format: 12-inch compilation
release date: May 2001
a1 portable : curve [edit]
a2 kit clayton : homonym cask
a3 sutekh : until
b1 ben nevile : chick
b2 safety scissors : n other m
This mini-compilation unites three familiar Californians with two new recruits from abroad to form a pleasantly cacophonous mix of organic and synthetic, repetetition and improvisation.
A1: Portable was born and raised in Cape Town, South African, but relocated to London in 1997. "Curve", his first track to appear on vinyl outside of his home town, is a story about the decline of physical communication in the digital age. Processed african drums, digitally synthesized drones, and unintelligable conversation hover above a quiet pulse, barely recognizable as a beat. Portable's debut solo release "Patterns and Signals" will follow in May.
A2: Yet again, we find Kit Clayton squeezing tiny fragments of emotion from the melted Sadé cassette that sat, neglected, in the backseat of the car. Cutting it apart, dropping pieces in the toilet, flushing it down with all the other detritus, then watching it gleefully as it clots and regurgitates, forming yet another perfect urban dub turd. "Homonym Cask" is classic Kit Clayton, a guaranteed club smash.
A3: Label boss Sutekh plays a shoddy melody on his synthesizer, slows it down to a fraction of the original speed, then haphazardly processes, chops, layers, and re-processes the result until it becomes a withered blob of sound, occupying several spaces and moods simultaneously.
B1: Just as your butt starts to sag, "Chick" comes out of nowhere with a refreshing injection of computerized disco-funk. Ben Nevile applies computer-based post-processing and editing techniques to warm, fuzzy house rhythms and basslines, producing some highly original results. Ben's debut solo release "Vancouver and Fairfield" will follow in June.
B2: Since Safety Scissors' debut release appeared as Context 01, he has produced music for a plethora of labels - Force Tracks, Cytrax, Beta Bodega, Plug Research, and many more. "N other M" evokes similar sounds to Safety's recent Force Tracks releases- playful, poppy, dubby, quirky, and groovy, mixing tiny voice snips and things you find under your toenails with some milky textures.