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Keep It Unreal
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Mr. Scruff;
Ninja Tune;
1999-06-07;
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Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £4.57
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 Product Description
A product of post-Acid-House Manchester, Mr Scruff is a complete one-off; a cheeky innovator. His debut album is a bold statement, distinctive and confident. Keep It Unreal oscillates wildly between opposing styles--one moment Scruff's in deep, down-tempo dinner jazz territory, the next he's in Coldcut mode, chopping out superb big beat breaks with naughty hooklines to get you pogoing. At one extreme is the wacko humour of Spandex Man, bolshi Fatboy Slim breakbeat and a silly 1920s swing loop that'll make you grin. And then there's the even more ridiculous "Shanty Town", with samples of a Jacknory story about a whale. At the other end of the scale, is Scruff's accomplished acid jazz--like the serene, trip-hoppy "Midnight Feast" or the smoothie cocktail number "Honeydew", with it's loungey female vocals. This man is out there, the Salvador Dali of beats and breaks. --Sarah Champion
Customer Reviews
Keeping It Very Real Indeed, 12 Nov 2008
Mr Scruff (known as Andy Carthy to his mum) is a multi talented DJ producer who is very difficult to pigeon hole (good the way I like it) - his productions on Keep It Unreal are dreamy and very funky, with crazy samples from children's TV of the 50s and 60s.
The finest moment on here for me is Midnight Feast with it's delightful xylophone and jazzy feel, this is a good one for when you want to drift to sleep, and could probably be fun if you're a DJ cutting between tracks - or for scratchin'. Another favourite of mine is Get A Move On, with the sample of an old country record - it's bluesy yet jazz based melody is just fun and can get anyone dancing like a loon.
Altogether this is an excellent album to chill out to late night, to enjoy before bedtime and just to get in the mood to sleep, Scruff's usage of samples and melodies is just amazing and makes his work so enjoyable. This, to me is his finest work, but his other albums are well worth listening to. uplifting, 18 Jul 2007
If you can listen to this album without smiling, you have no soul. My favourite tracks are Get A Move On, Midnight Feast, Honeydew, and Fish, but they're all great :-) Amazing, 17 Jan 2006
This is the work of a pure genius, Mr.scruff combines jazz beatz and electronica to create a wrok of art, unbeliveable, not only is this music a easy listen it also has great style and pulls out the happyness in all of us with such great songs as spandex man and shanty town thankyou Mr. scruff. What an album!, 05 Jul 2005
I brought this CD on recommendation of my friend and it is a killer album..it mixes some really good beats with some really good chill-out/ambient music. It also has some weird stuff with the likes of 'Shanty town'! Really worth getting...great for parties! Wonderfully cheesy!, 20 Feb 2005
I bought this sound-unheard, on the strength of the reviews on this site. So I gave it a spin with a little trepidation, which increased through the first couple of tracks (pleasant enough, but sounding like the intro to something which was reluctant to start). Then it started... It's a mixture of some of the best mellow ambient-ish stuff for chilling out with a side order of pure silliness! IMHO, Shanty Town is the high point of the album: What sort of fish are you? / I'm not a fish at all you stupid man! / What are you if you're not a fish? / You certainly look like a fish! / I certainly don't feel like a fish! There's a whale / There's a whale / There's a whale-fish he cried / And the whale was in full view Apparently based on a trad. song called Greenland Fishing, which was performed by the Almanac Singers (Woody Guthrie et al), and Utterly Hilarious! According to his website, Mr. Scruff has a travelling tea-shop which he takes to his live dos! I feel a strong need to go along and partake.
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Since I Left You
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Avalanches;
XL;
2001-04-16;
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Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £6.69
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Product Description
The Avalanches are a much-feted six-man crew of sample-addicts from down-under, whose debut album Since I Left You is a bargain-bin vinyl throwback to the Daisy Age. Their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach is exemplified by their debut single, "Since I Left You", which opens the record with its wistful disco-samba shuffle and a scintillating sliced-and-diced soul vocal. The album is constructed like a mix tape and calculated to tweak the dance floor. Snatches of familiar rhythms bubble up throughout, giving the record a comfortable lived-in feel, but also betraying the fact that the group haven't dug very far through the crates to source their raw material. Vast chunks of records by Madonna, Art of Noise, Kid Creole And The Coconuts and Parisian hip-hoppers Saian Supa Crew are easily identifiable. There's little doubt that this kind of sample re-construction has become standard fare for retrogressive adolescents with a mania for collecting records and precious little musical flair. The Avalanches get full marks for their seamless mixing skills, but otherwise it all feels way too neat and tidy, bristling with its own inventiveness when it should strive for something that transcends its influences. For every innovator like DJ Shadow and Dan the Automator, there will be an avalanche of imitators. --Chris Campion
Customer Reviews
Keeping It Very Real Indeed, 12 Nov 2008
Mr Scruff (known as Andy Carthy to his mum) is a multi talented DJ producer who is very difficult to pigeon hole (good the way I like it) - his productions on Keep It Unreal are dreamy and very funky, with crazy samples from children's TV of the 50s and 60s.
The finest moment on here for me is Midnight Feast with it's delightful xylophone and jazzy feel, this is a good one for when you want to drift to sleep, and could probably be fun if you're a DJ cutting between tracks - or for scratchin'. Another favourite of mine is Get A Move On, with the sample of an old country record - it's bluesy yet jazz based melody is just fun and can get anyone dancing like a loon.
Altogether this is an excellent album to chill out to late night, to enjoy before bedtime and just to get in the mood to sleep, Scruff's usage of samples and melodies is just amazing and makes his work so enjoyable. This, to me is his finest work, but his other albums are well worth listening to. uplifting, 18 Jul 2007
If you can listen to this album without smiling, you have no soul. My favourite tracks are Get A Move On, Midnight Feast, Honeydew, and Fish, but they're all great :-) Amazing, 17 Jan 2006
This is the work of a pure genius, Mr.scruff combines jazz beatz and electronica to create a wrok of art, unbeliveable, not only is this music a easy listen it also has great style and pulls out the happyness in all of us with such great songs as spandex man and shanty town thankyou Mr. scruff. What an album!, 05 Jul 2005
I brought this CD on recommendation of my friend and it is a killer album..it mixes some really good beats with some really good chill-out/ambient music. It also has some weird stuff with the likes of 'Shanty town'! Really worth getting...great for parties! Wonderfully cheesy!, 20 Feb 2005
I bought this sound-unheard, on the strength of the reviews on this site. So I gave it a spin with a little trepidation, which increased through the first couple of tracks (pleasant enough, but sounding like the intro to something which was reluctant to start). Then it started... It's a mixture of some of the best mellow ambient-ish stuff for chilling out with a side order of pure silliness! IMHO, Shanty Town is the high point of the album: What sort of fish are you? / I'm not a fish at all you stupid man! / What are you if you're not a fish? / You certainly look like a fish! / I certainly don't feel like a fish! There's a whale / There's a whale / There's a whale-fish he cried / And the whale was in full view Apparently based on a trad. song called Greenland Fishing, which was performed by the Almanac Singers (Woody Guthrie et al), and Utterly Hilarious! According to his website, Mr. Scruff has a travelling tea-shop which he takes to his live dos! I feel a strong need to go along and partake.
What's all the fuss?, 28 Aug 2007
I got this on it's release on the strength of the singles "Since I Left You" and "Frontier Psychiatrist". I recently thought I would give it another go. Those two singles are still ace but the rest is a mess of samples and little more. It sounds like the musical equivalent of enough monkeys and a typewriter will produce a Shakespeare, enough samples and DJs will eventually make a decent track. It often sounds like a mess to me. Other reviews have mentioned it's "party feel", I think it sounds like standing outside a club, you can hear a beat, you can hear the whiff of a recogniseable tune but you can't actually discern a coherent tune. Two stars for the two decent tracks, the rest is noisy padding. Add a star if you like endless messing about with samples and don't mind tunes being a vague hope. Almost every time a conventional tune is hinted at they turn away from it. Maybe it's just too experimental for my tastes.
Since I left you, 07 Mar 2007
The Avalanches are a DJ's dream come true -- six Aussies who took hundreds of sound snatches, and wove together a wildly playful kind of electronica. Their first (and so far, only) album, "Since I Left You," is a tangle of the delicate, the weird, and the incredibly danceable.
It kicks off with the sparkling "Since I Left You," but the best is yet to come. The Avalanches manage to attain both a typical "sound" and plenty of originality in their songs, such as the bleeps-and-horns "Different Feeling," the knob-twiddling basslines of "Radio," the sputtery dance number "Live At Dominoes," and the interference-laden Rastafarian rock "Flight Tonight."
But with all the dance tracks, the Avalanches have their softer side: the delicately upbeat "Two Hearts in 3/4 Time," the swaying "Electricity," the brief and staticky "Pablo's Cruise," and the gauzy, multilayered "Etoh." It rounds off with the majestically languid "Extra Kings," which has a long sweep of distortion and chaos in the middle.
It's almost too easy to dance to the Avalanches. They take almost a thousand mismatched sounds and manage to cobble them into some really brilliant music. What's especially brilliant is the way these patchwork dance tracks manage to find solid, simple grooves, and stick to them right to the end.
"Since I Left You" isn't perfect -- at times the fragments don't quite mesh together. Some parts are pure chaos, but oddly they don't mar the overall sound; instead, they enhance it. Scattered in amongst the melody is the sound of video games, horses, discos, golf instructions, flutes, pianos, and seagulls -- it adds a strangely whimsical sound to the dance music.
The vocals tend to be samples repeated over and over, just under the surface of the music. Among the vocal snatches are the ethereal "Since I left you/I found the world so new!" or determined "Book of flight tonight." So the lyrics are often quite simple, except for the hysterically funny "Frontier Psychiatrist" ("Lie down on the couch, what does that mean?/You're a nut! You're crazy in the coconut!").
"Since I Left You" takes hundreds of random sound fragments, and turns them into a mosaic. Fun, playful, fast and hypnotically bizarre, this is a must have for fans of quirky music.
wow, 15 Dec 2006
Found this cd one night after seeing the video for 'since I left you' at 4am on MTV. Saw the recomendations here and thought, what the heck, lets buy it. And from first play it's an amazing dance record that can be played over and over again with out getting boring. Ok, a few tracks could be better, but at the most, 2. The rest just all blend in to one great peice of music, great driving music. Stand out tracks include 'since I left you', but 'little journey' that blends into 'Live At Dominos' is just out of this world. Ok, it might be full of samples, but finding out how to turn Boney M into magic is a skill that impresses me. Buy, enjoy and tell others about this hidden masterpiece.
