SOUND TRIBE SECTOR 9

ARTIFACT: PERSPECTIVES

  1/  Better Day Remix - Sub-id                                                4.05
  2/  Tokyo Remix - Machinedrum                                                5.01
  3/  Possibilities Remix - Collective Efforts                                 3.47
  4/  Tokyo/Better Day Remix - Ming+FS                                         5.07
  5/  By The Morning Sun Remix - Slicker                                       5.31
  6/  Somesing - Eustachian 24hr. White Knuckle Mix                            3.45
  7/  Possibilities Remix - Eliot Lipp & Leo 123                               4.17
  8/  Better Day/Trinocular STSDevine Remix - Richard Devine                   6.03
  9/  By the Morning Sun Remix - Metrognome                                    5.04
  10/ Possibilities Remix - Mr. Lif                                            3.38
  11/ Tokyo Shinjuku Flashback Mix - Bill Laswell                              9.12
  12/ Somesing Remix - Bassnectar Remix                                        2.38
  13/ ReEmergence, Beat the Science Remix - Karsh Kale                         6.43
  14/ Peoples, Cause & FX remix" - Lowpro Lounge feat. Audio Angel & ill45     5.49
  15/ Better Day Remix - Genetic                                               4.19

          Track 11 remixed at Orange Music Sound Studio
          Track 11 engineered by Robert Musso
          Reconstruction and mix translation on track 11 by Bill Laswell

(11) Bill Laswell: additional bass, beats.

          2005 - 1320 Records/System Recordings (USA), 1320-SSA-08 (CD)

REVIEWS :

Artifact: Perspectives is the companion disc to Sound Tribe Sector 9's previous album, Artifact. It's a remix collection featuring new versions of selected songs from the original program rendered by an A-list roster of beat freaks, including Ming + FS, Bill Laswell, Bassnectar, and Karsh Kale, among others, and while none of the mixes is exactly groundbreaking or surprising, almost all of them are deeply groovy. Highlights include Laswell's dark, dub-drenched &"Tokyo Shinjuku Flashback Mix," glitchy interpretations of &"Better Day" and &"By the Morning Sun" by Richard Devine and Metrognome, respectively, and Ming + FS' gloriously dreamy, hyperkinetically jungly take on &"Tokyo." Elsewhere, Mr. Lif brings a strong hip-hop element to &"Possibilities" and Bassnectar applies weird rhythmic changeups and Spike Jones sound effects to &"Somesing," while Machine Drum turns &"Tokyo" into a showcase for jittery funk breakbeats and Steve Reich-style glockenspiel loops. You'll be tired by the end, but it will be a good tired.

Rick Anderson (courtesy of the Star Pulse website)

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Artifact: Perspectives acts as an invitation to openly view the influences of Sound Tribe Sector Nine. A remix of the band's very successful 2005 release Artifact (which peaked at #12 on Billboard's Electronic chart), the 15 songs that have been reworked by some of the band's favorite artists is sort of like a mix-tape from STS9. While there are of course hints of the original songs, for the most part, these tracks are completely redone, creating entirely new compositions. Over the years, the band has always been on the cutting edge of electronics, perhaps even introducing a whole segment of music consumers to the use of laptops at live shows. With a keen sense of production and acute awareness to the hip-hop and down-tempo worlds, STS9 has evolved into one of the most prominent live touring acts in their genre.

Enlisting the help of such luminaries as Bill Laswell, Karsh Kale, Mr. Lif, Slicker, Richard Devine, Ming + FS, and frequent collaborators Bassnectar and Audio Angel (among others) speaks to the band's eclectic tastes and showcases the respect of their peers.

Some fans who are tied to STS9's lighter, more ethereal moments, or perhaps those who were looking for something that was closer to the original album may not quite jive with all of the remixes here, but for the most part, it should resonate well with fans of the band; however, it's the fact that folks who may not even know STS9 will dig this release that makes it special. With heavy doses of drum & bass, conscious hip-hop, dub, glitch, and bumpin' funk, there should be just about something for everyone tucked into Artifact: Perspectives.

Kayceman (courtesy of the JamBase website)