Features &
Interviews

Chocolate Weasel
DJ Cam
DJ Method One
DJ Stratus
DJ 3D
Dwindle
Ed Rush
Electronica
Frank Lloyd Wright's California
Ganger
Gapeseed
Her Space Holiday
Holiday Flyer
ICU
Jungle Defined
Kim Salmon
King Rhythm
Laika
Latin Playboys
Lounge Lizards
Mark Robinson
Mixtapes
Monochrome
Most Secret Method
Music Appreciation 101
Pressure Drop
Terrastock II
Third Eye Foundation

Rabbit in Red s/t CD
Rabbit in Red's debut long-player is THE summer road trip blow-out. As guitars roar and vocals conjure up your emotional baggage handler, RiR stands tall, feet apart, arms crossed with more confidence in the chip on their shoulder than Pippi Longstocking could muster. From bright Fat Tulips-ish or Darling Buds inspired crash-pop, to sullen romantic Shop Assistants-like sexuality, Rabbit in Red are something of a Tom Jones feast. Meaty delicacies like "Traffic Survival School" present X-ish rock 'n' roll as Exene's voice gives-way to a more stylized Lois, Pam Berry, or Go Sailor-ish line. "Car Crash Song" is the keeper for sure, and a treat when they perform it live, as the bouncy tempo gets you revving up the motor at the stop light. Somehow sex and driving mix. As they come together in a highly intoxicating DUI cocktail, dizzied I wonder how the album ended and where the last half-hour went. Likely to be the most-listened-to disc of the year and summer is barely here. (Blackbean 14847 Septo Street, Mission Hills, CA 91345) – Keith York

Rachel's / Matmos Full On Night CD
Originally appearing on Rachel's Handwriting record, the track "Full on Night" is present here in a substantially different context than the original album track. The 12.5 minute excursion is reminiscient of the 1997 Bob Weston recorded version for the first several minutes but learns of its metamorphosis mid-way through. What drums, organ, guitars and strings do at the end is the most violent melodramatic rock the ensemble has committed to tape. San Franciscans, Drew Daniel and Martin Schmidt (a.k.a. Matmos) then exhibit their 18-minute "The Precise Temperature of Darkness", an end-product of "Full on Night" studio and live performances taken out of context by sampler technology. Enviable in the passion and spirit that it likely took to construct, deconstruct, and reconstruct the song, but mostly memorable because these efforts far surpass anything I could have imagined from either project on their own. (Quarterstick POB 25342 Chicago, IL 60625) – Keith York

Radar Brothers The Singing Hatchet CD
The Singing Hatchet registers on radar screens and oscilloscopes nationwide. Because of the purposeful lack of "oomph" in their rock music, the blips and bleeps of their songs register as subtle tones and dimmed lighted paths representing their strumming guitar and stripped-bare drumming. Pop songs for lonely hearts, or contented hearts with lonely pasts, the hatchet chooses to cut through laziness, half-heartedness, nonchalance and ambiguity. In cutting the silence from your life, the hatchet magically replaces it with soft-spoken lyrical drama that, despite its calm demeanor, wakes the listener from radio-induced half-sleep reinvigorating them with music of quality and substance. (SeeThru Broadcasting 3470 19th Street San Francisco, CA 94110) – Keith York

Radiohead Kid A CD
Picture this – I am floating half clothed in a Jacuzzi mid-buzz having a conversation about the cultural institution that Radiohead is becoming. Infiltrating teen and young adult culture more effectively than grassroots politics, the punctuation of emotive crooning and crunchy pop melodrama is rewriting a generation’s paragraph description. While the grammar and spelling of “alternative rock” changes little, and only slang and pronunciation dictate the hip factor, Radiohead’s language has changed as their mode of delivery has evolved… from post-Shoegazer rock songs that rival Blur, Verve etc.. to an eclectic DJ-set more akin to Seefeel, Stereolab, Tortoise, and even IDM relevant to the likes of Slicker and other non-secular Cubase prophets. Kid A sucks in anyone within earshots and massages with a roar that is devoid of peakiness that offers conflicting messages to those listening. Instead the elegance of electro-acoustic dreaminess warms the skin, pads the brow with a soft warm cloth, hugs the shivering torso, and spreads one’s legs with a sensual yet firm hand. While dubs of their upcoming album are already in circulation, the natural progression even further from their earlier rock-steady (or is that steady-rock in this case) antics is evident – the boys love their electronics afterall. Radiohead and Jacuzzis are simply joyous entertainments that soothe the body. (Capitol/EMI) – Keith York

Rainer MariaAtlantic CDEP
Look Now Look Again CD
Caithlin, Kyle and William have updated the late 80s crash pop sound with an emo- pummeling of Velocity Girl. Similar in scope to Dynamo Hum, this trio of Pixies/Superchunk fans have taken responsibility for their stripped-bare punk instrumentation and created two highly energized romps. These CDs are merely documents of their explosive (and consequently melodic) output through amplifier and PA, through them the listener should soak up the vibe and venture outside your home to visit the Rainer Maria live experience. (Polyvinyl PO Box 1885 Danville, IL 61834) – Keith York

