COLLECTION

ABSTRACT DEPRESSIONISM

  1/  Dahlia                                          (Fujiwara)               4.22
        Hiroshi Fujiwara
  2/  Circling                                        (Bernocchi)              6.30
        Eraldo Bernocchi
  3/  Dreadnot                                        (Laswell)                6.31
        Praxis
  4/  Cult Leader                                     (Solo)                   5.55
        Solo
  5/  Kill Him                                        (Showard)                7.42
        DXT
  6/  The Flie Generation                             (Bernocchi)              7.21
        Eraldo Bernocchi
  7/  Downward                                        (Laswell)                4.40
        Material
  8/  Angels With Savage Weapons                      (Showard)                6.46
        DXT
  9/  Tithoninia                                      (Fujiwara)               5.04
        Hiroshi Fujiwara
  10/ Suite Pour Machines en 58 BPM et 65 Mesures     (Chan)                   4.23
        Mami Chan
  11/ Full Pull                                       (Harris)                 5.46
        Mick Harris
  12/ Having                                          (Harris)                 4.23
        Mick Harris

          Tracks 2 and 6 created at Verba Corrige Prod. Studio, Milan, Italy
          Tracks 3,5,7 and 8 created at Orange Music Sound Studio, West Orange,
            New Jersey
          Tracks 11 and 12 created and mixed in the Black Box
          Tracks 3 and 7 engineered by Robert Musso
          Track 4 engineered by JP Sluys
          Each track produced by it's respective writer
(3,7) Bill Laswell: beats, bass, keyboards, sounds.

          1999 - A.P.C. (France), A.P.C. 011/CDA 019 (CD)

REVIEWS :

I'm not sure if the title of this disc is supposed to be a joke at the expense of the artists, or if it is just poorly chosen, but then again a compilation of tracks from Bill Laswell, Mick Harris, Eraldo Bernocchi and other like minded individuals is not something you would expect to find at a fashion house either. The disc starts out with an almost sentimental track that features a slow beat/drone work with some piano on top. The Praxis and Material tracks work well with the others, and I actually like them for a change. Bernocchi turns in two tracks of beats and effects with a sound not unlike SIMM, but possibly more complex. The only slow moment comes with the second DXT track, which drags with a lack of imagination. The last two cuts are from Mick Harris, and the warped, warbling Weakener bass is in full effect over natural sounding drum loops. What a way to wrap up a great compliation.

mjeanes

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Having heard just about all of the CDs released by APC, the Parisian fashion house with excellent musical taste to boot, I feel confident in venturing that _Abstract Depressionism_ ranks among the best they've put out, a strong contender alongside the jazzy dub offerings on _APC Tracks_ Vols. 1 & 2. Produced by Bill Laswell and Jean Touitou, Abstract Depressionism has a fine cast: 2 tracks each by Hiroshi Fujiwara, Eraldo Bernocchi (whose trademark "sound" I would say informs the whole of this compilation), Mick Harris, DXT and Laswell (under the guises of Praxis and Material, respectively); and one each by Mami Chan and Solo (who may or may not be APC boss Touitou himself). An essential CD for those who enjoy illbient-type soundscapes and the world of dark dub and rhythms Bernocchi has been exploring as SIMM and into which he has successfully drawn Laswell and Harris on the Equations of Eternity releases. There's not a single uninteresting cut on this 70 minute CD, and in stating that I even include the sweet little opening number by Fujiwara, which provides an interesting contrast to the heavier material to follow. The Laswell contributions are stalwart efforts, the first of which ranks alongside the best in the genre. Praxis' "Dreadnot" pits eerily swirling strings against a solid beat, with Laswell taking the piano sample from "Red Night" on _Oscillation_ and tweaking it very nicely indeed, while Materialīs shorter "Downward" has shades of spaghetti Westernisms in its guitar pluckings. But I wonder if Solo's, DXT's and Bernocchi's stuff aren't at least as strong as "Dreadnot". A handsome package featuring twelve excellent variations on a theme, so to speak.

Stephen Fruitman