Released
March, 1997
Label
Map Records
Reviewed by
Kim Alexander
Contact
Email:
info (at) mapmusic.com
Snail Mail:
1027 Davie Street #608
Vancouver BC Canada
V6E 4L2
Fax: 604.602.1038
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Last Edit/Update
15 May, 1998
Mere Mortals
Ethnic Dub Simmphony In Ten Parts
Track Listing
1. reef
2. hare hare RAM
3. sacred grounds
4. sphinxstream
5. clouds of nonsense
6. gunjah
7. shift
8. global driftnet moratorium
9. drum terra
10. et cetera
"Ethnic Dub Simmphony In Ten Parts" is the debut artist album on
Map Records, and the long-awaited first release of MERE MORTALS (Wax
Trax, Endzeit, Interchill). This beautifully composed journey into and beyond
ethno ambient and dub'n'bass is written and produced by Dan Handrabur
(with additional production and vocals by Cristina Handrabur), whose solo
projects include DREAMLOGIC (ESP, Harthouse) and VUEMORPH (Silent),
and collaborative projects OFF AND GONE (Exist Dance, Harthouse),
FLOATPOINT (ESP/Sun, Apollon), XDRONE (with Adham Shaikh of Instinct)
and the seminal OUTERSANCTUM compilation released on his own label in
1993. Dan contributed four tracks to the "Welcome To Lotus Land"
compilation (two as Mere Mortals, two as Dreamlogic), recently released by
Map Records.
"Ethnic Dub Simmphony In Ten
Parts" will appeal to lifeforms
stimulated by ethnomorphic dub'n'bass, trance-cultural exoterics, and stellar
electroniculture. Their mutated form of aurally aquatic tropicality, ethnic
eccentricity and musical morphias have to be heard to be believed."
--Map Records Promotional
Data
Map
Records has some incredible music out now -- Mere Mortals being just one
of the fine selections I have recently heard. The ethno-dub drum and bass electronica
created by Mere Mortals on this release is a rare find indeed and
shouldn't be missed if you are into this type of music. Track one, reef, is a
swirling account of synth and drums, reminding me of some of past work byThe Orb
with that march-like beat, very danceable, and tasty programming of layered noise and
harmony. hare hare RAM is yet another dubbed drum and bass addition to the CD but
exaggerates a more percussion oriented work with clicks and bonks, winding, fading and
chiming synths and wah-wah, and is a tad slower in tempo than the previous selection. The
next track, sacred ground takes off with fairy tale synths that includes sounds
like the zapping of electrons off high wire lines, blended with vocals reminiscent of a
woman chanting in a far off ancient land, standing naked to the sun, crying out her
passion for life, and of course a delicious amount of drum and bass layered throughout. Sphinxstream
brings to mind sounds from the city and the country as heard from below in some tunnel,
good programming and interesting quirks of synths and percussion.
My favourite track on this release
is titled gunjah. A sweet sensuous dub with smoothly flowing synth-harmony, vocals
again of a woman la-la-la-ing in the background at times, sounds of the Gap band or Rick
James of a deep wraspy do-do-do-do-do-do-do-doot 1:8 progression, horn samples blurbing in
the background as if you were standing outside of a jazz club in Chicago hearing some guy
doing some trumpet riffs with his buddies and snappy percussion driving the whole work.
More on the relatively dancey upbeat side of things is shift, electronically
manipulated programming with repetitive highs and lows in sounds, and birdlike samples
drifing in and out of the piece and a wahhhing backdrop and what sounds like a
sitar...brings to mind a touch of disco-dub club mix work. Also brings to mind The Orb
style of music.
Overall this is an excellent
release if you like the sounds described in this review. If you have a passion for sounds
similar to FSOL and The Orb, get this CD. It's original for the most part, has a good
sound, great mixing and is a great CD for DJ's in the dance clubs.
