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Plastiq Phantom :: plastiq phantom = Electronic Future?

2000-11-13
The Beacon Weekly Vol 67 No II


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The electronic evolution of music has come a long way since Kraftwek and Depeche Mode showed Americans that they could rock using computers. Since early electronic music, we have seen many trends come and go, and watched as countless DJ's showed us what they considered to be hip in electronic manipulation. Many DJ's in the 1980s struck with the tried and true forms of electronica, dance and Hip-Hop, while others started to make a name for themselves by trying to mix other musical elements in the mix. The results were always interesting, and were used as a springboard for whole genres of music to come. By the early 90's electronic music was being touted as the next big thing; Rock was dead, and it's successor, Hip-Hop, had not quite (yet) become the commercial success many thought it would be. It was around this time that the rave scene exploded in America and brought with it some new forms of music, like Trance and Drum-N-Bass.

Well, the electronic explosion was a bit disappointing, with British techno-punks The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers leading the way. Some great music did come out of that uprising, though, with artists like Moby, Orbital, and Underworld eventually receiving much deserved success.

So, what's next? The answer to that query might lie in the hands of 21-year old, Seattle DJ extraordinaire qp (he is not fond of capital letters), who has produced his debut record, enjoy the art of lying down (Sweet Mother Recordings), under the guise plastiq phantom. What this album does is prove to be a fitting explanation of where electronic music has been and is going. On seventeen tracks of incredible originality, qp shows his diversity, reinventing classical, eastern, jazz, and other modern forms of music. enjoy the art of lying down brings the listener through a strange voyage, which begins with eclectic, almost video game-like, synthesizer driven dance-pop, and winds through such amazing pieces of music as "falling through windows," a veritable piano-harpsichord concerto, complete with string arrangements, and surprisingly, no back beat; and the jazzy, ambient track "edison."

All in all, qp's willingness to experiment shines through, and will keep any music lover paying attention, wondering what the kid is gonna do next.

--Jacob Ciaveloux

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