Customer Reviews

Radio Caroline 1

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

 

 

Miss Kittin, known as Caroline Herve to her folks, drops her second commercial mix in as many years, following up the dancefloor snapshot On The Road two-CD set. Knowing a star when they see one, Emperor Norton Records wisely snapped up her newest project Radio Caroline for release in the States.

Call it a curveball perhaps, but Miss Kittin presents twenty pieces of not-quite-danceable tunes from way, way underground artists that no one short of music mag editors or scene spotters will likely recognize. Which doesn't matter, for this deftly crafted deep techno delight clicks and pops in all the right places, unerringly tied together by selections with warm, accessible melody. Delrosa & Asora's "Paz Suite 4" leads with delicate guitar and soft drones, lifted by scratchy beats, culminating to a sweet high by Leo Elstob's dry commentary "Tab Pills Bonus," the Der Zyklus music box instrumental "Matematische Modelle" and barest sounds of Conrad Black's "Greyscale For Slow Building.' There's not a dull track anywhere, with slo-mo surprise Walking Endustries' "Makee" and the flittering bleeps of Kinesthesia's "Flicklife" to wrap things up.

A right classic then. Except. Miss Kittin the DJ didn't trust the music to speak for itself, finding need to add commentary on top of a half dozen tunes. Acceptable as an intro, annoying when tangents on toothbrushes, hairgel, travel life as a DJ, or freaking out appear throughout. Injecting her quirky, stilted personality may be what fans expect; that's surely the basis of her most popular singles. For this compilation, however, she should have kept those musings on liner notes. 3.5 stars

I have to start by saying that... having this CD in my hands will be one of my highlights of this year. I have been waiting for this for to long.

I find the mix and selection of songs to be...dark, mysterious, intelligent, pop, sexy, elegant, trashy, strong, soft, you name it. I'm very impressed that as much of a talent she is as a composer, she rules on the turntable.

There is plenty of 'spoken kittin' words trough the cd and that makes it even more special and particular.

I would not give her justice or to her brilliant mix collection if I categorized it and say... it's this style or that, instead... I will go ahead and say that this CD was clearly mixed by her, with songs she likes and mixing them in the way and manner that she wanted them to be.

There is a great introduction and it nicely melts in some deep slow tech beats from tracks 7 and on. What Miss Kittin has done here is a collaboration of chill out meets electro and the out-come is Miss Kittin giving us a brief example of how great she is and how fantastic it must be to be her of her friend.

I really got the impression that for a 75 min mix CD she infact let me in into her world and what I felt and heard was like nothing before.

Miss Kittin's album is autobiographical excellence. Multi-faceted rhythms and songs keep you intrigued throughout the CD. Upbeat, yet relaxing.

I first heard Miss Kittin's songs "Frank Sinatra" and "Nurse" about a month ago from a previous album. So I was expecting Radio Caroline 1 to be a lot more punk and vulger, but this mellow mix was a pleasant surprise. With my little knowledge of Miss Kittin, it was a "gamble" purchase. This time I was lucky. I'll be looking for her next release.

Miss Kittin's album is autobiographical excellence. Multi-faceted rhythms and songs keep you intrigued throughout the CD. Upbeat, yet relaxing.

I first heard Miss Kittin's songs "Frank Sinatra" and "Nurse" about a month ago from a previous album. So I was expecting Radio Caroline 1 to be a lot more punk and vulger, but this mellow mix was a pleasant surprise. With my little knowledge of Miss Kittin, it was a "gamble" purchase. This time I was lucky. I'll be looking for her next release.

This is a very autobiographical/personal dj mix by the Miss Kittin. I am really enjoying the track selection of this cd, and with the Kittin voice overs, you cannot go wrong. This one is what good electronic music is all about. Very classy. Very laid back. love this one!!

good lord can this girl dj. not only one of the most forward thinking track selections, but some of the most well thought out layering of tracks i have ever experienced. as are her two previous dj mixed cd's i have had the opportunity to listen to. the art of dj-ing was well on its way out in my opinion, but miss kitten has really revived the art. quirky, intelligent track selection. excellent flow. one of those dj mixes that tell a story, a good story... majic.

"Radio Caroline Vol. 1" will surprise many of her fans. There is almost nothing to remind us of her massive popularity in the electroclash style. In fact, the only remanence of her electroclash side consists of the rather useless spoken-word comments in between some of the tracks. What you'll find on Radio Caroline is an incredibly tasteful, understated mix of minimalism, microhouse, and a healthy dose of experimentalism. Anyone who works Pan Sonic and Autechre into a DJ mix has my respect.

Just to be clear, if you're looking for something like her work with The Hacker or Felix da Housecat, you'll be disappointed. That is, unless you also happen to like microhouse, tech house, and other related styles. Some mixes are exciting, while others are funky. Some are rocking, while others are trippy. This one is surprisingly peaceful and relaxing. Yeah, it IS dance music, but everything is so subdued that you can put this album on and really zone out in a blissful state of musical happiness.

The liner notes are worth mentioning. You get a large booklet featuring comments left on Miss Kittin's website. It held little interest for me, and I suspect it would hold little interest for anyone. I only mention it because it's such a bizarre thing to put in your liner notes.

"Radio Caroline" takes a little while to grow on you. It's not the sort of CD you put on and immediately fall in love with. But, it IS the sort of CD that reveals secrets slowly and repays close attention. Recommending this album is difficult. I don't think it will ever find a wide audience, but for those who like this sort of thing, you will love this mix. My advice is to look at the artists represented here. If you recognize them and typically enjoy what they do, you'll probably enjoy this mix. If not, I would direct you to Miss Kittin's "Bugged Out Mix", which is much more accessible and almost as interesting.

... if not for those pretentious voice-overs that totally ruin otherwise decent tracks.