tbtmo26 > Released: 4.2003

Vibon 2: Blip-Pop Click cd comp

6$ppd N.America, see katalogue for overseas ordering

CD support to Philadelphia's monthly experimental series Hologram, Vibon 2 features many who've played it and a few who should, most from or near the City of Brotherly Love, all exhibiting a positive, progressive vibe, each donating a track that completes a real sweet new recording of what we do and how well we do it. More to follow.

REVIEWS:

Absorb:
given the jumbled array of blurred nightclub photos and misaligned typography on this comp's packaging, the neophyte listener could be forgiven for anticipating an aural equivalent of wild mego dsp or breakbeat bpm mania. far from it, the comp's eleven tracks instead prove to be melodic electronica of a most distinguished sort, its music collectively recalling labels like warp, morr, cco, and audio dregs while managing to avoid too great a kinship to any one in particular. liner notes characterize the collection's content as "blip-hop, hip-pop, trip-pop, click-pop, experimental and bugout". a description that goes a long way towards suggesting the music's mercurial and wide-ranging qualities. the recording is the second collection in the vibon series from the philadelphia label tbtmo, and specifically showcases artists featured at a monthly experimental showcase called hologram. few if any of the artists' names will be known far outside the city of brotherly love, but that hardly matters when the music is as fine as it is here, with every track offering surprises. the pretty opener 'stars fell in love' by satellite grooves establishes a high standard from the outset. its spacious arrangement of laconic beats and singing melodies recalls - not disagreeably - e*vax's 'parking lot music' or the remote viewer's 'here i go again on my own'. the billowing layers of bright noodling synths and galloping drum breaks of phasmid 's infectious 'push the button,' on the other hand, evoke the kind of cool electro-synth pop that suction records specializes in. warm electronica is prominently represented by tracks like planet nett 's clicking microhouse 'sine off,' william fields ' church-like 'release form,' and technicolor 's 'neat beat' whose oceanic ripples form a bed for its layers of melancholy melodies. cerebral 's 'heartglitch' is equally unique, as it moves from tinker toybox melodies to an interlude of melismatic undulations. other tracks are more aggressive, such as vostek 's dense, at-times cacophonous 'where's the future?' and nintari man 's heavier mechano-flavoured 'sweat to god' whose multi-layered vibes give it a jazzy, acoustic feel. spintronic 's 'wrong (not wrong)' exudes a similarly jazzy drum'n'bass flavour feel, and is further enhanced by graceful melodies, horns, and rhodes accents. the two closing tracks are the longest yet never become mere run-on grooves. the eleven-minute epic 'white sneakers' by pacifica begins with towering waves which are gradually joined by numerous cut-up voice samples (one of which sounds like some schoolteacher's singsong voice). transient 's nine-minute 'tymewerm' finds its shuffle beat shadowed by burbling, skittering electronics. the song's incandescent melodies, interweaving patterns of simulated steel drums, and rollicking beats end the recording on a delectable high. with so much music seemingly pouring forth from every global corner, it's common to not only encounter releases whose label and roster are both unfamiliar, but to discover that said releases are also of top-notch quality, and such is the case here. vibon 2: blip-pop click impresses as a superb collection of atmospheric chill-out music that manages to be fresh, experimental, and accessible throughout.

Alternative Press:
WHO? Philly-based blip-pop compilation featuring obscure electronica artists like Satellite Grooves, Cerebral, and Vostek. SOUNDS LIKE: Some of the most interesting beat-based music we've heard since people started using laptops to make music. HOW IS IT? Most of this compilation is laid-back and sample-friendly, but its intricacies keep this from being merely background music. 3 out of 5.

Duotone Records [wildly translated from Japanese with this]
PHASMID and SATELLITE GROOVES recording! When the メロウ we like the ELECTRO POP, the ogre mast the コンピレーション! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Series of レーベルコンピ " " " VIBON " of label TBTMO of PHLADELPHIA 2nd feature. From the SKYLAB OPERATIONS from the popularity which such as PHASMID release has been done and STELLITE GROOVES the full album the り り - the ス was done the DARLA-RELATED artist, from UK/ENDOROPHIN such as TECHNICOLOR and TRANSIENT and the CEREBRAL and the WILLIAM FIELDS, and the SPINTRONIC and the NINTARI MAN of the PACIFICA and the TEAMTECHNO which participated in also the Lee mixed CD of the PHASMID, the PLANET NETT, and so on and so on... namelessness to be high feeling of transparency choice did only the good ELECTRO POP, intense it is good contents. When the メロウ we like the ELECTRO POP, " perplexity! " With it is the feeling which was said.

Erasing Clouds:
In 2001, tbtmo released a compilation called Vibon, filled with electronic music from artists (mostly Philadelphia-based) are as in interested in beauty as groove, looking to create full, sensuous soundscapes that are danceable but also work on your brain and emotions. Vibon 2, released two years later, is more of the same but even better. Conceived as a showcase for groups that play or have played at a monthly music showcase in Philly called Hologram, Vibon 2 collects 11 tracks that are experimental and accessible at the same time. The liner notes describe tbtmo's music as "blip-pop, hip-pop, trip-pop, click-pop, experimental and bugout"…and those labels are sort of meaningless but also should give you an idea of where they're coming from. Melodic, atmospheric, instrumental music with sharp, fresh beats of all sorts. More suitable from dreaming or chilling out than any kind of frantic, aerobic-style dancing, Vibon 2 is nonetheless full of motion and action. Satellitle Grooves and Phasmid kick the CD off with songs that take you to lush locations while delivering melodies that will insidiously sink into your brain. The rest of the CD is just as stellar, featuring tracks by groups you might not know but will be happy to meet: Planet Nett, Cerebral, Pacifica, Spintronic, Nintari Man, Vostek, William Fields, Technicolor, and Transient.

