Monday, March 12, 2007

Don Pepin Garcia Black Label Cuban Classic Robusto 1979

5" X 50, Corojo 99 Wrapper (Nicaraguan Puro)

Appearance: This cigar was quite inviting looking. Dark and toothy, and oily. It was odd I had heard people talk about cigars as oily, and thought I knew what they meant. But this time was different. This cigar had an obvious sheen to it. Interesting. Overall a very promising looking stogie.

PreLight: Clipped easy, and produced a forgiving draw. Pre-Light notes were rich and woody. Again, promising.

Burn/Draw: The burn was a tad uneven but nothing to worry about personally. On the bright side it was long and slow and languid and cool. The draw was forgiving and produced a ton of smoke, that was big in the mouth and smooth and rich.

Taste: A subtle cigar this is not. From the very beginning this cigar is in your face, with notes of spice (black pepper), wood, leather and tobacco. All of the notes bold, but never harsh. Its a full bodied smoke, and as it burned it also seemed to develop notes of coffee and bittersweet chocolate. I found that "Cuban Classic" was an apt title for this cigar, because it seemed to share notes with some of the stronger Cuban cigars I have had. Not anything that I can describe specifically, but it just feels like some I have had in the past. All in all though, this is one good powerhouse of a stogie.

This is one tasty cigar, and from a little research it looks like a fairly reasonably priced one. I can heartily recommend it to anyone who can get one. One other little tidbit, evidently all the sizes of this line have a year attached to them. Well the Robusto I had today was the "1979" which is cool cause that's my year of birth. Heh.

TomC

Analord by Aphex Twin

I am sure I will write more about Richard D. James (alias: Aphex Twin, AFX, Polygon Window, Blue Calx, Caustic Window, etc.), and in more depth with time, as he is an artist I have followed as best I can since High School (when I discovered the CDs ". . .I Care Because You Do", and "Selected Ambient Works Volume 2" at my old favorite record store, Newbury Comics).

I would rather talk more in depth about the material I have been listening to tonight. The Analord Series.

"Analord" is a series of 12" vinyl recordings by UK-based electronic music artist Richard D. James. The first installment, Analord 10, went on sale through the Rephlex Records website on December 15, 2004, and was packaged in a faux-leather binder with sleeves for housing the rest of the series. It was later rereleased as a picture disc. Both pressings of Analord 10 were marketed under James' primary alias Aphex Twin, although other Analord recordings were released under the AFX pseudonym.

I was not lucky enough to acquire the vinyl recordings (that would have been AWESOME), but through a bit of research I am in possession of digital versions of all 11 parts of the series. Analord marks a bit of a return for James to the analog synthesizers he used earlier in his career. Instruments on Analord include drum machines such as the Roland TR-606, TR-808, and TR-909; sequencers such as the Roland MC-4; and various synthesizers and polysynths, including the Roland SH-101 and Roland TB-303, a Fenix Modular Synth (seen on the B-side of Analord 02), and countless others he has collected over the years or borrowed from colleagues. For those already aware of Aphex Twin, you will notice that Analord also that tracks are similar in atmosphere and melody to James' early acid and ambient techno recordings, yet are still marked by the fast, choppy, multi-layered drum sequencing he has perfected from the Richard D. James Album, providing a quite pleasant synthesis of his old and newer works.

Personally I enjoy this series very much. I have always been a bit biased toward James' softer earlier works. I find them to be more atmospheric and soothing. While the intense skittering beats of some of his more recent work are interesting and have their place, they can on occasion be jarring to the point of disturbing one's enjoyment of his talents. There are skittering breakbeats scattered through these songs, but often muted and buried in the mix to a positive result. In general I would humbly suggest that if you can find a copy of this series, give it a listen. It is a quite worthwhile venture.

TomC