platEAU
spacEcakE
Metropolis/Subconscious
MET 135/SUB 018
1. "Jack hErrEr": The opening track of the disk held bizarre enough for me to keep listening
and catchy enough for me to remember the tune after one listen. I've now owned the disk
since it's release and the amazing effect this track has on me has not yet begun to
subside. A vowel driven bass, which gives the impression of enormous vibrating bars
of rubber, dominates the relaxed, clumsy feel of the song. Constant, yet flickering
drum noises give the listener an unstable sense of rhythm in contrast to the stuttered
bass loop. Uneasy relaxation with hints of anticipation sums it up. This track is
extremely satisfying.
2. "NaM": The hard to find stability in the first track becomes even harder to follow
in "NaM". Drums tumble over each other in such a way that the beat sounds out of
beat. It makes you want to dance at first, but then you realize that it's impossible.
The beat continues and you find yourself static. This can't continue so you collapse to
the ground and roll all over the room. Constant drone of reverb air in the background
highlights the forefront. No middle ground here, everything's clear and distinct.
Difficult yet rewarding.
3. "bluEbErry": Tired from yesterdays rolling around you slowly wake out of the daze.
The classic unfiltered untreated drum kit snaps you to your feet. Hey... what is this? A
tiny saw toothed bass bit plays for a second and SWOOSH, it's gone. Insane attackified
cymbal swishy "I'm awake" sounds complete the song. The initial attentiveness of
the morning has hit you. Note: This song is full of stuff, listen carefully because it
doesn't last long.
4. "nocruisin": Bam, you're nearing the doors of your workplace and you realize
that you didn't sleep as much as you thought you had. You feel clumsy again, you're drifting,
drifting...Not so fast. The "hardest" track on the album hits you full force.
Shaken into a very systematic, subterranean rhythm. No, that doesn't paint the right picture.
Lets just say a "Big and Profound" beat, with some very bendable(?) sounds.
Analogue quirks and full range of activity make this a very powerful listen. (I can see
the EOSP likeness that people have been talking about, yet still hear it as PlatEAU more
than anything else.)
5. "supEr silvEr hazE": Vocals are featured here. The voice and the music here are
completely separated. I imagine walking through a dark subway shaft, huge at first, then
narrowing as the music sort of closes in. Strings hit later on in the track, like a train
which passes by you filling the cavernous space. Then the voice comes back, creating more
separation. It took a few listens to groove to this one, as always with any music which holds
any creativity at all.
6,7. "the search" and "K2": Picture yourself looking down on a vast
canopy of trees, nothing else as far as the eye can see. You're continually rising up
through the air, spinning maybe, and once you get to a certain point zap, you're back
eye level with he canopy rising back up into the air. Continue this step over and over
again in your mind until finally, you don't zap back, you just keep going up. Now you're
not rising away from trees, but you're rising away from the earth itself. Eventually, you'll
hit a point in the track when you KNOW that the earth is getting mighty far away. Then the
earth is gone, only space remains. Curious, pretty, disconnected sounds are twinkling in
circumfusion. Early analogue Tomita-ish "bwas" start coming in near the end of
these tracks spreading light on the melody just as you1re leaving. Visual description
was the best I could do for these tracks... quite the experience.
8. "de Fog": Back on earth. A fast sort of tribal beat introduces the song,
and you sort of get the feeling of being in a prehistoric jungle. A dance floor
"philthy" beat breaks in, retaining the "in a jungle" feeling to
the extreme. Now, I don't know why I'm getting back to these visuals but, this track
can best be described as the pursuit of birdlike dinosaurs with enormous heads and
radically thin necks dashing in between trees. When the beat stops there seems to be
a complete change in mood. As if the Dinosaurs were moving so fast that their heads
popped off and started floating away in slow motion. It ends with electric/record,
cracks, pops, whatever I don't know, but it ends, and it's beautiful.
9. "phuket": You've entered a world of big plastic clocks.
10. "crEaturE": Those of you who own Philth's solo album might know what
I'm talking about when I say this has Escapist sounding noises. Vocals reappear on
this track in more or less the same style that they were on "SupEr silvEr hazE"
though these are actually more imbedded into the song rather than highlighted apart from
it. This one to me is a sort of three quarters song that is buried in between the bulk of
the album and the poignant ending pieces. You1re imagination as become exhausted from the
complexity of the previous tracks and starts to drift, giving itself a rest. If you are a
traditionalist "listen to the album in the sequence it was given to you" sort
of person like I am, I recommend that you come back to this track another time and listen
to it with a settled mind. Good track.
