Review/Anecdote #

I fondly recall having found a new, exciting record store dedicated to electronic music, and discovering this beauty. Immediately appealing to me were two aspects of the packaging: first, the minimalism of the cover art, that reflective gold exclusive to the 10 year anniversary repress, the mysterious number; and, second, Turbo’s blurb on the outer sleeve:

Turbo celebrates the 10th anniversary of Gesaffelstein’s seminal work on the Montreal-based imprint with a long-awaited repress of all three EPs: Variations, Conspiracy Pt. 1, and Conspiracy Pt. 2. Gesaffelstein’s ‘Variations’ EP set an all-time record for feedback at Turbo. These are futuristic party bombs which skillfully draw from our favorite dance music of the last 30 years... and add more cowbell!

That ending remark is a reference to one of the great SNL skits, More Cowbell, with Christopher Walken. Despite not being familiar, at that time, with this particular single by Gesaffelstein, I was instantly charmed.

The repress itself: wonderful, despite (because of?) missing RPM indication #

This repress of Conspiracy Pt.1 is actually an LP, not a EP, with the first side, featuring the track ‘Hatred’, being in 45 rpm, and the second side, featuring ‘Aufstand’ and ‘The Lack of Hope’, in 33 1/3 rpm. The thing is, it doesn’t say that anywhere on the record itself — as I said, very minimalist design — and I, still being oblivious to the wonders of this release, did not realize that the first side was 45 rpm. I presumed it was 33 1/3 rpm, just like the second side. Only a full year after getting the record, I eventually listened to the digital release — and, lo and behold, the track ‘Hatred’ sounded different somehow... faster, more energetic.

Now, this doesn’t change my review of the record in the slightest. Well, actually it does a little. I loved the 33 1/3 rpm version of ‘Hatred’, and I can only recommend that everyone who owns this record takes a listen to that version as well. It is relaxing, with down-tempo, bass-heavy vibes, and it fit right in with my usual, dub-techno listening habits. But 45 rpm records are significantly higher fidelity than the 33 1/3 rpm equivalent. So, while the whole experience was a little jarring, I did ultimately get a nice treat of improved sound quality through it.

Now, I am all the happier with this repress, and can only recommend it. I would maybe suggest that Turbo label the rpm, but the ultimate result was rather serendipitous, so I won’t complain.

The packaging: a disappointing trend #

The only genuine criticism I have, is that this repress is provided in only a hard, cardboard-ish inner-sleeve, meaning that significant static charge is created and the record is scratched; and because the packaging is sized like an inner-sleeve, you can’t quite fit a different, proper inner-sleeve into it. I had to go find some smaller HDPE inner-sleeves that fit, and even those poke out a little, which is aesthetically rather unappealing. But I am unfortunately used to this kind of experience with electro releases, so I cannot say I’m all that surprised and disappointed; still, worth being aware of when getting the record: you will need a better inner-sleeve.

That’s all folks.

Signed,
Dax

Rating #

poor: 0 points; mediocre: 2 points; good: 5 points; excellent: 10 points.
master: extra five points if excellent.

• Master: excellent
  • Bass: excellent
  • Dynamics: excellent
  • Stereo width: good
  • Surface noise: excellent
• Pressing quality: good
• Packaging, inclusions, ephemera quality: mediocre

Calculated: $rating = bass + dynamics + sw + sn + pq + eq + masterbonus$.
Score is measured in 0 dB to 60 dB (the dynamic range of a record), where higher is better. Anything above 50 dB is what I find phenomenal.

$$10 + 10 + 5 + 10 + 5 + 2 + 5 = 47 dB$$

Overall rating: 47 dB!