Lord!

I really like this release for a number of reasons. It is filled with references including the Kandinsky (?) inspired album cover that I assume is by the artist. This “attitude” and interaction with the World is refreshing and necessary. The album is excellent and filled with reference/inspiration. They’re so many. It reminds me of something that I have never heard.

When you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism; if you steal from many, it’s research.

Wilson Mizner, 1953

This could be by all means be a classic electronica album however it is not. Kanding uses four-to-the-floor in a way that I don’t think that I have ever heard before. The effect? It is not unheard of or unknown, however the combination? In my mind it is quite unique and that is what it sought after. I would have chosen a break, more complex rhythmic elements. Max Kanding chooses the straight “big” drum and it is an excellent choice!

You can never escape the elders; like Autechre or Aphex, yet in our culture you can still create/make something new. Max Kanding has done exactly that. The “old” techno-infused loved/hated four-to-the-floor fused with classical electronica is nothing but brilliant! It is excellent music. Production, mixing, execution? Digitally abused in the form of reduction (bandcamp is nothing but the best but reduced bit rate is still reduction), towering tall and proud. Bass is intact to my ears.

That is: L’usine, Bauri, Bergman. Elblaus, Rotterdam, Detroit, UK, Lueder, Kennedy, Pawalski, Electronic Desert and then some. It’s incredible! I salute the’! Live to fight another day.

I love this album. Best track? Tro, håb og techno – it just makes me happy and do we not all need that? I would release this yesterday. It could be 2003, exact and warm embracing bass propagating for an eternity. So, there is a future after all! Well done!

Is it a contender? For the best album of the year? Most definitely. That track and that title? I’m speechless. Come on!

Tro, håb og techno = Faith, hope and techno

* To someone: I did mention that I still love? I miss you…

… it is one of my all-time favourites. In 1999 when I was looking desperately for the music and when I was weak in my faith in the breaks and bass, At the time when I was questioning the absolute truth. I asked everyone I knew, they’re (the breaks and bass) where no were to be found or I could not find then. They’re were desperate times.

Electronica; the chapter in my musical history? 1999? When the musical revolution was halted. – You/we can’t release this. There’s no market for this kind of music. This is the future now? “Electronica” is nothing but camouflaged D’n’B.

– You like Icarus right? You keep talking about them.
– You know I do.
– They’re standing right there. That is Ollie and that is Sam. They are Icarus that you like so much and talk about all the time.
– Icarus? Like in Fijaka Recordings Of Substance Icarus?
– Yeah, they’re the ones and they are there standing in that spot. Let’s go and say hi…
– Icarus? Really? I’ve listened so many times to their music… that I can’t even count how many times…

Non-related sort of, yet the same night, but earlier…

– I will be wearing an Expanding t-shirt (like six other individuals on the label night).

I’ve been both blessed and severely cursed in my life so far.

Icarus – Fijaka – Recordings Of Substance ‎– HEMP 30 CD is and will forever be categorized as electronica and not drum’n’bass. Many thoughts but I guess that one will suffice; what about Photek? Something strange going on, if you listen carefully. How can this not be Photek? They went to the same school, they grew up together or what?

Form and Function is from 1998 and that makes this impossible. In my humble opinion it is just not possible. There must be a connection; Digital, Decoder, Peshay, Doc Scott, J Majik and Photek remixed tracks on the album? Come on. What about Source Direct? Hidden Camera… the best music ever in existence. And I will never, ever know, I can collect and listen, but I will never ever truly know.

It just gets worse:

Tracks 3 and 10 contain a sample from the recording ‘Astral Traveling’ by Pharoah Sanders, written by Lonnie Liston Smith. Licensed courtesy of Universal Music Special Markets.

discogs.com

Monkey Chews, Chalk Farm 2 Queens Crescent, London, NW5 4EP. I’ve been there. Nervous. – I did not expect a Scandinavian LTJ Bukem (that is a complement hard to surpass…) I always thought it was Camden Town but it is actually the next stop on the line. Chalk Town. – London is not the same everywhere. Someone got stabbed to death on the street nearby last week. Drug business. Be careful. – I always try to be… careful.

Pros and cons?

Oi, Oi Duggi!!!

They need to learn?!

Uncle Dugs

92′ innit’ no limit all ravin’ cru! Holdin’ it down tight! Watch those basslines… The one and only Uncle Dugs. Is our radio station: One-O-six-point-eight FM up on the dial!

Sister Ray’s today?

They’re unhappy. Apparently you lot went through the entire shop ending up buying two copies of the same release?

– Hmm, Funckarma? Looking for that release and in London? Playing night? Collecting?
– Two copies? And nothing else?
– Budget*.
– You do understand that these are the last two copies that exists in the entire city? It is a SKAM release?
– Yes.
– Is there anything else in the shop that might interest you Gents?
– Flicked, but we can look again (Unknow Artist? It’s Funcken right? It has to be Funcken? What do you think? It is Funcken. I agree. It is Funcken. I’m buying this. Me too. There are two copies of this release in the shop. That’s crazy. Shy.)
– No, these exact two copies. Nothing else from the store today, we’re afraid. Sorry not today.

