Sunday, May 20, 2007

Decollage - Guarana Flash

Hear The Track Here

So far, Decollage has a bit of a patchy track record with this reviewer, and that's not necessarily because her tracks aren't any good. In fact, they are perfectly presentable, especially when we are talking about experimental electronica which is one field where - pretty much - anything goes. There does, however, have to be some point to it though, a random series of sounds slapped together is not going to do it for me, or any other self-respecting experimental afficiendo. There is method and thought behind Decollage's tracks, but the last couple of tracks have singularly failed to move me to the extent that No 1 (November 2006) did, and that was the first Decollage track I was exposed to.

So, was No 1 just a lucky shot? or is there more to this artist?

I think the secret of Decollage lies in the birth of electronic music (at least the German variety) because her work owes a lot to that school and, taken on that level, is remarkably entertaining especially considering how long she has been at this game. Like Burp, Decollage harnesses percussive rhythms the way that other artists conjure up riffs - makes for a very distinctive sound, that's for sure. Guarana Flash echoes pretty much the musical path she has chosen to pursue and is (to my ears anyway) a much more satisfying listen than say Dragonfly eat Holland (December 2006) or Space Zoo (February 2007), I think because of that attention to the rhythmic side of things.

Having never experienced a flash of any kind (Ed: now that's a porky pie* if I ever heard one) I have no idea whether this is the musical equivalent of a guarana high but it's definitely a ways into strangeville; beware of the brown acid and that kind of thing. Nonetheless, after more than a few plays I find myself humming along - you'd never have believed it possible - but there it is. Certainly a much more accessible track than I have become used to from this artist - provided that you like the genre of weird:extremely weird in the first place. Still, Burp has made a career (audience laughs) out of being just as extraordinary so I see no reason whatsoever why Decollage should not join him - and this track would be an ideal starting place. So off you go.

Highly Recommended sonic mayhem (with added headbang).

*porky pie=lie (cockney rhyming slang, ancient English dialect)

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