Fantastic electronic/heavy beat guitar album
author: Foovius Foo
Great CD -- I've had it since it came out and it's still in heavy rotation. This is a terrific beat-oriented, well-recorded and produced album of distorted guitar and electronics. Sadly, much better than his long-awaited follow-up recording. Get this album immediately, though. I can't really compare it to others well--perhaps an IDM approach to Belew-esque guitar might do.
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author: CD Baby
A sonic gene-splice of lead guitar, jungle beats, and fragmented post-ambient textures.
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author: Expose' Magazine #20 (october 2000)
Here is a guitarist whose playing has
an assuredly original kind of
American twang to it. With the
exception of some drum machine
work, all the sounds Andre LaFosse
uses to produce his music are made
by guitar. If the thought of drum
machine turns you off however read
on anyway: it actually fits right into
his scheme of music making and the
results are formiddible. Besides, the
way the machine is employed is
such that no human could ever
perform the patterns he uses.
LaFosse gives you six lengthy
instrumental portraits on this CD,
and does a fine job of imprinting his
own musical personality, rather than
skipping around to various odd
styles. His six-stringer is pumped
up with energy, creating a firestorm
of pyrotechnics and burning sounds,
but with a sensitivity to weirdness
and experimentation where need be.
The relentless surge and brisk pace
of most of these tunes are such that
only a drum machine could ever
keep up. I like how he settles into
muscular grooves with a twisted sort
of bending and slurring of tones, at
times bathed in distortion, at others
emulating a softer, Chapman Stick
texture. You may notice a dearth of
name-dropping in this review and
that is because I can't really compare
LaFosse to anyone I know of.
Perhaps Hendrix could be pointed to
but only as an iconic influence. He
seems to have roots in blues, jazz,
70's rock and probably a bit of
classical and experimental music as
well. (Classical guitar training is
likely). And he utilizes it all to create
an album that is usually made by
people who can only capture
"atmospheres" (since they can't play
guitar well). "Chops" are often
referred to disparagingly by people
who work in experimental idioms,
but Disruption Theory reveals the
difference it makes when a player
knows what he is doing. Here is one
that deserves the title "unique." (Reviewed by Mike Ezzo)
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None For You Dear Indie Spotlight, Oct. 2000
author: Richard Pike/none For You Dear
Working in various
capacities with guitar
legend Steve Vai for
several years now,
my PO box is often
crammed full of CDs
and tapes from
aspiring guitarists
from all around the
world, eager to
display their talents
and share their
music. Ranging
from fully produced
CDs rivaling major
releases to
homemade cassettes
with handwritten
labels, some are
stunningly good,
and of course many
are still early in their
development and a
little before their
time. In more than
five years, exactly
one such recording
has made me stop
whatever I was
doing and just stare
in awe and disbelief
at my speakers,
simply absorbing its
sounds and shapes
as they tumble
forward, and loving
every minute of it,
until the end of the
last song.
That record was
Andre LaFosse's
Disruption Theory.
Fearlessly colorful
and inventive, it stirs
together elements of
rock, jazz,
electronica and
jungle rhythms into
a thoroughly
listenable package
that gets more
interesting with
every new listen.
When I found out
that every sound on
the disc, other than
the rhythm
programming and a
sole Mellotron
sample, was created
on an electric guitar,
and indeed that
every sound was
created by Andre
alone, I was again
awestruck. I'd just
been handed one of
the greatest guitar
records I've ever
heard, and it's
recorded by
someone in his 20s,
living right here in
Los Angeles.
Ladies and
gentlemen, please
allow me to
introduce you to
Andre LaFosse.
Remember the
name. Buy his
record. Thank me
later.
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