Customer Reviews

Rossz Csillag Allat

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the past couple years, Aaron Funk has spat out music at a prolific pace that can possibly only be succeeded by Merzbow or perhaps Scott Herren under his batch of different pseudonyms. I have listened to much of what Funk has released as Venetian Snares, and while I can appreciate what he creates, I am often left cold by his work. For each album that he's put out, there is always one or two tracks that slam my ass, then another handfull that are pretty good, but the remainder seems to just pound my brain into a peaceful submission that doesn't really care to process it all after awhile.

In relative terms, Rossz Csillag Alatt Született took a little bit longer for Funk to complete, and after I'd read several places that it was easily his most melodic work yet, and that he learned to play a violin, and even some trumpet for the release, I started wondering just what tricks he had up his sleeve. As it turns out, this release is definitely at least a partial turning point for Funk as an artist, as it mixes his usual hyper-crisp beat programming with strings, horns, piano, and lots of other elements for his most musical and interesting release yet.

After the opening track of "Sikertelensėg" rolls forty seconds of dark inprovised piano noodlings, "Szerencsetlen" starts off the album proper with quick bursts of string samples that flow and dash like a horror-movie soundtrack spliced together with a chase-scene before the sweet snare-rush blasts of the familiar amen break start hammering away. As the track progresses, even more strings pile onto the mix, and delicious string scampers raise the tension even more. "Ongyilkos Vasárnap" is a reworking of a Hungarian track that Billie Holiday in turn covered, and Funk samples Holiday and sprinkles in slow, churning rhythm and some sprinklings of rhodes piano for great effect.

If you can believe it, there are tracks on the release that are completely beat-less (like the dark "Felbomlasztott Mentökocsi" and "Galamb Egyedül") and they don't feel at all out-of-place on the release. In fact, the tracks act as great breathers on a release that almost exclusively runs in the shadows. For all those wondering if the release is a complete change for Venetian Snares, rest assured that there are still plenty of mind-bending hyperactive beat workouts. "Második Galamb" opens with quick horn stabs and even some random spoken-word phrases but soon bursts into a frenetic, laser-blasting, horn & string nightmare.

Likewise, "Kétsarku Mozgalom" opens with layers of overlapping strings before cranking up into a spastic drill-and-bass attack that rises and falls and goes every which way in the course of almost eight minutes but is never, never boring. If I have one complaint about the release, it's that Funk seems to use some of the same drum programming sounds (the amen break is serviced quite well in different variations) several times during the course of the album, but given the variety of the rest of the instrumentation on the release, it's something that's not worth quibbling about. This is now the Venetian Snares release in my collection that I will most assuredly reach for nearly every time I wish to listen to something by Venetian Snares from now on. In other words, even if you haven't enjoyed his previous work, this one might do it for you.

(from almost cool music reviews)

Quite simply, you've never heard anything like this even if you're already familiar with Venetian Snares. On this album, Aaron Funk combines his usual frenetic, complex and seemingly random (though often carefully and meticulously constructed) drum beats with 20th Century Hungarian orchestral music to create some of the most incredible, epic and powerful pieces of music. Even if you're not a fan of either orchestral music (specifically 20th Century modern classical, not Classical in the Mozart sense) or IDM/Breakcore music you owe to yourself to listen to this album if you consider yourself an open minded music fan with an eclectic taste. At times as loud and abrasive as much of his other work, at other times beautiful and introspective, Rossz Csillag Alatt Szuletett is one of the greatest pieces of music I've ever heard.

As is often the case with albums I really love, I can't think of very much to say without resorting to cliches and repeating myself, so I'll leave it at that. Get this album NOW.

I just wanted to pour some insight into the track "ongyilkos vasarnap". It might be interesting for those who listen to this piece of music to know this song has a history. The song is an urban legend. The english translation of the title would be gloomy sunday (loose trans.) The history is that it was commonly known as the hunagrian suicide song. It was believed to have caused many people to commit suicide, and has many strange stories attached to the haunting melody of people dying in connection with the melody. It was also banned from radio play in a few countries because of the associations with death. While this is just an urban legend, it kind of makes the spooky adaptation of the piece a little more fun to listen to. There are many version of the song in many different languages, though Billie Holliday's is probably the most well-known version (which is the sampled bit.)
Personally, it is interesting to hear this modern version of this very old hungarian song (originally penned by Rezso Seress, and another writer.) It's definitely worth checking out, and certainly worth purchasing.

