 |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||
|
|
Canadian-based label Interchill Records has been releasing music since the mid-1990's and has trodden its own quietly idiosyncratic path. Nearly all the music is in one way or another related to electronic dance and its sub-genres, co-founders Andrew Ross-Collins and Gordon Field have kept things varied. Based on the motto "organic electronica for expanding minds" they've used quality as their filter rather than committing the label to any one strain of electronic downtempo. Listed above is the cream of Interchill's various-artist compilations to date. In hindsight, the label's rise marks a significant new chapter in the genre. Interchill was issuing its first albums just as the first wave of U.S. indie labels devoted to post-dance ambient were self-destructing, ie. Silent Records and Instinct Ambient. It's no coincidence that in their death throes both of those labels abruptly changed direction from techno/trance-derived ambient to emerging styles like nu jazz, lounge and dub...some of which helped build Interchill into a successful and much longer-lived enterprise. The incumbents sensed the winds of change - in fact Instinct Ambient's parent label continued to dabble - but in the end they were too late. Being a newcomer Interchill was, on the other hand, in a more flexible position to accommodate any sounds in ambient dance at the time, both established and emerging ones. The earliest compilation albums Magnetic Blue, Interior Horizons and Infinessence are diverse and intriguing. All nicely mix up the Canadian artists with internationals and sounds range from expansive drifting melodies to stuttering drum'n'bass grooves. Seasoned downtempo fans will recognise a few names like Sounds From The Ground and Legion Of Green Men. There is plenty of subtle fresh twists on now-familiar dub, tribal, nu jazz and spacemusic sounds - these albums still sound like they were released yesterday. Floatation and the more recent Sanctuary are Interchill's quietest compilations and a good starting point for fans of more "pure" strains of ambient. They are not quite what you would call minimal, however; their sound is rather too intricate to be compared with the similarly quiet old-school ambient of Eno and company. Floatation is full of soft light and luminous colours. The tracks by Adham Shaikh and Mere Mortals particularly show a flair for gorgeous liquid melodies. Sanctuary is more of a DJ mix and of its ten tracks eight of them are from previous Interchill releases. The opening trio by Adham Shaikh, Suns Of Arqa and Mere Mortals are expertly mixed and layered into a long, completely seamless Vedic journey through tamboura drones, native vocal effects and fantastic flute improvisations. Familiar elements to be sure, but elevated by the musicianship and confidence of composers not trying too hard to be exotic. From there onwards the mix gently swings between beatless and gently rhythmic, with simple crossfades stitching the tracks together. Highlights include UK composer Ishq with his subtle, floating Zen-like meditation "Yu" that shows his uniquely beautiful way with female vocal samples. Also from the UK is Gaudi with his fresh and highly creative re-assembling of world music sounds. Earth Octave Lounge volume 1 from 2002 is the first and strongest in a series that marks a move into retro lounge territory. It covers the genre in a smarter and fresher fashion than most of the chillout lounge comps from Europe and the UK that were flooding the market at the time. There's dub, nu jazz, funk and Delta blues, and lots of warm sounds from saxophone, oboe, flute and harmonica. 13th Moon is billed as the label's first compilation on psychedelic trance tip, but that depends somewhat on how you define as trance. I'd define it as layered, repeating arpeggios and that applies to only a few of the tracks here. The most dominant sound is big breakbeats and thick dub grooves with just a single melody line and floaty backdrops. It's a fine Interchill compilation even if some it is aimed squarely at the dancefloor. The album's storming highlight is "Neon Tetra" by UK duo Umberloid (a side project of gifted UK artist Ott). It's an amazing euphoric rush of Eastern wailing, driving tribal dub and heavenly layered chords topped off with breaks of flamenco strumming. For the first time on an Interchill comp, Dissolving Clouds from 2005 embraces exotic dub for its entire length. Dub has become a wonderfully eclectic, elastic soundworld in the hand of modern electronic producers and this compilation is bang on the money. Only few tracks still show a fairly clear linage to Jamaica, with most tracks cleverly reconstructing the elements and adding exotic flavours. Intensity-wise, Eat Static is the winner with the huge, crunching sci-fi dub of "UFO Over Trenchtown". Ambient fans will enjoy the subtle ethno-dub stylings of Gaudi & Tripswitch's "Subdown" and Alex Theory's "Voodoo Dub" with its weirdly beautiful vocal wail. A fascinating collection of dubby downtempo with a healthy dose of left-field strangeness. Since the mid-Noughties most Interchill compilations have tended toward either cold, glitchy digital beats or toward dub in both the tuneless minimal and traditional vocal guises, all styles of which I'm loathe to recommend. Only one comp from this period embraces change without jettisoning melody or making your ears bleed in the process. The excellent Future Memories acknowledges the influence of the new millennium's ambient techno-trance champions Ulitimae Records with exclusive tracks from three of its key artists: Solar Fields, Carbon Based Lifeforms and Cell. All three are in fine form, their contributions drenched in harmonies and atmosphere. Complimenting these tracks are crisp, tuneful and spacey exotic dub and lounge excursions including familiar Interchill names Eat Static and Tripswitch. Interchill's catalogue also boasts some outstanding artist albums including the extraordinary new age ambient of Ishq and the confident, tuneful world beat of Kaya Project. |
