IDM Wednesday!
Three excellent IDM records from the mid-’90s came in today from Boards of Canada, Move D and Bola, bringing me back to the days when I spent hours trying to unlock the secret to Skam Records‘ website. (Afterwards I usually felt about the same as I did when I tried to levitate out of one those infernal wells in Atari’s classic, ET.)
Boards of Canada – Hi Scores
One of Boards of Canada’s first widely released works, Hi Scores still sounds as ridiculously good as it did when I first heard it in 1998. (It was released in late ’96.) Crunchy hip-hop beats; interlocking, decaying synth lines; bliss. There’s no reason not to hit that “download all” button on this one, but if you want somewhere to start try “Everything You Do Is a Balloon.”
Move D – Kunststoff
Move D isn’t really IDM, but many fans will love it anyway. Let’s let Mixmag take this one, shall we?
The sound of Derrick May making music in zero gravity or Mr. Fingers recording on a water bed full of strawberry jelly.
Can’t agree more! (I think?) Try “In/Out” and thank me later. It’s been my joint for the past 24 hours when I heard that we were getting this.
Bola – Soup
Anyone remember this one? When I saw this today, I got a bit embarrassed, wondering whether anyone would share my glee about Bola. Skam recently reissued this little gem and it still sounds marvelously like what would happen if Tangerine Dream was charged with paying sonic tribute to Detroit techno’s pioneers. In other words, these are breakbeats are smooooth, maaaan. Almost dubby in places, actually. “Glink” might be the place to begin here, but “Aguilla” was a personal favorite when I apparently was a huge fan of smooth jazz mixed with chanting children. We all have our youthful indiscretions. Bola might’ve been mine.
Other new arrivals to come a bit later, btw.
Oh wow! Bonus! I have been meaning to buy a copy of Hi Score for years. Thanks, guys.
if _soup_ isn’t one of the top five greatest electronic albums ever, i’ll go bash my head in a car door. really.
ten years later and i STILL can’t figure out where the sample in “aguilla” is from.
Bola Soup is one of my all time favourite electronic albums.
Andrea Parker album sounds interesting:
http://www.emusic.com/album/Andrea-Parker-Here’s-One-I-Made-Earlier-MP3-Download/11171802.html
Never heard of Bola, or “Soup.” Now, because of micah and Televiper (and Todd, for bringing it up in the first place), I am a proud owner.
(17dots is the worst kind of influence when I have a handful of extra downloads lying around. When I’ve burned ‘em up, I can safely ignore these posts. Or, I can add them to my SfL, where they’ll sit for months and months until the next big SfL cull. 17dots preys on my impulsiveness. I hope this makes you happy.)
It does!
I snagged that BofC release (I’m surprised I didn’t know about this), and I am interested in the others.
But I have to say that I kinda hate the IDM tag. It implies that whatever isn’t I is S, and that strikes me as a stupid binary.
good stuff, glad to finally get bola’s more recent albums
Check out The Doubtful Guest http://www.emusic.com/album/The-Doubtful-Guest-Acid-Sauna-MP3-Download/11169880.html