Various – iChill (Big Chill Recordings)
September 18th, 2003 by andy32
As someone who’s been pretty close to elements of the Big Chill over the last few years, but painfully aware of having missed out on a few things close to the collective heart of the community that reflects the micro-zeitgeist of online chillers, it was actually quite an odd feeling to be asked to review ‘iChill’, the latest BC compilation CD. Things at bgpz towers have been pretty hectic recently, and in the light of an increasing workload and an overwhelming need to regain some of the chilled times from earlier this summer, I thought this CD might be just the thing to retreat with for a weekend. But in order to make things fun, the track listing, and any other info was left many miles away, no names, no pack drill, no clues. It was gonna be all about the music, maaan… total immersion, blind tasting all the way.
What follows is a track-by-track summary of the thoughts, sensations, and feelings that iChill managed to infuse a weekend that otherwise could have been another couple of days at the office, except the office had been transplanted to somewhere quieter and more peaceful. This is part review, part experiment, total immersion… (although for the sake of clarity, relevant information has been added in brackets in retrospect where appropriate)
Track one (‘Andante (for Frederick)’ – Flipside) eases you into the latest aural artefact of chill and almost effortlessly floats you off into another world; a delicate acoustic guitar takes the centre stage, with a heart-slowingly tranquil sea of pads, voice and a few other subtleties deep down in the mix (‘Early Music’ – State River Widening). Towards the end of the track, shades of a sub-aquatic ping herald a segue into a more arpeggiated melody, this time with a flute caressing the baton. The introduction of some drum beats don’t as much lift things off, as ease things forward.
A breathy female vocal next, with a gentle analogue air and – yes, much more of a deep tech-edge to the beats, I’ll wager a pound to a penny this has to be Laura B (it is – the track’s called ‘Ice Cold Water’). Having heard this lady do her thang first at a party at the ICA something like 5 years ago, and a handful of times since, this reviewer must profess to a soft spot the size of a watermelon to Laura B’s sounds. Having come from roots steeped in techno and deep house, before the 1990s rendered a swathe of multiple connotations to the terms making them all but meaningless, whenever this mademoiselle boots up her hi-tech weapons of tech-seduction, it’s as if we’ve gone through a wormhole that’s melded the spine-tinglingly raw emotion of early Detroit (try 10 Records’ ‘Techno 1 and 2′ compilations for a couple of exellent primers). Straight after that, we’ve got what sounded like a reprise of ‘Beautiful House’ which could only mean Bruce Bickerton (two in a row – ‘belter’, as a relation of his has been heard to say! This one’s called ‘The Blue’), another stalwart of all things chill over the last few years, and a near-permanent fixture as far as many are concerned. Sublime stuff.
Then the beats shark up a bit, lazy hip-hop tempo and dubbed-off vocal samples reminiscent of late 90s french hip-hop (e.g. DJ Vas), but almost feeling like it’s going to segue into Chilled By Nature’s ‘Go Forward’. But as the track goes on, a piano line evolves into a lazy, hazy guide melody to release the tension and bliss you out a bit further. This is only track 5, remember… chances are that keeping count of the tracks is one of the last things on your mind, though (‘Revelations’ – Shur-I-Kan).
Following on from that – is that a Fender Rhodes? Muted horns, more flutes, very much more an orchestral feel to this, yet it still transports you to a field somewhere deep in the English countryside on a warm summer’s day – - to an Enchanted Garden? – and evoking a bittersweet tear welling up at a host of memories, as the Hammond organ solo and vox draw you back to the calm that the here and now can provide (‘The Facts and the Dreams – remix’ – Fragile State)
The next track (‘That’s Her’ – International Peoples Gang) continues on nicely, more mid-to-top range breathiness and neo-acid melodic muted stabs raise the state of relaxation higher, vocal samples hinting more at bhangra than b-boy this time, but these are all subtly intertwined in the mix. There’s still this longing to be back in a field with a decent soundsystem, chilling with a few good friends, and a few thousand who aren’t quite as well-known to you just yet. Evocative of a summer days nearly gone, but still can be summoned up with this CD.
Whilst the last couple of tracks made me feel like lying back on an imaginary inflatable sofa, reaching for an ice-cool drink to counter a warm sun and sloth-like behaviour on the grass by the sanctuary stage, we’ve now gone towards a slightly darker, warmer yet slightly sinister vibe, but mellowed out with a laser beam of a male vocal which that doesn’t as much burn a hole through the coolness of the soundtrack, than acts like a glow-beam. If there isn’t’ such a thing, we need to create one (‘The Liking of Things’ – AGK).
