PSYCHETROPIC

china radio sunshine

microrelease (2003)

review by Bill Binkelman

Todd Fletcher (who releases music both under his real name and, as he has done here, as psychetropic) is one of the more unique and innovative practitioners of contemporary electronic music recording today. Once you have heard his music, it's instantly recognizable, owing to the particular sounds he coaxes from his synthesizers as well as his catchy percolating beats. In addition, his production technique (besides being faultless from an engineering standpoint) is always dense and rich with layer upon layer of fascinating textures and tones, placed one on top of another. Listening to his albums on headphones is a treat as you attempt to catch everything that is going on. Yet, his music is never pointlessly abstract or painfully showy either; the whole is always more than the sum of the parts and the various elements seem to mesh like components in a well-oiled machine.

This brings me to his latest recording, china radio sunshine, which may just be his crowning achievement (so far). It's absolutely superb, start to finish. I don't know if anyone makes better "catchy" electronic music (although there are a few who are his equal, such as Robert Solheim, a.k.a. Current). But Fletcher's music is 100 percent unique. No one, I mean no one, sounds anything like him, at least as far as I'm concerned.

As I played china radio sunshine over and over (and over and over) I had a revelation of sorts. I have always considered Todd's music highly visual, describing it in the past as cinematic. But in a moment of clarity, I came to realize that this CD is really an updated version of Vangelis' The City! Yes, in fact, I think that's an excellent comparison. Not because Fletcher's music is anything like the Greek's! Far from it. But what I hear in china radio sunshine is the soundtrack for a day in the life of a not-too-distant future city. Each successive track evokes a different place or time or activity in the day-to-day existence of an unnamed metropolis.

The city wakes with the slowly enveloping textures and gradually building intensity of "futureengine" all glistening with twinkling synths and percolating beats. After the citizens finish their breakfast, they all set out for work in their assorted vehicles or via mass transit, moving with an unhurried yet deliberate pace on "falling again," with its stuttering refrain and vaguely steel drum-like rhythms. "follow us to earth" paints a musical portrait of the hustle and bustle as they enter their workplaces. The cheery bubbling beats and synths mirror the rush for elevators, escalators, and the setting about to begin a day's tasks.

Around mid-day, people are ready for a break, so they chill out, take a stroll, eat some lunch, soak up the sun, and just lounge around, enjoying the relaxed tempos of "frozen garden" and its bassy beats, its playful bouncing techno-ish feel and swirling synths. As the day grinds on toward its end, tired workers face the usual 4:00 pm blahs, that time of day when the clock seems to slow to a crawl, reflected in the dreamy and spacy "dead slow day" which even includes a clock-like metronomish rhythm. Everyone's mood picks up as 5:00 pm hits and the mad rush for home commences. The title song illustrates this with its light-hearted yet frenetic beats, approaching a fractal groove sound at times, along with repeating electronic notes, reverberating tones and gently undulating and swirling keyboards.

After dinner, some folks relax by enjoying a leisurely walk in the neighborhood, perhaps greeting a friend or acquaintance whom they pass. The slower tempos and less "busy" atmosphere of "hovering venus" with its muted beats and simple yet elegant snippets of cascading melody bathe the song in a feeling of calm and act as a precursor to the coming of night and welcome sleep. "tripping star" brings waves and waves of quavering tones, and everywhere house lights are dimming, even if some in the city are still active, evoked by a steady rhythm track of bass beats and glitch effects. Perhaps there is still activity in the city's business district: a late night maintenance crew or the wait staff and cooks at all-night diners. In the wee hours of the morning, when most everyone is asleep and dreaming, there is still a steady but faint pulse to the city. On "sonoran roads," amidst the languid and smooth floating synth washes, an insistent glitchy and clicky rhythm beats under the surface; after all, the city's automatic systems (street lights, water filtration, power stations) are "alive" and keeping everything running smoothly despite the lack of human presence. As the track evolves, different and more vibrant rhythms come into play, as if more of the city's machinery was coming alive with the approaching dawn and soon the first brave souls, early morning workers, emerge from still dark houses to start the cycle all over again.

Whew! I don't know if anyone else will have this reaction to china radio sunshine, but as you can see, these twelve tracks held me in their spell. I only wish that someone could take this outstanding music and make the film I just described above. I think it would be ultra-cool. Until that happens, though, I am more than content to "film it" in my head while playing this remarkable disc. Todd Fletcher is one of the most under-rated electronic music artists around, period. If you enjoy beats and synths that are accessible but never trite or commercial sounding; if you find a lot of electronica to be boring or it all starts to sound the same; and if you appreciate creativity in sound and rhythm design - then what the hell are you still reading this for? Go out and buy this album!