Browse by Artist: A GUY CALLED GERALD

Artist:	A GUY CALLED GERALD
Title:	Proto Acid/The Berlin Sessions
Label:	LABORATORY INSTINCT (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	LI 011CD

Britain's A Guy Called Gerald (Gerald Simpson) made his Laboratory Instinct debut with a "drop-tech infusion" mix of Dell & Flügel's "Superstructure" that appeared on the duo's Study For A Skyscraper EP. Now the acid house pioneer and drum'n'bass legend issues his own superb full-length Laboratory Instinct, appropriately-titled Proto Acid The Berlin Sessions. Having literally influenced generations of music-makers with an incredible discography that's grown incrementally deeper since the '80s, the Manchester UK native and now Berlin resident executes the infectious 71-minute jam with a masterful meticulousness. Drenching Detroit-styled techno in sparkling electro, the set, recorded live in one session using two laptops and a DJ mixer at Gerald's Diehold Studio on February 11th, 2006, flows with a relaxed ease. With one exception ("Auto Rebuild," the third track, is a remake of 1990's "Automannik"), the album's 24 raw, club-oriented tracks are all new. Asked to describe the album's sound, Simpson says, "To me it's proto acid; it's how I feel house/techno music would have sounded if the whole rave thing hadn't happened in England ... This stuff has direct lineage to Chicago and Detroit in the mid-to-late '80s." Don't think that, for Simpson, acid's definition is limited to something as obvious as the 303 either. On the disc itself, Simpson doesn't waste a moment but immediately invigorates the set with the pumping tribal groove of "Marching Powder" before moving on to the steely funk-throb of "The Strip." The mix's strutting electro strain makes its first appearance in "Auto Rebuild" and dominates thereafter, though its presence is subtly modulated from one cut to the next, at one moment oozing a house vibe and the next techno. While differences distinguish one track from the next (though Simpson avows that his influences are more machines than particular artists, a seeming Drexciya influence emerges in "Droid" and the dark synth-driven "Feel the Heat" while dub rears its head in "Xray" and "Bass-o-Train"), there's clearly a unified feel to the album. "Skitzoid" casts a mechano spell, "Night Flight" breezily rocks, and the jacking cut "Voltar" broils feverishly for almost eight minutes. Bringing the mix to a chilled close, "Sweet You" floats in a billowing haze of jazzy pianos and locomotive drum brushes before vaporizing in a cloud of cymbal accents.

Artist:	A GUY CALLED GERALD
Title:	Proto Acid: The Berlin Sessions 2
Label:	LABORATORY INSTINCT (GERMANY)
Format:	12"
Price:	$8.50
Catalog #:	LI 012EP

Following last year's critically-acclaimed Proto Acid album, the Berlin-based acid house innovator A Guy Called Gerald provides a taster for what to expect from the second installment. "Voltar" starts off with shuffling drums and tribal beats, evolving into haunting sounds and what could be a Native American Indian chanting are gradually introduced. An adventurous take on house music. "Sweet You" features subtle breaks and understated drums, providing the basis for dreamy Motor City chords, a plunging, resonating bassline and old school piano keys. Don't miss this opportunity to sample the latest experiments from Gerald's lab.

Artist:	A GUY CALLED GERALD
Title:	Essence
Label:	STUD!O K7 (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	K7 088CD

"!K7 is very proud to present A Guy Called Gerald's long awaited full-length album Essence. This is his first project since 1995's groundbreaking Black Secret Technology. Featuring sleek and sexy production, Essence features the songwriting and vocals from guest artists such as David Simpson, Lady Kier (Deee-lite), Lamb's Louise Rhodes, and successful UK songwriter Wendy Page. Since the late 80s, Manchester, UK native A Guy Called Gerald (born Gerald Simpson), has proven to be among the most innovative modern music figures. Helping to write 808-State's 1989 techno anthem , 'Pacific State' and creating the seminal acid house track, 'Voodoo Ray', his influence is felt everywhere. His creativity and versatility has helped spawn various sub-genres and generations of music culture. Since his early experimentation with techno and acid house (1990s Automanik album) into his groundbreaking contributions to drum & bass music (1993's '28 Gun Bad Boy' and 'Black Secret Technology'), Gerald's art and craft has perpetually evolved regardless of his individual successes in each of those genres. Gerald's skills as a remixer and collaborator have also found their way onto tracks by Tricky, The Stone Roses, Goldie, Roy Ayers, Herbie Hancock, and David Bowie. Merging subtly ambitious elements of drum-n-bass and dub over immaculate melodies and tones. Essence hopes to revitalize the sound of drum-n-bass, expanding the songwriting and composition potential of breakbeat music with sleek and soulful production."

Artist:	A GUY CALLED GERALD
Title:	To All Things What They Need
Label:	STUD!O K7 (GERMANY)
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	K7 173CD

"Since the late eighties A Guy Called Gerald has been a force in the world of electronic music. When the history of postmodern dance music is written he is ubiquitous: his visions, his stylistic versatility, and musical open mindedness had a huge influence on the development of global dance culture. Very early on he experimented with techno and acid house and helped pioneer the style that was later called drum n'bass. And now the man from Manchester presents his newest album, To All Things What They Need. Again, A Guy Called Gerald has produced a piece of sonic innovation. For To All Things What They Need, A Guy Called Gerald freed himself from all musical barriers and genre fixations. The groove fundament on which his melodies rest freely varies from track to track, ignoring the common rhythmic formats. Masterly, A Guy Called Gerald fuses oriental harmony fragments with electronic sounds, combining the spoken word poetry of Ursula Rucker with a jazz beat or diving into beat-free musical depths where an intense, soulful sensation reverberates. To All Things What They Need is an album that is shaped by a gentle and deep atmosphere that exudes an irresistible sensuality."

Previous Page Index of Artists Next Page