Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell
Outland IV
The album opens in evocative fashion with the sounds of ethnic flute underpinned with resonating drones. 'The Old World' brings to mind a crisp Nepalese morning, with the Himalayas providing a stunning backdrop. 'East Meets West' opens with more delicious flute, then introduces a stunning beat. It's not dance, or even traditional EM sequencing, it's more of an electrorhythmic throb which provides a rigid framework for the less structured flute motifs. The dynamics are immense and it's a hugely impressive piece. 'Our Small Blue World' opens with weird imagery before a pin sharp lattice develops structure under which a throbbing bass rhythm is introduced. Then abyssal effects are added to the mix. The recording quality is stunning - it sounds like they are in the room with you performing the music live! Lengthy, heavily treated, voice samples bring the piece to a close.

'Bella Prime' is another bass laden chugger, with an extended theme running through the whole piece which is tinged with ominous mystery. 'Physical transformation' sounds very cinematic, with dramatic explosions of sound which have you on the edge of your seat. Relative calm does eventually take over, but this is generally a difficult track to live with. 'African Dub', to coin a phrase, "does exactly what it says on the tin" with tribal chanting layered onto another bomb-the-bass chugger. It does go on a bit though!

'East Leaves West' does nothing to make this album any more accessible, leaving the final (and longest at 12.06) track 'DSPill' to end with appropriately weird effects and sonic vistas.

This is a massively impressive and dynamic album at times, but it is not for the faint hearted and demands much of the listener in order to fully appreciate. Evocative and provocative, ultimately I found it just a little too difficult to get along with. (GG)

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