MK Stop 30: Muttley & nrvnet - Transference

“Transference” is the result of the first collaboration between fellow mixtape creators Muttley & nrvnet. Transference began as an exercise in association. Muttley started rummaging through his monthly archives one day, for tracks with titles that suggested an action of transference in the composition of a message. Given the biggest percentage of his collection consisted of beatless audio, the rigidity of tune choices remained, but the limitations decreased.

Influenced by the low-high penchant of groups like Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the consequential recording clocked in at 12 minutes, featuring dense soundwalls from Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd, Beef Terminal, Bitcrush and Broadway Project; going from tranquil piano motifs to a downtempo behemoth.

During this period, fellow ambient mixtape maker nrvnet had contributed two sets to the "15 Minutes Of Fame" mix series. Muttley emailed nrvnet to ask whether he'd like to collaborate on a joint mix. With passion for the cause, both were obliged, and an ongoing conversation was established. The result that you see today is an 83-minute exploration into soundscapes, ambiences, crescendos, and, critically, a bucket-load of emotional credence.

Muttley and nrvnet contributed three sections each following a guideline of 10-15 minute sections. Upon completion of a section, the completed piece was “transferred” to the other. The piece went back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean several times until the message was complete. We won't tell you who did what--that's up to you to decide. The piece represents a conversation between people—both literally and figuratively. It also reflects a transference of state—from quiet to loud; from ambience to dissonance; from drift to beat. What Muttley provides in unconventional selections, nrvnet matches with tapestries of sounds. Transference will be cross-posted at Muttley’s Subversion blog and nrvnet’s Hydrogen Cafe blog.

It was an honour for Muttley and nrvnet to engage in this musical conversation together. We hope this transference of sound will be enjoyable.

- Muttley & nrvnet, October, 2009


D O W N L O A D S (right click, save link as):

Transference MP3 (83:27) (320k) (200 mb)
Artwork (800k Zip file)

TRACKLISTING

01 - Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd - Hidden Message
02 - Beef Terminal - Passing Secrets Through The Window
03 - Bitcrush - Prologue
04 - Broadway Project - Message From The East
05 - Porcupine Tree - Russia On Ice (excerpt)
06 - Andrey Kiritchenko - Let Oneself In
07 - The Radio Dept. - Gibraltar
08 - Amusement Parks on Fire - So Mote It Be
09 - Radiohead - Meeting in the Aisle
10 - The Caretaker - Unmasking Alzheimer’s
11 - Skare - To The Other Shore
12 - Emma Cora - Parcels Carrier
13 - Milton Cross - First There Came A Letter From A Tree
14 - Helios - Signed I Wish You Well
15 - Porcupine Tree - Metonia Pt 1; Mesmer Pt 3 (excerpts)
16 - The Gentleman Losers - Weed Garden
17 - Jónsi & Alex - All the Big Trees
18 - Max Richter - lonosphere
19 - Arca - Baixa
20 - Jacaszek - Orszula
21 - Con Cetta vs. Antartica - Thank You
22 - Stars Of The Lid - A Meaningful Moment Through A Meaningless Process
23 - The Alpha Rhythm - Escape Velocity
24 - Peter Broderick - Something Has Changed
25 - Hreda - Knowing How To Carry
26 - Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I (02)
27 - Underworld - Pizza for Eggs (excerpt)
28 - Archive - LeMans
29 - The Last Days - Nightlight
30 - Auburn Lull - Blur My thoughts Again

FIELD RECORDINGS

01 - Marek Brandt - Versailles Castle
02 - John Tenny - French Quarter Walk
03 - Figowitz - Kantine01
04 - Cognito Perceptu - AM Band Static
05 - Stomp - Factory X Operatios
06 - Sal Randolph - Grand Central Station
07 - Connum - Bakery in a German Train Station

"When that transference between beings does occur it is the result of some very strong unbroken karmic connection from the past." - the Dalai Lama

MK Stop 29: Simian Mobile Disco @ 02 Academy, Oxford (6th October 2009)

I arrive at the Academy pretty generically to electronica club nights: there’s DJs, dancing and beats. Associated with 4/4 purveyors Slide, slamming electro gets the floor moving at heaving capacity. A black curtain is removed to unveil Simian Mobile Disco’s master contraption: two keyboards and a mass of effects units. Applause showers down as SMD take position. I’m ready to sample their danceability.