Back to a more instrumental vibe, slightly shuffle-y, looped-up, and raising the chill stakes by upping the tempo as well as adding a touch of more upbeat jazz in there somewhere. There’s some well-timed breakdowns-which-are-yet-aren’t act more as pause for stretching than thought, and you can’t help but shuffle head and shoulders around to this a bit. If your feet were itching a bit after some of the various sublimities of the last few tracks, your upper third may well start to want to second the motion. But they’re not in a desperate rush. It’s a bit like how you might have felt at one of the recent Chills (and you may well have heard Leggo Beast at one of them – this is a track by him entitled ‘Skanked’).
If you hadn’t got up and wandered over to a more upbeat part of the festival in your mind’s eye (and to be honest, so far has there been much of a need?), we’re back down to a more measured, almost epic stance when the drum backing lifts this into its stride (‘Composing Blind’ – Feature Cast). It feels like this should be accompanying the end credits for a movie on a big screen, in all its 35mm widescreen majesty. it feels like something that David Holmes might have come up with if he’d have been listening to ‘Sevastopol’ by The Beaufort Scale on constant rotation. Give the latter a listen, along with something like ‘No Man’s Land’ by Mr H, feel how nicely they mesh together.
And then… the central icicle of the bigloo-top that is chill central’s musical vision himself, Pete Lawrence, in his Chilled By Nature guise. Chances are you’ll have heard this over the last couple of years at something to do with The Big Chill, be it a festival, on tour, on Big Chill FM.It’s a mini-anthem within this ever-growing community of chillage. And if that wasn’t enough, this is Laura B’s sublime ‘Love Bubble’ edit. You can’t go wrong, really.
Following on from Mr L, we have a slow, Latinesque feel that makes you wonder if this is any hint that the Big Chill’s next foreign jaunt might be across the ocean to a beachside in Brazil… Evocative of being a million miles away from the impending autumnal vibes, it’s yet another perfect antidote to those all-too-shortening nights, for those of us who would rather not see them end, but to extend that magical time just before sunset, cocktails in hand, swaying slowly with a loved one close to your heart (‘Sweet is the Air’ – Natureboy).
The penultimate track feels like a bit of a cold, clinical way in which to return back to the grey, more-than-probably urbanity that many of this CD’s owners will have to face outside their window. And for those of you who were fortunate enough to pick up a copy of the ‘Purple People’ CD over the last couple of months, you’ll recognise the unmistakeable sounds of Jake Bickerton – and yes, he is related to Bruce! What with another one (Paddy) coming out with some fine mixes, do we have an Osmonds for the Noughties in our midst?
And then – a start reminiscent of the shimmering beginnning of ‘El Condor Pasa’, but we’re not talking Simon and Garfunkel here. Ripples of warmth through what sounds like a double bass and electric cello, are counterbalanced by a gentle dappling of piano and plucked strings, layered beuatifully with enough strings to gently lower you back into the real world, a few levels more chilled to deal with the harsh realities that divide the Big Chill moments into clustered quanta more and more people regard as precious jewels (‘St Ives Bay’ – Amba).
Epilogue: As I kind of expected, the weekend was far from a long intense slog hunched over a table covered with various piles of work with rapidly encroaching deadlines. As it was, the sun shone a little, some quite heavy reading was done (and, more importantly, understood!), and a few tasks were actually put into perspective and jettisoned, if not readjusted. Maybe the soundtrack helped.
Maybe it was to do with getting away. But in between the moments of intense work and flashes of clarity and understanding, a number of what people on The Forum tend to refer to as ‘Big Chill moments’ either came flooding back to me whilst listening to the CD, or new analogies of them came to light of their own accord, resulting in a sensation that could have taken me back to Eastnor Castle Deer Park, the Larmer Tree Gardens, or even on a bench sitting outside Cargo.
Although this chilling lark tends to take place in the company of others, once or twice a year, at the end of the day it is a very individual ocurrance, a very personal process. I’ve said before that The Big Chill, for me, is a catalyst. And in a way the music and memories are too. In quite a profound way, ‘iChill’ is capable of enabling exactly what it says on the tin. My advice? Take one as needed, as frequently as required.
bgpz, September 2003.
bgpz can usually be found playing records and video tapes at SoxaN. He is currently in forum cold turkey, and may require blankets and/or pies administered as appropriate.
