FATELESS FLOW COLLECTIVE (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

Shadowmath

Fateless Flows (2004)

review by Bill Binkelman

Fateless Flows is a collective of electronic music artists based in Los Angeles (although, per the liner notes, not all members hail from there). Organized by Dean De Benedictis, this is their second compilation sampling, and it contains both original works and also previously released tracks. All total, there are eighteen selections on the CD, and while there is plenty of variety of a sort, all of these compositions reflect modern day electronica, ranging from glitch, lap-top, cut-and-paste, microtone, variations on collage and experimental. Remarkably, only a few of these pieces are what I would call inaccessible, although I'm using that word advisably in the context of a subgenre that, in and of itself, would send fans of traditional spacemusic, floating ambient soundscapes, or Eno-esque minimalism running for cover. However, if you enjoy recordings from labels such as The Foundry, dank disk, or Magnanimous (to name three labels whose CDs I've reviewed) then this is as solid a collection as you're likely to encounter any time soon. On the other hand, if you've never explored glitch or lap-top ambient electronica, Shadowmath could serve as a great introduction to the intelligent and intriguing category of music.

Here are the artists featured on the compilation: Indicia, Appogee (J. Skinner), Kathie Talbot, Dream Electric (Aaron Raab and Dean De Benedictis), Tripform (Pablo Manzarek), The Luxury Tax (AutoBono and SelfText), Zygote (Steve Ruiz), Surface 10 Activity (De Benedictis), Constant Flux, Mr. Soon (Joe Jakobs), Niture (Eddie Loyola), Vic Hennegan, and Subversive Element (Jim Goetsch).

I can't begin to detail the tracks, obviously. What I enjoyed about most of the tracks was how atmospheric many of them were, which was usually accomplished by blending tones and melodic textures on top of the glitch beats, pops, clicks, or bass/snare rhythms. Sometimes, the warmth of these snippets of melodies/notes/washes was almost pretty! However, the rhythms and effects are decidedly contemporary and more on the pleasantly abrasive side, meaning that this is not an album for people who like, e.g. Berlin school or chill-out, most likely.

Some of my favorite pieces were the following:

Appogee's "Coral" which spirals from two opening dialogue samples, folds in scratch/glitch beats and then begins a smooth rhythmic excursion featuring some distorted guitar and a fluid undertone.

Kathie Talbot's "Blanndula XT" a track that includes an orchestral string sample, thumping bass beats, some nice tabla beats, and a crazy kinetic sense of energy.

Tripform's "Silver Reflection" is all about a series of lap-top rhythms bouncing off of shimmering electronic waves and bass-heavy reverberations, while whirly-gigging synth samples do a pirouette around it all.

Zygote's "American Love Conspiracy" starts with some delicate plucked harp samples before percolating glitch, snare and high-hat beats cut in and the interplay between these two elements is wonderfully subversive. What sounds like a melancholy trumpet adds a hint of sensual mystery to the track.

Vic Hennegan's "In a broken heart" is a rhythmic yet somber and reflective piece, with synths that ping and twinkle but an undercurrent of sad-sounding drones and synth-strings, as well as oppressive bass beats brings the song's title to the forefront.

Mr. Soon's "Arcosanti" is from his album, places in arizona which I considered one of the best albums in the year of its release (it's on Psycosomatic Records). It's a bubbly almost soothing midnight cruise through the southwest desert with warm synth and friendly beats.

While most of the music is on the CD is at least somewhat accessible, some of the tracks veer far afield and require either some getting used to or may simply prove too strange or alienating. Chief among these is The Luxury Tax's "Sex Machine" which is filled with fire and rage, fueled by all manner of hyper-kinetic beats, electro-distortions, and noisy effects. Surface 10 Activity's "only a world" is not as disturbing as the former is, but its blend of electronic interference and ebbing/flowing tones with female operatic singing is disorienting and difficult to relate to, at least for me.

All in all, though, Shadowmath is a fine compilation and I recommend it as a way to sample the work of these artists, all of whom have something going on of interest to the open-minded electronica lover. If you're new to lap-top and glitch, this album would be fine jumping off point for a trip into what the subgenres have to offer.