Prototype

prototype

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
It was early 2002 when Josh Loucka and Matt Kane decided to put everything they owned into a van and head west, leaving behind the comforts of their hometown of New York City. With hopes of greener pastures in Los Angeles, the duo decided to take a large leap of faith while looking for a dramatic change of scenery. Giving up their overpriced NYC apartments was the easy part; starting from scratch in a new city far from home was a bit more daunting. "We basically came here with zero money," says Josh, who was born and raised in Manhattan. "But we knew we needed to shake ourselves up - regroup and reenergize - and get back to why we wanted to make music in the first place." Josh's musical career started in high school when he formed Shift, a band that went on to become an influential part of New York's post-hardcore scene, releasing two albums on indie label Equal Vision Records and then one for Columbia Records. After arriving in LA, he reconnected with another New York transplant and hardcore scene alum Gavin Van Vlack, the driving force behind seminal bands Burn, Absolution and Die 116. Josh asked Gavin if he'd like to join Big Collapse. "We'd known each other for years in New York," Gavin remembers. "Somehow it just made sense to team up in a new city." Then a friend introduced them to Kyle Stevenson, a dynamic drummer who had spent time on the Ozzfest stage, playing in Flashpoint. "Kyle was the first drummer we tried out," remembers Matt. "We clicked right away and the line-up just sort of fell into place." Local and regional shows soon followed and the band started to garner a strong following, attracting the attention of up-and-coming Orange County-based label The Militia Group, who offered them a deal. The band promptly signed on the dotted line and headed into the studio with Ben Moore (Finch, Rocket From the Crypt, Noise Ratchet) to record Prototype - 10 songs that draw from the raw power of their punk rock roots, while delivering potent melodies that get lodged further into your head with every listen. The resulting sound eschews any easy classification, incorporating punk, 80s metal, emo and indie rock, but ending up somewhere near straight-up Rock'n'Roll. With Prototype scheduled for an early October 2003 release, Big Collapse plan to get back in a van and take their show on the road in support of their new album. Call them what you want, just don't underestimate the power of a good rock song. "We've been told we sound like a cross between Helmet and early Def Leppard," says Josh. "And I think that's just about the best compliment you could ever give us."

Product Description
Joshua Loucka - vocals, guitar Matt Kane - guitar, backing vocals Gavin Van Vlack - bass, backing vocals Kyle Stevenson - drums, backing vocals

Prototype,The Big Collapse,Militia,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop

Prototype

An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music, Vol. 3: 1952-2004

Average customer rating:

Legal Stuff Apart

An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music, Vol. 3: 1952-2004

Manufacturer: Sub Rosa
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Compilations | Rock | Styles | Music

Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music, Vol. 4
An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music, Vol. 2
An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music: First A-Chronology, Vol. 1
Ohm: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music Special Edition 3CD + DVD
Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center 1961-1973

ASIN: B0002Y4PPU
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Tracks:

De Natura Sonorum: Matis Induites - Bernard Parmegiani
Short Presentation of the 1948 Sackbut: The Sackbut Blues/A ... - Hugh Le Caine
Stereo Music for Serge Modular Prototype - Keith Fullerton Whitman
Last Largo - Ilhan Mimaroglu
Room Pieces [Excerpt] - Michael J. Schumacher
Ovipool
Stone: Reciprocal
Flume
Execution of Intelligence - Zbigniew Karkowski
Birds and Warhorse
Requiem: Dies Irae - Michel Chion

Tracks:

Sttimen ni4 & #1 - Erkki Kurenniemi
Time...Dot
Early Work 6
Klangstudies II - Herbert Eimert
Eve
Teilmenge - Asmus Tietchens
Feuerland - Michael Rother
Contacte - To Rococo Rot
Till Zakynthos (Op. 205) - Rune Lindblad
Eternal Love #3

Customer Reviews:

Legal Stuff Apart.......2007-04-21

To understand this review, take a look at the reviews of the other volumes in this series...
Some of the music on this series is so weird and beautiful that the composers should be grateful that it is released here. They should think of this series as a sampler which might atract us, the general public, into further investigation of their work, which we most probably would have never had the chance to hear it or become aware of its existence or of the composers/artists. Don't be so greedy... for I believe you have been done a favor. The same goes for the other volumes of this series. TWO THUMBS UP!

Average customer rating:

More good space at last
Yep...they're absolutely correct!
Echoes pick of the week
A 21st Century Masterpiece

Prototype 2
Zero One
Manufacturer: Waveform
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ambient | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

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General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Psy-Fi
Sub Conscious
Zero One
Luminal
Uplift Drift

ASIN: B00004YR33
Release Date: 2000-10-03

Tracks:

Possibilities
Memory
Two (Oogie Eeha)
Search
Bot
Inner Space
Blueshift
Think
Module

Customer Reviews:

More good space at last.......2005-08-20

The link at echoes.org was for a different CD, but I got this one instead, so I ordered it anyway. Well written tunes, full of shifts in tempo and rhythm, effects, etc. The rhythm synthesizers sound tinny or harsh at times. Thought I might blow a speaker, but didn't. A very good listen all-around, tho. Really enjoyed cooking while listening to it. You can listen to it for hours before you ask yourself if you've heard a particular song before. The true mark of good space music.

