SONIC BOOM
BOOM BIP MAKES THE SOUND OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS BEING LAID BARE APPEALING, NO, REALLY...
Say who? Boom Bip, aka Cincinnati resident Bryan Hollon, sculptor of avant-garde electronica with a generous portion of clicks, beeps and, yes, booms and bips.
Onomatopoetic avant-garde electronica? Surely his chin must hurt from all that stroking? Well there's plenty to engage the grey matter Bryan says a heart is more important than a PhD for appreciating his music. "I'm not afraid to show a sensitive side," he claims. "I love music where you can hear the artist's emotions." Having started off in garage rock bands, he now deals in off-kilter hip hop and free jazz aesthetics, as showcased on 'Circle', his collaboration with Doseone of cLOUDDEAD.
Those helium-voiced rappers? The very same. Conceived as an 'audio-film', 'Circle' has Doseone's disembodied daydreaming and mantric monologues haunting Boom Bip's sound like schizophrenic voices. "It's about how important it is to step outside the ring of life and get a fresh perspective," says Bryan.
Sounds a bit intense. Make no mistake, 'Circle' is a certifiable Freudian freak-out and Boom Bip's subconscious comes under the microscope again on his upcoming solo album for Warp subsidiary Lex. "I've really let it all out," he admits, "because music is a compulsion for me. I get uncomfortable when I'm not listening to it, so this album is a way of filtering it all out." For psychedelic psychotherapy there's only one shrink you need...
PAUL CLARKE