DJ Alex Corton – Vinyl Reviews

Good Looking Records

Pete Rann / Pariah / Avid Nation / J Laze – Abacus / Primary Evolution / Not Far Now / Future Echoez 

2002

Today we move onto our next release with four artists that sprang into the forefront of the music through Good Looking. Three of the artists we’re reviewing, have their first taste on the Good Looking side of things, and one we have already sung many praises about. 

   Nick Purser works the art on this one, as the baton passed between both Gareth Jones and he during this period. I’m loving hearing the stories behind these, so please keep them coming. I know the space provided isn’t quite as impacting as the full artwork sleeves. I’m trying to work out this one? Any stories, I’ll move them (quoted) into the blog too. 

[thanks to Gareth Jones for the hints toward the image. Inside the shutters of the front office of the GLR HQ at the time]

    While I mentioned “first releases on GLR”, it was following his three earlier releases on Looking Good, that Pete Rann then had this, his first track on Good Looking. Pete had this knack for raising the energy and frantic assembly of the tracks, while scooping in his love of Detroit and funk along his path of work. His style is such a unique one on the label, sprawling out this map of busy, diverting mayhem, interlinking within a malleable dome of tranquility and thought provoking time travel. 

Pete mentions “It was a pleasure to be a part of the GLR/LGR camp during that time. I remember producing Abacus with my trusty old EMU E64 and JV 1080 (I still have the latter but not the former) it was also one of those tunes that came together in a few days. I think Nookie was the one playing it out to begin with”.

   Side A lets ‘Abacus’ pull us into the circuit boards of rushing currents, closing switches and burning power sources, speeding the sounds of the future out from the inner workings of his sound, into the orbits of the distant galaxies. The breakdown on this tune is a piece of fucking magic. Pete nailed an absolute diamond of a tune here. Once you have flexed the full duration of this tune, there is only bursting admiration for Pete Rann. A guy who had a catchy, individual, and very effective style broadening the growth and richness of the music. 

   On Side AA, we have an artist we last reviewed on the Good Looking sub label run by Blame, on 720 Degrees. 

    The tune ‘Primary Evolution’, inflicts a colossal impact during its duration, with that pumping, prodding bass, those high hat drums and such a smooth characteristic of revolving sounds, nestled within the gliding pads. Pariah had this amazing touch of ending the 16th bar with a slight adjustment, pause and then flutter before rolling into the next block of the song. The gifts of Pariah are very clear with this track. One to take a stroll with down mystic street. Pariah has discharged several tunes recently, on Okbron and most recently on Omni Music, however the members that once were, are not the same these days, so I believe? R. Clinton and S. Martin were the guys behind the GLR/720 era, whereas nowadays, it’s Marc Plested and Phil Jones who are flying the flag. Although Phil is credited on this one too.

   The second 12” is up tomorrow. The blog can be found right here, obviously, as you’re on it now, if you fancy browsing the full catalogue.