Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (25th Anniversary Edition) ［LP+ソノシート］＜数量限定盤/Black & Brown York Vinyl＞

ターンテーブルの楽器としての可能性を最大限に引き出した狂気的なサウンド・コラージュ名作がソノシート特典付きの豪華仕様で25周年記念リイシュー!

スキルフルなターンテーブリストとして、さらには真の実験精神を持ったプロデューサーとしてその名を知らしめる鬼才、Kid Koalaによる、狂気的なサウンド・コラージュ名作が〈Ninja Tune〉からソノシート特典付きの豪華仕様で25周年記念リイシュー!

Eric SanことKid Koalaは、職人技とも言えるターンテーブル捌きと、奔放なユーモアを融合させることで、他に類を見ない独自の世界観を築き上げた真の音楽的探究者だ。ターンテーブルを楽器として用い、オリジナルのサウンドやミックス、リズムを生み出すアートフォーム、すなわちターンテーブリズムに全身全霊を捧げた彼は、本作を全編ターンテーブルで演奏し、手作業でレコードをカットしながら8トラック・レコーダーにその音を刻み込んだ。

その結果として生まれたのは、Kid Koalaのねじれた、そして輝かしい精神世界を駆け巡る、風変わりで歓びに満ちた音の冒険である。まるで歌うかのようなスクラッチ・サウンド、奇妙な実験性と快楽性を併せ持つ切り刻まれたサウンドがアルバムを通して飛び出し続ける名作。

Unless you're a DJ or a student of electronic music-making, turntablism can be something of an esoteric art form -- everyone knows it's the foundation of hip-hop, but its techniques aren't as widely understood or appreciated as those of a traditional instrumentalist. The turntablist revival of the '90s produced some major talents (the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, the Beat Junkies, the X-Ecutioners), but the nuances of their skills were often lost on casual observers, and only sometimes translated to recordings. That's why Kid Koala's full-length debut, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, is so important: It's capable of making turntablism engaging to a wider audience. It isn't that Kid Koala is necessarily the greatest DJ spinning, although he's clearly in the top tier. It's that he's able to bring so much personality and entertainment value to his work, which makes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome arguably the most appealing turntablist album yet released. Unlike many of his peers, Koala makes heavy use of dialogue snippets from movies and TV shows, instructional records, and other obscure sources. They provide a running commentary on the action, and Koala also assembles them into mini-skits, or makes wry jokes about the lack of respect afforded DJs as musicians. Elsewhere, there are aural jokes wholly dependent on Koala's DJ skill -- "Drunk Trumpet," for example, is a cut-up jazz solo played on the crossfader. But all of this isn't to say that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a novelty item. Koala makes it easy for listeners to follow the transformation of his source material into totally different creations, and builds some deceptively dense, layered tracks; plus, his explosive scratching (best heard on "A Night at the Nufonia") is the equivalent of a guitar shredder soloing. His infectious sense of fun is simply a gateway to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome's readily apparent musical sophistication. All in all, a superb and accessible introduction to a specialist art form. ~ Steve Huey