Category Archives: Switched On

Switched On – Kid Koala: Creatures Of The Late Afternoon (Kid Koala)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Kid Koala is truly a one-off. Not content with making inventive hip hop beats infused with scratching, quirky if well chosen samples and catchy hooks, he matches his music with distinctive visual art.

Such is the case with Music For The Late Afternoon, whose LP is accompanied by a board game. Typically for Koala – real name Eric San – the album tells a selection of stories that move quickly between musical sources.

As with a number of established beat makers, he is amassing a considerable body of work, this being his ninth album.

What’s the music like?

Both psychedelic and charming! There is no limit to the imagination here, with a veritable kitchen sink of riffs, beats and speech samples, but it all comes together just like the colourful animations Kid Koala does so well.

Some of the songs here are crowd scenes, children’s voices calling out mottos on the likes of Things Are Gonna Change, supported by walls of guitar and white noise. 1,000 Towns is a slightly macabre waltz, weird but winsome.

The blasts of musical adrenalin are complemented by slower, thoughtful asides where there is touching vulnerability, or charming and often amusing dialogue, in this case a couple of scenes in a robot hotel.

There is more variety here than on previous records, but plenty of scratching prowess throughout, Koala’s turntable work so subtle that you’ll oftem miss it.

Does it all work?

Yes. As ever there is a lot of fun to be had here, with a lot of musical twists and turns that might reflect a short attention span but keep the listener engaged.

Is it recommended?

Yes. An album that proves energising, touching and celebratory in equal parts. Closing track Til We Meet Again provides the ideal final sentiment, as hopefully Kid Koala will continue in this rich vein of form.

Listen and Buy

Switched On – Passarella Death Squad: What We Are, You Shall Be (Passarella Records)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Thirteen years might seem like an age in music, but Danny Passarella and Emilie Albisser have not been idle since the release of their first album.

As Passarella Death Squad they have established themselves as cutting edge clothing designers in London, following the lead of Andy Warhol’s Factory. Simultaneously they have been busy raising important human rights issues through their RAISE publication.

Though the two have their hands full, music has always been front and centre of their world – and here the duo release their first album since their self-titled opus in 2010.

What’s the music like?

Atmospheric and impressive. Passarella and Albisser make slow burning songs that gradually open out like exotic flowers. Their music crackles with atmosphere, and on cuts like Creatures it sports a strong four to the floor beat to go with a song that grows impressively.

Emilie Albisser’s voice is cool and sometimes deadpan, but it gets the ideal backing with lean, bass-led grooves that bring the work of Gus Gus to mind while maintaining a wholly distinctive voice.

Just Like Sleep is one of the standout songs, a nocturnal lament that is beautifully structured and executed. No Mas has a sharper bass shadowing a semi-operatic vocal, with a recurring theme that gathers momentum as the song kicks into gear.

Often the music sets the scene of a club with very dark corners, exploring ghostly and gothic themes with lyrics that are similarly low in temperature. The title track is a good example of this, Albisser’s voice threatened by a robotic intervention but the music continuing on its coolly detached path.

Does it all work?

Yes. The minimal production gives the songs – and in particular Albisser’s voice – enough room to make a strong impact.

Is it recommended?

It is. A smoky second album to lose yourself in. Make sure you give it several listens to fully cast the spell.

Listen

Buy

Let’s Dance – Various Artists: fabric presents Chaos in the CBD (fabric Records)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The sibling duo Louis and Ben Helliker-Hales, who make up Chaos in the CBD, beam in from New Zealand as the latest contributors to the fabric presents series.

In the process they mark a decade in music, bringing together a set of house music described as ‘creating a tunnel between 1990 and 2007…a timeless listen, condensing the ebbs, flows, gear changes and the feelings that surface during an all-night set experience in 80 minutes.

The idea is to appeal to experienced listeners whose foundations lean heavily on rave music, but also newcomers getting into the genre for the first time.

What’s the music like?

This is a highly enjoyable, fluid mix of music that enjoys a good many twists and turns in its 77 minutes.

Chaos in the CBD are quickly into their stride, setting the scene before hitting a pretty much immediate high with Z-Formation’s Secret Departure. There are some nice lines floated throughout Hanna’s You & Me, where “I can see you in my dreams, you and me”, then some quality nocturnal house from Chris Brann – he of the Wamdue moniker – who contributes the wonderfully chilled Journey To The Centre, complete with airy piano.

