Customer Reviews

Disciples of Retro-Tech

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If you want to be blown away by a rockin' sonic experience that will have you grinning and dancing and hollering and carousing and shaking parts of yourself that have had cobwebs on them for years, listen to Disciples of Retro-Tech. Then--as you will be understandably flabbergasted at this funky, LIVING electronica--you will want to know more. So you will track down a copy of Devil Dub, this group's first release. It will be at this moment when you give all other music that you once held dear or believed to be revolutionary a kiss goodbye, because you will see in the versitility of this group of musicians something that cannot be competed with. They combine it ALL. The funky percussion and savvy scratching that drives hip hop, the sheer experimentalism of distorting samples into something altogether new, the reliability of a solid bass line that gives the tripsters a hand-rail through this dense soundscape, the living thrash of rock'n'roll (because these guys PERFORM this music), the subtle comic relief--it's all here. This is dance, this is intelligent, this is funk, this is rock, this is dub, this is electronica. . .this is just plain effin' ORIGINAL work. I listen to everything from Beethoven to Autechre and everything in between from Scott Joplin to Janis Joplin, from Kool Keith to Aceyalone. Ben Wa is among the best. Try this album.

Disciples of Retro Tech is a great album and a departure from Ben Wa's debut. The first album, Devil Dub, was ominous and down-tempo. The music on DoRT, however, is upbeat, groovy, and has enough funk to stun a yak. Do not let the apparently campy electronic sound fool you at first.

You will dance, sing, and snicker while the "Bad Robot" does his thing. The solo on "Binary Mary" will win you over just in time to tag your territory and bust a move with "Destroy All Lines" and "Krylon Warrior." Before you know it, "Automatic Brain" will let you know that you have been assimilated as a Disciple. You will then listen again and only be more impressed. Finally, regret will surface because you did not buy the album sooner.

The details launch DoRT into orbit far, far above most techno you can find. Buy it; your friends will beg to know what is cranking out of the speakers.

I bought this CD many years ago but lost it during a move. I had remembered it was so good, I had to buy a new CD just to have it again. I love this stuff and all the collaborations with Bill Laswell, Buckethead, Bootsy Collins, DJ Disk, Fanu, etc. -Definitely worth owning and highly recommended. Also check out Praxis - "Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis)", and Ben Wa - "Devil Dub" -Peace

Slap any track of this bad boy in a mix and I guarantee some one will ask "what's this?, it's really good...". Old school Parliament funk meets no-quite-so-old school break beats for something that is unique and ridiculously funky. Every time a track pops up on shuffle you'll go "yeah...". But whatever happened to these guys - disappeared off the face of the earth as far as I can tell. Maybe just as well - only room for one unique slab of funktronica like this in the universe.