We’ve seen many labels come and go over the last ten years, so when a label lasts for an entire decade, the event is cause for celebration. One can make a go at it with the proper mindset and the right talent. And Feral Media has done just that. 10 is a grand party, 23 tracks that span the roster from ambient to hip-hop, including a healthy number of selections that will be of interest to our instrumental and experimental minded readers. The physical release (now sadly sold out) was an mp3 Playbutton that could be attached to one’s clothes like an iPod mini. One imagines all music being released in this way someday: bodies covered with music from button to bar code, all waiting to be played. It wouldn’t be such a bad future.
0.1’s “Softism” is a fine glitch intro, with intricate interplay between the speakers. A series of “ahhs” lights the way like a Sigur Rós candelabra. The deep percussion and random rattlings are playful and inviting, the closing watery sample like a healthy inside joke. Cleptopclectics’ remix of Faux Pas’ “Live Shine See” takes the same tactic, but with live drums and clear vocals. Pimmon also makes an appearance, his second on a compilation reviewed here this week. This time out, he discards the drone in favor of a head-nodding beat that grows more dangerous as it develops. Strangely, this makes Scissor Lock’s exquisite drone “Alaska” sound more like the work of Pimmon. Later we encounter some post-rock from Alpen, and even a bell-filled remix of a Because of Ghosts track. Raven’s “Headache Music” is one of the most intriguing tracks found here, due to the sharp contrast between the wandering glitches and the steady string melodies. This is definitely an artist we’d like to hear more from. Seaworthy (now without harmonium) presents a sweet oceanic track, with tender piano; and Broken Chip closes the whole thing with the surprisingly sedate “Catching Light”.
Don’t feel bad if you didn’t get a button ~ you can still get 24 tracks for five Australian dollars, which is quite a bargain. 1o underlines the strength of the underground scene from Down Under, giving us reason to believe the best is yet to come. (Richard Allen)
a closer listen 