DNA LE DRAW D KEE (Edward and Elke)

mark weddle <markw@southwind.net>

DNA LE DRAW D KEE (anagram of Elke and Edward Ka-Spel) is a special
"ambient" project that features Edward Ka-Spel and Ryan Moore of the
Legendary Pink Dots, Edward's wife at the time Elke and then 2 year old
son Calyxx. This disc is a re-issue of a previously limited edition
(500) vinyl only release from 1995 on Holland's Korm Plastic label.
The cd contains two lengthy, flowing, instrumental sound collage
pieces: "Decay" and "DNA". "Decay" uses electronic drones, hums,
glitches, music box tones, samples of voices and bird calls, synth
sounds and some somewhat tribal percussion playing. I especially like
the 4 to 5 minute music box section ... very beautiful and relaxing.
The track ends with a gradually building wall of percussive tappings
and bouncy synth notes. "DNA" begins with a minute and a half of soft
piano and stereo panned static waves that I wish would go on forever.
The percussion-less track evolves with synth waves and more music box
tones, keyboard pads, static, baby cries and bizarre synth sounds such
as warning signal-like beeps. The final four minutes or so build with
bizarre, plucked guitar string type sounds and sweeping synth chords.
Both tracks are varied and paced well, changing and moving often enough
to avoid becoming boring. I hear bits similar to early LPD, solo
Ka-Spel and Mimir and bits reminiscent of Neu! (especially the
beginning of "DNA"), Eno, and early Pink Floyd. If you like the more
atmospheric side of the Pink Dots and Ka-Spel's work, you're going to
love this. The artwork for the inserts is a gorgeous swirled collage
of psychedelic pastel colors, it's too bad Soleilmoon didn't make a
poster for this one. Khalamalezh Vidas!

Freq E-Zine

Originally released in 1996 on Korm Plastics and long deleted, Dna Le Draw D
Kee is an attempt by various members of The Legendary Pink Dots (more
specifically Edward Ka-Spel and Elke Skelter - check for anagrammatics) to
produce ambient music which went beyond mere background and into the realms
of enjoyability. The CD re-release's vinyl heritage results in two side-long
pieces of about twenty minutes each, and the first, "Decay", is the more
introspective.

Bearing a passing relationship to some of the pieces on the (originally)
ultra-limited Four Days LPD release as well as the individual band members'
own atmospherica, "Decay" trundles and pulses its way through bass cycles
and something electronic resembling a steam-press ticking over in a secluded
corner, while the Various Ghosts of the credits murmur slight, sinister
nothings to themselves. Little chimes, musical boxes and more zoological
samples make drifting segues with the occasional urgent moment of sussurus
and quietly untoward radio noise, while the emergent percussion takes
everything off into more frenetic (though still reclined) rhythmic hypnosis.

"DNA" has an appropriately spirally feel, with the keyboards Mellotroning
out into those sliding orchestral or glutinously recombinantly liquid
synthesizer sounds which signify Ambient taken into the microscopic layers
of the dust in the carpet, or whatever sounds fibrous static might produce
alongside the dolphinate magnifications of the small-talk of mites,
listening in to the sqeaks of young Calyxx. Dna Le Draw D Kee finished on a
flurry of reverb, and vanishes off into its own little cosmic wormhole,
dreaming softly but busily.

-Antron S. Meister-