QUOIT

LOUNGE

  1/  Phoner                                     (Harris)                      7.03
  2/  Chase                                      (Harris)                      7.01
  3/  Wandering                                  (Harris)                      8.12
  4/  That Way                                   (Harris)                      6.51
  5/  Stranger                                   (Harris)                      5.31
  6/  Set Up                                     (Harris)                      5.48
  7/  Habit                                      (Harris)                      8.32
  8/  Last Exit                                  (Harris)                      7.45

          Recorded in The Box, Birmingham, England, June 1996
          Produced by Mick Harris

Mick Harris: beats, sounds, programming.

          1996 - Possible Rec. (UK), DOSS LP 001 (2x12")
          1996 - Possible Rec. (UK), DOSS CD 001 (CD)
          1999 - Possible Recs/Invisible (USA), INV-POSS004 (CD)

REVIEWS :

Drum n Bass for people who really don't like drum n bass, is I guess one way to put it. This is the kind of thing that I think could go over really well mixed into a set of things like Optical and Ed Rush, but it seems that no one in the drum n bass community on this side of the pond knows what Possible records is. A shame. The material on Lounge is more varied and interesting than the cuts presented on the Possible compilation released in the states by Invisible. This is fast and furious. My only complaint is that the records themselves have no distinctive labels, so I have no idea what song I am playing at any given point. Maybe that's the point.

mjeanes

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This disc just confirms my belief that Mick Harris is a god. I've become interested in jungle/drum and bass recently and for the most part, it's too "dance" sounding. Well, what Scorn does for dub/hip-hop, Quoit does for jungle. Basically stripping all sounds but drum and bass from it, and adding isolationist soundscapes was something just waiting to be done, and Mick did it. There aren't any standout tracks, because they are all so damn good! There's a total of eight songs, averaging about 7 minutes each. Be careful about playing the second half of the disc too loud, the bass will probably blow your speakers. If you enjoy Scorn, or jungle in general, I totally reccomend a purchase!

Overall - 5+/5

Creaig Dunton (courtesy of the False Prophet Campaign website)

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For quite a number of years now Mick Harris has expanded his musical repertoire and horizons, moving away from his (figuratively) humble beginnings as the drummer for Napalm Death. Since his departure from the band he formed Scorn with Nicholas Bullen, which initially produced music in the same vein as Napalm Death; however, each subsequent album explored less grindcore stylings and more atmosphere, beats, and dub. In time, Nicholas Bullen left Scorn, and Mick Harris continued on, not only as Scorn, but as many other side-projects such as the darkambient Lull, collaborations with Bill Laswell, and his drum-and-bass alter ego, Quoit.

Quoit's Lounge proves that Mick Harris is one of the undisputed masters in creating dark atmospheric music. "Phoner" starts off with a weird dronish growl for a minute, before the scattering drum-and-bass takes over and delves deeper into a haze of howling tones. The second track produces a dark atmosphere that gives a feeling of being chased at night; electronic warbles that recall the sounds of nocturnal animals permeate through the bass from time to time. "That Way" starts with a relaxed midtempo drum-and-bass pattern with sweeping howls, and proceeds with overdriven thick bass kicking in and a faster frantic rhythm. Last but not least, "Last Time" concludes with a coarse drum pattern and soft oscillating tones, which mutates into a dreamy atmosphere of wavering synthwork that fade in and out.

At just under a full hour of material, this is an excellent atmospheric drum-and-bass album. On average each track lasts seven minutes, which provides ample time and space for the music to develop naturally. Lounge is very much recommended, especially for fans who may be, or have been, disappointed with the minimalist approach Mick Harris has been taking to recent works. Other Quoit items to look out for include a split 10" with DJ Spooky on Manifold Records and a split 12" with SU8MERG8D. A new Quoit album is also planned to be released by Manifold Records sometime this year.

Stephen Klusza