Action Hero (album)
Encyclopedia
Action Hero is the second full length album from Melbourne
's Little Nobody
. This album was released on IF? Records
in July, 2000 in Australia.
It was accompanied shortly lately by the release of the Bare remix EP, which featured vocalist Marcella Brassett and mixes by Little Nobody
, the LN Elektronische Ensemble, 8-Bit, Kandyman, Son Of Zev and Isnod. A remix by DJ Rush was not included.
Tracks of Action Hero appeared on compilations from Kiss FM Australia
, Sydney label Nine09, and Volume 2 in Si Begg
's infamous cut-up beat Noodles Discotheque series in 2001.
Action Hero was one of the 4 final nominees for Best Album of the Year in 3D World's 2001 Australian Dance Music Awards, of which The Avalanches
were the eventual winner.
The album also featured "Cocaine Speaking", a track reputed to be Melbourne's most remixed techno track - other mixes have since arisen in Australia from Pnau
, the LN Elektronische Ensemble, Digital Primate, Sameer Sengupta (aka Pocket), Kandyman, Son Of Zev, Zog, Tone Float and Cinnaman (Dirty House), as well as internationally from Jason Leach (Subhead), Si Begg
, Captain Funk
and Ingmar Koch (Dr. Walker/Air Liquide
).
newspaper in 2001, writing about Action Hero.
"Sample-heavy Australian record that if we were being terribly lazy we might describe as 'a bit like a more left field Avalanches, only better'. Generally quite old skool industrial in sound, this periodically throws some incongruous acid/filter house party shapes, which is a bit like Gordon Brown
breaking off from talking about monetary policy to dance the can-can. And we all know how great that is." Duncan Bell, reviewing the same album for Muzik
magazine in the UK, in 2001.
"A playful sensibility prevails in the music - the 15 tracks here oscillating between wall-of-sound big beat ('Nobody Plays Guitar') and an abrasive minimalism ('Track 28') reminiscent of Autechre
, between dubby ambience and classic acid house. This sonic catholicism can occasionally prove distracting but, in Bergen's defence, he takes a rough-hewn approach to the collision (and collusion) of sounds that prevents this collection from lapsing into the merely tasteful or clever." Shane Donaldson, reviewing the album for The Weekend Australian newspaper, in 2001.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
's Little Nobody
Little Nobody
Little Nobody is the electronic music production alias of Australian musician and writer Andrez Bergen.-Background:An expatriate Melburnian, who currently resides in Tokyo, Japan, Bergen is also an author and photographer, as well as a music, movie and anime journalist for the Daily Yomiuri...
. This album was released on IF? Records
IF? Records
IF? Records, established in Melbourne, Australia in 1995 and based in Tokyo, Japan after relocating there in 2001, was a live gig and rave party organiser in Melbourne in the 1990s and one of Melbourne's first independent local electronic music labels....
in July, 2000 in Australia.
It was accompanied shortly lately by the release of the Bare remix EP, which featured vocalist Marcella Brassett and mixes by Little Nobody
Little Nobody
Little Nobody is the electronic music production alias of Australian musician and writer Andrez Bergen.-Background:An expatriate Melburnian, who currently resides in Tokyo, Japan, Bergen is also an author and photographer, as well as a music, movie and anime journalist for the Daily Yomiuri...
, the LN Elektronische Ensemble, 8-Bit, Kandyman, Son Of Zev and Isnod. A remix by DJ Rush was not included.
Tracks of Action Hero appeared on compilations from Kiss FM Australia
Kiss FM Australia
Kiss FM is a Melbourne-based narrowcast radio station for the dance music community. It broadcasts on 87.6, 87.8, 87.9 and 88.0 FM to Melbourne, broader Victoria state and Queensland via Orbit FM.It is considered part of the FM 876 Network.- Origins :...
, Sydney label Nine09, and Volume 2 in Si Begg
Si Begg
Si Begg is electronic dance music DJ, musician and record producer Simon Begg, from Leicester, England.His music combines elements of Experimental, Downtempo, Breakbeat Ambient, Drum and bass, Turntablism and Jazz. Begg grew up in Leamington Spa and moved to London in 1991...
's infamous cut-up beat Noodles Discotheque series in 2001.
Action Hero was one of the 4 final nominees for Best Album of the Year in 3D World's 2001 Australian Dance Music Awards, of which The Avalanches
The Avalanches
The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group formed in 1997 with mainstays Robbie Chater on keyboards, Tony Diblasi on keyboards, bass and backing vocals, and Darren Seltmann on vocals and keyboards. They are known for their live DJ sets and their debut album Since I Left You , which was...
were the eventual winner.
