Kettel - Myam James Part 1

[abasio]

Kettel

Myam James Part 1

Sending Orbs

15 Apr 2008

Melodic IDM

 

Tracklist

 

1 The Wombat (3:42)

2 Dolend (4:12)

3 Kroost Kids (5:09)

4 Shimamoto (4:04)

5 Church (3:52)

6 Ende (3:45)

7 Palle's Popsong (4:44)

8 Fishfred (4:23)

9 Twinkle Twinkle (6:21)

10 My Dogan (Tranceparents Remix By Phoenecia) (4:42)

11 Church (Remix By Secede) (8:23)

 

Although this has been one of my favourite albums of 2008 & I have had it for a long time I haven't been able to find the right words to review it. But as it is such a strong album I must somehow get the words to come out. If you have listened to My Dogan then you might have some idea of what this album sounds like. For me Myam James Part 1 sounds like a direct progression of that style. It's not quite the roller coaster ride that My Dogan is but it has a similar style to the melodies albeit with sharper production.

 

1. The Wombat

Straight into the beat, it sounds like it could have come from My Dogan with the sharp acidic melodies and laser edged sounds. The melody sounds both exciting & melancholic at the same time, not a feeling often pulled off well but Kettel has done a great job with contrasts. The beats shuffle nicely throughout the track playing under the melodies nicely.

 

2. Dolend

Similar shuffling beats and another acidic melody in Dolend but this time the melody has more of a medieval quality, like I'm a watching a jester performing for the king, dancing & telling jokes, having fun but all the time you can see the sorrow in his eyes. Even more than the first track this one is a contrast, it's fun and melodic but quite sad. Especially when the melody changes near the end I get a morose feeling in my head.

 

3. Kroost Kids

An instant standout for me here. The melody starts small then comes in like someone has just remembered to turn up the volume. The melody itself is softer, more like bells but it has different layers all sounding like soft choruses of bells. The main melody kicks in after about a minute & it is one emotional monster. So negatively joyous, like when you love a sad movie. The ending with the choir of voices is so beautiful it makes me stop in my tracks every time I hear it.

 

4. Shimamoto

A big shift with the feeling now as the atmosphere completely changes, back to a more upbeat My Dogan feel with swift slick beats, acidic melodies layered over each other. Much happier music with a spring time feeling, everything is more melodic, more energetic & just brighter. I prefer the darker feeling of Kroost Kids though

 

5. Church

Another stand out here with melody right from the start, I prefer it when the melody comes in before the beat & not vice versa. The first melody is soft & bright but the second one is sharp & acidic, it almost stabs through the matte beats & tears apart the softness of the first melody. There is a lot of atmosphere created by what sounds like a twisted representation of a church organ in the background. Muttered voices top off a great track.

 

6. Ende

Distorted wailing drones start us off before a soft floaty melody plays & some light indistinguishable vocals. It's all very ambient & dreamy. No beats, just melody & atmosphere. It feels like floating up through the trees, passed the green, brown & golden leaves up for miles without ever reaching the canopy. Passing civilisations of tree dwellers on the way up, living here miles above the Earth's surface.

 

7. Palle's Popsong

Back with the upbeat My Dogan feeling here with the acidic melodies playing a cheerful tune with trippy beats shuffling very quickly along with them. Some strange sounds later on like half heard voices and other urban noises. The track kind of lacks direction & just kind of ambles along randomly but maybe that is meant as the title is Palle's Popsong. The vocals become very prominent at the end but no more understandable.

 

8. Fishfred

Another great atmospheric track here. The first melody sound like it's played directly on the piano but this melody stays forever in the background and a sharper melody plays over it. Both melodies contrast & compliment each other. Later on in the track there are some big but short rushes of sound giving an almost majestic feel to the music, almost.

 

9. Twinkle Twinkle

Another standout for me is Twinkle Twinkle, the melodies have that nice melancholic edge to them & the beats are sharp and steady. The melodies move nicely lifting my feeling up then pushing it down. The voices that come in around with around 2 minutes to go are always later than I expect so I spend 2 minutes waiting for them, the anticipation & then let down is exquisite but then when they finally do come in it's a very satisfying end to the album proper.

