A very good compilation released by ClickClickDrone and as any good label compilation this is a showcase of their artists and the different styles they represent. ClickClickDrone is one of many prolific so-called CDR labels (a distinction that becomes less clear by the minute) and “Blue Chair Red Chair” is their eight release. CCD was started and is maintained by recording artist: Boc Scadet. The ties to another quality label heavily featured here at the E-desert becomes apparent by a quick glance at some of the 14 contributing artists and that label would of course be the lovely Boltfish Recordings. Another liaison is the one to the newly started October Man Recordings, also incidentally reviewed here not long ago. It’s also nice to see that Gagarin has contributed with a track, if there’s not a double-ganger that would be the same Gagarin who released the nice sounding “Earthling” album on “Geo Records”. The “Blue Chair Red Chair” album weights in at 14 tracks all in all and everyone with their appeal dependent on personal taste. Z-arc’s “Field Lines”, Boc Scadet’s “Ibiil” and Mint’s “Shoes too Big for Her Feet” deliver warm sounds and healthy beats, well balanced and very enjoyable. Shirase opts for ambience and does so successfully in “Stellar Mapping”. October Man with Landis takes an acoustic detour in the friendly “”Fault Line”. Photobook’s “Casioland” is decidedly pop-influenced and comes with vocals to boot. The Ileons’ “The Foe has Mastered Sleep” features a piano intro and some jazzy feather light beat. Lum’s “Glowfly” returns to ambient territory and sets the mood with gentle guitars accompanied by atmospheric sound in a virtually beatless track. Gagarin offers “120cms” void of beats, plentiful of atmosphere and a subtle bassline framing the track. The Gosub Routine brings the beat back in the gritty “Routine 5” a really nice track with menacing setting and industrialised handclap and Cheju of Boltfish fame keeps the beats alive in “Datec” another great sounding effort by Cheju. The beats set in dance floor mode, excellent build-up and a bouncy bassline to keep things moving forward. Colamm’s “Relmm” a drum machine fuelled track with competent programming and a good selection of sounds and The Rumblist’s “Mxfrmlhg” is heavily cut-up, displaying beats trickery in a nice way. Last but by no means least is the fourteenth track Zainetica’s “People More Fuel” an excellent track by this productive and talented artist. Especially in light of him also more or less simultaneously releasing a full-length album on October Man Recordings (May 2005) reviewed here at E-Desert. This track is awesome, with a prolonged call and response intro, which really doesn’t give away where the track’s heading. Then slowly the track’s structure gets its form and the beats works like magic with the unusual choice of sound source. Excellent atmosphere, plenty of forward movement and really, really nice beats! In short a very good track ending a very good compilation. The recommendation is to track down CCD and buy the compilation now.
electronic desert ≡ revisited + extended