Graz: Teenage Bassland
Automation Records

One listen to Graz's three-tracker and it's patently obvious why sample clearance issues had to be resolved before its release. On this seven-inch vinyl outing, the unidentified Seattle-based electronic producer (who's issued previous material on Reactionary, Fukdup, and Donut Nook Records) pilfers the catalogues of Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and The Who, among others, in thirteen minutes of material that at times squeals like the out-of-control ravings of a spoiled three-year-old.

Powered by a bulldozing wobble and arcade synth fire, “Luv 2 H8 (Seattle)” burns on all cylinders, its old-school throb sounding at times like the best thing The Soft Pink Truth never released. Imagine the monotone bark of a robotic female voice backed by a wound-up splatterfest of jacking beats and overcranked synthesizers and you've got six minutes of Graz mayhem in its purest form. The titles of “Bad Bromance” and “Teenage Bassland” leave little to the imagination with respect to the source material plundered, with the former scattering Kanye's infamous Grammy rant over Lady Gaga's track (with a bit of “Love Story” and Squarepusher-styled jungle madness worked in for added effect) and the latter turning The Who's “Baba O'Riley” into a brain-damaged electrofire stepper. Enhancing the appeal of the physical release are two irresistibly cute illustrations by Erin Battaglia.

May 2012