Blech, Vol. 2
So, in trying to figure out where Aphex Twin's track "Laughable Butane Bob" came from (
Hangable Auto Bulb, it turns out), I discovered a cool-looking dj mix called
Blech, Vol. 2, which was mixed by DJ Food (two guys, not one, as you might think).
As the British electronic music scene emerged from the vapor-rub haze of the rave movement, the need to push forward musical boundaries became of paramount importance. This CD represents the coming together of two of electronic music's most influential, experimental, and seminal labels. PC and Strictly Kev (better known as Ninja Tune artist DJ Food) mixed this Warp Records compilation, brilliantly building a classic Ninja Tune sample-heavy mix, only constructed out of the abstract, left-field fare that is Warps bread and butter. Moving deftly from the traditional IDM sound to more blunted trip-hop fare and hyperactive breaks culture, the mix is held together by a myriad of scratches and film samples that augment but never overshadow the records on hand. All of the usual suspects are in abundance, with tracks by Autechre and Aphex Twin taking up ten of the 31 records included. Also present are IDM favorites Mira Calix, Squarepusher, and Mike Paradinas, under his Jake Slazenger guise. The unreleased mix of Plaid's "Abla Eedio," with its rotating percussion given much more slapping power than the album version, makes this CD worth the purchase price alone. For the cultish hordes who savor every Warp release, Blech puts these classic pieces of experimental electronica in a context as adventurous as the original pieces of music. Those less experienced should find themselves scouring over the intricate liner notes (produced by those pillars of '90s aesthetic, the Designers Republic) to find out who created these sonic explorations from the crucible of mid-'90s post-rave culture.
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