94 Diskont
| 94diskont. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Oval | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:09 | |||
| Label | Mille Plateaux | |||
| Oval chronology | ||||
| ||||
94diskont. is the fourth album by the experimental electronic music group Oval. It was released in 1995 (see 1995 in music) by Mille Plateaux in Europe and in 1996 by Thrill Jockey in the United States.
Oval received both praise and controversy for its styling methods, such as literally deconstructing music and digital audio by using exacto knives, paint, and tape to damage the surfaces of compact discs, only to stitch the sound back together in loops of melody punctuated by the disc's physical skips.[3]
94diskont. was released as a companion piece to Oval's previous album, Systemisch. The album's centerpiece is "Do While," a 24-minute track originally composed for the group's 8-channel, 128-speaker modular sound installation named Wohnton (translates into home tone) in a stereo mixdown. The installation was shown throughout Europe between 1994 and 1996 on various occasions, ranging from art exhibitions to techno raves.[4] A radio edit of the song, "Do While ⌘X", is also included on the album. The US pressing by Thrill Jockey adds two additional songs and, on vinyl, moves "Do While ⌘X" up in the running order to appear directly after "Do While", instead of closing the album. Both US and international vinyl versions of the album came with a remix LP that contains remixes by Mouse on Mars, Scanner, Cristian Vogel, and Jim O'Rourke.[4]
Style
On its initial release, Select noted in their review that Oval "sound unlike any other combo" on Diskont '94.[5] The review went on to note that group have been described in desperation as techno and critiqued this reference stating "try dancing to the sort of erratic pulsing and hiccuping that comes over like the read-out from a dying alien's electrocardiograph".[5]
Reviews and influence
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [6] |
| Select |   [5] |
Select gave the album a four out of five rating, first mentioning the groups unorthodox method of obtaining the sounds on the album, then noting that "this out-on-a-limb approach wouldn't mean a thing if the results weren't so brilliant."[5] The Wire placed the album at No. 5 on its 1995 of top albums of the year.[7]
Allmusic awarded the album five stars and stated, "94 Diskont is undoubtedly a standout in the field of electronically advanced, glitch-heavy music."[8]
In a 2003 feature, the webzine Pitchfork Media placed 94 Diskont at No. 47 on its top-100 albums of the 1990s list. Mark Richardson of Pitchfork declared,
| “ | Sounds appear as multi-layer holograms, with both sources and ghosted copies simultaneously vying for attention, a piece of sonic trickery used to create some of the most serene and aquatic music of the ’90s.[9] | ” |
Richardson would later state in a 2016 piece that "94diskont was the first sound of a new future".[10]
In 2016, Pitchfork Media named 94diskont the seventh best ambient album of all time.[11]
Track listing
| Original Mille Plateaux pressing | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Do While" | 24:04 |
| 2. | "Store Check" | 4:01 |
| 3. | "Line Extension" | 3:05 |
| 4. | "Cross Selling" | 6:09 |
| 5. | "Do While ⌘X" | 4:50 |
| Thrill Jockey pressing (US) | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Do While" | 24:04 |
| 2. | "Store Check" | 3:58 |
| 3. | "Line Extension" | 3:02 |
| 4. | "Cross Selling" | 6:06 |
| 5. | "Commerce Server" | 4:56 |
| 6. | "Shop in Store" | 4:00 |
| 7. | "Do While ⌘X" | 4:50 |
| Bonus 12" | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Do While (Jim O'Rourke)" | 5:36 |
| 2. | "Do While (Scanner)" | 6:53 |
| 3. | "Do While (Mouse on Mars)" | 8:55 |
| 4. | "Christian Vogel" | 6:27 |
Notes and references
- ↑ Mark Richrdson. "A Glitch in Time: How Oval's 1995 Ambient Masterpiece Predicted Our Digital Present". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ↑ Philip Sherburne. "The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time - Page 5". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ↑ Cameron Macdonald. "Oval: Do While". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 December 2006. Retrieved 23 November 2006.
- 1 2 Cameron Macdonald. "Thrill Jockey Records: Oval: 94 Diskont". Thrill Jockey. Retrieved 18 Feb 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 Morrison, Dave (May 1995). "New Albums". Select (59): 99.
- ↑ Tausig, Ben (2011). "94 Diskont – Oval | AllMusic". allmusic. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
- ↑ "Top 50 records of 1995". The Wire. Retrieved 18 Feb 2011.
- ↑ Ben Tausig. "94 Diskont review". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 Feb 2011.
- ↑ Mark Richardson. "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s list". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved Feb 18, 2011.
- ↑ Mark Richrdson. "A Glitch in Time: How Oval's 1995 Ambient Masterpiece Predicted Our Digital Present". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ↑ Philip Sherburne. "The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time - Page 5". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 26 September 2016.