Yep...they're absolutely correct!.......2003-05-10

The other reviewers that's who! This is a great CD that gets better every time I listen. This music continues to delight me with surprises in perscussion and rythym. I've been an electronica fan since early Klaus Schulze and TD and Zero One is extending the tradition in marvelous ways. Without a doubt my favorite CD! 5 stars +

Echoes pick of the week.......2000-12-13

Here's what Echoes host John Dileberto writes about protOtype2 while making it his album of the week:

If you need to up the BPMs of the usual Echoes soundscape, strap yourself in for the second album by ZerO One, a.k.a. Kevin Dooley. From his San Bruno, California studio, ZerO One orchestrates ambient excursions of a decidedly electronic nature. From the opening "Possibilities," ZerO One establishes his sonic terrain with a repeated spoken refrain, "Your life is going to be different now." ZerO One recalls Dogon, with his sense of playfulness, using vocal sound snippets as signposts in usually surreal sound designs. Take, for instance, "Two." Subtitled "oogie-eeha," that phrase is a hypnotic refrain, popping up, like a virtual Energizer bunny, in the oddest, yet perfectly timed moments. ZerO One uses these effects to delineate his other world of sound, full of trancey beats and shifting textures. Whenever those spoken fragments arrive, it's like a window briefly opened up back into the real world, but ZerO One makes sure you won't want to leave the one he created. protOtype2 is sure to be featured this year on Echoes Techno-Tribal New Year's Eve show.

A 21st Century Masterpiece.......2000-10-05

Some say that Ambient Music reached its pinnacle in the early to mid 90's. Such artists as Global Communication,FSOL,Aphex Twin,Orb, to name a few, produced pieces of work which can be considered Ambient Music classics. However,after '95 it almost seemed like the Ambient Movement ran out of steam and only offered a handful of great music. Well, a new century gives birth to a new CD that is sure to be a classic. Simply put, "Prototype 2" by Zero-One is a masterpiece. Kevin Dooley, the mastermind behind Zero-One begins the CD with the track "Possibilities" which is layer upon layer of synth washes set to the trademark Zero-One subtle, yet groove-laced beats. This incredible song sets the tone for the rest of this work of art. Each song is so full of atmospheric soundscapes that you wish you were born with headphones permanently attached. Not since "Lifeforms" by FSOL has there been a CD that makes you thank the heavens for the invention of the headphone. The use of sampling and voice processing adds and ethereal human touch to every song. Some would say tht electronic music lacks emotion, but there is no way that can be said of this release. Mr. Dooley combines dark and moody atmospherics with lush and bright rythms and arrangments throughout which will leave you in awe. Every track on this CD is beautifully arranged and produced. This CD is the follow-up to the self titled debut which is also known as "Calculated Adventures in Electronica". It is an exceptional CD and would make it hard to believe that it could be topped. But, not only does Mr. Dooley top that one, he makes a masterpiece.

Average customer rating:

The Forgotten Future of Metal
Great technical progressive metal!
Incredible Follow-Up To Amazing Prog-Metal Debut
WOW GREAT FOLLOW-UP

Continuum
Prototype
Manufacturer: Nightmare Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

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A Perfect Forever
Purification
The Parallel Otherworld
Waves of Visual Decay
Legend of the Bone CARVER

ASIN: B000FTWAP4
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Tracks:

The Way It Ends
Probe
Devotion
With Vision
Synthespian
Sea Of Tranquility
Transcendent Velocity
Seed
Undying
Heart Machine
Cold Is This God

Product Description

The Way It Ends
Probe; Devotion
With Vision
Synthespian
Of Tranquility
Transcendent Velocity
Seed
Undying
Heart Machine
Cold Is This Cold

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

The Forgotten Future of Metal.......2007-07-03

Highly Progressive and Very Melodic. I predict once the metal movement leaves behind the screaming rhetoric of nu-metal, Prototype will finally be given proper credit for their work.

Right now, metal fans just can't accept a unique vocal style or beautiful melody... they sit and listen to their old Iron Maiden, Rush, Metallica and Led Zeplin recordings (completely entranced) but are currently unwilling to accept these styles in a contemporary form.

Metal fans have fallen pray to some primal, aggressive and simplistic style that should have remained in the realm of punk imho - rename Nu-Metal to Nu-Punk-Metal - and make room on your shelf for Prototype in your "Neo-Metal" collection.

If you enjoy the complexity of Meshuggah, but still long for a melody and more organic flow of time changes and breaks - or love A Perfect Circle and Tool (for melody and deeper lyrical content) - but long for speed and technical precision - you can't go wrong with Prototype.