SMD, in the stadium-grandiosity stakes, make Tiesto sound like new generation Basil Brush: overtly politically correct; out of time. Hyping the crowd, raising their hands, SMD fidget around the machinery, rocking horizontally and vertically, dripping with sweat. Think two bedroom DJs mixing at a peak of concentration and enjoyment.

Seamlessly blending tracks from “Temporary Pleasure”, alongside more electro stompers, SMD’s stage setup is slightly disengaged from view. Paradoxically this centres the focus on the music and SMD equally. Meddling with the FX to crank up the bass, filter and phasers, SMD stick to a highly rational template, where breakdowns, and tempo shifts are bars of candy for the punters.

When SMD’s conservatism risks losing me, it’s rectified by pure adrenalin. Trainspotting welcomes fresh sounds (the majority) and familiar. Take “Cruel Intentions’”: female vox not to give the lover the wrong idea, whereas the Daft Punk-cum-Landscape stylings of “Audacity Of Huge” at 45 minutes of 90, gives great ideas. The euphoria feels like three mini-festivals rolled into one, and all from producers of hackeneyed bands like Arctic Monkeys.

To non-discerning media, dance music is a sterile commodity, being regurgitated in kitsch lengths of 4-7 minutes, needing to be sifted through by those with taste. What SMD lack is the dynamics of live performance. Unlike 2ManyDJs and James Zabiela, who loop, remix on the fly, and flag spontaneity, the set is like a journey on a single track road with no junctions. Considering one of the duo has his back to the room, it reads “programmed” / “pre-planned” in neon lettering. Nevertheless, SMD came, saw, and conquered. And I, for one, would like to go back for seconds.

Simian Mobile Disco: website
Download: "Temporary Pleasure" on eMusic
Simian Mobile Disco: MySpace

MK Stop 28: Zu + Dr Slaggleberry + Drunkenstein @ The Wheatsheaf, Oxford (4th October 2009)

Following their stellar showing at The Bully the week before, Drunkenstein get things rolling like a landslide. Imagine gentle tumbleweed turning suddenly into a boulder. If you asked Neil Armstrong how to control it, he'd probably tell you to put a flag on it; an ant would advise you to run for your life. But tonight's crowd aren't fazed; a couple even put their dancing boots on. Without showboating, Drunkenstein edge towards Pink Floyd on a slower tune, undergoing percussive reinforcement all the while, as if desiring to Connect Four. Ace stuff.

Despite white masks concealing their identities, the next act, Dr Slaggleberry, are a sonically multicoloured, highly dextrous three-piece. Songs hasten with incessant drum salvos, and slow down in squalls. Bracing, emotionally unkempt math-rock is sprayed with instrumental metal magic. When the music verges on fracturing, Slaggleberry regroup and lay a stoner glaze over the core. Their set is relatively short, but if anything that guarantees greater impact.

The band hotly tipped tonight are Zu, but is it worth the wait? Successful hardcore is like a game of Twister. Instead of treading on each other's toes, you create heated geometry, where peaks are only restricted by parts already present, and troughs have to find alternative routes. Conversely, Zu are so mechanical I was expecting WD40 intervention. Stymied by long foreplay between drums and guitar, their product shapes up more as Evian than hard water on tap; free of impurities, but consequently bland.

It's only when they take a subversive initiative that they shine. As a hyperactive Tool, they blend oddball fusions, sometimes somewhere on the road to Squarepusher's later, rockist moments. Grooves dodge complacency like running through revolving doors on a 100 metres sprint. Then during a languid duel session Zu stop for a second to realise the PA is rambling. If they could always be as unpredictable, then it'd be hats off.