Rand, Stephen The Blushing Bachelor CD
Stephen returns to the indie-rock/pop landscape after an extended absence with his new backing band His Magic Ponies. Rand, with former Caroline Know bandmate Spike Priggen, and members of New Radiant Storm King and Deep Wound act as conversators of an excitable pop estate. Not since his earlier releases (aside from Caroline Know, he also was responsible for the Loneliest Christmas Tree) on the Bus Stop label has Rand shared his weird and wonderful song writing with the record buying public. With The Blushing Bachelor we find Stephen and His Magic Ponies dusting off the eccentricities of mid-80s guitar pop on labels like Cherry Red, él and Creation, and adding even more detail to the now-whitewashed plantation house where he sits rocking in his chair strumming an acoustic guitar. (Wormco POB 266 Northampton, MA 01061) – Keith York

Ralph Solo Car Accidents, Guitar Accidents CD
Ralph has a Los Angeles address, a guitar and the motivation to self-release two cassettes “solo.” Blackbean enabled this white suburban kid with a boombox to re-release his cassettes (all 30+ tracks) onto this CD. If it were not for Blackbean this may have become a Shrimper cassette double-pack or a CD. If neither of these fine labels contributed their efforts I have the feeling Ralph would have released his songs digitally eventually himself...solo. One can probably imagine what suburban kids record on their boomboxes with a guitar in one hand and the other on the PLAY button but with Car Accidents, Guitar Accidents the guessing game is over. There is nothing here that hasn’t been recorded in a hundred other bedrooms across this land - tales of teen angst and love, strummy no-fi guitar playing and heartfelt untrained vocal strains that rise and fall as the kid changes the spatial relationship between his lips and the boombox microphone. Not essential listening but interesting nonetheless for its anthropological humor. (Blackbean and Placenta Tape Club 124 Ventura Avenue Oxnard, CA 93035)

Random Too Stoned To Sneeze CD
Disavowing any knowledge of jump-up and dancefloor prepped dubplates, Random (AKA Jon Drukman) has prepared some heavily tracky, breaky experimental drum 'n' bass to get us ready for the millennial switch stance and guide us through Y2K paranoia. Approximating the vibe of Dom & Roland, Squarepusher, and even Panacea, Jon loosely embraces a haphazard melody, more confident that his tricky breakbeats will tell the story. Thank god this guy has a sense of humor (as evidenced on "My Jimmy"), as that seems missing within a vastly instrumental reliant genre. The vinyl version of this could keep me up for hours (literally). (Evil Teen PO Box 651 Village Station NYC 10014) - Keith York

Real Diego Map of the Human Heart 7"
Feeling right at home sharing stages recently with Elliot, Appleseed Cast and Sunday's Best, The Real Diego makes a remarkably memorable statement on their debut single. Three songs of powerful melodic guitar lines standing erect upon a solid foundation of drum 'n' cymbal racket, are only the ingredients of Real Diego's introductory (3-song) brochure. Upon hearing the single on your turntable, you will understand how this electricity is greater than the sum of its parts. (Saige's Records 22902 Ladeene Avenue Torrance, CA 90505) – Keith York

Recoil Liquid CD
With his fourth solo album in 12 years, Alan Wilder of Depeche Mode embarks on a journey down (even for him) uncharted terrain. With the requisite Mode sampler at hand, some of the tones may be familiar to the ear, but arrangements of sampled sounds, drum kits and vocals represent a new direction. While Wilder's early 1+2 and Hydrology releases were reminiscent of Adrian Sherwood dub remixes of Depeche Mode's odder moments, Bloodline, Unsound and Liquid forge ground distinctly more like Gilbert, Lewis and Newman projects outside of their tenure as Wire. With the assistance of vocalists Diamanda Galas, Samantha Coerbell and Nicole Blackman, Wilder creates epic drama in his most soulful ambient techno yet. What adds fuel to the soul-fire is his desire to create a concept album based on witnessing a plane crash – and ever since has become fascinated with the last moments before one consciously witnesses their own end. Startling appeal to your more prurient interests. (Mute www.mute.com) - Keith York

Recoil Unsound Methods CD
Back in ‘86 Depeche Mode were pop culture icons, and Alan Wilder’s sideproject, Recoil, stirred imaginations. It was likely to have surprised record buyers thinking his 1+2 and Hydrology records were extensions of his talent at creating dark, brooding dance pop. They were instead scary landscapes of samples and numbing sequencers. Diehard fans of the Mute record label ate up the Recoil stuff with the same ‘underground’ fervor they consumed Wire avant sideprojects Duet Emmo, He Said, Dome etc. Recoil’s latest offering, Unsound Methods, exhibits an entirely different direction, one heading more toward the Mo’ Wax downbeat camp with warm soothing Portishead-like femme vocals and identifiable tr*p-h*p drums. Still extracting plenty of samples from folks like labelmates, Yaz, and the ambient world at large, Recoil’s palette is pointedly focused on coloring the world as a dark foreboding place. (Reprise 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505)