11. "spacEcakE": This one is really good. I wish I could be a bit more florid in
my description but you'll just have to trust me on this one. In my opinion, this song is
more like Grassbars than any of the other songs. It's beat is bouncy and unique as were
the beats of many on the MFGB record. Nice bass/drum harmony and a very straightforward
complexity. Short and sweet, I can see this one as being a popular favorite.
12. "bon bon bient": You are in a very comfortable position on the sea floor,
maybe you're dead, and you're watching bubbles floating to the surface through clear deep
blue waters. You feel relaxed, and nice, and happy...
13. "creeper": Hey! Don't fall asleep though. Sounds like someone just turned on
a machine in your head. Things are flying out of one ear and into the other. A solid beat,
and several LFO waked sounds are going all over the place. The sounds of springs and
gadgets. You're eyes are wide open now.
14. "30 daze": An echoy/dreamy song with your standard thump-thump techno beat
which was only noticeably heard before in "de Fog". The picture that comes to
mind here is a Utopian Metropolis. Busy, yet lighthearted. Settled, feather fall ending.
A very good listen.
15. "satchel": This one sounds like an instant stretched out for an extended
period of time. Sort of like it takes three and a half minutes for it to describe one
second. Peaceful and healthy for the ears. It will often leave me on the brink of
falling asleep right as the last song pops out of nowhere. A Serene transition to the
next song.
16. "On the plat": I'll leave you all with a picture for this last one. You're
in a poorly lit basement laying on the floor, staring at a flickering florescent light.
It's the only source of light. Once and a while, the elongated tube will flash brightly
for a split second leaving an imprint of light in your eyes which slowly fades away.
This does not go on for long. The light dies, and SpacEcakE is over.
Very quick note to add closure. SpacEcakE has more character in it than any other
"Electo" album I've heard. The jazz of it's class. If you don1t have this,
get it. You're missing out on an euphonic experience. Very well composed in song order
as far as my tastes go, and whatever technique was used to fabricate these songs created
candy for my ears (oh so sweet). Thanks to Key, Western, and these Tim Hill and Karin
characters. May your music be forever changing.
Joe Hero
Space Cake
Subconscious Communications/Metropolis
SUB018/MET135
As is usually the case when a new album arrives bearing the name Cevin Key, Plateau's
sophomore effort, Space Cake, was greeted with a good deal of hype and anticipation.
Info leaked from an inside source told the masses exactly what everyone wanted to hear,
Space Cake was going to be quite a bit different than Plateau's poorly-received first
album, Music For Grass Bars. For the most part that's true, but Plateau hasn't made
a complete departure from their original vibe.
For starters, Space Cake has the same mind-altering, euphoric beat effect as Music
For Grass Bars. With deep funk basslines that sound as though they've been pulled
from some gritty blaxploitation flick of the '70s, you can almost smell the marijuana
haze that undoubtedly filled the studio when Key, Phil Western and company set to
work on this album. If you listen to it long enough, Plateau's music will put your
head in the clouds even if the only drug you're on came in a can of Pepsi. This
time around though, Plateau is far less repetitive and the Detroit house influence
of the first album is far less dominant. As pointless and out of place as they
may seem, even a few vocals turn up on a couple tracks. Fans of Collide may
recognize the voice of Karin. Despite the changes, Key and Western had no
intentions of turning Plateau into Download Jr. Space Cake is quite a bit
different than the warped IDM experimentalism of Download's first two albums,
Furnace and The Eyes of Stanley Pain, and the melancholy ambience of III.
It's certainly light years away from Key's days with Skinny Puppy. I get the
impression Plateau has become Key and Philth's late night jam session mode,
something they have a lot of fun with but aren't as focused on as they are with Download.
What may come as a major disappointment for many is the fact that there really are
very few overpowering, climatic moments or truly standout tracks on Space Cake.
It's pretty much a relaxed ride straight through from start to finish. But if
you consider that the name of this project means a high, flat land, it becomes
rather obvious that this absence of peaks and valleys was completely intentional.
Of course many will overlook this point and dismiss Space Cake the way they did
Music For Grass Bars. The fact that anything Key touches is automatically held
to a much higher standard than the work of almost everyone else doesn't help much either.
Space Cake won't rack up as many miles on my CD player as most of Key's other projects,
but it'll hold me over until the next Download or Tear Garden album.
contact: Subconscious Communications - http://www.jps.net/ckey.