Wish the would make another!!, 15 Nov 2006
This is one of those few albums that I don't need to skip through any song... A pure genius album. The only fault I have is that they never made second album...
Summertime or anytime album, 18 Mar 2006
Wonderfully original. The Avalanches used over 800 samples on this album - yet the whole thing feels so perfectly balanced. Blissful, retro funk and beats.
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Trouser Jazz
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Mr. Scruff;
Ninja Tune;
2002-09-09;
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Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £4.65
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Product Description
On the back of a 23-date UK tour and being namechecked by Madonna, Andy Carthy's (aka Mr Scruff) sophomore album Trouser Jazz has certainly been worth the wait. Having built a formidable reputation on the DJ circuit, not least for his genre-defying and strenuously long sets, but also for his ability to hold down residences throughout the UK, he has missed two label deadlines for this album release. Brimming with humour and littered with his characteristically playful sampling shenanigans, Trouser Jazz is a joyous romp through funk, jazz, soul and hip-hop complete with commentary from children's TV presenters and fish references aplenty. "Here We Go" sets the scene with a minute of looped horn-led retro funk that fades straight into the jazzy vibes and disco beat of "Sweetsmoke". First single "Shrimp" ups the tempo further with squelching rhythms and a trembling Rhodes hook, but it's moments such as "Valley of the Sausages" with it's strings, flute and breathless Latin vocals and the ragtime rhythms of "Come On Grandad" that confirm that Mr Scruff is no slouch when it comes to blending the absurd into a life-affirming sonic jumble. --Christopher Barrett
Customer Reviews
Keeping It Very Real Indeed, 12 Nov 2008
Mr Scruff (known as Andy Carthy to his mum) is a multi talented DJ producer who is very difficult to pigeon hole (good the way I like it) - his productions on Keep It Unreal are dreamy and very funky, with crazy samples from children's TV of the 50s and 60s.
The finest moment on here for me is Midnight Feast with it's delightful xylophone and jazzy feel, this is a good one for when you want to drift to sleep, and could probably be fun if you're a DJ cutting between tracks - or for scratchin'. Another favourite of mine is Get A Move On, with the sample of an old country record - it's bluesy yet jazz based melody is just fun and can get anyone dancing like a loon.
Altogether this is an excellent album to chill out to late night, to enjoy before bedtime and just to get in the mood to sleep, Scruff's usage of samples and melodies is just amazing and makes his work so enjoyable. This, to me is his finest work, but his other albums are well worth listening to. uplifting, 18 Jul 2007
If you can listen to this album without smiling, you have no soul. My favourite tracks are Get A Move On, Midnight Feast, Honeydew, and Fish, but they're all great :-) Amazing, 17 Jan 2006
This is the work of a pure genius, Mr.scruff combines jazz beatz and electronica to create a wrok of art, unbeliveable, not only is this music a easy listen it also has great style and pulls out the happyness in all of us with such great songs as spandex man and shanty town thankyou Mr. scruff. What an album!, 05 Jul 2005
I brought this CD on recommendation of my friend and it is a killer album..it mixes some really good beats with some really good chill-out/ambient music. It also has some weird stuff with the likes of 'Shanty town'! Really worth getting...great for parties! Wonderfully cheesy!, 20 Feb 2005
I bought this sound-unheard, on the strength of the reviews on this site. So I gave it a spin with a little trepidation, which increased through the first couple of tracks (pleasant enough, but sounding like the intro to something which was reluctant to start). Then it started... It's a mixture of some of the best mellow ambient-ish stuff for chilling out with a side order of pure silliness! IMHO, Shanty Town is the high point of the album: What sort of fish are you? / I'm not a fish at all you stupid man! / What are you if you're not a fish? / You certainly look like a fish! / I certainly don't feel like a fish! There's a whale / There's a whale / There's a whale-fish he cried / And the whale was in full view Apparently based on a trad. song called Greenland Fishing, which was performed by the Almanac Singers (Woody Guthrie et al), and Utterly Hilarious! According to his website, Mr. Scruff has a travelling tea-shop which he takes to his live dos! I feel a strong need to go along and partake.
What's all the fuss?, 28 Aug 2007
I got this on it's release on the strength of the singles "Since I Left You" and "Frontier Psychiatrist". I recently thought I would give it another go. Those two singles are still ace but the rest is a mess of samples and little more. It sounds like the musical equivalent of enough monkeys and a typewriter will produce a Shakespeare, enough samples and DJs will eventually make a decent track. It often sounds like a mess to me. Other reviews have mentioned it's "party feel", I think it sounds like standing outside a club, you can hear a beat, you can hear the whiff of a recogniseable tune but you can't actually discern a coherent tune. Two stars for the two decent tracks, the rest is noisy padding. Add a star if you like endless messing about with samples and don't mind tunes being a vague hope. Almost every time a conventional tune is hinted at they turn away from it. Maybe it's just too experimental for my tastes.
Since I left you, 07 Mar 2007
The Avalanches are a DJ's dream come true -- six Aussies who took hundreds of sound snatches, and wove together a wildly playful kind of electronica. Their first (and so far, only) album, "Since I Left You," is a tangle of the delicate, the weird, and the incredibly danceable.
It kicks off with the sparkling "Since I Left You," but the best is yet to come. The Avalanches manage to attain both a typical "sound" and plenty of originality in their songs, such as the bleeps-and-horns "Different Feeling," the knob-twiddling basslines of "Radio," the sputtery dance number "Live At Dominoes," and the interference-laden Rastafarian rock "Flight Tonight."
But with all the dance tracks, the Avalanches have their softer side: the delicately upbeat "Two Hearts in 3/4 Time," the swaying "Electricity," the brief and staticky "Pablo's Cruise," and the gauzy, multilayered "Etoh." It rounds off with the majestically languid "Extra Kings," which has a long sweep of distortion and chaos in the middle.
It's almost too easy to dance to the Avalanches. They take almost a thousand mismatched sounds and manage to cobble them into some really brilliant music. What's especially brilliant is the way these patchwork dance tracks manage to find solid, simple grooves, and stick to them right to the end.
"Since I Left You" isn't perfect -- at times the fragments don't quite mesh together. Some parts are pure chaos, but oddly they don't mar the overall sound; instead, they enhance it. Scattered in amongst the melody is the sound of video games, horses, discos, golf instructions, flutes, pianos, and seagulls -- it adds a strangely whimsical sound to the dance music.
The vocals tend to be samples repeated over and over, just under the surface of the music. Among the vocal snatches are the ethereal "Since I left you/I found the world so new!" or determined "Book of flight tonight." So the lyrics are often quite simple, except for the hysterically funny "Frontier Psychiatrist" ("Lie down on the couch, what does that mean?/You're a nut! You're crazy in the coconut!").
"Since I Left You" takes hundreds of random sound fragments, and turns them into a mosaic. Fun, playful, fast and hypnotically bizarre, this is a must have for fans of quirky music.
wow, 15 Dec 2006
Found this cd one night after seeing the video for 'since I left you' at 4am on MTV. Saw the recomendations here and thought, what the heck, lets buy it. And from first play it's an amazing dance record that can be played over and over again with out getting boring. Ok, a few tracks could be better, but at the most, 2. The rest just all blend in to one great peice of music, great driving music. Stand out tracks include 'since I left you', but 'little journey' that blends into 'Live At Dominos' is just out of this world. Ok, it might be full of samples, but finding out how to turn Boney M into magic is a skill that impresses me. Buy, enjoy and tell others about this hidden masterpiece.
Wish the would make another!!, 15 Nov 2006
This is one of those few albums that I don't need to skip through any song... A pure genius album. The only fault I have is that they never made second album...
Summertime or anytime album, 18 Mar 2006
Wonderfully original. The Avalanches used over 800 samples on this album - yet the whole thing feels so perfectly balanced. Blissful, retro funk and beats.
Mr Scruff Trouser Jazz, 17 May 2006
This is one edgy album. Very unpredictable and fresh. I would recommend this to anyone who likes surreal funk that's a bit mad. Buy it otherwise your world will be too normal!
So Funky!!, 17 Jun 2005
This cd is just DOPE!!Its so jazzy and funky, i love the beats!if you re into jazz or just want somethin dancy for the summer you got to get that record.its just great, BUY IT!!
The jazz doesnt just come from the trousers., 12 May 2004
This album is fantstic, my first real mr scruff experience was sitting in a flat in brighton with this album playing and the sunshining. It has a great mix of styles your sure how its meant to make you feel. Tracks such as "Sweet Smoke" and "Shrimp" want you to get up and dance and there are some perfect downtempo chilled tunes. "Ahoy There" the avalanche like last song is just crazy. "About the size of a good sardine" "Ha Ha". The World of Mr Scruff needs to spread. Buy it and make everyone listen to it. It great!
Not bad, but better out there......, 04 Dec 2003
I dont usually do reviews, but i had 2 review this.
I was recomended this by a few mates, so i bought it, and i have 2 say i was dissapointed. Sure its a good album with some catchy beats an a few crackin samples, but if your looking for similar music with a bit of fun in it then id recommend something more polished like lemon jelly (name says it all!). All in all youl like it, but it wont be something that stays in your stereo for very long
Well Worth Having!, 31 Oct 2003
I'm a bit confused by those who say this is slow (check out tracks 2, 3, 4, and 7!) but maybe less so by those who brand it repetitive. There's still a lot of real instrumentation there to keep it interesting, to my mind, but there you go. Also I don't think this album, or any of his other output for that matter, is really supposed to be contemplated with chin-stroking scrutiny. Rather it is fun, original and diverse, this last being why it particularly appeals to me as my tastes are very eclectic. From the disco-style waa-waa noodling of Shrimp, through to the jazz-laden breaks of Beyond and Valley of the Sausages to the fat basslines ripping through the housy Sweet Smoke and Giffin and the distinctly British rap on Vibrate (my personal favourite) this album laughs at musical conventions whilst still sounding effortlessly integral. I appreciate that not everything will be to everyone's tastes but the energy, ingenuity and musicality of this effort surpasses, IMHO, many of the other contenders in this (ersatz?)genre of chillout/coffee table/fusion/trip-hop/etc who sometimes seem to take themselves too seriously (Groove Armada, Faithless and Morcheeba spring to mind).
