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The Two Headed Monster
- mixed by Craig Richards & Transparent Sound (Live)
Released 10th July 2006
"The Two Headed Monster" is the first chapter in a new mix series from Orson Records. Transparent Sound have been leading the UK electro charge since forming in 1994, and just as their Transparent Sound Recordings imprint championed the electro-funk beats of the late Nineties, their latest label Orson Records is a similar vehicle for today’s experimental, electronic club sounds. Now with this series they are pairing together Orson artists with like-minded, visionary producers and DJs for a wonderfully open-minded snapshot of the music making clubbing in 2006 so life-affirmingly vital again.
"In the clubs you’re seeing an interaction between live acts and DJs, and the DJs themselves, by using laptops and programs like Traktor, Ableton and Final Scratch, are bringing in new technological elements to their sets," comments Transparent Sound’s Orson Bramley on one of the key concepts behind the series. "‘The Two Headed Monster’ is about trying to show the differences - and similarities - between these things."
For the debut release in this series, Transparent Sound have hooked up with Fabric resident and long-time champion of cuttingedge, underground dance music, Craig Richards. Both artists have a musical admiration for one-another that has grown dramatically over the last year.
"I’ve got an interest in electro and more recently they’ve been making music which is deeper, groovier and more four-four based as opposed to the electro they used to do. So I guess we’ve both become a lot closer together in what we do," says Richards of his involvement. "I put out one of their records last year, I play their stuff and we have a mutual respect for one another, so it seemed like a good idea to work on something together."
Craig’s DJ mix, his first to be released in two years, is a deep, hypnotic collection of current favourites and rediscovered gems that never once takes its eye off of the dancefloor. Many of the tracks he’s edited himself, plus he’s added a load of his own FX. Craig says "It’s quite bouncy and groovy, and is probably closer to the first mix I did for the Fabric series than the Tyrant one from a couple of years ago. I tried to keep it moving around as much as possible, messing around with the tunes and sneaking in things that people wouldn’t always expect."
It starts via Andy Toth’s "Jovian Zoology" and Sweet N Candy’s "Mail" with an intelligent slice of tech-filled house and quirky electro. Random sounds chug on to the chunky beats and kicks of "Artists Have Bad Haircuts" and "Circuito Interior" by Ryan Crosson and Lineas De Nazca respectively.
Cereal top-notch producer Und’s rework titled "Cocopuffs" leads in to some Josh Wink style techno in Motor’s "1.1". The industrial mechanics of Actual Jakshun’s "Sequential Circus" and the reverberating bass of 2000 And One’s "Get Down", proceed the bizarre and blip-heavy, twisted sounds of Matt John’s "Jokebox" rounding off the first mix.
CD2 is an altogether more melodic digital take on techno with the Transparent Soundsystem (Live). "Secrets Of The Sane" kicks off with a tuneful but bass heavy opener that leads on to a Bookashade style "Voyeurs Chance". Next up is "The Cider Club" and "Sucking Lemons" both appearing from "The Cider Club EP" on Whatever Records. Finishing things with the harder sounds of "Proper Techno" and the original version of "Attitude", Transparent Sounds leave the listener gagging for more.
A superb debut in an undoubtedly superb series, all brought to life with Jamie Bennett’s stylish artwork. Question is, where do we find more? The websites below may help…
www.transparentsound.co.uk / www.myspace.com/orsonrecords
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