Official Fridge homesite
Fridge site at Brainwashed
Derived from Motion site.
Fridge
Semaphore
Output
Well, although motion usually hears stuff before release and
gets it direct to you, dear reader, before anyone else, this
record's been out a while. However, we feel that this is
such a good release that it's still worth shouting about.
Fridge have been producing music of real quality for over a
year now, following their self-produced debut "Ceefax", with
the almost legendary 'Anglepose' single and work with Add N
To X amongst others. "Semaphore", on Output, is an
indication of the diversity and depth of music this
three-piece can conjure up. Indeed, this is probably the
most coherent British response to the convergence of
post-rock and electronica so far. The compositions, by all
bandmembers (Sam Jeffers, Adem Ilhan, and Kieran
Hebden), draw from Trans Am-style guitar assaults, precise
techno frigidity, and Tortoise/Ui-style loping bass-led
melodies, yet seemingly add new dimensions, perhaps
through the warmth and verve of their playing. An
impressive range of noise helps too, "Low Fat Diet"'s
saxophone making it the stand-out track for me. There's
even a thrash-rockabilly number (called "Michael Knight"?!?!)
as well as the occasional white-noise blizzard Mike
Paradinas would be proud of. Perhaps the most impressive
aspect of this release is that, despite the range of material
and their tender youth, this doesn't feel like a band in
search of an identity. For more on this lot, the pure-impure
mailing list is something of a Fridge-magnet (ahem), and a
bright future clearly beckons.
ALSO READ ABOUT:
Four Tet on the Output label
THESE SIMILAR RELEASES:
Bola - Soup
Bisk - Ticklish Matters
Tom Steinle - Summer DSP
Cobra Killer - Cobra Killer
Ostinato - ma2 (2x120/00)
Four Tet
Misnomer
Output
'Misnomer' is a stunning release. Four Tet is Kieran Hebden,
the bassist/guitarist from the fine British 3-piece, Fridge,
whose muscular post-rock features Hebden's casually
overdriven, insistent riffs. This is very different however, a
sample-based solo project based on early-70s jazz as much
as anything. Precursors might include Four Tet's previous
single 'Thirtysixtwentyfive', 'Field' on Leaf's "Invisible
Soundtracks III", and Fridge's 'Low Fat Diet', but if one had
to characterise the sound, we're talking Impulse! circa 1970
recombined for today. It's difficult, but not really relevant,
to know what's played and what's sampled, though a
squally Archie Shepp-like saxophone and violin flourishes ? l?
King Crimson's David Cross are in evidence as much as bass
and guitar. All four tracks on this limited-edition vinyl-only
EP feature percussion loops with touches of Elvin Jones,
Rashied Ali, or Pharoah Sanders' "Karma". Yet this feels as
loose and organic as a 'live recording'. Electro moments
which echo both Mwandishi- and Rockit-era Herbie Hancock
crop up, though there's some rather sub-DST scratching on
'Fume', the most intensely dark track here. 'Aying' and
'Charm' feature beautiful sitar playing and string samples
from Indian film music, perhaps drawing too from Alice
Coltrane and Miles' "Big Fun". These are so carefully and
skilfully integrated into the whole that one is reminded that
there can be little music which seems truly exotic anymore,
just a seemingly infinitely rich source material. You'll note
the references to late-60s 'cosmic jazz', 70s jazz-rock and
prog: Simon Hopkins, reviewing Squarepusher, has touched
on this current re-awakening of interest with these
long-lambasted genres, and Hebden provides further
evidence of its influence on new generations of (principally
British?) music-makers (as well as Hebden and Tom
Jenkinson, we might also look to Jimpster's Jamie O'Dell,
Talvin Singh, and Ninja's J Swinscoe and Amon Tobin). Four
Tet's new music draws freely from this recorded archive of
yearning investigation and musical openness; malevolent
rhythmic propulsion; gritty lo-fi acoustics and analogue
electronic sparks. Searching for references to Kieran online,
I found an old message he posted to the Kozmigroov list
from his student email address, enquiring after the Art
Ensemble of Chicago. Seems he found what he was looking
for. And how. This all augers extremely well for the
forthcoming long player 'Dialogue'.
SIMILAR RELEASES:
Squarepusher - Music Is Rotted One Note
Urban Tribe - The Collapse of Modern Culture
Peanut Butter Wolf - My Vinyl Weighs A Ton
Various Artists - Hip Hop Forever
Miles Davis - The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions
OUTPUT (UK):
$10 FOURTET: Thirtysixtwentyfive CD (OPR 14 CD). Debut EP from Fridge
offshoot band Four Tet. "Undeniably classy work that marks out a space
between the fractured but hypnotic textures of post rock and dubbier,
junglist and more techno forms. Elegant rhythms, drifty guitar, squawky
free-jazz, ambient electronics and darker subsonics. Like some Fridge cuts
there's a head nodding dub sense to the piece, although it can still
surprise. Experimental but cool, a rare balance." =20
Sam W Jeffers (of Fridge) ramblings as seen on Pure-Impure mailing list at 18 May 1998
Nowadays (perhaps) Sam could be reached at JJeffers@easynet.co.uk
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 09:46:33 BST
From: Sam W Jeffers
Subject: future fridge releases.
I'm not sure if this is the right place to do this but you all seem
like nice folk and I'm beginning to think that I need to get some
feedback.
This is probably more relavant to UK readers but continue if you are
paying extortionate import prices to listen to our records. It
probably comprimises the bands integrity to talk so openly about
hopes and fears but here goes:
We just signed to a major. Polygram. MCA publishing. It seems we
didn't stop to think. A fistful of notes was enough for us to leave
full-time education and head for full-time music. We signed for five
albums.
Anyway there are some qusetions I need to ask.
Does anybody think that 'post-rock'/instrumental has a chance of
getting out of the minor leagues?
Would you disown it if it did?
We now have to sell 100,000 records, is this possible?
DOes anybody else have major label experience in the post
rock/instrumental scene?
Anyway there are new records out soonish on our old label:
Fridge
12" Orko/Distants
7" It's all on/Can't remember
CD singles compilation - mainly for export.
RIck Bass (My drums and uncleared samples record.)
12" Bass Drum - about 12 copies of.
Four Tet (Kieran from the bands solo sampled rubbish)
Album and single.
More fridge stuff on piao!, Tiny superhero and Leaf.
Here is written my indie suicide......
------------------------------