14tracks.com - Selections

14 Tracks Unstrung, The Cello

2008-11-18T17:31:48+00:00

Being one of the lowest pitched string instruments, the Cello lends itself perfectly to our obsession with the bottom registers, carrying with it bass weight and a kind of aural gravity that often colours its surroundings with romance and tension. The selection this week comes to us from a broad spectrum of players, from the traditional movements of the Viklarbo Chamber Ensemble to the unparalleled pop genius of Arthur Russell, from the dense layering of Stars of The Lid to the mechanical augmentations of Janek Schaefer. Yet despite the variance in origin and intention, these pieces all share the austerity, melancholy and otherworldliness that gives the cello such prominence in modern music, at once effortlessly experimental, daring and suggestive of the extraordinary.

14 Tracks In Search Of Wonky

2008-11-11T20:47:41+00:00

A follow-up of sorts to our 'Hip Hop A La Mode' selection from a few weeks back, this week we return to the hybrid sounds loosely flung under the Wonky umbrella. This is music characterised by woozy synths pushed up high in the mix with little regard for rhyme or reason, and percussive structures so off kilter and low-swung it sounds like the very fabric of the music is about to fall apart at the seams. From Flying Lotus and Hud Mo representing next-level Hip Hop, through to Zomby and Joker ramping up grime, rave and dubstep presets, Wonky is slowly formulating its own brilliantly groggy agenda, embracing a dayglo aesthetic that has for our money delivered the most exhilarating musical headrush in 2008...

14 Tracks Opening Up Basic Channel

2008-11-04T21:13:34+00:00

With the Basic Channel catalogue playing such an important part in shaping our world over the last fifteen years, it's easy to forget that not everyone out there is as familiar with the the label as its reputation and stature might suggest. Compiling a selection of tracks from the handful of labels that form the Basic Channel axis is both the easiest and the hardest task imaginable. Easy because pretty much any 14 tracks selected at random from the BC archives would make up a formidable playlist worthy of all the praise and attention imaginable, hard because no matter how good the tracks picked, what about all the seminal material left out? So if you're one of those people who's heard the legend 'Basic Channel' dropped in conversation about Techno or Dub or dubstep or modern music generally, but hasn't really known what it is, or who it is, or why the music tagged under the BC umbrella is treated with such reverence, these 14 tracks should offer you a window into a world of some of the finest music you'll ever have the pleasure of hearing. And after these 14, start exploring in earnest...

14 Tracks Contemplating The Raga

2008-10-28T21:04:15+00:00

Indian classical music is framed by melodic templates that dictate the shape, colour and mood of each piece, a modal blueprint known as a Rāga. The influence on contemporary music has been evident through the last eighty years, with the likes of Ravi Shankar and Ali Akhbar Khan first bringing the sound to a bewildered American audience. The style of playing was eventually picked up by the likes of Sandy Bull, Robbie Basho, Steffen Basho-Junghans and, most famously, John Fahey, a group of musicians who would soon create their own Raga-indebted sound. Fahey's Takoma label in itself became a huge influence on a new generation of guitar players mesmerised by the meditative discipline of the Raga, with disciples like Richard Bishop, Harris Newman, James Blackshaw and Ben Chasny taking the templates into the 21st century. This selection offers a broad overview of the Raga, ranging from 1930's India through to contemporary and experimental variations from the new school.

14 Tracks Of Drone Pop

2008-10-21T20:47:22+01:00

Drone music makes use of repetition and imperceptible change often embodied by a low, continuous hum designed to mesmerise and submerge. This selection, however, celebrates those dronesmiths who see the form as a means to an end rather than an end in itself, utilising the blurry repetition in the back of the mix as a point of contrast for more approachable, colloquial arrangements at the front. These are pieces of music built on a stylistic polarity, bridging between the sustained persistence of a single sound, and the subtle arrangement surrounding it. The result may not be Pop music in any traditional sense, but those of you who thrive on the suggestion of melody and form will understand exactly why we've tagged these tracks Drone Pop...