That was a very long time ago… yet, I believe that must have been SOHO.

I heard that you went by Sister Ray’s today?

* It was not even in the budget. No records to be obtained during this trip! None. Then, you will buy this now or you will never see this release again. Choose! But, then I can’t afford… choose! The £12,99 that were missing to begin with. That is the damn blasted curse of the collector!

There can only be one…

– It is really?

– Yes. Unmistakeably so, that programming and the sub bass? There is no question, with out a doubt it is in fact the one and only: Roel Funcken! Even the run-out is great.

– Come on?

– I know this. I have never played this on out. Never. In the collection? What do you think? Is it really? If you listen a long time and you collect. Then you can/will hear it. No doubt.

– Are you sure? Yes, I am 100% sure, but so are you? No doubt it is him. New name? Come on? It really doesn’t matter. I know that you know that this is Funckarma. It doesn’t matter in the end? This is: Roel Funcken!

That is pure bass pressure. Looking, looking, looking for that perfect beat. I have never played this track out loud. The run-out is pure genius. Do you own the track? I do. It is: Cane ‎– Teknotest on Arcola. Roel Funcken doing his business. Futuristic stuff/styles.

Too me? None and I mean no one is better*. I do have musical ideas. But, R.Funcken is somewhat standing in my way. The man is a genius. The beats, the programming and mastering? It is impossible! I keep listening/collecting.

I mean even the run-out is excellent… he is truly an impossible man (musically, I mean.).

– The run-out?

– On a vinyl record there is an eternal loop; it is the run-out, I don’t really want to discuss that. I just don’t want to do that. However, it is not random. It is how the track never ends and it could be different.

Play the tune. Again. A musical genius. Somewhere, here: Funckarma, Part 5; a very early post, actually it is the last page and first post here on resurface.se.

There are others, but they’re not on-line (to my knowledge), they’re not reviews/text about releases and they belong to: Electronic Desert. So therefor they’re in the archives for now.

At the time (2002) I did not have a clue that what I was looking for and collecting actually had the exact same origin. No, I did not know that: Quench was Funckarma or that Android, Cane, Cenik, D’Enborage, Dif:use, Eaven, Legiac, Mystery Artist, Scone, Shadow Huntaz and now Styx (missed it in 2016)?!

It was a suspicion that grew (Quench, Funckarma and Cenik) special sound, experience and insight has made it easier. I still suspect that there are more releases under other aliases hidden/tucked away somewhere out there.

And the music is as good or even better today! The sub bass is unbelievable. Unbelievable. And he keeps pushing the sub bass for an eternity, alongside the complexity that is hard to surpass!

To me it is truly magical music. It is MAGIC!

* Wow, there Leslie! What about Jazz giants and so many of the rest? …I know that’s why normally refrain from talking about the best… there are to many to mention… Monk for one (what about Coltrane, Miles, Parker, Sun Ra, Craig, Mills, , Heard, Rogers, Martin, James, Brown and Booth or ? I don’t know? Maybe too obvious? What do you think?).

– What is that exactly?

– Physically? It is one specific thing; a very limited vinyl (plastic) disc actually an acetate it is not a test press or an actual record at all. Not an actual record with a limited lifespan. I’ve never own one but I think that it is about 20 runs (depending on time and how many skips you can tolerate in one run).

– Today? Digitally? It still something exceedingly exclusive.

– Like it used to be physically?

– Yes, but this is culture. They’re tunes. They’re the hype. They’re tunes that may never be released, they’re a tunes made for specific DJ:s and the tunes that everyone wants, to hear and own. They get picked up or not. Front-line tunes. Specialist tunes.

– Grooverider plays three or five in a row. You can not buy them, you can not find them and they might never ever be released. Ever. And they’re the best you hear. In months. This is culture. Unforgiving and beautiful. It is elite. You look, find and listen to the bass.

Grooverider on rinse.fm? In five tracks? Magical, but that is ‘Da Rider’. He gets them sended and is locked down. It is so beautiful. Still… years… so many years. On fire!

I am not leaving until I played my set. There are peoples here waiting to listen?

DJ Grooverider

A complete short-out in the tent. It was raining heavily. The system shut down completely, there was no power what-so-ever and the electricity was gone (kind of tricky, you can’t just flip the switch, there may be power somewhere and everyone is standing in a foot of water and some parts may still have power and you don’t want to make everything powerless. There are many machines connected and a foot of water.)!

Groove waited well past 04:00 to play his set. I remember and respect that! Culture.

Where is the power!

DJ Grooverider

Where is “Super special Nigga” and “It’s On The Computa”? Bass culture!

