Eric Copeland - Waco Taco Combo

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5...according to our Business Lady on Wed 15 Jun, 2011.

Eric Copeland (Black Dice/Terrestrial Tones) returns with a second collection of solo material, this time on Escho records. Constructed over a six week period in a flat in Copenhagen, Copeland has taken the time to incorporate the sounds of the city into his disrupted vision for dance music. Whilst sonic assaults and general bouts of noise madness are a common themes of his work with both Black Dice and Terrestrial Tones you may be pleased to hear that Copeland is pretty much taking it easy with 'Waco Taco Combo'. Sure, 'Waco Taco Combo' (W.T.C) is still riddled with Copeland agitated stoner style and his crude musique bongcrete methodology is still ever present but, for the most part, 'W.T.C' grooves. I'd even go as far as to say it occasionally rocks da house! I've always been a big fan of Copeland's output so this makes for as satisfying a listen as ever yet I'm still totally impressed with his restrained approach here. Though I enjoy the challenge presented by say; the recent Black Dice LP 'Repo' for example, I still relish the consistency of a good beat and a solid groove which is provided in healthy portions throughout 'W.T.C'. Crazy found sounds (is that a dog snarling?), manipulated loops and mutant tones all jostle for pole position in this tour de force of bong heavy mutant disco. Pass da BLUNT round da dancefloor yo!

The mercurial Eric Copeland is most prominently known as one-third of Black Dice, and to a lesser extent, the destructive half of Terrestrial Tones, with Avey Tare. Copeland's solo material, beginning with the Paw Tracks-released Hermaphrodite in 2007, is just as remarkable, and decidedly less grating for those not terribly enthused by the noise genre. While both he and Black Dice employ dragnet sound collages and splattered sampling, Eric Copeland's solo material emphasizes destroyed rhythms and mechanical atmosphere. The end result is a vague and wholly fucked version of dance music.

Waco Taco Combo is a continuation of the extraterrestrial sounds Copeland explored on his 2009 compilation, Alien in a Garbage Dump. This time, Copeland trades in the dumpster diving for fishing, scooting out of town for a few on the invitation of Copenhagen-based Escho Records. Holed up in an apartment for six weeks, Copeland captured the sounds and vibrations of Copenhagen, incorporating his form of musique concrète into woozy, claustrophobic, steady-rockin' IDM structures-- all mixed and recorded on 8-track. Fans of Black Dice will certainly appreciate the disorienting, creaking, jostling electronic playfulness. However, "Krankendudel" offers a visceral accessibility in its head-bobbing rhythm section and freewheeling synth interplay. --Kenny Bloggins

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