Articles
The Fun Years
Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia
James Blackshaw
Lullatone

Albums
@c
Antenne
Antripodean Collective
Rudi Arapahoe
Black Gold 360
Brael / Tokyo Bloodworm
Richard Chartier
Jack Dangers
Rae Davis
Depth Affect
Taylor Deupree
Engine7
Emanuele Errante
Force of Nature
Gel-Sol
Glissando
Hardfloor
He Can Jog
Hulk
Adam Hurst
Kenny Larkin
Loco Dice
Mad EP
Maju
Marc + Hillage
Izumi Misawa
Nico Muhly
Toshimaru Nakamura
Organum
Maja S.K. Ratkje
Nicola Ratti
Recue
Renfro
Sawako
Seawalker
Raoul Sinier
Spyweirdos et al.
Svartbag
Tape
John Tejada
Tietchens + Chartier
Transitional

Compilations / Mixes
Ai022LP
Buzzin' Fly 5 Golden Years
Cielo-Cinco
Deconstructive Music
Om: Miami 2008
Sounds of Om Vol. 6
Traum 100
Underscan Now

EPs
Claro Intelecto
Funckarma
Tanaka Hideyuki
Jona
Alton Miller
Move D
saidsound
Sebastian San
Scott vs. Vaz
Philip Sherburne
Vakula

Raoul Sinier: Brain Kitchen
Ad Noiseam

Following rapidly on the heels of his remix set Huge Samurai Radish, Raoul Sinier (formerly Ra) fearlessly forges ahead with a fourteen-track opus of mangled hip-hop beats, twisted electro, and viral themes. On the Paris-based producer's third full-length Brain Kitchen, seemingly every track is buried under an impenetrably dense mass of chopped voices, throat-severing beats, and assorted other mayhem yet carousel melodies still manage to fight their way to the surface (e.g., the whirligig and sing-song themes in “Listen Close” and “Stone Pills,” respectively). Though familiar, “Huge Samurai Radish” is one of the better tracks here though its bright hip-hop flow would likewise benefit from a less cluttered arrangement. Other tracks place Sinier's beat-smithing skills front and center, such as “Brain Kitchen,” which first enters a dark IDM zone before a massive drum kick plunges it deeper, and “Solid Flesh,” which opens with a tasty hip-hop vibe before moving into big beat territory. Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of Ra's sound is the tension between child-like melodies and his penchant for claustrophobic arrangements that constantly threaten to overwhelm them. At times the mix is so thick, a given track collapses under its weight (e.g., “King Frog”), and occasionally Sinier's taste for noise either causes indigestion (e.g., “The Incredible Spitting Machine”) or induces headache (“Ants Mayhem”). Definitely not one for the faint-hearted.

July 2008