BigBox

Sound Manipulations Inc. (2000)

Big Box is one of the new alter egos of new age keyboard player Mars Lasar. The epynomously titled CD from him as BigBox is a grab-bag of, if not almost a charted voyage through, the current state of electronica. Each of the eleven cuts seems to capture, usually with superb results, a subsect of modern-day club/dance/chill-out music, while putting Mars' signature stamp on it. It's hard to believe that someone with Lasar's background, or what I know of it, could compose and perform in these various genres with such ease. But, as I said, with almost unanimously positive results, he has done just that.

Opening with the infectious midtempo techno title number, propelled by beats and a sensuous lead synth line, the album launches itself into a groove that never lets up. "Clouds of Linen" has a strong acid jazz sense to it, funky and almost retro-disco-ish at times, the song could be placed on a Richard Bone CD (along with a few more on this CD). "Psyc Upload" is trip-hop with a chromium sheen, filled with neon and hard edges and burbling with all sorts of electronic mayhem. "Beta Fury" reminds me of high-quality industrial music, stripped of vocals of course. Think KMFDM minus the anti-fascism lyrics and a lot less screeching guitars. The cut sears laser beams into your spinal chord en route to your, ahem, other regions. Being a sucker for breakbeats and drum 'n' bass, I love "Connect 5" with a passion! Luscious liquid synth strings flow underneath the beats and rapid-fire rhythms along with percolating spacy synth notes. For me, this is the strongest track, but it's all about my preference in the end. Less well-liked by me, but still worth repeated listens, is the funky dubby "Tube Man." The frenetic rave number, "Bio Cell," is lots of fun, although a lightweight in the company of some of the other songs here.

BigBox is about the best introduction, short of a various artist compilation, to the assorted types of music that are labeled (by some, at least) as electronica in today's music industry. Production quality is excellent and despite the staggering variety of music, the album holds together admirably. While some may not like the lack of genre-focus and even consider it contrived, I don't share that view. I enjoyed the assortment of beats and synths. The over-riding texture here is, after all, fun. This is no serious or somber ambient exploration. Instead, it's custom made for chair dancing or cranking it up and gyrating around the room. With that as its goal, BigBox is a big hit.