V/A - Squeech [Faerie Dragon]

[RAH]

Compilation: Squeech

Label: Faerie Dragon

Web: http://www.sonic-dragon.com

CAT: FDREC02

Sonic-Energy.net: http://www.sonic-energy.net/core/content/view/269/2/

 

1. LPC - Saiko Tooot [139]

2. Hooloovoo - Organic Mechanic [136]

3. Igor Swamp - Ytkytyytkyty [142]

4. 5meo Geo - Jumping Benlets [146]

5. Salakavala - Undercover Attack [147]

6. Spiders Silk - Xela Kaynam [144]

7. Squaremeat - Creak At The Joints [142]

8. Odd Harmonic - Intensive Hinderance [153]

9. Indepth - Disappear Here [145]

 

Sonic Dragon continues to spread their tentacles into every aspect of the psychedelic scene with the newly established Faerie Dragon. This new sub label is centered on experimental vibes forging a different strand of psy. There’s an audience that has grown more experienced (read old), disconnecting completely from what the crazy kids call ‘music’ these days. Where do you turn when is time to look for a doofing good time, enjoying bizarre beats that don’t necessarily travel faster than the speed of light? Squeech might be the answer. You have breaks, Suomi, lounge, a bit of electro (for the texture) stirring it all real sloppy hoping something works.

 

( 1 ) LPC is a new Finish project consisting of Tommy from Salakavala (they had a couple of releases in 2001), Francoise from Squaremeat and Ville Ruoho that is from… somewhere. He’s supposed to be from Salakavala as well, but the names don’t seem to match. Saiko Tooot is an undeniably funky-loungy mission, armed with sluty bass and persistent voices bridging out the vibrant Suomi flair. To jumble things even further, they decided it was great idea to slap a riff in the middle. As a result, recurrent visions of a slimy rocker in leather doing his thing with an air guitar don’t stop – and that’s just not the image I’m looking for in this track. The rest is quite decent and experience does most of the talking. *

 

( 2 ) Hooloovoo presents an ooverdoose of groovy latin house / electro and experimental a-la Organic Mechanic, working better than it sounds. The dangly beat tied together with situational sample bits and random pans entwined in delays; creates an overwhelmingly accessible atmosphere that normally shouldn’t go together but it does here. *

 

( 3 ) Igor Swamp is the other face from Salakavala in his solo project. Ytkyytky…something is an ‘everyone on the floor’ jiggy dance slap, with recurrent vocodic voices ripped from some Daft Punk track, including the squeegee lines and the organic beats. It’s all a bit too funky for my taste, but its interesting Ytykytky.

 

( 4 ) 5Meo Geo is another new comer from Israel producing moodier vibes under the name ‘Serial Stalkers’. Jumping Benlets comes armed with blipping lines going back in time around ten Nintendo years in electro mode. The mid-break materializes in a verbal collision between some Indian cab driver and a renegade smoking in the back of the taxi. It sounds just as strange as you can imagine. Overall, is rather exasperating for my ears with all the high pitched chaos going off at the same time, but is it’s something different.

 

( 5 ) Salakavala –this time as whole- drops a few ideas of what to expect later this year with their upcoming debut album. Undercover Attack is another slash of Suomi with the funky percussive stabs in syncopation, switching the rhythmic ensemble to deliver viciously groovy bass changes. The anti-melodic approach to synth flutters and introverted themes spread wantonly, might just work with those Tamlin tracks you have stashed somewhere. *

 

( 6 ) Spiders Silk or Exuus is Ilja from Israel, with a rather unique approach to quirky psy. Suffice to know his debut album No Controlling is already out on 6 Dimension Sounds, giving you an idea of what type of sound to expect. Xela Kaynam has all the flair of 80’s trance with lazy beats, laser-shooting effects and dangly melodic pieces gating strange lines with a unique notion of coherence. *

 

( 7 ) Pepe from Squaremeat brings with him an experience record of four albums, turning this act into something of an institution for Finnish freeform since 1998. The credits don’t acknowledge Francoise this time around, but his presence passes rather unnoticed since Creak the Joints is one of the Squeechier tracks in this compilation. Using voice samples previously heard in Tetrameth’s album, the melodious arrangement mixes in well with a drip of chaos and funky bass work with positively smile-inducing aftereffects. *

 

( 8 ) The Australian Kevin Babbage makes a return after the ‘indie’ cult classic last year Mountain Lord, with his marked desert trance approach. Intensive Hinderance (hindrance?) plays a lot with distressing lines, spacing out through the bars to create a discordant build up with a darker edge… or at least that is what the sample intends to create. I didn’t find a lot of that jazzy edge his production shows at times, so I’m not entirely crazy about it, but if you liked the album last year it wouldn’t harm anyone to check this one out.

 

( 9 ) Shahar, another Israeli new comer (according to my records) closes the saga inviting everyone to Disappear Here. The content is gritty breaks that could well be taken out of some DnB / jungle score, including the sampled bits from an MC. It still sounds (faintly so) like a version of electro-psy and I’m just loving it. We can expect the album at some point later, so that’s something to look forward to.*

 

This a strange ride Candy managed to compile. Due respect has to be acknowledged for releasing something no other established label would have dared touch. Very experimental stuff from artists that want to see psychedelic branch out to different sonicscapes. Likewise, is very interesting to draw the Israeli-Finnish connection building common grounds. Much like The Strokes take pride in being retro-analogue, the Squeech crew draws that same lineage from old video game music, adding new ideas and influences for all those who feel jaded of the same old sound… whichever that may be. At the end, this stuff might just be weird and funky enough to be eminently likeable in the eclectic circles. Then again it might not, it’s up to you. From my part, the more I hear it, the more I like it even when this sound is not exactly what passes through my speakers very often.

[Frontier Psychiatrist]

Baba, Shahar Indepth was previously known as Depths of Despair and he released a full album on Spiritual Beings Records.

[advance]

The Hooloovoo track is brilliant. Haven't gave this album a proper hear yet (can't say I have to most of the albums I've loved this year), so I won't say anything beyond that.

[Blubber]

Faerie Dragon Records

VA - Squeech

 

 

1. LPC - Saiko Tooot
2. Hooloovoo - Organic Mechanic
3. Igor Swamp - Ytkytyytkyty
4. 5Meo Geo - Jumping Benlets
5. Salakavala - Undercover Attack
6. Spiders Silk - Xela Kaynam
7. Squaremeat - Creak At The Joints
8. Odd Harmonic - Intensive Hinderance
9. Indepth - Disappear Here

One of the few Suomi-Style CDs I own and it became better after each listen. Of course I can't compare this to the 5-Star-Suomi-Comps (whichever these are) but if you give this genre a listen only once a while you don't complain when you enjoy a whole CD. And this is the case here. Almost all the tracks are good, differ from each other, have their distinct style and make this an enjoyable listen from the beginning till the end. And to round things up you get some standouts. Hooloovoo's track is a combination of a funky beat with a nice weird melody that sounds like being in a Hongkong carnival with these Dragon puppets all around. Like mentioned above, normally this doesn't fit together but here it merges into an outstanding track. Igor Swamp delivers also a funky track. It's heavy bouncing from the beginning and gets really freaky because of all the frogs jumping around the dancefloor. Short Drum sections give it also a tribal touch but this is completely froggy. I also like Squaremeat's track. It's a good headnodder until the middle of the track, and when the melody breaks in you're returning into Hongkong carnivalism. Only rarely I found a cover of a comp so suitable to the music. Well, judge yourself!