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Theatre Ov Idiots "We Will Listen"
format: album, released: 2003

review by Karl Mohr


The west coast of Canada is legendary for spawning some of the greatest developments
in the world's collective evolution of electronic music and progressive genres. It
is often Vancouver that gets this attention, but Calgary-based Interdimensional
Industries has a growing catalogue and is dedicated to "music without borders".
The label has a new, revised mandate: "intellect, maturity, freedom, progress,
harmony". The core group who mind the daily business of furthering these optimistic
aims have funneled their remaining energy into an impressive new electronic project
with a rather modest name.

Theatre Ov Idiots have already done enough remixing and live shows to make a good
reputation for themselves; the release of their full-length, ten-track album "We Will
Listen" is eagerly awaited. Stemming from the thick dark aggro clouds of Cryptomnesia,
this project is a refreshingly concise and minimalist take on the current state of techno-
trance with a heavy emphasis on mixing and interweaving synth lines. Something which
clearly sets this project apart from the deluge of repetition-based electronic genres
is the use of binaural techniques and rigorous attention to spatialization and the
stereo panorama in general - this is great music for cranking up in headphones. Some
interesting use of reverb and ambient incidentals is also employed, with swarms of
shopping-mall noise swimming through the multiplicity of news commentators and blissed-
out night trippers. A deep understanding of the role of the "Deep Bass Voice" punctuating
a break in the pounding grooves is made obvious, with monumental deity utterances
reminding us why we came to this riveting darkness in the first place.

For decades, techno tracks have anchored their thematic essence around a singular
really-damn-good vocal sample. Without the vocal sample, the track disappears. From
this singular point, meaning spirals forth and evolves under the narcotic influence of
the musical repetitions. When this flowering happens, the musical process has proven
itself. When this fails, and the synergy evaporates into a bare music track overlaid
with a repetitive media clip, and the musical process is a failure. "We Will Listen"
is a success due to its trance methodology and tasteful use of media sampling.

Oddly, the rhythm programming seems to take a back seat to the collective motion of
the tracks. This might be an artistic decision; keeping the rhythm changes and
developments out of the foreground encourages synergies among all the various musical
elements. In most of the tracks, the rhythms contort themselves into sonic textures
and trance fibre rather than fat, monster transients. Again, Theatre Ov Idiots are
attempting tastefulness, atmosphere and subtle manoeuvres rather than clean robo-techno.
Also worth noting: some of the dark industrial histories of the band members carry
over into this "dance" project, baking the mix with a menacing, throttled touch at
some points.

For those who like their techno infused with delirious serum and shrouded in dark clouds,
crank up "We Will Listen", imbibe with your intoxicant of choice and ignite your trusty
blacklights.

Standout tracks: the super-funky bassline of "Mind" will keep the warm-
blooded bobbing. The valvoline throb of "Equality" is worthy of a good drive down
the Trance-Canada highway at excessive speed; dig the shrieking synths and pounding
cogs of threatening railway comets. "Light" is a really excellent electronic trance
track - they've really outdone themselves here. For fans of Download and related,
the immortal and distorted "High" keeps the saturations in the incantations. "Epiphany"
is a lovely voyage into a mystical ambient land of vocoder samples and more delicious
binaural candy.