Another cool partnership has formed in the electronic world this past year. Gyroscope Records, the American dubsidiary of Caroline Records, joined forces with the French experimental/cutting-edge dance label Source. In Europe, Source is widely known as one of France's coolest sonic exports and is uttered in the same breath as labels like Metalheadz, Mo'Wax, and Science.
Enter the Source Lab series of compilations, which present a great overview of the artists and styles that Source has to offer. Source Lab 2 was released domestically at the end of 1996 and is absolutely essential if you like trip-hop, jungle, or jazzy techno stuff. It doesn't stick with one particular theme, criscrossing genres and blowing the mind on several levels at once.
There are only 3 true jungle/drum'n'bass tracks on the compilation but they are all terrific, essential cuts. First off is the Metalheadz/Bukem-inspired "Free Jah" by Zend Avesta. It uses the Goldie kind of sound, with a sample of a guy shouting "Free Jah" over a fairly repetitive set of jungle rhythms. The second jungle track is now among my favorites: "Planete Interdite" by Krell. It begins with the LTJ Bukem type of spacy noise, building into an explosion of freestyle beats and staccatos. Then it pops in a female/alien whisper, crescendos, and samples that keep your interest for the full 7:50 running time. Lastly there's "Technical Jed" by Extra Lucid. Backwards loops, a sample that says "you can't go on the way you are, you know", and a throbbing bassline. Not a groundbreaker, but satisfying indeed.
Other tracks take a mellower approach . The thing I really like about the colllection is that so many tunes sound organic because of the real instruments sampled. The closing track by Air, "Casanova 70", lulls the listener with echoing whistles, guitar and some great horn sounds before bringing a beat and organ in, 4 minutes into the song - laidback, sort of a cooldown track after the rest. There are some excellent jazzy, hiphop kinds of tracks as well, like Alex Gopher's "Gordini Mix" and Doctor L's terrific "Ghost Town", a slow, menacing jam with sampled/distorted raps.
As for the rest, it hits all the bases. Presented here is the full version of Daft Punk's "Musique", which appeared on the Wipeout XL video game soundtrack. Main Basse has a cool techno song "Hunt One Connection" with some great wah-wah effects. And I really dig a track called "Bomb De Bretagne" by Le Tone. The entire thing consists of real sounds they sampled. There's an upright bass, ice cubes falling into a glass, a drink being stirred, an aerosol can being sprayed, and more. All in all, a worthy collection of artistic, funky electronica. It makes a nice addition to any fan's collection, spices up any DJ set, and gives a great overview of a very exciting label, Source Records. Rumor has it that the next edition Source Lab 3 will have a simultaneous release (US/Europe) in the first quarter of this year. Be on the lookout.