14 Tracks Respecting The Originators : Reinforced

2008-10-14T21:01:53+01:00

With the Hardcore/Rave/Junglist revival in full swing (check out Zomby's imminent new album for Werk for a prime example) we're extremely proud to bring you this exceptional 14 track selection put together by Marc Mac, founding member of 4 Hero and its revered imprint Reinforced. The label was set up in 1989 and in its earliest incarnation was responsible for some of the most sought after and influential proto Jungle experiments going, acting as a melting pot and laboratory for a mixture of sounds that would eventually splinter off into variants of Breakbeat, Drum & Bass, Jungle and Garage. Some of this early material has been re-issued in drips and drabs over the years, but many of these tracks have remained frustratingly out of reach for a new generation of heads bewitched by the mastery at work on these legendary releases. Although the artwork and concepts have long since slipped into pastiche, this selection (complete with notes on each track by Marc Mac himself) makes for an essential primer that's utterly indispensable for those of us in need of a Hardcore education, and by our reckoning that means most of us...

14 Tracks: Detroit Techno Beyond The Motor City

2008-10-07T21:35:05+01:00

Detroit Techno has for some time now permeated and influenced clubs and music makers across the world, with those signature strings and warm chords defining a whole movement in electronic music over the last 20 years. Of course, there's always been a symbiosis at work, with long established links and sound exchanges between Detroit and Berlin's Heroin House, Warp's Artificial Intelligence movement and Holland's Eevolute to name just three. Past the first wave of Motor City innovators - Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May (aka The Belleville Three), who owed much of their early commercial success to their sizeable British following, the next wave of Detroit producers (Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Kenny Larkin, UR etc) have influenced European dance culture so deeply that this selection just barely dips in to the world of Detroit Techno produced beyond the Motor City...

14 Tracks Deep Into Machinefabriek

2008-09-30T19:58:38+01:00

One of the most prolific and interesting recording artists of our time, Rutger Zuydervelt has put together over 60 releases in the space of just 4 years, amassing a substantial and dedicated following in the process. But, we're so often being asked, where do you start with such a gargantuan and intimidating catalogue? This 14 track selection distils some of Machinefabriek's most astonishing and emotionally resonant material with that elusive entry point in mind. It includes pieces from obscure and early self-released home recordings, to more recent and widely acclaimed contributions for labels like Dekorder, Kning and Lampse. We think the music of Machinefabriek is truly magical, and if you're interested in the works of anyone from William Basinski, Mogwai, Deathprod, Philip Jeck and Fennesz through to Tim Hecker, Johann Johannson, Alva Noto, Akira Rabelais and Stephan Mathieu, you're in for quite a treat...

14 Tracks Of Downward Acid

2008-09-23T22:06:11+01:00

Acid House has swung in and out of fashion since its late 80's heyday, and although there's a seemingly endless line of contemporary producers enamoured with classic Jack templates, we're particularly fond of those less conventional variations tipping into the deepside. Some of these tracks are slow, hypnotic configurations, some messed up and woozy, while others only loosely evoke the spirit of Acid House, but what unites them all is an off-centre aesthetic built around sparse percussion and a minimal blueprint that's as spacious as it is filthy and fierce. All things being equal, we'd rather JACK then, errr, what was that band called?

14 Tracks Feelin The Dubstep Hybrids

2008-09-16T17:57:19+01:00

Dubstep has divided and consolidated into distinct schools of sound, some settling into the predictable routine of halfstep templates and dub cliché, while others have forged a brilliant path through sonic innovation with an open mind to influences beyond the narrow confines of dark, smoke-filled rooms. The Dubstep/Techno love-in has captured the imagination of both sides of the divide, with seasoned dubstep heads starting to discover the world of Minimal techno, while purist clubs like Berghain have invited the likes of Shackleton and Scuba into the fold. But the cross-fertilisation extends beyond these two disciplines, elements of Drum & Bass, Hip Hop and House have also been notable influences on some of the most interesting dubstep out there, creating a multi disciplined low-end petri dish producing exciting and groundbreaking music for the next level. This selection offers a snapshot of just some of these composite sounds, a mixture of out-and-out scene classics and more obscure concoctions from the fringe.