Red Monkey Make the Moment CD/LP
Red Monkey - the U.K.'s answer to Fugazi - embodies the DIY ethic which fuels punk rock politicos in their quest for dominance. Peter and Rachel do the tag team-thing on-stage and off, sharing vocals in Red Monkey and running Slampt Records (and their own 'zine). Make the Moment shimmers of unbending Marxist energy and intrepidity, particularly on songs like "Pro Choice" and "Not for Rent." Props to red Monkey and Slampt for going against the grain - both figuratively and stylistically.(Slampt/Troubleman Unlimited 16 Willow Street, Bayonne, NJ 07002). -Esther Yoon

Red Monkey Make the Moment CD/LP
Raw, unpolished rock with sex appeal. The charged male and female vocals spew liberal ideas with confidence and annunciation only a United Kingdom-ite could deliver. However, their effect on me is more sensual than intellectual, and it is not just because I don't necessarily share their tightly-protected doctrines. Red Monkey's tight, lurching rhythms fuel my desire not to have sex, but to rock. I finally understand why parent's in the 1950s so feared the dawn of rock n' roll. This music, too, has that kind of hitch to it that so confuses the hormones of the youth. The parents were right to be scared. This music is primal. It's great. It stimulates. (Troubleman Unlimited 16 Willow Street, Bayonne, NJ 07002) - Steven M. Brydges

Red Monkey The Time is Right 7”
Like their Slampt compatriots, Unseen and Pussycat Trash (in the UK), Red Monkey harbor intense angst that explodes on stage and vinyl. Akin to the popular “Riot...” scene of yesteryear, Red Monkey bite, kick and scratch at the kids, your ears and the rest of the institutions that stand for capitalism, government and society as we know it. “Teen rock explosion!,” “Riot!,” - the same things that Atari Teenage Riot scream atop their gabber explosion, are waved like banners by Red Monkey (and their lo-fi guitar and drum squall) with pride. Teen rock, punk rock, angst - it’s all here in a delectable EP on a label I hope intends on bringing more Slampt punk stateside in such concise packages. (Troubleman Unlimited 16 Willow Street Bayonne, NJ 07002)

Red Stars Theory Life in a Bubble Can Be Beautiful CD
Touching. Two fingertips connecting across a candle-lit dinner table, arms extended fully. Stretching. Soft sonic tones float from the hi-fi in the neighboring room. Cellos float above the salad, Lois Maffeo's vocals swim in the shared arm-entangled wine glass sip. The waiting staff of a Northwest supergroup extending beyond the outer perimeters of their homebases serve tables occupied by lovers. Multiple coarses of relationship tensions are served on platters of gold and silver in a glistening glass restaurant. Watched, like a fishbowl, by one's peers, one is never alone in love or music. (Touch 'n' Go PO Box 25520 Chicago, IL 60625) – Keith York

Regulator Watts Mercury CD
Fireplace music. Warm, cozying flames dance in front of you. Something sinister about their proximity to flammable material, the fireplace-encased flames come close to killing. Come close to engulfing your comfort zone in flames. You keep your safe distance from the flames. On occasion you outstretch a hand into the fire. Sometimes you thrown pieces of paper into the hearth to watch them ferociously consumed by the evil hunger of a burning household inferno. You test the fire's strength, its power, by choosing to scoot toward it and gaze at less-than-arm's length. The tantalizing dance of flames is seductive.

Seductive too, is Mercury . Engulfed in post On-U-Sound dub, Regulator Watts' post hardcore maelstrom occasionally dips its hand in Scream and HR subtleties, Vertigo's naughty conjecture, and Halo of Flies' lung exhausting vocal banter. Steeped in dark, bass heavy rock assaults, the industrious plodding of acts like Tar and Drive Like Jehu come to mind as these heartily rhythmic concussions sweep through your living room. Each song fierily consumes furniture and decor, not stopping until the heat pulls the air from your lungs. (Slowdime/Dischord 2700-B N. Washington Blvd. Arlington, VA 22201) - Keith York

Remote Viewer s/t 12"
s/t LP
Uninterested in titling their releases and the songs themselves, The Remote Viewer stares oncoming fame straight in the eye and spits "less is more." From their roots as the Famous Boyfriend, the Remote Viewer duo break out the sampler and forge captivating lo-tech beats. Much like Casino Versus Japan and Pelé here in the US, the wizards of envelope pushing electronica like to keep to themselves, avoiding the fanfare of glossy publications and press kits. In the context of their peers (as evidenced on 555's You Gotta Get More Alive compilation) Third Eye Foundation, Hood, Steward, Kid 606, and Accellera Deck, Remote Viewer roll out the broken-beats with poker faces and plenty of cards left up their sleeves. (555 PO Box HP41, Leeds, LS6 4XN, UK) – Keith York

