Customer Reviews

Conversions: A K&D Selection

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A special person gaved me to listen to after I listened to the K&D sessions and decided that it was the best release of electronica for the past couple of years... Well, It's good, but I suppose it would be a little unrealistic to expect something more innovative and inventive than the K&D sessions which has been around for at least a year now, considering that conversions was released a good number of years ago now. Conversions is an upbeat, varied mixture of eclectic, Jazzy and occasionally ambient drum & bass. The tracks offer an assortment of mixing styles with the first track providing the listener with basically, an acid jazzy sound done quite cleverly. For me, the best tracks lie in the middle part of the CD Tracks 4, 5 and 6 are all top tracks and eventhough they were mixed in 1996, they would more than do justice to any good drum & bass establishment in millenium 3. The bass melody used in track 5 "one and only" is fantastic in its complexity. Usually, bass melodies are restricted to three or four notes. This one features about 6 or seven of them, very groovily mixed... delicious. Track 6 has a rave tone set in an underlying bed of drum & bass. Picture a collaboration between Paul Oakenfold and Goldie if you will... The last track "the lick" albeit irritatingly simple, keeps the listner keenly tuned in until the last note. I don't know what separates K&D from other electronic musicians but there is this "X-factor" which in my opinion elevates them considedrably above the average electronic artist. This " X -factor" is discernable on this disc and I am very glad I own it. If I had to choose only one cd of theirs though, the K&D sessions would be it.

Very different from their previous releases, Conversions further highlights the true skills of these two masters. Because the tracks chosen for this set are much more uptempo, it is not as accessible as the k&d sessions or, more notably, their dj kicks set. Nevertheless, the music produced in this set is just as comfortable as that on the earlier releases, despite the speed of the breaks which lay the music's foundation. Although they produce a vastly different result than mu-ziq, k&d on this set experiment with layering divergent tempos upon one another much like Paradinas does - speed underneath and softer melodies in the foreground. The result in both a surprise and a revelation: a truly mellowing jungle set with elements of jazz and ambient interspersed throughout. Likely one of the 10 best discs I own.

Eclipsed by their equally brilliant "The K&D Sessions" and "DJ Kicks" albums, Kruder & Dorfmeister's first full length outing is not only in the same rarefied league but, arguably, better than either. Featuring a similar selection of truly excellent tracks, the difference here is that they mould them into a seamless hour-long sequence through a drivingly languid "drum & bass" backbeat that underpins the whole session. Brilliantly crafted, it pulls off the trick of being "cool", interesting and exciting at the same time while effortlessly carrying you along until you've completely forgotten when one track's finished and another's started... but no matter because by the end you'll be hitting the replay button, yet again. Highly addictive and thoroughly enjoyable, "Conversions" is an outstanding example of how to create a mix that's better than its constituent parts and another example of why K&D's reputation is totally justified.

In the gallery of music, the K&D sessions are masterful works on display while this album, Conversions, is the opening night party only true art purveyors can attend. Although Conversions is widely available, tracks like "Find Me" by Skanna and "The Lick" by Earl Grey are not. Hearing them joined in K&D fashion is a true privilege in many ways, simply because the most elusive aspect of K&D is a way to aptly define their sensual Viennese blend of jungle. The track selection on this mix is wonderful, starting with lighter, surface-stepping tracks like "Dat's Cool," then moving onto genre-defining and all too timeless classics like PFM's "One and Only" and "Find Me," and ending finally with deeper, bottom-heavy tracks soaking in ambient wealth. Each one highlights varying degrees of melody and rhythm, some jazzier than others, some more dramatic with percussion. The elusive beauty, however, harbors in K&D's ability to effortlessy glide the listener along each orchestrated bar of these tracks, gently pulling the listening experience on top of the high notes and then dropping it into an infinite undercurrent of depth. The ride is stitched seamlessly by K&D, the experience worthy of endless repetition.

Okay, I know that sounds like blasphemy, but Conversions is truly amazing. Kruder & Dorfmeister veer from their downtempo genius to deliver a showcase of superb drum & bass that rivals the best stuff in the genre.

Though nary a weak cut on the disc, two deserve special mention: 'One and Only' with its loping, graceful bassline (check out LTJ Bukem's mix on "Logical Progressions" ) and Count Basic's 'Speechless'. I don't know if K&D use samples, a drum machine, or a live kit, but the latter features THE BEST drum sounds I've ever heard.

A refreshingly thick slice of humming bass topped with more beats and breaks than you could ask for. Conversions is a great record that remains the unsung hero of mid-nineties electronic creativity. All tracks are coherent, original and beautifully melodic. Very boppy and up-tempo, and with one foot firmly planted in Drum & Bass, Conversions will always make heads turn and feet tap. K&D Live up to their reputation as seamless mixers, creators and producers on this release. Although Amazon have the original release date for this as 1999, it is in fact a much older record that precedes everything K&D have done bar G-stoned (I think!). This further underlines their reputations as cutting edge downbeat peddlers.

Originally mixed live in their G-Stone Studio back in 1996 but not released until 1999, this release shows off a more drum & bass side to the Austrian duo's better-known downtempo jazzy stylings. Having said that, all the selections here are smooth as silk, contrasting their faster tempos - a formula familiar to fans of artists like LTJ Bukem and his Logical Progression compilation series.

On the surface, this seems like a record that would be too fast for something considered downtempo, but the groove holds things together really well, and the accents off the beats are totally tripped out. Conversions works on a lot of levels, and I don't mean that in a Homer Simpson kind of way. The key is that K & D do such a good job that this could be A)background music, B)party tunes, or C)end of the night capper. Either way, the mix has a certain lusciousness to it, and once you pick up on the grooves, the CD becomes hard to resist. It's not perfect in every sense, there are some spots that to me sound a little dated, but maybe that's just because I've had this one a while.

Next time you want to listen to Pink Floyd, drop in K&D instead.
K&D requires no political buy-in, there are no lyrics that invite you to believe anything or do anything, just a wonderful music-scape of sound that lets you ride the mind wave. They take you on a mind journey with their music that makes you want to listen again and again.

In case of funk, break this glass...if you're head is filled with day to day dead ends, the voyage on this gorgeous piece will make you soul wish for a stash of more around every corner of your life.
The gentle but edgy melodies are punctuated by distant sounding voices (beautiful "One and Only", the mesmerizing "Find me"- worth the CD itself ) while the drum&bass hectic but delicate balance maintains the awkwardness intact. Keyboards also hit some high pitch tones and ensure the experience is taking you places you rarely go (the lively "Searching"). A sexy sax can play the notes as well making smooth transitions to jazzier settings ("Ballistic Brothers"). At times the beats do get more enticed ("Nu Birth of Cool" and "Skanna" evoking Alex Reece). "Speechless takes you back to K&D more classic style, which is a tad more clubby and has a sturdy bass to make it hip. The last three pieces are quite frankly amazing. They set the tone for a perfect landing and you literally feel like you are sitting on clouds (as they even include space-like dialogues) with very funky 70`s like keyboards and trumpet. The ending has all of the three main elements of this great K&D recipe: eerie female vocals, a present but soft rhythm box and a tune that heightens your mind.
The greatness of this album is in the difference that it makes in your collection. It's a discreet little diamond that you will come back to since it bears the K&D label of quality stemming from hours and hours of listening and looking for the rare tunes that will take you out of this sometimes humdrum world...