Mylab

Mylab | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 3, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Terminus Records
• Copy Protected
• ASIN: B00019PCUI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,917 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Mojo Magazine, April 2004

**** " the two (Martine/Horvitz) mix-and-match an array of elements for the simple joy of conjuring up something intriguingly different."

Product Description

Recording the tracks for what would become Mylab's self-titled debut was also a communal experience, as Wayne and Tucker first got their hands dirty at Horvitz's Other Room studio in Seattle, then shifted over to Martine's own Seattle studio, Flora, for the initial round of overdubbing. The final round of Mylab sessions were held just last summer at Trillium Lane Studios, located in the midst of a pastoral 15-acre spread on Bainbridge Island in Washington.

In the end, Horvitz and Martine's ability to assemble and mix such an incredibly diverse range of pop, rock, jazz, folk, urban, bluegrass, traditional and alternative artists produced the kind of adventurous sonic orchestra that would have made the late, great Sun-Ra proud. The proof, of course, is in the music. From the Henry Mancini-esque bounce of the album opener, "Pop Client" to the Chuck Berry-beat of "Land Trust Picnic" or the spooky, Pet Sounds meets industrial NIN flavor of "Earthbound," Mylab is clearly not afraid to cross-over -- and transcend -- any schools of music.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Myreview---Quality!, February 15, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Mylab (Audio CD)

I did not know what to expect when I bought this, but I knew with the cast involved it had to be good. It's not good, it's great! Wayne Horvitz and Tucker Martine assembled some of the finest musicians around including: Bill Frisell, Danny Barnes, Bobby Previtte, Skerik, Eyvand Kang, Keith Lowe, Robin Holcomb and more. The music ranges from accesible groove to challenging avant garde. The music is as diverse as the group of musicians involved with the project--jazz, pop, rock, electronica, dub, world music--it all gets cooked up in the lab and it all works. My hat is off to Horvitz & Martine--a project of this nature can often come off disjointed, but Mylab is a grand acheivment. NPR did a great feature on this record and has played the music quite a bit recently. Also worth a mention is the label, Terminus Records--they are producing some mighty fine music--check em' out...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Broadening horizons, March 11, 2004

By 

Jan P. Dennis "Longboard jazzer" (Monument, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mylab (Audio CD)

Is it possible to be too eclectic? Some (notably a reviewer in a prominent mainstream jazz magazine) have thought so, accusing Wayne Horvitz and Tucker Martine, masterminds behind this aural madness, of cleverness without soul.

I beg to differ. In these postmodern times, eclecticism is generally regarded as a virtue. And when it's in the hands of production geniuses such as Martine and Horvitz, one shouldn't be too quick with the clever-but-lacking-soul label.

Me, I'm entirely taken by these guys' wacky weirdness.

The vibe here is somewhere between Garage a Trois's Emphasizer and Sex Mob, with a bit of the Intercontinentals, Joel Harrison's Free Country, and Josh Roseman thrown in. What's not to like about that? Add maybe a dash of Jerry Granelli and you get the picture.

To those who diss this disc because it's mannered without soul, I say, lighten up. Get a life. Open up your ears. Hey, it's just music, not religion.

Yes, it took me about a dozen listens to catch the vibe. But once I did, I was blown away. I for one am thrilled with its wild austerity, its edgy effulgence, its western orientalism, its beguiling simplicity, its cool mixture of country blooze and urban jungle.

And I think you will be too. 4 and 1/2 stars.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Electronica jazz, February 26, 2006

By 

Anthony Cooper (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mylab (Audio CD)

Mylab is a sort of electronica jazz. It isn't quite a jazz album, because the focus isn't on improvisation or soloing. Rather the songs are for the purpose of the song (sort of like some of the recent Bill Frisell work). That warning aside, this is a very good album. The sounds and songs work together to simply give you something you've never heard before. Similar to "On The Corner" or "Freak In", Mylab has a certain amount of screetchy or clicky noise in its songs. The songs also groove or sometimes build to a satisfying conclusion (think of Frisell's "Unspeakable", which has some players in common, including Frisell himself). So if you want some jazz-esque music that's certainly not easy background listening, pick up Mylab.