Renderers That Dog’s Head in the Gutter Gives off Vibrations CD
Amongst the many artists in our world that record songs, few are of royal blood, and many plagiarize the royals only to be caught and ostracized for doing so. The Renderers have royal blood. They steam their trousers flat with a nice crease alongside Eleventh Dream Day, Barbara Manning, Fish & Roses and Lois - all complacent, delicate, pop factories in their own domains. That Dog’s Head... stirred my senses while it played. I sat staring at the beer soaked & stained CD booklet that added the dimension of smell to the listen reminding me of a quiet night at a crowded bar I have never witnessed. (Ajax PO Box 805293 Chicago, IL 60680)

Revelers Hard Times, Sunday Spirits CD
The ghosts of Boys from Nowhere and Death of Samantha creep from the power-pop anthem-rock chunks and splinters thrown from a quickly-whirling Hard Times, Sunday Spirits in your deck. Stop/start chinka-chinka guitar strums and 4/4 drum-stick knocking take the listener back to the early 80s when skinny ties and sharkskin suits had nothing to do with ska and everything to do with new wave rock bands. Sunglasses need not be worn after dark. (SpinArt PO Box 1798 NYC, NY 10156) - Keith York

Revolutionary Hydra The Antiphony CD
Smiling carelessly during a Death Cab for Cutie show in Los Angeles, I was startled by the familiar keyboard lines of Revolutionary Hydra’s “Dunkirk.” Following the song that replaced a smile with a confused, dropped jaw, the band thanked their fellow Washingtonians for the song. Upon returning home the next day, I shuttled through an ever-growing disorganized series of stacks of CDs in hopes to put “Dunkirk” on my stereo. In fact, the CD remained in the car stereo for days as the vaguely familiar cover by DCfC only reignited my passion for the 17-song collection The Antiphony which only received a cursory examination the day it arrived. With subtle shades of Pavement (especially on “Freemasons…”), Lenola, Apples in Stereo and even now-defunct Further on occasion. Skewed approaches to lo-fi pop melodies that once realized refuse to loosen the grasp they have on your cerebellum. (Elsinor POB 5463 Bellingham, WA 98227, elsinorpop.com) – Keith York

Revolvo Hit The Floor/Bullet Deluxe 12”
Two intentionally different approaches to DnB by the same two guys - Stuart Langley and Tim Wallington who comprise Revolvo. Released on Nico’s alternate imprint, Saigon, Revolvo’s debut with “Hit The Floor” sweeps along fluidly with a horn section creating a oddly jazzy feel while the drums track along confidently askew as expected. “Bullet Deluxe” is a stormer. Wicked, weird and wild synth sounds dance on a hot tin roof of battling breaks and crushing bass quakes. Riveting in its playful toying with your senses, “Bullet Deluxe” rides the fence between hard and softer approaches to DnB setting you up for blissful head bobbing and banana-peel-slip dancing. Solid. (Saigon, The Metrostore London W3 7YG)

rhBand Third Order Parasitism
And now for a trip to the Other Side...
You know, there's an awful lot of bands these days that seem to consider themselves 'drone' bands, yet seem to rely an awful lot upon song structures, verses, choruses and the like, and just cover things up with feedback. I don't know what it is. Maybe 'drone' is a big hip, thing right now, though I can't imagine why. But the fact of the matter is that there's a lot of bands who aren't droning at all, but yet call themselves 'drone'.
Well, this certainly isn't the case with rhBand. They drone. I'm not talking just in the low frequencies, where any monkey with an LFO can reside. They're all over the map, pulsing, phasing, warbling, what have you. The first track (none of 'em have titles or even numbers, but my CD player is smart enough to split 'em up, go figure) is a huge, sprawling amalgamation of something that is two steps away from being static and these strange, rhythmic bursts of sound that come from nowhere and then seem to doppler away in the distance. Once in a while I can hear something that almost sounds like a guitar fuzzed beyond recognition, but it's so hard to tell. I like it when records can do that to me. When I can sit down and listen to something and not know immediately what/where the sound came from, that's rewarding. For the same reason that finding an actual drone band is rewarding. But Parasitism doesn't feel like a human artifact (unlike a lot of say, 'electronica', which sounds not only like it was put together by humans, but often by unimaginative ones). This disc is an alien artifact, coming from a place where they dance to the hum of their refrigerators, in intricate spirals.
If you want a reference point that isn't particularly helpful, think of "Saucerful of Secrets" (you know, by Pink Floyd before they became arena-rock). Just when you think that there's no music there, your mind hooks onto something and all the pieces fall into place. "Saucerful..." was like that, 'cept that you could tell guitar from drum and from gong from voice. This disc isn't content to let you do that. It exists only on its own terms, not seeming to grow out of any familiar context, though still presenting its own vision. That and it just sounds bitchen, too. But then I 'm a gear nut, so it may not have the same appeal for someone who isn't damaged like I am. You might look into it if you're a fan of electronic music, but again, there aren't any verses or hooks or real beats to suck you in. Only the sound; which is enough for me. (Drunken Fish Records) - Matthew Maxwell