Review by: Mark Teppo at igloomag.com
(06.01.05) Rossz Csillag Alatt Született is the closest Aaron Funk has ever come to being Unplugged. While on vacation in Hungary, Funk experienced a moment of avian displacement and vanished into a metaphysical consideration of life as a pigeon. I don't know if this moment was the impetus for Rossz Csillag Alatt Született or it it was the wealth of local ethnic music poured into his head, but the resulting record is a orchestral collision between Funk's well known drill 'n' bass and a panopoly of decaying folk motifs.

"Öngyilkos Vasárnap," based on a funereal love song by Hungarian composer Reszo Seress, lifts the haunted despair from Billie Holliday's version of the song, drapes a possessed violin across Holliday's exhausted voice like a burial shroud, and sends both out to troll for coins in a cart pulled by a one-legged beggar. "Felbomlasztott Mentökocsi," a brooding piece of groaning tones and gut-plucked notes, indulges a string quartet's penchant for melancholy with its gloomy soundtrack. In "Hajnal," Funk drops a clusterbomb of beats in the middle of the orchestra pit but it's a surgical strike that takes out the brass section as if it were custom-ordered by the strings. The brass section, resurrected by some foul Transylvanian mysticism, provide stabs and flourishes during "Szamár Madár" like they were some channeling Wagner while a cellist bravely attempts a heartfelt solo before getting steamrolled by Funk's percussion and a string section in game pursuit of a runaway soprano.

Rossz Csillag Alatt Született is Funk's most assured release. Even as a track like "Kétsarkú Mozgalom" veers into John Zorn's Naked City territory, we never lose hold of the thread which Funk has used to sew modern breakcore to the back of an Eastern European gypsy minstrel. Highly recommended. Especially for a track like "Szerencsétlen" where you can fool your classical music loving friends with your daring appreciation for a 21st century approach to the cacophony of Stravinsky's Rites of Spring. That is, until the breakbeats bust down the doors of the recital hall and take the conductor hostage; then, it's every instrument for themselves.

This is not your typical aaron funk. Without discrediting his equally amazing earlier over the top breakcore releases, this album is funk's deepest adventure in actual emotion. He even claims that these are love songs. Although I totally bow to most of his work and enjoy it thouroughly, Rossz is pretty much the only album he's made that I can comfartably listen to entirely.

Most critics about Rossz underline specifically the fact that every track contains classical arrangements. I share the opinion that it is very interesting to do so, but that fact itself does not impress me. Anyone can throw beats over pianos and sound completely far out. That is not what Funk does. These songs are more about their entities than their parts, digitally made or not.

The record does not contain one bad song, and it contains stronger ones than most artists have come up with in the last couple of years.

Hajnal is an epic track. It starts off with an intriguing violin-only intro, and after a while mixes with a jazzy drum line. Yeah, that's right, jazzy drums over baroque violins. Then, the violins take center stage again and the drums disappear, only to prepare you for the real drill n bass fiery burst which comes later, and when it does, boy are you friggin' ready for it. The rest is violently beautiful, or beautifully violent, I forget which.

Ongyilkos Vasarnap, defends itself pretty damn well too. In my expert opinion, it stands next to Aphex Twin's best work.

Masodik Galamb features a girl babbling on about pigeons, probably referring to Patrick Suskind's novel, The Pigeon (pigeon, why do you scare me?). It also features some pretty badass signature funk breakcore, which totally descends in utter madness by the end of the track. The last half of this track is more reminiscent of his earlier albums than any other on the album.

These three songs are to me the main standouts of Rossz, but the rest is of comperable quality, really, it's all good. It's actually more of a 4.5 stars album. If you're at all interested in this kind of music, this is definately a must-have to which you will often come back for multiple listens. Money well-spent. If you're a fan of of the Snares, but unfamiliar with this album, you're in for a surprise.

P.S. I think I didn't put enough emphasis on how goddamn good Hajnal is. Really, it's a major major track worth the price of this album.