Barry D. Scheffel scheffbd@muohio.edu
platEAU - spacEcakE
In 1997, cEVIN Key, Phil Western and Anthony Valcic released Music For Grassbars. Not long
after that, Key promptly noted that the album was done in as little as 3 or 4 weeks and that
the next platEAU album would be much more complex. Two years later, we have the latest product
from the band, (minus Anthony Valcic).
spacEcakE lives up to Key's predictions. It is almost impossible to miss the fact that the
album shares little with it's earlier sibling. It varies from song to song, in mood and
atmosphere. Remaining true to the previous incarnation of the project, are the house-style
elements that are lightly strewn throught the album. Multiple listenings are sure make the
listener aware of these.
Many have picked up on cEVIN's 'download jr.' line, referring to the new platEAU, and said
that it fits the bill. This may be the truth. The first album was simple in comparison and
spacEcakE certainly is more varied in style. With that in mind, it is important to remember
that Key and Co. never repeat themselves the way most bands do. In fact, if they had done an
album very much like their first, I would have been disappointed. Key has, of late, showed us
a lighter side of himself and this may disappoint those wishing for a more aggressive piece
of work. Like 'III', spacEcakE is of a lighter nature, although it may succeed on other levels.
You almost get the sense that they had more fun making this CD than the other and that is the
strength of the album. As a whole, I think it is a perfect mixture of Philth and Key,
combining cEVIN's drums and electronics with Phil's synths and bass work. Once again, the
folks at subConscious Studios have given us another strong electronic album and I can't thank
them enough.
Raasnio
PlatEAU - space cake
Met 135/Sub 018
Is this album by platEAU? After listening to 'spacE cakE' for a few weeks I1m not so sure.
Lets check the record. In 1997 platEAU consisted of three Vancouver based musicians Charles
Spliff, Toko Emoko, and Bud Cuttings. Their first album 'Music For Grassbars,' with its
trippy album cover and slow developing grooves, was considered 'Minimalist Electronic.' Fast
forward to 1999 and platEAU has returned with a substantial facelift. Produced from the new
LA Subconscious Studios and recorded under their proper names, cEvin Key and Philth (Phil
Western) return without member Anthony Valcic. This is foreshadowing.
At first glance the 'dull by comparison' album cover gives no indication of what is contained
within. With the first three tracks ('jack hErrEr', 'NaM' and 'bluE bErry') all seems to be
as expected, ethereal, trippy and a bit more complex than past plateau music. Then track four,
'nocrusin,' hits; at first listen I grabbed the CD case to verify I was still listening to
platEAU. Sorry folks, you1ve been tricked, they stuck an unreleased track from Download1s
'The Eyes of Stanley Pain' in there. Well, that may not be true, but by the sound of it
(sharp rhythm changes, driving beats, obvious cEvin Key quirky sounds) it sure could be.
By the way, this track begs to be remixed, I need at least seven minutes of this please.
After 'nocrusin' the album slips back into platEAU form again. Ultra fine production and
floating hypnotic music marks the next few tracks. Then 'de Fog' presents itself, with a
smattering of real drums and inventive cuts this track could be either a driving platEAU
single or a mellow Download cut. The same goes for other standouts 'crEaturE,' 'creeper' and
'30 daze.'
The title track 'spacEcakE' is a good sampling of the album as a whole. Interesting beats,
and classic Key sounds. It fits well played up front or in the background. You the listener
can decide what form you want to hear it in.
Lets do some history. Download was formed to not be Skinny Puppy. platEAU became to not be
Download. With the new platEAU taking on Download form at times, does this mean Download will
evolve beyond its old shell? I suspect so. Remember, 'III' was certainly a departure from
'ESOP'.
In the end I was left wondering, is this album a sign of what platEAU is to become or what
Download was? Either way I think we1ll find out in year 2000. In the meantime be sure to
pick up the most refreshing release from Subconscious since 'The Eyes Of Stanley Pain.'
No Kidding.
Scott Graham
Litany
www.litany.net
platEAU - spacEcakE
In general, I think this is a rather strange album in the sense that a little bit of every
Subconscious project seems to have found it's way into this new form platEAU has taken.
There are some tracks that would fit perfectly a Doubting Thomas album or "III"...and there
are tracks that can only be described as Download Jr. from the Stanley Pain era. Overall,
a very satisfying CD.... sorta like a Subconscious music buffet...
Really, I think this and III seem to be more about Key and Philth making music rather than
what project they're current supposed to be representing. All this said and done, on with
the track by track analysis.
1. Jack hErrEr - Nice way to start the CD. It has the time out of joint sound that I associate
with platEAU, then out of nowhere these d/l-esque drums come it... very nice.
2. NaM - spacey, bouncy number that's nice and complex. I love the percussion on this
track....sort of "the-cannibals-are- nearby, Tarzan" sort of a thing going on. very platEAU.
3. bluEbErry - Now this is the track in which I always find myself spacing out to. It sounds
like platEAU through a "III" filter, if you catch the bad Photoshop reference.
