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■ P R O U D L Y P R E S E N T S :
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ ┌┐
│ Slam - Year Zero │┐ ││
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘└───────│───┐
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│──┘
│ ││
│ Genre : House Encoding Bitrate : --alt -preset ││
│ Year : 2004 Source : CD ││
│ Label : Soma Records Release Rate : 13-07-04 ││
│ Cat. Nr : Soma CD 153 ││
│ Tracks : 10 ││
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│──────-·
││
┌─────────────────────────────────┐ ││
│ R E L E A S E C O M M E N T S │┐ ││
└─────────────────────────────────┘└─────────────────────────────│──┐
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│───┘
│ ││
│ HISTORY Slam is Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle. ││
│ Synonymous with GlasgowÆs underground club scene and their ││
│ sound-searching record label, Soma, the duo have garnered ││
│ a reputation as international DJs, accomplished recording ││
│ artists and respected collaborators. Their schedule ││
│ regularly takes them to clubs worldwide confirming their ││
│ status as one of a handful of artists that truly shape ││
│ their genre. Resident at Fabric, London and Pressure, ││
│ Glasgow, they are about to undergo their 8th annual Slam ││
│ tent at ScotlandÆs T in the Park festival (15 000 ││
│ capacity). YEAR ZERO Slam were nearing the end of their ││
│ 'Alien Radio' tour when they shared an epiphany. Rather ││
│ than feeling jaded after trekking around the world at a ││
│ time when the media were reporting on the so-called ││
│ ôdecline of dance musicö Slam were fired-up, focused and ││
│ ready to start work on their third album. The duo had been ││
│ searching through their record collections collating ideas ││
│ for a radio one æBreezeblockÆ guest show and re-discovered ││
│ the music that had brought them together in the first ││
│ place; Tom Tom Club, Funkadelic, Mantronix and urban ││
│ labels like Celluloid and Sugarhill. This music was Slam's ││
│ 'year zero', informing their salad days. "It usually takes ││
│ us ages to make an album," laughs Stuart McMillan, "but we ││
│ knew what we wanted to do. When we first met we were ││
│ listening to electro, funk and reggae. What was exciting ││
│ about the early house scene was that it wasn't just about ││
│ one thing. We wanted to step back to go forward." Orde ││
│ Meikle agrees, "We were looking for a fresher feeling. ││
│ What we used to play when we started Djing was niche-less, ││
│ a very eclectic mix of music. We wanted to return to these ││
│ influences but draw something fresh out of them." After ││
│ the success of 'Alien Radio's collaborations with Dot ││
│ Allison and Tyrone Palmer, whose soulful 'Lifetimes' Orde ││
│ believes is their most requested track - Slam were ││
│ confident that 'Year Zero' should be song based. "It is ││
│ electronic music with vocals," Stuart says of their ││
│ formative influences and the ensuing tracks on the aptly ││
│ titled album. Despite having a canon of masterful club ││
│ tracks to their name ('Positive Education', 'Virtuoso' and ││
│ 'Step Back' to name just three) Slam admit they are still ││
│ exploring and experimenting. Working with vocalists, in ││
│ particular, is relatively new territory. "We are used to ││
│ working on our own," Orde admits, "throw someone else into ││
│ the melting pot and you're never sure how it's going to ││
│ turn out." Dot Allison and Tyrone Palmer return alongside ││
│ Elbee Bad, Envoy and the legendary voices of Ann ││
│ Saunderson and Billy Ray Martin. "It's less club ││
│ influenced," reckons Orde, "the songs and music carry the ││
│ album." To reflect the warped and weird electro funk on ││
│ which they were raised the duo dug out older synths and ││
│ analogue equipment to work their magic, which, on some ││
│ tracks they felt was quite literal. On the exquisite, ││
│ spooksome 'Ghost Electric' Orde believes that the machine ││
│ wouldn't leave a particular sound alone. "It kept going ││
│ back to it, finding the right sounds of its own accord." ││
│ With the machines on their side 'Year Zero' is Slam at ││
│ their most accomplished. Stunning opener 'This World' ││
│ channels prescient social comment through Tyrone's soulful ││
│ voice. "WeÆd been listening to Prince's 'Sign O' The ││
│ Times', " Stuart admits, "and wanted to write something ││
