This is the first in a series of seven limited edition (1000), mail order releases from the vaults of Subconscious Recordings, home to Skinny Puppy expatriates Download and related projects. 80 minutes worth of DAT jams from 1994-5, the seminal "Furnace" and "The Eyes of Stanley Pain" era, have been edited down to 15 tracks by cEvin Key and Native Instruments' Omar Torres. The jams of "Inception" are, as advertised, pretty much just that: germination of ideas, creative foundations. Demos really. The twitchy electronic hybrids of ambient, noise and techno that was their signature at the time is of course evident and the production is clean, but this is not thickly textured, fully polished, fully realized product. I hoped for diamonds in the rough, something spectacular yet inexplicably unreleased, but the fact is the cr¸me de la cr¸me found its way in finished form to the albums and EPs. But at least the rabid completists, those willing to shell out $20 per disc, get more insight into the process. As well as more of the late Dwayne Rudolf Goettel's output, considered by many to be the crucial creative component of the original grouping's magic. Mark Spybey is credited on 4 tracks but, unfortunately, his vocals are nowhere to be found. "Sidewinder Snake" from the "Sidewinder" EP promo is mysteriously resurrected as "Left the Radio On" and "Tweeter Blower" from the "Charlie's Family" soundtrack reappears in a disappointingly less noisy and rhythm-less form. "Krackerzz" stands out as a possibly finished track that didn't make a final cut, understandably so. Overall, everything sounds too flat and too thin. It just makes me want to listen to the brilliant "Furnace", "TEOSP" and their accompanying EPs instead ...
Mark Weddle
www.brainwashed.com/weddle/reviews
Download
"Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995" CD
The first in a mailorder-only series of limited edition releases
from cEvin Key and company, DOWNLOAD's 'Inception' CD
comprises some early jams and loose experiments from the
original ensemble of Key, SKINNY PUPPY partner Dwayne
Goettel, Mark Spybey, and Phil Western. Recorded during some
of the same sessions that spawned the final troubled PUPPY
platter ('The Process'), 'Inception' shows the group letting
themselves go in a maelstrom of electronic gadgetry and
tripped-out techno mindwarps. And although the other products
of this period (DOWNLOAD's 'Furnace' and 'Microscopic' CDs)
were both densely-packed blocks of predominantly chunky noise
electronica, 'Inception' is much more of a minimalist exercise. It's
a fascinating trip all the way around, even more impressive since
much of this seems to be improvisational work. 'Bee Sting
Sickness', and especially 'That's.Our.Process', predate Key and
Western's later forays into hypnotic techno grooves, while other
tracks, being the primary product of Key and Goettel, echo that
duo's earlier collaborative soundtracks as DOUBTING THOMAS.
'Krackerzz' is a standout, particularly with it's playful melodic
sensibility. 'Left The Radio On' is an instrumental mix of the rare
'Sidewinder Snake' track (deleted before release due to copyright
issues), while 'Dubplate From Ochy' brings in guest DJ Egyptian
for a freaky, skittering techno-dub workout. All-in-all, 'Inception' is
a feast for fans of this group's skilled blend of disparate
electronic elements and far-out noisemaking. (Subconscious)
Todd Zachritz
Godsend Online
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