New releases
courtesy of Papa Jazz Record Shoppe
March 14
Beach Boys - Soundtrack: Endless Summer
(Rock/Pop)
Barron, Bill - Modem Window Suite (Jazz/Big
Band)
Bryan, Mark - 30 on the Rail (Rock/Pop)
Byrd, Charlie - For Lewis Armstrong (Jazz/Big
Band)
Connor, Chris - Chris (Jazz/Big Band)
Cupcakes - Cupcakes (Rock/Pop)
Eels - Daisies of the Galaxy (Rock/Pop)
Eno, Brian - Desert Island Selection (Rock/Pop)
Enon- Believo! (Rock/Pop)
James, Elmore - Blues Masters: Very Best of (Blues)
Mars Electric - Beautiful Something (Rock/Pop).
Mingus, Charles - East Coasting (Jazz/Big Band)
Paul, Ellis - Live (Rock/Pop)
Perry, Lee Scratch - Meets the Mad Professor
(Reggae/Dance)
Posies - Alive Before the Iceberg (Rock/Pop)
Rouse, Josh - Home (Rock/Pop)
Satriani, Joe - Engines of Creation (Rock/Pop)
Scofield, John - Bump (Jazz/Big Band)
Smoking Popes - Live at Metro, Chicago 99’
(Rock/Pop)
South Pacific - Constance (Rock/Pop)
Space Ghost: Brak Album (Rock/Pop)
Suicude Machines - Suicide Machines (Rock/Pop)
March 21
Bell, Cook and Candle - Read My Sign (Rock/Pop)
Fatboy Slim - Fatboy Slim/ Normon Cook Col
lection (Techno)
Fishbone - Psychotic Friends Nuttwerx (Rock/Pop)
Reverend Horton Heat - Spend A Night In the Box
v Rock/Pop)
Smith, Patti - Gung Ho (Rock/Pop)
March 28
Catatonia - Equally Cuised and Blessed (Rock/Pop)
Cracker - Garage D’or (Greatest Hits) (Rock/Pop)
Fatboy Slim - On the Floor at the Boutique (Tech
no)
Goldfinger - Stomping Ground (Rock/Pop)
April 4
Apples In Stereo - The Discovery of a World In
side the Moone (Rock/Pop)
Elf Power -Vainly Clutching at Phantom Limbs
(Rock/Pop)
Lou Reed - Ecstasy
5E
John B. forges sub-genres of Drum and Bass
by Jason Paddock
Gamecock Critic
Few producers in drum & bass can effective
ly transcend the different sub-genres to the extent
that John B. manages, and even fewer with such
seeming effortlessness. As one of the more versa
tile DJs in the world of drum & bass, John B. blends
jazz, electro, hard-step and funk like the best bar
tenders blend maigaritas. Smooth yet punchy, John
B.s brings to mind celebration. And that’s what
John B. seems to represent more than anything:
good spirits, soul, funk and energy, working to
gether to make incredible drum &
bass tracks.
On his most recent affair, John B. (a.k.a.
John B. Williams) takes proven winners in tracks
like “We Like the Music,” “Pressure,” and“Krisp
tron” and adds a lavish amount of new material
to create Catalyst, the follow-up LP to 1998’shigh
ly acclaimed Visions. LP. This time around, John
shows more personality in his tracks, particularly
sense of humor. With Catalyst being released on
his own Beta Recordings label (Visions saw release
on SS’s New Identity imprint), one can see an open
ing up of John B.’s talents to an even grander de
gree than the usper-sleek Visions.
Released as a two or three-disk set (depending
on the packaging), Catalyst offers a trio of sounds
that John sums up with “Liquid” (disk 1), “Solid”
(disk 2) and “Vapour” (optional 3rd disk), with
each disk driven by a particular sound. On “Liq
uid,” the foundation is huge-sounding jazz tracks
with obvious dance-floor appeal. Take “Viva” and
“Progress,” both jazz terrors with relentless drums
and huge-sounding bass lines. And as the liner notes
point out, “Rather than purely basing tracks around
lo-fi, over-used eighth generation samples off
scratched old vinyl he creates new sounds and com
poses melodies originally, and records them with
live instruments.”