Be wary of musical critics who scorn some "emo" quality in this music - it is unfounded and historically inaccurate. There was nothing "emo" about this music before "emo" existed - and there is still none. The word "emo" is too often used by simple minded critics to categorize lyrics and sentiments they do not have the capacity to understand - and is just a scapegoat for actually having to address and critique concepts beyond their range of literary, historical or artistic comprehension or expression. Call Sunny Day Real Estate or even Thursday "emo" - but question when authors throw this word about instead of addressing the actual content of the lyrical messages and vocal quality. Prototype has a "unique" vocalist - which is far from "emo" or "bad". In fact the cold, "sci-fi-like" and technical philosophy espoused in Vince's vocals is sometimes so calculating that is it only the passion and conviction of his delivery on the topics that grant any "emotion" at all. It's almost like listening to Einstein talk about physics... the only reason it doesn't come off as cold hard and boring data is the energy and passion of the author about the sophisticated subjects of which he speaks. In this sense Prototype is lyrically "anti-emo". Its "cerebral" - if you are looking for songs about how "the world just sux and my girlfriend broke my heart" - don't listen to this band. Emo kids - stay out - you may be converted to the cold and wicked world of "anti-emo".

Prototype recalls the classical elements that metal once had in a full, rich, and regal new shape. You can imagine almost every song on this album sounding just as beautiful if performed by an orchestra or on Spanish guitar. Metal fans with critical thinking skills, please buy this album.

I have loved every release this band has had since its inception as Psychosis in the early 90's, through to today. I recommend their music for people who appreciate quality, technicality, and unique music.

Great technical progressive metal!.......2007-04-17

Outstanding guitar, bass, drums, and vocals...this is a great technical progressive metal album. Some of my favorite tracks are "The Way It Ends," "Devotion," and "Sea of Tranquility." Well worth checking out!

Incredible Follow-Up To Amazing Prog-Metal Debut.......2007-04-16

The first Prototype album, "Trinity", was hugely influential for me; with powerful vocals, incredible progressive song structures and heavy riffs and bass, and an epic, science fiction-themed vibe and sharp production. Happily, "Continuum" delivers more of the same-with a slightly more hook-laden delivery that actually adds to the music.

I simply can't recommend this album enough for any fan of modern progressive metal. Tight, progressive and heavy riffs and epic song structures fleshed out with an interesting concept story about an alien invasion (?) by strange being intent on enslaving man. For those who were fans of the last album, the vocal style is still very prominent, but is even catchier and more hook-laden this time around-actually enough to remain stuck in your head for days. To be honest, it sounds less classic-era James Hetfield-ish than the last album, and more akin to,perhaps, the singer of Incubus. Although a bit different, it actually works quite well with the heavier material the band delivers on this outing, and is one of my favorite metal albums of the last two years or so. The guitar and rhythmn section remain tight and locked-on, and chunky, intricate riff after riff pour out of the speakers, with the addition of some eerie spoken-word samples and interludes illustrating the sci-fi storyline...an original and intelligent metal band...Highly recommended!

WOW GREAT FOLLOW-UP.......2006-07-19

When i first got this CD i was a little apprehensive, as Prototype had had a few member changes. WOW was i wrong, this CD rocks, and the production on it is solid. I guess that is what you get when you choose a label like NIGHTMARE RECORDS.

This CD has it all, the driving guitars that are a trade mark of Prototype, the tight, tight bass and drums that provides the backbone, and them the vocals, oh my god they carry the this CD. If you haven't bought this CD yet you better hurry it is going to be sold out fast. This is a must have for you progressive metal collection.

Average customer rating:

Foo Fighters and Cheap Trick

Prototype
The Big Collapse
Manufacturer: Militia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000CD5I1
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Tracks:

Love Empire
Deliver Me
Pull Out the Guts
Prototype
Private War
Adds up to you
Automatic
Colossal
We all end up dead
Phantom Power

Album Description

Joshua Loucka - vocals, guitar Matt Kane - guitar, backing vocals Gavin Van Vlack - bass, backing vocals Kyle Stevenson - drums, backing vocals

Customer Reviews:

Foo Fighters and Cheap Trick.......2004-09-15

This album ROCKS! If the Foo Fighters and Cheap trick had a baby, it would be Big Collapse... very melodic, catchy riffs, thoughtful lyrics and insane drums. I saw them live at CBGB's this year, and I was blown away!

In this day and age where huge corporations dominate the majority of what we see and hear on radio and TV (Clear Channel and MTV), I've been feeling inundated with so-called rock bands that "look pretty" but musically, rate anywhere from mediocre to just plain bad... Just watch MTV (when they actually play videos).

Big Collapse definitely stands out as a diamond in the rough. Some people classify them as a Punk band and sometimes Emo... I'll just say that they are more of a straight ahead Rock 'N Roll band. Something I haven't seen in music in a long while.