Aaron Funk is definately one of the masters of IDM, in this record he outdoes himself ten times by blending beautiful string work such as violins over intense spastic IDM beats. Classical music, being very intense and emotional and IDM being intense and capable of being emotional, scary, or downright shocking brings a new breed of music to itself. The old style meets the new style in this classical IDM fusion piece. My personal favorie from this album is Öngyilkos Vasárnap, in this piece there is a woman doing the vocals, not so much singing but more musically speaking. This song brings humanity and I cannot listen to the song without feeling emotionally gripped by the thing.

This album is something to behold. If you enjoy music, I mean real good music, you must listen to this album. You can't miss what you don't have, but after hearing this masterpiece, you will be thankful you didn't pass it by. Write it off. Leave it be. If you did that, I would feel sorry for you.

I'm a big fan of all genres of music, however, I have something of a sweet-spot when it comes to IDM and Drill n Bass. I also have always loved orchestral, classical, and symphonic music. Never have I seen these two distinct genres come together for such powerful tracks. The CD can be separated quite easily: about half of the tracks on this CD are entirely strings and piano, and the other tracks are a beautiful combination of Eastern European melancholy and tripped-up drill n bass.

If you like classical or orchestral music, you're in for a treat. Each one of these tracks sports breath-taking, pensive strings with a distinctly Eastern European flavor. Introverted and even at times frustrated, many tracks on this album would be as at home on a soundtrack as they would on a electronic music CD.

If you like Drill n Bass, you'll love this CD. The beats are crisp, solid, and glitched, but still very carefully structured and very thoughtfully rendered. On track three, we hear his skills at sampling, and creating one of the most eerie motif's I've heard in quite some time.

Venetian Snares really demonstrated that he is one of the most versatile musicians out. Although he may be best known for his Noisecore, Glitch, and frantic Drill n Bass, this album demonstrates that he is equally versed as a composer in the classic realm of music. This CD has been an enormous inspiration to me as a producer and has pushed me to trying new combinations in my own music.

I highly recommend buying this album: you won't be disappointed, no matter what styles of music you currently listen to.

Yes, yes it is. I came back from a Snares show last night, seeing Aaron Funk improvise was mind-blowing enough. Here he has put incredible effort into this work (not that his live stuff doesn't!) Word of mouth has told me that heart and soul was put into this disc by Winnipeg hearsay, and I totally believe it. Shocking that the music press hasn't gotten all over it already, it's a beautiful record, the dramatic orchestral bits with the breakcore beats make it a fascinating (and for Snares vets) a surprising listen, to keep it simple, you'd never expect to hear these two incredibly different styles of music put together, but it is the incredible differences that make this album work. This record definitely cements Funk into absolute importance in electronic music's history. I hope that's a decent review, it's late!

Venetian Snares (Aaron Funk) is one of the most cohesive, focused musicians in the music industry, popular or not. Every album he puts out could plausibly be considered a concept album of sorts; not necessarily by an underlying theme or story, but by a general sound. Rossz Csillag Alatt Szuletett is no different. Every song is centered upon sampled classical music (some of which was apparently sampled from Aaron himself), with the occasional blast of his trademark breakbeats. Therein lies the difference between this and previous Venetian Snares records; 5 of the 11 songs on RCAS have no percussion whatsoever. This wouldn't be a problem if the stringed selections held up by themselves, but they don't. The level of monotony in his beatless productions is far too high to warrant such a large chunk of the album. Even some of the songs with beats, such as Szamar Madar, open with stark passages that don't seem to go anywhere. But, these passages lead to some of the most satisfying music Funk has ever produced, however fleeting those moments may be.

Fortunately, the album is saved from being a write-off by "Masodik Galamb". Beginning with an appropriate string swell, followed by a curious narration about pigeons, the bulk of the song mixes a variety of real-world instruments with some of the best slice-n-dice drum programming the man has ever done. Creepy synthesized elements fade in and out, the drums get louder and louder, until finally spilling into full-on gabbercore to end the song, all while surrounded by beautiful melodies following the percussion's lead. A fantastic, nightmarish ride, "Masodik" is one of the finest moments of Aaron's extensive catalog. Too bad the rest of the album is so focused on pretty-but-dull classical noodlings.

I thought A. Funk had reached the peak of his career with "Huge Chrome..." but I may rethink that. This album is possibly the most interesting new music I've heard in quite a while. I personally do hope that he continues to extend this branch of his musical catalogue--keeping with "Winter in the belly..." and "Huge Chrome..." DO NOT check this album out if you are not interested in new and forward thinking music.