Tyranny Of The Despot

Mephisto Records is proud to present the second Bass Kittens EP, Tyranny Of The Despot. This one features the following tracks (titles that are linked have sound samples available): Some wacky dub/jazz/hiphop/ambient grooves packed into this one. Mephisto is a San Francisco-based label that recently had big success with their Mephisto Odyssey single Dream Of The Black Dahlia, a Single Of The Week in Melody Maker. Tyranny Of The Despot takes its place in their catalog as number MR-06.

Reviews

XLR8R magazine, issue 17, page 52.

(Reviewed in tandem with the Fluid Motion EP, also on Mephisto.)

I decided to place this review in the jazz section for the simple reason that I couldn't figure out which of our catch-all genres these two new releases from Mephisto fall under, and the fact that the predominant vibe here is of all things jazzy. That surely is a good thing as this Bay Area label is quite simply breaking all the rules, freely mixing house, jazz, breakbeat, dub and ambient into a great melting pot of groove. Mephisto's previous releases have included the two Mephisto Odyssey 12s, "Dream of the Black Dahlia" and "Catching The Skinny" and a fabulous release from Sound Sessions Massive.

Fluid Motion's debut 12" produced by Chris Smith is a four track EP of mutant jazz-house, swirling with muted horn solos, crazy distortions and is hella groovy. Both House and Jazz DJs should find this and use wisely.

Bass Kittens' three mix 12" is just as experimental, mixing strage breaks and quirky jazz sounds on the A-side, and pure literally "chilling" beatless ambience on the flip on the very aptly titled "Another Rainy Day." Both 12s are pushing the boundaries, very well produced, and for me play an important part in defining the real sound of trippy 90s San Francisco. Andrew Rawnsley

NME, Groove Check, 29 July 1995

Abrasive electro piledriving into quivering jazz as Autechre-style abstraction loiters in the background; blissed-out bluntness covering a raging core. --Andy Crysell

Planet

Bass Kittens is Jon Drukman who was half of Ultraviolet Catastrophe. "Get a Grip" has a sparse dub feel with fragmented layers of tripped out somnabulence and rocks in its own gentle fashion.

Echoes, 12 August 1995

Bass Kittens is Jon Drukman - who recorded as Ultraviolet Catastrophe for Hardkiss. He's still fucking and freaking with funky beats, sprinkling them with all manner of tripped-out noises, notable on the semi ambient but out there Another Rainy Day. -- Kris Needs (appears in the "Techno Trousers" chart next to this column as well)

Random Quotes from various British DJ returns:

Treading on the feet of techno, but who cares. These guys must play Space Invaders while listening to Duran Duran. -- John Callaghan

This US stuff suits us best of the stuff you send. We really like it! More more!! --Daisy and Havoc

Ambient without being boring, original dub bass sound, especially like Another Rainy Day. -- Simon Fathead

Fab groovy ace brill cosmic! Electrobop at its most funky. Further out. Very very very good record. Gives me kittens. -- Tony Global.