Sunday, December 16, 2012

Digitalcasm Daily Play #33

Sola Sistem by Underworld




Real Quick


I've been falling slightly behind on posts these past couple of weeks.  Things have picked up a bit for work, and I've been spending more time preparing for some of my first solo gigs with  the company I've been DJing and Emceeing for.  Have also been ramping up and preparing for a show with one of the bands I play keyboard for. To boot, some other obligations that are catching up with me, and my time management skills aren't super great.  This has meant that I haven't had the time to sit down and properly focus on seeking out cool tunes and writing about them for a coupla days.  But today's tune. Man.


About these guys


Underworld.  Essex Brittain.  Been around (as Underworld) since 1989.  Sola Sistem was released in 2002 on the A Hundred Days Off album.  Members at that time were the duo Karl Hyde and Rick Smith;  Emerson took off just before this was released.  These guys have been at the Electronic music game for a long time, and their music was a big part of the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony.  Underworld are one of my all time favorite electronic groups.

Why this is great


The ambient glassy synth along with the shuffled drumbeat mixed in to giganticness immediately swallow you whole.  A punchy saw bass does it's thing while indecipherable "stream of consciousness poetry" is sung underneath.  I looked up the lyrics, and loved the song more.  The combined effect of all these elements is something icy, and provocative.  Like many Underworld songs, it's long and kind of epic.  Somehow  it drones on for six-minutes-plus and sustains it's iciness tone for without getting old.  This track could be 18 minutes long and I'd still happily sit, eyes closed, through all of it. Sola Sistem really hits the spot for me, and will definitely be fit in to my next DJ set. 

More to come soon.

2 comments:

  1. This song makes me "Drift"
    not the usual kind of drifting either..
    not AWAY anywhere,
    Just Drift you know?

    how do i put this..
    i was listening with some good headphones
    & body felt very relaxed &
    my eyes where drifting from object to object
    corner to corner
    everything & anything within
    eye shot.

    R.E.M. Status,
    type of stuff you do while you sleep
    with your eyes under your eyelids.

    you feel me SON?..

    p.s.
    me llamo
    SURE SHOT!!


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    Replies
    1. Yes. I feel you. :) This song is the musical equivalent of taking a deep breath out on a cold day when you've just consumed some seriously strong mints, and it kind of hurts, and is super refreshing, and you watch all the warm vapors from your lungs slowly evaporate in a small cloud of lifting mist. All that but in slow motion. It's also seriously psychedelic.

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