|
if you like what you've listened to, please consider a donation. it'll go directly to the artist.
reviews: combined review of mn006 and mn007japan's minusn, or rather -n, has very nice releases to download, always with a nice cover, and always (with one exception), by artists i never heard of. like dataman and shalma-. the latter has four tracks (despite them being mp3s they still have the traditional length of a 12") of minimalist techno music, but not as stripped down as some of the german counterparts. mysteriously interwoven voices play a role in there somewhere, deep down, hypnotic and sleepy synths are played but the rhythm marches on. maybe an unlike combination? it is one that works actually quite nice. it's a pity that 'formranks' is a remix of the also present 'pretension', but otherwise quite nice. also of dataman i know nothing. he selected five heroes to name his music after: mr. sunshine, mr. pussy, mr. fly, mr. illusion and mr. enregy. of course i am way too old to feel any connection to the world of manga, computer games and other kid stuff. dataman plays more straight forward techno/acid music, also in a pretty minimal vein. certainly 'mr. illusion' is a classic acid track that could been from the original chicago scene. dataman's music is less filled with lots of extra, small sounds and probably the better floor filler, whereas shalma-'s music would probably fit better at home. both are very pleasing, relaxing and escapist music releases. by frans de waard @ vital weekly comments: Hi, I just discovered your EP and listened to one of your song thanks to iTunes. That s the kind of work I really love ! Thanks for sharing your music and the Creative Common License will give me the chance to make your work discovered on my Podcast. I am a french guy living in Nagoya and I would be interested to see a live performance if you intend to do any ! Izo posted by Izobretenik - 2005.11.26 Gugu. Nice posted by Romin - 2005.11.30 hi! thank you for comments! I will not live performance in nagoya. I should think to use podcast.haha posted by shalma - 2006.01.04 post a comment: |
[mn007] shalma- - second blur ep
01. pretension (04:32) - download this mp3 (192k, 6.26mb) 02. kohtao (04:50) - download this mp3 (192k, 6.67mb) 03. yokudo (04:16) - download this mp3 (192k, 5.89mb) 04. formranks (06:45) - download this mp3 (192k, 9.30mb) download the whole release (zip, 28.4mb) download the cover art (double-page) (jpeg, 205kb) download the cover art (for web) (jpeg, 19.8kb) liner notes by milton d @ md@minusn.com these four tracks by shalma- allure and enchant by evoking multilayered, in-between states of mind. "pretension" is a leisurely paced track, whose hesitant and seemingly uncertain syncopation forms a backdrop to the undulation of its own background sounds: misty theremin-like tones that condense to water, crackling percussive notes, and vocal samples culled from disparate sources that appear periodically in the stereo field and lead one's attention to occasionally split in two. then "kohtao" uses the beats as musical pepper to the supple and richly resonant melodic line, even as the steadily increasing layers of ambiance develop in asymmetric polyphony, making for a lovely hypnagogic lullaby. "yokudo" once again plays with the foreground-is-background motif, using granularized and subtle harmonies that double as structural ornamentation to stronger, pulsating beats that march forwards and backwards at once, producing a larger, deeper space whose many contradictory impulses periodically affect the sense of momentum and create an illusory change in tempo. "formranks" is a wonderful reprise and reworking of "pretension", this time presenting it as a more decidedly forward-looking hypnopompic hope chest, marching forward with a greater sense of inner illumination and certainty. as a whole, this is wonderful music for twilight states of mind where dreams are a welcome and refreshing undertow. |
©2005-2008 -N. site design by -n with arp laszlo.