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FABRICLIVE17: Aim
Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £8.00
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Customer Reviews
Keeping It Very Real Indeed, 12 Nov 2008
Mr Scruff (known as Andy Carthy to his mum) is a multi talented DJ producer who is very difficult to pigeon hole (good the way I like it) - his productions on Keep It Unreal are dreamy and very funky, with crazy samples from children's TV of the 50s and 60s.
The finest moment on here for me is Midnight Feast with it's delightful xylophone and jazzy feel, this is a good one for when you want to drift to sleep, and could probably be fun if you're a DJ cutting between tracks - or for scratchin'. Another favourite of mine is Get A Move On, with the sample of an old country record - it's bluesy yet jazz based melody is just fun and can get anyone dancing like a loon.
Altogether this is an excellent album to chill out to late night, to enjoy before bedtime and just to get in the mood to sleep, Scruff's usage of samples and melodies is just amazing and makes his work so enjoyable. This, to me is his finest work, but his other albums are well worth listening to. uplifting, 18 Jul 2007
If you can listen to this album without smiling, you have no soul. My favourite tracks are Get A Move On, Midnight Feast, Honeydew, and Fish, but they're all great :-) Amazing, 17 Jan 2006
This is the work of a pure genius, Mr.scruff combines jazz beatz and electronica to create a wrok of art, unbeliveable, not only is this music a easy listen it also has great style and pulls out the happyness in all of us with such great songs as spandex man and shanty town thankyou Mr. scruff. What an album!, 05 Jul 2005
I brought this CD on recommendation of my friend and it is a killer album..it mixes some really good beats with some really good chill-out/ambient music. It also has some weird stuff with the likes of 'Shanty town'! Really worth getting...great for parties! Wonderfully cheesy!, 20 Feb 2005
I bought this sound-unheard, on the strength of the reviews on this site. So I gave it a spin with a little trepidation, which increased through the first couple of tracks (pleasant enough, but sounding like the intro to something which was reluctant to start). Then it started... It's a mixture of some of the best mellow ambient-ish stuff for chilling out with a side order of pure silliness! IMHO, Shanty Town is the high point of the album: What sort of fish are you? / I'm not a fish at all you stupid man! / What are you if you're not a fish? / You certainly look like a fish! / I certainly don't feel like a fish! There's a whale / There's a whale / There's a whale-fish he cried / And the whale was in full view Apparently based on a trad. song called Greenland Fishing, which was performed by the Almanac Singers (Woody Guthrie et al), and Utterly Hilarious! According to his website, Mr. Scruff has a travelling tea-shop which he takes to his live dos! I feel a strong need to go along and partake.
What's all the fuss?, 28 Aug 2007
I got this on it's release on the strength of the singles "Since I Left You" and "Frontier Psychiatrist". I recently thought I would give it another go. Those two singles are still ace but the rest is a mess of samples and little more. It sounds like the musical equivalent of enough monkeys and a typewriter will produce a Shakespeare, enough samples and DJs will eventually make a decent track. It often sounds like a mess to me. Other reviews have mentioned it's "party feel", I think it sounds like standing outside a club, you can hear a beat, you can hear the whiff of a recogniseable tune but you can't actually discern a coherent tune. Two stars for the two decent tracks, the rest is noisy padding. Add a star if you like endless messing about with samples and don't mind tunes being a vague hope. Almost every time a conventional tune is hinted at they turn away from it. Maybe it's just too experimental for my tastes.
Since I left you, 07 Mar 2007
The Avalanches are a DJ's dream come true -- six Aussies who took hundreds of sound snatches, and wove together a wildly playful kind of electronica. Their first (and so far, only) album, "Since I Left You," is a tangle of the delicate, the weird, and the incredibly danceable.
It kicks off with the sparkling "Since I Left You," but the best is yet to come. The Avalanches manage to attain both a typical "sound" and plenty of originality in their songs, such as the bleeps-and-horns "Different Feeling," the knob-twiddling basslines of "Radio," the sputtery dance number "Live At Dominoes," and the interference-laden Rastafarian rock "Flight Tonight."
But with all the dance tracks, the Avalanches have their softer side: the delicately upbeat "Two Hearts in 3/4 Time," the swaying "Electricity," the brief and staticky "Pablo's Cruise," and the gauzy, multilayered "Etoh." It rounds off with the majestically languid "Extra Kings," which has a long sweep of distortion and chaos in the middle.
It's almost too easy to dance to the Avalanches. They take almost a thousand mismatched sounds and manage to cobble them into some really brilliant music. What's especially brilliant is the way these patchwork dance tracks manage to find solid, simple grooves, and stick to them right to the end.
"Since I Left You" isn't perfect -- at times the fragments don't quite mesh together. Some parts are pure chaos, but oddly they don't mar the overall sound; instead, they enhance it. Scattered in amongst the melody is the sound of video games, horses, discos, golf instructions, flutes, pianos, and seagulls -- it adds a strangely whimsical sound to the dance music.
The vocals tend to be samples repeated over and over, just under the surface of the music. Among the vocal snatches are the ethereal "Since I left you/I found the world so new!" or determined "Book of flight tonight." So the lyrics are often quite simple, except for the hysterically funny "Frontier Psychiatrist" ("Lie down on the couch, what does that mean?/You're a nut! You're crazy in the coconut!").
"Since I Left You" takes hundreds of random sound fragments, and turns them into a mosaic. Fun, playful, fast and hypnotically bizarre, this is a must have for fans of quirky music.
wow, 15 Dec 2006
Found this cd one night after seeing the video for 'since I left you' at 4am on MTV. Saw the recomendations here and thought, what the heck, lets buy it. And from first play it's an amazing dance record that can be played over and over again with out getting boring. Ok, a few tracks could be better, but at the most, 2. The rest just all blend in to one great peice of music, great driving music. Stand out tracks include 'since I left you', but 'little journey' that blends into 'Live At Dominos' is just out of this world. Ok, it might be full of samples, but finding out how to turn Boney M into magic is a skill that impresses me. Buy, enjoy and tell others about this hidden masterpiece.
Wish the would make another!!, 15 Nov 2006
This is one of those few albums that I don't need to skip through any song... A pure genius album. The only fault I have is that they never made second album...
Summertime or anytime album, 18 Mar 2006
Wonderfully original. The Avalanches used over 800 samples on this album - yet the whole thing feels so perfectly balanced. Blissful, retro funk and beats.
Mr Scruff Trouser Jazz, 17 May 2006
This is one edgy album. Very unpredictable and fresh. I would recommend this to anyone who likes surreal funk that's a bit mad. Buy it otherwise your world will be too normal!
So Funky!!, 17 Jun 2005
This cd is just DOPE!!Its so jazzy and funky, i love the beats!if you re into jazz or just want somethin dancy for the summer you got to get that record.its just great, BUY IT!!
The jazz doesnt just come from the trousers., 12 May 2004
This album is fantstic, my first real mr scruff experience was sitting in a flat in brighton with this album playing and the sunshining. It has a great mix of styles your sure how its meant to make you feel. Tracks such as "Sweet Smoke" and "Shrimp" want you to get up and dance and there are some perfect downtempo chilled tunes. "Ahoy There" the avalanche like last song is just crazy. "About the size of a good sardine" "Ha Ha". The World of Mr Scruff needs to spread. Buy it and make everyone listen to it. It great!
Not bad, but better out there......, 04 Dec 2003
I dont usually do reviews, but i had 2 review this.
I was recomended this by a few mates, so i bought it, and i have 2 say i was dissapointed. Sure its a good album with some catchy beats an a few crackin samples, but if your looking for similar music with a bit of fun in it then id recommend something more polished like lemon jelly (name says it all!). All in all youl like it, but it wont be something that stays in your stereo for very long
Well Worth Having!, 31 Oct 2003
I'm a bit confused by those who say this is slow (check out tracks 2, 3, 4, and 7!) but maybe less so by those who brand it repetitive. There's still a lot of real instrumentation there to keep it interesting, to my mind, but there you go. Also I don't think this album, or any of his other output for that matter, is really supposed to be contemplated with chin-stroking scrutiny. Rather it is fun, original and diverse, this last being why it particularly appeals to me as my tastes are very eclectic. From the disco-style waa-waa noodling of Shrimp, through to the jazz-laden breaks of Beyond and Valley of the Sausages to the fat basslines ripping through the housy Sweet Smoke and Giffin and the distinctly British rap on Vibrate (my personal favourite) this album laughs at musical conventions whilst still sounding effortlessly integral. I appreciate that not everything will be to everyone's tastes but the energy, ingenuity and musicality of this effort surpasses, IMHO, many of the other contenders in this (ersatz?)genre of chillout/coffee table/fusion/trip-hop/etc who sometimes seem to take themselves too seriously (Groove Armada, Faithless and Morcheeba spring to mind).
Awesome, 07 Feb 2008
If you love AIM, you'll love this. It's very smooooth, and the tunes are a perfect mix of up tempo, and Sunday summer chill out tunes. If you get the chance to buy, do so!!.As although this is not on vinyl this will be sort after by people with music taste long after being deleted . Sweet music to listen, laugh, and love too!!
Explore, 27 Dec 2006
From James Lavelle to Andy C...Fabriclive owns. If you are a true music connoisseur then you will appreciate this album. While you are at it...pick up all of the Fabriclive series. Each in it's own right are awesome, beautiful mixes. For all you mainstream music lovers...this is NOT FOR YOU. This is for the weirdos, geeks, losers, different people, hahahahahaha. You know what I mean. It is diverse and amazing.
HEADNODDING HIP-HOP & SIXTIES PSYCHEDELIA........, 23 Aug 2004
A range of sounds, mostly 90's hip-hop, and every now and then something different pops up, providing touches of folk, country, latin and stuff with a psychedelic edge.
The predominance of big, heavy beats sets the tempo for most of the mix, with a slight change of direction towards the end which I at first thought disrupted the flow a little but I got over it.
The influence of these tracks on Aim's work is apparent, so if you're already a fan I'd recommend this to you.
The highlight for me is probably James Yorkston's tune - an acoustic island in an ocean of beats!!
