Venus Hum – Mechanics & Mathematics – A concert film by Neil Smith
It’s hard to review a concert DVD. I mean, it’s a concert. A DVD is just going to remove one of the most important elements of a live music show; the shared experience of partaking in a musical event. Even the best concert DVD’s (for the best, watch Blur’s “No Distance Left To Run”) lack that certain something. You can see the crowd, you can hear them, but where’s the delinquent tosser swinging his pint around, arms flailing? Where’s the obscured view? Where’s the aching back, nurtured through hours of standing up and not moving very much? Hmmmmm…. maybe the DVD is a better option after all?
Venus Hum have been around for 10 years or so. Comprising of Annette Strean, Kip Kubin and Tony Miracle this little trio might not be that well known to you, especially outside of the US. You might have seen them if you ever saw the Blue Man Group live, as they supported and played with them on their Complex tour.
But they pretty much sit under the radar. But that has never stopped them consistently producing some of the finest, melodic and interesting electronica to have ever come out of the US. Which is surprising for an act hailing from Nashville, TN, the home of country & western.
So, the DVD. Well, this is no ordinary concert DVD. As in, it’s not an amalgam of a few shows from a long running sell out tour. This is a film of a one off gig, played at a small, intimate venue in Cincinnati, OH called The Monastery, an old church converted into a recording studio and performance space. A small crowd and a close, intimate experience for those attending.
The first 20 minutes or so are dedicated to a short interview with the band, interspersed with snippets of footage from rehearsals.
Venus Hum - Mechanics & Mathematics
The rest of the DVD is the show and a lovely event it is. Most of the “Mechanics & Mathematics” album is covered along with tracks from their previous long players.
From a synth geeks perspective, there’s not as much synth geekery to take in, save for an ARP 2600, Roland System 100m, a Space Echo and some other random bits and bobs. This is a heavily laptop based show with some rear projections going on. Tony Miracle seems more than happy with his very old Evolution MK149. Mine now languishes in the loft.
But this is all a blessing. Why? Well, for once you can concentrate on the music. There’s no flashy technology going on here. It’s two guys, Ableton Live (and Logic, I think), and the amazing vocals of Annette, seen here sporting a rather school mistress-y look which is quite a contrast to her previous guises. She’s still hot though! 
This is a lovely DVD of a great little gig, the intimacy of which is superbly conveyed by the camera work. The music “does the talking”, the projections mere frilly, but effective edging. For once, a live DVD that’s more about the music than anything else. The band’s desire was to get their live act noticed by many more people. This DVD does that job perfectly.
Stay tuned after the credits for an excellent impromptu and completely unrehearsed version of “Alice”. No sequencing, just guitar, keys and a soaring vocal. Quite exquisite.
Venus Hum -- “Mechanics & Mathematics” is available now on DVD. A live album taken from the show is now also available from Amazon & iTunes.
Slave To The Rhythm – A Brief Review
At long last, Trevor Horn‘s 2004 concert in celebration of his 25 years in the industry, and in aid of The Prince’s Trust, is finally available in the UK on DVD. Having been previously available only in Japan (I’m guessing for copyright issues), there is now a Region 0 release and mine arrived today.
I have to say, I’m blown away !!
Ok, so I’m biased inasmuch as I’m a huge fan of Trevor already, and also of many of the artists featured in this concert (Pet Shop Boys, Seal, Grace Jones, Propaganda, Yes, Art Of Noise, Frankie Goes To Hollywood) but the quality of production is outstanding. It certainly adheres to Trevor’s quality mark, that’s for sure. Allegedly, this was filmed in HD by the BBC (their first proper attempt at doing this) and it’s clearly an excellent picture throughout. The concert is also in Dolby Digital 5.1 and on my secondary system, sounds superb. I have great expectations for this on my primary home theatre set up.
Bonus features include a documentary on the concert, featuring many of the artists and Trevor himself, as well as a Jukebox facility that allows you to select the tracks to play in any order you like. There is also a documentary on the reforming of Frankie Goes To Hollywood too.
Here’s a couple of tasters found on YouTube (the Grace Jones clip is in B&W, not so on the DVD)…
An absolute steal at £10.99.
Get it.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly….
Three more titles entered my surround music collection this week and the difference in quality and presentation couldn’t be more obvious.
First up we have the Good….
Their eponymously titled 12th album, containing the classic tracks, Mama, That’s All, Home By The Sea and Illegal Alien, is part of the Genesis Remastered catalogue that is seeing the light of day at the moment. Two sets have already been released, spanning 1976 to 1998. The final chapter, 70-75, will be available in September.
Presented in a similar way to the Depeche Mode remasters, these albums each have two discs. One is SACD/CD and the other a DVD Video. Both feature the entire album in 5.1. The DVD Video version offers either Dolby Digital or DTS 96/24 soundtracks as well as photo galleries and a short film of interviews with the band on how the album was made.
The packaging isn’t as sumptuous as the Depeche Mode albums, but sufficient nonetheless.
As for audio quality, it is superb as expected, with a rich and full soundscape. Phil’s vocals tend to be focused on the centre channel more than some other surround albums I have heard. 5.1 mixers vary between those that favour the front centre for vocals or those that like to spread the vocals around the soundfield. I tend to prefer the latter, but either way, this works.
I am now seriously tempted to acquire the rest of the collection.
Now for the Bad….
I was eagerly anticipating this title. I had scoured the web and the shops for this and eventually found it and it arrived promptly last week. This package contains not only the New Master of Oxygene, but also the “LIve In Your Living Room” performance of the entire piece by JMJ and friends in 2D and 3D !
Well, in 2D, this is an impressive piece, especially watching JMJ jumping on and off classic synths and the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio gives it great depth, but the 3D version is poor to the point of being unwatchable ! I’ve tried numerous screens and glasses but it still looks very poor.
