CD, Nobot Media, 2005
www.cacheflowe.com
On his debut full-length album, “Automate Everything”, CacheFlowe a.k.a. Justin Gitlin from Denver, Colorado, draws upon a plethora of inspiration which includes everything from old school hip hop, jazz, 8 bit and electro to drum’n’bass, glitch, IDM and even funk and rock’n’roll. These influences have all been seamlessly incorporated into 16 very solid tracks that take you on a journey through Cacheflowe’s wondrously complex musical universe.
“Automate Everything” kicks off with a bang: zapping analogue synth drones zoom in only to be punched out by a steady, heavy breakbeat that quickly morphs in and out of spastic, cut-up and textured drum’n’bass rhythms and progressively adopts phat grooves and laid back and catchy melodies into the fold and “Ahh… Huh” preps up the listener for what’s to follow. The title track is a quirky homage to technology, computers, our bodies and evolution. It’s nice and melodic, with spoken word lyrics that are playfully intertwined with the cut-up synths and the spastic, yet coherent beats. The fifth track, “Casio Vs. Heavy Metal” transforms itself from a lighthearted and melodic track with nice, crunchy 8-bit goodness to an all out rocking beat assault. Track seven, Cacheflowe’s remix of George & Caplin’s “Headed Home”, has an almost hauntingly pretty melody, supported by underlying currents of glitchy beats, and at times heavy rhythms in the foreground. “Phunkdaphonies”, with its seedy, jazzy atmosphere, swirling melodies and stuttering, heavy beats, is somewhat reminiscent of Amon Tobin’s “Permutations”. Definitely one of the best tracks on the album. Track 11, “Patch It” goes full on into excellent breakcorish, staccato beats, and towards the end of the album, the music slows down and flows into the danceable “Mel Gibson Returns” remixed by Sean Byrd – a cute, off-sounding reversed guitar melody, driven by glitchy 8-bit electro beats. Track 15, a Cacheflowe remix of the Dojo song “Malfunction Disorder” – is a brilliant hip-hop track with a dark and serious attitude that retains its quirkiness complete with the playful manipulation of textured breakbeats, melody and vocals.
I’ve tried really hard to find points to criticise in this record, but I’ve mostly come up empty handed. Though I can say that the album might have been even more interesting with vocals on more of the songs, and the final track, while being an interesting remix of a song by Gitlin’s father’s band Timestream, does break with the continuity of the album somewhat. Nevertheless, Justin Gitlin plays with the beats, synths and melodies throughout the entire album like they’re putty in his hands; there is never a dull moment, nothing is predictable. You can tell he must have had a lot of fun making this record. And it rubs off on you too.
In conclusion, the name “CacheFlowe” could not have been more appropriately chosen. The music on this album flows like streams of memories, with concepts and ideas coming up to the surface, only to dive down again gracefully and effortlessly. This appears to me to be a very personal album, with each song having a distinctive sense of warmth and closeness that just makes the listening experience so much more enjoyable. This record is perfect for when you either want to kick back and relax with a cold drink, or get up and have shake your booty all while being mentally stimulated at the same time. I look very forward to hearing more of Cacheflowe, and cannot recommend “Automate Everything” more highly!
[9/10]
— Jonas Mansoor