Gridface:
All of the artists on this compilation are new to me, but that doesn’t mean their music isn’t top-quality. Satellite Grooves kicks things off with a downtempo, melodic track called “Stars Fell in Love.” Phasmid follows suit with the retro-sounding “Push the Button.” Next, Cerebral’s “Heartglitch” combines a music box-like mini-melody with sophisticated beats and echoey washes. The track slowly builds by the layer, becoming more than the sum of its parts. Spintronic is up next, with an off-beat combination of glitch, downtempo, and acid influences. Also of note is Transient’s vibrant “Tymewerm” which closes out the collection. This is a good stuff. According to a brief liner note, most of these artists hearken from Philadelphia where they play at Hologram. This CD definitely puts TBTMO on my radar. It’s chock-full of melodies and new ideas, and it’s an incredibly enjoyable listen.

Intellectos:
TBTMO release their second edition of the compilation series called "Vibon." TBTMO are getting better with age where before there was a sense of enthusiasm there was always a lack of focus and consistency. This edition of Vibon is full of quality tracks that are on the whole appealing and first-rate. Satellite Grooves starts the compilation in grand form with a tuneful track that is childish (reminding me of Sesame Street for some reason). The start of this disc relaxes the listener for the rest of Vibon. Anyway, TBTMO has hit their stride with Vibon 2. This is the first TBTMO release that has me wishing each track were longer! The main ingredient for any TBTMO release in the past seem to veer on this almost "stoner" loungetronica feel. Thankfully, TBTMO is moving on the best track on Vibon 2 is by Spintronic who are driving yet moody but all at once graceful. Unlike way too many lazy loopheads in the electronic world Spintronic feature lively bass/drum arrangements. Another bright spot is Planet Nett they contribute a sensual and simplistic track that sounds like an forgotten classic from an early 90's Warp compilation. Pacifica and Technicolor provide the "chill" electronic tracks that TBTMO is making their own. Overall, the compilation is beautifully melodic and catchy. I think if TBTMO keeps on track it will only get better and hopefully bigger. For fans of Dropbeat, Darla era bliss electronica, Nophi, and the softer melodic side of Warp Records. 8 out of 10

Splendid:
The romance with IDM has been hit and miss for some. When Warp and Rephlex released those first few records, the genre seemed entranced with toy box melodies, as well as the benign rhythms rooted as much in electro and industrial sensibilities as techno. But once electronic music creation shifted to more computer-centric methods, the advent of DSP and plug-in science skewed the field. Abstraction and minimalism became the posture of the day, glitch the buzzword and Kid606 the hero. Still, cuts 'n' clicks were not for everyone, and there were soft cries for the deceptively simple melody/rhythm combinations of the mid-nineties. For this contingent there is Vibon 2 , which, while not a total throwback to the halcyon days of IDM, keeps the spirit alive with hummable tunes and an absence of fetishized chunks of computer processing. Vibon 2 is impressively strong, and features eleven unknowns from IDM's undiscovered crop. Not only does the talent pool hold up musically and structurally, but as a whole there is a good balance of technique and approach here. The only downside is the disc's homogenous quality -- the dynamics don't really rise and fall so much as plateau, creating a consistent middle level of contrast -- like a black and white picture flooded with halftones -- over the course of the album. Such issues are inherent in the genre, mind you, but they soften the edges of any single artist's identity. Standouts include Transient's "Tymewerm", replete with snappy percolation behind a fun steel drum melody, and the pronounced rhythmic complexity of Nintari Man's "Sweat To God", which switches fragmented beats with magnificent control. Spintronic's "Wrong (not wrong)" recalls the era of 808 State, infusing sub-bass and laid-back, bleep-bloop interchange with vocoded lyrics, while the Collette Carter mix of Pacifica's "White Sneakers" throws in a gliding house thump after a two minute chillout intro. The comp's highlight, however, is Cerebral's "Heartglitch"; this one starts out with an actual toy box melody, later building into a lush, emotive encounter that mirrors its title. A tight, ear-friendly tune, it holds up to anything in the pantheon of early Artificial Intelligencia without borrowing too much from established entrants. I could name a few established artists who've been having problems achieving the same goal.

Tric:
I actually got this electronic comp from them about a year ago, and it came out a year late, so these tracks are at least almost two years old. Most of the guys are friends, and come from Philly, or have some friendly extension. It's a little hard to review this as I have had some form of contact with most of the artists, most of it positive, some unfortunately not. The first few tracks are chill, upbeat, and melodic. By the middle, it gets a little more scattered with the glitch that has been characterizing the label of late. I listened to this mostly while driving, and it worked out well. It's not frontal enough to demand attention, not to mention mostly instrumental, so it's good if you're listening while working, reading, or doing something of the sort. Artists include Satellite Grooves, Phasmid, Cerebral, Spintronic, Nintari Man, Vostek, William Fields, Technicolor, Planet Nett, Pacifica, and Transient.