Summer mix goodness, 10 Aug 2004
Listened to it a few times now, some really good tracks on it, nice selection of tunes. What puzzles me slightly is that although it's a mix CD, it's not really "mixed" all the way through, yet nearly all the songs with beats seem to be on time...so it could be. Don't let that put you off, I'm listening to it a lot at the moment. If you're looking for some commercial selection of tunes, give this a miss. If, on the other hand, you're looking for something that will get you nodding away and looking on the back of the CD case to look at what song 5 is then don't delay in getting this. Anyone that sticks the Byrds and Boards of Canada on a mix CD with a Tribe called Quest gets my vote anyway.
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Morning Sci-Fi
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Hybrid;
Distinctive;
2003-09-15;
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Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £9.98
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Product Description
Although Swansea dance collective Hybrid have been heard to lament the deficit of emotional content in modern electronic dance music, the duo's second album Morning Sci Fi isn't exactly forthcoming in conveying the nuances of human feeling and frailty. While a punctilious adherence to the machine-like rhythmic strictures of progressive house arguably leaves little room for the temperaments of sorrow, anger and elation, it wouldn't be unfair to suggest that Hybrid clearly never intended to sound as clinically dispassionate as this. However, this failing (as they would see it) really works in their favour, for much of Morning Sci Fi sounds like the futuristic product of the breakbeat generation with a fear for the impersonality of the hereafter, clearly manifested in such starkly autocratic song titles as "Higher than a Skyscraper", "We Are in Control" and "Steal You Away". Darkly swooping strings from St Peterburg's Hermitage Orchestra deepen the creases on their furrowed brows while the stealthy bass twang of New Order's Peter Hook (on "True to Form", for example) and some ghostly industrial sound effects (perhaps Martin Hannett's work with Joy Division was an inspiration) add an engaging level of tension to Morning Sci Fi's brutally wintry soundscapes. --Kevin Maidment
Customer Reviews
Keeping It Very Real Indeed, 12 Nov 2008
Mr Scruff (known as Andy Carthy to his mum) is a multi talented DJ producer who is very difficult to pigeon hole (good the way I like it) - his productions on Keep It Unreal are dreamy and very funky, with crazy samples from children's TV of the 50s and 60s.
The finest moment on here for me is Midnight Feast with it's delightful xylophone and jazzy feel, this is a good one for when you want to drift to sleep, and could probably be fun if you're a DJ cutting between tracks - or for scratchin'. Another favourite of mine is Get A Move On, with the sample of an old country record - it's bluesy yet jazz based melody is just fun and can get anyone dancing like a loon.
Altogether this is an excellent album to chill out to late night, to enjoy before bedtime and just to get in the mood to sleep, Scruff's usage of samples and melodies is just amazing and makes his work so enjoyable. This, to me is his finest work, but his other albums are well worth listening to. uplifting, 18 Jul 2007
If you can listen to this album without smiling, you have no soul. My favourite tracks are Get A Move On, Midnight Feast, Honeydew, and Fish, but they're all great :-) Amazing, 17 Jan 2006
This is the work of a pure genius, Mr.scruff combines jazz beatz and electronica to create a wrok of art, unbeliveable, not only is this music a easy listen it also has great style and pulls out the happyness in all of us with such great songs as spandex man and shanty town thankyou Mr. scruff. What an album!, 05 Jul 2005
I brought this CD on recommendation of my friend and it is a killer album..it mixes some really good beats with some really good chill-out/ambient music. It also has some weird stuff with the likes of 'Shanty town'! Really worth getting...great for parties! Wonderfully cheesy!, 20 Feb 2005
I bought this sound-unheard, on the strength of the reviews on this site. So I gave it a spin with a little trepidation, which increased through the first couple of tracks (pleasant enough, but sounding like the intro to something which was reluctant to start). Then it started... It's a mixture of some of the best mellow ambient-ish stuff for chilling out with a side order of pure silliness! IMHO, Shanty Town is the high point of the album: What sort of fish are you? / I'm not a fish at all you stupid man! / What are you if you're not a fish? / You certainly look like a fish! / I certainly don't feel like a fish! There's a whale / There's a whale / There's a whale-fish he cried / And the whale was in full view Apparently based on a trad. song called Greenland Fishing, which was performed by the Almanac Singers (Woody Guthrie et al), and Utterly Hilarious! According to his website, Mr. Scruff has a travelling tea-shop which he takes to his live dos! I feel a strong need to go along and partake.
What's all the fuss?, 28 Aug 2007
I got this on it's release on the strength of the singles "Since I Left You" and "Frontier Psychiatrist". I recently thought I would give it another go. Those two singles are still ace but the rest is a mess of samples and little more. It sounds like the musical equivalent of enough monkeys and a typewriter will produce a Shakespeare, enough samples and DJs will eventually make a decent track. It often sounds like a mess to me. Other reviews have mentioned it's "party feel", I think it sounds like standing outside a club, you can hear a beat, you can hear the whiff of a recogniseable tune but you can't actually discern a coherent tune. Two stars for the two decent tracks, the rest is noisy padding. Add a star if you like endless messing about with samples and don't mind tunes being a vague hope. Almost every time a conventional tune is hinted at they turn away from it. Maybe it's just too experimental for my tastes.
Since I left you, 07 Mar 2007
The Avalanches are a DJ's dream come true -- six Aussies who took hundreds of sound snatches, and wove together a wildly playful kind of electronica. Their first (and so far, only) album, "Since I Left You," is a tangle of the delicate, the weird, and the incredibly danceable.
It kicks off with the sparkling "Since I Left You," but the best is yet to come. The Avalanches manage to attain both a typical "sound" and plenty of originality in their songs, such as the bleeps-and-horns "Different Feeling," the knob-twiddling basslines of "Radio," the sputtery dance number "Live At Dominoes," and the interference-laden Rastafarian rock "Flight Tonight."
But with all the dance tracks, the Avalanches have their softer side: the delicately upbeat "Two Hearts in 3/4 Time," the swaying "Electricity," the brief and staticky "Pablo's Cruise," and the gauzy, multilayered "Etoh." It rounds off with the majestically languid "Extra Kings," which has a long sweep of distortion and chaos in the middle.
It's almost too easy to dance to the Avalanches. They take almost a thousand mismatched sounds and manage to cobble them into some really brilliant music. What's especially brilliant is the way these patchwork dance tracks manage to find solid, simple grooves, and stick to them right to the end.
"Since I Left You" isn't perfect -- at times the fragments don't quite mesh together. Some parts are pure chaos, but oddly they don't mar the overall sound; instead, they enhance it. Scattered in amongst the melody is the sound of video games, horses, discos, golf instructions, flutes, pianos, and seagulls -- it adds a strangely whimsical sound to the dance music.
The vocals tend to be samples repeated over and over, just under the surface of the music. Among the vocal snatches are the ethereal "Since I left you/I found the world so new!" or determined "Book of flight tonight." So the lyrics are often quite simple, except for the hysterically funny "Frontier Psychiatrist" ("Lie down on the couch, what does that mean?/You're a nut! You're crazy in the coconut!").
"Since I Left You" takes hundreds of random sound fragments, and turns them into a mosaic. Fun, playful, fast and hypnotically bizarre, this is a must have for fans of quirky music.
wow, 15 Dec 2006
Found this cd one night after seeing the video for 'since I left you' at 4am on MTV. Saw the recomendations here and thought, what the heck, lets buy it. And from first play it's an amazing dance record that can be played over and over again with out getting boring. Ok, a few tracks could be better, but at the most, 2. The rest just all blend in to one great peice of music, great driving music. Stand out tracks include 'since I left you', but 'little journey' that blends into 'Live At Dominos' is just out of this world. Ok, it might be full of samples, but finding out how to turn Boney M into magic is a skill that impresses me. Buy, enjoy and tell others about this hidden masterpiece.
Wish the would make another!!, 15 Nov 2006
This is one of those few albums that I don't need to skip through any song... A pure genius album. The only fault I have is that they never made second album...
Summertime or anytime album, 18 Mar 2006
Wonderfully original. The Avalanches used over 800 samples on this album - yet the whole thing feels so perfectly balanced. Blissful, retro funk and beats.
Mr Scruff Trouser Jazz, 17 May 2006
This is one edgy album. Very unpredictable and fresh. I would recommend this to anyone who likes surreal funk that's a bit mad. Buy it otherwise your world will be too normal!
So Funky!!, 17 Jun 2005
This cd is just DOPE!!Its so jazzy and funky, i love the beats!if you re into jazz or just want somethin dancy for the summer you got to get that record.its just great, BUY IT!!
The jazz doesnt just come from the trousers., 12 May 2004
This album is fantstic, my first real mr scruff experience was sitting in a flat in brighton with this album playing and the sunshining. It has a great mix of styles your sure how its meant to make you feel. Tracks such as "Sweet Smoke" and "Shrimp" want you to get up and dance and there are some perfect downtempo chilled tunes. "Ahoy There" the avalanche like last song is just crazy. "About the size of a good sardine" "Ha Ha". The World of Mr Scruff needs to spread. Buy it and make everyone listen to it. It great!
Not bad, but better out there......, 04 Dec 2003
I dont usually do reviews, but i had 2 review this.
I was recomended this by a few mates, so i bought it, and i have 2 say i was dissapointed. Sure its a good album with some catchy beats an a few crackin samples, but if your looking for similar music with a bit of fun in it then id recommend something more polished like lemon jelly (name says it all!). All in all youl like it, but it wont be something that stays in your stereo for very long
Well Worth Having!, 31 Oct 2003
I'm a bit confused by those who say this is slow (check out tracks 2, 3, 4, and 7!) but maybe less so by those who brand it repetitive. There's still a lot of real instrumentation there to keep it interesting, to my mind, but there you go. Also I don't think this album, or any of his other output for that matter, is really supposed to be contemplated with chin-stroking scrutiny. Rather it is fun, original and diverse, this last being why it particularly appeals to me as my tastes are very eclectic. From the disco-style waa-waa noodling of Shrimp, through to the jazz-laden breaks of Beyond and Valley of the Sausages to the fat basslines ripping through the housy Sweet Smoke and Giffin and the distinctly British rap on Vibrate (my personal favourite) this album laughs at musical conventions whilst still sounding effortlessly integral. I appreciate that not everything will be to everyone's tastes but the energy, ingenuity and musicality of this effort surpasses, IMHO, many of the other contenders in this (ersatz?)genre of chillout/coffee table/fusion/trip-hop/etc who sometimes seem to take themselves too seriously (Groove Armada, Faithless and Morcheeba spring to mind).
