Attention: Cats

I'm sure you all noticed I started this year with some momentum, but it broke last week when an emergency arose within my family. I can't say that it's been resolved, so I can't promise regular updates this week, but I'll try to continue the momentum nonetheless. That said, today's post won't be the most detailed and has been simmering for quite a while, but if you're into experimental, noise and electronic music I'm sure you'll find it quite enjoyable.



Keith Fullerton Whitman, also known as Hrvatski, has released quite a few records under that pseudonym as well as his own name, but one of his first releases was under multiple aliases making itself out to be a compilation of artists from his Massachusetts scene. This comp was released on vinyl only under the name Attention: Cats, although years later, Keith admitted that it was all him when he announced an intended reissue of his amazing Oiseaux album (which you can still download here!). That reissue never happened, but Attention: Cats still circulated online between fans of Keith's releases.

This rip is taken from my own original vinyl pressing, although the rip is quite old. In my opinion, it's still a very good quality, but I may have to update it eventually. For more info on this album, check the bottom of this page from Keith's record shop, Mimaroglu Music Sales, detailing his discography as well as the reference page at Discogs. You can also check out some demos from this album, Oiseaux and some early Hrvatski tracks at this page on Keith's site.


Attention: Cats



PS - Unrelated to Mr. Whitman and the namesake compilation of this post, I wanted to point your attention to my friends in the band kind and their myspace page. They have posted rough mixes of their first two demos, although the finished mixes should be online sometime in the near future. Also, they'll be playing Musica in Akron, Ohio this Saturday the 23rd with Full Wave Rectifier and another band whose name escapes me at the moment (sorry fellas). I suggest you go get rocked if you're in the area!

Hrvatski - Oiseaux 96-98

Keith Fullerton Whitman is Hrvatski. These days he generally records under his given name, but in the mid to late nineties he was creating drum'n'bass experiments that blew minds if you were lucky enough to find them. In this case, he produced the Oiseaux 96-98 album which compiles tracks he recorded from, guess what, 96 to 98! The easiest thing to compare this to would be Big Loada era Squarepusher, but that's not giving Keith the credit he is due. A graduate of Berklee, Keith infused the d'n'b rhythms of the amen loop with field recordings, krautrock stylings, noise, abstract designs and a curious love of birds. Oh yeah, and a really spaced-out remix of Pink Floyd's Cirrus Minor. All that said, he also made killer d'n'b tracks that will melt your speakers.

I can't do Hrvatski justice in text, so I'm just going to post this album for you to absorb. This was released in 1999 on Keith's own label, Reckankreuzungsklankewerkzeuge, and sold out two pressings lightning quick. It, and just about everything else he released on his own, has been out of print since, although he still has some releases available on Mike Paradinas' Planet Mu label and most releases under his own name are easily available, although they are far more sparse and experimental, usually focusing on processed guitar with field recordings. You can read more about Keith/Hrvatski at his extremely detailed official site, which will give you info about a number of his collaborations and alises.

If there were ever an album I wanted people to hear more than Crazy Wisdom Masters or God's Foot, it's this. Please take the time to download this one as it truly mind-blowing. This is a brand new rip from an original copy of the CD in V0 for optimal quality, so don't be concerned about the confines of MP3 in this case. Keith has tried to reissue this a few times over the years, once in a deluxe package with other tracks from this period and another time on vinyl, but none of these attempts have come to fruition. Maybe people think this is a dated sound, but I honestly believe this album rises out of the stereotype of drum'n'bass as there is nothing simple or pedestrian about the tracks. Again, the easiest comparison is Squarepusher, but that doesn't tell you anything other than there are beats. There is SO MUCH MORE here than just beats!

Hrvatski - Oiseaux 96-98
NOTE: Please download both files. You need both to unzip the album.
Part One
Part Two