Spells Disaster…
Crackhaus
Those who think minimal Techno should be dark, dour and deadly serious are advised to stay far away from Spells Disaster… — The Wire, UK
Et du chaos naît l’harmonie… — Le Devoir, Québec
Originally bursting on to the scene with their contribution to the Montréal Smoked Meat Compilation, and a much caned remix for fellow Montréal sound butcher Akufen on Force Inc Music Works in 2002, Crackhaus (Stephen Beaupre and Scott Monteith) are set to unleash another fine collection of cheeky dancefloor rockers for the MUTEK label just in time for this year’s festival.
Having spent the last year dazzling dancefloors in Chile, Mexico, and various points across Europe and North Amercia with their unrelenting, slapstick live performances, “Spells Disaster” takes the Crackhaus formula refined on last year’s “Blame Canada” EP for Montréal’s Musique Risquée imprint to new heights, with more gurggling basslines, sampler tomfoolery, and down home country hooks then you can shake a stick at.
Rounding out this excerpt of “the story so far” with a surprise ending, the brothers Crackhaus have also enlisted fellow Montréalers Egg, Mike Shannon, The Mole and Vincent Lemieux to contribute their own intepretations of several of the included tracks, making “Spells Disaster” a must have collection for discerning techno and house DJs looking to inject a little humour into their crates. The comedy hit of the summer? We certainly think so…
- Composer(s): Crackhaus, Egg, Flabbergast, The Mole, Mike Shannon
CD (MTK FAB03)
- 1Accidentally Brilliant (Crackhaus) (2004), 7:46
- 2Barberchop (Crackhaus) (2004), 5:11
- 3Hee Haw on See Saw (Crackhaus) (2004), 6:56
- 4I Like it Like That (Crackhaus) (2004), 6:57
- 5Smashee Smasheee!!! (Crackhaus) (2004), 5:45
- 6Soggy Bottom Bass (Crackhaus) (2004), 6:11
- 7This Sounds a Little Off… (Crackhaus) (2004), 6:09
- 8Night of the Living Weedheads remix (The Mole) (2004), 5:48
- 9Crackerjack remix (Mike Shannon) (2004), 5:36
- 10Chapi Chapeau remix (Egg) (2004), 5:19
- 11Crackahuète remix (Flabbergast) (2004), 5:33
- Label: Mutek_rec
- MTK FAB03
- 2004
- UCC 777078910547
- Total duration: 67:11
- Digipak
- 126 mm × 141 mm × 6 mm
- 70 g
On the web
2 × LP vinyl (MTK FAB03LP)
Side A
- 1Accidentally Brilliant (Crackhaus) (2004), 7:46
- 2Barberchop (Crackhaus) (2004), 5:11
Side B
- 1Hee Haw on See Saw (Crackhaus) (2004), 6:56
Side C
- 1I Like it Like That (Crackhaus) (2004), 6:57
- 2Soggy Bottom Bass (Crackhaus) (2004), 6:11
Side D
- 1Smashee Smasheee!!! (Crackhaus) (2004), 5:45
- Label: Mutek_rec
- MTK FAB03LP
- 2004
- UCC 881390376360
- 315 mm × 315 mm × 8 mm
- 385 g
On the web
Notices
About
Originally bursting on to the scene with their contribution to the Montréal Smoked Meat Compilation, and a much caned remix for fellow Montréal sound butcher Akufen on Force Inc Music Works in 2002, Crackhaus (Stephen Beaupre and Scott Monteith) are set to unleash another fine collection of cheeky dancefloor rockers for the Mutek_rec label just in time for this year’s festival.
Having spent the last year dazzling dancefloors in Chile, Mexico, and various points across Europe and North Amercia with their unrelenting, slapstick live performances, Spells Disaster… takes the Crackhaus formula refined on last year’s “Blame Canada” EP for Montréal’s Musique Risqée imprint to new heights, with more gurggling basslines, sampler tomfoolery, and down home country hooks then you can shake a stick at.
Rounding out this excerpt of “the story so far” with a surprise ending, the brothers Crackhaus have also enlisted fellow Montrealers Egg, Mike Shannon, The Mole and Vincent Lemieux to contribute their own intepretations of several of the included tracks, making “Spells Disaster” a must have collection for discerning techno and house DJs looking to inject a little humour into their crates. The comedy hit of the summer? We certainly think so…
Some recommended items
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Various artists
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In the press
Critical Beats
Those who think minimal Techno should be dark, dour and deadly serious are advised to stay far away from Spells Disaster…, Crackhaus’s second album. Even the presence of Matthew Herbert, who leads off the album by talking about his practice of sampling “accidental” sounds (the quote itself is itself sampled - ah, the irony from a press interview Herbert once gave in the Crackhaus duo’s home town of Montréal) can’t disguise the goofiness at work on Spells Disaster…. Crackhaus rhythms have always taken House music’s washing machine and propped it up at an absurd tilt, leaving each 4/4 cycle spinning with a ridiculous, lopsided swing. Here they throw a batch of bluegrass 78s into the load - hence titles like Soggy Bottom Bass and create something that could only be described as hillbilly House. Instead of Moby’s earnest anachronisms, however, Crackhaus draw from the most deliriously bent string plucks and harmonica squeals, using them as flashes of colour between their stuttering, static-laden beats.
Critique
Et du chaos naît l’harmonie… Il y a des pans de la musique électro qui font réfléchir, d’autres qui laissent perplexe, qui font sourire ou encore qui inspirent des petits déhanchements sur le côté. Avec Spells Disaster, le duo montréalais Crackhaus — formé de Steven Beaupré et de Scott Monteith — offre tout ça à la fois. À travers des compositions ludiques qui, dans leur anarchie sonore, finissent par faire émerger étrangement des mélodies délicates. Et on s’étonne d’en redemander.
L’exercice est étonnant, même s’il puise beaucoup dans les créations d’une autre formation d’ici: Akufen. C’est que les deux magiciens de l’échantillonneur de Crackhaus aiment visiblement jouer avec des sons incongrus mis en boucle, amplifiés ou encore placés sur des rythmes saccadés pour en détourner le sens. Avec succès. Résultat? Onze créations uniques qui, si elles semblent parfois sortir d’un vinyle qui saute, explorent finalement l’univers kétaine de la musique country ou même pop, à la sauce électro. «Ce n’est pas un album, précise, en anglais sur la pochette, les deux hommes derrière ce troisième CD produit par Mutek, c’est le cliché d’une année remplie de beaucoup de rires et d’expériences inoubliables, mais aussi la célébration d’une communauté à laquelle nous sommes heureux, comme des enfants dans un magasin de bonbons, d’appartenir.»
Et la communauté le leur rend bien avec quatre pièces remixées par Mole, Mike Shannon, Egg ainsi que Flabbergast placées, au nom de l’appartenance, sur la partie inférieure de cet album. Forcément, au premier contact, l’ensemble peut donc sembler fort hermétique. Mais le sentiment s’étiole à force d’en abuser.
Blog
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Sunday, May 30, 2004 / New releases
Bang! Mutek_rec launches 3 new releases: Mutek 04 — the 2CD compilation for Montréal’s Mutek 2004 festival, Spells Disaster… by duo Crackhaus and Chessmachine by Richard Chartier with Ivan Pavlov. More