(Edge of the) ape oven

oystered 11: Journey in satchidananda (sep. '06)

Total running time: 2:34:39.
Side 1
1. alumbrados principium i (a generation of vipers/important)
Side 2
1. reverbaphon nothing beyond the zero (get this and this and this and this and here and/anominous)
2. tim hecker radio spiricom (harmony in ultraviolet/kranky)
3. hwyl nofio broken again (hounded by fury/hwyl)
4. metope i’m so ready + cpu circus (ada remix) (kobox/areal)
5. mokira chelsea feel (ease/filippa k)
Side 3
1. kaito the universe (hundred million love years/kompakt)
2. fourcolor rowboat [with piana] (letter of sounds/12k)
3. benoît pioulard moth wings (précis/kranky)
4. beth orton carmella (four tet remix) (remixes/domino)
Side 4
1. chris herbert cassino (mezzotint/kranky)
2. christina carter yellow pine (electrice/kranky)
3. spooncurve she doesn’t know (edit) (are friends symmetric/d.o.r.)
4. boxhead ensemble nocturne 10 (nocturnes/atavistic)
Side 5
1. lithops kahn (queries/sonig)
2. oren ambarchi & scott horscroft 19 guitars (split/textile)
Side 6
1. lawrence english & ai yamamoto a silent kouta (edit) (plateau/phono-statique)
2. rafael toral space part iii (space/staubgold)

Bardo Pond's Gibbons brothers start this massive two-and-a-half hour set evoking a genuine Victroian opium den. If you make it safe to the other side, the electronic pop pleasures of Reverbaphon await. Followed by a few healthy, shorter pieces that contrast nicely with one another until the Eastern sound-stretch of Mokira, Kaito and Fourcolor. Four Tet's remix of Beth Orton's "Carmella" has been a long time favorite since first appearing as a b-side of a single oh so many years ago. Summer jam for sure. Surprises abound for the last hour-plus. Starting with out-of-nowhere artist Chris Herbert with some beautifully submerged electronic minimalism, segueing nicely into Charalambides' Christina Carter - be patient with this one, a gorgeous circular ending ensues. Drug addlers might find some solace in Spooncurve's hypnotic-narcotic pop, while Boxhead Ensemble's "Nocturne 10" is all about the notes they're not hitting. Saving the best for last it's Mouse on Mars' Jan Werner as Lithops and a vinyl only duet between Australians Oren Ambarchi and Scott Horscroft. Room40's Lawrence English & Ai Yamamoto get it together by their track's close and Rafael Toral lays down his guitar and effects in favor of homemade electronic generators and modular synths for the first part (of at least ten we've been told!) of his Space series of releases, closing this set with some truly innovative future electronic jazz that even Sun Ra would approve of. Weird and wonderful throughout.