CD REVIEW: FSOL, TEACHINGS FROM THE ELECTRONIC BRAIN
Nov 21, 2006 12:15 PM Lily Moayeri (Writer)
Since the early '90s, the Future Sound of London (FSOL) has enjoyed a significance in the world of electronic music that has as much to do with the group's extroverted technological savvy as it has to do with its introverted music. Both of those are represented on this "greatest-hits" collection: Teachings From the Electronic Brain (Astralwerks, 2006), culled from five of the group's albums as FSOL and one of its albums as Amorphous Androgynous. The track FSOL is most easily identified with is the furthest away from the rest of its creations; 1992's "Papua New Guinea," with its numerous remixes, had a place on every dancefloor and made rock stars of its composers. Since that time, however, most of FSOL's music has been far more along the lines of experimental ambient, entertaining soundscapes and nebulous textures than nightclub tracks. That is what makes up Teachings: Huge bassy growls are the driving force behind the Tibetan feel of "Yage," upbeat funk-fueled rhythms and Middle Eastern strings make up "Lover" and "We Have Explosive" is all about aggressive noise. It's only when FSOL's career is looked at in a package that the band's diversity makes itself apparent.
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