River City High Richmond Motel CD
After barely a year together, Richmond, VA's River City High are poised to turn any frown upside down. With resumés including Lazycain, Fun Size and Inquisition, the members of RCH display a fondness for bright pop songs built on a big-rock guitar foundation that left emo behind after their first practice session. Not too far distant from Promise Ring's ability to fill an arena or get kids to sing along to Cheap Trick's "Surrender", River City High's sound is here and their sound is now. Recreation for all ages. (Big Wheel Recreation 325 Huntington Avenue #24, Boston, MA 02115) – Keith York

Roadside Monument Eight Hours Away from Being a Man CD
The subtle yet distinct difference between black ink and the four-color process version of black printing yields a wonderful analogy toward this record. At first glance (or listen), the 100% mixture of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black have an eerie depth to what is essentially a two-dimensional depiction of layers upon layers of colors absorbing all light...while one pass over white paper with black ink is very uni-dimensional. I approached this CD as yet another convoluted manifestation of the state-of-the-art and was pleasantly disturbed by the unanticipated depth to these songs. While at times this disc elicits a post-Cherubs/Hammerhead power-skronk, it also places its cards on the table as an “eem” concoction akin to Boys Life, a math equation like Jehu professed, and a hardcore sentiment of Angel Hair. Bob Weston’s trumpet skills appear with sincerity and fit well with the young trio’s dependence on noise, space, dissonance and tension that coincidentally provides the obvious ingredients to produce such a colorful form of black. Rich and textured, Eight Hours Away from Being a Man really surpassed my preconceived notions of what they were capable of. (Tooth & Nail PO Box 12698 Seattle, WA 98111)

Roadside Monument/Frodus Split EP CD
Roadside Monument released an album several months back. It was brilliant. It still is brilliant. Two songs from these young upstarts are like presents on June of '44's birthday. Tightly wound cymbal-play glistens in a sun shower of post Shellac-guitar energy while the singer reminisces. Hardly a band in DC could elicit such energy. Roadside Monument's monumental squall is accompanied by compadres and tour mates, Frodus. Frodus smack you around like a big brother sparring partner. Toying with you. Bruising you. Hammerhead-inspired guitar rhythmic hiccups and Melvins-ish noise crunch elicit a smile-generating-headache. (Tooth & Nail PO Box 12698 Seattle, WA 98111) - Keith York

Robo “Floor Plan” CS
Robo has created an elegant mix of radio-ready drum ‘n’ bass anthems from his decks ‘n’ mixer. Seamlessly, and flawlessly Robo turns any room into a steamy sauna of half-naked junglists writhing to the silky smooth drum breaks and vocal samples. Cutting up choons by DJ Rap, DJ Hype, Roni Size, Kingsize, EZ Rollers and MC Ryme Tyme, Robo’s set is balanced, diverse, and accommodating to the even the most anti-DnB dancers out there. “Floor Plan” is an aesthetic statement rooted in Frank Lloyd Wright’s “organic architecture” that is built to last, adopted to meet the needs of the user, and meshing well with the environments it is placed in. Solid as concrete and enjoyable to live in, “Floor Plan” is a welcome debut from Robo the dancefloor architect. (contact: Champion Sound Mix Tape Distribution 619.236.8080)

Rock*A*Teens Baby, A Little Rain Must Fall CD
For me, the term "The Blues" has mutated across many different sounds, emotions, records, bands, artists, labels and periods of my life. In the past, blues music was a genre defined by the DJ in the slot before my radio show. Dan used to play the blues as spoken by southeastern guitar pioneers and saddened vocalists. Back then I also thought Pussy Galore was a blues band. A few years ago I started recognizing bands like Son Volt being "blues." Additionally Jon Spencer, Delta '72, Make Up, Grifters, Dub Narcotic and the leagues of coat-tail draggers-ons started reawakening an interest in how pervasive a sound (and it's clichés) has reached into our psyche, our music. Like jazz, and hip-hop, the blues has become a cultural tour de force - finding its way into non-traditional linkages with what used to confined to terms like "delta blues" that not only had a sound, but a geographic locale signifying its relative value. That said, Mark E. Smith is a blues man, Age of Chance was a blues experiment, Mekons are a blues tradition, and the Rock*A*Teens are a blues band. As the reverb painted guitars, the crisp drums, the throbbing bass, and the quirky vocal lines come together in a confident statement, the speak tales of living. Life after all is what the blues are about. Life's ups and downs (witnessed in songs like "I could've just died", "Leave what's left of me") are what the Rock*A*Teens are about -- just check your preconceived notions at the door. (Merge PO Box 1235 Chapel Hill, NC 27514) - Keith York

Roedelius Aquarello CD
Music is a continuum, brothers and sisters. You may decide that one particular piece of music is fixed within its own safe little genre and is distinct from other similar pieces and other genres. But there’s room for more than a little drift in these definitions. That’s a good thing. However it means that things can get uncomfortably close between genres, and overlap (and sometimes re-definition) are inevitable. Not a bad thing. Usually.

