So, if I say that the Paul W Teebrooke LP ÔConnectionsÕ reminds me of why I first fell in love with electronic whatever, you might get the gist of what IÕm say8ing, and whilst IÕve no qualms in invoking Black Dog, Autechre, Speedy G and that Warp electronic listening series IÕd rather say ÔConnectionsÕ captures something thatÕs been in short supply in the world of electronica lately. LetÕs be honest! As great at the Photek LP may be, like ÔEntroducingÕ itÕs merely an act of consolidation rather that the great leap forward and, inexorably, the highlights are the previous yearÕs ÔHidden CameraÕ cuts. Yet, ÔModus OperandiÕ is still several light years ahead of the rest, except As One and Paul W Teebrooke, though you could be excused for not noticing! Released on Kirk (As One) DigeorgioÕs Op-Art label, ÔConnectionsÕ is the work of Steve Picton, who you maybe know as Stasis, suppliers of the sublime highlights of Mo WaxÕs ÔExcursionsÕ series, and who you should know provided the best LP of 1996 in ÔFrom The Old To The NewÕ. ÔConnectionsÕ continues exploring in the same way, subtly surprising in its beats and arrangements. Nothing sinister or too oblique, just warming in its fresh feel and approach. The best LP of 1997? Perhaps, although I guess it would have to be either the Sea And Cake or Luscious Jackson, with either of the two As One LPs as outside bets.

I know I have perhaps not been keeping my ears as close to the ground, or at least that particular place, but I do not seem to be catching so much stirring music and, well, I always want more than music. That has been the appeal of Mo Wax, and give Ôem their dues for Õ97 was worth it for the Liquid Liquid compilation and As OneÕs ÔPlanetary FolkloreÕ. Now, Chain Reaction has caught me. I cannot pretend to be up to scratch with the labelÕs precursor Basic Channel, although I do love the mysterious compilation CD and the sense that youÕre trying to hear something thatÕs not even there. As compelling and confusing as some free jazz or punkÕs outer limits, and as disorientating and unsettling. The best aspects seem to be embodied in the Various ArtistsÕ ÔDecay ProductÕ CD in the labels generic metal tin. So, again, that connection back to punk rock and PIL. There was a brilliant Bobby Gillespie quote recently, bemoaning the stranglehold of corporate concerns and the dearth (though not death) of imagination, though acknowledging that there is always hope while thereÕs kids making strange noises in their bedrooms or their garages. He could have been referring to BerlinÕs Various Artists, a young guy with a name like J. Alfred Prufrock who has put together a sensual, scouring selection of sounds which will take some beating. In keeping with the Basic Channel tradition, there is a swing from disembodied techno through to spacious echo caverns where the silence is only disturbed by clicks which may just be the imagination playing tricks. Where VA truly succeeds is on the middle ground of ÔmeltedÕ with its dislocated rhythm and rolling repetition which would not sound out of place on a Stasis record, and on ÔErosion 2Õ where the Jamaican Ô70s dub vision is updated for a late night small town walk home. ÔDecay ProductÕ is essential and only slightly less so is VainquerÕs ÔElevationsÕ, the work of Rene Lowe, another alchemist who looks like an escapee from A Certain Ratio when they were The ones exploring rhythms and sounds, scratching around for something new. Vainquer, who was responsible for Basic Channel classic ÔLyotÕ, proffers a more direct split between upbeat minimal excursions, disquieting enough, and sound sculptures which are dark and dense, full of foreboding. The strangeness and spaces are all the more striking now that everything seems so overstated and elaborate. Track down these CDs, play them alongside Tortoise and Suicide and the new Impulse! reissues. I think itÕs good to hang onto the sense of why you needed to listen to music in the first place, but just remember that you donÕt need to keep on listening to the same old sounds.

Kevin Pearce. March 1998.