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Barry 7's Connectors

title

Barry 7's Connectors

label

Lo Recordings

format
various artists CD

Barry 7's ConnectorsFollowing up Luke Vibert's Nuggets collection of library music on Lo Recordings is Add N To X's Barry 7.

The 21 tracks he has chosen are much less abrasive than anything Add N To X have ever recorded, but have the quirky edges and sci fi feel that bleed through the best of Add N To X's work.

The cuts were selected from the libraries of three major agencies in the 70s: Chappell, Southern, and PIL. The only name I recognized among the artists was Nino Nardini. His 1969 track "Catch That Man" (#2) is just as great as all his work that I've heard. Unfortunately its just as short too. At 1:29 it is one of the shorter cuts on the disc.

The 1969 Georges Tepering & Roger Roger piece "Wierd Sounds" (#4) is my fave on the disc. It has echo sounds that make me think it must have been used in a space flick or in a scene of total disorientation. Paul Piot/Paul Guiot's 1968 cut "Amour Vacances Et Baroque"(#5) has female wordless vocals and is the most rockish of the tracks here. "Forgotten World" by Anthony King (1974) has a Giorgio Moroder styled synth that runs on top of the percussive sounds and effects. Quite nice, as is his other track on the comp, "Maladjusted Moogie" (#17).

Paul Bonneau's "Univers Sideral" from 1965 is better than a spooky version of a Dr. Who song with its sliding synth tones. Roger Roger has several songs on the comp, all of them good. My favorite of his tracks is "Roger Rhythm No. 1" (#15) which is bouncey and almost (I said almost) 'easy'. That cool Fender bass and bongo beat pull it more into a rock realm. If you DO want 'easy', the last track on the comp "Merry Go Round" by Gary Bellinton is what you should seek. It reminds me of the song you would hear at the end of a rollercoaster ride movie when the director wants to calm you a bit while you watch the credits.

Most of the remaining cuts are very minimal and good for late night mysterious listening, with selections chosen by the leader of a band who released an early split 12" (with Fridge) featuring samples from the Demon Seed...

---Carl, October 30, 2001