Customer Reviews

The Only Blip Hop Record You Will Ever Need, Vol. 1

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

R U WONDERING about (i) the future of music, (ii) whether rave/trance has anywhere else to go, and (iii) just where the latest digital music-making technology has gone? Well, here, we have - from Luaka Bop Records (David Byrne's label) - a compilation of musics (from the recently liberated eastern bloc) which may have some answers. Trance has never sounded so... freaking trance-like. Don't be fooled by the post-hip suspiciously David-Byrne-sounding oh so detached description on the back of the CD. This compilation is NOT machine-like. It truly reflects the human emotions behind the various projects - playful, hypnotic and, at times, truly sublime (if somewhat repetitious ONLY if you are not REALLY listening). The future of music may be found here. As musical wallpaper, or as an intense listening experience, these layered, poly-rhymthic, musical adventures will amuse, mystify, and entrance your mind. Welcome to the New World!

I have to admit, I didn't really start liking this CD til about the forth or fifth play, but now I can't wait to listen to it again! You just have to let it all sink in, and might I suggest a decent pair of headphones so the weirdos, who don't get it, don't criticize. I picked this up having never heard of any of these bands (which is rare for me) or the name "Blip-hop." But I liked the idea, so I said, "I'll check it out." Now...I wanna hear more. God I hope there's a Vol. 2, and 3, and 4...

Sure, not for everyone, even those naturally inclined towards electronica. But if you dig something a little quirky, definitely unique, and well-suited to your psuedo-futuristic space lounge cocktail party, this is it.

And, I suppose it goes without saying, if you ARE a serious fan of "Blip Hop", you'd probably be best going after the full-length albums of the artists present on the disc. This really is a brief overview of the genre for the casual passerby.

All of the artists on this CD are talented, but the tracks seem to have been selected to minimize their differences, which results in a surprisingly bland offering. If you're interested in this whole blip-hop, glitch, IDM-thing, there are much better places to start (such as the "Clicks + Cuts" series, "Electric Ladyland Clickhop V.1.0," or even Warp's "Compilation").

The essay (by David Bryne) included in the liner notes is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek anthropological analysis of the influence of cold climates on people and their technology, but it comes across as sloppy and trite. It is doubtless intended to be a not-so-serious analysis of what Bryne thinks is a not-so-serious genre, but his writing is littered with repetitions of the same stock phrases and lacks focus, while the artists on the CD are very focused and precise (however playful their sounds).

David Byrne's good taste and perceptive commentary introduced me to Brazilian popular music, and for this I am grateful. But his take on 'blip hop' -- these days, most people are calling it 'click-hop' or 'glitch' -- is surprisingly weak. There isn't a single track here you can't do without. It fails to show you why you should care about this really amazing sub-genre of electronic pop music. For a much better introduction to the genre, buy anything by Andreas Tilliander, who also records under the name Mokira.