wabi

repellentzine - 03.04 - by dan butler

wabi are a now five year-old - this was released commemoratively in 2003 - toronto based design collective with "foundations in the training and practice of architecture, film/video, photography, sculpture, engineering, graphic design and music production." this compilation and collective truly seem to be projects set on creating "soundscapes." certainly the foundations for such a project are solid; musical influences abound. for wabi the architecture is certainly sound, in both form and intent.

the first few tracks move steadily, all bearing similarities to that spacey techno-house sound associated with artists like alexi delano or mike shannon. once we arrive at track 4 the pace and mood grows urgent, heralding a shift. polmo polpo (aka sandro perri) produces track 4 proves to be an artist clearly familiar with how to make funky, melodic basslines in an optimal way. perri's track is way funky, but with some weird indie sensibility, like the sea and cake remixed on a house tip.

neil wiernik's track, a tweaked out mimesis of gemini at his most wicked, is highly repetitive, tracky in the strictest sense of the term, glitchy, and funky with a tad of noise throughout. wiernik, here as naw, may have listened closely to gemini's style and penetrated it. he offers a geminiesque track, but not without a dubby distinction. rounding it out is adam marshall's stormer of a track. for someone enamored by the merging of skippy chi-town beats and intelligent keys, marshall's track is an apotheosis. this is that gem of a b-side you might find on b pitch control. it really is bad ass, evil techno-house.

the signature track here must be justin fong's, both because he's integral to the wabi collective and because it's just a really impressive conglomeration of styles. under the moniker nitsuji, fong conjures only the best elements of early 90's west coast house/trance/breakbeat. though this track has an electro tinged breakbeat and unmistakable trance leanings, it's the kind of track retired ravers might remember from doc martin's go aum with yourself or an early morning set by one of the wicked crew. fong's track might have gone over well in florida some years back, but for now, besides its playtime in toronto, fong revitalizes if not the practice, the remembrance of dancing with a bunch of people, dancing how they want to, doing what they do. listen up people: the practice of both remembering and actualizing such situations can't be underestimated.

xlr8r - 08.03 - by andrew jones

canadian design firm wabi digs on all things minimal-both in music and graphic imagery. 4 years is a retrospective of microtech music created mostly by canadian producers for use in wabi's live sight-and-sound events. artists such as fairmont, and british columbia's nassau weave subtle mumbled vocals and steady throbbing sequences, while polmo polpo's "losing my tentacles" blurs numerous post-techno and ambient subgenres, anchoring them to beats that escape from funk's humid regions to cooler climates. dub is an essential ingredient throughout, and this collection reverberates with all the jamaican flourishes you can muster out of its curt frequencies. wabi's ability to pimp excellence from an international gamut of minimalists is a sign that a label may be imminent.

montreal hour - 05.28.03 - by steve lalla

toronto-based design collective wabi gathers together the city's foremost producers of minimal and avant-garde glitch-techno in this enlightening and impressive compilation. with well-known artists of the genre taking part, i was surprised to find that the quality of contributions was equal to or superior to the individuals' album work. pan/tone and dick richards get things started with some great grainy, faceless tek-funk, polmo polpo and lui ease the listener back with lilting, melodic compositions, then tomas jirku and wabi members ozawa and nitsuji sink brains into an experimental goulash with a slew of quirky sonic bleep-age. the cd wraps up in style with a trio of tweaked-out click-bombs by naw, kero and adam marshall.

4 stars

exclaim! - 05.28.03 - by i. khider

since 1999 a toronto-based collective of visual arts and film students have been organising monthly events alongside once-fledgling producers and djs to create their trademark 'aural-spatial-visual' experiences. the wabi collective and associates have since grown-up and to prove it they have released a compilation of original music made by the participants of the events. in essence, this compilation could be regarded as a touchstone for these disciples of nocturnal dance music. among the better-known contributors to this compilation are former headliners of these once-obscure events such as naw, polmo-polpo, tomas jirku and daniel lui. for the established artists, their music remains as accomplished and true to form as ever. even more pleasing are contributions by newer producers no longer standing wistfully on the sidelines, including an atmospheric 'intermission' by task (tom kuo), and atmospheric techno by ozawa (alan webb) and nitsuji (justin fong). for debut tracks, the latter three have crafted some very promising music. wabi 4 years represents diy dance culture that has matured and evolved in a positive way and is the scene at its best. comes with beautifully designed four-panel gatefold packaging.

trucker - 05.15.03 - by sara minogue

wabi is plural for justin fong, sean wainsteim, alex martin, alan webb, tom kuo, jin kim, smashing wabs, all of 'em. strange that 'the collective' seems only to persist in the realm of art and culture. yet here is wabi venturing forth in the commercial world. for four years wabi confined its cash exchange to the door fees of various events, where payments were positioned rather as a donation towards the collective good time. now the group proffers its first saleable commodity in the form of a commemorative album. will the handbags-at-dawn zaniness of the wabi collective survive this experimental about-face? adam marshall, pantone, dick richards, fairmont, dan lui, fwark, kero, polmo polpo, tomas jirku, apparat and naw say yes.

montreal mirror - 05.01.03 - by raf katigbak

for the last four years, the six-man design collective known as wabi have not only brought next level photography, video, interior, graphic, and web design to the greater toronto area, but have also hosted monthly events featuring next level minimal tech artists like pan/tone, tomas jirku, naw, kero and polmo polpo. this cd is a collection of 14 tracks from the various experimental electronic musicians that have showcased at the wabi events. if you're feeling the minimal tech with a heavily dubbed-out flavour, you should check out this out.

8/10