Articles
Robert Henke
Deepchord and Soultek

Albums
Amoebazoid
Boy Is Fiction
BTB
Calika
Vic Chesnutt
Enrico Coniglio
Eric Copeland
Deadbeat
Deepchord : Echospace
Ditch
Terrence Dixon
Brian Ellis
Reinhold Friedl
The Green Kingdom
Marc Hannaford
Hrsta
K. Leimer
Lights Out Asia
Nebula 3
Netherworld
Le Peuplier de Simon
Po
Portable
Lou Reed
Jeffrey Roden
Skallander
Swod
Gregory Taylor
Telephone Jim Jesus
Pau Torres
Tunng
Rolan Vega
Robert Vincs
Warmth
Otomo Yoshihide

Compilations / Mixes
Sander Kleinenberg
One Point Two
Total 8

3"/ 7"/ 10"/ 12"/ EPs
Adultnapper
Arrow!!!
Ascoltare
Beneva vs. Clark Nova
Cinematic Orchestra
Deepchord : Echospace
Easy Changes
Fink
Peter Grummich
The Heavy
Isomer Transition
Laptik
Larytta
Nadja
Pendle Coven
Polvere
Redhooker
Spied
Andy Stott
Torrance & Hochstrate
Andy Vaz

Ditch: Ditch Weed
Op.disc

Though Ditch (aka Shinichiro Kohno) has appeared on ‘foundsound'-associated labels like Microcosm and Goosehound, his style distinguishes itself from others within the sample-heavy genre. True to the genre template, a battalion of noises surfaces throughout the eleven minimal-house tracks on the Sendai, Japanese artist's debut full-length but Kohno uses great care in determining precisely where and how those sounds appear. In short, though it's conceivable that he deploys some random strategy for distributing his samples, the results assuredly never sound random. The resultant sound design captivates, a case in point the single, low piano note that tolls repeatedly throughout “Mysterious Hoze,” anchoring the tune in place, and the unexpected inclusion of an electric guitar solo in “Woothem.” A dramatic woodwind theme begins “Naiad" with a brooding ambiance one would more associate with an ancient Noh play than a dance club, but Ditch gradually supplants it with a buoyant groove built from claps, voice fragments, congas, squeals, and assorted other sounds before allowing the haunted theme to return near track's end. Despite the density of material, the sample landscape never seems too cluttered or bare, and the incessant interventions feel carefully conceived rather than happenstance. Furthermore, when streams of samples appear over surging pulses in “Tanteen Edit A” and “Wall,” they cohere into funky rhythm patterns that bolster the material's groove impact. The incessant slams and clatter that tumble over the clickety groove of “2kg” situate Ditch firmly in foundsound territory but Kohno retains interest by inserting a querulous, sci-fi theme deep in the mix. The meteor showers of voices, guitar strums, and rattles that collide throughout the snappy “Surrealism” are also textbook foundsound. At seventy-two minutes, Ditch Weed is admittedly long but Kohno keeps the quality level high throughout this splendid release from the consistently strong Op.disc imprint.

September 2007