title:

mercury scales - a boltfish recordings compilation

label:

boltfish recordings

format:

cd / mp3

release date:

26.08.05

cat. no.:

bolt019

tracks:

so far

reviews:

"several labels have close interaction with each other, but none quite like the uk's boltfish collective. they seem to have their tentacles pointed in every direction with connections to labels like rednetic, en:peg, clickclickdrone, october man, laced milk technologies, toytronic and several others. always there to induce the creative musical energy of their roster, boltfish have introduced their second compilation disc, mercury scales, yet another distinct departure into digital space --a follow-up to their well-received region zero compilation from august 2004. mercury scales glows in a different light, however, focusing on calm electrical frequencies and warm ambient tones. mataya's 'two faces' offers sincere instrumental beauty and delicate melodies wrapped in tweaked beats with subtle acidic variations. cheju's sound is constantly growing; his signature style can't be ignored and with 'so far', you get nothing but precious rhythms and skittery percussion that magnetically unfolds into your subconscious. on boc scadet's minimal-electro bass stomper, you can't ignore the synaptic flow and hypnotic feel that 'caladan' pushes through an atmospheric bassbin. polestar's emotional tear-jerker is placed in 4th position on this effectively packaged disc; 'concept car ride' reveals the sound-escapes to a lost playground somewhere in the middle of nowhere. and just when you thought those feelings would infinitely continue, mint brushes them with 'sleeping giant'; a sensitive ambient piece that mechanically exhibits peace and tranquility within seconds. zainetica's 'when the time comes (extended version)' is a subterranean voyage into eastern influenced grooves; tumbling tweaks, moist rhythms, depressed melodies --this track is an epic piece that sweeps the air in front of you. mescalinaeden's cascading 'gnosso' is a fabric from outer-space, enriched with the sounds of connecting planets --its breathing entity of ambience stutters across the landscape with threaded beats, making for a thoroughly enjoyable listen. richard houghten's 'something ugly' is not quite what it may sound like based on the title, it easily compliments the uplifting electro feel of boc scadet's minimal-electro and slides perfectly with line noise's 'blue sky ely ptII', both of which unravel a more upbeat focus. october man's piano-driven 'walking out in broken lines' is a silently expressive and repetitively attractive piece that blends nicely with the rumblist's 'ickle mewgul', a track that sparkles like ochre and shines like plaid --the rumblist delivers a heavily mutated mix of crackling beats, shivering melodies and inspired emotions. j.auer's 'tier1' introduces a whole other side to the boltfish oeuvre; rusted, sub-atomic drum'n bass drenched in skittery beats and acidic intonations; it's the surprise track on mercury scales that is a breath of fresh air. on (bal-a-klah-va)'s 'the luminous flesh of giants', it's not hard to distinguish cheju's influence (after all, this is a collaboration between wil bolton and john lee). this track opens similar to cheju's 'camellia', a persistently emotive piece that locks its melodies deep into the heart and never lets go. it's that remarkable. mercury scales may suffer from the usual melody, ambience and crunchy beats syndrome, but it also delivers a highly complex range of emotionally soft electronic tracks from a collective of musicians who strive at keeping the balance right ." - igloomag, 08.05

"the latest release from the boltfish camp is entitled 'mercury scales' and it's a severally limited digi-packed cd compilation showcasing their vast array of talented artists. on this excellent compilation you'll find the usual suspects and their high-quality productions: zainetica, boc scadet, october man, j.auer, richard houghten, bal-a-klah-va, polestar and last but not least the label bosses themselves mint and cheju. however there're not only well-known faces on the compilation there are some newcomers as far as boltfish releases go anyhow: mataya, mescalinaeden, the rumblist and line noise are debutants. mataya's 'two faces' is a great down-tempo track with an acid-twist, should cause mayhem on any club night and a quite beautiful nostalgia filled track at that. mescalinaeden's 'gnosso' is set in down-tempo mode and has great atmosphere and a timid guitar accompanies gentle beats. the rumblist's 'ickle mewgul' has excellent melody and top-of-the-line arrangements together with cut-up breakbeat based beats you've got a winner! line noise's 'blue sky ely pt2' that presumably is the continuation of 'blue sky ely pt1' which actually hasn't been released yet (scheduled for release in sep 2005). it is a very nice piece of music indeed, securely lodged in the not so viscous electro department. the upcoming ep on boltfish features more of the same musical style. great beat programming, bass and lovey selection sounds and that's always a treat. the unstoppable boltfish recordings' 'mercury scales' is the 19th show of force and you get exactly what you would be hoping for, 13 excellent electronic tracks by as many artists and all nicely packaged. the lovely design made by trickster, boltfish's designer of choice." - electronic desert, 08.05

