"I LIKE COLD AND INTELLECTUAL MUSIC - I DON'T PLAN FOR MY MUSIC TO BE APPRECIATED BY CHILDREN", DECLARES DANISH MUSICIAN VOKS, AND IT'S HARD TO DISLIKE THE STERN CUT OF HIS JIB. HARD, TOO, TO DISLIKE DARKVAKS (DEKORDER 3"CD), ESPECIALLY ITS COVER, WHOSE PHOTOMONTAGE INCLUDES A RESIDENTS-LIKE EYEBALL STARING DOWN FROM A TREE AT A CLOUD THAT HAS APPARENTLY FORGOTTEN HOW TO FLOAT. DARKVAKS IS A BIZARRE TOYBOX OF MISSHAPEN CONCOCTIONS AND REPLICATIONS. ITS OPENING, UNTITLED TRACK, SET AMID A QUIET TEMPEST OF ORGANS AND XYLOPHONES, FEATURES WHAT SOUNDS LIKE A DOLL THAT SPOUTS GREGORIAN CHANT WHEN YOU YANK THE STRING IN ITS BACK. ANOTHER FEATURES SIMILAR PLASTIC BELCHINGS OF PLAYER PIANO, ANOTHER FEELS LIKE AN ATTEMPT TO MASS-MARKET A PLASTIC TOY VERSION OF KONONO NO.1. THE NINTH AND FINAL TRACK MIGHT BE THE IMAGINED SOUNDTRACK TO A JAPANESE CEREMONY. ALL PERFECTLY USELESS, IN THE USEFUL SENSE OF THE WORD.
DAVID STUBBS | THE WIRE

"VOKS" IS THE DANISH WORD FOR "WAX", AND, JUST LIKE HOT MOLTEN WAX, VOKS' MUSIC IS EXTREMELY FLEXIBLE AND IT JUST HURTS SO GOOD.

CONSIDER THIS: THE ARTIST KNOWN AS VOKS HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP IN A RURAL AREA NORTH OF COPENHAGEN AND IN HIS ADOLESCENCE DEVELOPS A FAVOUR FOR SOLITARY WALKS THROUGH THE ADJACENT WOODS (WHEREUPON HE PROBABLY MEETS FAIRIES AND MIDGETS AND FINDS THE ODD MUSHROOM), BUT ALSO FOR THE WORLD OF COMPUTERS.

EVEN IN HIS CHILDHOOD HE'D INDULGED IN CREATING NOISE BY MEANS OF HIS TOY COLLECTION OR MOTHER'S HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES. LATER, WHEN LEARNING HOW TO WRITE COMPUTER PROGRAMS, THE MACHINE BECOMES A WELCOME TOOL FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PRETTY WEIRD SOUNDS. WELL, AT LEAST THAT'S ROUGHLY WHAT VOKS' BIOGRAPHY SAYS.

"DARKVAKS" IS VOKS' SECOND ALBUM, AND IT'S RELEASED AS A VERY CUTE ICCLE THREE-INCH COMPACT DISC. THE SURREALIST COVER ARTWORK MAY POINT THE LISTENER IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, FOR THE MUSIC ON "DARKVAKS" IS LIKEWISE IRRATIONAL AND INEXPLICABLE. SUDDEN TEMPO CHANGES, ABSURD ANTI-SONG STRUCTURES, POLYRHYTHMICAL PATTERNS, MELODIES FROM THE CHILDREN'S SONGBOOK, AND RANDOM BLEEP SEQUENCES REMINISCENT OF A ROBOT GONE MAD, FORM A FASCINATING ALLIANCE.

AT ANY GIVEN POINT, THE SOUND CLUSTERS REMAIN SUGGESTIVE, YET UTTERLY INDEFINITE. SOMETIMES, VOKS' SONIC FROLICS EVEN PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE - IT'S JUST SO WEIRD YOU CAN'T HELP IT. THIS IS TRULY MIND-EXPANDING MUSIC, AND THEREFORE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
EOIPSO.NET

LUSTIG WIE AUF EINEM KARUSSELL GEHT'S BEI DEN 10 TRACKS DIESER 3"-CD ZU. ROHE MINIATUREN, DIE SICHERLICH CARTOONS FÜR KINDER GUT ZU GESICHT STÜNDEN. ABER AUCH PUR MACHT DIE BUNTE BONBONPACKUNG, DEREN OFT QUIETSCHIGE SOUNDS AN CHINA ODER TANZENDE ZWERGE DENKEN LASSEN, EINEN HEIDENSPASS. MANCH EINER MAG SICH ANGESICHTS DER HIER ZELEBRIERTEN ABSURDEN OPULENZ AN DEN PLAN, FELIX KUBIN ODER GENERAL MAGIC ERINNERT FÜHLEN. UND AUCH WENN DAS ALLES MANCHMAL FAST NERVT, IST ES DOCH UNGLAUBLICH GROSS.
PP | DE:BUG

DIE RAFFINIERTE "NAIVITÄT" SEINER ELEKTRONISCHEN MINIATUREN HABEN DEM KOPENHAGENER VERGLEICHE MIT THE RESIDENTS, DER PLAN, SCHLAMMPEITZIGER UND PASCAL COMELADE EINGEBRACHT. MIT 10 NEUEN TRACKS, DIE WIE EIN AUFGEZOGENES SPIELZEUGORCHESTRION DURCHEINANDER RAPPELN, DUDELN, QUIETSCHEN UND FLÖTEN, SETZT ER SEIN ÜBERKANDIDELTES LOONY-TUNING DER WELT FORT (ZUMINDEST KLEINER TEILE DAVON).

DIE SAMPLES BEWAHREN JEDE MENGE ANALOGEN KINDERZIMMERCHARME, UM SICH VOM LAPTOPEINERLEI DEUTLICH ABZUHEBEN. AUFGEKRATZTE CHILDISH MUSIC, DIE EINEM TATSÄCHLICH MAL EIN LÄCHELN UND KEIN "IHR NERVT!" ABNÖTIGT UND DABEI NICHT VERGISST, DASS ES AUCH IN CHINA UND ARABIEN KINDER GIBT UND STECKDOSEN UND SCHRÄGERE TONARTEN ALS PAMPERS-DUR.
BAD ALCHEMY