FreqGen "Future 1990s" (2022)

 

An artist not quite dialed to my particular tastes, yet legend in their own right, Freqgen is another side project by the prolific Klayton, best known as Celldweller. Future 1990s is a fascinating love letter to a once then blossoming electronic music scene. Its an intricate work of passion, craft and dedication, where we get to embark across ten individual tracks dedicated to each year of that fascinating decade.

As a listener who hasn't gone deep but knows well the various branches in this genre tree relatively well, I'm confident in saying, this absolutely nails a firm perspective on musical evolution. A great variety of scenes and subgenres exist, they can't all receive equal limelight. However the songs forged pick up on trends, both aesthetic, rhythmic and technological. One can hear specific attention given to emergences of synthesis and style that feels almost like a retrospect documentary in its intentional choices.

Everything's included, from the electricity of Dance and Acid House to Rave and Trance. Drums traverse the energy of Jungle, Drum N Bass and Big Beat, all garnished with a strong Trip Hop flavour that swirls the decade into a beautiful mix. It's not entirely sequentially accurate but the artistry reigns supreme, so many quirks and motifs get their moment on the journey with a true sense of transition as the first few years feel more attached to chronology.

I adored this, a beautiful set of electronic songs poking into genres I'm not too meshed with, yet doing it from a place that really resonates. Personal highlights included the years 92, 95 and a bonus track that went real hard like a club banger. Thumping Acid Trance with those decade locked full throttle orchestral stabs.

Rating: 7/10

Clipping "CLBBNG" (2022)

Still one to keep an eye on, even remixes of Clipping classics set for the club scene were a curiosity. The 90s sounds of Dance, House, Acid and even a soft sniff Big Beat make sturdy foundations for modern aesthetics. Producer Jonathan Snipes has made great of the source material. I would not of guessed the finessed story raps of Daveed Diggs could suit this mold. Kicking off with Nothing Is Safe, the soft synth tunes and shuffling percussion vibes well with his raps. Its second of four, Drop Low, follows along as an instrumental alternative take of the first track.

Things get interesting on Get Mine, kicking off the unforgettable alarm clock, its obnoxious grate is cut up and rearranged with groove alongside the percussion and Acid synth leads. Its counterweight of chopped up effeminate vocals go back and forth, finding interesting overlaps and a reference to Cypress Hill along the way. It would of been nice to hear more raps in the project. The final track samples the "drop that game on them" insistently, as dirty baselines rumble and pivot with bright piano chords and cheery child choir singing among an arsenal of animated sound effects.

As volume one of hopefully more, hearing this style meld with Digg's raps would be a treat. This installment offers just a glimpse of that, the rest of the material lays more on the shoulders of Snipes's own creativity. He is class at what he does but that middle ground could be better explored. There is clearly an interesting chemistry.

Rating: 4/10

Lords Of Acid "Lust" (1991)

 

Deep into an obscure spotify playlist, I Sit On Acid immediately caught my attention with its sexually provocative intro leading into a obnoxious romp of darkly astral synths and hypnotic driving rhythms. I'd read up on the Belgium group Lords Of Acid many moons ago. Back then, they never sparked my interest but with my current pursuit of new sounds, this aggressive Electro-Industrial adjacent take on House and Dance known as New Beat has been a fascinating experience, if not a crass one.

The crude sexual themes and controversy it probably stirred at the time are little more than a smirking gloss on the music to give it another feisty edge. The instrumentals already do the heavy lifting here. What I've discovered is powerful and dense. Hard hitting saw waves and buzzing synths sound far more intense and aggressive than anything I've heard for this era before. Bold obnoxious keys are crammed in layers, squeezed between the relentless punching percussion with its classic Dance hi-hats. This is classic club and rave music for drugs and much more no doubt.

These harsh aesthetics make for a mini cacophony of attitude with decadent melodies and mean bass lines being rotated into focus. Nestled in are samples and fantastic yet cliche early 90s singing from Jade 4U. If you've spent any time with this era you'll hear too many tones and samples to count. There is obviously some keyboards, sample packs and software of the time that were heavily used and done to great effect!

 At sixty minutes it can test ones own tolerance, the jagged nature of the music feels incessant if not your primary cup of tea. I'm mostly blown away by how dark and dirty this music is for the year of its release. Its another missing piece in the musical puzzle. Of the praises I preach, I mostly talk to a handful of songs like I Sit On Acid that nail the vibes. Other songs struggle to land on such enthralling soundscapes, the track Hey Ho! being an oddity as it fails to incorporate Disney's seven dwarfs thematically. Overall Lust has got mediocrity with a few sparkly gems poking out between.

As for its crude nature it mostly feels harmless and fun, tongue in cheek for fun yet the self evident theme on closing track "I Must Increase My Bust" is contentious when it comes to self image and the damaging effects of comparison with others. Apart from that one blemish, this record has been a grooving blast! Such a niche discovery.

Rating: 6/10