unkle - psyence fiction
a rock album with hip-hop grooves. the hype around this was incredible. the packaging is mo-wax par excellence - and i have the basic version ! and the lp is great. got praised/slagged depending on who was listening at the time. but looking back i find this a complete refresher course on why hip-hop grooves where most rock doesn't. the guest appearances almost overshadow the tracks due to the fact that many of the vocalists became huge between making the tracks and the tracks actually getting released eg richard ashcroft. the music is by dj shadow and just show the brilliance the guy has when given the desk/sampler/studio to play with. the vibe is fairly deep, its not a party album, there are no jiggy hip-hop tracks, in fact some tracks are downright dark in style, but this just makes the whole thing more listenable like a rock lp.
a stunning 60 mins
do androids dream of electric beats.
3 cd's of complete sonic madness. no longer a dj shadow/james lavelle project unkle has now moved away from the hip-hop sounds per se and gone into something much more interesting (if possible !). new recruit richard file has redefined the edginess and obviously awakened lavelles devil may care attitude to music making.
this is a cut-n-paste mixtape epic.
following on from coldcuts long reigning classic, and bentley rhythms aces' misunderstood genius (ie fsuk3 .. a very worthy contender), and of course, the modern masterprice of protools trickery by 2 many dj's, unkle dont pamper to electroclash fads, or tried and tested and failed d-n-b jazzness but instead just throw it all down to a funky groove and let the animal live its own life. sometimes it rocks, sometimes it glows but it always flows ..
research indicates that this was originally a 500 limited run, but there are now bootlegs reaily available or a strange licensing avoidance thing is going on as this was in my local corporate record shop. the packaging is still supreme even if it is a bootleg, with its easily recognisable futura2000 artwork and complete absence of tracklisting making this even more fun as you have no idea where you are going. excellent.
though the tracklisting can be found its more fun without.
i cannot describe the brilliance contained within the three and half hours, highlights are too many, the unkle retake of queens of the stoneage, the incorporation of the bladerunner theme, the twisted crapness of the star wars theme, the pounding electrobeats, and the swoonsome mellowness of ian brown/unkle classics , and so it goes on .. and on.. melding well known epics with fresh new sounds...
if you see this i cannot tell you how essential this is if you are in need of a beat propelled shot of originality. lets hope the new unkle album proper keeps the vibes at mean and tight.
greatness abounds.
interesting title. interesting new style.
as with sigue sigue sputnik the second unkle lp there is a definite 'this time its the music' feel to this lp, whereas sputnik hyped the first lp on ultraviolence and advert breaks, unkle were predestined for a fallout with the media whatever the first lp brought, this time though there is no white heat focus on the dj shadow masterpiece as desired so feverishly previously. instead, james lavelle has teamed up with a well established studio boffin, multi-instrumentalist richard file. james has obviously decided to exploit the skills and new studio techno sonic toys available to the max, as this lp sounds fantastic. while i know there are some rather splendid guests on the second unkle lp proper, the hype has been far more minimal.
gone are the sonic collisions of rap and rock being fused via shadows deft sampling. gone are the surreal cutup vocals, gone are the noisy interludes. instead these tricks are replaced by a clean coherent polished studio based dance groove. epic in nature and rich in detail, with layers and layers to peel off with each extra listen.
i'm sure the tag 'all style. no substance' will be wheeled out elsewhere by those who view james lavelle as some kind of aural con artist, whereas, i believe james is a music head, pure and simple. read the sleevenotes/interview for the global underground mix and this becomes very obvious. i suspect that he has seperated each musical path into its own identifiable brand. lavelle has clearly defined his new roles for each of his favoured sounds. there are the solo dj slots where he explores all varieties of house music (hear his global underground mix for evidence), then there's the mashup/sample madness crush collision of the unklesounds mixes with all genres pushed through the hip-hop/big beat blender, and, now there is unkle mk2. smooth, bassy, deep, mellow, intimidating, unsettling.
opening with a spooky speech, and diving into soon-to-be classic single 'eye for an eye' with its insanely catchy looped acoustic guitar riff this track has a grandiose build up and doesn't let up for another 5 minutes. having seen the accompanying movie i know that this carries a weighty message, not lightweight entertainment. but, highly addictive nonetheless. next comes the downfall of the lp. 'in a state' built around a routine ibeefa-chillout kind of groove, this track would not stand out on daytime radio1. i want unkle to be anything but a pleasantly nice, but rather ineffectual dance track. however, closer listening on headphones reveals a stomping bassline set against the smoothness. ah ha, mani. all becomes clear. a definite grower.
other highlights include the menacing bassline opening to 'safe in mind' recalling fellow politico-dub-warriors massive attack, of whom 3d actually appears later on, next we're falling into a bladerunner-esque montage of synths and sci-fi voiceovers evoking atmospheric paranoia, and then calming nerves into 'what are you to me' with its revisitation of acoustic guitars over a summery vibe. but, the mood is quicky darkened once more by 'panic attack' with its quasi-religious vocals and imposing jittery basssynth line, vocals from the aforementioned 3d add to the denseness. but, my personal unkle fave is 'reign', featuring long time collaborator ian brown along with his old pal mani - all talents concerned are set to maximum stun. bass throbs, beats rock, strings are epic as ever, and ian is riding the sonic groove like it is the end of the world. i'm hooked.
overall, the lp has a far more complete feel than its big brother, despite its lack of rough edges, i know that this one will be rattling my bassbins for years to come.
stunning.
link - unofficial. but information rich.
link - official. no doubt, will look great.