REVIEWS

Buy this album from iTunes

Various Artists
Electr-Ohm Compilation 1

Electr-Ohm

Posted: Friday, February 02, 2007
By: Charity VanDeberg
Concert Editor

Electr-Ohm's Compilation 1 features a lineup of international digital DJs doing what they do best. Advertised as the "next generation of IDM," each track is a collection of noise, ambient sounds, and glitches neatly assembled into an exciting sampler for the new Japanese label. With talent from Japan, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, every piece is an international mind trip. Long-time digital sound designer/manipulator/musician/head of the label, Sunao Inami presents two of the strongest tracks on the album, the opening "Instrumental," which is reminiscent of the Silent Hill video game soundtrack (don't listen to this in an abandoned fog-choked town), and "Legacy of Mangler," full of jumbled beats over a haunting sharp drone. Belgium's Empusae holds his own with the intricate "Niflheim," a mechanical beat-driven track that lasts long after the final note, while "Hymenaea Protera" by The Netherlands' wg@eet is nearly an industrial lullaby. Noize Creator is known for his experimental works. Though not his best effort, "Extra Terrestrial" definitely grabs the listener's attention with surprising tempo changes and noise variations. Saving the best for not quite last, we come to ANATOMICA's "Fear event killing people in Grand Theft Auto." The name alone should win an award. Humorous and frantic like an old Saturday morning cartoon written by a chaos demon, this piece is overflowing with manic personality; a noise manipulator's wet dream. They may be from different countries, but each of these DJs has shown that they speak the same language when seated behind a sound board.