Scanner — Mass Observation
Mass Observation first appeared in 1994 on Ash International- as either a 12-inch vinyl or CD. The album became one of the first releases to blend together the slowly rising mass communication culture, with often broodingly dense & at times eerier electronica. This new expanded edition takes the original three-track release, & converts it into a single track that comes in just shy of the hour mark.
Back when this originally came out I recall reading write-ups about this release, and been fairly curious- though not enough to pick it up, as at that point in my sonic life I was only dipping my toe in experimental electronica/ & more long-form ambient releases, & Mass Observation seemed to take things a bit to far for me. And as the years have passed I promptly put the release to the back of my mind- so when I saw Room 40 where reissuing this I just had to give it a look.
As we were only sent a CDR review copy of the album, I’m not sure if this release has been remixed or altered in any way, aside of course from the mixing together of the tracks- so I can’t really comment on how this differs from the original version- so please do keep that in mind as you read my review of the release. Though apparently this is a longer expansive mix of the material, which has been unheard until now.
The single fifty three minute track featured here is a wonderfully dense, shifting & often disorientating sonic journey- which surprisingly ,considering its age, sounds fairly undated. There is no real firm & set structure running through the whole piece- giving the whole thing a fairly lose & free feel, yet it’s not chaos or just random flotsam & Jettison. Through-out Scanner creates a compelling, at times moody & at other times overloading sonic soup- that moves with it’s stolen audio elements from airline instructions, onto sales calls & work mate banter. Through to arguments & late night friend chatter, onto official emergency services chatter, and beyond. Around this shifting & morphing mass Scanner weaves an often subdued & subtle blend of skittering beats 'n' pluses, electro-ambient drifts, moody keyboard lines, and atmospheric mood-scaping- which nicely builds, then dips, nearly fades, then buildings once again.
It’s great to have Mass Observation finally back in print, and in a way I’m glad I waited until now to hear it, as I know I certainly appreciate it more now than I would in the early ’90s- as I just wasn’t ready for this type of loose & morphing type of composition. In conclusion, if you enjoy densely & shifting immersion in experimental electronica & creepy ambience, I’d certainly recommend this release.