07/08/2005 9:32 PM
Posted by Rachelle

Venetian Snares - Rossz Csillag Alatt Született

One of my work friends lent me this cd. I'd heard him talk about Aaron Funk of Venetian Snares before (one of his albums is quite poetically titled Winnipeg is a Frozen Shithole), and I had the impression that the music is along the heavy, spastic, drum-and-bass lines, like Aphex Twin or Autechre.
Don't let the overall genre of Venetian Snares stop you, though. This album was inspired by old movie scores, and it shows on every track. The recipe: Take some free tonality classical music: full string orchestra. Blend in about 50% drum-and-bass. Add a tiny dash of tasteful sampling. No baking required. This cd is amazing. He composes all of his own music, making me think of Aaron Copeland (the atonal Copeland, not the Great American Sellout Composer Copeland) one one track and Holst's "The Planets" on another. One track begins with a string quartet reminiscent of Ravel's Quartet in F+. It's all very brooding and ethereal. I've heard plenty of "remixes" of classical music before that usually leave me retching; Funk marries drum-and-bass to the genre perfectly, with the mixing aspects never too overbearing. The cd is entirely instrumental, with the exception of short vocal samples on three tracks, which might be found on some future "Verve: Remixed" compilation.