Benestrophe – Turner’s All Night Drugstore / Rare & Unreleased 1987 – 1997 (Digital Album – Alfa Matrix)
Genre/Influences: Electro-industrial, electro-ambient.
Background/Info: Set up in the late 80s by the Dassing brothers (Mentallo & The Fixer) and singer Rich Mendez, Benestrophe released two noticeable albums in the 90s on Ras Dva. Quite recently Gary Dassing found a box with forgotten and previously unreleased material from Benestrophe, which also was the first project from the Gary- and Dwayne Dassing.
Content: Next to previously unknown songs the album also features alternative mixes from familiar songs such as “Pig Butcher”, “Ritual”, “Sleep Tonight”. But the album is first of all a way to get back to the very specific sound created by the Dassings. The sound clearly remind to the complexity they later on revealed as Mentallo & The Fixer. It’s a dark and sophisticated sound, which might appeal to early Skinny Puppy-fans, but with this little extra and very personal characterizing the song of this band. The most sophisticated songs also have something IDM-like.
+ + + : Benestrophe is a band that didn’t get a deserved recognition, but let’s not forget they were active in the late 80s and early 90s when the electro-underground scene was mainly dominated by European formations. This album brings all the intelligence of the Dassing brothers alive. It’s a real pleasure to (re)discover a great song such as “Ritual” in a different version, but also “Sleep Tonight” and “Pig Butcher” (another familiar cut).
– – – : The sound quality is not the most professional one, but this album has to be only seen as a sonic documentary emerging from the Gary Dassing archives.
Conclusion: This album will especially please the fans of Mentallo & The Fixer who will recognize the typical touch and sound that should be more elaborated at Mentallo & The Fixer.
Best songs: “Pig Butcher – Hogwild”, “Sleep Tonight – 8741 Club Mix”, “Ritual – Chinese Graveyard”.
Rate: (7).
Artist: www.facebook.com/bEnESTroPHe
Label: www.alfa–matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix
Since you’re here … … we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive. If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