– Please stop! Now! Just stop! Please. Where is the rack at?

– It right there?

– There is a limiter in the cabinet? Right? There must be a limiter?

– Yes. Of course there is a limiter.

– What is going on? It should have clipped a long, long time ago? The way you are playing right now? Why isn’t the limiter clippin’? Are you actually planning to destroy the system? This system? You can’t afford that… this is not you. We respect the sound. This is aggression.

– The reason to why it is not clippin’ is quite simple. I have disconnected it, it’s disconnected. I couldn’t play properly it was interfering and cutting out.

– Wut da f**k are you talking about!? (I had to make an effort keeping my balance opening the door to the DJ booth, because the 12″ on the floor was maximised and I could still hear the next tune in line through the DJ’s headphones. It is by far the loudest thing I have ever heard in my life. As I opened the gate I thought that I was going to fly down the stairs. Propelled by the sound pressure alone…). On this system?

Again. – It is not clippin’ because I’ve disconnected it.

On a +30KW system? Pushing crazy volume? Do you have any conception or idea about the volume on the floor right now? I just don’t know what to say… and as a matter of fact I still don’t after all these years… I hid/covered behind a concrete pillar covering my ears at the same time. In order to escape. I have never heard anything like it.

I eventually told people to leave…

– I’m loving seeing you here supporting! However, you all need to realise that at this very moment it is actually dangerous being on the dance floor. And that you all are in imminent risk of damaging/impairing your hearing for life, at this very moment (that is the reason for me to be covering my ears whilst screaming on the top of my lungs to you)!

It is totally irresponsible, reckless and I know that you assume that we’re professionals here. You assume that no one would willingly subject anyone to something as dangerous as this actually is. There are laws, rules and regulations even in clubs? I am telling you that none of them apply this night. I am telling you to leave. For your own sake. It/he was completely crazy.

– I would never say and I never thought that I would ever have to say that to anyone dancing yet it is true. The decibels right now? They will hurt you. Please leave. Cutting Pleasure this evening? Will hurt you! This is specialized sound boy killa biznizz! It’s wrong. The sound held and it was not shredded to pieces, not on the night. But that was crazy volume, insane push and not recommended. Simply dangerous.

– It’s disconnected…

Cutting Pleasure.

Oh man! That was hard to the core… an honest attempt of breaking the system.

* I’ve actually heard/seen the big rig go up in flames, twice (I did try my best preventing it from happening, yet I failed miserably at both occasions). However, they’re other stories altogether. That silence and the pure undiluted disappointment emanating from the dance floor? Indescribable. Because you can literally touch the void of sound and the disappointment from one instance to the other. When the sound dies…

– You realise that it is going to break (in a bad way)? I can hear it (and smell it, that is when the glue, the bakelite of the speaker coils are melting. There’s still (a very short) time to save the system. There is tome to cool down and restart/rethink things. I know that you are well aware.

– I told you so? It simply will not cut it in the end? It will break.

Then the night is destroyed for everyone. Da’ system is up in a smoke…

– I told you so…

We start bombing in 5 minutes.

Clarification: it is a sample from an actual radio transmission during the Vietnam war. Something like; we’re pinned down! We need help now! What are we going to do? And the (actual) response was: (Don’t worry) we start bombing in 5 minutes (my guess? High alti)

This our radio station! rinse.fm.

The badness is the goodness… ‘Foulplay’. Swear, I could listen to this tune all day. Honest! I’m not even going to lie, I’ve not even sorted out the next tune and I have about 30 seconds left*… That’s how much I was getting into that one even if I’ve only heard it 48 million times. Had to make it.

Uncle Dugs

* Been there… listening to the tune being played and forgetting… and then realising that there’s about 30 seconds or less left… just getting lost.. in music. Again!

It is Friday? I was looking (frantically) for the one and only Uncle Dugs’ set at rinse.fm and I could not find it? I got really worried. Found it though, so all is good now at: 01:32. Continuing the 92′ bizzniz.

We’re going to play music today. No tears today just smiles. Just smiles today!

Uncle Dugs

Is that man ever silent?

If you turn on your radio. You will turn fifteen again! Always nice yo have your ears.

Uncle Dugs

What can I say? Playing year? 1992 UK exclusively? That is proper ‘ardcore’! Right there! It’s just impossible business. I do remember… and I’ll never ever getting through this set. Ever! Back-tracking til’ the start, over and over again. I’ll never get to the end.

…some proper 92 hardcore; ‘Flatliners’; in this golden era, the golden year. The class of 92!

Uncle Dugs

Personally never called myself a raver or a DJ for that matter… come on! I belong to the class of 92′ though! Mask up and full on hysteria!

Please see: What did you expect dressed like that? or what is the problem and why can’t I fetch a simple cab ride at 3 AM (in Londoium, Brixton)? Possible overstretch?

– OK. I will help you.