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HOME - CODEK CD'S - CODEK VINYL - CODEK EUROPE - CODEK ARTISTS - CODEK REVIEWS DESIGN - CODEK POSTERS - ORGANIC GROOVES - LINKS - EMAIL |
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fa ventilato
and frank heer may currently hail fro brooklyn, but the sound
they make as bingo palace is a cry far from the thriftstore self-consciousness
of the wiliamsburg set. sounding as if calexico and air collaborated
in order tosimulate both the epic italian prog of goblin and
brian eno-produced bowie (albeit in a sleek pro tools kind of
way), the conceptual leanings of whistle me higher take in western
film scores, svelte house and giorgio moroder, and breath them
back as casio casino of shifting mirrors.
Electro Provinz New York's Codek
label keeps it raunchy for summer. As Bingo Palace, Fa Ventilato
and Frank Heer bring a uniquely psychedelic and soundtracky vibe
to the largely beatless "live..." Bingo Palace's "Whistle Me Higher" is a concept album taking cues from musicals, spaghetti westerns, psychedelia, and bingo games, of course. Set at a laid back lounge pace, it's easy listening will set your mind a-wandering to cinematic worlds visually visited so far only by the likes of filmmakers like Terry Gilliam. A moog organ sets up the sonic procession that is "Live at the Bingo Palace," the second track on the album. While vocalist JC is channeling a somber David Bowie, violins and jazz drums slowly rumble on in this ballad. Twists and turns seem to be the order of the day and this song is no exception as it evolves into a frenetic breakbeat, casio jazz piece. My favorite is "Pony Star (I'm Gonna Find You), for obvious reasons. It's sexy and mellow. Just a creaking bed-spring, subtle beats and snaps mosey-on-along, while in between there is room for silence and this phrase repeated every once in a while: "I'm your pony, I am tired. I will find you." Sounds promising! Ok, there is much more to this track but what can I say, that part is funny! Though the album
intro and interludes in songs fully integrate the Bingo concept
by having a hosts/hostess set us up bingo games, the album rises
above being merely tongue and cheek. Here, Bingo Palace have
constructed solid songs that elegantly mix of electronica, pop,
with strains of jazz that can stand anywhere on the CD shelf
in between your Pink Floyd, Air, Os Mutantes and Kruder Dorfmeister.
But we will leave that one to the CD filers! Over all, "Whistle
Me Higher" is a pleasant listening experience. Die Menschen
in Atlantic City sind traurig. Formlose Frauen in ausgebeulten
Jogginganzügen stehen gelangweilt an den Slot Machines,
derweil an den Black-Jack-Tischen ältere Herren mit synthetischen
Jacketts kleine Beträge herumschieben. Ihre Leben peilen
auf geordneten Bahnen das Nichts an, das Träumen haben
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Bingo Palace CR.021 1. Live At The
Bingo Palace (Cosmic Rocker Lobster Mix)
ADVENTURE MUSIC FOR COUCH POTATOES: BINGO PALACE The debut recording of New York electro duo BINGO PALACE is a concept album. Its protagonists are horseless horsemen, drinking bartenders, whistling cowboys and extra-terrestrials in flying canoes. The listener's mind wanders through enchanted valleys and fiery canyons. You get to be part of racy man hunts, will be tossed and turned by torrents of love and impotence, witness blood and thunder and might even get to see the devil dancing. Fa Ventilato and Frank Heer, two Swiss who moved to New York a decade ago, are the creators of that BINGO PALACE of sound. "The very fact that the age of lavish concept albums has passed 20 years ago made us want to record one", says Ventilato. "On our home computers. Some kind of adventure music for couch potatoes." "Whistle Me Higher" mixes grand melodies with bold beats far beyond the beaten paths of modern Electronica. There are samples and software, programmed percussion and virtual synthesizers, but the adventures of Bingo Palace are just as easily populated by acoustic instruments. The track "Midnight Waltz For My Old Lady" has a trumpet wallowing in melodious melancholy, while a demure piano loop ambles lazily through the piece. A main supporting actor is Gerald Menke's pedal steel guitar. It reconciles, wakes deep yearnings in cinemascope and opens up the musical horizon. An occasional Cello or Wurlitzer goes well with the ingredients, just as does the voice of British crooner J.C. on the epic "Live at the Bingo Palace". The rattling guitar on "Ponystar" is a classy bow to the great Ennio Morricone. "I want some more" is a minimal moody ambient track, full of sinister foreboding. "The problem with contemporary electronic music is that it often revels in skin-deep excitement, says Frank Heer. "Everything seems to happen randomly, with no commitment. Sounds bubble over cool beats without going anywhere. BINGO PALACE wants to suggest a storyline, create and release tension, bind the mind to the music. You don't need an MC for that. You need a logic, a concept and open ears." Fa Ventilato and Frank Heer both have been involved in the New York music scene with various projects since the mid-nineties. They collaborated with artists, DJ's and bands and have played NY clubs such as Tonic, Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge, Knitting Factory, Cooler, Joe's Pub, or CBGB's. The work on "Whistle Me Higher" took two years. The album is published by Codek Records (www.codek.com) and now available in record stores, as is the the vinyl 12" - "Live at the Bingo Palace" including a club remix by Cosmic Rocker.
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BINGO
PALACE