m a g g i e . w a v’s rendition of possibly the most popular song off of Eccojams…

m a g g i e . w a v’s rendition of possibly the most popular song off of Eccojams begins the compilation with intensity. The sampling used, especially halfway through the track gives us a real insight into the skeletal nature of the drums, as the producer brings them to the fore. Whereas Chuck Person’s original treats us to a crawling, euphoric track, this rendition is more pronounced, the producer opting for clarity in order for the listener to hear the samples ripping at the seams.

V H 1 C L A S S I C’s addition slips in menacingly. The unrelenting repetition used digs right at the heart of the Eccojams focal characteristic. As we journey through the short track, every little intricacy reveals itself. The guitars that turn to drone-like buzzing in the background, the slow, ticking hi-hat, the aching voice that retreads the same word again and again. The producer snatches the sample from us before we succumb to the bleakness.

Sponsoredby utilises the already engaging sound of Zapp and Roger, forcing them to circle back again and again. But the way the vocoder eases in at the beginning of every revolution is undeniably smooth. The soundscape created is noticeably comforting and inoffensive. We settle in to one of the more calming entries to the compilation.

Brad Staples hits the listener with phaser-ridden, robotic samples, dragging out the drawling vocal at the end of each section. This quickly fades, replaced by a complete restructuring of the original reference point. The building synth, interrupted every few beats by a stabbing vocal. The phased nature of the track keeps the listener constantly whirling around, driven by the powerfully emotive melodies. 

CALI四TYPE’s track struts out initially like a J Dilla track. But this smoothness is swiftly fractured. Trappy hi-hats accompany a steady rhythm. ‘Just holding on to time’ the first vocal motif, a fitting tribute to one of eccojams main inspirations, the amorphous and intangible passing of time. Though some of the sample is jagged and disjointed, the track keeps an infectious rhythm. 

Chiba City Blues introduces descending vocal samples that break, without warning, into some form of showtune crescendo. The track always feels as though the tightly strung melodies are reaching a breaking point, and at some juncture all of the tuneful parts of the track will fall loose, turning into puddles in the soundscape.

DISK SYSTEM’s sample plods along through the short track. Unintelligible vocals repeat, ripped from whatever context they originally found a home in. The result is a weird song, pulling in no distinct emotional direction.

Distorted drum sounds and a droning bass sound penetrate the atmosphere. Eis-T brings the sample in and out of focus, expertly changing the texture of the track. It’s never made clear where we are, an 80s bar that blares out harsh, scratchy tunes from a broken speaker, or a distant future, where a fragment of that moment floats in the endless abyss of space. 

I s a a c  A s c i i presents a classic Eccojams track. He gives us warm and intoxicating vaporwave samples, only to drag us down juddering, glitch-ridden pathways. The track steadies itself after a while and we are treated to deep and echoed samples of emotive vocals and descending keyboards. 

1969年 gives us a cute, little beat to start, more akin to future funk than the realms of Eccojams. But slowly and surely the track stutters and drops in tone, defying our expectations. 1969年 manages to keep to an infectious beat the whole way through the track, even with various distortions and manipulations.

LANsv. gives us high-frequency pop swimming about in a shallow ether, before dragging the thing right down to the bottom of the pool. Each beat cuts defiantly through the instrumentation that pulses and convulses. The track is beautifully enigmatic.

LookSheets fiddles with the vinyl needle on the track SO HIGH ABOVE. Before, much like the last track, forcing us right down into the membranous liquid of the deep sample. Brooding piano finds its way out of the labyrinthine underwater scene.

Mr. Ocean rushes us into a sample that’s edges and peripherals fog and fizz, blurring the focal sound. The vocalists last word ‘surburbia’ drags out every time it’s said. And we see the track emanating from some dimly lit bungalow in the heart of a surburban cul-de-sac.

OyOyster wastes no time, ripping Zombie by The Cranberries to shreds at the very beginning. The vocals are just as touching as the original. OyOyster forces us to listen to the most heartbreak excerpts. It was a song about loss, confusion and war when it was originally created, and the artist here defiantly places those aspects at the very forefront.

Ritchse turns Ariana Grande into a holy siren, standing atop a desolate, endless landscape. Ripping the sample from its context and putting that one moment under a microscope. Just as we think another revolving track is on the way, Ritchse hits us out of the sky with huge, meaningful instrumentation. The very end sees the sample fall in on itself, disappearing. 

Dragged dulcet tones begin ᴘₒʟʏɢʟᵒᴛ’s track. It keeps the steady beat of a steam-train, chugging along in its own time. The rhythmic drum drops out, and we are left with the deep sample in all its majesty. The intricacies are lost in an echo chamber of mid-low frequencies. A beautifully unique track.

ビコジン協会 gives us the glowing synth of Hall and Oates, trapped behind pattering drum patterns. In a beautifully comedic twist, the producer forces Hall to repeat his line ‘I can’t go for just repeating the same old lines’ at the start. Other than that, the track walks through, the instrumentation peeking out between the pillars of percussion at the forefront of the mix.

Subclarity brings the familiar sound of euphoric 80s hooks. The chirping synth drowns in an unreal, echoing corridor. Every word sung is drawn out, with full human emotion intact, yet distorted slightly. We here the menacing bass tones at the very end of proceedings, sweeping guitar tones fly out over an abstract landscape.

STELLAR takes a chilled approach. Timid synths and choirs sit just out of earshot, peeking shyly out of the wall of sound. A graceful track with frilly production. One can sit back and relax.

Your Dark Nate’s track starts with a distorted organ ambling through minor chords. The cacophonous sound drops away into a deep, emotive loop that resists interpretation, timid and unsure. A vocal begins, again the lack of clarity hindering our understanding of the beautiful lyrics. But the melody is there, heartbreaking to the last.

Q W E R T Y 4 . ends the compilation with a washed out sample of Broken Wings. The guitars are scrambled by the phasing filter that envelopes the whole track. The sounds feel a universe away, being transported to us through a glimmering wormhole. Voices scatter and echo around the soundscape. A beautifully crafted track to wrap things up.

In the compilation a plethora of talented artists join together to revisit, rework and refine characteristics and practices set down several years ago. A thoroughly enjoyable experience. 

Listen here: https://seasidetapes.bandcamp.com/album/the-lost-archive-vol-2-eccojams-edition