I

II

The second Pimentola release up for review this month sees another strange tale to tell. This release actually comes as a 7inch piece of vinyl…limited to 200 copies…but Lempo in his infinite wisdom has seen fit to also send out review copies on CDR. There is a lesson here to be learnt by other record labels who continually put out limited vinyl recordings without realising how they are alienating those who may want their music but who aren’t prepared to go back to a medium long thought of as outdated and for specialists alone. Strike one to Lempo.

Strike two happens when the two tracks here kick into gear. Track one goes for the Indian…and we’re not talking the Red type…ethnic vibe. The sort of vibe heard in a Bollywood blockbuster or the nearest takeaway whilst waiting for the Madras to appear. All chanting mantras set to an upbeat tempo of drum patterns and flutes and other instruments with the late addition of a quirky sample to round it all off. Musically akin to diving naked into a frozen lake it refreshes the parts other music cannot reach. The last track…in typical Lempo vein…moves into a darker atmosphere of choir and threatening samples…anyone intoning that they want you to realise you’re going to die can’t be seen as anything else… and hectic frantic break beats over electronic ambivalence. The X factor notched up tenfold.

Strike three occurs if you aren’t one of the lucky few to pick up a copy of this release. Never has ten minutes been spent in better company. Maybe…although it’s probably asking too much…Lempo will see fit to release this as a CDR…no matter how limited…with a couple of other tracks possibly… as well? The market is calling out for decent music and it’s a crying shame that many who read these reviews will never have the chance to own their own copy. Hope burns eternal.

ANM