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"What's with the weird earthy hippy piano shit?" my friend Bento asked, referring to Aphex Twin’s new double CD, drukqs (Sire/Warner). Richard James himself would have to explain his motivation for busting out the acoustical keys this time around; let me just say that it’s terribly appealing. On drukqs (double entendre intended), James’ quirky, simple melodic genius emerges like a naked body stepping from a warm bath of swirling beats and shivering into a cold, dark room. Similar in affect to Selected Ambient Works Vol.2 – if not quite as brilliant – the new Aphex Twin double disc is a singular, sparse submersion into peculiar states of mind, melody, and beat.
An act associated with digital music, dub, and dance, Spring Heel Jack have pushed their sound wide open over the last couple of years – and lots of weird things have crawled in as a result. Mostly, it’s great stuff, like those wacky things known as "instruments," which are played by actual humans instead of mediated by computer interface. Strange though this concept may seem, it works out fabulously on The Blue Series Continuum: Masses (Thirsty Ear). Released earlier this year, Masses meshes jazz of a sexy, fluttery, free persuasion with the masterful production you’ve come to expect from Spring Heel Jack. Please do not fear that hideous, indulgent stuff you might think of when you hear the word "fusion": Masses taps only the very best aspects of experimental and eclectic soundscaping. Dig straight into the mother lode of melodic instrumental weirdness and embrace conductor/composer Joshua Kohl’s explorations with The Degenerate Art Ensemble. They and vocalist Haruko Nishimura knocked my socks into next week when they played Portland’s Medicine Hat, a show trembling with horns, guitars, and drums, building sensationally from easily-comprehended grooves to wild rhythms and feverish wails. I am pleased to report that their Unit Circle Rekkids release Rinko lives up to that live promise. A soundtrack to the performance piece of the same name (involving Butoh, I’d guess from the liner art), Rinko is not for the faint of heart. It’s better suited to the open mind and the active ear.
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