Search - Kon Kan :: Move to Move

Syntonic

mumme ehmen | Los Angeles, CA | 12/30/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hi there. No, I have not had the pleasure of listening to move to move, but I have had the pleasure of purchasing Syntonic, used, from the web. I am sure that several of you probably hate me for this, but you don't know what a struggle it's been, getting a hold of this CD! I remember back in the late '80s, I had a friend who turned me on to Kon Kan's music, namely, the song "Liberty", or, for the uninitiated, the first track off of Syntonic. All I remembered about it, was that It went something like :"Let me tell the story, the way it used to be..." and the chorus went: "Break these chains in the name of..Liberty! " Aw, man, I cannot explain the exceeding-joy that I experienced, when I saw it sitting in my mailbox, when I got back from work a few days ago. I have been listening to it nonstop-since. Especially, "Liberty". I agree with those of you who said that Syntonic shoud definitely be reissued. As a fan of Depeche Mode, Erasure, the Pet Shop Boys, etc. and last but not least: Kon Kan, I have got to admit, that Kon Kan's music, can hang with the best of the '80s-crowd, and that Move to Move will be my next purchase!"

THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO SUM UP THIS CD "AWESOME"

K2EN@HOTMAIL.COM | OHIO, USA | 06/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kon Kan is such a great cd. I cant belive why a group like this never became as popular as depeche mode. There are so many great song, but the song that stands out the most is "i never promised you a rose garden." Once you hear this song you are going to blasted away and wonder why such a great song never got the radio attention. This is one of the most danceable 80s cds ever! So buy , it wont let you down."

Pillage pop, Depeche Mode and Xymox style

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 12/05/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I can think of two groups that might be called pillage rock/pop. One was the Time Lords, a.k.a. KLF, who shamelessly and irreverently sampled artists. The other was Kon Kan, whose approach was more proto-industrial pop/techno like Depeche Mode, Xymox, or the Smiths, with some songs sampled. I first heard a song of theirs at a record store in 1990, where it was an instore play,...and after being intrigued by the sampling of Nancy Sinatra, forgot about it for nearly ten years.Depeche Mode sounding synths, then Expose-type keyboards set the standard for "Arts' In D Minor/Harry Houdini" Other times, I'm reminded of some weird fast-paced instrumental Harold Faltermeyer might do. When Kevin Wynne sings here, it does draw comparisons to Dave Gahan, Morrissey, or other such artists. When the female singers sing "I wanna be...just like Harry Houdini", it's done to the melody of Blondie's "The Tide Is High" where Debbie sang "I wanna be...the one who looks just like that." There is a 12" remix included as a bonus track."Bite The Bullet" is another industrial techno exercise, while the title track is sung by Barry Harris, who has a slightly deeper register that is more like Dave Gahan than Wynne. There is a strings-enhanced melody that reminds me of Johnny Hates Jazz's "Shattered Dreams."I Can't Answer That" has a funky bass synth and Expose-type synth with the R&B-style ladies singing the lyrics, the melody having a hard beat like Sting's "We'll Be Together.""I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You A Rose Garden)" is the most upbeat number here and starts out in a Depeche Mode manner. The parentheses indicates a sample of Lynn Anderson's song of the same name. The dancing keyboard instrumental really enhances the song. This too has a remix bonus track.Barry Harris's last lead vocal here is for "Am I In Love", but given the mid-paced tempo of the song, he sounds more like Morton Haarkit of a-ha, and he sings the title in a dreamy questioning way."Glue And Fire is more of the same, while "It Doesn't Matter" incorporates a sax. And now, the song I heard at a record store in Las Cruces, which made me go "wha...?" I asked who it was and I got the reply. It was "Puss N Boots/These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" Initially, the guitar for Led Zeppelin's "Good Times/Bad Times", then scratching, and then the banshee-like wailing from Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" After some lyrcs, a Nancy Sinatra sample comes, followed by a variation of "Tequila" instrumental, and etc. And then comes a rap by BX Style Bob of the Rhyme Syndicate. Crazy "magpie music," as Inspector Morse said of techno that sampled other music.Innovative, upbeat, and not boring, coming more alive with "I Beg Your Pardon" and "Puss N Boots." Another interesting novelty of the late 80's, a direction that might've been taken if Depeche Mode or Xymox has decided to go the sampling route."