Zu: MySpace
Dr Slaggleberry: MySpace
Drunkenstein: MySpace

MK Stop 27: HQ Presents: Commix + Data @ The Cellar, Oxford (25th September 2009)

If nights had attire made to symbolise them, HQ would be a waistcoast and faded jeans: appealing enough to present to your gran, but not lacking the functionality and freedom for a traditional knees-up. The idyllic apprehension of contemporary drum & bass events would be that those who wandered, and are lost from the non-mainstream (and non-conformist) could find their path and recoil a love for the genre they abandoned. The onset of UK Garage disconnected many heads from the genre in the late nineties, while certain producers left or crossed over. The subsequent demise of experimental labels (think Partisan, Reinforced) and the loss of large imprint backing (Virgin, Talkin' Loud, etc), with Goldie's "Timeless" breaking musical boundaries, means that those jaded have a lot to remember that was superior to the wasteland characteristic of drum & bass today. HQ represent to fix and fuse.

The current measurements are high attendance, newer names integral to the growth of minimalist d&b getting booked, however a small scope of artists for consideration. Underexposed talent is difficult to pin down, and takes time to be recognised. Furthermore, not every producer is a DJ, and those who are could be too inexperienced to support main acts, or headline themselves. Inherently, also, the likelihood is they'll have made a small pool of tunes to present - for fear of tripping up into a mixing trainwreck - or will be looking to push their own productions (most fresh out the studio) so they get more bookings. It's an interesting argument: do you let the "real" DJs masquerade, or compromise the art of set-building for exclusive content to your night? HQ have the balance locked down well: treated by resident DJs Azonica and Chemical to the might of Photek and Source Direct, they return to the 90s, so that for old school heads attending, the evening is not consigned to the category of nonsensical.

The warm-up becomes honey mixed with dynamite. With The Cellar's system now enhanced, these tracks sound glorious. "Ready on the left, ready on the right?" asks Danny Breaks' "Firing Line (Origin Unknown Remix)". I had my appetite whetted for Data. Deep pads harness congruent wholeness, before powering like a steam train into 170bpm bliss. Hypnotic and arresting, the subs really are a peach. Data's "The Enemy Within" rattles the ribcage at 15 minutes in, coming off like the lovechild of Decoder and Surgeon. Thumping bass pressure coalesces with crafty edits and seasick synth growls. The mixing is tight and energetic, a perfect accompaniment to the dancefloor enthusiasts. The militancy is almost frightening, but maintains a sedation thanks to a sparse usage of the elements. The trend of minimalism in d&b is not a token-to-2009 affair; Deep Blue was championing the theories in 1999, but with the introduction of Cylon and their online mixtapes, it seems more and more are perceiving drum & bass as best in its barest essentials, a possible reaction to the stadium rock & bass that is prevalent in the scene. Pendulum swam into the covers of Kerrang! by it, lest we forget.

Data takes the ventures down low and guests are surely appreciative. It's his second stop at HQ and there's a marked improvement in cohesiveness tonight. There are echoes of circa "Piper" Jonny L present. The beats: sharp like razor blades, the bass piercing, comparatively to Azonica's selection, there's not much for the hips to cling onto. Data is expressionless throughout, a robot commanding cyber-domination with an entourage of tech-steppin' mercenaries. Whilst all this is going on, MC Manikular hosts measured, knowing when to shut up and let the beats talk.

Representing Cambridge, Commix have succumb to internet reviews that they look miserable behind the decks when they play out. Tonight they're making an effort, bopping while twiddling knobs. They hold my attention with sparkling melodies. It would be crass to say they plod, but unlike Data, there's not a lot of variation to compensate the raggedy steppers; no half-time, space trapped by rumbling blasts of bass. Legible rewinds aside, they could do with an injection of serotonin to offset the regimentation.

