REVIEWS

Pure H
Signia

PharmaFabrik

Posted: Monday, January 28, 2008
By: Jon Badiaco
Reviewer

Thrust into the depths of some forbidden jungle, Signia gently pushes us, causing our ears and minds to spiral down a matrix of progressive drum & bass where the Vision Rising mix sets the tone for this album. This dark montage of distorted tones, fading female vocals, deep bass, and pounding drums is the first compilation created by Eraldo Bernocchi. Signia is not the average album, but a collection of remixes of Pure H's opening track on their album Anadonia. Here, various artists inflict upon us their own interpretation of the track "Signia," blending all tracks into one another. This morphing cycle washes into the following distorted creation of Chris Wood. The Ukwakha mix is more of a braindance interpretation than anything, with an amazing use of gated vocals and cymbals along with bizarre effects. The Enslaved Population mix has taken somewhat of a slight turn and cut apart the lyrics to form a different element. DJ Surgeon cleverly blends together serpent-like vocals with distorted horns and scratchy synths in a delicious autopsy of music, while Woodan takes us into the projects of a dark and desolate future with urban-electro drumbeats entangling with echoed electronics, making the H Light mix by far one of this album's flagship tracks. Signia is full of a drum & bass vibe, but it is by far the most apparent in P.C.M.'s Blue Waters Turn Black version. Erratic cymbal, tom, and snare hits are thrown into the listener's face after a troublesome arrangement of windy effects. Birds, insects, and some unknown creatures grace the sound waves of this foggy collage of noise to create an eerie, uncharted rainforest scene. An even more ambient atmosphere is created by Richard Dunlap. Not much different from its album's counterparts, his East Lands Silent version is a flat line of haunting, repetitive voices and whispers. Slow guitar plucks bring back nostalgia of Marilyn Manson's "Long Hard Road Out of Hell." At this point in time, repetition becomes apparent, but Burb's Inside Magog mix has set itself apart with a perkier keyboard arrangement. Although still dark in nature, a bright ringing and chime pans itself through our heads, carried by hollow sound effects. The perfect follower to this change of pace comes courtesy of Mo Shang's Lazy Sunday version, which is by far an unexpected surprise with friendly keyboards, reminiscent of Good Times in the '70s. More upbeat in nature, this remix is a breath of fresh air and has a Sunday morning radio feel with high-passed male spoken word. Then there comes one of the slowest progressions on the planet; Psychedelic Desert's take on "Signia" takes the word atmospheric to a new level with their Live Farce mix. Vocals fade in and out of this 16-and-a-half minute voyage with echoing metal and high-pitched tones to create a feeling of endless wandering throughout The Twilight Zone. All good things must come to an end, but not without being taken for one last spin around the block; in this case with the Pagan version. Here, the remixed interpretation by KK Null is basically an electrocuted drum set falling down a flight of stairs, setting off fire alarms as atmospheric synths and bass give this track a body. From IDM to industrial to electronica to drum & bass, Signia is a good example that great minds don't always think alike.