It's
the year 3030...And here at The Corporate Institutional
Bank of Time, we find ourselves reflecting...Finding out,
that In fact, we came back...We were always coming back....
And thus begins the intergalactic journey of Deltron Zero
(Del the funky homosapien), The Cantankerous Captain Aptos
(Dan The Automator) and Skiznod the Boy Wonder (Kid Koala)
on their journey to reclaim Earth's Music.
Spanning 21 tracks, 9 of which are quick interludes to help
push the story along, and just over 60 minutes worth of
music, the trio must be commended for maintaining such a
consistent vibe and structure throughout this musical piece.
The album is extensively produced, not only in the sense
of beat-composition in which Automator has done a splendid
job with, but in which everything is presented; the story
wrapped and maintained, the mixing of sounds so preciously
placed. The album evokes a sense of awe; a truly believable
tale, undoubtedly meant to be played from beginning to end.
It's wondrously layered with topics such as virus', turbulence
and apocalyptic visions of the world, right on down to mass
confusion from which of course leads to madness. One can
not help but be taken aback by this finely crafted and conceived
visual tale.
The album's aura is wrapped in a dark and desolate feel,
where everyone is still bent on becoming an emcee, and old
Canadian beer commercials are considered visual masterpieces
in art. Helping in the creation of the album are a bevy
of guest artists such as Damon Albarn, lead singer of Blur,
as well as Prince Paul lending his creative talents on 2
of the interludes. Mr Lif kicks it right-quick on track
06, and Peanut Butter Wolf makes a brief appearance as well
on that same track. Old Beastie Boys' producer and DJ, Money
Mark is found on the "New Coke" interlude and
Paul Barman is introduced as Cleofis Randolph The Patriarch
on a song all-to himself. Sean Lennon lays some extremely
potent vocals on "Memory Loss" and fans of Bjork's
solo material will be happy to hear that long-time friend
and producer, Mark Bell, in fact, produced 6 of the interludes
on Deltron 3030. This is a brilliant, brilliant album, extremely
well thought out and executed, with a production value seemingly
immeasurable in originality. Pairing Del up with such a
diverse range of talents brings back thoughts of his teamup
with Dinosaur Jr. for the "Judgment Night" soundtrack.
Once again, that formula works, and Automator is to be commemorated
for taking such a step.
Dan's beats range from extremely funky (see "Time Keeps
On Slipping") to futuristic techno funk ("Positive
Contact") right on down to some bastard-child/Orwellian/Beach
Boys something or other ("3030"). There's a general
vibe of goofiness laden throughout the album's interludes,
but they seemingly only add to the madness present in Del's
lyrics in regards to the overall story. This is a world
where music has been run-amuk, and the insanity of such
a world comes across extremely visual. Koala does a lovely
job lacing scratches and vocal samples throughout every
song, and goes so far as to scratch many of Del's very own,
older records. It's dope to hear a Del line from "No
Need For Alarm" being re-used in a more futuristic
context. This is a brilliantly composed album and, in fact,
an instant classic.
We invite you to check out the sounds to the right and get
a feel for what this album has in store. But again, the
true enjoyment of this record is listening to it from beginning
to end. Enjoy, and pickup the album when it is released
on 75Ark Records on October 17th, 2000.
