Spyweirdos - Wetsound Orchestra

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 22 / 6 / 2007

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Review

'Wetsound Orchestra' is Spyweirdos' third album already, yet the first full-length Spyweirdos release I have heard. The 2CD set has remixes of the originals on the second CD, but still it remains a coherent package of tracks and sounds. 'Wetsound Orchestra' shares a sense of mystery with a clattering of crystal clear structures. Although a popular method these days, the 2CDs work refreshingly well. Shuffling through the fields of elektronica, Spyweirdos a.k.a. Spyros Polychronopoulos digs up fresh sounds from familiar territory. Click house, or micro house is defined by the subtle use of the basses, which are tickling and pulsating rather than pumping. But on his way to click house, Spyweirdos alternates minimalistic sketches with grand, orthodox compositions. The end result is a lush, rich tapestry of excellent tracks such as 'U' which receives an again excellent reworking by Bernard Fleischmann, the Viennese composer who can be held accountable for the invasion of lounge music in clicks_+_cuts years ago. By the end of the album the snare section of the orchestra has joined in and the warmth of sound is simply irresistable. Tracks of epic proportions with loungy elektronica can easily become soapy scapes of nonsense but Spyweirdos craftfully avoids those traps. For the second disc, the great sequence of the originals is changed. Alva Noto kicks off by blending two already compelling compositions into his 'Wiesbaden (already happened tomorrow) Schwarzer Bock mix' like a butcher extraordinaire working on his finest fillet. Gyro Gyro's reworking of 'The Key' doesn't do much, but Traject's remix of 'Innsbruck' features a disorientating loop, which is unsettling in a nice way, if that's something you can imagine from reading words. B. Fleischmann's version of 'U' is the highlight of disc two. Octex and Horchata both remix 'The Cellar' whilst Funckarma and Ollie Olsen both remix 'The Key' in subtle and conservative fashion. Peekay Tayloh however pulls some tricks that turn 'Should be a spell' into a snappy bundle of star trek effects. The remixes are a little inconsistent yet the extra CD sheds a surprising light on the original album. So, that's a 9/10 for disc one, and a 6,5/10 for disc two.

Track Listing:-

1 Cellar
2 Already Happened Tomorrow
3 3.5 Ec
4 Portal
5 Fallen
6 Bubble Of Dreams
8 The Key
9 Innsbruck
10 Should Be A Spell
11 Wiesbaden (Already Happened Tomorrow) (Schwarzer Bock Mix)
12 The Key (Gyro-Gyro Remix)
13 Innsbruck (Traject Remix)
14 3.5 Ec (Mad EP Basso Savant Remix)
15 U (B. Fleischmann Remix)
16 The Key (Funckarma Remix)
17 Should Be A Spell (Peekay Tayloh Remix)
18 Cellar (Octex Remix)
19 The Key (Ollie Olsen Remix)
20 Cellar (Horchata Remix)