Clark, formerly Chris Clark, has apparently gotten the sort of digital-to-analog conversion previously applied by Alarm Will Sound to Clark’s fellow Warp Records roster-mate, Aphex Twin. Or at least something that sounds like it.
The forthcoming Body Riddle, due out the first week of October, opens with “Herr Bar,” as did his Throttle Furniture EP from earlier this year. But whereas the Throttle version of “Herr Bar” was slo-mo, latter-day jungle, rich with computerized percussives, the Riddle “Herr Bar” (to which is appended the parenthetical “Reinterpretation / Improvisation”) appears to be more “acoustic” in nature. A collaboration with another Warp act, Broadcast, this revised “Herr Bar” is fuller and richer, featuring chimes and, possibly, bowed instrumentation. (Of course, Alarm Will Sound was a full contemporary-classical ensemble whereas this new “Herr Bar” seems to be a studio concoction, but it still has a very “live” sound. Perhaps all the elements are still sampled.)
And for the time being at least, the “reinterpretation” of “Herr Bar” is available for free download (MP3). Better yet, it’s the first of three pre-release MP3s that Warp and Clark are posting at throttleclark.com. September 4 is when the second MP3 becomes available. September 18 is the date for the third and final MP3.
At least one other track title is common between both Throttle and the forthcoming Riddle, “Frau Wav.” They can be compared at the albums’ respective webpages at the music retail site bleep.com (Riddle, Throttle). More info at throttleclark.com, myspace.com/throttleclark, broadcast.uk.net and warprecords.com.