Compassion Cuts, Tapes, and Acetates is a delightful collection of arcane weirdness from Irish producer Compassion Crew that will fill your desire for the obscure, the unique and the far out.
Released by Dublin-based Major Problems, and with tracks from the likes of L.A.-based performance art collective Big City Orchestra, English multimedia composer Philip Jeck and '80s Italo-disco group Plus Two, part of the compilation's appeal is its international eclecticism. Many of these tracks are also quite rare, and the tales of its globetrotting curation are already legendary.
While most everything here has merit, of arguably prime importance is the trio of "Final" by Genevan composer Olivier Rogg, "Kalatashew Waga" by '80s Ethiopian/American synth-funk band Admas and "Uttoz Gives A Song" by Swedish analog outfit Frak. All three evoke the '80s (yes, the Frak track was recorded in '92), but an alternate version of the decade, one that occurred at the fringes, that we might have caught glimpses of but never fully experienced. The nostalgia here is indefinable but highly effective.
Compassion Crew has done a great service unearthing these gems, and has helped at least one group (Frak, who are still active) achieve a higher profile. It's a fine example of a DJ/producer expressing his own tastes through the work of others and creating a cohesive whole out of disparate elements. Compassion Crew Presents: Compassion Cuts, Tapes, and Acetates is highly recommended for fans of the rare and strange.
(Major Problems)Released by Dublin-based Major Problems, and with tracks from the likes of L.A.-based performance art collective Big City Orchestra, English multimedia composer Philip Jeck and '80s Italo-disco group Plus Two, part of the compilation's appeal is its international eclecticism. Many of these tracks are also quite rare, and the tales of its globetrotting curation are already legendary.
While most everything here has merit, of arguably prime importance is the trio of "Final" by Genevan composer Olivier Rogg, "Kalatashew Waga" by '80s Ethiopian/American synth-funk band Admas and "Uttoz Gives A Song" by Swedish analog outfit Frak. All three evoke the '80s (yes, the Frak track was recorded in '92), but an alternate version of the decade, one that occurred at the fringes, that we might have caught glimpses of but never fully experienced. The nostalgia here is indefinable but highly effective.
Compassion Crew has done a great service unearthing these gems, and has helped at least one group (Frak, who are still active) achieve a higher profile. It's a fine example of a DJ/producer expressing his own tastes through the work of others and creating a cohesive whole out of disparate elements. Compassion Crew Presents: Compassion Cuts, Tapes, and Acetates is highly recommended for fans of the rare and strange.
