Actually legendary Cabaret Voltaire prime mover Richard.H.Kirk in one of his many different guises, SANDOZ'S output will be quite a head turner for those of you who will thus expect more of his trademark hardline guerilla techno-funk on discovery of his identity.
Initially released as a series of 12" singles in 1992, the ten tracks from CD1 ("Digital Lifeforms") were the fruits of a trip Kirk took to Haiti the previous year and were - in tandem with a burgeoning interest in the early Detroit techno sounds coming from the likes of Derrick May - a deliberate attempt by Kirk to move in a more melodic, cinematic direction than usual and let a little more light into his regulation paranoid grooves.
The end results work like a dream too. Sure, Kirk's digital rhythm patterns are still nailed down with spikes, but opening track "Armed Response" immediately serves notice Kirk wasn't kidding about lightening up with its' little ska-lite marimba motif and distinctly filmic keyboards.
From there on, he dives right in. "Chocolate Machine" starts off with a stirring Eastern-style muezzin motif and falls into a lush, melodic groove with teardrop keyboards. It's eminently laid back, something you might not expect from Kirk, but a trick he again repeats on tracks like the Future Sound Of London-style panorama of "White Darkness" and the excellent "Drum Meditation" where loping rhythms and Kirk's beloved dubwise mentality stretch out into the sunshine.
But even when the pace picks up somewhat, Kirk still triumphs. To this end, check out the scuttly electro groove and neat little flute breaks of "Digital Lifeforms" itself (not a milion miles from Ultramarine, actually) and the full-on ethno-grooves of both "Human Spirit" and the tremendous "Zombie Astral": the latter surely the encapsulaion of Afro-Caribbean noir, if you'll cut me that much slack.
|
CD2 ("Redux"), meanwhile, consists of unreleased and reworked tracks Kirk laid down as Sandoz during the same period. Admittedly "Erzulie" and "Ocean Reflection" have previously seen the light of day, but there are further highlights lurking within, such as the vocoder madness and insistent techno-grooves of "Comunicate (With The Future)" and "Tribal Warfare" where - thanks to both the Virgin-period synth sound and a glitch-y, wonked out electronic feel akin to, say, Ascoltare - Kirk has feet planted both in the past and the future.
Elsewhere, most of the reworkings fare well enough, not least the "Dub And Roll Mix" of "Human Spirit" which is dark, hypnotic and stripped down, while in "Medium Cool" Kirk unveils his very first recording as Sandoz. OK, it's murkier than the pristine sheen displayed by "Digital Lifeforms" but demonstrates well enough that the project's roots had already taken in Kirk's mind. Just to further emphasise what a talented sod he is, he signs off with the amoeboid electronica of "Mirror", showing us he has ambient all sewn up as well.
"Digital Lifeforms - Redux" represents the affably friendly,
melodic cousin in Richard.H.Kirk's electronic family: the one who loves film soundtracks, chilling out and taking some respite from the paranoid, terrorised world his kin usually deal in. He's called Sandoz and you'll be happy to welcome him in when he arrives on your doorstep with a giant bag of weed and a six pack.
|
