Todd Drootin creates/constructs material from loops, whether sampled or self-created, into a dancing dramatic techno. The first time I listened, a bit fragmented, it seemed somewhat monochrome, but subsequent excursions have shown it to be a fun filled time.

Laptop Blues opens with a short guitar strum loop that wobbles from ear to ear and then varispeeds away. We get really going with Republic Of setting the tone and structure — varied loops, percussive and melodic (including guitar), layered onto each other crackles and changes, slowing and returning and slowing right back. This has a jolly rhythms that reminded me of the Clash in its dubby sections. They returned later on Girls Up Front where the fast samples drums and loops with a strong bass, recalled Armageddon time. With See You In Tokyo there is a building percussion from simple tap, plus cymbal, bass, snare and organ to a fast beachy sound that is part B-52’s rest sci-fi weirdness, emphasised through some changes.

The album then goes through all sorts of moods with these tracks — She’s Dead To Me is fast and furious (a few are) gunge with strong drums; Pointe du pied has a popcorn feel but slower, simple synth melodies, finally a bit dubby; white noise pulses, organs and synth sound Russian in Death In the Sex Shop and there is a continuing Cossack feel with Siberian Soundsystem that also includes some wailing voices amongst the layers; jangly samples, voice loops rubbery and stomping Circus Animal Battle Rap (instrumental). The mood changes with Frisson a slower backward toney more ambient track that has some distorted and spooky elements to it, followed by a more dirty and rocking Bicycle Beat, pulsing and crackling after which Shake That is somehow more “studied”, slower with voice loops and slowing tones, trumpet and drum. The pace rebuilds for the clarinet-drenched The Crucial a long and involved piece moving through a few states and chopping in organ and piano. Unlucky Bounce is solid with some dirty guitar and a piano melody over computer bootling. Choppy and slippery Sidekick is followed by the buzzing and sinuous Church Bus whose heavy rhythms close the album.

A fun excursion, worth reading.

Es ist mittlerweile kein Geheimnis mehr, dass auf Net-Only-Labels hervorragende Musik veröffentlicht wird, wie auch hier im Fall von Headphone Science. Gleich vorweg: es handelt sich um keinen Web-Release, die vorliegende Veröffentlichung erscheint als CD und wie der Pressemitteilung zu entnehmen ist, ist ein weiterer Release auf dem Wiener Skylab-Label geplant. Und das ist auch gut so, denn Headphone Science ist eine absolute Bereicherung für alle Addicts von Hip Hop-orientiertem IDM. Tighte Grooves, teilweise an Boards of Canada erinnernde Vocal-Schnipsel und sphärische Soundbackings, das sind die Hauptzutaten einer EP, die direkt und ohne Umweg den Kopfnicker-Button anspricht. Word.

Man liest das Booklet der vorliegenden CD und ist entsetzt. Da ist doch wirklich die Rede davon, dass das in vier Akte geteilte Stück „mit offenen Augen komponiert wurde”, dass „Musik der Ausdruck der in der Realität verankerten Sensibilität wäre” und dass es um Hilflosigkeit, Verunsicherung und andere Existenzialien geht. Wer bitteschön getraut sich heute noch an solche Themen — wohlgemerkt in der betont gefühlslosen Welt der Elektronika? Monique Jean zum Beispiel und wer glaubt, dass man es dann mit mollastigen Ambientorgien a la spätem Klaus Schulze zu tun bekommt, irrt gewaltig. Die Soundscapes, die hier gezeichnet werden, sind atemberaubend, keineswegs emotional-naiv, sie sind zumeist von einer digitalen Kühle getragen, deren fragile Textur durch Rauschkaskaden und wirre Sprachfetzen durchbrochen wird. Die Lektüre der CD ist sicherlich nicht leicht, aber man wird durch die vielschichtige Tiefe der Komposition und eine fesselnde Klangsprache mehr als belohnt.

Since forming the electroacoustic duo Coin Gutter in 2000, Vancouver’s Emma Hendrix and Graeme Scott have been blessing local ears with their consistently beautiful noise. The pair’s latest release, All your dreams are meaningless is like a surrealist landscape painting rooted firmly in our city’s rich tradition of experimental sound design. As if October hadn’t already given us enough wonderful electronic music concerts, Coin Gutter adds to the lovely din with an appearance on Tuesday (October 28) at the Railway Club. Noise freaks unite!

Books on Tape, a.k.a. ’puter noodler Todd Drootin, are an acquired taste. Unquestionably interesting and indisputably arcane, Books’ synthetic-music experimentalism is a nuthouse art gallery for your brain. Fixate on a track title and let the scene gel in your mind’s eye: She’s Dead To Me (manic and disturbing), Death In the Sex Shop (stranglehold manic), Church Bus (ominous industrial), See You In Tokyo (curiously Teutonic-styled menace intermingled with Talking Heads frivolity), Circus Animal Battle Rap (instrumental) (edgy and onomatopoeic). The best moments are definitely the darker ones. When things get too vanilla (e.g. the Pollyanna minimalism of Pointe du pied) the engagement quotient declines noticeably. But all that’s forgiven and forgotten when you hit cuts like the sax-n-drugs The Crucial. A tumbling bundle of samples, loops and general electro doodling, Sings the Blues plays hopscotch across your synapses and gets you thinking about things you’ve never done and probably shouldn’t.

[…] Valley native Todd Drootin (a.k.a. Books on Tape) suffers from a severe case of electronic epilepsy. Standing behind his series of odd sequencers and mysterious boxes bursting with knobs, levers, and who-knows-what, the man seems to compose in a fit of spontaneity. However, the brilliant premeditation is evident in how friggin’ good his stuff is. Using samples as minimal as a single guitar chord or bass line as his palate, Drootin mixes in blips, buzzes and other kinds of primitive electronic noises to create music that is somewhat punk, somewhat dancey and often cinematic in scope. The project began when Drootin wanted to play music but lacked the space necessary to store his various bulky traditional instruments. Sequencers, about the size of shoeboxes (but a lot more fun), seemed like the way to go. What has grown out of this space-issue is a full-fledged act that is less “electroclash,” and more a direct result of influences such as jazz, punk, indie, and just plain rock. Books on Tape shows have been described as “high-energy gymnastics” and even the most die-hard electronic traditionalists and jaded indie-rockers have been known to break a smile watching the frantic, knob-turning, pedal-slamming spectacle that is a Books on Tape show. Drootin has had the opportunity to play with such established acts as Cursive, Rilo Kiley and Stars as Eyes. The debut Books on Tape album received high critical acclaim and became a staple on college radio stations nationwide. Drootin feels that his recently released second album, Sings the Blues, captures the vibe of his live performances. He has been invited to play at this year’s CMJ festival in New York City and can be expected to surpass the Los Angeles underground soon enough. […]