Turning Dragon

see where Im going with this. the jumble of quirky and rteject synths with the statikos click in the background and this weird primal beat drives Clark to give you a great album.

This is Clarks's most ingenious work to date. Though not as easily digested as Body Riddle, Turning Dragon is quite complex in a most intriguing way. This record is extremely aggressive rhythmically. Tonally it's completely sharp and distorted, yet retains Clark's spectacular use of dynamics, pitch shifting, and dimension. The first 3 track appear as slap in the face to modern dance/pop music. By track four, you're completely in the zone. He's embedded his genious deep within the textures on these tunes. It takes a few listens all the way through to "get it" but when you do "get it" you'll have this record on infinite repeat. Hat's off, Clark!

I actually just purchased body riddle about a week before this was released, and so far I am enjoying this more. Turning Dragon is simply mind blowing. Clark creates these sounds that defy the laws of physics (or something). For Wolves Crew has to be my favorite- its a perfect IDM track with an amazing climax. Seriously check this out! oh and, no its not supposed to be music. Its better than music.

Chris Clark is growing on me. In 2001 we got introduced to Clark through Clarence Park. In 2003, we saw him evolve with Empty The Bones Of You. Body Riddle was the 2006 release when Christopher Stephen Clark simply went by his last name. But in 2008, Clark is Turning Dragon. This is a much harder, slamming, compressed thud, that keeps the heart pumping, and the brain tweaking. Five years in the making (guessing by the fact that previous LP was simply an archive of earlier and unreleased material), Clark is the front-runner of the experimental drive merging dark IDM and ferocious beats, where the genre thrives. The first half of the album employs a welcoming onslaught of pounding 4/4 beats. Turning up the volume, I'm reminded of the early warehouse events where the bass slapped off the cold walls. But does four-to-the-floor formula immediately categorize as techno? Slapping the latter term may understate the complexity of the production - it is very far from minimal or repetitive approach. The detail may surprise even the fans already familiar with Clark's perfectionism. Further into the album, Clark breaks up the rhythm, and keeps on grinding. To share in the brutal intensity that hurts so good, Clark has offered an Album Sampler [see direct links below]. If you enjoyed the ride, seek out the December '07 vinyl, Throttle Promoter, or hit bleep dot com for instant digital gratification. Recommended if you like the darker side of Autechre, Funckarma, and AFX.

--and I like it. Clark's work on this album, production-wise, is a post-doc dissertation on compressed sonics. Clattering, joyous, messy & layered, this is considerably more visceral than his previous records, and fun as hell. It's intuitive in a way I can't describe but most certainly recognize; Mr. Clark's magnum opus is just round the bend, I think. If you're a William Gibson fan, this music sounds like what was described in the pub on the Golden Gate bridge in Virtual Light. Come to think of it, hopefully Mr. Clark is in the running to score the Logan's Run remake or Tron sequel--this music brings to mind art that's actually fun and gutsy.

This album absolutley blew me away. Possibly Clark's best, however Empty Bones of You will always be a classic.

Alright I understand everyone being enamored of Body Riddle, but I am completely at a loss to explain how anyone thinks this isn't as good. Turning Dragon is, in my opinion, better than Body Riddle. To say that the pathos is missing on this album is to completely ignore tracks like "Ache of the North," "Mercy Sines" or, for that matter, the unbelievable "For Wolves Crew". Sure, it never gets as aggressively lachrymose as "The Autumnal Crush," but do we really want it to? This is a stunning album.

this is a good album full of new sounds, there is still a little of body riddle left in it, could have gone a step further.

Clark is ill.

body riddle was a huge achievement for clark, but continuously trying to top your best efforts is impossible for anyone to do. so clark seemed to have tried to avoid this by exploring new sounds and energu with turning dragon. i think it works. the only thing i might complain about is the lack of the big, dramatic bass we heard in much of body riddle; which is kind of perplexing for an album influenced by club beats. the one thing that really made me love this album though is that there are a lot of sounds that instantly reminded me of clarence park. i certainly don't think this album marks a new direction for clark, just an exploration; and he does it using some signature clark sounds.