2 ELECTRONIC LPS FROM THE LAST 10 YEARS

Current mood: WOULD YOU CREDIT IT???
Category: WOULD YOU CREDIT IT??? Music

ARMAND VAN HELDEN
KILLING PURITANS

It was the cover that first appealed...

Taking a closer look, I guessed the record was Van Helden, but the writing in the top right hand corner isn't legible, so when I found it was named 'Killing Puritans' I became even more interested....

So exactly what kind of opinions does a rich Garage Superstar Remix DJ have on 'Killing Puritans'?!? I wondered..

Maybe you remmeber Van Helden...

He was one of those DJ/PRODUCERS who in his prime (mid to late 90s) could pretty much name his price for a remix, and though there's no question he had a certain Soulwaxesque remix talent, I've never really understood his work to be that important in the general scheme of things....

And 'Killing Puritans' is bitty.

There's the occasional good groove and thought provoking sentiment and there's collaborations with Herbie Hancock & Common, but as an LP - a complete body of work - it doesn't really work.

For one; the connecting verbal samples are often pretty confused ranging from the 'HEY VAN HELDEN YOU IS THE MONEY!!!' kind, to peculiar statements that try to rabble rouse or make vague political and/or personal credo statements..

This kind of thing annoys me after a while unless it's SHIT HOT!!!

In this case it seems to be filler, as do a good few of the tracks...

I mean you isn't no revolutionary Van Helden - you's a well paid entertainer and everyone knows successful entertainers lick the cream of a society rather than slum it down in the gutter with the rats - no matter where and how they might have started out...

All this said, I don't dislike this LP or Van Helden - in fact I've always had a soft spot for him and this LP has just about enough on it to get the nod...


MATTHEW HERBERT
SCORE

Perhaps in contrast to Van Helden, Matthew Herbert is the kind of guy who's always going to be seen as credible, intelligent and clever...

I first became aware of him many years ago.

At the time I was thinking I'd make techno tracks out of day to day sounds - I then found Herbert had already done it. I heard a couple of his tracks and wasn't hugely impressed, so I kept on with MY idea for a while thinking I might just sneak up on the inside and WHUP HIS ARSE!! But I was soon overcome by the complexity of the task and became distracted...

Well, Mr Herbert kept his focus, and since that start has jumped along and about creating new and interesting music like a dead clever Hare.

Yes boss, having recently read a very good piece that overviewed his life's work, I'd almost hazard to say that Mr Herbert is one of the more important experimental producers of the last 20 years.

He's worked with big bands, laptops and more or less instrument inbetween. The diversity and individual style of many of these projects is hugely impressive, as is his unwillingness to mould himself around any trends or fashions, and all this together with his determined inner vision results in the kind of thing that tends to last...

Yes boss, give me the guy who quietly goes about his business as and when he feels it needs to be done, ahead of the guy who needs 3000 people with their hands in the air every night to keep his pecker up, any day of the week...

But who'd do a better party???

Van Helden obviously...

Anyway, this Matthew Herbert LP Score is superb. I love the music. The arrangements and instrumentation is superb. It's concentrated and hard worked, but still entertaining and has successfully avoided the alt.experielectro cliche of containing too many 'broken water heater' sounds...

All told, there's a sense of big and tender wonder about this and I most definately recommend every last bit of both this LP and Mr Herbert in general....

So there...

Currently listening : Score By Matthew Herbert Release date: By 09 April, 2007

11:17 - 11 Comments - 7 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

	Clinker	I never liked Van Helden. He always seemed aimed at the commercial end of the spectrum and his own stuff...weak. Dunno the other guy. I'll check him out, if only to form an opinion. Sounds interesting at the very least! Posted by Clinker on Friday, January 04, 2008 at 19:04 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Van Helden was certainly commercial, but I liked some of his tracks - but like i say, not that important in the general scheme of things in my opinion... Mr Herbert is far from commercial.. Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Friday, January 04, 2008 at 19:18 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Clinker	"Jump" was the worst I think...just kidding, just kidding ....it's great! Posted by Clinker on Friday, January 04, 2008 at 19:06 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	There's a metally guitar one on this LP called Little Black Spiders. I like it, but it's not even close to the magnificence of JUMP!!! Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Friday, January 04, 2008 at 19:43 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Clinker	Yeah when I was tying to make that joke I couldn't think of any other Van Halen tune, but yeah Jump is actually great. I once saw Aztec Camera (don't start!) and Roddy Frame did Jump solo on acoustic and it was brilliant. I still remember it now all these years on. He whacked it up loud, distorted an all at the end for ages. Posted by Clinker on Friday, January 04, 2008 at 21:51 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Van Halen are touring again. Maybe they should have Aztec Camera in support... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Friday, January 04, 2008 at 22:06 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	stEvil	i quite dig that album, i got back into it again recently and was surprised how much of it held up well... the album before it, "2 future 4 u" is really quite good, too... some ideas on "killing puritans" wear thin quickly ("coochie"?), but for my money it's pretty rad... it's rad to hear common get down and dirty. Posted by stEvil on Friday, January 04, 2008 at 22:58 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Yeah... 2 future is a slightly better one i think - that's the one with Flowers on isn't it?? I've been getting into Common since that mix tape you recomended of Kanye wests some months back.. Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Friday, January 04, 2008 at 23:00 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	stEvil	that's the one... and common's really quite good i reckon... except for his guest appearance on an awful US sitcom (tautological argument, right there) "one on one". Posted by stEvil on Saturday, January 05, 2008 at 00:14 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I love those tracks on the Kanye comp and am downloading more of his stuff... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on Saturday, January 05, 2008 at 00:21 [Remove] [Reply to this]

Mog Hartley

I like killing puritans but I do have to skip a couple of tracks. I think Koochy is just bonkers aand therefore wonderful. Matthew Herbert mm! not sure I like his manifesto I follow a similar one Posted by Mog Hartley on Saturday, January 05, 2008 at 11:05 [Remove] [Reply to this]