Friday, May 02, 2014

The Big Beat A-Go-Go Sound of DYMAXION

This intensely obscure band recorded these songs between 1995-1998 using methods I cannot quite figure. Clearly, there's a mixture here of sampled sounds, low-tech electro beats, and live instruments...but the samples are all instrumental, and of things I can't identify. And I'm not even totally sure that there are live instruments. I'm just assuming, as the same twangy-surfy guitars do seem to pop up quite a bit. One song covers The Fall's "U.S. 80's - 90's," and indeed there's a bit of off-kilter post-punk influence here, too. Bloops, bleeps, peppy beats, and the afore-mentioned guitars give the whole thing a retro '60s discotheque feel, but the somewhat lo-fi sound removes any Space Age optimism from these tracks.  Rather, there's a gritty, black-and-white feel that negates any Technicolor beach party atmosphere. Bummer in the summer. 

This, their only album, collects everything they did. They thank Stereolab in the liner notes, which isn't too surprising, but otherwise, there's no info, tho according to Internet sources, two New Yorkers named Jeremy Novak and Claudia Newell are the responsible parties, and Newell dropped out half-way thru, and has not returned to music.

Pick Hit: "I-Man Transport", the one song with (sampled) vox, apparently from a dance instructional record, mixed with a synth reminiscent of Pere Ubu's "Blow Daddy-O."

Dymaxion x 4 + 3 = 38:33


6 comments:

  1. amazing stuff you publish here,thanx from patagonia

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  2. Patagonia, eh?! Great to hear from you, amigo. Don't you have a Los Angeles there, too? That's what Frank Black said.

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  3. I love this almost as much as I love your whole blog in general.
    Thank you! from Philadelphia

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  4. Dymaxion DID do another recording. They backed Takako Minekawa on the EP Maxi On! Read here on Allmusic:
    http://www.allmusic.com/album/maxi-on-mw0000105603

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  5. This is great! Reminds me of Thrush (the band).

    Thank you

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  6. Whillikers! Can you re-up, please?

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