│ similar but relevant to now, though it's not just about ││
│ the war in Iraq." Orde reflects that after "too many ││
│ evenings in foreign hotel rooms watching News 24", it was ││
│ a song they felt had to be written. Joining Tyrone from ││
│ the 'Alien Radio' sessions is fellow Glaswegian and ││
│ Massive Attack vocalist Dot Allison whose unique voice ││
│ graces 'Kill The Pain'. "It's a haunting song with a ││
│ message about dependency" Orde explains. 'Fast Lane' is ││
│ lyrically in a similar vein as Hope Grant (a.k.a Envoy) ││
│ sings, with a delivery reminiscent of Prince, "Sometimes I ││
│ feel like giving up/Sometimes I just can't get enough." ││
│ The killer bassline apparently travelled with Stuart to ││
│ Brazil and back before he could transfer it from his head ││
│ to the studio. 'Metropolitan Cosmopolitan' is a timeless ││
│ piece of electro (from a time before it received the ││
│ trendy ôclashö suffix). Over FX-driven breaks Elbee Bad ││
│ delivers a relentless rap about nocturnal animals. They ││
│ had met the Berlin based New Yorker (the inspiration ││
│ behind classic techno epic 'Smokebelch II') on tour and ││
│ had hoped to record his charismatic speaking voice. "We ││
│ weren't sure what he was going to do when he came to our ││
│ studio and he surprised us with a rap," Stuart recalls. ││
│ The electro theme continues on 'Blow Your Mind' a slow, ││
│ salacious grind that conjures images of hot summers, beat ││
│ boxes and ghetto kids finding the funk in Kraftwerk. ││
│ 'Bright Lights Fading' is a sparkling, synthetic soul ││
│ track as the peerless Billy Ray Martin sings about a ││
│ fading star on one of the album's highlights. "Pick me up ││
│ off the floor put me in your show tonight. I'm designed to ││
│ blow your mind if you just let me be myself." It's ││
│ beautifully skewed. 'Year Zero' concludes with the ││
│ aforementioned 'Ghost Electric' and 'Human' - a stomper ││
│ for fans of their techno orientated DJ sets. "We wouldn't ││
│ be telling the true story of Slam if we didn't cover all ││
│ our loves," says Orde of this jackin' beast. Elsewhere ││
│ 'Known Pleasures' is so-called because Stuart reckons it ││
│ is "the archetypal Slam track. It's one for the clubs and ││
│ continues our love affair with strings." 'Lie To Me' - ││
│ featuring Ann Saunderson - will also appeal to fans of ││
│ Slam's rolling bass and use of emotive strings. ItÆs a ││
│ beautiful, twisted love song. Penned with the Inner City ││
│ chanteuse, it will be the single before the album release. ││
│ "We always try and make records that sound like classics, ││
│ those are the records we love," Orde sums up. On 'Year ││
│ Zero' they have made the album they always threatened to ││
│ make; an album of fully realised songs and future ││
│ classics. Slam will be touring with their live æYear ZeroÆ ││
│ show this summer including a showcase performance at their ││
│ own 15000 capacity æSlam TentÆ at æT In The ParkÆ ││
│ ││
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│──────-·
││
┌─────────────────────┐ ││
│ T R A C K L i S T │┐ ││
└─────────────────────┘└─────────────────────────────────────────│──┐
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│───┘
│ ││
│ # Title Time ││
│ ││
│ 01 Slam - Human 05:27 ││
│ 02 Slam - This World 05:34 ││
│ 03 Slam - Kill The Pain 04:41 ││
│ 04 Slam - Fast Lane 04:45 ││
│ 05 Slam - Metropolitain Cosmopolitain 03:22 ││
│ 06 Slam - Blow Your Mind 04:23 ││
│ 07 Slam - Lie To Me 06:23 ││
│ 08 Slam - Known Pleasures 06:05 ││
│ 09 Slam - Bright Lights Fading 05:33 ││
│ 10 Slam - Ghost Electric 04:02 ││
│ ││
│ Total Track(s): 10, Total Play Time: 48:55 ││
│ ││
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│─────-·
││
┌─────────────────────┐ ││
│ G R O U P N E W S │┐ ││
└─────────────────────┘└────────────────────────────────────────│───┐
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│──┘
│ ││
│ Talented ripppers needed, contact a member if you are ││
│ interested (No more radio rippers accepted). ││
│ ││
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│──────-·
││
┌───────────────┐ ││
│ C O N T A C T │┐ ││
└───────────────┘└───────────────────────────────────────────────│──┐
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│───┘
│ ││
│ Join #mindscape of efnet and scream ││
│ ││
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│─────-·
[NFO & LAYOUT by nmls^BAFH] [UPDATED : 04-08-01 by liranan] ││