 If you've been semi-conscious over the past year, you've undoubtedly heard the news -- "electronica" is the future of music. As repulsively idiotic as the word "electronica" is, it is still the best way to describe the growing musical genre that includes, but isn't limited to, ambient, techno, jungle, and drum n' bass. True, 1997 never did turn into "The Year of Electronica," and the very word has already become passe, but the music revolution continues to push onward, albeit slowly. Whether or not the whole electronic scene will be seen as relevant twenty years from now remains to be seen -- it could, after all, turn into the disco of the nineties. However, if the hype is warranted and electronic music is the future of music, Colin Robinson and Pete Scullion of Big Block 454 have a decidedly bright future ahead of them. Listening to the unsigned Manchester duo's LP tape I Changed My Dentist, I Changed Him Into a Horse is an experience that is alternately stimulating and soothing. The hypnotic first track, "We Want Your Mind," has so few words and such an addictive bassline that it is impossible to get the words out of your head ("24 hours a day/Listen to me, I have nothing to say"). The next track, "Throb" is by far the best song on the tape. The distorted guitars and hauntingly innovative samples make it an excellent song for, um, well, whatever it is you do. For the most part, the rest of the songs are solid. Big Block 454 earns brownie points for its sense of humor. With song titles like, "Cold Meat and How to Disguise It," and "Vector Analysis Can Be Fun," it's difficult not to be intrigued. Also, any song containing the lyrics "I Changed My Dentist/I Changed Him Into a Horse," deserves some recognition, just for that. With the exception of the first two tracks and "How Your Daily Newspaper is Produced," much of the tape is low-key. Some songs seem to meander endlessly through a maze of clever samples and bass lines without any clear direction. At times this can be deeply soothing, at others it can be downright boring. The addition of a vocalist would solve this problem because it would give the listener something to remember after the song is over. If the samples and instruments aren't totally riveting, and sometimes they are, the song becomes nothing but a collection of random bleeps and buzzes that make no real impression. "The Importance of Trivia" is one such song. The entire track is, for the most part, the sound of a distant siren played over a very slow and uninspiring beat. Later, a child can be heard babbling over the siren, but it is nothing to get excited about. Whether or not electronic music will live up to the hype remains to be seen. If it does, keep an eye out for Big Block 454, they might just be a part of the next British Invasion. Check out BB454's website at http://www.bigblock454.mcmail.com.
JOHN FITZGERALD, FitzOther@aol.com, is a junior at Pace University in New York. He recently
finished his first screenplay, "The Frugal Alcoholics" and is looking for
a movie deal.
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