DJ Spooky: that subliminal kid - Songs of a Dead Dreamer

Belvedere Jehosophat - Tuesday, 27 June 2006 - Print Version

Songs of a Dead Dreamer, though released in 1995, deserves a review because it really is one of the classics of the genre. I'm not, now, going to get into exactly what that genre is (Illbient) or who exactly coined the term, created the idea, etc, except to say that in such a genre Songs of a Dead Dreamer must at least figure as one of its cornerstones.

The booklet deserves a mention because it holds the key to the concept around which the record is created. The quotes of a number of historical figures envelop the snippets of a Spooky essay regarding the role of the DJ in conceptualising and redefining culture, society, the city, etc. To quote DJ Spooky, "To me, assembly is the invisible language of our time and DJ'ing is the forefront artwork of the late 20th century." This mission statement, furthermore, is supported by different paintings, collages and pictures. It is helpful to recognise the spirit in which Songs of a Dead Dreamer was created I order to better understand the music. In short, the music, like the packaging, is a collage.

It is, admittedly, a little too easy to get bogged down in the cerebral aspects of the record, to assume that the music has merit solely because of its academic underpinnings, or, conversely, to reject the whole affair as pretentious garbage. However, the fact of the matter is that when you listen to Songs of a Dead Dreamer and actively divorce yourself from the discussion it is attempting to create, you'll find that it is an accomplished and creative record.

The most rewarding aspect of this record is its sheer scope — there are eighteen tracks over the course of eighty minutes. The time, however, is well spent, and there is no part of Songs of a Dead Dreamer which feels forced or lazy.
Dub plays a very prominent role in the music as do textured, noisy soundscapes, to which the closest comparison would be those found on Swans' Soundtracks for the Blind. The beats are nicely crafted and much of the charm comes not just from the programming but from their selective appearances — they are balanced just so, so as to not allow them to overpower the songs.

Note: the particular cover shown below is of the Songs of a Dead Dreamer re-issue, which was released in 2002. This particular version carries two additional songs to the original — In the Valley of the Shadows, a short song which sounds like it belongs on the Blade Runner soundtrack, and, Machine Phylum, which sounds like it was stolen from a Japanese garden — both excellent songs.

now we are unsentimental and unafraid

Belvedere Jehosophat