The success of an HQ night belongs to subtlety, not monotony. If you're a punter who's never listened to d&b before, you'd be advised to come for the full duration to sample a wide range of styles that could appear offensive with short exposure. Home listeners crave plenty of variety while not sacrificing musical content. HQ excites its fanbase by booking DJs who feed off the crowd, letting in MCs who compliment the music, playing classics from years gone by, siphoning dubs as unknown quantities, and applying consistency to all of the aforementioned. Watch out for the October 30th all-nighter with d&b legend Doc Scott.

HQ: MySpace
Data: MySpace
Commix: MySpace

MK Stop 26: Drunkenstein + The Wookies + Secret Rivals @ The Bullingdon, Oxford (24 September 2009)

Waiting, anticipation, dread – everyone’s parameters for stop and start are different, and who has the ability to wait the right length anyway? It could be down to chance, or transpire from attunement to your surroundings. Whatever. Secret Rivals enter in a pleasingly swift manner at tonight’s Moshka bill. Walls of noise-pop traverse elegiac guitars at angst-punk tempos. Cascading riffs accumulate friction, then fly with the female vocalist into an accelerated fray. Secret Rivals rock out, but there’s a degree of sameness to each song. Now and again the interest levels lift, but it’s only an occasional novelty in the face of better bands I've seen.

“We are a dark, broody band with a happy aftertaste,” say The Wookies, after Secret Rivals head offstage. Beginning with equal parts keyboard rigidity and melodic simplicity, there’s certainly no nightmare in their showing, even if, as the drummer proclaims, “Dreams are all I’ve got to give you”. Their second tune harbours a fairground-ride crossed with spaghetti western soundtrack. When balancing gruff vocals with soaring riffage and percussive tidal waves, they breathe gulps of air through the line-up. Recklessness is always counterbalanced by order, fighting prog ghosts but never losing touch with reality. I have a feeling this is a glimpse of a band on its way to great things.

True to their name, headline act Drunkenstein are a monstrous gothic hybrid of bands one and two with five cans of cider. Mikes are a prop for many a performer, but none more savage than punks at their most downtrodden, which is what Drunkenstein come across as at least. Concentration and vagueness are not mutually exclusive, but are handled with deft precision, the band cooking up measured heaviosity. Combined with the singing, which has a surprising theatrical quality, their entertainment is like a bath of ice: chilling, fragmented and demanding a careful touch. They say they “stayed up all night practicing”, and it shows.

But where’s the audience, I wonder. There are barely a dozen heads to count. Nevertheless, for those few in attendance, Moshka have provided a sure-fire winner.

Secret Rivals: MySpace
The Wookies: MySpace
Drunkenstein: MySpace

MK Stop 25: Muttley - Lost In Thought (Subvert Central Podcast 045)

01. Svarte Greiner – The Black Dress (from the album “Knive” – Type)
02. Brian Mcbride – Silent Motels (from the album “When The Detail Lost Its Freedom” – Kranky)
03. Renderizors – Stranger At Your Party (Band version) (from the album “Submarine” – Last Visible Dog)
04. Jasper Leyland – Taken (from the album “Carbon Series Volume 5” -12X50)
05. Marcus Schmickler – Cue (from the album “Param” – A-Musik)
06. The Drift – Nozomi (from the album “Ceiling Sky” – Temporary Residence)
07. Robert Haigh – Lost On A Train (from the album “Notes And Crossings” – Siren)
08. Burial – Night Bus (from the album “Burial” – Hyperdub)
09. Dario Antonelli – ZX-21 Part 1 (from the album “Zaum Vol.1” – Psychonavigation Records)
10. Eluvium – I Am So Much More Me That I Am Perfectly You (from the album “Lambent Material” – Temporary Residence)
11. Stars Of The Lid – Requiem For Dying Mothers Pt.2 (from the album “The Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid” – Kranky)
12. Burial – UK (from the album “Untrue” – Hyperdub)

“Lost In Thought”: dedicated to my mother, whom I have left home from, to build ledges of ascension, with my old place of residence.

Download

Any feedback much appreciated. :)