04'02

The first All Tomorrow’s Parties was held in Camber Rye, East Sussex, in April 2001. Curated by Chicago’s finest erudites, Tortoise, the three-day festival saw performances by artists as diverse as Autechre, Prefuse 73, Yo La Tango, Tortoise, Boards Of Canada, Cannibal Ox, Television or Lambchop. Testament of this unique event, All Tomorrow’s Parties 1.0 encompassed the very essence of the event. After being postponed due to the events of 11 September, Los Angeles, CA, saw the second edition finally taking take place between 15 and 17 March 2002, with the third one scheduled to take place over two weekends in April 2002 back in Camber Rye. The line up for the LA edition, curated by rock heroes Sonic Youth included performances from Aphex Twin, Bardo Pond, Cat Power, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Peaches, Stereolab, Fennesz and many more. All Tomorrow’s Parties 1.1 features brilliant recordings by Sonic Youth (Fauzhemians), Unwound (Behold The Salt), Stereolab (Old Lungs), Cannibal Ox (Pidgeon) or the lengthy (10 minutes and 55 seconds of chaotic energy) Super Now by Boredoms, and offers some of the most contemporary sounds in rock and hip-hop today. “If you don’t dig it, you’re probably braindead – or a narrow minded uptight sycophantic motherfucker at least” claims the press release of Lo Recordings’s latest collection of heteroclite numbers. The London based label has got us used to mixing genres in style, with a roaster that includes Mike Flowers, Ceephax, Hairy Butter or Richard Thomas, and Lo & Behold is no exception. Judging by the selection of artists included here (Nino Nardini, Cursor Minor, Tom Jenkinson with his brother Ceephax and friends, Jerry & The Medicine Men, Si Begg and Hairy Butter, Dee & Laura, whose Face is produced by none other than HNIA Warn Defever, and Susumu Yokota and Rothko to name but a few), the most eclectic of sonic atmospheres is to be expected. Lo & Behold doesn’t disappoint for one moment. This purely chaotic groove armada pleases the ear most time while defying any preconception on alternative electronic. On a more traditionalist note, Electronic Vol. 1 scans the best part of the last forty years to compile one of the most exhaustive lists of electronic references around, from Brian Eno to Aphex Twin, John Cage to Stereolab, Thobbing Gristle to Fennesz or Kraftwerk to Autechre. As wide as the selection can seem, there is an incredible fluidity to this album. Compiled by the staff at the two Rough Trade shops in London, Electronic Vol. 1 respects no chronology or possible analogies. Instead, the tracks are juxtaposed almost anarchically. Oval’s Kardamom sits amongst Rob Freeman & The Blues Men’s I Hear A New World, Barbara Morgenstern’s Die Liebe and Throbbing Gristle’s Hot On The Wheels Of Love. Further along, the original theme tune of Doctor Who by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop rubs shoulders with I-F’s Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass, Autechre’s Basscadet, New Order’s 586 and Matmos’s Freak’N’You frolic freely while Pierre Henry, John Cage, Faust, Pan Sonic, Depeche Mode or Fennesz are all to be found in similar situations. More than a testament, Electronic Vol.1 is an ideal introduction to electronic music for any new comer to the genre, a nice reminder that nothing started back in 1990 for the electronica aficionado and an emotional journey through time for those who were there when man started playing with machines. And there's a promise of a second volume... The more contemporary Documenta, put together by Peacefrog subsidiary label Agenda collects some of the most interesting chilled electronic of the moment. With the likes of Farben, Isan, Funkstörung, Arovane, Múm or To Rococo Rot. Complex and evocative at the same time, the tracks included here are not so much challenging as charismatic. The beautiful Dilido, by Phoenecia, evokes the metallic structures of Spooky’s Found Sound, while the digital corrosion of Funkstörung’s Red Shirt White Shoes, which features Carin on vocal duties, draws the attention on the more openly pop direction of the band. The more atmospheric ambiences of Farben (Oh Love, Well We Finally Made It), Masumari (Searching For The Sasha Wolf), Arovane (Ambelio) or Múm (The Ballad Of The Broken Birdie Records – Ruxpin Mix 2) all present the smoother side of electronica, with luscious, if Spartan, sound structures and polished beats. All together a rather good selection, if a little too predictable. New French label Active Suspension presents a more challenging compilation in the shape of Variable Access. Showcasing the eclectic sonorities of its roster, the album offers an interesting journey through intricate electronica and avant-rock. The best moments are to be found on O.Lamm’s playful arcade game Harmony Twitchell, Aerosol’s Be Reasonable, reminiscent of Autechre circa Tri Repetae, Dorine_Muraille’s Fridge inspired Triviana, Nuire, Osaka’s A Think Within A Think and the stunningly vast Domotic input Some Things To Be Aware Of When Mastering Digitally. Active Suspension is a label that dares ignoring the over-hyped filtered electro disco and retreats instead in the realms of post rock, electro-acoustic and electronica. Avant-garde is not so much a statement here as a way of life. A label to watch very closely in forthcoming months… V/A: All Tomorrow's Parties 1.1 V/A: Lo & Behold V/A: Rough Trade Shops - Electronic Vol. 1 V/A: Documenta V/A: Variable Access

V/A All Tomorrow's Parties 1.1 (ATPRCD2) ATPR 2002 12 Tracks. 66mins48secs. Buy this CD on line now

V/A Lo & Behold (LCD25) Lo Recordings 2002 14 Tracks. 51mins54secs.

V/A Rough Trade Shops - Electronic Vol. 1 (CDSTUMM203) Mute 2002 41 Tracks. 142mins52secs. Buy this CD on line now

V/A Documenta (AGN001CD) Agenda 2002 11 Tracks. 63mins40secs. Buy this CD on line now

V/A Variable Access (ACD01) Active Suspension 2001 11 Tracks. 48mins23secs.