PRICE:
$9.00
LOW STOCK LEVEL
1-2 Weeks
ARTIST
TITLE
Sampler Zero Eight
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
ARENA 023CD ARENA 023CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
6/23/2008

"Due in part to satisfy the requests for CD-based material, Ai's next full-length offering is a sampler showcasing the breadth of talent and styles signed to the label's roster. Deep, dubby techno is represented on 'Teranidian,' the LP's opener and the final track from Najem Sworb's critically-acclaimed debut EP from late 2007. Plant43's Drexciyan-tinged electro is up next in the shape of the title track from his Grey Sky Cracks EP before we move swiftly onto the The Third Man's warm techno journey along the 'A14.' Hot on the heels of his first full-length opus, the midpoint of the LP is handed over to Datassette; firstly with 'Damage Report,' his futuristic take on machine funk and then the medieval tones of 'Pluck,' a track akin to dropping a court lyre player into a modern day recording studio and allowing him to tinker merrily. Electronica is where the label first made its mark and the latter half of the sampler shows that while recent releases have had more of structured dancefloor feel, this genre is still very much part of the label's repertoire. Michael Manning delivers a pair of previously-unreleased tracks both of which have a strong string content although vary in their approach with 'Center of the Universe' being a full scale orchestral affair with complementary electronics, whereas 'Release' gently works the strings between broken beat and game-like patterns. Strings also play a part in Sinner DC's 'Summer 57,' a distorted electro workout sounding like a slowed-down version of Underworld's 'Rez' and another brand new track exclusive to this release. The LP is then finally brought to a close with the ambient electronica of Michael Manning's 'Lost Aberrant Dragonfly,' the oldest cut on the sampler coming from his earlier EP of the same name."