Average customer rating:

A Beat For Everyone
This is a mixed bag
Music for The Soul
seb brings dance to a new level
Sebastian Fontaine-- Great and still improving

Prototype
Seb Fontaine
Manufacturer: Prototype
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Prototype Vol. 3
Cream Anthems - mixed by Tall Paul and Seb Fontaine
Type Vol. 2
Universal Religion 2004: Armada at Ibiza
State of Trance: Year Mix 2006

ASIN: B00000J5XD
Release Date: 1999-05-03

Tracks:

My Fellow Boppers - Thee Maddkatt Courtship
Basketball Heroes - Woody McBride
Zipper Track - DJ Dan
He Chilled Out '99 - L'Iasons D
The Sound - DJ Lottie
Drive By - Jan Driver
Sisters In Heaven - DJ randy
Club Killer - X Press
Back To Love - Baby Doc
Got To Have It - Mike
5:55 - Durango-95
Summer Night - John Johnson/Saints & Sinners

Tracks:

Good Shot - Hands Burn
Universal Nation - Push
Because Of My Dreams - 2 Digital
9PM (Till I Come) - ATB
Mission - Dawntreader
Galea - CL McSpadden
I Dream - Tilt
Bulgarian - Travel
Life Isn't Easy - Plastic Boy
Pearl River - Johnny Shaker
Fiji - Atlantis
Sanctuary - Dejure

Album Details

Continuous Mix by Seb Fontaine.

Customer Reviews:

A Beat For Everyone.......2003-03-25

The beauty of this two disc CD is that it gives Seb a chance to allow the listener to explore a diverse sound of beats. I prefer Disc 2 over 1, but that's b/c I love the trance he brings into it. I've owned this CD for 4 years now, and I'm STILL playing it at least twice a month (CD 2)...and I had to go back to the store to find his other Prototypes...which at times I'm just as pleased, and sometimes not so pleased. Either way, his style never fails to make my body move to the beat!

This is a mixed bag.......2001-03-01

For a 49-year-old, I listen to a lot of trance - in fact, sometimes I thrive on it. Seeing the other reviews here, I pounced on ordering this CD. When it arrived, I quickly put on the first CD, and waited for it to "warm up to me" or pick up. I waited & waited... then I realized I was nodding off to insistent (and quite boring) repetitive rhythms. Great if you're an insomniac. CD 2 is quite a bit better, but still uneven. I prefer dynamic and varied paces, melodies you can get behind, and music that gets me going. Only certain cuts on this CD do that for me, so I was somewhat disappointed.

Now 2002: I've revisited this CD, and I must confess I'm liking it more - it may grow on you.

Music for The Soul.......2000-10-25

Seb Fontaine Prototype 01

Think of the DJ Seb Fontaine, as dance music savoir for the new millennium; but for those of you unlucky ones out there, let me give you the low down on him. Seb started out dj'ing at a young age and when on to play at soul and reggae clubs; there he used to get paid 39 pounds (about $25 dollar here) a night; spinning the same old records, night after night. Until a friend of his talked him in to going to a house club one night, and the rest is history. Seb told one magazine: "I was totally blown away". That is where he found his "niche". In a matter of months, Seb went from playing the same old crappy routines and the same old records, to testing out different tunes, missed placed mix's, studying the dance floor, and picking up his "sixth sense" for what the crowd liked and wanted to hear.... before they knew they wanted to hear it! Seb started out his new dance themed set with a number of residencies from clubs such as Wag and Fridge in London, and last year went he got a weekly night at cream in Spain. His set at Cream is where he started attracting people from around the world, people from Germany, china, and even the USA. Everyone wanted to see him perform dance floor destroying sets. Seb's reputation was growing and just rep, so will his CD's. For all you house music lovers out there, disc 1 is for you. Seb slices and dices his way into the funky-seedy style of house music, that currently the crazy of there in London. From the opening track "My Fellow Boppers", you can tell just where Seb is going take you. The music builds and grows into a furnace of hard deep house with core tracks like "Basketball Heroes" "Zipper" and "He chilled out 99". Seb is making a fiery of deep house that never lets you down. Disc 2 (my favorite.) is more like a peak time Saturday night, but with a more trance theme to it. This set blends, shiver, and melts into more commercial tracks such as ATB's "9pm(till I come), "Life Isn't Easy", and "Mission". Plus some more "E"urphoric ones that can be found in gems like "Universal Nation" and " Because of Dreams". In the end, Prototype is a small sample of what we should prepare for what to come from Seb Fontaine, because once you hear this CD, you'll be some immersed, so deep into the music...you'll realize that the CD has stop, but you was still jamming.

DJ Dirty D.

seb brings dance to a new level.......2000-09-23

once again the brilliance of the great man is voiced here, as an understudy to de vit he brings here a great blend of music styles and contrasts to capture the dance scene in europe.starting off with a fast pitch in the first three techno tracks he brings the mix to a slower speed to allows the lister to enjoy all the great tracks on this album. then for the last four tracks the pace is increased with the twisty yet catchy "mike" leaving the audience breatless. as for the second cd, the pace never drops it just continues to pound the ears with massive tracks like "til i come". the mix is flawless and finishes up with the extended mix of the uplifting track "sanctuary" a truly excellent album , a must for people who want to experience what live dance music is like in europe. the best album that i have bought all year fabulous.