 

There are 2 remixes after the main bulk of the album though.

 

10. My Dogan (Tranceparents Remix By Phoenecia)

This remix of My Dogan is dark and atmospheric, the dark bass that dominates the first part sounds like it could describe an army of Orcs from Mordor in The Lord Of The Rings. The feeling is very very different to any of the preceding tracks and it gets even further away in the second half when it just turns into a dark glitchy playground of creepy sounds and disguised malice. Weird.

 

11. Church (Remix By Secede)

This remix by Secede starts with more vocal samples before the main melody crashes in, is joined by it's bigger brother, they dance together for a while turning round and round each other. The vocals come in but they are longer and more drawn out than the original which would be a good way to describe the whole track, it's like a longer more drawn out version of Church. Not like Secede has just looped together parts of the track but the actual sounds seem to be drawn out. Interesting remix.

 

 

So while this is not the roller coaster ride that was My Dogan & while it manages to have less flow than that roller coaster ride it is in fact a very good album. All tracks are good with the standouts being excellent. If you liked My Dogan then you should definitely try this album out. If you are new to Kettel then check this out (& My Dogan) if you are in to nice sharp acidic melodies, IDM beats and a lot of feeling.

[RAH]

definitely a well produced album, some tracks are quite good, but i can't help disliking a lot of his melodic work. It sounds really childish to me, as if was listening to some sort of enhanced nursery rhyme. The strange thing thing, is this something he picked up, because "volleyed iron" has a lot more depth even if it's a lot more inconsistent. If we could compare it to similar work; for instance at this point i've been hammering "back to basics" from Gimmik a lot, and especially the first tune, "let's play cricket" which has by any standard childish melodies as well with the markings of older video-game productions (think return to the castle of castelvania), but it does not bother me in the least bit. I don't if it's the fractured drill n bass, or simply taste. Eitherway it's good stuff...

 

For more outstanding melodic work this year, "L' eixample" by Near The Parenthesis is another one not to be missed, even if it it's less beat oriented than this one.

[longloststar]

When I listen to Kettel I feel my masculinity slipping away, not because the music is gay, but because I cant help loving this fucking guy, and thats definitely gay.

[bear]

When I listen to "KETTEL - ENDE" , I remember the pipe organ of the church. :drama: I think the way of feeling to be interesting in each person. love this one!!

[Penzoline]

The amount of chills this album gives me is ridiculous - not as much as first time listening Sky Input, but the closest yet.

 

I love it!!!

 

One thing though - why the heck are there DOOM samples in Palle's Popsong?

[Drosophila]

I love this album, not as much as My Dogan but it's close! Brilliant happy melodies, it (almost) always manages to put me in a good mood, this is definitly good vibes music, if anything is!!!

 

 

ED:

@ longloststar

[murphythecat]

Fantastic album, my best of 2008, with bluetech, kettel is showing how intelligent digital music can bring to electronica: a pile of freshness, originality and most of all, intelligent music!

[buzzman]

Fantastic album, my best of 2008, with bluetech, kettel is showing how intelligent digital music can bring to electronica: a pile of freshness, originality and most of all, intelligent music!

Murphy we agree on an album... I'm shocked

[murphythecat]

What an album!!!!!!!!! the melodies into the 9 first song are addictive! Theres layer of melodies flowing around you. its all pleasant! you feel transported with the idm calmness but yet really groovy. Every song is a blast of smart, well done, interesting little melodies ride . Kettel manage to make you interested all threw each songs. It really is Intelligent, He create tons of sound following one path of sounds, moving, interactive with each other. 18.5/20

Classic quality!!!

[p(sy)ayam]

oh man, there are not so many music that can alter my mood so quickly. this one does, and how effectively.

the cover art says it all (Sending Orbs is in top of my list when it comes to cover arts BTW), an artistic, cartoonish, fun and happy music. so much creativity, beautiful blend of crazy and fun beats and melodies. can't wait for part 2 which is on the way :clapping: