Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Underground drum & bass continues to push the boundaries of innovation, whilst the mainstream chokes on rehashed formulaic percussion. Mark Wiebe (aka Sinewave) drops this debut full-length, which bristles with innovative samples and beats. Originally from the Vancouver area, Wiebe moved to Winnipeg, where Interplanetary Ridicule received top five airplay on University of Manitoba's UMFM. The quality was undeniable and launched the 2Top Record label to support this release. Jazzy samples play off each other and fill the record with bizarre beats and B-movie sci-fi weirdness. An entertaining listen to be sure. Keep your eyes peeled for this great release on CD and the six-track twelve-inch EP.
Marc Roy - -
Canadian producer Mark Wiebe covers the syncopated-beat spectrum with this stellar release on Toronto-based 2Top Records, available on CD and vinyl, and currently charting nation-wide. Sinewave is notable for the equally skilled treatment of witty d'n'b energizer Lonely Robot, sterilized break-beat roller Elephant-Sized Pie Mix and the dubbed-out, downtempo, LSD-gem Leave it to Beaver Fever. Sinewave maintains style and class simultaneously with impressive versatility. Fans of Luke Vibert, for example, must purchase this upon pain of death.
Steve Lalla - -
It's always wicked to hear what electronic producers from across the country are up to -- and if Sinewave is any indication, Winnipeg is one interesting, smoked-out place at the moment. Throughout his debut, Interplanetary Ridicule, producer/musician Sinewave has blended downtempo, jazz, drum 'n' bass, and B-movie samples with smooth, deep and dark results.
Denise Benson - -
Weird space lounge from some crazy Canadians. With song titles like "Pseudophamaceuticle Cuticles" and "Elephant Sized Pie Mix" it's kind of like if Codek Records produced the soundtrack to Darkstar. Actually, I don't know if these people are Canadian, this is one of those funny records that just sort of arrived, with no return address or press information. Just like a jar full of anthrax.
Toph One - -
Despite the painful memories of Grade 12 math class dredged up by the artist’s name, Interplanetary Ridicule should still be recognized as one of the best and most fearlessly inventive albums of the year. An eclectic combination of trip hop, jazz, drum&bass and samples from campy ’50s sci-fi movies, this album ups the ante with tempo and mood change-ups so frenetic, they may cause some people to consider upping their Ritalin dosage. What’s even more pleasantly surprising is that it was created by Mark Wiebe, a Winnipeg arts student who tinkers with breakbeats in his spare time. Anybody out there who still scoffs at DJing as a legitimate artform should give this densely layered masterpiece a listen. Unfortunately, due to the fact that this is the first release for the small 2Top label, it may be the best record you never hear.
Graham Parsons - -
12 canciones espacialmente realizadas. Un disco que fuera de parecer hecho en otro país, es canadiense. Recomendado por la tienda Homebass de Canadá, Sinewave me parece que están explorando más allá de lo electrónico, ambiental y espacial. Temas de cobertura tecnológica, estupenda manifestación artística y sonoridad plena de cuadrifonía. Habrá que esperar un poco más, luego de esta edición y del EP que contiene la mitad de las canciones en este disco. Sonidos entre Luke Vibert, Coldcut, Dj Food, Soulslinger, etc, etc. Una recomendación admirable y ahora formará parte de mis discos. A localizarlos pronto, Sinewave ya deben ser famosos.
audiomunchies.com - -
This delectable spilt EP features the lazy breakbeat workings of Winnipeg's Sinewave, aka Mark Wiebe, and the "drum & down-tempo" darkness of Montreal's dB, aka Blake Markle (of Dr. Noh). On "Hot Clamps," Sinewave's acidic subterranean rumblings travel two tempos, while "Classical Scare Tactics" chills out with layered orchestral washes, loose grooves, tech-noise, and a sinister intensity bubbling under the surface. On the more murky and beat-oriented "T&K" and "Topaz," dB constructs complex patterns with slithery synth melodies sparingly punctuated and fattened with enticing effects. Same animal, light and dark meat; tasty.
Lorraine Carpenter - -
Discography
SINEWAVE - INTERPLANETARY RIDICULE (2TOPCD001)
SINEWAVE - INTERPLANETARY RIDICULE EP (2TOPLP001)
SINEWAVE / dB - 2PHUR VOLUME 1 (2TOPLP002)
SINEWAVE - WRESTLING WITH THE NORTH ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK (unreleased)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
It came out of nowhere - a plain, unmarked CD-R on the shelf at the University of Manitoba radio station UMFM with the simple, handwritten legend SINEWAVE on it, a track listing, and, almost as an afterthought, an e-mail address. Who or what was Sinewave? It seemed almost sacrilege for such pristine sounds to be coming from someone's CD burner.
Sinewave caused an instant sensation with its unique jazzy, smoked out amalgam of drum'n'bass, downtempo, efx and B-movie samples, and the disc was launched into the UMFM top 5, garnering praise from both station DJs and listeners alike. Research revealed that the music was the work of one Mark Wiebe, a producer and musician who is also a guitarist and singer/songwriter in the now Vancouver based band Guitaro. And it soon became evident that Sinewave should remain UMFM's little secret no more.
Enter Tim Spurway, a man with a plan - that Sinewave should be exactly the magical kick-start that his newly-founded 2Top Records could use. Mark beefed up his demo with a couple of new tracks, and the result is Interplanetary Ridicule, an album that was quickly picked up by college stations across the country, causing it to debut at #5 on the electronic charts and #11 overall in Chart Magazine. The album ended up placing 18th overall on !earshot's top 200 of 2001 and songs from the album were featured on BBC's Solid Steel Radio.
Interplanetary Ridicule was followed by 2Phur Volume 1, a split 12" shared with Montreal drum and bass duo, dB, and accompanied by record release shows in Toronto and Montreal.
Mark took some time off from Sinewave to focus on recording and producing Guitaro's debut, Futura Black, which has received critical acclaim since it's 2002 release (see guitaro.ca).
Most recently Mark has moved to Vancouver and has just completed work on the original soundtrack for the upcoming documentary, "Wrestling With The North" airing on Global March 21, 2004.
Now it's Sinewave time again and the long-awaited, but as yet untitled followup to "Interplanetary Riducule" is nearing completion. Stay tuned...
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