http://www.faxlabel.com/ratherinteresting.html
Saying an Atom Heart record is innovative is like saying it's probably raining in Seattle. AH's Uwe Schmidt has been responsible for more new directions in recent electronica than probably any other single artist, and his uppity fusions of ambient, jazz, lounge, funk, Latin, and electro have provided much raw material for industrious young producers (cf. Bisk,
Elfish Echo, Nonplace Urban Field) up to the task of making compositional sense of his music. Seņor Coconut is one of Schmidt's latest offering on his own Rather Interesting label and the latest to focus in almost exclusively on his Latin influence (due probably to his recent relocation to Santiago, Chile). While that means Perez Prado samples abound, Seņor Coconut is also one of Schmidt's most successful fusions of acoustic and electronic elements, meaning the integration of
sampler grist (flutes, brass, el rapido percussion lines) with original drum programming, maniac synth leads, and light touches of ambient and dub is seamless and surprising. Seņor Coconut is also close in some respects (in both sound and in spirit) to some of the wackier moments of '60s electro-acoustic experimentalists such as Jean-Jacques Perry and Juan Garcia Esquivel. If previous of his Latin-tinged albums such as
Polyester and Trio De Janeiro were notebook sketches, this is Atom Heart's Diego Rivera-bright, enveloping, and three fucking stories high! Rating: 8/10
(review by Sean Cooper; originally published in E.x.p. Magazine.)
http://www.emperornorton.com/artists/senor_coconut/index.html
In "Showroom Dummies", "Trans-Europe-Express", "The Robots" and "Music Non-Stop", Kraftwerk's footprints in music's history have been given a totally new and unfamiliar look - one of latin american character....! The first beats of "Showroom Dummies" hit one's soul and hips simultaneously. The source material for this cover album could have hardly been more sterile or repetitive in it's basis as Kraftwerk's songs originally were. It is for this same reason however that one is instantly fascinated by the warmth flowing from the cover versions. The ingredients Senor Coconut uses for the latin flavor are every instrument one instantly comes up with when thinking about Latin American music, especially trumpets, percussion, and singers. Is he the first ever to rebel against reduction and minimalism?
Despite the hot climatic circumstances Senor Coconut approaches the subject pretty cool-headedly. The cover versions resulted from an eight month long process - they impress with massive self-consciousness, and wink at one mischeivously. One is tempted to speak about the first virtual band, if the boundaries between electronic, simulation and the virtual world weren't already interflowing and everything other than transparent.... The virtual band in Senor Coconut's studio will come to life within this year and will bestow us (the world) with live performances...
jahsonic@yahoo.com