Sebastian Fontaine-- Great and still improving.......2000-08-21

PROTOTYPE 3 is really 2 dance sets: a medium paced trance set, and a high energy cutting edge collection of breakebeat, tance, techno & other related genres.

Of the 2 sets, the high energy one seems to work better and showcases Fontaine's skills as a DJ better than the first one does. However, the first set is not to be disparaged. The problem with an all trance set is that there just isn't as much good Trance out there that segues well with other Trance sounds. With most Trance, you usually end up with either a compilation that sounds 'all the same", or something that sounds like a hodgepdge of audio experiments, rather than a great 'groove'.

Seb Fontaine is better than most, and the trance set mostly works, but it never really kicks into high gear (of course many Trance fans prefer those more dreamy, spacey sound textures).

While PROTOTYPE-2 was great, this is an improvement: on par with John Digweed's 'BedRock' and Paul Oakenfold's 'Tranceport' work. Fontaine sems to be developing his own 'style' and 'sound'. Hard breaks and thumping beats (120 +bpm) with a mix of Latin & Funk anchoring & driving the mix, and all with that gleaming high-tech sheen that only electronic music can deliver, are what Fontaine mixes best. I can hardly wait for PROTOTYPE-4!

Tracks:

Cyberspace
Shadow Dance
Prototype
Then And Now
Let's Stay Together
Quadrant
Three Views Of The Blues
Secret Identity

Customer Reviews:

Review from allaboutjazz.com.......2004-11-22

I saw the group in Oakland - at Yoshi's - they KICKED BUTT! The best show I have seen all year! I don't know who was with Roney in Paris (but I heard that was a good show as well from other posts on the Internet)..

I thought I'd share a review I read about the CD on allaboutjazz.com this review helped me to understand more about the CD before I purchased it on amazon.com: (Written by John Kelman)

On Prototype, his first album in four years, trumpeter Wallace Roney continues to develop ideas begun on Village ('97) and No Room For Argument ('00). That is to say, as the liner notes describe, "Miles' playing and his album Nefertiti as one link; Weather Report as the compositional link; Mwandishi (pianist Herbie Hancock groundbreaking early '70s fusion band) as the conceptual link, with John Coltrane as the spiritual link."
Roney's links to Miles Davis have been written about and, perhaps, overexaggerated. There is no doubt that Roney's playing and concept of openness stems from Miles and a time in the late '80s when Roney was hanging with the Prince of Darkness. But whereas Miles changed direction countless times during his career, Roney has chosen a starting point for his music-that of the transitional Miles period of Nefertiti through Filles de Kilimanjaro-and steadfastly evolved the idea, incorporating contemporary technologies and rhythms, painting a picture of where Miles might have gone had he been more evolutionary than revolutionary.

Take "Then and Now," with its "I Got Rhythm" changes. It may start out as the most mainstream-sounding piece on the record, but only for about thirty seconds as it quickly breaks down into a freer piece, with wife Geri Allen peppering the song with abstract harmonies while bassist Matt Garrison and drummer Eric Allen play loose and elastic with the time. But while the track unquestionably fits within the context of the album as a whole, it is something of an anomaly.

"Cyberspace" opens the album with a dark and deep funk groove, Roney and brother Antoine on saxophone stating the attractive yet edgy theme while keyboardist Adam Holzman, who spent time in Miles' late '80s bands, colors the piece with sharp chords and subtle washes. Similarly, "Shadow Dance" finds an expanded horn section building the extended theme over a 3/4 ostinato before heading into more exploratory territory, with guest Don Byron delivering a particularly pungent solo. The title track is a tender ballad, but even though it is one of only two completely acoustic tracks ("Then and Now" being the other), it brings a sense of freedom to the more closely-adhered changes that lends it a consistency with the rest of the record.

It is, in fact, this sense of freedom that pervades the whole record, giving it a sense of urgency. That's not to say this is exactly free jazz; rather it is more open-ended jazz where a firm sense of rhythm exists throughout, but with harmonic and thematic liberation the group is less concerned with hanging on specific changes and, instead, uses harmonic devices as a jumping off point, much as early Weather Report did.

Prototype continues to evolve Roney's conception of jazz, one that successfully combines inarguable roots with a more contemporary view, incorporating a diversity of influences into a blend where the fundamental notion is that of freedom, but, like Miles before him, with a clearly-defined rhythmic and harmonic basis.

Carving out a niche of his own.......2004-10-30

Wallace Roney, long pigeonholed (not unjustly) as a Miles clone, on this completely satisfying disc steps out of the master's shadow into the brilliant light of day as an artist that must be considered entirely on his own merits. Yes, there is still quite a bit of Miles Davis in Roney's playing and musical conception, especially Davis's mid-late electric period, but here Roney has once and for all moved beyond the disciple stage into original territory.

