Element 4 (featuring DJ NrG)
Live - Summer '99
Very much enthused by Element 4’s previous albums of high energy dance floor influenced Electronic music, I approached this CD-R with high expectations. The co-musician suggests the venue was a dance/rave type event, an obvious progression for Element 4’s dynamic music and it’s testament to how close Uwe Saher can hit the dance-floor mark that it doesn’t sound out of place at this type of event.

I’m struggling to tell you anything about where the event happened, in fact I can’t even tell you any track titles, such is the scant nature of the packaging. With CD-R packaging potentially as good as official releases, this is a poor show especially with the absence of a tray sleeve. I’d have forgiven this however, had the music lived up to expectations. Sadly it doesn’t.

I’m sure in the live setting this was a storming event. The bass laden rhythms never lose their grip, and basically the beat goes on and on. The only distraction is the occasional intervention of the DJ - and when I say distraction, I mean distraction! Again, in the live setting I’m sure it all sounded natural, but as a purely aural experience it does increase the cringe factor, and the necessary but severe use of the mixing desk to accompany these interventions doesn’t do the music any favours.

With all this going against it, had Element 4 thrown in some of the highly charged melodic sequencing, such a trademark on other releases, it still may have carried the day. But the agenda is crammed with drum machine and low bass rhythmics. Largely bereft of key changes and melodic touches it really boils down to a highly charged but largely run of the mill dance album. It’s well into track 4 before some corking sequential magic finally breaks through, but by then you’ll probably be so punch drunk that the Stop button may well have cut proceedings short.

The basic problem here is that there isn’t enough of an EM “sound” here to appeal to smd customers, yet as a dance album it has so much chart based competition with the likes of Chicane producing superior material. Sorry to be a party pooper, but this is one which should have been left to fond memories rather than a CDR resurrection. (GG)

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