Electronic Sound May 2015 (Regular Edition) | Page 34

ALBUM REVIEWS

series, a standalone music production
controller originally designed by Roger
Linn (of Linn Drum fame). Although
initially intended to function as a drum
machine, the unit allows you to assign
samples to its large rubber pads and
make tracks intuitively using its in-built
MIDI sequencer.

PREFUSE 73

Rivington Não Rio

TEMPORARY RESIDENCE LTD
Chaotic samples and enveloping beats –
Prefuse 73 is at it again
With previous aliases including Ahmad
Szabo, Piano Overlord, Delarosa & Asora
and Savath & Savalas, American producer
Guillermo Scott Herren has worn more
hats than a coat rack. But the name
missing from that list is the one he’s best
known for – Prefuse 73.
‘Rivington Não Rio’ is the first Prefuse 73
album to appear on a label other than
Warp Records, who released Herren’s
debut way back in 2001. The reason for
his flight from Warp remains a mystery,
with nothing on ‘Rivington Não Rio’
inducing the type of revolutionary mood
shift that might make a record company
think twice. In fact, despite it being
four years since the previous Prefuse 73
album, ‘The Only She Chapters’, there
seems to be little distinction between
Herren’s latest outing and ‘Security
Screenings’, a peak release from 2006.
For those unfamiliar with his work,
Herren packs a lot into his productions,
which are sometimes crudely, yet always
fascinatingly, stitched together via a
colourful palette of found sounds. His
instrument of choice is the Akai MPC

The results may occasionally sound rather
chaotically produced, but perseverance
usually rewards, as the mesh of sampled
vocals and field recordings settle into
a fragile amalgamation of abstract
melancholic tones. On ‘Rivington Não
Rio’, this technique appears as prevalent
as ever, albeit certainly more refined.
The 11 tracks here feature sustained
musical passages – the short, dark intro
‘Senora 95’, for example.
‘Applauded Assumptions’ is less typical
of Herren’s approach, featuring an often
uneasy juxtaposition of rapid-fire sounds
and spliced beats. Throughout the album,

few notes seem to hold themselves
beyond a couple of seconds and vocal
samples are integrated in much the same
way. There are exceptions, however:
the more traditionally sung ‘Quiet One’
(featuring Rob Crow), ‘Infrared’ (featuring
Sam Dew), and Milo & Busdriver’s
motivating twin rap on ‘140 Jabs
Interlude’.
‘Riving