Boards Of Canada: Peel Session Vinyl 12″ Boards Of Canada

Something I noticed while listening to this – people always wanna talk about Boards Of Canada’s woozy synth tones and VHS aesthetics, but their ability to construct a beat from scratch and make it sound exactly like a classic breakbeat (“Aquarius”) is unparalleled, and deserves more attention. The recordings of these tracks aren’t too dissimilar from the ones on Music Has The Right To Children, which only came out two months before this session, but the songs exist in a cadence or atmosphere that sets them apart from their more well-known versions – an atmosphere that gently illustrates the nuances that were always lying dormant in the music, making for a singular listening experience (did they bring a friend to the studio to do the counting ad libs?). You might even credit this peculiar atmosphere to John Peel himself. There’s a nice extended version of “Olson,” which is the most *live* sounding of the three previously-released tracks, but the big takeaway here is the inclusion of the 8-minute “XYZ,” left off previous pressings of the EP due to an uncleared Edgar Froese sample. The tune finds the duo in rare form, at their most Autechreiest, teasing a full 3 minutes of deep synth pads before rolling out one of those scorched 150bpm beats you might find tucked between the cracks of Twoism – all samples cleared! Part of Warp’s 30th anniversary series of BBC sessions from all their flagship artists including Richard D. James, Flying Lotus and more, housed in full color sleeve with spot floss varnish, printed inner sleeve and download code. Recommended.

• black vinyl pressing
• full color jacket with spot gloss varnish
• printed inner sleeve
• digital download included
• also available: Aphex Twin, LFO, Plaid, Flying Lotus
• music label: Warp Records 2019

reviewed by naffi sandwich 12/2019