| Satellite Dub Sessions #1: Volume is Necessary |
Many of yesterday's Industrial DJs are now promoting their Psytrance or Intelligent Techno collections; what was once Goth has suffered a sea change and become Worldbeat or Electro. The Synthpop invasion was just the beginning: today the Gothic/Industrial scene finds itself facing Dance music. Despite all the sneering "PLUR, dude"-isms you may hear among the black-clad set, much of today's Goth music is firmly rooted in Raver culture ... trance music in a minor key for "Graver kiddies" waving glowsticks and wearing baggy black vinyl pants. Craig Brown, the man behind Satellite Dub, is a child of this era. His Sessions #1: Volume is Necessary is heavy on Triphop and Electronica and light on the Standard Gothic/Industrial cliches... yet wouldn't seem out of place on the dancefloor of any New York Goth club circa 2002. Like it or hate it, it's a sure sign that things ain't what they used to be in the land of lace and eyeliner. On his website, Brown lists Krautrock and avant-garde composers among his influences. He should give a nod to Curtis Mayfield, James Brown and the luminaries of 70s funk/soul. On "Chemical Intervention" and "Reflecting Skin" Brown plays guitar the way Maceo Parker plays horns; he doesn't create a rhythmic line so much as slink in between the notes, firing rimshots off rimshots. His hard, angular solos underpin the synthesizers, while the sharp syncopation keeps things moving along. Brown started his musical adventure as a guitar player, and, indeed, the best moments on this CD are typically the ones where he brings his guitar skills to the forefront. Brown also has a feel for slow, lush music ala Air or some of the Paris loungecore DJs. On "No Questions," Brown's heavily treated vocals flow heavy as chocolate syrup over ice-cream synthesizers, while the synthesizer-beatbox interaction of "Juxtapose" almost qualifies as foreplay. It has the finger-snapping easy-listening joie de vivre of the best Joćo Gilberto CDs: music for a 21st century Girl from Ipanema. While this CD avoids the Standard Goth Cliches, on occasion it falls prey to the New and Unimproved Electronica Cliches. The samples of fundamentalist ranting which underpin "Jesusfreak Part 1" have been done before, and better. (i.e. Godspeed You Black Emperor!'s eerie and heartwrenching monologue-and-violin interplay in "Hung Over as the Oven in Maida Male"). Instead of rehashing Ministry-era cliches, Brown should let his fretboard do the talking: the funky guitar line is by far the most interesting part of this song. I'd also like to see Brown do a little more vocal training: barring that, I'd like to see him gain the self-confidence to sing without so many effects. Still, this is a well-done CD. It may not be Your Father's Goth ... but it's got a good beat, you can dance to it, and it includes at least two good makeout tracks. How can you go wrong? Tracks: Website: www.satellitedub.com Satellite Dub is Craig Brown: synths, samplers, beats,vocals and guitar |