Album Details

• Artist: Dot Tape Dot
• Album: Tomavistas: Selected Rarities 2002-2007
• Label: Nice Promotion
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2008-04-12

"Tomavistas" is like a scrap book of photos, or a flipping through of what was written to other people. A collection of tracks that surfaced on cd-r labels, net labels, compilations, what have you, this is both a good intro to the work of ambient master Dot Tape Dot, but also a glimpse into Spanish electronic. Spain's Daniel Romero is the man behind .Tape., and he has ideas that ae just a step ahead of your typical ambient soundscapes. For one thing, he uses toy instruments, filed recordings, and other lo-fi entries into his sounds, more often out of financial necessity than any aesthetic conceit.

So the songs emerge out of a ragtag but never less than deliberate construct, which gives tracks like "Making Waves" and "A Russian Poet" their power. This beautiful and intimate compositional style also creates a bit more of an approachable sound to the set. This is ambient that you are sure was made by a human being, one that you can trust.

It is  foolish in a way to call this a "rarities" collection, since obviously this is not Wal-Mart Nice Price material. But that cheekiness is also part of the charm, as are such titled tracks as "Rosa Luxemburger." With laptop, tape recorder and plastic axe, Dot Tape Dot make a surreal and endearing experience.

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