But the real mystery is the audio CD. On the Oxygene website, it states that there are 3 versions of this title. Version one is a single audio CD. No frills, just the album. Version two is a two disc affair, with the 2D film and what they claim to be a 5.1 multichannel SACD version of the studio recording. Version three is the same as version two but with the added bonus of the Stereoscopic film.
Well, my 3D version has just a regular Redbook audio CD. No mention of SACD anywhere.
Sadly, as these are quite rare in shops, I have not been able to find a 2D version which is claimed to be an SACD, so I can confirm it. If it is indeed SACD, it would appear that EMI/JMJ have hatched a cynical marketing ploy to get you to buy the album twice if you want the 3D movie as well as the SACD studio recording.
I am currently investigating and will report back as soon as I find anything out.
Finally, we have the Ugly….
I saw this for £6 in Zavvi and thought “why not”. It’s an unofficial yet legitimate release and I found out afterwards that Gary has disowned this release, saying he has nothing to do with it and didn’t approve it. I then found some reviews that said the quality was poor and indeed, it’s not the best in the world. If you’re going to release a sub-standard collection of recordings, you’re probably best not to release it on DVD-A, whose massive headroom will be unforgiving and show up any problems with consumate ease.
However, it’s nice to have something from Gaz in surround. Maybe it’s a potential project for him in the future. He has just re-released the 1979 Tubeway Army classic, “Replicas” to coincide with his tour this year (which I have tickets for next month !) and whilst this album is remastered and contains bonus tracks, it isn’t in surround. Can you imagine “Down In The Park” or “Are Friends Electric?” in 5.1 ?? 
)
So, whilst many attach a quality label to SACD & DVD-A, some of these releases clearly show that the badge means chuff all.
The Final Five….
At last !! The final five Depeche Mode Remastered albums turned up today. A tad delayed due to the fact that Songs Of Faith & Devotion was out of stock, but well worth the wait. Sadly, as I am an impatient man, and Mutebank weren’t sure until this week that they were going to get SOFAD in anytime soon, I ordered the five albums again from a shop on eBay. Fingers crossed they will turn up ok and I guess I will just have to find buyers for them. So, if anyone wants them at £12 per album with a nominal P+P charge, just drop me a line. First come, first served. I’ll do all 5 for £60 with free shipping. [UK ONLY - Any overseas, contact me first]
Anyway, here are Music For The Masses, Violator, Songs Of Faith & Devotion, Ultra & Exciter with the first five that I got last month, Speak & Spell, A Broken Frame, Construction Time Again, Some Great Reward & Black Celebration. Along with Playing the Angel (SACD/DVD) and 101 (SACD), I now have the entire DM 5.1 catalogue. Will they ever do the SOFAD Live album in 5.1 ?? That would be the icing on the cake )
EDIT: Albums sold ! )
Depeche Mode – The Remasters
Released last year, and created to celebrate 25 years in the business, the first 10 studio albums by Basildon band, Depeche Mode not only mark a stunning career but also a landmark surround sound music release. Each album is released in various formats (including Vinyl & CD) but the pinnalce is the collectors editions which feature 2 discs. Disc 1 is an SACD hybrid with remastered versions of the album in stereo and 5.1 multichannel at 24bit/96KHz. Disc 2 is a DVD (not DVD-A) that features the album in 5.1 Dolby Digital at 24bit & 5.1 DTS at 24bit/96KHz. This second disc also features b-sides, live tracks, remixes & singles not featured on the albums and a documentary chronicaling the band at the time each album was released. Held in gatefold sleeves with plastic protectors and a booklet with new pictures and sleeve notes, these releases are a must not only for fans, but for lovers of electronic music and surround sound alike.
EDIT: After popping DISC 1 of these albums into my car HiFi, I discovered that they also contain CDText, much to my (pleasant) surprise )
With their last studio album, “Playing The Angel” already released in 5.1, along with the live album, “101″, Depeche Mode are now undeniably the most prolific 5.1 musicians alive today.
I will be endeavouring to review each pack as time allows, but to be perfectly honest, I’m too busy enjoying listening to them !!
Visit Mute Records online store, Mutebank, for some incredible deals on these albums, including Multipack purchases.
Visit the microsite HERE
Depeche Mode – The Remasters
Released last year, and created to celebrate 25 years in the business, the first 10 studio albums by Basildon band, Depeche Mode not only mark a stunning career but also a landmark surround sound music release. Each album is released in various formats (including Vinyl & CD) but the pinnalce is the collectors editions which feature 2 discs. Disc 1 is an SACD hybrid with remastered versions of the album in stereo and 5.1 multichannel at 24bit/96KHz. Disc 2 is a DVD (not DVD-A) that features the album in 5.1 Dolby Digital at 24bit & 5.1 DTS at 24bit/96KHz. This second disc also features b-sides, live tracks, remixes & singles not featured on the albums and a documentary chronicaling the band at the time each album was released. Held in gatefold sleeves with plastic protectors and a booklet with new pictures and sleeve notes, these releases are a must not only for fans, but for lovers of electronic music and surround sound alike.
EDIT: After popping DISC 1 of these albums into my car HiFi, I discovered that they also contain CDText, much to my (pleasant) surprise )
With their last studio album, “Playing The Angel” already released in 5.1, along with the live album, “101″, Depeche Mode are now undeniably the most prolific 5.1 musicians alive today.
I will be endeavouring to review each pack as time allows, but to be perfectly honest, I’m too busy enjoying listening to them !!
Visit Mute Records online store, Mutebank, for some incredible deals on these albums, including Multipack purchases.
Visit the microsite HERE
