DMX Krew - Wave Funk Volume 1 [Rephlex 2009]

The notorious leader of the Breakin' Records imprint and frequent Rephlex contributer Ed Upton is back with a new collection of tracks under the DMX Krew moniker. Wave Funk Volume 1 is no less than a masterpiece of AFX-esque funk and stomping Drexciyian rhythms, all flavored with that cheeky DMX sound that has long set the producer apart from his perfectly imitated influences. Upton has taken this record even further down the path he carved with the seminal SH101 Triggers MS10 in 2007. Warm analog synthesizers dripping dance floor acid, beautifully misplaced notes, and perfectly varied drum machines make this release an instant classic for the Rephlex label.

For my money, the A side is where it's at. "Parking Orbit" bubbles with synthetic bass and strangely timed drums. Dissonantly tuned synths compete with each other for dominance while Upton applies subtle effects (one time hits of delay or reverb) to accent and add a different character to each sound in each measure.

"Can't Stop the Feeling" is my personal favorite from Wave Funk. It blends four-four funk with a truly haunting Rhodes-ish synth line and deep house acid. All the while Upton pulls himself into the world of the machines with classic DMX vocoder: an utterance of barely comprehensible lyrics cheesy enough to be from any commercial new wave act of the middle 80's ("Every time I see your face, I can't control it"). In this setting however, it seems strangely sincere and undoubtedly appropriate.

The highlight of side B is without question the painfully short title track "Wave Funk." Deep aggressive bass hits with a dirty lead that will keep your upper lip stiff for days. I can see this one being a instant braindance classic. Clocking in at a mere 2:11, my only complaint is that I wanted more.

The record ends with "Particle Burst," a melancholy number overflowing with delicate synth work. A main run is elaborated on by a plethora of sounds familiar to any student of analog synthesizers, all of which are made completely new by Upton's continual tweaking of tuning, depth, and reverberation. A true head bobber, "Particle Burst" is a perfect way to close the 12" and is in my opinion one of the best examples of Upton's mastery over his sound, here or elsewhere.

Wave Funk Volume 1 is a milestone in the plethora of DMX Krew releases, and one of my favorite from Rephlex in the last five years. The only thing I can do now is wait (rather impatiently, I might add) for Wave Funk Volume 2-- a wait made ever more painful by the cryptic nature of Rephlex's release schedule.

C. Spencer Yeh - The Strangler [Chocolate Monk 2009]

In the latest effort from C. Spencer Yeh, we hear a style of production new to the Michigan based composer and musician. The Strangler is a sharp departure from the haunting organics of his 2007 collaboration with Aaron Dilloway The Squid, or the texturally overwhelming distortions of his Burning Star Core releases. Instead, The Strangler is about exploration of electronically controlled timing and the meticulous digital manipulation of organic sound.

The opening track, "Escape Artist," is an exercise in madness inducing metronomic timing. Brief and loud hits from several orchestral instruments at once are followed by nerve shattering periods of clicks at perfect intervals. It's the kind of stuff John Cage would have composed if he had owned a time machine.

"Comedy FX" is a brief intermission made up of heavily processed "comedy sounds:" laughter, snare rolls, applause, crowd approval, boings, and horns. Think a mid-70's variety show caught in a malfunctioning blender.

The closing piece on this outing, "The Stranger," is the closest thing Yeh's previous releases you'll find anywhere on the disc. A wiry guitar rings out sharp, seemingly improvised notes, while the reverberation itself is turned into a swirling atmosphere of electronic hiss. Voice also plays a big part here as the guttural groans of a madman are turned to lo-fi sludge in a style that is reminiscent of Bruce Russell's tape manipulations. The entire thing becomes a cave of moans and rattles wrapped in thick reverb and the sound of running water.

Though different from what I have come to expect from C. Spencer Yeh, The Strangler is none the less a brilliant take on electro-acoustic experimentation. I would love to see how this new style of composition translates into live performance.