 |
Element 4
The Early Tracks
|
I did wonder whether Element 4 was a parallel project to Brainwork or a change in direction. I must admit my money was on the latter, however the
arrival of a brace of Element 4 CD-Rs (I’ll review the 2nd album in the next issue) confirms that in fact the former is more accurate. For those of you
who missed my rave review of ‘Continuation’, Element 4 serves up Brainwork’s EM rhythmics wrapped around dance pulsations. ‘The Early Tracks’
is a compilation of pieces put together between 1993 and 1997. There are eleven pieces on this album and I can safely say that every single track
has the same sort of attributes which made me enjoy and praise the ‘Continuation’ album so much. Uwe Saher’s mastery of electronic rhythmics
never ceases to amaze me. A myriad of different vox are used to define a seemingly endless array of rhythmic sequences - and they just keep on
coming! If you don’t like dance-oriented EM then this will certainly not be for you. If however you find that a bass-laden dance-floor stomper
approached from EM territory is your kind of “thing” then you’ll find nigh on 70 minutes of excitement awaiting.
It’s a fruitless exercise to describe each individual piece because I’d find myself repeating the same characteristics - pin sharp sequencing,
massive beats, catchy hooks, and just the right amount of sampled trickery. One piece which does deserve special note is ‘Moon Dance’. At first I
found the voice samples here a little intrusive - however half a dozen plays and the infection grabs you.
These “early tracks” compilations can always raise suspicions. No worries here though. This is a compulsive
cocktail of dynamic rhythms. Grab your keyboard cut-out, sling it ‘round your neck, get on the table - and
dance! (GG)
This page is part of a frame set. If you can't see the information strip to the left of the screen then click on the smd logo above.