Review Summary: An album that will challenge even the most seasoned IDM listeners, it’s technical ambition and crazy mood swings cannot be denied.
Venetian Snares - 2001 Songs About My Cats
An assertive debut of analog percussion-fueled IDM. Blazing speed - and I’m told odd time signatures. However, when the music is this free flowing, time signature really seems like more implied than followed. I’d like to think Funk actually has no cats which would make this album make more sense.
Behind the 200bpm bleeps and blops (which will scare away 100% of the casual listeners) are some nice buried melodies - slipping through like some old timey 30’s chamber music playing on a Victrola in the other room. Tracks like Nepetalactone and Poor Kararookee have some haunting melodies in the background of the chaos reassuring the listener that there is a human behind this composition.
Strings and orchestral arrangements dancing among the video game noises is an original combo for this time period, (though Richard D James certainly laid the groundwork for it). Pouncelciot stands as probably the most approachable track in this regard, but it slowly morphs into absolute madness when the saxophone kicks in. Kakenrooken Stivlobits has moments of breathable space which is a welcome addition, and then Cleaning Each Other enters that quirky goofy madness domain that sums up the work nicely.
While I find it hard to argue against this album’s ambition, I can argue against its listenability. It certainly would clear a room of people, if that were your intent. Discordant and abrasive would be words that apply to the bulk of Aaron Funk’s Catalog, but he would refine it to a more effective degree in subsequent releases. As a debut though, this stands proudly among some of his best work. I am perhaps biased though, as I enjoy the early phase of his career the most.
Calling this drill’n’bass is really a mistake - as there is no real bass going on most of the time. SAMC is hard to put in a genre, so IDM will gladly accept it as one of its most challenging and in-your-face works. It’s like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher at their most maniacal, and then turned up a notch and a half. Or think mid-career Autechre played at 78 speed. Though rewarding through repeated listens, only the most adventurous will spin this one repeatedly. Those that do, we learn to embrace its madness. No, you won’t throw this on to unwind at the end of a stressful day, or to clean the apartment. You’ll put this on to either immerse yourself in the chaos, trip out on the textures, or simply raise your anxiety level because it’s not high enough.
