Ear Kompany - We Can Program You

  by Mark Rowland

published: 10 / 4 / 2002

Label: Earko
Format: CD

intro

"Essential" long form debut release from Birmingham electronica duo that bridges the gap between Braindance and Orbital's sound

Ear Kompany are Ben Henneman and Tom Dunstan, and they have connections. You just have to look at the list of names in the thank you section of this album. " Plaid, Richard D. James, Two Lone Swordsmen, Mike Paradinas..." I could go on. From those names you should have a reasonable idea of what Ear Kompany sound like. They definitely have a foot planted firmly in Braindance territory. 'We Can Program You' is the first release on their own Earko label, which has developed from an Earko club night in Birmingham's Medicine Bar. The music itself isn't quite as mad as Braindance can be, with the spacey synth intro of the opener ' Stay' sounding uncannily like Orbital. In other tracks on the album, such as 'Ping Pong' and 'The Sun Style', the influence of Orbital can be heard again. This gives the whole album a more structured and restrained feel than is usually found in Braindance, which will make Ear Kompany appeal to fans of more conventional forms of alternative dance as well as Braindance devotees. The tracks 'Buck Rogers' and 'Hex' display EarKo's interest in sci-fi, and also partly explain the Orbital-esque element to their music. Through the use of ethereal synth sounds, Ear Kompany's music puts the image of space into your mind, no matter how hard you try to block it out. Still, the music's quality still cannot be deniedl. For fans of both techno and Braindance, this release is practically essential.

Track Listing:-