Artists: Replicant Rumba Rockers
Title: A Rather Interesting Mix
Cat.No.: non08
Format: CD / LP
Complete Tracklisting:
01. Señor Coconut- El Ovni Mambo
02. Erik Satin- Follow me To San Jose
03. Los Sampler's- Descarga Mecano
04. Midisport- All Notes Off
05. Erik Satin- Dreaming Of A Huge Reverb
06. Midisport- Midi A Gogo
07. Midisport- Florianopoly(phonie)
08. Silver Sound- Jazz
09. Dropshadow Disease- dito
10. Dropshadow Disease- Dingbats
11. Roger Tubesound Ensemble- On The Edge Of Fidelity
12. Roger Tubesound Ensemble- Miniature In F Minor
13. Ondas- Stereo Kiss
14. Silver Sound- Congo! (feat. Lisa Carbon)
Friedman takes liberties in recounting the vast career of the producer and digital composer Atomâ?¢, creating the Replicant Rumba Rockers as a facade that lets him excerpt his favourite bits of Atomâ?¢-dom into wild and wooly new music. His some 50 album releases on the Rather Interesting (RI) label seem like cultural artefacts from the remote future -- an invented world that does not automatically give the authentic preference over the fake. The flavour on this particular appropriation is decidedly Latin. Friedman presents the fictional Replicant Rumba Rockers in a costume whose worldliness is self-evident -- draped at first in the traditional hues of simulation, but ultimately cloaked in their own inscrutable logic.
reviews:
"... the most economical and enjoyable way to explore Atom's numerous Herculean musical tasks." (XLR8R 2002)
"Just one look at the cover of this little oddity and I knew we were in for trouble: Four Mexicans with distorted Aphex Twin type faces, steel drums in hand. This could only mean one thing: Uwe Schmidt is at it again. A lot of us here at BBC Music HQ have been fans of Schmidt's work over the past few years. From his early industrial dance tracks under the Lassigue Benthaus moniker to the more serene ambience of his Atom Heart project, Schmidt has always been someone who never restricted himself to one particular style or pace.
Looking back over his 50+ releases on his Rather Interesting label, it's quite interesting to see his gradual dropping of more ambient and industrial influences and his move into the world of sampling and re-constructing South American music under the Senor Coconut guise. Whether his recent relocation from Germany to Chile is responsible is still up for debate (I was a betting man, I'd say that it was) but either way, his sound has certainly matured and is now travelling down avenues far removed from the rest of his contemporaries.
So - here's the story: Over the past few years, Schmidt has begun sampling and reworking everything from mariachi to Spanish folk songs to Space Ace Bachelor Pad Music under a variety of different pseudonyms - Erik Satin, Los Samplers, Midisport, Silver Sound, Dropshadow and more. Trouble is, all of these releases were often released as strictly limited editions and are often quite difficult to find, let alone hear, by us mere mortals.
Enter fellow countryman, Nonplace label head and Schmidt's duo partner in Flanger, Burnt Friedman, who's taken it upon his good self to remix Uwe's collection of more ethnically based projects into one "DJ friendly" mix cd. Here on this release, we find selections from almost all of Uwe's back catalogue, resampled, reshaped and re-sculpted into one continuous 42:17 long mix. The results are promising; Friedman has come along and has tweaked each with his patented cut, paste and filter magic touch, from the scattered beats of Dropshadow's "Ditto" to the delayed panning of Roger Tubesound Ensemble's "Miniature in F Minor", each piece has been handcrafted to ensure maximum sonic pleasure. Replicant Rumba Rockers is the perfect release for you party animals who wouldn't dream of playing one of those cheesy Chill Out compilations but worry that your Esqivel CD may just be a bit much for your classy guests. Put this baby on at your next dinner party or whenever your significant other wants to go salsa dancing, and you should win a few friends who will demand to borrow this at the earliest opportunity. Very cool." (review by Olli Siebelt)