January-February 2000Since you're reading this column I am going to assume that the Y2K computer "bug" didn't screw everything up and that the dawn of 1-1-00 didn't greet The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Everyone breathe that heavenly sigh of relief, a-a-ah! 2000 is, strictly speaking, the last year of the 20th century not the first of the 21st which will commence the 3rd millennium. Most people have been convinced by the popular media that this is the "millennium," whatever that is supposed to convey. There are still twelve months until the end of the 21st century and the onset of the 3rd millennium A.D. Since this, early, new millennium mania is unavoidable I will forego the logical and encapsule the contemporary underground music millennium. The mere overview of any genre of music from the 20th century would fill volumes. This column will touch bases with the last few decades, or so, of what I have experienced to be the "underground." Underground music began with the emergence of the "punk" and "new wave" scenes in the budding 70s. These terms were not synonymous. "Punk" music was always loud, frantic, distorted, visceral, and guitar based. Such bands as The Sex Pistols, Generation X, Stiff Little Fingers, Da Ramones, Dead Kennedys, Germs, Black Flag, and The Offs all conveyed that corporeal side of the underground music experience from the 70s known as "punk." Kraftwerk, The Talking Heads, Devo, Magazine, Wire, Television, Suicide, the Patti Smith Group, and Tuxedo Moon are a few that represented the cerebral-arty underground experience know as "new wave." New Wave would have more refined instrumentation, often accented by some kind of synth keyboards, and thought-provoking lyrics sung in a quirky new style if possible. Both forms did their job prying open the tight butt cheeks of what "60s rock" had become -- excluding my home-boys The MC5 and The Stooges of course. The B-52s began then and they were a genre all their own, Yoko Ono channeling the Shang Ra-Las on acid with really good beats that anyone could dance to, timeless. The other, equally important, side of the 70s underground musical coin was the emergence of "disco." This music had a divergence not unlike the "punk-new wave" scene. In the case of disco one faction mutated from origins rooted in "funk" and "soul," the other was an accessible, commercial progression from the budding "electronic" genre pioneered by the likes of Soft Machine, Klaus Schultz, and Tangerine Dream. In this scenario both sides were based on an undeniable sexual pulse that would continue to fuel club music to this day. "Funky" disco brought "bass" to the forefront, "soul-ful" vocal deliveries in tow. Groups like Earth Wind & Fire, Chic, First Choice, and Salsoul Orchestra were a few that ruled that roost and are being re-issued, re-mixed, and repackaged to this day because of their timeless quality. "Electronic" disco exposed new music technology to an ever-growing audience with mostly obscure, stilted vocals. Certainly performers like Telex, Cerrone, Sparks are familiar to all now, but in their day they were considered the utmost in underground and "weird." There were hybrid exceptions such as Giorgio Moroder with Donna Summer and Patrick Cowley with Sylvester, certainly the Godfathers and Godmothers (you match the hats) of contemporary club music. As the 80s reared its head most of what would be considered underground was geared and steered by then current technological advancements in synthetic sound. "Synth" music was part of or dominated most offerings from the underground of the 80s. Two names must be mentioned first in describing the underground music of the 80s: Yello and Cabaret Voltaire. Neither group ever surfaced above the "underground" to a mass listener audience, but their impact on music was like a shot heard on headphones 'round the world. Yello and Cabaret Voltaire, along with the indomitable Kraftwerk created the primer for house and techno music. This power trio of producers also inspired an endless list of upcoming,"synth" groups, Depeche Mode, Heaven 17, D.A.F, Human League, Soft Cell, and Yazoo to name just a few. 80s "synth" music was not always meant to be "pretty." When the most savvy and creative artists dug deep, the outcome would be daring "experiments," and so "uneasy listening" music was born. This was represented by many fine musicians such as Throbbing Gristle, Non, DNA, Zev, and diva Diamanda Galas. Another mutation in this sub-genre of "experimental" music were the classic "industrial" groups, S.P.K., Einsturzende Neubaten, and Test Department. These pioneers created music that would usually include percussion supplied by found objects and various power tools. This "teutonic"-inspired music planted many seeds that would later become the hardcore "techno" music of today. While the forefront of underground music was dominated by the aforementioned artists there were some innovators in Chicago and New York City that began to work a new fusion of disco coupled with the beats and bass lines from Yello, Cabaret Voltaire, and Kraftwerk. House music was born and lives on to dominate club music. David Mancuso had his "Loft" and Larry Levan was the Paradise Garage, both of them enabled house music and nurtured the new "baby" through its infancy. Both these venues were the ultimate parties and the last stop for the fashionable, intense drug use that partly inspired house. Today such a claim is the utmost of "un-PC," but it was a big part of the inspiration to extend and pump up music that would be played usually into Sunday afternoons. No one could possibly dance for twelve hours on fruit juice. In this case the ends justified the ever-so-popular means. Keep in mind that the music played at both these venues and the "outposts" in the various other metropolitan areas was not house as we know it. (The first true house records were released from late 1985 on.) Any danceable music was fair game and any budding "house DJ" would mix it up with rock, new