Listen. This is a very smart disc. Hip, edgy, approachable. The trifecta. Hard to achieve by anyone, let alone a guy who comes with a ton of baggage. From the opening notes, it's clear that we're in some kind of special territory. Really, I think he's outdone fellow trumpeters Nick Payton (Sonic Trance) and Dave Douglas (Freak In), as well as trombonist Josh Roseman (Treats of the Nightwalker), with this fabulous recording. This is what we've been waiting for, lo, these many years, from one of the chops-heaviest trumpeters of his generation.

This is modern, electric, groove-oriented jazz of the absolute highest order. Indeed, I consider it a high water mark for this kind of music. What immediately grabs the listener is the brilliantly conceived and executed soundscape of "Shadow Dance," at 10:34 not only the longest track but the most provocative. Featuring Don Byron on skanky bass clarinet, Clifton Anderson (Sonny Rollins's longtime bandmate) on trombone, and a killer sax solo by brother Antoine, this music evokes a very cool vibe, at once slinky and vivacious, crepuscular and noonday bright, sultry and spiffy. The title cut, a languorous ballad, continues the magic, and things remain at a near-impossibly high level with the boppish "Then and Now," featuring killer solos by the fils Roney, not to mention jaw-dropping drumming from up-and-comer Eric Allen. Roney's wife Geri Allen also seems completely locked into the vibe, producing brilliant pianisms on this cut, and, really, throughout the disc.

Throw in some absolute top-notch production--clean, transparent, beautifully imaged--and you've got a disc of great merit. Personally, I'm thrilled, as I've been waiting for Roney to produce an album of this quality for a long time. I'd almost given up on him. Am I ever glad I didn't.

Grooverider Presents-The Prototype Years

Average customer rating:

Good
History
Dope
Massive Respect, so they say...
Flawless mix by the master

Grooverider Presents-The Prototype Years
Grooverider Presents
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Drum & Bass | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

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Mysteries of Funk
New Forms
Modus Operandi
Exorcise the Demons
In the Mode

ASIN: B000002C2H
Release Date: 1997-09-16

Tracks:

Dreams Of Heaven - Codename John
Secrets - John B.
Grey Odyssey - Optical
Mute - Matrix
Deep Inside - Codename John
Silver Blade - Dillinja
Locust - Ed Rush & Fierce
Warned - Codename John
Still - Boymerang
City Lights - Lemon D

Customer Reviews:

Good .......2006-04-10

I honestly expected more, In all though it is a good cd, with a couple songs that are essential to atleast hear. I dont listen to it all that much, but once and a while when I feel the mood to. Its not one of those cds that are ready to melt in the cd player from over usuage, but good. ------ I meant to give it 4 stars

History.......2002-07-11

This is an essential collection of early Jungle / D&b tunes. Youll listen again and again and appreciate how foward thinking and inspirational these tunes were / are.

Dope.......2001-07-17

Right after the holy trinity of LOGICAL PROGRESSION, PLATINUM BREAKS & TORQUE, comes V CLASSICS AND this monster. though the vocal bytes found on "dreams of heaven" & "deep inside" might not be to your liking, other tunes such as "mute" & "gray oddyssy" manage to ride the fence between light and dark with amazing skill. either way, you MUST hear the absolutly Dope "locust" by ed rush & fierce, THE BEST! tech-style tune ever made!

Massive Respect, so they say..........2000-06-25

This is a seminal recording with some of the best stuff that was going round' back in 97' 98'. Featuring the who's who of the UK scene, this prototype is full of great music. There aren't too many other albums that offer the diversity of the genre like this one does. Definately a classic. And whoever wrote that really ignorant, stupid remark a few reviews up (moving to the jungle, bad music, etc), I think you need to go read some book's on John Cage, Stockhausen, or Boulez...or any of the most important composer's of electronic music who foresaw the uses and manipulations of these types of sounds as the future of music, not the archaic mentality that music is lifeless like the way you portray it with your weak, uninformed, useless at that... opinion. Get some rhythm. A good album...sorry.

Flawless mix by the master.......2000-05-29

It's flawless. The track selection and sequencing are perfect. Even though all the tunes are dark, they're tastefully chosen and the production on them is the highest caliber you'll see in jungle. "Secrets" by John B completely rips it up, the two-stepping Matrix and Optical (they're brothers!) tracks are a good wind-down, and Dillinja's "Silver Blade" subsequently tears through with the massive bass. Groove's own tracks are impeccable, of course, and Lemon D brings it all together with his track which really DOES evoke the sense of cruising in the city at night. This is one of the best drum&bass mixes around...also look at the Platinum Breakz, V Classics and Logical Progression series.

