The Grid in XDZebra Reviews by Pete Ashdown
XDZebra Reviews
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from XDZebra Review #26 by Pete Ashdown:
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The Grid: Crystal Clear
Virgin: VSCDT 1442
1 128 03:42 Crystal Clear (Prankster Prophet Edit)
2 128 07:40 Crystal Clear (Prankster Prophet Mix)
3 128 07:46 Crystal Clear (Prankster Trance Dance)
4 123 04:38 Crystal Clear (Trimar Mix)
5 133 08:28 Crystal Clear (Clear, Like An Unmuddied Lake)
6 133 07:18 Crystal Clear (The Crystal Clear Water Revival)
Comments: This track has one of the most catchy, yet simple
melodies I've heard in a while. It works well in endless
repetition and with the bassline travels from remix to remix in a
good fashion. The Orb finally shuts off the faucet to give us some
"Blue Room" like rhythm and typical odd samples, it felt good to
have a dancey Orb remix again. My favorite is the "Trimar Mix",
with a casual Susan Vega like female vocal singing, "Boom shaka
boom shaka" it hooks you in a subtle way. Too bad this particular
mix is so relatively short.
Summary: 9/10. Solid original with a good variety in remixing.
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from XDZebra Review #12 by Pete Ashdown:
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The Grid: Figure of Eight
Virgin: VSCD 1421
1 126 03:32 Figure of Eight (456 7" Edit)
2 127 06:23 Figure of Eight (Grid Tribal Trance Mix)
3 124 06:27 Figure of Eight (Todd's Master Dub)
4 122 04:00 Magic Tree
Comments: The Grid gives us a "Pacific" style single here with a
house-like saxophone line and ditty dit dat vocals. At first I
thought it was not very good techno, but then I realized it was
really good trance. Especially the remixes and the final track
"Magic Tree". This is the first thing by The Grid that has been
obtainable for me, but it is obvious that I've got to track down
some more. These two guys have a lot of talent.
Summary: 7/10. Well produced too, nice art on the jacket. A bit
short though.
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from XDZebra Review #28 by Pete Ashdown:
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The Grid: Heartbeat
Virgin: VSCDT 1427
1 98 04:01 Heartbeat (Radio Edit)
2 126 05:29 Heartbeat (Back to the Future Mix)
3 126 05:27 Heartbeat (Purple Heart Mix)
4 98 04:44 Heartbeat (456 Mix)
Comments: A poppy, sweet, smooth entry for the Grid. Reminds me
to the death of System 7's "Freedom Fighters", but I like this
more. Weirdly enough, they had it right the first time, with the
original "Radio Edit" and "456 Mix". In the attempt to speed it up
with the other two mixes, they lost the magic this song has
entirely.
Summary: 4/10. If you have the album, "456" already, forget
purchasing this. The "Radio Edit" is slightly better, but not that
much.
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from XDZebra Review #39 by Pete Ashdown:
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The Grid: Texas Cowboys
Deconstruction/RCA/BMG: 74321 16776 2
1 136 05:55 Texas Cowboys
2 127 06:11 Rise
3 136 07:05 Texas Cowboys (High Plains Prankster Mix)
4 127 05:53 Cheerleader song
Comments: Fresh stuff from The Grid which holds a refreshing amount
of bounce. "Texas Cowboys" goes along in classic Grid style with
a nice sounding synth line flying over a moving rhythm section and
well placed and executed samples. Justin Robertson's remix "High
Plains" is even better, with swooping crescendos. Even though the
main theme is lost, it sticks well with the original feel. "Rise"
takes what seems to be a pulpit preacher sample, "Does it rise
brothers? Does it glow sisters?" and applies bleepy garage house
backing. The "Cheerleader song" uses horns and a spacey rhythm
section with a "Na na na na" cheerleeding shout, very bright and
happy.
Summary: 9/10. Lip smacking uplifting single from The Grid. Let's
hope they have another round of good singles in the works.
