Search - Ellen Allien :: Boogy Bytes 4

Just as interesting to those who make this fare as well as t

David M. Madden | salt lake, utah United States | 04/22/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Be it Microhouse, Tech House, Dubstep, Glitch, Minimal or any other myriad of Techno, Berliners know electronica. While not all of the artists on this compilation are natives, the disc was, however, mixed by Bpitch owner, Mistress/High Priestess/Early Grandmother of Berlintech, Ellen Allien. So what's so special? Though these tracks contain a beat, familiar rhythmic couplings, synth stabs and the other basic elements of all dance music, there is a mysterious sheen, something just "off" that makes this gathering of sub-genres unique. For example, the bass drum isn't so up front and refuses to pummel, allowing a pleasant Sunday morning headphone mix if you so desire; dusty, swirling textures flicker in and out and make for something just as interesting to those who make this fare as well as those who sweat to it. Not your average party jam, Boogybytes might even undo the years Americans ruined electronica."

Back to some dark, ecclectic techno for Ellen.

Doctor Trance | MA, United States | 04/25/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Gone are the bubbly IDM tracks found on her artist album collaboration with Apparat, Orchestra of Bubbles, and the slick techno and tech house melodies used for her DJ turn on Fabric 34. This is sort of a return to her glitchy past, with some primal minimal techno. It's full of darker, stripped down beats, but that's not to say it isn't a solid ride. It's definitely got Ellen's quirky twist right from the get go, with the opening track sung in German, right through to some demented vocal tracks by Sascha Funke and Richard Seeley. Without the flooding of melodies used in her last mix, she's fully up for the task by still managing to create a catchy mix using bloops, broken beats, and vocal snippets.



In true BoogyBytes form, as Sascha Funke and Kiki did before her, she ends the mix with a leftfield vocal track that really has nothing at all to do with the mix we've just heard. It's a mix closer to volumes 1 and 2, but without the happy, perky melodies and vocal tracks found there. It's a fine return to form for this mix series, as I wasn't impressed with Boogybytes, Vol. 3, Modeselektor's first attempt at a CD mix. It really deviated from the series, and it's glad to see that it's now back on track with Ellen's Volume 4."