SONIC FOUNDRY
Jul 1, 2002 12:00 PM
The art of percussion mandates beating, bashing, crashing, shaking, striking, kicking and several other violent noise-associated verbs. Many times, the more primitive the approach, the more real and raw the emotion. With Junkyard Rhythms, Joe Vitale and his son, Joe Vitale Jr., explore their inner-drumming Neanderthals while rummaging through the rot in their local junkyard. The CD's documentation is minimal, but guessing where these sounds come from is half the fun. In terms of performance, the majority of the loops evoke a Latin flavor much in the vein of the Vitale family's well-received sample CD release Latin Percussion (also from Sonic Foundry). But this time, their modus operandi is to beat the clunk outta the junk — without any help from traditional bongos, congas and timbales.
Despite the junkyard theme, the infectious salsa moods, percolating dance rhythms and traditional Brazilian samba are fresh. Most of the samples were recorded dry with minimal effects processing except for a smattering of tasty compression and interesting room-style reverbs, which contribute to Junkyard's overall esoteric vibe. When diving into the more than 420 MB of Junkyard Rhythms' loops, you'll hear bells, buckets, bumpers, tubs, trash cans, pots, pans and more than a dumpster full of unrecognizable timbres that Vitale and son are probably still chuckling about.
Each loop is preconfigured to work with Sonic Foundry Acid Pro and other loop-friendly applications (Ableton Live, Cakewalk Sonar and so on). The collection is divided into three sections: Ensemble Grooves (221 MB), Individual Grooves (201 MB) and One-Shots (52 MB). Especially cool are the Junkyard Kits, which comprise all kinds of knickknacks, plastic shapes and metal scraps. These hybrid toys for experimental drummers may just be the missing percussive ingredients for those in search of a little dirty spice. And though you may think these guys played everything including the kitchen sink, there is no junkyard dog.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 4
Sonic Foundry; tel. (800) 577-6642; e-mail customerservice@sonicfoundry.com; Web www.sonicfoundry.com
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