ADOR 409, 1998
Urban Mantras combines breakbeats with manipulated voices and found sounds to produce nine subtle, minimalist grooves. The essences of various strands of electronica and dance music have been extracted and re-assembled, creating a disorientating and unique montage of hypnotic rhythms and soaring sounds.
The CD is an evocation of the state between waking and sleep. In the urban environment, the waking can sometimes prompt dread, sometimes the excitement of possibilities. From the claustrophobic yet sparse programmed beats of Narcolepsy, Binary System and Static, to the joyful breakbeat ambiences of Drift and When I Sleep…, this release is a soundtrack to various dreams; offering an escape from the realm of the real to the worlds of imagination.
Funkturm’s Richard Gallon spikes the familiar lope and clatter of industrialism with running electronic interference. He knows how to introduce disquieting elements into his music – not to recall the listenerís wandering attention, but to focus it all the more sharply. This knowledge seems practically arcane, familiar to few alchemists at the headphonic Techno/Electronica interface.
Tim Owen, The Wire – April 1998
All titles are processed, programmed and produced by Richard Gallon. The Urban Mantras CD package includes a 12 page booklet, with a visual interpretation of each track.
…a very fluid virtual narrative reminiscent of Aphex Twin’s more tenebrous atmospherics …low frequency pulse loops, strains of electronic insect drones and claustrophobic rhythms steadily speeding up as on ‘Fragile’ which somehow captures that waking moment when you know you’ve had an uneasy night and hastily try to recall your minds wanderings before they’re gone forever. A soundtrack for your own sleep experiments.
Robert H King, Variant – Spring 1998