DJ Spooky vs. The Freight Elevator Quartet

Unfortunately, File Under Futurism lacks this sense of sophistication. With the exception of “The Revolution Will Be Streamed” and the title track, the remaining ten tracks on this disc comprise little more than a series of indulgent, atonal breakbeat-thrash. The Freight Elevator Quartet’s digital string sound provides somewhat of a melodic balance to the overall wall of noise, but the phrasing becomes repetitive and mundane with listening. Their sound bites of futurist philosophy make it even less interesting. The contrasts between these two releases are strong and ultimately indicative of the fact though Tha Subliminal Kid has good cause to inject a sense of intellectual consciousness into our electronic and urban culture, being self-conscious never makes for good music.