Awesome, 07 Feb 2008
If you love AIM, you'll love this. It's very smooooth, and the tunes are a perfect mix of up tempo, and Sunday summer chill out tunes. If you get the chance to buy, do so!!.As although this is not on vinyl this will be sort after by people with music taste long after being deleted . Sweet music to listen, laugh, and love too!!
Explore, 27 Dec 2006
From James Lavelle to Andy C...Fabriclive owns. If you are a true music connoisseur then you will appreciate this album. While you are at it...pick up all of the Fabriclive series. Each in it's own right are awesome, beautiful mixes. For all you mainstream music lovers...this is NOT FOR YOU. This is for the weirdos, geeks, losers, different people, hahahahahaha. You know what I mean. It is diverse and amazing.
HEADNODDING HIP-HOP & SIXTIES PSYCHEDELIA........, 23 Aug 2004
A range of sounds, mostly 90's hip-hop, and every now and then something different pops up, providing touches of folk, country, latin and stuff with a psychedelic edge.
The predominance of big, heavy beats sets the tempo for most of the mix, with a slight change of direction towards the end which I at first thought disrupted the flow a little but I got over it.
The influence of these tracks on Aim's work is apparent, so if you're already a fan I'd recommend this to you.
The highlight for me is probably James Yorkston's tune - an acoustic island in an ocean of beats!!
Summer mix goodness, 10 Aug 2004
Listened to it a few times now, some really good tracks on it, nice selection of tunes. What puzzles me slightly is that although it's a mix CD, it's not really "mixed" all the way through, yet nearly all the songs with beats seem to be on time...so it could be. Don't let that put you off, I'm listening to it a lot at the moment. If you're looking for some commercial selection of tunes, give this a miss. If, on the other hand, you're looking for something that will get you nodding away and looking on the back of the CD case to look at what song 5 is then don't delay in getting this. Anyone that sticks the Byrds and Boards of Canada on a mix CD with a Tribe called Quest gets my vote anyway.
Hybrid's second album is gloriously dark, 06 Sep 2007
Hybrid produced a debut album that could almost have sunk them, so good was its content, and indeed here they seem to get off the mark slowly with a much leaner, introspective and dark mood permeating proceedings...
However, by the time we reach 'I'm Still Awake' and then 'We Are In Control', we're back in familiar barn-storming territory... Add to that 'Gravastar' and the mega closing track 'Blackout' and you have a must-have techno-trance album from the Welsh masters...
Don't just get this, get all their output, now....
I Choose Noise, 08 Jul 2006
Great album, inspires people around the world, 12 tracks of a average 6 minutes of quality sound over and over again. Hybrid first album "Wider Angle" pushed electronic music to the limit.
In September hybrid release their third album called " I choose Noise". Go to WWW.HYBRIDSOUNDSYSTEM.COM for more information and to listen to some tracks.
Unbeatable, 08 Jun 2006
Morning Sci-Fi is quite simply the most emotive, powerful, multi-layered musical joyride I have ever heard. Many electronic albums - Orbital, Underworld's first two albums, Sasha's GU series, have glimpses of pathos and wonder that four piece rock bands would not even dream about, yet none produce these feelings with such thrilling regulatory as Hybrid do on this, their second album. In fact the only thing that comes remotely close is Hybrid's debut, Wide Angle.
Roll on the new album lads.
Good morning..., 30 Jun 2005
Hybrid, the Wales based electronic duo, strive to surpass their groundbreaking 1999 release Wide Angle, with Morning Sci-Fi, and in so doing, they ultimately shatter the bar instead of merely clearing it. Hybrid has become famous in the electronic community for their skillful and lush atmosphere and sweeping cinematic orchestrations, all smoothed over solid breakbeats. They continue this formula with renewed vigor, adding layer upon layer of the thick stuff, whilst drawing in various collaborators to add depth and in some way, sonic clarity. Hybrid is so thick with sound and beautiful and massive arrangements- for which the word epic doesn't begin to cover- that the appearance of organic instruments and heartbreakingly vulnerable vocals makes this record entirely human. What results is, for lack of a better word, a sonic journey. The tracks flow like a DJ set, woven together by reverbs and sound effects, giving the slight feeling (as the songs fade in and assemble for the listener) that the tunes are being manually dragged from distant corners of the universe. An impressive effort, and one that belongs in the collection of any electronic/downtempo, and even classical enthusiast. In addition, the bonus dvd included in this edition, while seemingly short, is of a good relative length when one considers that the package is sold for barely over the normal admission price. A solid purchase overall.
An epic journey, 05 Apr 2005
Welcome to the new Hybrid.
This is Morning sci-fi, and things have gotten deeper, darker and more sophisticated. The introduction of frontman vocalist Adam Taylor has helped set a new tone, as have guest appearances by New order bassist Peter Hook, and singer Kirsty Hawkshaw.
All in all, It's easy to tell where Hybrid (Mike Truman & Chris Healings) are going. They are maturing musically into a band that can tackle anything and everything they set themselves to do. Morning sci-fi is proof of that... The album opens with 'Lights go down knives come out' (a hidden track, do a reverse scan from the start of track 01 and you'll find it)
Here, hybrid craft up a deep film score atmosphere to set the tone of the album, the Hermitage string orchestra rise and drop with harsh emotion giving way to a haunting trumpet outro.
Next is 'This is what it means' U.S producer John Creamer mumbles and goes on about his dreams within music, While Hybrid drop a reversed euphoric guitar behind the subdued voice- by now the atmospheric tone has been set, and it's time for Hybrid to explode ...It's time to head 'True to form'...
it's this track that really show's the new face of Hybrid- Dark swooping synths, make way for Adam Taylor's emotional vocal work. As the beats kick in, the noises and sound FX get more intense and along with Peter Hook's stealthy basslines, creating a sound that is driving, gritty and emotionally vivid, and then the strings drop in- and here they are dark, sweeping and very mean, on the whole 'True to form' is a brilliant opener into the world and depths of what Morning sci-fi is all about.
keeping the intensity is 'Know your enemy' probably the toughest track on the album, violent heavy breakbeat pound's away with military precision, making way for deep and moving melodies. the chaotic FX and robotic noises further enhance this track into some futuristic and (very explosive) war zone.
Now it's time for the album to slow down with 'Marrakech' deep downtempo beats accompany the Middle-Eastern inspired noises, heavy guitar pounces and epic sweeping choral sounds, after the breakdown, things get even darker with some very twisted and angry synth lines. Still on the downtempo tip is 'I'm still awake' Adam Taylor returns with a brilliant vocal performance over powerful synth and piano chord progressions. Although Not quite as dark as the previous tracks, it does still however keep that haunting sci-fi-esque atmosphere.
The intense energy returns with 'Visible noise' over deep atmospherics, a pounding house beat get's more complex by the minute as it progresses into a tearing dancefloor monster, after the haunting breakdown the drum's return on the breakbeat tip, as the atmospherics merge into 'we are in control' Hybrid take a backseat ride. whirling guitars and piano create an upbeat and highly energetic atmosphere that would suit an old classic sci-fi theme perfectly. Then things get really dark with an angry robotic vocal, which rumbles over moody synth and guitar lines. the opening guitars return again and maintain that 'Doctor Who' or 'Back to the future' type theme. It's obvious Hybrid wanted to have a very playful song on the album that broke up the intense darkness of the other tracks, and 'We are in control' pulls it off perfectly.
They have had their fun and now the Hybrid boys are getting deep and emotional again with 'Higher than a skyscraper' the Hermitage string orchestra return for a haunting and epic performance alongside Peter Hook's bass work and deep gritty beats, The emotion and intensity of this song reach an unstoppable level as the track hit's it's peak, and then things come back down to earth, leaving the listener breathless.
As the haunting outro fades, the subtle acoustic melodies of 'Steal you away' fade in. Taylor returns again with a mighty performance that works the strings, guitar and atmospherics to great effect, His voice hit's an incredible peak near the end of the song where his sustaining is extraordinary.
the sci-fi vista's of 'Gravastar' make an entrance next, a deep house beat with tribal touches give way to an amazing and complex atmosphere. As the groove get's more intense, outerwordly moans and effected orchestral swoops accompany the twisted melodies.
As the melody lines drop, things slowly get bigger until 'Out of the dark' drops like a bomb. High powered breakbeat rolls along over haunting keyboard lines and moody hushed whispers. as the beats and acid lines drop, Adam Taylor makes his last appearance with an epic performance. Dark sweeping synths drop and rise with his voice until a mindblowing instrumental outro of synths and guitar takes you way... the energy here is fast paced and very huge.
Kirsty Hawkshaw brings the album to a suitable close with the emotional 'Blackout' The Hermitage orchestra entwine with Hawkshaw's deep and sad melodies to create an amazing finale. Her final whisper 'and the light's go out...' ends the album on a truly amazing level.
All in all, Morning sci-fi is an album that is remarkable, creating a deep and haunting twilight journey that is explained in each individual track.
Where as 'Wide angle' was quite extreme in it's scale, Morning sci-fi show's off the new matured Hybrid sound- slower, yet still extreme in places, but in a new form.
Overall it's a piece of music quite unlike anything else, and is one of the most incredible things you will ever hear.
What also makes Morning sci-fi so brilliant is the bonus DVD. It's packed with everything from interviews, True to form and out of the dark live, recording the strings in Russia for Wide Angle, and the awesome feature length Moby/Hybrid tour documentary, there is even a hidden Easter egg (actually a soundtrack version of Higher than a skyscraper) all in all,
Experience Morning sci-fi.
you'll never look at music the same way again
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Customer Reviews
Keeping It Very Real Indeed, 12 Nov 2008
Mr Scruff (known as Andy Carthy to his mum) is a multi talented DJ producer who is very difficult to pigeon hole (good the way I like it) - his productions on Keep It Unreal are dreamy and very funky, with crazy samples from children's TV of the 50s and 60s.
The finest moment on here for me is Midnight Feast with it's delightful xylophone and jazzy feel, this is a good one for when you want to drift to sleep, and could probably be fun if you're a DJ cutting between tracks - or for scratchin'. Another favourite of mine is Get A Move On, with the sample of an old country record - it's bluesy yet jazz based melody is just fun and can get anyone dancing like a loon.
