MRI (that's Stephan Lieb and Frank Elting from Frankfurt, Germany) are major players in a burgeoning scene that some are calling "microhouse," an overly broad label that's been attached to artists as varied as Luomo (experimental producer Vladislav Delay in vocal house mode), Jan Jelinek (primarily for his work as Farben) and artists on the Kompakt label. I'm not going to embarrass myself by attempting a definitive explanation, but generally, microhouse happens when minimal house beats meet the glitch approach to sound, a combination that's been hinted at for years but is only now beginning to flower.
Like an absurd number of trends in electronic music in the last ten years, microhouse is hitting its stride on a subsidiary of Force Inc., the German label that counts Mille Plateaux, Force Tracks, and Force Lab among the specialty imprints under its umbrella. Two Lone Swordsmen's Andy Weatherall selected and mixed a breathtakingly smooth and appealing compilation on Force Tracks last year called Hypercity, documenting one strand of the scene to date. Three tracks on that comp, including the airy and weightless leadoff "Human Patterns," were by MRI.
"Human Patterns" was from MRI's debut Rhythmogenesis, a collection of earlier EPs. All That Glitters is their first full-length of original material, and it marks a shift to a more pop direction. The final track on this excellent new album is called "Nightclubbing at Home," a brilliant title that highlights a smart way for listeners to approach the record. Though they're lumped in with these other microhouse producers, on All That Glitters, MRI approach this meeting place for house rhythms and sonic experimentation from the perspective of the dancefloor, and a song-friendly one at that. Befitting the club setting, the tracks are long (ten in 70 minutes), but they're crammed with interesting stuff. This album is not a clinical exercise in the textural possibilities inherent in static; MRI are tracking pop hooks and disco beats, and they even throw a couple of fine vocal songs into the mix. It's big fun to move to, no question, but open-minded Maxell guys can still dig it from their low-rider La-Z-Boys.
All That Glitters reflects the wide range of Lieb and Elting's musical interests, and some of the homages are blatant. "Data Boogie" contains the same vocal sample that opens DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist's Brainfreeze ("Hey! Martial arts fans!"), while the downtempo "Blue" is a weird, inverted cover of Aaliyah's "Try Again" (All That Glitters is posthumously dedicated to her). "Sane and Sound" has the odd distinction of being the glitchiest track (in terms of beats) as well as the more conventional (in structure), as the sputtering electric squelches that stand in for percussion smack away behind a breezy vocal melody. Uptempo, danceable instrumental house dominates the album, but the detours are frequent enough to make All That Glitters work as a varied and complete document.
The track that made me fall in love with this record is "Tied to the 80s." The first three minutes or so build steadily, as one new sound after another is folded into the mix. First, the squelchy synth hooks come in, then the kick drum, then a slightly dubby bassline. At the end of every 16th bar, the beat breaks down and you can tell the track is about to be given an extra thrust in the form of an additional element or variation in the sound. But the crowning moment is when an unashamedly goofy string sample is introduced-- it sounds to these ears like the theme to the pitiful early-80s television drama "Hart to Hart." This playful and joyous track is representative of MRI's approach on All That Glitters. Though they put as much care into microscopic sonic detail as any of their contemporaries, they use their sound fetish in service of feel-good body music.
