Miscellany Vol. 4: Global Surveyor, Dâm-Funk, Egyptian Lover

I've been on kind of a hiatus lately and this is probably going to be permanent. As Cosmic Rock is approaching its one year anniversary, my motivation is getting more and more affected by the lack of response and the general low turnout. So I think I will be shutting the whole thing down in a few weeks. Until then, here's a wrap-up of what happened in the past few weeks:

Dominance Electricity - Global Surveyor Phase III



East German label Dominance Electricity treats us with the third installment of their Global Surveyor series. This one is massive in scope, featuring an impressive number of 21 artists on two cds or three 12" records. The release date is set for December 18th.

I'm very excited about this cause 1) yours truly will be featured with one of his tracks and 2) this is exactly the kind of electro I want to listen to. Remember that Randy Barracuda interview where I complained about a lack of transcendence in modern electro? Well, this is the response. Just look at that marvellous space-kitsch cover art and you have the metaphysical side right before your eyes (and in the music of course). This is not about prosaic machine realities, this is about the big picture. Instead of reflecting a depleted world in depleted and soulless music, these tracks choose to accept the role of lost prophet and take the road less traveled. On their messianic quest for redemption, they recover lost emotional qualities and re-animate the machines. Not afraid of getting close to the edge of kitsch, the reward is great art.

Teaser:

* Weltwirtschaft - Amundsen Journey
* DJE - Defiler
* Global Surveyor feat. K1 & Gab.Gato - Global Surveyor (DBS Remix)
* Geoglyph - Face On Mars (Interlude)
* Middle Men - Space Quest
* LektroiD - Modular
* Keen K - Nozomi
* Gosub - Folding Time
* Kalson - Waiting In The Valley
* Audiogenetics - Cymatix
* Sbassship - Fall
* Evil Hectorr feat. Supreme.ja - Bass Wars (Original Version)
* Cosmic Rockers - The Wandering Of Humanity
* Varia - Night Drive
* Paul Blackford - Quasar (Sol_Dat Remix)
* Direct Control - Stars
* The Exaltics - No Time To Spend
* Dagobert - Fly 2 Night
* Mesak - Hustru
* Phundamental - Wheels Within Wheels
* CPU - Signals from the Dark

You can already order it at the Dominance webshop:
http://www.pay-for-us.de/music.php


Dâm Funk - Pitchfork review

Finally the hipsters over at pitchfork caught up to the hype and gave his album a very kind review. This echoes what I had written about it:

It's the secret weapon that underscores how seriously he takes this stuff, the catalyst that should provoke listeners to realize this music isn't just a fun update of a classic sound-- it's a work of real transcendence. This isn't a comedic tribute to talkboxes and widebrims; there's no Snoop Dogg descending a foggy staircase through a faded VHS haze here. Toeachizown is a deep, astute collection that feels like a natural resuscitation and progression of funk as it stood just before hip hop usurped it.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13634-toeachizown/


Jamie Jones ft. Egyptian Lover - Galactic Space Bar



This already came out a few months ago. At first listen, I wasn't that impressed by its techno/housey vibe, but it is definitely a grower. It has always been the Egyptian Lover's smartest move to openly exhibit his limitations and flaws and that way have them transformed into assets. "Galactic Space Bar" is a textbook example: If anybody else came up with that sketch of a track it would have just sounded crude and simplistic, but the Lover's Midas Touch turns it into a wonderfully stripped-down and abstract tune. And thanks to the warmth of the 808, the Egyptian Lover's version of minimal techno is a lighthearted and funky one - West Coast style.

And let's not forget about the video - it's like they made a list of awesome things and tried to fit as many of them into it:
- the Egyptian Lover sporting shades and kangol hat? Check.
- the Egyptian Lover riding through L.A. in what looks like a 1969 Pontiac firebird convertible? Check.
- the Egyptian Lover singing about a galactic space bar? Check.
- a guy in a business suit and briefcase doing the most outrageous-and-awkward-but-somehow-irresistibly-cool dance since Napoleon Dynamite? Check.
I think I made my point.


And in A***-T*** related news:

http://www.myspace.com/djspektralolympics