V/A - The Fire This Time -- Hidden Art Recordings

Horror. Anger. Rage. Sadness.

Nothing really explains my emotions when listening to The Fire This Time.

After receiving the CD, I devoted a solid 78 minutes to listening to the album, uninterrupted, with no distractions. I didn't read, I didn't dance, I didn't use my computer. I think I even had a kink in my neck after listening to it, as I stayed completely still for 78 minutes, transfixed by what I was hearing.

The Fire This Time is something everyone should own, or at least, hear.

EVERYONE.

The CD offers two discs, one with music and commentary, the other with simply the music. In order to fully experience the disc of music and commentary, one must really devote 78 minutes to just sitting down and listening to it. It's not something that easily fades into the background.

While the commentary itself is enough for me to want to have the CD, let's first discuss the music. And what great music it is! Featuring some of the most renowned electronic artists in the genre, this CD delivers -- Aphex Twin, Speedy J, Orbital, Bola, Bass Communion, Michael Stearns, Higher Intelligence Agency, Soma, Barbed, Tom Middleton's Amba, Ashra, Pan Sonic, Kait Gray.

The spoken-word commentary focuses on breaking down the saturating propaganda surrounding the first gulf war. The connection to recent events is undeniable, as the United States is currently engaged in War with Iraq, again. In a time where it seems that information is abound, and no matter where you turn you are never really hearing the "full story", gathering as much information as possible about issues is important. While, yes, if the government can censor things by taking sound bites that favour their position, the opposite side can of course do the same. And does. This leaves one wondering where to hear the truth? And also leaves one having to consult many different sources to put together an accurate picture of what is really going on. Let The Fire This Time be one of those sources.

I almost feel a quote from Marshall McLuhan is appropriate.

"World War III will be a global information war with no division between civilian and military participation."
- Marshall McLuhan

We truly are engaging on the journey of an information war. That unfortunately has real people as victims.

-- April 2003

 

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