The album also featured "Cocaine Speaking", a track reputed to be Melbourne's most remixed techno track - other mixes have since arisen in Australia from Pnau
Pnau
Pnau is an Australian dance music duo originating from Sydney, Australia. The duo consists of musicians Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes...
, the LN Elektronische Ensemble, Digital Primate, Sameer Sengupta (aka Pocket), Kandyman, Son Of Zev, Zog, Tone Float and Cinnaman (Dirty House), as well as internationally from Jason Leach (Subhead), Si Begg
Si Begg
Si Begg is electronic dance music DJ, musician and record producer Simon Begg, from Leicester, England.His music combines elements of Experimental, Downtempo, Breakbeat Ambient, Drum and bass, Turntablism and Jazz. Begg grew up in Leamington Spa and moved to London in 1991...
, Captain Funk
Captain Funk
is a Japanese electronic music producer, club DJ and label impresario, known for a flair in alternating between some abstract experimentation and more pop-oriented sounds.- Career :...
and Ingmar Koch (Dr. Walker/Air Liquide
Air Liquide (band)
Air Liquide is a German electronic band which is composed of Ingmar Koch and Cem Oral which was formed in 1991 in Cologne, Germany.-Discography:* Neue Frankfurter Elektronik Schule * Liquid Air EP...
).
Reception
"It's full of fascinating manic spirit, a refusal to simply settle down and be normal, which is, of course, brilliant. The jacking, snarly house tracks are wild. 'Apocoloppola', a lysergic, obsessive collage of film dialogue and weirdness, is stunning. And the hip hop tracks are unforgettable." Chris Johnston in The AgeThe Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
newspaper in 2001, writing about Action Hero.
"Sample-heavy Australian record that if we were being terribly lazy we might describe as 'a bit like a more left field Avalanches, only better'. Generally quite old skool industrial in sound, this periodically throws some incongruous acid/filter house party shapes, which is a bit like Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
breaking off from talking about monetary policy to dance the can-can. And we all know how great that is." Duncan Bell, reviewing the same album for Muzik
Muzik
Muzik was a UK dance music magazine published by IPC Media from June 1995 to August 2003.Muzik was created by two former Melody Maker journalists, Push and Ben Turner. Push was the editor of Muzik from its launch until he left the magazine in 1998, at which point Turner took over as editor...
magazine in the UK, in 2001.
"A playful sensibility prevails in the music - the 15 tracks here oscillating between wall-of-sound big beat ('Nobody Plays Guitar') and an abrasive minimalism ('Track 28') reminiscent of Autechre
Autechre
Autechre are an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both natives of Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are one of the most prominent acts signed to Warp Records, a label known for its pioneering electronic music and through which all Autechre albums...
, between dubby ambience and classic acid house. This sonic catholicism can occasionally prove distracting but, in Bergen's defence, he takes a rough-hewn approach to the collision (and collusion) of sounds that prevents this collection from lapsing into the merely tasteful or clever." Shane Donaldson, reviewing the album for The Weekend Australian newspaper, in 2001.
Track listing
- "Apocoloppola"
- "HPF Sourced"
- "Bare (feat. Marcella)"
- "Devolution Maybe?"
- "IF? Is Good (live)"
- "Track 28"
- "Tantalizing Tarantula"
- "Alright Already (Enough Is Enough Mix)"
- "Cocaine Speaking (Little Nobody's Mind-Bending Remix)"
- "Jack Your Kitsch Up"
- "A Zed & Two Rorts (live)"
- "Acid Hoe-Down"
- "Nobody Plays Guitar"
- "The Kinky Kabukist"
- "Profondo Rosso Finito"
Personnel
- Andrez Bergen – Samples, Composition, Engineering
- Francois TetazFrancois TetazFrançois "Franc" Tétaz is an Australian film composer and music producer, who won the Australasian Performing Right Association / Australian Guild of Screen Composers 2006 'Feature Film Score of the Year' Award for Wolf Creek .-Biography:In 1992, François Tétaz with Charles Tétaz and Darrin...
– Engineering, Mastering - Jeff Willis – Composition + Samples (Tracks 2, 9 + 13)
- Marcella Brassett – Vocals (Track 3)
- Elenor Rayner – Keyboards + Samples (Tracks 6, 7 + 12)
- Honeysmack + Biz-E + High Pass Filter – Additional samples