4. nocruisin - The shit. This is the track that made me sit up and go, "Oooo. Hello Download
Jr." You haven't really heard this track until you've turned it up obnoxiously loud on your
car stereo. I think it's probably the most memorable track on the entire album. The voices
around 2:15 are great... neat-o mindbending fun.
5. supEr silvEr hazE - Odd song with odd treatment of female vocals (by Karin from Collide,
I believe). Honestly, I first cringed when I heard there were female vocals on it, but these
ain't no KMFDM female vocals, folks. I like it, but the song is a bit long, I think.
6. the search - nice, airy track. Reminiscent of something off of Music for Cats or the
Doubting Thomas song "Movie 13".
7. K2 - compliments track 6 very nicely, and again no beat for this track. It doesn't have an
ominous tone like a Doubting Thomas track, however. It's actually kind of tranquil.
8. de Fog - wakes ya back up. Very Philth-y... probably the second most memorable track on
the entire album for me. About 4 minutes into it, weird drums come in that make me feel like
I'm outta joint with time, and then a minute or so later it slows down and brings me back to
earth.
9. phuket - Very MFC-ish. And actually, it reminds me of Coil's latest album Musick to Play
in the Dark, oddly enough.
10. crEaturE - an upbeat track with more female vocals. While the vocals are a little more
conventional, they are well intigrated into the song... nice track.
11. spacEcakE - Hello Download Jr. Nice drums...
12. bon bon bient - this track totally belongs on III.... nice.
13. creeper - I like this track a lot. I think in the long run, this will turn out to be my
favorite track on the album. Freaky noises good.
14. 30 daze - this song is upbeat, so much so that I'd almost describe it as happy. III-ish,
especially at the end of the track.
15. satchel - very doubting thomas. I like.
16. On the plat - This track seems to function to remind the listener that this is in fact a
platEAU album, despite what you've just heard for the last hour. Needless to say, it's very
platEAU and a nice way to end the CD; albeit it's somewhat abrupt.
Overall, this release makes me really, really hungry for the next Download album... if
platEAU, the project that's supposed to be laid back, sounds like this, I can't wait to hear
the monster that Download has mutated into.
My only negative criticism of the whole thing is the artwork... Phith's photos are really
nice, but I don't think the cover image is a strong enough one to serve as the cover. I
definitely support the less is more school of thought when it comes to artwork(except the
whole stupid Minimalist movement...har har...contradiction is fun), but I think there should
be something more eye catching on the cover. The back of the CD is nice with the window frame
actually framing the track list. I like what looks like an oil or acrylic painting on the
inside, and I question if maybe that shouldn't have been the cover... oh well. We don't buy
CDs/records for the artwork.
Bri3n Hindman
platEAU - spacEcakE
PlatEAU is one of the collaborative efforts of Phil "Philth" Western (Download, Off and Gone)
and cEvin Key (Download, ex-Skinny Puppy).Ê The aptly titled 1997 debut album, "Music for
Grass Bars", was the minimal, trance inducing product of improvised jam sessions.Ê
"Spacecake" is obviously more carefully programmed, sequenced and molded into shape.Ê
It still maintains the mellow, tranced out groove feel of the first album only with more
variety and texture.Ê Key and Western touch on a little bit of everything here:Ê techno,
ambient, noise, trance, funk, house ... you name it and it's probably blended in here
somewhere.Ê It sounds to me like a blend of "III"-era Download, Phil Western's solo
(see "The Escapist") and "Off and Gone" work, the German Chain Reaction label's minimal
ambient and techno styling and a bit of Doubting Thomas' more ominous, soundscape-y pieces.Ê
In other words it's just about perfect for an electronic music aficionado like myself.Ê Most
tracks are beat driven, with the exception of a few ambient excursions:Ê "The Search", "K2",
"Bon Bon Bient", "Satchel" and the final minute or so of "De Fog" and "30 Daze".Ê The others
have beats varying from a standard four on the floor to the more complex poly rhythms typical
of Download.Ê As usual per Key and Western, the synth and sample work is amazing, all
seamlessly programmed and sequenced together into something new and invigorating.Ê My only
minor gripes:Ê Karin's unnecessary and slightly annoying guest vocals on "Super Silver Haze"
and "Creature", and the track "Phuket" which tediously clicks along too long and doesn't
really go anywhere.Ê Still a solid album of electronic music.Ê Key and Western are too
talented for their own good, the next Download album should be a monster.Ê "Spacecake" is
definitely another candidate for my top 10 of '99 list ...
Mark Weddle
Reviews
http://www.brainwashed.com/weddle/reviews/
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