PHILIP JECK

Good news for folks in Melbourne on May 18th: UK sound artist Philip Jeck plays a show at the Toff In Town. I've written briefly about Jeck in these pages before, though that was years back and (I think) just a brief description... so here's another! Jeck has been around since the early '80s, and was one of the first on the block (in the UK, at least) to get on vinyl-scratching bandwagon. Although often compared to the likes of John Oswald, David Shea and Christian Marclay, his music is quite different in approach, and, for me, much more palatable. Essentially, what makes Jeck different is that his music doesn't sound like someone merely using vinyl LPs as source material. It's not a postmodern mix-up with voices and sound-bytes coming in and out - a sound I find to be, well, more than a little annoying and dated - but rather his music sounds composed and fully realised. He's got a bunch of albums out on various labels from the last 15 years, though the only ones I've been exposed to are three on the Touch label: '99's Surf, 2002's Stoke and 2003's 7. For myself, and others, Surf remains the jewel in his crown. It's a perfectly realised excercise in controlled sound, a brilliant combination of creepy atmospherics, driving industrial soundscapes and bongo-driven beats. I can't imagine anyone who's a fan of early Cabaret Voltaire, Sunn O))) or Suicide not liking this. And whilst I'm not exactly expecting a stage and concert spectacular to rival Andre Rieu or Kiss's Destroyer tour, I'll be there front and centre to hear the sounds wash over me. I like this guy a lot.