Altogether this is an excellent album to chill out to late night, to enjoy before bedtime and just to get in the mood to sleep, Scruff's usage of samples and melodies is just amazing and makes his work so enjoyable. This, to me is his finest work, but his other albums are well worth listening to. uplifting, 18 Jul 2007
If you can listen to this album without smiling, you have no soul. My favourite tracks are Get A Move On, Midnight Feast, Honeydew, and Fish, but they're all great :-) Amazing, 17 Jan 2006
This is the work of a pure genius, Mr.scruff combines jazz beatz and electronica to create a wrok of art, unbeliveable, not only is this music a easy listen it also has great style and pulls out the happyness in all of us with such great songs as spandex man and shanty town thankyou Mr. scruff. What an album!, 05 Jul 2005
I brought this CD on recommendation of my friend and it is a killer album..it mixes some really good beats with some really good chill-out/ambient music. It also has some weird stuff with the likes of 'Shanty town'! Really worth getting...great for parties! Wonderfully cheesy!, 20 Feb 2005
I bought this sound-unheard, on the strength of the reviews on this site. So I gave it a spin with a little trepidation, which increased through the first couple of tracks (pleasant enough, but sounding like the intro to something which was reluctant to start). Then it started... It's a mixture of some of the best mellow ambient-ish stuff for chilling out with a side order of pure silliness! IMHO, Shanty Town is the high point of the album: What sort of fish are you? / I'm not a fish at all you stupid man! / What are you if you're not a fish? / You certainly look like a fish! / I certainly don't feel like a fish! There's a whale / There's a whale / There's a whale-fish he cried / And the whale was in full view Apparently based on a trad. song called Greenland Fishing, which was performed by the Almanac Singers (Woody Guthrie et al), and Utterly Hilarious! According to his website, Mr. Scruff has a travelling tea-shop which he takes to his live dos! I feel a strong need to go along and partake.
What's all the fuss?, 28 Aug 2007
I got this on it's release on the strength of the singles "Since I Left You" and "Frontier Psychiatrist". I recently thought I would give it another go. Those two singles are still ace but the rest is a mess of samples and little more. It sounds like the musical equivalent of enough monkeys and a typewriter will produce a Shakespeare, enough samples and DJs will eventually make a decent track. It often sounds like a mess to me. Other reviews have mentioned it's "party feel", I think it sounds like standing outside a club, you can hear a beat, you can hear the whiff of a recogniseable tune but you can't actually discern a coherent tune. Two stars for the two decent tracks, the rest is noisy padding. Add a star if you like endless messing about with samples and don't mind tunes being a vague hope. Almost every time a conventional tune is hinted at they turn away from it. Maybe it's just too experimental for my tastes.
Since I left you, 07 Mar 2007
The Avalanches are a DJ's dream come true -- six Aussies who took hundreds of sound snatches, and wove together a wildly playful kind of electronica. Their first (and so far, only) album, "Since I Left You," is a tangle of the delicate, the weird, and the incredibly danceable.
It kicks off with the sparkling "Since I Left You," but the best is yet to come. The Avalanches manage to attain both a typical "sound" and plenty of originality in their songs, such as the bleeps-and-horns "Different Feeling," the knob-twiddling basslines of "Radio," the sputtery dance number "Live At Dominoes," and the interference-laden Rastafarian rock "Flight Tonight."
But with all the dance tracks, the Avalanches have their softer side: the delicately upbeat "Two Hearts in 3/4 Time," the swaying "Electricity," the brief and staticky "Pablo's Cruise," and the gauzy, multilayered "Etoh." It rounds off with the majestically languid "Extra Kings," which has a long sweep of distortion and chaos in the middle.
It's almost too easy to dance to the Avalanches. They take almost a thousand mismatched sounds and manage to cobble them into some really brilliant music. What's especially brilliant is the way these patchwork dance tracks manage to find solid, simple grooves, and stick to them right to the end.
"Since I Left You" isn't perfect -- at times the fragments don't quite mesh together. Some parts are pure chaos, but oddly they don't mar the overall sound; instead, they enhance it. Scattered in amongst the melody is the sound of video games, horses, discos, golf instructions, flutes, pianos, and seagulls -- it adds a strangely whimsical sound to the dance music.
The vocals tend to be samples repeated over and over, just under the surface of the music. Among the vocal snatches are the ethereal "Since I left you/I found the world so new!" or determined "Book of flight tonight." So the lyrics are often quite simple, except for the hysterically funny "Frontier Psychiatrist" ("Lie down on the couch, what does that mean?/You're a nut! You're crazy in the coconut!").
"Since I Left You" takes hundreds of random sound fragments, and turns them into a mosaic. Fun, playful, fast and hypnotically bizarre, this is a must have for fans of quirky music.
wow, 15 Dec 2006
Found this cd one night after seeing the video for 'since I left you' at 4am on MTV. Saw the recomendations here and thought, what the heck, lets buy it. And from first play it's an amazing dance record that can be played over and over again with out getting boring. Ok, a few tracks could be better, but at the most, 2. The rest just all blend in to one great peice of music, great driving music. Stand out tracks include 'since I left you', but 'little journey' that blends into 'Live At Dominos' is just out of this world. Ok, it might be full of samples, but finding out how to turn Boney M into magic is a skill that impresses me. Buy, enjoy and tell others about this hidden masterpiece.
Wish the would make another!!, 15 Nov 2006
This is one of those few albums that I don't need to skip through any song... A pure genius album. The only fault I have is that they never made second album...
Summertime or anytime album, 18 Mar 2006
Wonderfully original. The Avalanches used over 800 samples on this album - yet the whole thing feels so perfectly balanced. Blissful, retro funk and beats.
Mr Scruff Trouser Jazz, 17 May 2006
This is one edgy album. Very unpredictable and fresh. I would recommend this to anyone who likes surreal funk that's a bit mad. Buy it otherwise your world will be too normal!
So Funky!!, 17 Jun 2005
This cd is just DOPE!!Its so jazzy and funky, i love the beats!if you re into jazz or just want somethin dancy for the summer you got to get that record.its just great, BUY IT!!
The jazz doesnt just come from the trousers., 12 May 2004
This album is fantstic, my first real mr scruff experience was sitting in a flat in brighton with this album playing and the sunshining. It has a great mix of styles your sure how its meant to make you feel. Tracks such as "Sweet Smoke" and "Shrimp" want you to get up and dance and there are some perfect downtempo chilled tunes. "Ahoy There" the avalanche like last song is just crazy. "About the size of a good sardine" "Ha Ha". The World of Mr Scruff needs to spread. Buy it and make everyone listen to it. It great!
Not bad, but better out there......, 04 Dec 2003
I dont usually do reviews, but i had 2 review this.
I was recomended this by a few mates, so i bought it, and i have 2 say i was dissapointed. Sure its a good album with some catchy beats an a few crackin samples, but if your looking for similar music with a bit of fun in it then id recommend something more polished like lemon jelly (name says it all!). All in all youl like it, but it wont be something that stays in your stereo for very long
Well Worth Having!, 31 Oct 2003
I'm a bit confused by those who say this is slow (check out tracks 2, 3, 4, and 7!) but maybe less so by those who brand it repetitive. There's still a lot of real instrumentation there to keep it interesting, to my mind, but there you go. Also I don't think this album, or any of his other output for that matter, is really supposed to be contemplated with chin-stroking scrutiny. Rather it is fun, original and diverse, this last being why it particularly appeals to me as my tastes are very eclectic. From the disco-style waa-waa noodling of Shrimp, through to the jazz-laden breaks of Beyond and Valley of the Sausages to the fat basslines ripping through the housy Sweet Smoke and Giffin and the distinctly British rap on Vibrate (my personal favourite) this album laughs at musical conventions whilst still sounding effortlessly integral. I appreciate that not everything will be to everyone's tastes but the energy, ingenuity and musicality of this effort surpasses, IMHO, many of the other contenders in this (ersatz?)genre of chillout/coffee table/fusion/trip-hop/etc who sometimes seem to take themselves too seriously (Groove Armada, Faithless and Morcheeba spring to mind).
Awesome, 07 Feb 2008
If you love AIM, you'll love this. It's very smooooth, and the tunes are a perfect mix of up tempo, and Sunday summer chill out tunes. If you get the chance to buy, do so!!.As although this is not on vinyl this will be sort after by people with music taste long after being deleted . Sweet music to listen, laugh, and love too!!
Explore, 27 Dec 2006
From James Lavelle to Andy C...Fabriclive owns. If you are a true music connoisseur then you will appreciate this album. While you are at it...pick up all of the Fabriclive series. Each in it's own right are awesome, beautiful mixes. For all you mainstream music lovers...this is NOT FOR YOU. This is for the weirdos, geeks, losers, different people, hahahahahaha. You know what I mean. It is diverse and amazing.
HEADNODDING HIP-HOP & SIXTIES PSYCHEDELIA........, 23 Aug 2004
A range of sounds, mostly 90's hip-hop, and every now and then something different pops up, providing touches of folk, country, latin and stuff with a psychedelic edge.
The predominance of big, heavy beats sets the tempo for most of the mix, with a slight change of direction towards the end which I at first thought disrupted the flow a little but I got over it.
The influence of these tracks on Aim's work is apparent, so if you're already a fan I'd recommend this to you.
The highlight for me is probably James Yorkston's tune - an acoustic island in an ocean of beats!!
Summer mix goodness, 10 Aug 2004
Listened to it a few times now, some really good tracks on it, nice selection of tunes. What puzzles me slightly is that although it's a mix CD, it's not really "mixed" all the way through, yet nearly all the songs with beats seem to be on time...so it could be. Don't let that put you off, I'm listening to it a lot at the moment. If you're looking for some commercial selection of tunes, give this a miss. If, on the other hand, you're looking for something that will get you nodding away and looking on the back of the CD case to look at what song 5 is then don't delay in getting this. Anyone that sticks the Byrds and Boards of Canada on a mix CD with a Tribe called Quest gets my vote anyway.
Hybrid's second album is gloriously dark, 06 Sep 2007
Hybrid produced a debut album that could almost have sunk them, so good was its content, and indeed here they seem to get off the mark slowly with a much leaner, introspective and dark mood permeating proceedings...
