|
Techno for non-dancers was created by
Neil Barnes and Paul Daley, the duo behind Leftfield.
with the album Leftism (Columbia, 1995), that offered a slower, softer
and lighter version of the genre's frenetic electronica.
Even Open Up and Space Shanty,
the only techno locomotives in the album, have enough differentiating
features that they can be played in a living room rather than in a disco.
The hit Release The Pressure was the least original of the tracks,
a free interpretation of
Orchestral Manouvres In The Dark
amplifying a dub beat until it resembles a panzer,
sprinkled with ideas stolen from
Men Without Hats' Safety Dance and
Los Del Rio's Macarena.
The duo was far more adventurous in assimilating world-music
(the middle-eastern chanting of Song of Life,
the tribal Brasilian percussions of Black Flute)
Rhythm And Stealth (Hard Hands, 1999) is a more eclectic work, that
strays even further from techno. Elements of
hip hop (Dusted),
soul (Swords),
reggae (Chant Of A Poor Man) and
industrial music (Phat Planet, Dub Gussett)
inject the tracks with a second life, while
more abstract pieces (El Cid, Rino's Prayer)
approach pure electronica.
Rino's Prayer,splendido tassello conclusivo dell'opera.Un pezzo ambient
Again, the winner is inspired to ethnic folk: Rhino's Prayer.
Here an arabic motive is propelled in a caravan-like procession against
desert winds.
Afrika Shok is the techno/melodic centerpiece.
|
(Translation by/ Tradotto da Andrea Marengo)
La techno per non-ballerini venne inventata dai Leftfield
(Neil Barnes e Paul Daley) su Leftism (Columbia, 1995), un'album che proponeva
una versione più lenta, accessibile e meno aggressiva dell'elettronica
frenetica del genere. Persino le sole locomotive techno dell'album (Open Up e
Space Shanty) presentano abbastanza caratteristiche da renderle ascoltabili
tanto in un salotto quanto in una discoteca. La hit Release The Pressure era la
traccia meno originale dell'album: un'interpretazione libera degli Orchestral
Manouvres In The Dark che amplifica un ritmo dub fino a somigliare ad un carro
armato che ruba idee da Safety Dance dei Men Without Hats e Macarena dei Los
Del Rio. Il duo era però ancora più avventuroso quando incorporava influenze world-music
(il cantato mediorientale di Song Of Life e le percussioni tribali brasiliane
di Black Flute).
Il più eclettico Rhythm And Stealth (Hard Hands, 1999) si
allontanava ulteriormente dalla techno incorporando elementi hip-hop (Dusted),
soul (Swords), reggae (Chant Of A Poor Man) e industrial (Phat Planet e Dub
Gussett) che davano nuova vita alle tracce. I brani più astratti (El Cid e
Rino's Prayer) si avvicinano all'elettronica pura.
|
