26 ~ North Shore News — Friday, March 24, 2000 Ca “Every night, every dav, every second you're away feels like a desert bairy.” — Sarah Cracknell, “Desert Baby”, Lipsitde. Joka Goodman This Week Editor oodman@nsnews.com BY definition electronica operates in anonymity where the machines are as important as the musicians. Despite this the best producers sall manage to create an identity out of their sound sources. While most of the music receives limited distrib- ution a few artists are getting a chance to releaoe their material on mafor fabels, Success on a larger scale requires even maore emphasis on identity. It comes with the territory —- crossing over objectifies the groove. This process is in full effect on the latest batch of CDs from the techno, ambient, trance and drum ’n bass genres. Whether you're interested in masterful pop confections from UK performers or the experi- mental work of the French label Artefact there’s something for everyone in the tracks. %% Groove Armada — Vertiga torte %& (Zomba/Jive-Electro Records) A stunning vision of pop music packaged as ambient techno. Or whatever clse you want them to be. The Fatboy Slim remix of “I See You Baby” is the song deemed chart-worthy for North American consumption but the seductive Groove Armada has so much more to offer. In fact the hit single stands out with its brash cut and paste esthetic — most of the tracks develop at a slower pace. Andy Cato and Tom Findlay mix minimalist techniques with melodic mastery, Aphex Twin meets Lennon and McCartney at Dennis Potter’s house. ~ Groove Armada’s dmeless songs have the entre history of pop culture at their fingertips with vocal samples floating over the proceed- ings. Name drop Dick Haymes, The Chi-Lites and “Old Cape Cod” then turn left and head out to sea. The album, recorded at a remote cottage in England’s Lake District, is the perfect sound- track for summer. If you’re fond of sand dunes and salty air look no further. Recessumended. & Presence — All Systems Gone ee iekk (Ark 21 /Pagan Records) Another beautiful soul production from the UK. Nottingham ’s Charles Webster, best Aa Oba Breet e lies a known for his deep house grooves, has joined forces with a trio of vocalists on his full-length debut. Two voices from the Massive Attack fold, Shara Nelson and Sarah Jay alternate leads with Steve Edwards on an album’s worth of song- writing gems from Webster. Prior to this CD he had moved up through the studio ranks work- ing with groove manipulators such as Derrick May and Juan Atkins, All Systems Gone puts that funk apprentice- ship to good use but the actual songs open up a whole new world for Webster. Nothing seems out of place with each of the singers adding their own stamp to the sound. Magnificent music making. W@ Euphoria «kx (Six Degrees Records) San Francisco’s Six Degrees Records shows what can be accomplished in the global village. The maverick independent label is forging its own path through the maze of world music. Toronto-based musician Ken Ramm’s blues electronica fits right into their plans with his lat- est album, Exphoria. Recorded in London with Femi Kuti continues in the Afrobeat tradition of his father on his new CD Shokd, Shoki. Winner of many African and European awards the album is now avaliable domestically. Tall us the name of Fami's father and if your name is drawn you will win a copy of Shoki, Shoni. Send your entries to Fem! Kuti Contest, North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver, BC V7M 2H4. Attn: John Goodman. You can fay entries to 985-2104 cr e-mait to , Deadline for ‘ the contest is Wednesday, March 29, 5 p.m. Winners will be telephoned. Femi brings his band Positive Fores to Richards on Richards for a gig on Monday, April 3. Tickets $28, 280-4444. Watch for an interview with Fela's son in next Friday's News. 5 75% Year 2 6.25% Year 3 _ Series 14 Avaual compound rate of 5.74% fer C-band if held for 3 years. “1.60% Year 1 EW,.CAN) : YOu'RE ON SOLID GROUND. 1-800-57: AVINGS-BONDS i Canada producer Garry Hughes (Art of Noise, Sly & Robbie) Ramm brings in a distinctive slide gui- tar sound to anchor his compositions. Ry Cooder’s film work comes to mind when listening to the spacy opener “Delirium” but Ramm manages to put his own spin on the music with layers of drum and vocal samples. Along with the computer-generated sounds he uses traditional instrumentation to achieve the right feel - Middle Eastern ney, Bulgarian kaval flutes, bagpipes, and various stringed instruments all come into play at some point. With Ramm you can’t separate the content from the cultural matrix. Not only is he inter- ested in combining different styles but also in exploring the mix between ancient and modern systems. DJ Cam — The French Connection kkw ke (Shadow Records) ® Futique — Go.Low tik kek (Shadow Records) & The Best of Acid Jazz — In the Miz 2 wk (Instinct Records) @ Future Jazz, — %&& (Instinct Records) if @ Sarah Cracknell — Lipslide kk *% (Instinct Records) @ Chris Standring — Hip Sway kik (Instinct Records) @ The Shadow Masters — Drus ’n Bass e%& & (Shadow Records) Is Acid Jazz the only genre to have been given a name before there was any music creat- ed for it? More a marketing tool than an actual category some ofit is worth listening to bur a lot of “Acid Jazz” is a grab bag for stuff that doesn’t seem to fic anywhere else. New York's very prolific Instinct and Shadow labels continue to identify with Acid Jazz even though most of their product is far better than that tag would imply, Their Acid Jazz compilations are very popular but the best material is found elsewhere. Futique (Brooklyn's Taylor Deupree and his partner Sawvas Ysatis} create sounds using 2 ~~ wide range of technology on Go.Low. Deupree, a graphic designer, shapes the music to achieve a faux futuristic feel. The iimpossible vo ubtain recordings from France's Acucfact are now readily available thanks to Shadow’s French Connection compila- tion. The label was started in December 1994 by Jérome Mestre of Paris’ Rough Trade & Bastille magazine and Alan Gac of Rosebud. Arnaud Rebotini is one of the main artists involved with Artefact and anything he pro- duces is worth checking out. Near the end of French Connection look for the sublime “One of These: Days” by Zend Avesta, which is Rebotini with ex-Gus Gus singer Hafdis Huld Firastardottr. Sarah Cracknell takes a break from St. Etienne for her solo debut Lipslide. The pro- duction, « mix of pop and electronica, continues - to build in depth with repeated listening. @ D! Dara — From Here to Tere: A Drum & Bas: D] Mix kk&kk& (Moonshine Records) . Christopher Lawrence — Trilegy kic& (Moonshine Records) . @ DJ Miao — Presents Tech-Mix 2000 kick (Moonshine Records) Trance and breakbeat science from the American Moonshine label. The stand out is New York’s DJ Dara and his take on junglist drum 'n bass. Close your eyes aad you'll think you're listening to a lost session of Roni Size Reprazent. Brilliant. . Addresses. Instinct Records ang Shadow Records, 26 W. 17th St, #502, New York, New York 10011. Email: 72170.1753@compuserve.com : Moonshine Music, 8525 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069 : Email: feedback@cmoonsiine.com Sie Degrees Records, PO. Box 411347, San Francisco, CA 94141-1347. CLINIQUE Present... Purchase 3 tickets for $5.00 at the Clinique counter at - : any Bay store, and receive a special Clinique gift... While you're at the Clinique countez, recommend two friends © Or order tickets by phone 875-1119 /1-800618-1119 a who want to be eligible to win $50,000 in our next lottery and you will automatically be entered to WIN! $ 3 ao gift basket of cosmetics $ 4 : shopping Spree