However, by the time we reach 'I'm Still Awake' and then 'We Are In Control', we're back in familiar barn-storming territory... Add to that 'Gravastar' and the mega closing track 'Blackout' and you have a must-have techno-trance album from the Welsh masters...
Don't just get this, get all their output, now....
I Choose Noise, 08 Jul 2006
Great album, inspires people around the world, 12 tracks of a average 6 minutes of quality sound over and over again. Hybrid first album "Wider Angle" pushed electronic music to the limit.
In September hybrid release their third album called " I choose Noise". Go to WWW.HYBRIDSOUNDSYSTEM.COM for more information and to listen to some tracks.
Unbeatable, 08 Jun 2006
Morning Sci-Fi is quite simply the most emotive, powerful, multi-layered musical joyride I have ever heard. Many electronic albums - Orbital, Underworld's first two albums, Sasha's GU series, have glimpses of pathos and wonder that four piece rock bands would not even dream about, yet none produce these feelings with such thrilling regulatory as Hybrid do on this, their second album. In fact the only thing that comes remotely close is Hybrid's debut, Wide Angle.
Roll on the new album lads.
Good morning..., 30 Jun 2005
Hybrid, the Wales based electronic duo, strive to surpass their groundbreaking 1999 release Wide Angle, with Morning Sci-Fi, and in so doing, they ultimately shatter the bar instead of merely clearing it. Hybrid has become famous in the electronic community for their skillful and lush atmosphere and sweeping cinematic orchestrations, all smoothed over solid breakbeats. They continue this formula with renewed vigor, adding layer upon layer of the thick stuff, whilst drawing in various collaborators to add depth and in some way, sonic clarity. Hybrid is so thick with sound and beautiful and massive arrangements- for which the word epic doesn't begin to cover- that the appearance of organic instruments and heartbreakingly vulnerable vocals makes this record entirely human. What results is, for lack of a better word, a sonic journey. The tracks flow like a DJ set, woven together by reverbs and sound effects, giving the slight feeling (as the songs fade in and assemble for the listener) that the tunes are being manually dragged from distant corners of the universe. An impressive effort, and one that belongs in the collection of any electronic/downtempo, and even classical enthusiast. In addition, the bonus dvd included in this edition, while seemingly short, is of a good relative length when one considers that the package is sold for barely over the normal admission price. A solid purchase overall.
An epic journey, 05 Apr 2005
Welcome to the new Hybrid.
This is Morning sci-fi, and things have gotten deeper, darker and more sophisticated. The introduction of frontman vocalist Adam Taylor has helped set a new tone, as have guest appearances by New order bassist Peter Hook, and singer Kirsty Hawkshaw.
All in all, It's easy to tell where Hybrid (Mike Truman & Chris Healings) are going. They are maturing musically into a band that can tackle anything and everything they set themselves to do. Morning sci-fi is proof of that... The album opens with 'Lights go down knives come out' (a hidden track, do a reverse scan from the start of track 01 and you'll find it)
Here, hybrid craft up a deep film score atmosphere to set the tone of the album, the Hermitage string orchestra rise and drop with harsh emotion giving way to a haunting trumpet outro.
Next is 'This is what it means' U.S producer John Creamer mumbles and goes on about his dreams within music, While Hybrid drop a reversed euphoric guitar behind the subdued voice- by now the atmospheric tone has been set, and it's time for Hybrid to explode ...It's time to head 'True to form'...
it's this track that really show's the new face of Hybrid- Dark swooping synths, make way for Adam Taylor's emotional vocal work. As the beats kick in, the noises and sound FX get more intense and along with Peter Hook's stealthy basslines, creating a sound that is driving, gritty and emotionally vivid, and then the strings drop in- and here they are dark, sweeping and very mean, on the whole 'True to form' is a brilliant opener into the world and depths of what Morning sci-fi is all about.
keeping the intensity is 'Know your enemy' probably the toughest track on the album, violent heavy breakbeat pound's away with military precision, making way for deep and moving melodies. the chaotic FX and robotic noises further enhance this track into some futuristic and (very explosive) war zone.
Now it's time for the album to slow down with 'Marrakech' deep downtempo beats accompany the Middle-Eastern inspired noises, heavy guitar pounces and epic sweeping choral sounds, after the breakdown, things get even darker with some very twisted and angry synth lines. Still on the downtempo tip is 'I'm still awake' Adam Taylor returns with a brilliant vocal performance over powerful synth and piano chord progressions. Although Not quite as dark as the previous tracks, it does still however keep that haunting sci-fi-esque atmosphere.
The intense energy returns with 'Visible noise' over deep atmospherics, a pounding house beat get's more complex by the minute as it progresses into a tearing dancefloor monster, after the haunting breakdown the drum's return on the breakbeat tip, as the atmospherics merge into 'we are in control' Hybrid take a backseat ride. whirling guitars and piano create an upbeat and highly energetic atmosphere that would suit an old classic sci-fi theme perfectly. Then things get really dark with an angry robotic vocal, which rumbles over moody synth and guitar lines. the opening guitars return again and maintain that 'Doctor Who' or 'Back to the future' type theme. It's obvious Hybrid wanted to have a very playful song on the album that broke up the intense darkness of the other tracks, and 'We are in control' pulls it off perfectly.
They have had their fun and now the Hybrid boys are getting deep and emotional again with 'Higher than a skyscraper' the Hermitage string orchestra return for a haunting and epic performance alongside Peter Hook's bass work and deep gritty beats, The emotion and intensity of this song reach an unstoppable level as the track hit's it's peak, and then things come back down to earth, leaving the listener breathless.
As the haunting outro fades, the subtle acoustic melodies of 'Steal you away' fade in. Taylor returns again with a mighty performance that works the strings, guitar and atmospherics to great effect, His voice hit's an incredible peak near the end of the song where his sustaining is extraordinary.
the sci-fi vista's of 'Gravastar' make an entrance next, a deep house beat with tribal touches give way to an amazing and complex atmosphere. As the groove get's more intense, outerwordly moans and effected orchestral swoops accompany the twisted melodies.
As the melody lines drop, things slowly get bigger until 'Out of the dark' drops like a bomb. High powered breakbeat rolls along over haunting keyboard lines and moody hushed whispers. as the beats and acid lines drop, Adam Taylor makes his last appearance with an epic performance. Dark sweeping synths drop and rise with his voice until a mindblowing instrumental outro of synths and guitar takes you way... the energy here is fast paced and very huge.
Kirsty Hawkshaw brings the album to a suitable close with the emotional 'Blackout' The Hermitage orchestra entwine with Hawkshaw's deep and sad melodies to create an amazing finale. Her final whisper 'and the light's go out...' ends the album on a truly amazing level.
All in all, Morning sci-fi is an album that is remarkable, creating a deep and haunting twilight journey that is explained in each individual track.
Where as 'Wide angle' was quite extreme in it's scale, Morning sci-fi show's off the new matured Hybrid sound- slower, yet still extreme in places, but in a new form.
Overall it's a piece of music quite unlike anything else, and is one of the most incredible things you will ever hear.
What also makes Morning sci-fi so brilliant is the bonus DVD. It's packed with everything from interviews, True to form and out of the dark live, recording the strings in Russia for Wide Angle, and the awesome feature length Moby/Hybrid tour documentary, there is even a hidden Easter egg (actually a soundtrack version of Higher than a skyscraper) all in all,
Experience Morning sci-fi.
you'll never look at music the same way again
people hold on, 09 Mar 2008
Brilliant! As somebody else has said a reminder of how good music was in the early 1990's. Some lovely songs on here notably Autumn Leaves which also appears in French form as well. Lisa Stansfield good as well.
Nostalgic 80's house, 15 Nov 2006
Who can forget the house music of the late 80's, early 90's ?
Coldcut were one of the first house bands who had worldwide hits in the late 80's together with S'EXPRESS/BEATMASTERS/BOMB THE BASS and INNER CITY.
All their first hits are here together with some later hits.
Who can forget their first hit DOCTORING THE HOUSE with YAZZ or the follow up STOP THIS CRAZY THING with JUNIOR REED but their biggest hit was undoubtely PEOPLE HOLD ON a superb 9' minute track with LISA STANSFIELD.
There are also some later hits included here like the DREAMER and the AUTUMN LEAVES.
Get this DVD now and remember the good old REAL HOUSE days.
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Xen Cuts
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Various Artists;
Ninja Tune;
2000-01-01;
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Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £8.84
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Product Description
Released as a tribute to the fact that Coldcut's legendary Ninja Tune imprint had been releasing records for a decade, this collection from the label's South London HQ showcases the rich array of talent they've amassed over the years. Though assembled in the same spirit as the seminal Ninja Cuts series, comprising of a mixture of back catalogue and material exclusive to the compilation, a crafty alteration of the title acts as a nod to the ten years since Bogus Order's "Zen Brakes" first fought its way onto a turntable. From the Steinski intro the tracklisting of the first of two compact discs has a distinct hip-hop leaning, slinking through lyrical activity from the likes of the Dynamic Syncopation before flipping a skit from Roots Manuva over Amon Tobin's "Saboteur" and dropping down to the sultry vocals of Sarah Jones, paralleling the Gil Scott Heron standard in its declaration that the "revolution will not be between these thighs." Flip to the second disc for a demonstration of Ninja's recent foray into cinematic funk, whether through the raging percussion of Chris Bowden or breathtaking orchestration of Clifford Gilberto's "Restless," the resultant experience is nothing if not widescreen. Settle down and reset your ears for two hours of cross dressing, genre bending bliss from one of the UK's most innovative record labels. --Kingsley Marshall
Customer Reviews
Keeping It Very Real Indeed, 12 Nov 2008
Mr Scruff (known as Andy Carthy to his mum) is a multi talented DJ producer who is very difficult to pigeon hole (good the way I like it) - his productions on Keep It Unreal are dreamy and very funky, with crazy samples from children's TV of the 50s and 60s.
The finest moment on here for me is Midnight Feast with it's delightful xylophone and jazzy feel, this is a good one for when you want to drift to sleep, and could probably be fun if you're a DJ cutting between tracks - or for scratchin'. Another favourite of mine is Get A Move On, with the sample of an old country record - it's bluesy yet jazz based melody is just fun and can get anyone dancing like a loon.
