Horchata - "Biomass: Necromass Remixes"
(zero 1 media 2000, z1m-zc003-1)
Horchata - "Biomass: Necromass Remixes"
(zero 1 media 2000, z1m-zc003-1)
From Aural Innovations #20 (July 2002)
A cool Mexican rice-based desert is perfect for the lazy, blazing days of mid-summer. Much like its tasty counterpart, the eponymous Horchata is a blend of slow, hypnotic beats, processed guitars — invoking visions of cool, subterranean streams and deliver a satisfying, but vaguely ominous beverage right to your door.
And don’t let the minimalist artwork (a black and white shot of a bridge pylon) — this is rich, rich as a heady neural cocktail should be...
Biomass-Necromass remixes features some of Portsmouth, NH’s best electonic artists: Ocosi, Twine, Mothboy, Shadu, Pellucid, PBH, Devs and Mind of Minolta. Horchata (aka Michael Palace) leads us deep into the cosmic stream — Necromass, with death as the refreshment, while Biomass pushes into the vibrancy of life, an ever-evolving spiral of incipient intelligence. Ambience and processed beats, all life-affirming...
Twine (an Ohio duo) take on Necromass as mezmerizing darkhop, finally concluding in a dreamy haze of electronica, digital stumming, and samples of female chanting..
Ocosi (Pual Molyneux) grinds into Biomass, introduces deconstructed fading beats and keyboard flourishes, processed baritones..
Drums ‘n bass, triphop, ambient, processed guitar à la Fripp. This CD even gets down and funky, while still adhering to its organic inspirations: underground streams, insects, rustling leaves, Zen koans, things far from the commotion of Occidental life early in the 21st century. Focussing those alpha waves long after midnight...
For more information you can visit the Horchata web site at: http://www.zero1media.com/horchata.
Contact via snail mail c/o Mike Palace; 90 Pine St; Portsmouth, NH 03801.
Reviewed by Ian Compton