In this case, though, it means a combination of what might best be called New Age and a little out/drone action. But far more of the former than the latter for my taste. This shouldn’t come as any particular surprise to anyone familiar with Roedelius, who was a founder of the groups Tangerine Dream and K/Cluster, which (rightly or wrongly) are credited with having started the music that would become New Age. He has a discography longer than my arm, and expectations of this album were high (perhaps unfair, as I'm not really familiar with any of his post-Kluster output). My hopes were not realized.

Not that this album is without merit, to be sure. However, the use of particular saxophone sounds/melodies and the general ambiance of the album fluctuates between Windham Hill and the music from Cirque du Soleil. This is a sterling recommendation to folks who respond to these to go out and give this a spin. However, if you’re looking for sparser or edgier, you’re not going to find much to sink your teeth into.

There are moments of songs like “La Forza” (with its eastern-scale inspired woodwind lead and reverbed ambiance) and “De Quoi” (led with bells and echoed muted guitar, leading into hypnotic repetition of sax lines and snatches of wordless vocal) that move along rather well and don’t remind me of Kenny G, but not enough of them. During the course of my review of the album, my wife walked in and asked me when I started listening to light jazz, so that should give you an indication of the majority of sound to be found within. There isn’t enough bite and things are much, much too pretty and clean for my taste. Compositionally, perhaps, there’s more to be interested in, but that isn’t my particular bag, either. (Thirsty Ear/All Saints Records 274 Madison Avenue Suite 804, NYC, NY 10016) - Matt Maxwell

Rollerball Bathing Music CD
Reveling in self-taught dementia, the players in Rollerball deconstruct rock’s 4/4 mode into a sniveling floor-born heap of compost heat. The chunky lumbering beats dry-hump key and bass lines already having given themselves to trumpet and accordion. Spasms of Pere Ubu, and Zorn/Laswell jazz-like pneumonia, as an Adrian Sherwood-like dub mix of the whole mess draws in the curious listener. Rollerball-penned music doesn’t have to be documented as jazz to be “out”, and out-there it is. Laying gentle ears upon this perimeter-dwelling exercise could equally scare and delight the uninitiated depending on their own mood. While Road Cone asserts this is Rollerball’s best work yet, I can independently add that Bathing Music is the best place to start in investigating the heat of their output. (Road Cone POB 8732 Portland, OR 97207, press@roadcone.com) – Keith York

Rollerball Trail of the Butter Yeti CD
The Portland, Oregon quintet return with another album filled to the brim with mutant jazz. What may be described as gypsy, hippy, our just “out there,” Rollerball have decidedly carved a niche out for themselves in the wake of post-Clintonian optimism. Markets suffer, dot-coms fail, energy prices skyrocket, as the new chief-of-staff speaks in Dan Quayle-isms. Understanding contemporary culture and social trends assists us in putting such mind-trickery (Rollerball covers a lot of cross-genre ground while sounding cohesive in their many tentacled sound) into its proper context. This comprehension of the fractured direction in their sound may be more difficult for anthropologists (Who will likely find the Road Cone discography in a time capsule) who will lump them in with Capt. Beefheart, Psychic TV, Eliott Sharp/Carbon, and Belle & Sebastian. Now if only they could convince James Caan to guest-star on their next release!? (Road Cone POB 8732 Portland, OR 97207, press@roadcone.com) – Keith York

Roni Size Reprazent In The Mode CD
Roni Size and his Reprazent collective appear again on the scene after the scene-defining double-disc “New Forms” and the “Paper Bag” single jumped-up, hip-hopped, and sensually turned drum ‘n’ bass on its ear. Single-handedly bringing DnB to a wider audience, Reprazent (and hell, the latest Photek foray into 4/4) also amazes with tricky bass lines, breakbeats and vocals. In the Mode presents us with another collection of songs that push the limits of defining Reprazent as merely a drum ‘n’ bass collective. With the usual suspects aboard (Krust, Die, Suv, Dynamite MC, Onallee), Roni Size expanded the fold to include Method Man (on “Ghetto Celebrity”), Rahzel (on “In Tune with the Sound”), Ben Watt (of Everything but the Girl played guitar on “In+Out”) as well as Rage Against the Machine’s Zack de la Rocha (on his own penned track “Centre of the Storm”). As strong as the early 12”s, as genre definitive as New Forms and then some, In the Mode is spectacular. (Island Def Jam 825 8th Ave. NYC 10019) – Keith York

