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THE TWO HEADED MONSTER

The Transparent Sound Recordings imprint championed the electro-funk beats of the late Nineties, their latest label Orson Records is a similar vehicle for todays experimental, electronic club sounds. And now with The Two Headed Monster they are pairing together Orson artists with like-minded, visionary producers and DJs for a wonderfully open minded snapshot of the music making clubbing in 2006 so life-affirmingly vital again.

"In the clubs you're seeing an interaction between live acts and DJs, and the DJs themselves, by using laptops and programs like Traktor, Ableton and Final Scratch, are bringing in new technological elements to their sets" comments Transparent Sounds Orson Bramley on one of the key concepts behind the series. "The Two Headed Monster is about trying to show the differences and similarities between these things."

For the debut release in this series, Transparent Sound have hooked up with Fabric resident and long-time champion of cutting-edge, underground dancemusic, Craig Richards. Both artists have a musical admiration for one another that has grown dramatically over the last year.

"I've got an interest in electro and more recently they've been making music which is deeper, groovier and more four-four based as opposed to the electro they used to do. So I guess we've both become a lot closer together in what we do" says Richards of his involvement. "I put out one of their records last year, I play their stuff and we have a mutual respect for one-another, so it seemed like a good idea to work on something together."

Their contributions to the debut release for this project show how the boundaries are increasingly becoming blurred between sounds, styles and reference points: without less fickle media endlessly pigeonholing genres into safe, sanitised little boxes, each exclusive from the other, dance music has been given a new lease of life. And it's all here.

Transparent Sound have put together a live studio mix that draws on the many weird and wonderful styles of music that are influencing their productions. From the driving bass assaults of Vintage and Proper Techno, through to the more delicate, intricate rhythms of Variations Of An Attitude and Voyeurs Chance right through to the sublime Hell Bent and The Cider Club, its an engaging, melodic and dynamic set of tracks that although diverse, remain fluid and coherent throughout.

Craig's DJ mix, his first to be released in two years, is a deep, hypnotic collection of current favourites and rediscovered gems that never once takes its eye off of the dancefloor. Many of the tracks he's edited himself, and as well as this he's added a load of his own FX. Craig says "It's quite bouncy and groovy, and is probably closer to the first mix I did for the Fabric series than the Tyrant one from a couple of years ago. I tried to keep it moving around as much as possible, messing around with the tunes and sneaking in things that people wouldn't always expect."

The end result is a thrilling Trans Europe Express-way ride through the EU's most daring discotheques and illicit after-parties, and it makes for a devastating trip.

Orson Records was launched by Transparent Sounds Orson Bramley in 2003 as a means of showcasing new, undiscovered producers and acts as well as their own increasingly less straight-up electro tracks. With a growing catalogue of releases from Glasgows Espion, The Artificial Arm (whose 'Welcome To Planet Funk' was a highlight of the 2005 Pile-Up compilation, mixed be Belgium's Geoffroy and released on his Hi-Phen imprint), Point B and Transparent Sound themselves, the label is shaping up to be one of the UK's leading purveyors of modern electronic music for dancing.

Words: Jason Riley

ORSON 008. Transparent Sound give us the HELL BENT EP, with mixes from DUB KULT, MESAK & ESPION. This is first in a special series of 3 limited coloured vinyl 12's which will accompany our first Album release, The Two Headed Monster (See below).

THE ARTIFICIAL ARM - RUMBLE PUNK EP
Rumble Punk is the 2nd ep from the Artificial Arm to be released on Orson. If you liked Armtronic Action then you're gonna love this one. Its another helping of 80's inspired electro magic and it has more than just the Funk! We think it IS the Funk!