C. H. District is the one man project of Polish electronic musician Miroslaw Matyasik. He started out in 1996 and has about a half-dozen releases or more to his credit. This is the first one I've ever heard, so I have no basis of comparison with the artist's other material. The best way to describe it is instrumental (for the most part) beat-oriented electronica. For the most part, the electronics are on the minimal and simplistic side, and the beat-work is pushed to the forefront. In my first listening run-though, I found the album too repetitive and lacking in changes. But first listens are usually filled with prejudices, musical and otherwise, so I never review an album until after I've heard it a few times at least.

My opinion now is that 'Conclusion' is fairly enjoyable and engaging beat-core electronica, if you're not expecting anything earth-shattering, and don't mind the rhythmic repetition. That aspect is certainly conducive to dancing, or at least some form of body-motion experience. In fact, as I sit here typing this review, I'm kind of grooving on the keyboard in time to the rhythm of the music. I'm sure a number of the tracks on this CD would work well in a live club environment where you can really feel the beat and let it just move you.

One thing I didn't care for though ' the vocal sample on the 'Conclusion' title track. Although it fit right in the rhythm, to me it came across as too 'clubby'. But that's a small quibble. C. H. District's rhythm programming doesn't hit you over the head with bombastic sonics or ultra-tricky programming; it is a bit more subtle than that. It will take a few listenings to really appreciate, and may be the kind of music you might want to play while you're doing something else. I found that when I wasn't paying a lot of attention to it, it seemed to permeate my psyche more than when I listened intently for analysis.

There is one track with a vocal on 'Conclusion' ' 'Like A Human,' courtesy of Tomtylor with lyrics by Alina. It's a nice change for the album, simple but very well sung and constructed. It would have been cool to have more tracks like that, but I know it wasn't the artist's intention. Still, for me, it was one of the highlights. One other aspect of 'Conclusion' that deserves mention is that the album has a nice flow to it as from track-to-track there is a sonic meshing that gives the impression of a complete work rather than just a disparate collection of pieces. The album is only a little over 42 minutes, and it will probably not even seem that long after a few listenings.

For some odd reason I couldn't find anything off of 'Conclusion' to check out on the C. H. District website, but Tympanik has a track off of it you can download for free if you go do their Downloads section. I would advise checking it out first to make sure it's your cup 'o tea, but there are also YouTube videos available. Worth a listen if you're hungering for something new in beat-oriented electronica.

What if, in the late 70's, early 80's Brian Eno decided to find and produce the worst minimal synth band in New York he could find. Not sure he could complete the task himself, he enlisted the aid of The Residents, and possibly one other (undisclosed) luminary English musical known for his bizarre music as a consultant. Upon hearing the finished product, the record company recoiled in horror and promptly shelved the recording burying it deep in its archives vowing it would never be released as it would ruin the reputations of all involved. Then, 30 or so years later, some lackey at the label discovered the recording and released it anonymously. Todd is Each New Moment's 'Glass Sword' could be such a recording.

Fortunately for Brian Eno, he has no such involvement whatsoever with this project. (Although he did play with, and produce the Portsmouth Sinfonia, a markedly low point in his career with classical music no-talents, but that's another story.) Unfortunately for Todd is Each New Moment, there is no Brian Eno, or Residents or anyone else to blame this misbegotten disaster on but Todd is Each New Moment. TINEM on this disc is comprised of guitarist Thomas Wilk and keyboardist Bryan Hamill, and singer Jake Davidson of Brooklyn and Athens, NY. Yes, it's minimal synth, and probably like nothing you've ever heard. It could have been a bad SNL skit, but Sprockets has nothing to fear here. The odd thing is, there are some interesting off the wall musical elements, but the vocals are just so gawd-awful that they can't be overcome. Davidson sings in this hokey overly affected pseudo-dramatic voice that just makes you want to roll your eyes and say 'what the fuck is this shit???' It's as if David Byrne had a brother who couldn't sing at all, but figuring since he had Byrne blood in him, decided to give warbling a go anyway. Perhaps with somebody who could actually sing (or enough processing on the voice to render it inscrutable) this mess could have made into something at least tolerable.

There are moments that TINEM bore a vague resemblance to elements of Eno's first solo album ('Here Come the Warm Jets'), but they were assuredly brief. Actually, there was one thing I liked- a brief minimal guitar solo in 'For Evan and Evan,' but that was such a small part of this disaster that it hardly makes up for any of the rest. Sometimes the weirdness approaches Residentsville, for weirdness only, not for talent or inventiveness. Even the Bonzo Dog Band, if they attempted to spoof the worst band in the world, could not achieve the atrociousness present on 'Glass Sword'. If you don't believe me, visit their MySpace site and check out some of the tracks.

I might be willing to give this band a listen on a future release if they dump Davidson and get a decent vocalist, but I wouldn't count on that. Funny thing is, there are some people who are going to love this stuff just because it's so bad and so out there. I suppose it could be considered Dada or Avant Garde synthpop, but for me, it was just cringe-worthy, and in my book, that's never a good thing.