Roni Size Reprazent Newforms 2xCD
Apparently those that decry the values and merits behind beat-head genres use terms like “organic” to differentiate their favorite acoustic/traditional artists from those that specialize in the manipulation of software to create their art. Newforms erases this as a viable point of debate.
Roni Size and the Reprazent collective ( DJs - Die, Suv, Krust et al) have created the most “organic” sounding drum ‘n’ bass long player yet. Rivaling even the brilliance of Spring Heel Jack, the Reprazent crew mix analog and digital, male and female vocals, live and programmed beats & bass, all the while maintaining the highest, purest integrity of sound witnessed in a genre plagued by half-wit bedroom “artists” (hell I’m one of ‘em!). If Impulse were a DnB label, Roni & crew would be their roster’s cash cow touring about the country with decks, samplers and drum kits in the back of their wood-paneled ‘70 Country Squire wagon.
One would expect from my genre pigeonholing that every song is one Amen break after another punctuated by a stabbing bassline - but not so. Newforms has moments of ambient and jump up feel amidst strong breaks and even stronger vocal hooks (rare!) punctuated by horn sounds, live bass, drums and guitar. The consumer should also get past the thought that a 2-disc set must contain an abundance of filler - also suprisingly absent from this release! With each listen I keep searching for a problematic track, a throwaway, but I can’t find anything less than the most varied, band-oriented, DnB record out there. (Mercury 825 8th Ave. NYC 10019)

Roommates s/t 12"
Beats shuffling like an old man's slippers across the hardwood floors of your apartment, welcome you to the Roommates' world. Lo-fi tech-pop ambience plays out across four tracks skewing wildly away from one another in an unsettling dark tone. Rather than establishing a finite "sound" the duo of Erik Kowalski (AKA Casino Versus Japan) and Scott Beschta (Pelé, Promise Ring) showcase a snapshot of their voluminous home recordings that have really recorded their escapist tendencies and friendship. While the brown recycled cardboard hand-stamped sleeves may cause the average record consumer to pass it by, I trust in you to pick one of these up and find the captivating link between Casino Versus Japan and Pelé. (Wobblyhead POB 511256 Milwaukee, WI 53203) – Keith York

Ropers Revolver 7"
A brilliant two-songer stating clearly how bright and sexy Ropers songs can be. With a soft yet furious tone, the guitars remind us of Ride and Swervedriver while the melodies themselves are akin to those written by Mark Robinson or perhaps Aden. Like trees falling in the woods, hopefully such wonderful vinyl 45s will not go unheard just because, like forests, fewer and fewer people take a hike in the turntable's domain. (Slumberland PO Box 14731 Berkeley, CA 94712) – Keith York

Rubberbullet Open CD
Putting on a wool sweater in 90 degree heat. An easily conjured image of discomfort. It was the only clean clothing I had to cover my naked chest. Hot days require cool feelings. Sounds of ice clinking in tall glasses of iced tea and spring water. Wool itches even on a cold day. Rubberbullet is comforting like a cotton shirt, cotton pants, cotton socks. Cotton breathes. Breathing songs, inhalations by a woman’s vocals. Repeatedly the rhythms wear your tired, cold body. The guitars bring warmth, the amps heat up the room soaring past the 90 degree mercury reading. Fahrenheit vs. Celsius. It’s just so damn hot as these songs blare like police chase sirens. Cops arresting. Cops wear polyester. Damn its hot. Her voice is like a cool swimming pool. (Last Beat 2819 Commerce Dallas, TX 75226)

Rubber Johnny Jamrolypoly 12”
Dropping into a more pointed bass bop, this electro meets drum ‘n’ bass 12” sounds a lot like the newer Squarepusher 12” and LP. What sounds like vintage drum samples and bleep-bleeping key drops blast across the tweeters as a mutant robo-insect army hover in the still air above. My favorite of the four tracks is “Drumrolypoly” which plays up the d ‘n’ b style most confidently. In its sincerest form, these songs disturbed my preconceived notions of what to expect from this rumored side project of either Squarepusher or Luke Vibert/Wagon Christ - who knows. wwwwwweird. (Warp)

Ruby Short-Staffed at the Gene Pool CD
With the two-faced elegance of the quintessential film noir spider woman, Ruby (AKA Lesley Rankine ex-Silverfish) follows up Salt Peter” with another stirring album. From Bjork-ish pop tunes, to neo-New Romantic 80s dance (think Cee Farrow), to dark post trip-hop (Portishead, Hooverphonic, Everything But The Girl) as if Moby recorded for Ninja Tune. Yeah, it’s that weird and wonderful. A must have for your Spring/Summer fling. A perfect soundtrack to your sexual escapades. (Thirsty Ear 274 Madison Ave. Suite 804 NYC 10016 thirstyear.com, alexis@thirstyear.com) - Keith York