John enlists several live horn players to add a
more oiganic and original quality to his pristine
production. The combination sounds particularly
effective on tracks like the heavily played “We
Like the Music” (released as an early 12”) and
I I
Artist: John B.
Album: Catalyst
Rating: out of jfrihfrtfr
“Vanishing Point.” Along with his tracks on the
jazz-focused formation compilations “Jazz and Bass
Sessions,” this release just further showcases the
capabilities of John B. to use cutting-edge tech
nology and classical training to generate the next
progression in music. But there’s a lot more on
Catalyst than just mutant jazz music.
On the second disk, “Solid,” John B. demon
strates not only the production of dance-floor killer
after dance-floor killer, but how to mix them flaw
lessly, as well. Tracks like “Prowler,” “No Answer”
and “Gollum” just smash the floor, while sleeker
tracks like “Krisptron” and “Droogs” polish off the
mess. In a time when harder drum & bass releas
es can usually be easily compared to Ed Rush &
Optical, Bad Companyor the Ram Crew, John B.
stays close to the typical dance-floor aesthetic, but
promotes a sound that can be easily distinguished
as his own. Even when things get nasty in his tracks,
with bass lines that just sound like some subter
ranean onslaught, a certain sense of articulation
and nuance keeps the tracks dynamic and pro
gressive. These kinds of tracks are dance-floor
rollers for the musically minded. Throw in the third
CD, a digitally mixed collection of downright vi
cious tracks, and you’ve got hours of tunes for late
night mind bending.
John B. drops slammin’ tracks with the sci
entific efficiency one would expect from a cell bi
ology graduate. But where the hell did all that funk
come from? When you listen to John’s work, it’s
hard to believe he is still such a young member
of the drum & bass community. With all so much
of his talent already laid down on wax, it’s hard
to imagine where he’s going to go. But, alas, with
a new label and everyone and his mum trying to
get John to lay down a track for them, there will
certainly be much more ahead in this bright young
man’s career. Wfe’d also like to add that even though
John B is living the life of a hot, young, globe
trotting drum & bass DJ and producer, his college
education still serves him well. After all, man, he’s
still droppin’ science. Mad science. Make sure you
hear the lesson: Catalyst by John B. on Beta Record
ings.
90.5 WUSC-FM Concert Calendar
Updated March 14
Wednesday, March 15
Music Farm — Genitorturers ($8)
Tremont —Gov't Mule
New Brookland — The Speakeasies with
The Dave Edgington Trio
Thursday, March 16
Elbow —Hobex
Friday March 17
Ground Zero — Mindset, Threadthreat, Ae
sop’s Fools
Saturday, March 18
Pavlov’s — Five Why Friday
Ground Zero — Gov’t Mule
Fat City (Charlotte)—Throttlerod
Fubar—Enable Kain, 50 Caliber Stepchild
Sunday, March 19
WUSC FM and Gallery 701 present Sex
Mob with specialguestMott Sharp at Gallery
701 at 701 Whaley Street (8p.m.... $6 for
students and members, $7 for the general
public.) Call 254-3585 for more informa
tion, or e-mail Jonathan Garrick at
wuscmd@hotmail.com.
Thursday, March 23
New Brookland—Alabama Thunderpussy,
Throttlerod
Saturday March 25
Colossal Music Crawl in Five Points—Wrist
bands are $5, which includes admission to
see 40 bands at seven venues. Just to name
a few, The Betty Ford Experience, Hick’ry
Hawkins, Mass Connection, Motherload,
Throttlerod and The Verna Cannon. Wrist
bands are on sale at Manifest, Papa Jazz
and all Music Crawl venues: Delaney’s, El
bow, Flipside, Monterrey Jack’s, New Brook
land Tavern, Pavlov’s and Sharkey’s.
Tuesday, April 4
New Brookland —Boetz
April 7,8,9
The 3 Rivas Music Festival will showcase
more than 100 local and national music acts
on 7 stages. There will be music for every
taste, R&B to gospel, from country, jazz, al
ternative rock and classical, with a little bit
of Cajun and bluegrass thrown in. The fes
tival will be in the beautiful Vista. For
more information, check out the 3 Rivers
Festival Web site at www.3riversmusicfes
tival.oig.
New Brookland Tavern —Boetz
Tremont — Cowboy Mouth, Paul
Sanchez, Mulebone