The hypnotical carillon introducing the debut-album by the German trio Downstairs Left, wisely entitled Waiting For The Golden Age whose misty atmospheres are gloomily anticipated by cover graphics rich of beheaded seraphic statues, desperate or sad figures in bas-relief, stone cherubs and overshadowed hues, seems to prepare the ground onto which this band let rack dregs of hums of cryptic melodies, a pervasive and perturbing sense of decadence and melancholy (in tracks such as Sunken Home, the singer seems to uplift somewhat glorious past ages as the house of peace and beauty, but it seems addressing to some transfigured character belonging to past age, not necessarily considered as a physical presence, in the large part of the tracks, whose lyrics oozes with a sense of lackness, and even a track entitled Hope seems giving not so much space to hope actually whereas the singer seems taking consciousness about a global psychological warfare, contaminating chilhood so far, so that the choice of such a title could stand ironic or even more intended to highlight despair...), through a spare and terse sound. I don't complaint about it all, quite the contrary, I think it's quite fitted even if this record musically lacks of astonishing moments as the evoked emotions are the keys to better appreciate it. Electronics are just sprayed on melodies where needed mainly for emphasizing some moments of the record and intersections with oriental scents, supposedly a fashion in contemporary gothic scene, has been limited to just one track, Hands of Destiny, whereas the tracks where the balance between acoustic and electronic sounds more huggable are the best ones, such as Smile, Why, Pictures of Past or Dusty Dead Moon in their essential bowdlerization. Compositional structures are quite plain and incovered with frills, maybe to underline a certain immediacy in treating ethereal emotions to make them more "palpable" and vivid, especially in the crepuscolar crackling of some tracks such as Today and The Rose - the only song where the dark voice by Hayle has been echoed by a female one -. I wonder if their sound, which partially reminded to me the emotional sets of Katatonia after an heavy dark make-up, is going to be slightly turned as it happens in the pretty remix of Typewritten Life.

Another release it took me a while to describe but it's Experimental Media and if you're confidential with the label you know it's heavy experimental music composed and recorded with a deep and hyper intellectual edge. This is the turn of a collection giving exposure to the drone materials of unconventional music composer/guitarist David First. If the cd opens with this monolitic, quasi organ-sounding track based on a theremin sound that last for almost thirsty six minutes, the second episode quietly re-proposes the same narcoleptic idea of the first one, a slowly growing drone takes the scene it's even difficult to believe the sound has been made with an e-bowed guitar. The first cd consistent of small sound variations from the drone-theme even if the third track introduces some more instruments like a dissonant piano kept sound mixed in the magma a violin and a clarinet, the mixing has been made in order to obtain some similar effects. During the listening of the second cd you can't but notice sonic structures are changing it's also true this series of compositions has been made after YTK, for what concerns the audio pro-profile, let's say the five compositions contained in this second cd by some means are a bit more "electronic" but the basic style remains the same. What really surprises me is how this composer has probably intentionally maintained the same magmatic sound throughout the years and that's also testified by the last cd containing the long piece titled "Pipeline Witnedss Apologies to Dennis" where beside David himself with laptop and his many midi and electronic devices are featured several trombones and a keyboard. This track in someway is the real summa of more then ten years of compositions and studies by this unordinary guitar player with a contemporary classic training and a deep interest in electronic music. Given the fact this last track is dedicated to Dennis Sandole, First's guitar/composition teacher I think you can understand why here the musicians probably reaches the his compositional climax and goes deep in his musical research. David First speaks about some references that range from Philip Glass to Alvin Lucier but it also reminded the suggestions created by Giacinto Scelsi. As Nicolas Collins writes in the line notes First's "textures have grown denser and lusher over the years".

This release has come out almost simultaneously with the split release with Pylone we've reviewed a couple of weeks ago. Differently from the split cd, this work is a collection of old materials came out on cdr and an old net releases and despite the fact not all of the tracks have been composed during the same period of time this slab of plastic offers a homogeneous listening. If you ever had the chance to taste Beccuzzi' solo releases you know we mostly deal with cold electronic post-industrial avant-garde music..are in you in need of some references to file the music here contained? Let's say it's mostly post-cotemporary classic music with references to Thomas Koner, Richard Cartier, Pan Sonic and their related projects in general, Zoviet France, and anything following this route. Final archives offers a full range of high and low frequencies, sharp sounds, raw materials, squared low beats, concrete sounds, electronic versus music concrete, soft-crescendos and sudden peaks of noise and silence, just to show Becuzzi knowledge of electronic/installation music has matured along the way. I can grant you both the minimal compositions and the sound installation materials have that common heavy, post-industrial feel that characterizes the majority of Kinetix solo works but overall this cd is on Silentes and obviously if you know the label I doubt you won't like its sound. To emphasize this last conclusion I should add beside minimalism sometimes Becuzzi has this quasi-isolationist post-ambient feel that many fans of the genre will surely appreciate. Honestly it took me more than one listening to get how much I was into the work, but after several listening I'm convinced this collection of recordings puts together some interesting compositions, maybe one of the best work of Kinetix so far.