Average customer rating:

Sunshine in the Rain BEST SONG EVER
More the finished article than a prototype
I have no idea how I got suckered into buying this, *sigh* - only for pop fans but even they will probably hate it
further leather bar music in gran canaria
Sweden never gives up making hit albums

Prototype
Bodies Without Organs
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Euro Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Swedish Pop | Euro Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Euro Dance | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
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Halcyon Days
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Alcazarized
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ASIN: B0007VV8C6
Release Date: 2005-10-10

Tracks:

Sixteen Tons Of Hardware (Radio Edit)
Conquering America (Radio Edit)
Son Of A Gun
Open Door (Ballad Version)
Walking The Night
Voodoo Magic
Sunshine In The Rain
Riding Through The Night
Say I Love You
Rhythm Divine
European Psycho
Living In A Fantasy (Radio Edit)
Gone (Radio Edit)
Open Door (Disco Version)
Sixteen Tons Of Hardware (Johan S Radio Remix)
Conquering America (Johan S Radio Remix)

Album Details

Features Alexander Bard from Army of Lovers.

Customer Reviews:

Sunshine in the Rain BEST SONG EVER.......2006-06-21

If you only buy this CD for one song, it will be worth EVERY penny. Sunshine in the Rain is one of the most awesome songs ever recorded. Great beat, INCREDIBLE MELODY, great lyrics! I heard this song played for the first time several weeks ago, standing alone in a dance club, and from the first time I heard it, my mouth was on the ground. I literally had to run up to the VJ and ask him who was singing and what the title of the song was. Then he told me it might be hard for me to find since it was an Import. I was able to find it the next day at Virgin Records in Chicago. Sunshine in the Rain is just an incredible song, and since you can't get it on CD Single yet, you should buy the album.

More the finished article than a prototype.......2006-01-21

Loved this after hearing just a few tracks, and the more I've listened to it the better it has got. And I'm not over under 18 or yet over 40 (and I certainly do not own a crop top!) This great album is far from being Eurotrash. And unlike Steps there isn't a cover in sight.

And why this isn't available in the UK I don't know. It's much better than 90% of the dross that's on sale.

If you like Army of Lovers, Euro-Pop or catchy music that you can dance to then give this album a go.

I have no idea how I got suckered into buying this, *sigh* - only for pop fans but even they will probably hate it.......2006-01-10

I was definitely suckered into buying this album, but I was on a role before this as I bought Kasabian's "Kasabian", Kaiser Chiefs' "Employment" and Mylo's "Destroy Rock & Roll" on the whim that the customer reviews were dead-on. While the rest of those albums were all good or great, this one is just...bad (I also didn't realize it was a pop album when I bought it). This is easily THE biggest guilty pleasure album I own (minus the pleasure). It's not the WORST album I've ever heard, but it's ONLY for pop fans and they will probably hate it, too (before you think I just hate pop albums, I own and love many Pet Shop Boys, Erasure and Michael Jackson albums, for example). The only saving grace for this album are the songs "Conquering America", "Sixteen Tons Of Hardware", "Sunshine In The Rain" (which completely copies off another song that I can't remember the name of) and "Living In A Fantasy". This is THE worst album I own. None of the songs are about anything - this is the Swedish equivalent of a bad Britney Spears album. I'd give it a one, but those four decent songs make it at least somewhat enjoyable for die-hard pop fans (it's also a great album to make fun of). Not recommended.

Highlights include:
"Sixteen Tons Of Hardware"
"Conquering America"
"Sunshine In The Rain"
"Living In A Fantasy"

further leather bar music in gran canaria.......2005-12-26

I actually own aol and alcazar music but only select tracks. However, i do own all the vacuum music and this was and is by far bard's most inventive venture!!
On writing an album of camp cheesy songs you are bound to put out a couple that are decent i guess.... and thats just by the chance of probability. Non of them are great songs they are just a collection of songs aimed at under 18's or over 40's singing in their cropped tops and drinking cava before they go out for a night on the town. The reason this is not released in the uk is because we have a credible music scene and we did "steps" 5 years ago! If only europe would catch up! Clearly british people don't want to dance around in spandex shorts drinking tia maria with a straw to this hi energy 80's rubbish

Sweden never gives up making hit albums.......2005-12-23

If you are a person who's familiar with what's been going on in European music markets in the past few decades then from one listen you should be able to figure that BWO is a combination of:

1. Sweden's ABBA for the most part
2. Germany's Modern Talking (mostly '80's not the late 90's + early 2000's reunion
3. Sweden's Bosson's style is all over this project

Alexander Bard, who happens to be the mastermind and the witness of all mentioned above, has managed to put together a project, which has the potential to become world-wide known not because the project is an imitation of projects that have been done in the past but because it simply makes your mind travel back in the time by enjoying the sounds of the modern times.

The album contains all the sounds that a pop and dance music fan can ask for. It is mellow with catchy refrains and most of all danceable. The lead vocalist (Martin Rolinski) definitely has the right voice and the technique for this newly born project.

From the perfect sound they've managed to put out there, I'd say all three members have met each other at the right time and the right place.

I strongly recommend "Prototype" to those that have an existing gap between them and alternative rock, punk rock, hip-hop.

