Fahrenheit Fair Enough

Sixteen years later, we get a well-deserved reissue on Ghostly of Telefon Tel Aviv’s seminal first record which has been hugely influential in IDM. Telefon Tel Aviv came out of New Orleans in the early 2000s and drew upon jazz, blues, Detroit techno, and Aphex Twin as influences. This reissue features remasters from the original release plus eight excellent tracks that never made the cut. Meditative, unpretentious, and beautiful. One of my favorite albums ever. Play for late nights dreaming out loud.

Related: Autechre, Lusine, Ghostly and Warp Records, intelligent dance music

1. (6:40) **** Fahrenheit Fair Enough—Dreamy electronic piano loops and blurred aqueous noise. Best track on the record.
2. (3:34) ** TTV—Beat-driven glitch with a flute melody.
3. (3:34) *** Lotus Above Water—Hazy guitars let in the subtlest kick drum.
4. (5:15) ** John Thomas on the Inside is Nothing but Foam—Bright, beat-oriented, bassy.
5. (4:46) Life Is All About Taking Things In and Putting Things Out—Melancholy plucked guitars and piano.
6. (6:56) ** Your Face Reminds Me of When I Was Old—Swirly, clattering bells and electronic noises.
7. (4:15) *** What’s the Use of Feet If You Haven’t Got Legs?—Contemplative, but with some harsh electronic clatters. Gorgeous Rhodes piano comes in later.
8. (4:38) **** Introductory Nomenclature—Amazing backbeat and delicate synth/guitar noodling. Classic IDM.
9. (1:23) Fahrenheit Far Away—Distant, foggy electric piano.
10. (4:38) *** Reak What - Archive ’99—Warping, insistent synths and electronic noises layered over pulsating bass. Incredible!
11. (4:00) **** Fahrenheit Fair Enough - Archive ’99—The same piano melody from the original track, now raised a few tones and obscured beneath a grinding dance beat. Also driving. Reminds me of Autechre.
12. (2:48) Cliccum - Archive ’99—Industrial noise with a glowing layer of synth.
13. (3:52) ** 7 8 - Archive ’99—Euphoric synthscapes, like Emeralds with beats.
14. (3:48) *** Eight Track Project - Archive ’99—Intense, pounding club beat and ominous sweeps of synth.
15. (3:20) Rittle Alpha - Archive ’99—Harsh glitch for first minute, then a calmer ambient section.
16. (1:57) Rittle Beta - Archive ’99—Unfocused glitches, bleeps and bloops over a diffuse keyboard melody.
17. (3:43) ** What’s the Use of Feet If You Haven’t Got Legs? - Archive ’99—Starts off intense and four-on-the-floor and changes to something dreamier.