Surprise! Unexpected (though certainly not unwelcome) collaboration alert! Last week, Tokyo-based producer DJ Sprinkles a.k.a. Terre Thaemlitz, and Mark Fell, one-half of the influential glitch/programming duo SND, released Complete Spiral EP, a joint vinyl EP on Thaemlitz’s Comatonse Recordings. The release is said to be “an homage to the sounds of the late ’80s and early ’90s house music that had such a heavy impact on the both of them,” which is a more than satisfying explanation of their decision to work together. In reality, they could be collaborating over a shared appreciation for cheesesteak sandwiches, and this would still be something worth noting. God I’m so hungry right now.
Back in 2009, DJ Sprinkles received due attention for his groundbreaking rhythmic commentary on house music Midtown 120 Blues, inarguably one of the best albums released that year. Until very recently, when he began releasing work under his Sensate Focus moniker, Mark Fell’s practical appreciation for house music has been far more subtle, with the vague danceability of his tracks (both solo and as a member of SND) compromised by the cold machinery explicit in so many Raster-Noton and Editions Mego releases. Still, Fell maintains, the influence is there: “All of the music that I make is without a doubt grounded in house music and techno music from that period, to some extent. Certainly the things I’ve done over the past three or four years, even though they’ve been kind of unusual rhythmically, I think they still kind of have their origins in that period.” With Complete Spiral EP, Fell and Thaemlitz make their loyalties clear, and it would be an irredeemable affront to the club-lingering musical deities if they didn’t explore this collaboration further. Seriously, a full-length album please.
• Mark Fell: http://www.markfell.com
• Terre Thaemlitz: http://www.comatonse.com/thaemlitz
• Comatonse: http://www.comatonse.com
[Photo: Matteo Ruzzon]
More about: Mark Fell
