Space Dimension Controller - Return to Microsector 50 ()

Space Dimension Controller - Return to Microsector 50 (R&S, 25 Feb)

In the past, we've possibly been a little disparaging of Space Dimension Controller, not for the quality of his music, which is an unquestionably excellent fusion of electro-funk, techno, cosmic disco, but for the over-the-top presentation he insists on. The musical Kayfabe that he adheres to draws so heavily from trash-fiction and indulges it without a shred of self-knowing, that it comes across as slightly demented... However, SDC's Mr 8040 character and his rapidly-expanding universe do have their own unique charm, and with the fine line between genius and madness blurring at post-light speeds, Return to Microsector 50 currently orbits the twin moons of "so bad it's good" and "so bad it's horrible". To put it another way, I can't decide if its Batman and Robin or Batman; The Movie.

As well as the fact that the music's bloody brilliant, it's SDC's dedication to and enthusiasm for the gimmick that's slowly turning me into a convert; this teaser EP for debut album Welcome to Microsector-50 features a final track of ambient washes and desolate drones that seems fairly typical of electronic EPs. Its title? Music for Spaceports. It's this hilariously irreverent bastardisation of Eno's terminology for his own ends that just tips the balance and lands Space Dimension Controller firmly in the land of the eccentric genius. As noted, the rest of the EP's pretty damn good too, functioning as both deleted scenes from the full album and the missing links of Space Dimension Controller's musical history - the title track joins the dots between Juan Atkins and the Rotters Golf Club, and Whilst I Was Away brings together aspects of ambient and dub that feel a little disparate in the album's lengthier interludes and had left Quadraskank Interlude feeling out of place. Most importantly though, the EP flat out drips cosmic slop, opening up into a massive George Clinton homage, replete with future-funk riffs, wailing guitar solos and acid-fried fantastical narratives.

For me, the Funkadelic love is the last piece of the puzzle that suddenly makes sense of SDC's overblown narratives and deliberately trashy vocals - it's the cornerstone that contextualises everything else and gives credence to magnificent combination of funk and psychadelica.

Model 500 - Control / The Messenger

Model 500 - Control / The Messenger (20 Feb R&S Records)
Model 500's triumphant return with OFI led to much rejoicing, and it understandably made many people's record of the year last year. The pounding techno undercarriage, coupled with maniacal electro riffs and magic Juan back in full force with epic rants about the mothership, time travel and dimensional shift, made for a genre-crossing dancefloor destroyer. Model 500's latest 12" however sees Juan setting control for the heart of the sun and heading into far more cosmic territory, layering up floaty synths and woogy-woogy theramin melodies that are all kinds of awesome. Despite Model 500's reputation for hell-for-leather electronic madness, both sides of the 12" are heavily influenced by the kind of machine-driven bleep-techno that Sleeparchive and Mika Vainio have made their mainstay, with Control translating analogue fetishism into a rolling italo number, replete with vocodered vox and flailing synth lines. It ought to be a jarring clash of styles, but Atkins weaves together the underlying fascinations with analogue equipment to create a brilliantly uncomfortable piece of machine funk. I can't say the vocoder impresses me, but it does add to the whole "this is detroit electro... in space!" vibe. The Messenger is less scattershot, boosting the theremin to the forefront of the mix and thankfully cutting out the vocals, it makes for a suitably epic B-side, that frankly outshines the A.

My only criticism of this record is that Model 500 seem straightjacketed by the electro template, unable to move beyond high-speed synth riffs and hip-hop beats, and admittedly neither track does much to change this. However, between Control's anashamedly retro sound and The Messenger's epic cosmic feel, there's plenty to like about it.

Space Dimension Controller - The Pathway to Tiraquon6 (R&S Records, 17 October)

Space Dimension Controller - The Pathway to Tiraquon6 (R&S Records, 17 October)

Space Dimension Controller's new EP - the prelude to a full-length album - is proof of three very important and significant points about modern electronic music.

1. While techno can seem to be all about forcefully dark and misanthropically minimalist structures (something I do endorse) there's still plenty of room for lush landscapes and the epically cosmic.
2. R&S records will never be "too old for this shit", they still very much have it, and are putting out bold and challenging records that are well worth paying attention to.
3. Artists should never write their own press releases.

Space Dimension Controller's new EP drops into my inbox with the accompanying blether;

"In the mid 24th Century, a cosmic accident caused Mr. 8040, the Space Dimension Controller, to spiral back through time to the year 2009. Over the past year, stranded in our time, and confined to his Electropod. Mr. 8040 has been preparing an account of the events that led to the discovery of Mikrosector-50 and the creation of the Tiraquon6 security barrier...."
After a further six paragraphs of Buck Rogers/ Star Wars EU / 2000 AD-styled ramblings about "the Pulsovian leader, Xymah the Usurper", "the flourescent trails of [an] electropod", "micron accelerators" and time travel, we finally conclude this rambling origin story.

Utter bollocks; hammier than Raul Julia in Street Fighter and manages about as much subtlety as the worst David Gemmel novel.

However, as a great man once warned us, "It's Hip to Be Disillusioned" and you have to admire the sheer indulgence of the writing - this was never meant to be cool. Affectionate parody or ludicrous indulgence, it perfectly sums up the EP's content; Moroder-esque analogue synths chock out hi-energy disco riffs alongside Detroit electro rhythms worthy of Model 500, expousing a complex narrative over the eleven tracks. In fitting with the storytelling concept, the EP is bookended by a Feature Presentation and Closing Credits, the former a swift synth noodle of the EP's leitmotifs, whilst the latter starts off riff-centric, blurs away into a void of drawn-out drones and springs a surprising coda. Inbetween, we get the RGC-esque machine funk of Pulsovian Invasion, the beatless Last Sunset On Planet Earth, and deliciously retro techno in Tiraquon's Return (A New Home) and Usurper.

Whilst SDC's unashamedly hyperactive and indulgent style will turn more resolute techno heads away, Pathway is a strongly crafted EP that showcases a brave new talent. Space Dimension Controller is comfortable in his geekiness, and he has a real ear for melody.

Admittedly it is hard to find workable DJ tools. The strong narrative focus naturally leads to a more meandering piece that relies on context, and the continual spacey interludes seem more designed as album filler. However, for those with a love of R&S' golden age, cosmic disco and Juan Atkins, this is pure dynamite.