Muslimgauze

Sonically, Bryn Jones's work as Muslimgauze often pulled in two directions at the same time. The one, towards what fans of Can might call an "ethnographic" kind of practice, especially with his use of vocal samples and percussion instruments from the Middle East and other regions of the world Jones was so interested in (obsessed by?). The other is toward, for lack of more polite phrasing, harshly fucked-up digital noise and beats. Many interesting Muslimgauze releases tend more toward that ethnographic side or find a middle ground between the two impulses, but few of his records slide so much towards the other end of the spectrum as does 1996's Uzbekistani Bizzare and Souk. Aside from the vocal loop/Amen break duet of "Rouge Amin Fraction," the songs here found Jones focusing much more on the electronic music elements always present in his work as Muslimgauze, ranging from the watery, dubby tones that show up on "The Iranian Who Found Allah" and parts of the suite-like "Paper Gulag" through the harsh trebles of "Cafkir Ma Higra" (which bring to mind Aphex Twin's "Ventolin") to the dense digital-sleet-storm of closer "Leboneeze." Elsewhere, tracks like "Cafkir Wa Hig" and "Harijana" serve as master classes in Jones's expertise at twisting his beats and patterns until they practically shred (both themselves and, if you're not careful, the speakers). Uzbekistani Bizzare and Souk was originally issued by Staalplaat on DAT in 1996, and was reissued on CD by Important Records in 2002; this is its first vinyl release. A tough, rigorous set of some of Jones's most beat-focused work as Muslimgauze. Limited edition of 500.