Altogether this is an excellent album to chill out to late night, to enjoy before bedtime and just to get in the mood to sleep, Scruff's usage of samples and melodies is just amazing and makes his work so enjoyable. This, to me is his finest work, but his other albums are well worth listening to. uplifting, 18 Jul 2007
If you can listen to this album without smiling, you have no soul. My favourite tracks are Get A Move On, Midnight Feast, Honeydew, and Fish, but they're all great :-) Amazing, 17 Jan 2006
This is the work of a pure genius, Mr.scruff combines jazz beatz and electronica to create a wrok of art, unbeliveable, not only is this music a easy listen it also has great style and pulls out the happyness in all of us with such great songs as spandex man and shanty town thankyou Mr. scruff. What an album!, 05 Jul 2005
I brought this CD on recommendation of my friend and it is a killer album..it mixes some really good beats with some really good chill-out/ambient music. It also has some weird stuff with the likes of 'Shanty town'! Really worth getting...great for parties! Wonderfully cheesy!, 20 Feb 2005
I bought this sound-unheard, on the strength of the reviews on this site. So I gave it a spin with a little trepidation, which increased through the first couple of tracks (pleasant enough, but sounding like the intro to something which was reluctant to start). Then it started... It's a mixture of some of the best mellow ambient-ish stuff for chilling out with a side order of pure silliness! IMHO, Shanty Town is the high point of the album: What sort of fish are you? / I'm not a fish at all you stupid man! / What are you if you're not a fish? / You certainly look like a fish! / I certainly don't feel like a fish! There's a whale / There's a whale / There's a whale-fish he cried / And the whale was in full view Apparently based on a trad. song called Greenland Fishing, which was performed by the Almanac Singers (Woody Guthrie et al), and Utterly Hilarious! According to his website, Mr. Scruff has a travelling tea-shop which he takes to his live dos! I feel a strong need to go along and partake.
What's all the fuss?, 28 Aug 2007
I got this on it's release on the strength of the singles "Since I Left You" and "Frontier Psychiatrist". I recently thought I would give it another go. Those two singles are still ace but the rest is a mess of samples and little more. It sounds like the musical equivalent of enough monkeys and a typewriter will produce a Shakespeare, enough samples and DJs will eventually make a decent track. It often sounds like a mess to me. Other reviews have mentioned it's "party feel", I think it sounds like standing outside a club, you can hear a beat, you can hear the whiff of a recogniseable tune but you can't actually discern a coherent tune. Two stars for the two decent tracks, the rest is noisy padding. Add a star if you like endless messing about with samples and don't mind tunes being a vague hope. Almost every time a conventional tune is hinted at they turn away from it. Maybe it's just too experimental for my tastes.
Since I left you, 07 Mar 2007
The Avalanches are a DJ's dream come true -- six Aussies who took hundreds of sound snatches, and wove together a wildly playful kind of electronica. Their first (and so far, only) album, "Since I Left You," is a tangle of the delicate, the weird, and the incredibly danceable.
It kicks off with the sparkling "Since I Left You," but the best is yet to come. The Avalanches manage to attain both a typical "sound" and plenty of originality in their songs, such as the bleeps-and-horns "Different Feeling," the knob-twiddling basslines of "Radio," the sputtery dance number "Live At Dominoes," and the interference-laden Rastafarian rock "Flight Tonight."
But with all the dance tracks, the Avalanches have their softer side: the delicately upbeat "Two Hearts in 3/4 Time," the swaying "Electricity," the brief and staticky "Pablo's Cruise," and the gauzy, multilayered "Etoh." It rounds off with the majestically languid "Extra Kings," which has a long sweep of distortion and chaos in the middle.
It's almost too easy to dance to the Avalanches. They take almost a thousand mismatched sounds and manage to cobble them into some really brilliant music. What's especially brilliant is the way these patchwork dance tracks manage to find solid, simple grooves, and stick to them right to the end.
"Since I Left You" isn't perfect -- at times the fragments don't quite mesh together. Some parts are pure chaos, but oddly they don't mar the overall sound; instead, they enhance it. Scattered in amongst the melody is the sound of video games, horses, discos, golf instructions, flutes, pianos, and seagulls -- it adds a strangely whimsical sound to the dance music.
The vocals tend to be samples repeated over and over, just under the surface of the music. Among the vocal snatches are the ethereal "Since I left you/I found the world so new!" or determined "Book of flight tonight." So the lyrics are often quite simple, except for the hysterically funny "Frontier Psychiatrist" ("Lie down on the couch, what does that mean?/You're a nut! You're crazy in the coconut!").
"Since I Left You" takes hundreds of random sound fragments, and turns them into a mosaic. Fun, playful, fast and hypnotically bizarre, this is a must have for fans of quirky music.
wow, 15 Dec 2006
Found this cd one night after seeing the video for 'since I left you' at 4am on MTV. Saw the recomendations here and thought, what the heck, lets buy it. And from first play it's an amazing dance record that can be played over and over again with out getting boring. Ok, a few tracks could be better, but at the most, 2. The rest just all blend in to one great peice of music, great driving music. Stand out tracks include 'since I left you', but 'little journey' that blends into 'Live At Dominos' is just out of this world. Ok, it might be full of samples, but finding out how to turn Boney M into magic is a skill that impresses me. Buy, enjoy and tell others about this hidden masterpiece.
Wish the would make another!!, 15 Nov 2006
This is one of those few albums that I don't need to skip through any song... A pure genius album. The only fault I have is that they never made second album...
Summertime or anytime album, 18 Mar 2006
Wonderfully original. The Avalanches used over 800 samples on this album - yet the whole thing feels so perfectly balanced. Blissful, retro funk and beats.
Mr Scruff Trouser Jazz, 17 May 2006
This is one edgy album. Very unpredictable and fresh. I would recommend this to anyone who likes surreal funk that's a bit mad. Buy it otherwise your world will be too normal!
So Funky!!, 17 Jun 2005
This cd is just DOPE!!Its so jazzy and funky, i love the beats!if you re into jazz or just want somethin dancy for the summer you got to get that record.its just great, BUY IT!!
The jazz doesnt just come from the trousers., 12 May 2004
This album is fantstic, my first real mr scruff experience was sitting in a flat in brighton with this album playing and the sunshining. It has a great mix of styles your sure how its meant to make you feel. Tracks such as "Sweet Smoke" and "Shrimp" want you to get up and dance and there are some perfect downtempo chilled tunes. "Ahoy There" the avalanche like last song is just crazy. "About the size of a good sardine" "Ha Ha". The World of Mr Scruff needs to spread. Buy it and make everyone listen to it. It great!
Not bad, but better out there......, 04 Dec 2003
I dont usually do reviews, but i had 2 review this.
I was recomended this by a few mates, so i bought it, and i have 2 say i was dissapointed. Sure its a good album with some catchy beats an a few crackin samples, but if your looking for similar music with a bit of fun in it then id recommend something more polished like lemon jelly (name says it all!). All in all youl like it, but it wont be something that stays in your stereo for very long
Well Worth Having!, 31 Oct 2003
I'm a bit confused by those who say this is slow (check out tracks 2, 3, 4, and 7!) but maybe less so by those who brand it repetitive. There's still a lot of real instrumentation there to keep it interesting, to my mind, but there you go. Also I don't think this album, or any of his other output for that matter, is really supposed to be contemplated with chin-stroking scrutiny. Rather it is fun, original and diverse, this last being why it particularly appeals to me as my tastes are very eclectic. From the disco-style waa-waa noodling of Shrimp, through to the jazz-laden breaks of Beyond and Valley of the Sausages to the fat basslines ripping through the housy Sweet Smoke and Giffin and the distinctly British rap on Vibrate (my personal favourite) this album laughs at musical conventions whilst still sounding effortlessly integral. I appreciate that not everything will be to everyone's tastes but the energy, ingenuity and musicality of this effort surpasses, IMHO, many of the other contenders in this (ersatz?)genre of chillout/coffee table/fusion/trip-hop/etc who sometimes seem to take themselves too seriously (Groove Armada, Faithless and Morcheeba spring to mind).
Awesome, 07 Feb 2008
If you love AIM, you'll love this. It's very smooooth, and the tunes are a perfect mix of up tempo, and Sunday summer chill out tunes. If you get the chance to buy, do so!!.As although this is not on vinyl this will be sort after by people with music taste long after being deleted . Sweet music to listen, laugh, and love too!!
Explore, 27 Dec 2006
From James Lavelle to Andy C...Fabriclive owns. If you are a true music connoisseur then you will appreciate this album. While you are at it...pick up all of the Fabriclive series. Each in it's own right are awesome, beautiful mixes. For all you mainstream music lovers...this is NOT FOR YOU. This is for the weirdos, geeks, losers, different people, hahahahahaha. You know what I mean. It is diverse and amazing.
HEADNODDING HIP-HOP & SIXTIES PSYCHEDELIA........, 23 Aug 2004
A range of sounds, mostly 90's hip-hop, and every now and then something different pops up, providing touches of folk, country, latin and stuff with a psychedelic edge.
The predominance of big, heavy beats sets the tempo for most of the mix, with a slight change of direction towards the end which I at first thought disrupted the flow a little but I got over it.
The influence of these tracks on Aim's work is apparent, so if you're already a fan I'd recommend this to you.
The highlight for me is probably James Yorkston's tune - an acoustic island in an ocean of beats!!
Summer mix goodness, 10 Aug 2004
Listened to it a few times now, some really good tracks on it, nice selection of tunes. What puzzles me slightly is that although it's a mix CD, it's not really "mixed" all the way through, yet nearly all the songs with beats seem to be on time...so it could be. Don't let that put you off, I'm listening to it a lot at the moment. If you're looking for some commercial selection of tunes, give this a miss. If, on the other hand, you're looking for something that will get you nodding away and looking on the back of the CD case to look at what song 5 is then don't delay in getting this. Anyone that sticks the Byrds and Boards of Canada on a mix CD with a Tribe called Quest gets my vote anyway.
Hybrid's second album is gloriously dark, 06 Sep 2007
Hybrid produced a debut album that could almost have sunk them, so good was its content, and indeed here they seem to get off the mark slowly with a much leaner, introspective and dark mood permeating proceedings...
However, by the time we reach 'I'm Still Awake' and then 'We Are In Control', we're back in familiar barn-storming territory... Add to that 'Gravastar' and the mega closing track 'Blackout' and you have a must-have techno-trance album from the Welsh masters...
Don't just get this, get all their output, now....
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