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10/05/09 Beat Research Boston, MA
Discography
10/29/09 Terenga San Francisco 10/30/09 tba San Francisco
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I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but during my time as a writer for W♥M, I got in contact with Massive Music, which had promoted one of the albums I was reviewing. Since my musical tastes are rather eclectic and odd, they were a perfect fit, and I have been the exclusive writer here at W♥M for the independent music they help produce ever since.
The latest album they have sent me is called Fear of the Forest by a Brooklyn-based artist called Teleseen, produced under the Percepts Records label. The music is a mixture of dub and reggae genres with experimental electronica, and was released August 25th.
My first impression (and gut reaction, actually) was that the experimental electronica parts were fairly familiar to me, with technobass beats and carefully crafted electronic tones and textures. What stood out immediately is when hip-hop elements appeared, such as Jah Sight's featured vocals on "Black Monday", filtered through electronic reverb effects, or Billy Wood's rap on "Chikurubi". So at first, I thought I was not hearing anything too remarkable until it came right out and smacked me, so to speak. I've listened to electronic music for a really long time, and in many different genres, from New Age to New Wave. Although one of my music professors suggested I go into musicology, which essentially is about the history and evolution of music, it's really hard sometimes to pick out all these individual elements, and pinpoint their origins. So I repeat, again, that it's mostly the vocals of which I mentioned which are different about this album. I'm aware that dub has particular roots, but to be honest, any dub elements blend in pretty well with the electronic soundscape.
And often times, although I was primarily an instrumentalist in my music studies, the music I've reviewed often times is blended smoothly like Fear of the Forest-- even the mashup music I've covered. I don't know how to explain it well, really, save when it works, well, it's not immediately noticeable. So maybe that is what I will say is the weak part of this album; that the vocal parts, by contrast, don't mesh quite so well. And that's not from lack of selection, really. Billy Wood might have chosen a rap style that was more singsong, such as the G Funk style of the U.S. West Coast in the 1990's, rather than one that harks more to the roots of lyrical and slam poetry. Perhaps the choice is more authentic; after all, hip-hop and rap has roots in Jamaica, where dub and reggae originate. And perhaps the slight dissonance is more intentional, to jar the listener to pay attention.
Sometimes I quote directly from the press release just so I can convey what the intentions really were. I try to do it sparingly; for often, press releases have very flowery and fanciful descriptions. I want listeners to decide for themselves. I have written "this is music to be experienced" or "listen for yourself" in many of my reviews, but will sometimes quote, especially to quote other artists and critics, just for comparison. And sometimes, material written about an earlier effort seems to fit. For example:
The latest album they have sent me is called Fear of the Forest by a Brooklyn-based artist called Teleseen, produced under the Percepts Records label. The music is a mixture of dub and reggae genres with experimental electronica, and was released August 25th.
My first impression (and gut reaction, actually) was that the experimental electronica parts were fairly familiar to me, with technobass beats and carefully crafted electronic tones and textures. What stood out immediately is when hip-hop elements appeared, such as Jah Sight's featured vocals on "Black Monday", filtered through electronic reverb effects, or Billy Wood's rap on "Chikurubi". So at first, I thought I was not hearing anything too remarkable until it came right out and smacked me, so to speak. I've listened to electronic music for a really long time, and in many different genres, from New Age to New Wave. Although one of my music professors suggested I go into musicology, which essentially is about the history and evolution of music, it's really hard sometimes to pick out all these individual elements, and pinpoint their origins. So I repeat, again, that it's mostly the vocals of which I mentioned which are different about this album. I'm aware that dub has particular roots, but to be honest, any dub elements blend in pretty well with the electronic soundscape.
And often times, although I was primarily an instrumentalist in my music studies, the music I've reviewed often times is blended smoothly like Fear of the Forest-- even the mashup music I've covered. I don't know how to explain it well, really, save when it works, well, it's not immediately noticeable. So maybe that is what I will say is the weak part of this album; that the vocal parts, by contrast, don't mesh quite so well. And that's not from lack of selection, really. Billy Wood might have chosen a rap style that was more singsong, such as the G Funk style of the U.S. West Coast in the 1990's, rather than one that harks more to the roots of lyrical and slam poetry. Perhaps the choice is more authentic; after all, hip-hop and rap has roots in Jamaica, where dub and reggae originate. And perhaps the slight dissonance is more intentional, to jar the listener to pay attention.
Sometimes I quote directly from the press release just so I can convey what the intentions really were. I try to do it sparingly; for often, press releases have very flowery and fanciful descriptions. I want listeners to decide for themselves. I have written "this is music to be experienced" or "listen for yourself" in many of my reviews, but will sometimes quote, especially to quote other artists and critics, just for comparison. And sometimes, material written about an earlier effort seems to fit. For example:
Pitchfork has called him "an electronic MC Escher" and the Wire called WAR "A Zen slap to the back of the head"
and in this case, I think they illustrate what I heard pretty well-- for a while, it seems to flow so naturally together, until something comes along that made me think, "Does that element belong there?" [Note: WAR was Teleseen's debut album.] My first reaction is to say that it does not seem to fit there very well, but these are things that would lead me to go back and listen again, just to be sure. Some music is that way, and the seeming clash grows on you after several listens. eventually fitting more and more each time you listen to it. And so again, I say: listen for yourself. I also say again: this is unlike most anything else you've heard. I'm not sure if I would describe Teleseen as "an electronic MC Escher", but it is engaging, it is different, and it is, as I have said about so many music I've written upon of late, it is music that can be actively danced and listened to.Teleseen has fast become one of the leading producers on the vanguard of combining dub and reggae with experimental electronic music, without falling into the narrow genre ghettos defined by dubstep or so called "dub techno".
09/08/2009 16:04:50 ♥ jaklumen (
/ jaklumen.vox.com) ♥ percepts.info ♥ myspace.com/teleseen
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