Amorfon
V.A. : Music for Baby! (JAP,RU,SERB,I,D,SP,NL,2004)***°
The label introduction states :
"There are many kinds of music & sound in this world. But most of all relaxation CDs for baby contain only soft classic music... However, babies must want to listen to cool music more in fact!! This is a compilation album for such babies."
Something like "hi baby, we can enjoy this together".
I heard that babies like high tones, clicks and beats, so modern art-electronica I think is a good choice. And the label chose mostly artists which fit with this concept very well. Also they asked a few people who participated on their label before for their contribution of which the Cinc track, a less dreamy, more forward, perhaps too conscious song which fits less well with the kind of enjoyment found elsewhere.
First track by Casiotone for the Painfully Alone is painful with headphones, but attractive for its bipbip peaks and glitches, very baby bipbip-like if you ask me.
Also Dat Politics’ track, "Oily Holo" is a bitbit nonsense organised, baby bitbit improvised if you ask me. Outside the casio improvisation this ends with nice coloured steel pan, (sea)gulls and water.
Minamo’s track sounds like sweet high toned cradle electronica, that can weepweep the baby into some kind of trance-sleep if you ask me. With some guitarstring, chime-like sounds, harmonica all sounds blend harmoniously with the electronica metal cradle and electronic devices in it tones.
Busratch's track sounds much more industrial, with its particular sounds, its LP-scratches noise, and keyboard and guitar soundtrack drones. Underground but in a kind of pleasant way.
Spanish Alejandra & Aeron’s track “Lucky Cat” makes another kind of miniature loop-like soundtrack based upon the sound of an instrument’s string, some scratching gravel, and a dog barking in the background.
Also Ryoichi Kurakawa uses on his "Memoria" baby-friendly nice insect-like high tones, a warm loop rhythm, pleasant tiny sand-like soundnoises for his composition and intelligent natural evolution of abstract, but almost visually moving sounds.
The only track which takes you completely out of this subtle and detailed environmental dream is the song by the Serbian Cinc. Taken out of the complete release it’s a fine enough track, but too flip heep and not so baby friendly if you ask me. Even when it’s acid folk based, it’s still a too straight forward rock song. It's a more child-friendly song rather than something for a baby. The baby in me wants to see clear, or dream with clarity. It doesn’t matter too much for this sudden awakening.
With high pitched metal-like lazerblade sharpness between insect communication, plant rhythms and a human presence in the decoration of the wall is for me the Toshiya Tsunoda’s track, “Filmy Feedback (afternoon)”.
Also Marko Cicillani’s track again a very different moment, contemporary classical music with many changes and switches from high notes to low and sudden reactions and rhythms, strange harmonies, with a clever forest-like building up. Just slightly threatening for its length.
With guitar and electronica mixed with some classical-like arrangements, and some semi-acoustic noises with a rhythm, also Fitz Ellarald’s track, “6a6oo” is slightly abstract but it still moves as visual spectacle.
The acoustic guitar near the end which makes it anything weird and alien completely inhabited into our world. Heepheep, hip hip it is. Brilliant.
Last contribution by Andrés F.Krause is a more slumbering fade-away soundtrack outro.
This is for me an almost perfect soundtrack for hip babies and parents, but can be really rewarding for any interest outside this perspective. The electronica mixes in general are very rich and creative compositions. And the two different tracks for a general listening pleasure still fit in well enough.
Links to individual artists :