We hear the deep Raymond Castoldi cut, into The Jungle, which segues nicely into the quality Tarenah from Psychedelic Research Lab, adding a bit more percussion. By the time Deep Sided‘s Fly You kicks in the vibe is definitely older school rave – and with a riff to match.

The mix roughs up really nicely through the likes of The Element, whose cut Oh You Got Me sounds great in its Deeper Than Deep mix. When Chaos in the CBD themselves surface with Higher Elevation the camera has panned out again, before Dana Kelley and Brothers Of The Underground offer slightly rougher, disco-infused cuts once again.

Musically the mix gets more adventurous the more it moves, and the wandering eye of Blak Beat Niks with Kerri Chandler proves a great listen on I’ll Be There, a Brazilian infused beauty. House music proper reasserts itself for Box Clever and I’ll Eat You (If You Were A Box), then the upfront Raunchy After Dark from Sound Clash Republic. Finally the deepness returns, with the lovely JD Hall and Johnathan Morning effort Into You, by which time the tempo is quite nippy.

Does it all work?

Yes – the brief very much fulfilled, with house music of varying dimensions and depths mixed into a really satisfying whole.

Is it recommended?

It is. Quality deep house is not always easy to find, but there is plenty of it here – and enough to satisfy those whose persuasions head more for the rave or even the jazzy side of things. Recommended!

Listen

Buy

Switched On – Tim Hecker: No Highs (Kranky)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

There is a note of defiance with this new album from Tim Hecker, the Canadian’s eleventh studio long player. It is in effect an anti-record, positioned against what is described as ‘false positive corporate ambient’.

It is meant to be unsettling, a reaction against comfort and calm, and, as the press release calls it, a ‘jagged anti-relaxant for our medicated age, rough-hewn and undefined.’

The No Highs title is borne out by the artwork, and its unremitting shades of grey.

What’s the music like?

Oddly, and perhaps inevitably, there is deep ambience in the musical content of Tim Hecker’s work, but it is pitched in a way that means it is never too comfortable or settled.

As No Highs proceeds, it is a compelling listen, as Hecker has carefully shaded his work in response to the subject matter. There is certainly an unnerving tone to the long-breathed electronic sighs of Monotony, though an ideal contrast to this can be found on tracks like Winter Cop, which adds warmer tones, and even Monotony II, where the saxophone of Colin Stetson comes into its own. He plays a beautiful soliloquy that builds rather like a murmuration, turning this way and that against the spacious backdrop.

Sometimes Hecker’s approach is contrary, the result being that a track like Anxiety is actually quite calming in its own drawn-out way. Meanwhile the extended Lotus Light, which flickers intermittently at the start, pulses with activity once it gets going.

Does it all work?

It does. Although darkly shaded, Hecker’s music has an authority that is rare to music of this tempo and instrumentation.

Is it recommended?

It is. This is indeed a sound musical riposte to the ambient ‘muzak’ that can be found in a lot of areas currently

Listen

Buy

Switched On – James Holden: Imagine This Is A High Dimensional Space Of All Possibilities (Border Community)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Four albums down, James Holden is showing another side to his artistry. Holden has always been closely associated with electronic music, but this instalment finds him looking to recreate what rave music was about in the early 1990s.

To do that he has in tandem a fleet of classic analogue synthesizers, and has personalized his approach with recordings of the young Holden on violin and piano.

What’s the music like?

The wordy title is a homage both to rave classics of the time but also brings to mind early Pink Floyd or 1970s Krautrock excursions. All are present in Holden’s music, though he keeps well away from derivative writing, instead bringing through riffs that are fresh, vital and energetic.

It is a big but wholly enjoyable album, one that goes back to first principles in making music for enjoyment, pure and simple. You Are In A Clearing is evidence of that, referring to some of the work Steve Hillage has done with System 7. Like Hillage, Holden gets his synths to talk, sometimes with dolphin-like keening noises, other times with soaring arpeggios.

The young Holden gets his look-in on Contains Multitudes, a longer expression of musical warmth where the violin and piano recordings complement the synths. Worlds Collide Mountains Form also uses the violin, though here it acts of a drone with a dubby bass for company. Common Land occupies similar ground, returning to the early Ibiza triumphs of 808 State for inspiration.

Does it all work?

It does. It may be a long album, but the high dimensional space does indeed realise all possibilities.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically. This is a joyous homage not just to early 1990s rave but also the more fantastical end of 1970s Krautrock – and yet James Holden makes the album even more than a sum of those parts. A wonderful and essential album that somehow works.

Listen

Buy