Run Lola Run Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD
The high-energy of the film Run Lola Run was generated by four things: acting, scripting, editing and music. The score, steeped in techno, kept the movie-goer's heart running at near cardiac-arrest speeds. The soundtrack, produced in the German spirit of the film, was written by Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer. Exhaustingly hypnotic, the hammering 4/4 kick drums and synth lines speak the same language as Yello and Underworld's "Pearl's Girl" throughout. Tracks 2-9 are the essence of the film, while songs 10-16 offer alternate remixes (Lee Spencer, Tommi Eckart, Operation Phoenix, Sun Electric, and Clemek) of the soundtrack gems. Not included in the film is "Rock Me" by Wax Trax! artist Pills – a nice addition to what could have been the score to the film's closing creidts. (TVT 23 E. 4th St. NYC 10003) – Keith York

Run On Scoot CDEP
Blink and it’s over. Four sides to a square in two dimensions. Run On recorded these four songs in 3D. Ghosts of the Gist/Young Marble Giants collective surfaced on occasion, they smiled as they floated in my periphery. Snapping my head side to side, I missed getting a good long stare in before they disappeared. Maybe it was just my imagination. Tweaked like elastic, these misshapen strips of songs fold over on themselves and one another like the fabric of a flag in high winds. The tourists gather at the flagpole’s base and stare mesmerized by the shapes that the invisible winds make, erasing the flag’s symbolic weight in favor of its artlike movements. Stare at your square speakers as they trip over themselves. Contort. Don’t blink. (Sonic Bubblegum PO Box 35504 Brighton, MA 02135)

Ed Rush The Force is Electric/Gangsta Hardstep 12”
Probably the most entertaining hardstep recording I have witnessed. Gangsta Hardstep starts with a looped scratch of some dub reggae vocal sideswiped by the meth-fueled hard step drums that rise and fall like waves. The “Gotta get busy on this muthafucka” sample makes its debut (later to be added to the “Force is Electric” remix 12”) like science on a playground. The needle drops a lot mid-range kick drum and snare as the cymbals ride the high end, and again & again the raggamuffin sounding dub vocals rush in the door. Force is Electric is an Ed Rush song, no hype no frills just well executed rhythms and breaks. I faced a huge dilemma, having heard the remix before hearing the original contained here, in thinking how to convey my appreciation for this track when the newer version is damn near a different song all together. While Gangsta Hardstep makes me long for more dub vocals and scratching amongst the hard step crews, Force is Electric reaffirms that even static jungle tracks are enough to get me going in the morning. (No U-Turn, no address)

Ed Rush Technology/Neutron 12”
This was released prior to the “Torque” compilation album therefore the single states “from the forthcoming No-U-Turn album” on the sleeve - but the vinyl versions have no overlapping tracks. While listening to the compilation album (reviewed below) I voted Proton as my favorite track, but it seems so damn lackluster compared to the jumped up pace of Technology; with its manic buzzing samples and frenetic snare attacks and all. Samples fly across the horizon as if giant insects (possibly hornets or bees) were attacking like Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” They fly low in dive bombing squadrons driving the paranoid to take their own lives in fear of the possible consequences as “War of the Worlds” drove people to jump to their deaths. Panicked and wildly neurotic, DJs and headz are dwarfed by the resultant energy of a track this rare. Neutron still holds up as a smooth Ed Rush & Nico collaboration staying away from the “Amen” breaks and relying on the stuttered barrage of dancing drums and apocalyptic droning buzz bass. Truly magnificent jungle. (No U-Turn, no address)

Ed Rush/Trace/Nico The Droid/Mad Different Methods 12”
Recently The Droid was reissued on the “Torque” compilation, so even if you own that, this is worth picking up to hear the phunk display on Mad Different Methods with its requisite dope vocal sample. As always its a bit difficult to decipher but the sampled male voice says something about “being on time,” “to do my shit,” and something else. While the snare rattles your windows and the dark brooding basslines move your china cabinet to the other side of the room, the jungle hits your legs and you start movin’. As your ankles twist and your torso contorts into its alien shape, you lose touch with what command you have over your own body. The quickstep rhythms generate a vibe unheard of until the Ed Rush talent, the Nico technique and Trace’s fondness for the dark wicked basslines were born. A truly rare collaboration with ill effects. Keepin’ it real while representin’ the London style. Regulatin’ the hard step (phunk). (No U-Turn)

Ryan, Joshua Hush/Doinyourheadin 12”
The bassbin kids sway like fields of wheat in high midwest winds as the kick drums roll across their chests spilling the well-dressed monks in trainers onto a crowded floor waxed with sweatband-less trancers. Hailing from Philly, DJ/producer Joshua Ryan’s debut 12” is nothing short of essential trance for the house DJ on the “progressive” tip. Both tracks careen and crash like bumper cars riding on bassline energy and electro-analog sounds the prog/trance massive has been fueled on lately. Numbed by the length of both tracks in my headphones (20 minutes for both sides), I just kept crossfading a couple copies of this platter one after the other until I had Joshua Ryan’s ideas permanently imprinted in my aural cavities. (Slinkey 1447 12th St. Suite D Manhattan Beach, CA 90266)