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from XDZebra Review #37 by Pete Ashdown:
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Excursions in Ambience - The Second Orbit [compilation]
Astralwerks: ASW AV6105-2
1 120 09:55 W.F.O.: No-One in the World (Edit)
2 08:52 Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia
3 120 08:42 Locust: Prospero
4 126 12:53 Maurizio: Ploy (Battersea Was an Island of Mud
Mix)
5 133 05:29 The Grid: Crystal Clear (Clear, Like an
Unmuddied Lake)
6 08:34 Autocreation: Dark Smile
7 106 09:00 Megatonk: Belgium (Deep Space Filter Mix Edit)
8 95 11:20 Material: Mantra (Praying Mantra Mix Edit)
Comments: The second "Excursions in Ambience" from Astralwerks
takes us on a journey into the source, Wau! Mr. Modo. All the
tracks on this disc are from the label or remixed by Orb. It is
really nice to have the three Orb remixes of Maurizio, Grid, and
Material in one place. However, I would have rather seen "Crystal
Clear" absent than virtually cut in half with a fade-out. Keiichi
Suzuki's "Satellite Serenade" would have been much slicker in place
of the widely distributed Grid track. Megatonk's "Belgium" is the
bounciest track on the disc, yet it is sadly edited with another
apparent fade-out. The other two edits, W.F.O. and Material are
done well, but of course, these are awefully long "edits". I
especially like the W.F.O. track with its Karen Carpenter samples
used in a perfect manner. The remaining three tracks by
Schizophrenia, Locust, and Autocreation make for dark ambient
listening. "Prospero" is the first track to remind me of the
Biosphere "Microgravity" album.
Summary: 8/10. Sloppy edits aside, this is a terrific compilation
of Wau! Mr. Modo ambient work. Things are really looking great for
Astralwerks if they keep digging up music like this for domestic
release.
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from XDZebra Review #4 by Pete Ashdown:
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Twitch CD 2 [compilation]
Twitch: TW-CD-02
1 07:01 The Grid: Boom
2 05:52 Jesus Jones: Info Psycho
3 07:20 Celebrate The Nun: Patience
4 05:36 4 Hero: Mr. Kirk's Nightmare
5 04:22 R.A.F.: We Gonna Get
6 06:00 Turntable Terror: Break!
7 06:55 Egma: Let The Bass Kick
8 07:01 Genaside II: Narra Mine
9 06:01 Armageddon Dildos: Resist
10 07:37 The Hypnotist: House is Mine
11 06:54 The Prodigy: Charly
12 05:56 Expansions: Elevation
Comments: Some GREAT remixes on here. Available only by mail order
or through a DJ shop, Twitch blows the Razormaid wimps out of the
water. "Charly" was a slight disappointment. It just isn't very
different from the original. Just about everything else though, is
a new song in its own right. "Info Psycho" rips completely, unlike
the rest of Jesus Jones' pop-smear. The mix of "Mr. Kirk's
Nightmare" is brilliant. I found myself humming the bleep line the
other night, which NEVER happens to me with a techno song.
Summary: 9/10. Find it. Support Twitch.
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from XDZebra Review #23 by Pete Ashdown:
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Brian Eno: Ali Click [single]
Opal/Warner Bros:9 40650-2
1 04:49 Grid Master Edit
2 03:42 Album Edit
3 04:44 Rural "Doo Gap" Mix
4 07:29 Trance Mix - Long
5 04:11 Darkly Mad Mix
6 07:13 Grid Master Remix
7 04:04 Beirut Hilton Mix
8 04:54 I Fall Up
Comments: Weirdly funky with heavy remixes by The Grid, "Ali
Click" is definitely in a different musical area than the last
single, "Fractal Zoom". This almost bends into jazz with loads of
saxophone and the grooviest bass flute I've heard in a long time.
The "Darkly Mad Mix" throws things into a bit harder vein, yet
keeps the original flavor around. My favorite mix is the "Beirut
Hilton" which is so swanky it makes me want to shop for polyester
suits just so I can dance to this mix proper. "I Fall Up" is an
out-of-place Byrnesque piece. It would have been good if I had
been expecting it, but it certainly didn't fit in here.
Summary: 7/10. Yet another single that Eno fans will like, but
everyone else should tread carefully. If you like The Grid you'll
enjoy this as well.
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