"building on the success of their previous sampler comes another stunning catalogue of deep, rich and warm instrumental electronic music. available as a limited edition package there's thirteen tracks to please the senses. mataya 'two faces' opens the collection with glorious poise and cinematic class. cheju follows up with 'so far' and by that point you'll be lost in the soundscapes forever more. polestar 'concept car ride' is truly made to wash over the mind and erase the stresses of whatever you like. dreamy music that paints pictures in your mind. mint, zainetica, october man, richard houghten, j.auer and many more make a contribution to an album so stunningly beautiful it could well be on the stereo for the rest of the year." - untitledmusic, 08.05

"boltfish gets stuck into it here with another very fine compilation cd featuring some of the finest underground electronica around. cheju, zainetica, j. Auer, october man, boc scadet, mint, polestar and more all feature on this cracking selection. from minimalistic sounds right through to classic and timeless crunchy, melodic electronics, most forms of this very popular style are represented and you have to say that at this price, it's an absolute bargain. bravo!" - smallfish, 09.05

"boltfish recordings is an internet label which has been rather active in the last couple of years, with releases from founding member cheju, mint, zainetica, j. auer, october man and many more. mercury scales, the second compilation released by the label, follows last year’s excellent region zero, with contributions from all of the above plus boc scadet, polestar, richard houghten, the rumblist and line noise to name but a few. london-based boltfish recordings is one of a handful of labels to mostly focus on warm melodic electronica, alongside toytronic, rednetic or lacemilk. founded at the beginning of 2004 by long term friends and part time collaborators wil ‘cheju’ bolton and murray ‘mint’ fisher, the label has since released an impressive nineteen mp3 ep's, with two more scheduled before the end of the year. all releases are available to download from the site, initially for free, then to buy. mercury scales is also being released as a limited edition professional cd. the album contains thirteen tracks of lush electronica. the mood remains very constant pretty much all the way through the course of this record, with each contributor appearing to offer a variation on a theme. the tracks featured here are firmly rooted somewhere between early warp and boards Of canada nostalgia, tinted with detroit techno, drum’n’bass or dub. the album opens with croatian artist malaya and two faces, a beautifully crafted piece of electronic music with evocative soundscapes, subtle textural layers wrapped around a discreet melody. the following contributions, so far and caladan, from cheju and boc scadet respectively, are typically impeccable. both progressing along a similar template are slow moving and melancholic. built around radically different soundscapes, it is interesting to see how both artists manage to recreate similar effects and arrive at a common point. elsewhere, the tone is a bit sharper, with the like of zainetica, richard houghten or j. auer exploring more angular sound structures, while the rumblist or mescalineaden appear to occupy here some kind middle ground, absorbing elements from both sides to generate their own sonic space. 3.7/5." - themilkfactory, 11.05

"a lush digipak, it's cover showing a feather soaked with drops of mercury. inside thirteen wonderful tracks. first some unknown names that the small english label boltfish uncovered for the world. matija tonkovic (mataya) once resident dj in a famous club in zagreb has the task of introducing the mercurial world of this elegant collection with five minutes of techno trance ("two faces"). the rhythm is broken, whilst the beat remains long and languid during label co-owner cheju's track. boc scadet darkens the atmosphere with a synthetic bass pulse reminiscent of the better incubi of massive attack. polestar leads on from the style of Warp, with what would happen if boards of canada and aphex twin joined forces. amazing." - rockerilla magazine, 11.05

"new electronica label boltfish recordings have done the sensible thing and released a compilation representing the artists on their label. usually an excellent way for the curious to pick out favourites from a diverse range of talent, 'mercury scales' initially seems like a set of tracks from the same group of people, all of whom harbour a love of cool, techno music. it's decent stuff but lacking the emotional impact of the very best of the electronic acts. five tracks in, though, the signs of greatness appear courtesy of mint's 'sleeping giant' which shares a warmth and an air of mystery with boards of canada. zainetica and mescalinaeden make similarly haunting contributions whilst line noise offers superior chill-out, j.auer makes a good case for a drum and bass revival and the rumblist excels with the multi-layered and highly tuneful 'ickle mewgul'. with twenty releases now under their belt in less than two years, long may boltfish continue to evolve." - leonard's lair, 09.05