VILLAGE VOICE
SEPT 17 1996

CARL STONE: Kamiya Bar (New Tone)


The king of sampling has made Tokyo dance. He began by recording environmental sounds of the chameleon city he describes so vividly in the liner notes, then sliced them into multicolored sound bits. He next sifted and rhythmicized them into seven well-contrasted movements; ambient "Gild", dance- like "Axis", intimate "Young Jump", busily urban "Cue", meditative "Val" and so on. Never before has Stone brought so many strategies to one piece, running the gamut from letting the noises speak for themselves to drawing their inherent cadences into foot-tapping rock. Perhaps his best work ever. Also check out (if you can) his new 50-minute continuum of drums and plucked sounds on the British em:t label.

-- Kyle Gann
Village Voice
September 17 1996 Issue