MRI
All That Glitters
[Force Tracks; 2002]
Rating: 8.0
MRI (that's Stephan Lieb and Frank Elting from Frankfurt, Germany)
are major players in a burgeoning scene that some are calling
"microhouse," an overly broad label that's been attached to artists
as varied as Luomo (experimental producer Vladislav Delay in vocal
house mode), Jan Jelinek (primarily for his work as Farben) and
artists on the Kompakt label. I'm not going to embarrass myself by
attempting a definitive explanation, but generally, microhouse
happens when minimal house beats meet the glitch approach to sound, a
combination that's been hinted at for years but is only now beginning
to flower.
Like an absurd number of trends in electronic music in the last ten
years, microhouse is hitting its stride on a subsidiary of Force
Inc., the German label that counts Mille Plateaux, Force Tracks, and
Force Lab among the specialty imprints under its umbrella. Two
Lone Swordsmen's Andy Weatherall selected and mixed a breathtakingly
smooth and appealing compilation on Force Tracks last year called
Hypercity, documenting one strand of the scene to date. Three
tracks on that comp, including the airy and weightless leadoff "Human
Patterns," were by MRI.
"Human Patterns" was from MRI's debut Rhythmogenesis, a
collection of earlier EPs. All That Glitters is their first
full-length of original material, and it marks a shift to a more pop
direction. The final track on this excellent new album is called
"Nightclubbing at Home," a brilliant title that highlights a smart
way for listeners to approach the record. Though they're lumped in
with these other microhouse producers, on All That Glitters,
MRI approach this meeting place for house rhythms and sonic
experimentation from the perspective of the dancefloor, and a
song-friendly one at that. Befitting the club setting, the tracks
are long (ten in 70 minutes), but they're crammed with interesting
stuff. This album is not a clinical exercise in the textural
possibilities inherent in static; MRI are tracking pop hooks and
disco beats, and they even throw a couple of fine vocal songs into
the mix. It's big fun to move to, no question, but open-minded Maxell
guys can still dig it from their low-rider La-Z-Boys.
All That Glitters reflects the wide range of Lieb and Elting's
musical interests, and some of the homages are blatant. "Data Boogie"
contains the same vocal sample that opens DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist's
Brainfreeze ("Hey! Martial arts fans!"), while the downtempo
"Blue" is a weird, inverted cover of Aaliyah's "Try Again" (All
That Glitters is posthumously dedicated to her). "Sane and Sound"
has the odd distinction of being the glitchiest track (in terms of
beats) as well as the more conventional (in structure), as the
sputtering electric squelches that stand in for percussion smack away
behind a breezy vocal melody. Uptempo, danceable instrumental house
dominates the album, but the detours are frequent enough to make
All That Glitters work as a varied and complete document.
The track that made me fall in love with this record is "Tied to the
80s." The first three minutes or so build steadily, as one new sound
after another is folded into the mix. First, the squelchy synth hooks
come in, then the kick drum, then a slightly dubby bassline. At the
end of every 16th bar, the beat breaks down and you can tell the
track is about to be given an extra thrust in the form of an additional
element or variation in the sound. But the crowning moment is when an
unashamedly goofy string sample is introduced-- it sounds to these ears
like the theme to the pitiful early-80s television drama "Hart to Hart."
This playful and joyous track is representative of MRI's approach on
All That Glitters. Though they put as much care into microscopic
sonic detail as any of their contemporaries, they use their sound fetish
in service of feel-good body music.
-Mark Richard-San, June 18th, 2002