Lloop

Bulbbs consists of previously unreleased material composed way back in 1994 and saved on a mixed cassette that was "lost in the datastream" then "rediscovered" by DJs Olive and Jameson, as the liner notes indicate. These are the same guys who brought the world such fine recordings as We and Liminal; the latter was a moniker for the collective that performed versions of a soundtrack to the classic silent film Nosferatu. It is also important to note that these producers were forerunners of the illbient movement in NYC during the mid-'90s. Bulbbs chronicles the crucial period when ambient went to school, only to get shot at and stagger out as illbient. This is music from the nooks and crannies of NYC - atmospheric, post-hip-hop and dub, with throbbing bass and string instrumentation all liberally glazed with urban field recordings and pre-recorded samples. Indeed, illbient's predecessor as Lloop is an offspring of sampling culture closer in sound to the Orb, at least before Patterson and company decided to sell-out and follow trends. Even though the material on Bulbbs was composed years ago, this album could easily pass as a contemporary release.