Average customer rating:

Prototype
Exhale
Manufacturer: Season of Mist
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Death Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Thrash & Speed Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000H0MMEU
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Tracks:

Besviken Igen
Decapitate
Hatet
Stangda Dr
Humans Own Defeat
Lie
Voices
Bussen Till Helvetet Pt. 1
Bussen Till Helvetet Pt. 2
Defy
Selfdenial
Die Inside
It
Reflections

Average customer rating:

No diggity
Very original and creative electronic-influenced ambient classical music - non-fans of the genre will hate it, though
A journey
A great composer in the making?

Multiples

Manufacturer: Kranky
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0007YH6CO
Release Date: 2005-05-24

Tracks:

Stereo Music For Hi-Hat
Stereo Music For Serge Modular Prototype (Part One)
Stereo Music For Serge Modular Prototype (Part Two)
Stereo Music For Serge Modular Prototype (Part Three)
Stereo Music For Yamaha Disklavier Prototype, Electric Guitar And Computer
Stereo Music For Farfisa Compact Duo Deluxe, Drum Kit
Stereo Music For Acoustic Guitar, Buchla Music Box 100, Hewlett Packard Model 236 Oscillator, Electric Guitar And Computer (Part One)
Stereo Music For Acoustic Guitar, Buchla Music Box 100, Hewlett Packard Model 236 Oscillator, Electric Guitar And Computer (Part Two)

Album Description

Keith Fullerton Whitman recorded Multiples at the Harvard University studios where he had access to vintage synthesizers and electronics. The eight tracks on this album flow from piercing electronic tones to interlocking clusters of repetitive guitars.

Customer Reviews:

No diggity.......2007-03-11

I can appreciate how Whitman went to harvard and dicked around with their instrument archive more than I have to like it. Don't get me wrong, I am a massive fan of the ambient-drone-classical-noise genre a la Stars of the Lid, Jessica Rylan, david lee myers and ellen band, home made electronics, bending circuits, all that geeky know all that Keith Whitman embraces. But frankly I find his music unbearable. Which is a shame because he's probably still riding on that glowing but unknowing review @ pitchfork which has made him a demigod in many peoples eyes [oh my GOD, what thought provoking and intelligent titles 'Stereo Music For Acoustic Guitar, Buchla Music Box 100, Hewlett Packard Model 236 Oscillator, Electric Guitar And Computer (Part One) ' the kind of titles that have tried so hard to erase so much pretense that it loops back around and you want to shoot yourself).
Quite like the 'music itself'. I can imagine the guy at pitchfork, puffing at a pipe, Wittgenstein on hand, truly pretending to 'get' Stereo Music for Hi Hat. Some people say something this audacious is genius, I say something/one this audacious is scary because he could almost pass for a musician, if you forget that the first half of his career was built drilling drum-and-bass computer programming in your brain via the Hrvatski cell tower. Whitman is NOT a musician. He has no control over the often interesting sounds he produces from obscre machinery, the moment he begins to bring it together with 'stereo music for farfisa compact duo deluxe', he loses it all over again. What starts with a promising organ line and simple but satisfying drum pattern spirals into another useless mess of drone drone and drone. its as if his random clicking and chirping is a safety net for lack of compositional skills-- I would appreciate the dronage more if he had proven himself through some other avenue as a musician first, not just academically but intuitively.

Very original and creative electronic-influenced ambient classical music - non-fans of the genre will hate it, though.......2006-01-10

I bought this album only because it was on pitchforkmedia's top 50 albums of 2005 list. What makes it great is the fact that it sounds entirely original and inspired as it's very interesting to listen to. Unfortunately, I fear that non-fans of the genre will simply hate it. It took me several listens to get used to it, as a lot of the songs are pretty hard to listen to on the first try. As for what it sounds like, it's essentially electronic-influenced ambient classical music. He uses a fair amount of guitar and piano sounds here, and a LOT of electronic noises (I know this because the song titles say what he uses). I hated it the first time I listened to it, but after several listens I finally found its greatness. For those looking for some great contemporary classical ambient albums, this is a GREAT buy. Highly recommended!

Highlights include:
the entire album!

A journey.......2005-07-19

starting with tweaks, dots, loops and whistles and ending with arpgiated piano and organ drone I felt like I was on the dark side of the moon . . . . .yet warm . . .

A great composer in the making?.......2005-05-24

KFW's influences are pretty obvious, and he's happy to reveal them - Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Christoph Heeman. He knows all about tone clusters, overtones and shifting minimal rhythms. But the textures on 'Multiples' are so beautiful that it's never just an academic exercise. This is somewhere between 60s and 70s American minimalism and the more psychedelic analog drone-work of Kawabata Makoto (when he's not cracking skulls with Acid Mothers Temple) or Yamazaki Maso (when he's not cracking skulls as Masonna). One thing it's NOT is ambient, even if some of the treatments are a little Eno-esque.

There are signs here that Whitman is outgrowing his influencers, particularly on the glorious final piece (the last two tracks), and developing a really individual voice. He is certainly worth watching carefully. For now, 'Multiples' fills that nagging gap where you want something more sensual than conservatoire minimalism but more musically structured than psych-drone.

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