Magnetic Learning Center

Wordsound have gone for something slightly different with their latest release, Dub it undoubtedly is, however a very fresh and clean sounding Dub. Don't let that 'clean' tag fool you into thinking this isn't insane though. How could it be on Wordsound if it wasn't truly chaotic at its core?

Living, breathing Dub beats smash & collide throughout our journey into the Magnetic Learning Center, this music is to be played loud. Unlike other music that sounds good loud, Teledubgnosis simply demands, and receives, your attention; from the opening track, 80 creeps, to other rhythmical masterpieces like Polar Cap Dub, that becomes apparent. Rhythm stubbornly places itself in the center of everything on this album, assuring the listener of its importance. All things would not move without rhythm. The lively dub basslines imprinted on so many of the tracks make sure your ears keep receiving the goodness.

This album however, whilst keeping it's own distinct style on every track, does vary in tempos and moods. The haunting something brings you close to meditation with it's sombre ambience, only to take advantage of your becalmed ear-drums by slapping them around with some live and heavily filtered drums of it's own. The sounds menacingly and relentlessly dent holes in your knowledge of what music should sound like. In many ways, given the actual sound, this is the most un-Wordsound-like music I have ever heard. At the same time however, the mayhem demonstrated on this record embodies exactly the spirit behind all Wordsound music.

Heading West has a bouncing, travelling bass sample that will somehow calm you more than most ambient music. That is saying something as all of the drums on the album, as mentioned, are very much at the center of everything, but such is the skill with which this album has been mixed, nothing ever truly dominates your listening experience, allowing for all the small sounds, effects, middle-eastern samples and vocals to be heard with complete clarity. The albums final track, Operations Manual, incorporates a vast array of Arabic instrumentation into it's already stoned drum pattern to a very strange and atmospheric effect. It's an ideal end to the album really; the track itself is alive and dynamic like much of the Magnetic Learning Center. Because of the albums short length, we are treated to an intensive crash-course in all that Teledubgnosis can throw at us. All that in the space of 10 tracks, 10 small nuggets. This is satisfying music, now go and eat it.

by Y.Misdaq aka Yoshi