title:

foil

label:

u-cover

format:

3" cd

release date:

06.02.07

cat. no.:

u-cdm05

tracks:

foil

kokuho rose

particle index

snood

nettle

"'foil' impresses even more for presenting a more 'cinematic' range of sounds in its five pieces, a tendency clearly reflected in song titles like 'kokuho rose.' the 3-inch collection is bolder in its sonic design, as attested to by the fluttering edits that enhance the funky and melodically infectious 'snood.' the cycling, four-note motifs that introduce 'foil' give the piece an exotic, far east character that nicely complements the crisp beat patterns that push it aggressively forward. 'particle index' swims in murkier waters, and even works in surprising moments of dissonance alongside its billowing masses of synth streams. denser than anything on 'shifting focus', pieces like 'foil' and 'particle index' showcase the more expansive and dramatic sides of cheju's material. 'foil' is the noticeably more experimental of the two releases, and, at the risk of reading too much into an ep release, suggests an opening up of stylistic possibilities for cheju's future work." - textura, 04.07

"more greatness from cheju, this time on the limited 3" cdr offshoot of u-cover. kicking off with a simple, grainy piano refrain, the tracks on this ep soon develop into deliciously melodic pieces of work with elements of drama and some chunky, classic electronica rhythms. effectively warm and nicely accessible, cheju shows once again that music from the heart that's not driven by any trends is really where it's at. i love this dinky little release... it's fab. one to check without any hesitation at all." - smallfish, 05.07

"and while you are suitably whetted of all things electronic just a quick reminder about that superb cheju release via smalfish which it seems has been followed up in double quick succession by two more releases from the prolific talents of wil bolton (cheju). scarcely had time to hook up with these - first up the ever good value for money u-cover imprint of belgium. those with slightly long memories may remember them releasing the very excellent cheju related biotron shelf debut last year aside acting as a vehicle to their in house ensemble ontayso, the label has been responsible for putting out a host of release by the likes of shortwave, somni 451, starfish, tomcats in tokyo and mileu - just to name but a few. as part of their newly subscribed ’mini disc’ series which to date has played host to releases by ylid and (boltfish co label owner and one half of biotron shelf) mint - latest outing for the label comes in the guise of ’foil’ by cheju - 5 newly pressed cuts of sumptuous electronica." - losing today, 03.07

"foil is cheju’s contribution to the lovely, but hard to administer 3-inch series by u-cover. the five tracks on the ep is very much a cheju affair with excellent melodies and distinct warmness to as well production as sound. and his exploration of acoustic aid such as guitars is seemingly continued in this release. the fifth track nettle has an exercise in call-response of sort and is by the sound of things entirely based on plucking nylon guitar strings. cheju’s foil is the fifth instalment in the series and now counting in at 15 (jul 2007), affiliates zainetica and joseph auer has joined the ranks. and it would appear to be label co-owner mint that holds the first release spot in the same camp given his 3rd place in the consecutive release order. other contributors are joel tammik and ontayso. the packaging and production is ace and cheju is in really good company with this release." - electronic desert, 08.07

"cheju, nom du disque of boltfish co-head wil bolton, steps up with a mixture of warm synth tones, crunchy broken beats, and layered atmospheric textures that’s frankly a u-cover shoo-in. he spreads five slivers of crafted melodic electronica across foil. its mix of smooth strings, chiming keyboards, and whistle-worthy melodies slips down nice and easy. a bit too easy in fact. there’s an air of workmanlike bedroom craftsmanship, but foil., more so than other albums bolton’s been behind, tends to err on the side of blandly pretty melodics and rhythms that are more decorative than genuinely kinetic." - e/i magazine, 10.07

"choisissant décidément ses artistes avec un bon goût remarquable (après mint et ylid), u-cover minidisc nous propose cette fois-ci un cd-r 3" de cheju, anglais que nous suivons également depuis quelque temps. comme ses compères auteurs des références précédentes, on connaît bien l’electronica de wil bolton et on ne s’attend à guère de surprises : mélodies bien troussées, rythmique plutôt présente sans pour autant être agressive, ambiance légèrement onirique. de fait, le morceau-titre qui débute le ep ne se signale pas par sa grande originalité mais convainc par sa bonne maîtrise des différents éléments mentionnés. accentuant la dimension insouciante des mélodies, kokuho rose flirte avec le décoratif pastel sans jamais y tomber. plus ambitieux dans ses sonorités, particle index introduit des rythmiques plus dures pour un résultat à mi-chemin entre l’indus et l’électro marquée 80’s. empruntant à ces deux derniers morceaux (atmosphère et mélodie agréable, sonorités saturées), snood se révèle alors être le sommet du ep, menant à bien cette double volonté d’offrir des lignes chromatiques impeccables tout en assurant un travail plus complexe sur la tessiture des éléments employés. retour à des ambiances plus éthérées pour terminer (nettle) avec la mise au premier plan d’une guitare digitalisée, belle manière de clore un ep tout à fait convaincant." - etherreal, 06.07