Meat Beat Manifesto
Storm the Studio R.M.X.S.
Tino Corp.
Confusing listeners at the time of its original 1989 release, Meat Beat Manifesto’s debut Storm the Studio (consisting of four songs, each presented in four different versions) evinced such widespread influence that it’s still pretty impossible to narrow it down by tidy genre classification. “Techno” is one suggestion, but that somewhat undermines the hip-hop and acid influences that crept onto the album, and it certainly doesn’t explain the influence Meat Beat Manifesto had on yet-to-be-invented genres such as trip-hop, big beat and drum ‘n’ bass.
So anyway, that diverse influence is reflected on this album, on which thirteen artists remix the songs from that first album. Hearing these different interpretations of Storm the Studio somehow demonstrates how far-reaching its influence has been. The contributors range from Merzbow’s hardcore noise to DJ Spooky’s acid-tinged dub; from Scanner’s moody IDM to Antipop Consortium’s High Priest’s techno rap – along the way, taking in just about every point in between.
As such, this is probably the best kind of tribute Meat Beat Manifesto could have hoped for, offering proof of their continued relevance and validity. R.M.X.S. may in fact be too disparate to appeal to most listeners. But it’s a timely reminder of a truly seminal techno album, and there are enough strong contributions on here to make it an interesting release in its own right as well.
Tino Corporation: http://www.tinocorp.com/
