Alpha-Beats

Tal M. Klein, also known as Trancenden, is the founder of emerging SF label Aniligital Music. You might remember Klein from his excellent tracks on the Aniligital compilation that hit KZSU in the spring, or that “Chu Chin Chow” 12’’ that was on A File this summer. Klein crafts hard-hitting trip-hop that alternates between retro, bluesy, soundtrackish stuff and trippy cuts full of goofy samples.

And if I remember correctly, KZSU’s own DJ Ghost is in the liner credits!
(Klein has played on Ghost’s show twice now).

The bottom line: funky beats/jams, just in time for the holidays. Play it!
Favorite Tracks: 7, 9, 25 are excellent! Also try: 3, 6. 12, 13. 20.

Track by track inside ---->

- Captain Dee, 12-2004


There are 26 tracks, one for each letter of the alphabet. Selected Highlights:
2. Repeated laptop voices and trippy samples (“These beats are delicious!”) over a varied mishmash of dingy electronics, drums, piano. (4:50)
*3. Man, does this cut put the trippy back in trip-hop! Guitars, water sounds, silly spoken samples, playful piano and more. Picture an off-kilter Blockhead. (4:56)
4. Sultry female vocals, plodding beat, bluesy guitar and bass. (4:21)
5. Interlude: twangy bass and hard-hitting beat. (1:09)
*6. Wooshing electronics, funky keys, mid-tempo beat. Spacey and spooky. (1:34)
**7. Mega funky bassline and organ/keys, totally sick drum work.
Brilliant low-key jam! (4:20)
8. Lessons on how to be a robot, set to exotic melodies. (0:39)
**9. Lovely meandering guitars, ambient electronics, accompanying strings, great hard beat. Later, jazzy keys. The title is perfect: “In The Rain.” Beautiful! (4:51)
10. FCCs: “fucker.” Muddled, echoing speech over simple, noisy beat. (1:14)
*11. Super fucking creepy due of slo-mo speech. Great intro into next track. (0:25)
*12. Lamenting bass, dope hop-hop beat, spooky distortions. (4:35)
*13. Interlude: Hip-hop beat over Spanish(?) guitar. (1:28)
16. Retro soundtrack feel, with turntablist scratching and beat. (1:18)
*20. Bloopy electronics, guitar, shadow-y feel. Beats for a dark alley or Transylvania, maybe? Great stuff. (4:19)
21. Goofy chimes, piano, distant female vocals, playful bass. (2:51)
22. Catchy, woozy/tweaked-out jam for a lazy day (w/ some strings riffs). (4:46)
23. Melting guitar, echoing ambience, thin beat. Way tripped out. (2:21)
24. Beat, bass, and accordion(?) over African chanting/singing. (1:30)
**25. Retro styled, funky-as-hell downtempo secret agent shit! Sad strings loop, bass, keys, *kickass* beat, samples. My favorite cut on the album. (5:20)
26. Funny spoken samples, organ jam, MMW type beat/sound? (3:05)