wave, disco, funk, soul, hip-hop, you name it. The original intention for the term "garage" was the wide variety of music genres original offered at the Paradise Garage and at the Loft. The first acknowledged house tracks were released on Trax Records and DJ International; both were in Chicago and opened their doors after 1985. Frankie Knuckles & Jamie Principle ("Baby Wants To Ride"/"Your Love), Jesse Saunders ("On And On 117"/"Fantasy" with Screamin' Rachel) , Marshall Jefferson ("I've Lost Control" and the first acid house "Acid Tracks" as Phuture), Adonis ("No Way Back"), Pierre, Steve "Silk" Hurley ("Jack Your Body," "Music Is The Key" as JM Silk) these are some of the very first house artists and their first tracks made and they can stand the test of time. The 90s underground produced some of the best club music ever etched into wax, with more new genres and sub-genres than one can count. Except for the occasional exception, 90s underground club music was skillfully crafted fusions of the previous two decades. There is trance, techno, hardcore, tech-house, filtered house, tribal house, 2 step-house, garage, speed-garage, progressive-house, alternative house, break-beat, trip-hop, drum & bass and each of these have several sub-genres under them that can be traced back to the basic root genres. Don't get me wrong, this is a very good thing that has been augmented by some inspiring advancements in the mechanisms used to make the music of today. As we near the new year I can see music from the 80s as the next major focus to be drawn from, replacing the well worn disco loop. Throughout most of the 90s we all shunned the extraordinary music and artists from the 80s. Maybe it had an undeniable power or a uniqueness that set it apart and was immediately dated. The 80s kept most of us waiting for the "next big thing" to impress us. That state of jadedness made the late 80s a ruthless testing ground, from which few survived. Many of today's artists (and DJs) grew up with that music as a major part of their influences and their love for the 80s has just started to emerge. LAYO & BUSHWACKA! "Low Life" on Mr.C's End Recordings, UK, wraps up 1999 very neatly. Written and produced by Layo Paskin and Matthew "Bushwacka" B. This fine set is destined to spawn even more singles than the three already circulating. Bushwacka is a studio engineer of the highest caliber having worked with the finest in the underground (Shamen, Derrick Carter, Eddie Fowlkes, Sneak, Stacey Pullen) and is engaged full time at The End's 48 track studio. He also manages to keep the releases flowing from his own Plank Records. See how a first class engineer in a group can bolster the quality of the overall sound with fine details deftly interwoven throughout, as they are on "Low Life." The first single lifted, "Deep South" b/w "Dead Man Walking," is a perfect introduction to the full LP. "Deep South" is a heavily bass-driven house roller, permeated with the ambience of a smoky jazz club. Vocals fade in and out from a "Big Mama Thorton"-type singer that's been there, "hey all you sinners, gather cause, satan's waitin' for y'all, better get your soul wiped white, better see the light, amen, amen." Amen! "Dead Man Walking" begins with what sounds very much like a "Bill" Burroughs (gotta love it!) sample that's been through a processor and quickly kicks into a very funky, cinematic breaks affair. Orchestra stabs and very eery sci-fi styled synth washes are framed by crisply honed metallic beats. Title track "Low Life" (featuring Robert Owens' lyrics and vocals) is appropriately on the dark side with Owens doing his surly spoken word style delivery. Owens' vocal is actually downplayed to an alto sax that carries the melody and drives the track. "Ear Candy" is the newest single to arrive and is most effective with its stripped down minimal approach. Layers of interesting percussive elements are featured. Many distinct, but subtle, effects weave in and out, keeping the listener's attention. I am looking forward to these tracks as upcoming single releases: "Chapter One," "Spooked," drum & bass "Perfect Storm," and the languid and deranged "Brass." My personal choice would be "Kusekhaya." Totally insane tropical tribal drumming interplays with a chanting chorus and enticing sighs that sweep in and around your head. Following the deserved success of his Good Looking "Earth" series LTJ Bukem unleashed the sister imprint COOKIN' RECORDS. Cookin' embraces the chilled, easy-tempo styling that originated on the "Earth" projects but is focused on the genre and gives it the love to excel. "Soul Food" is a delicious buffet of thirteen entrees that will certainly sate the most discriminating musical gourmet's palette. The casual listener should not dismiss this label or this fine release, expecting easy- or down-tempo to equate to an unsavory pablum. This is a jazzy, soulful, funked-up spice-y stew that uses tasty samples from the cornucorpia of many worlds of music. Blame, Odyssey, Bjorn, Artemis and Blu Mar Ten perform exemplary drum & bass for Good Looking Records, here they will taunt you with their sophisticated versatility by turning in complex, intriguing tracks that are a highlight of "Soul Food." Intersperse, Vincent, Flying Fish, Architex, Longers, and house-heads K-Scope hold their own with equally compelling offerings. Here are some great releases that shop;uld be in your crates; ANGEL MOON "He's All I Want" V2, MASUPHEADZ "Magic Potion" Plank Records, FRED EVERYTHING "Revolution," ISLAND KNIGHTS "Fresh Connections" & MURRAY RICHARDSON "Dazed & Confused" all three on 20/20 Vision, J.A.W.S. "Booty & Tha Beats" Push Pull, CYLOB "Living In The 1980s/Sex Machine" Rephlex, DERBEE "Lucky Joy" Tempo X, PETE MOSS "Softshoe EP" Ovum, POVI "Dragonflies -Uberzone remix" Nettwerk America, EMILIANA TORRINI (diva in waiting) "Baby Blue" One Little Indian, BUSTA FUNK "Funkyllennium" Funky Tone and GENTLEMAN THIEF (aka Justin Robertson) "Jam The Channel" on Master Detective. Send review material to: |