14 Tracks In Love With The Cover Version

2008-09-09T21:57:59+01:00

Cover versions can often be a fantastic device for adventurous music makers to speak in a more colloquial tongue. It doesn't matter how deviant the execution is, the encounter with a familiar melody or hook will speak to even the most casual listener. This selection brings together cover versions that have served us very well over the years, some of them re-contextualising the classics (Fennesz's remarkable take on the Beach Boys' 'Don't Talk'), others shining a light on the brilliant songwriting at the heart of the original (Masha Qrella's version of Brian Ferry's Don't Stop The Dance), while others elicit a wry smile of recognition with just the right mix of humour and reverence (the Mayer/Aguayo take on Kylie's 'Slow'). Despite the familiarity so central to their very notion, cover versions are often at their best when offering an entry point into music from beyond our immediate frame of reference, providing access to that world of new music so many of us crave....

14 Tracks: Beyond The Forbidden City

2008-09-02T21:33:51+01:00

With all the cultural and political interest in China recently we've found ourselves increasingly drawn to its rich and varied musical heritage. The country has a musical tradition as diverse and sprawling as its numerous ethnic groups, and it would be virtually impossible for us to offer anything more than a fleeting glimpse at its tremendous musical legacy, but it has been an amazing experience picking these tracks from just a handful of its seemingly endless regional and historical varieties, including a couple of contemporary pieces made outside the country itself. Of course this seems to be the era of Chinese reinvention, and even at our little end of the musical spectrum you can notice the influence taking hold: from the Sino undercurrents of so much recent dubstep through to Damon Albarn's 'Monkey' project and the plunderphonic crackle of Dutch experimentalist Machinefabriek (who features here) - it seems that we're all venturing further East. These 14 Tracks hopefully capture the mysterious and impenetrable essence of a culture that most of us know very little about, hidden somewhere beyond the forbidden city...

14 Tracks : Steve Barker's Dubwise Assault

2008-08-26T19:42:24+01:00

Steve Barker is one of the UK's leading authorities on dub/reggae and has been hosting and curating the hugely influential 'On The Wire' radio show for BBC Radio Lancashire since 1984. The show's eclectic mix of styles and groundbreaking programming has led many to compare Barker with the late John Peel and a quick look over at Wikipedia tells us that 'On the Wire' was one of the first shows in the UK to play hip-hop, house music and techno music. It gave the first radio plays in the UK for Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson and the radio premier of 808 State's "Pacific State" and A Guy Called Gerald's "Voodoo Ray". Now based largely in Beijing, Barker continues to curate the Radio Show from China, as well as contributing to The Wire magazine, taking charge of the Dub reviews section among many other things. If you've never heard his amazing radio show before head to www.onthewire.uk.com for a real treat, but before you do check out this mighty 14 Track dubwise selection, picked by the man himself in Beijing last week and delivered to you here with maximum respect and admiration for one of the key champions of dub music over the last 25 years. Get educated!

14 Tracks Hi Fiving Kompakt

2008-08-19T18:24:23+01:00

As one of the most visible and well known 'dance' imprints of the last 10 years, Cologne's Kompakt label has re-shaped electronic music with a vast and sprawling catalogue of releases spread over a number of related labels, as well as amassing a hefty DJ roster, building a distribution empire and keeping their infamous record shop on point. Closer Musik's sublime 'One Two Three (No Gravity)' was the track that first made us prick up our ears back in the year 2000, and fittingly opens our selection here with it's padded bassline and bittersweet narrative. It's precisely that confluence of pop music, propulsion, melancholy and depth that dictates the rest of our selection, dipping into the immense tension and release of Lawrence's 'Teaser', through the shimmering Pop Ambience of Klimek and into the dense, barely containable forest drone of label founder Wolfgang Voigt's 'GAS' project. Whether you're familiar with the label or not, this selection should provide some idea of how Kompakt has gone about adjusting electronic music vernacular in the 21st Century.

14 Tracks Filmed In Super 8

2008-08-12T19:36:23+01:00

Contemporary music has no shortage of evocative sound makers and aspiring film composers, but this selection here keeps its focus on widescreen compositions degraded and withered by time and intention. Removed from the pristine gestures of modern classical music, these pieces here speak to us from beyond the debris and hum of distortion and effect, drawing us into the same kind of emotional forcefield generated by old, fading home movies. In fact, some of the tracks here study the very essence of decay and deterioration, with strings and found sounds copied and re-arranged to ignite memories of lost moments captured for posterity.