Clams Casino, the nom de plume of rising producer Mike Volpe, is officially releasing his first solo material after making waves over the last few years producing work for others, most notably indie rap weirdo Lil B. With Rainforest, Volpe demonstrates his chops go beyond making canvasses for others and proves right at home with the supernatural, warped pop material of his fellow label mates at Tri-Angle Records.
Rainforest is short (5 songs clocking in under 20 minutes) but adventurous record that seems hell-bent on reconciling the difference between the audacious world of left-field hip hop and a more serene, nature infused world of electro pop. The EP ranges from the sad and mournful ambience of “Natural” to the grimy, almost Tobacco esqe banger “Drowning.” “Treetop” starts with birds and sounds of nature before morphing into a Emeralds like soundscape while “Waterfalls” sounds like a track that could have been added to the latest John Maus LP, minus the baritone musings that Maus is famous for. The album is wrapped up by the brittle, haunted lo-fi funk if “Gorilla.”
Melding beauty and dissonance is a task many artists are currently attempting to grasp, but the skill seems to come easily to Clams Casino. While the instrumental sound collages are not too different from his previous work conjuring up beats for stream of conscious rappers, Rainforest shows a maturity and breadth that shows Volpe is much more than a one trick pony.
Is it love for the couple we brought together?; matchmaker.
Daily Mail (London) November 4, 2002 | Anderson, Amy Byline: AMY ANDERSON SELF recently featured a group of eight single professional men and women and invited readers to write in to win a date with one of them. We had hundreds of letters and last week, Sarah Waith, a 28 year-old teacher from Birmingham chose Sam Bowen, a 26 year-old design engineer also from the Midlands.
They met for a romantic weekend at The Fairyhill Hotel, Reynoldston, near Swansea. web site electrical engineer salary
SARAH’S STORY I was too nervous to think about whether I fancied Sam or not when we first met. Here I was about to spend the weekend with a stranger.
It all felt bizarre. I was more worried about whether he fancied me.
Although soon after my nerves died down and I could actually focus on Sam, I realised he was gorgeous.
He was really funny and sweet from the moment I met him. The highlight of the evening was when he tried to look cool with a cigar, but spent ten minutes trying to get the wrapper off.
He laughed at himself about it, which I took as a good sign.
He wasn’t at all nervous, and I liked the way he listened to everything I said. It made a change from my normal dates.
Soon after we sat down for dinner at a romantic little restaurant in Swansea, which Sam had chosen, I was struck by his eyes. They are chocolate brown and I felt instantly attracted to him.
I quickly decided that Sam was my ideal man. He was strong (mentally and physically), level-headed and treated me with good oldfashioned charm.
What most impressed me was his relaxed attitude to life and his sexy Welsh accent. The more we spoke the more attracted I became.
I was surprised how well we got on. I didn’t imagine a blind date would actually work. But not only were we well matched in our backgrounds and outlook on life, but there was chemistry, too. I couldn’t believe my luck.
Sam is confident and fun. He is obviously handsome and successful but he is unassuming about everything, which I liked. I get fed up with arrogant-men. I felt glad that we were staying the weekend and that I’d see Sam the next day.
It didn’t seem like long enough and I went home feeling elated. I was dying to see him again.
We’ve since met up several times and romance is in the air.
I think Sam is a lovely man.
We’re on the same wavelength.
He is my perfect date.
IF you would like to be a Mail Man or Mail Woman, please send a recent photo of yourself, your contact details along with your answers to the same questions we asked Sarah and Sam to: Matchmaker c/o Self, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT.
SAM’S STORY Name: Sam Bowen.
Age: 26.
Lives: Birmingham.
Star Sign: Sagittarius.
Children: None.
Job: Electronic Design Engineer.
Salary: pound sterling50,000.
Height: 5ft 10in.
Favourite film: American Beauty.
Currently reading: English Passengers by Matthew Kneale.
What three words best describe you: Welsh Rare Bit.
Favourite item of clothing: Baggy Levis.
Ideal holiday: Trekking round the Inca Trail.
Most embarrassing moment: After a few drinks, waking up in the night and relieving myself on some bags, in the corner thinking I was at the toilet. electricalengineersalarynow.net electrical engineer salary
Worst habit: Spending too much money.
Trait you most deplore in women: Dishonesty.
Relationship history: A couple of one-year relationships, now single for two years.
What type of woman are you looking for: Someone honest, down-to-earth and fun.
WHEN I first saw Sarah I was very impressed, even though she was 20 minutes late. She was instantly attractive and seemed unusually confident. I loved her dress sense, it was sexy but not overtly so.
Once we spoke I realised that she was clever, witty, sharp and great fun.
She had that little bit of craziness about her that I like. We were relaxed together from the start. As the evening went on it struck me how much we have in common. It made me seriously rethink my views on being matched up with someone on paper. I had thought it was a bit of a joke, but as my dinner with Sarah progressed I realised that what made the date so good was that everything about us matched up. The only variable was whether we would fancy one another – which we did.
The only interruption to our otherwise perfect date was when Sarah told me she didn’t like tattoos. I didn’t want to put her off me, so I told her I agreed.
After a few more drinks it turned out that we both have them. I’ve since seen hers and she’s seen mine.
My impression of Sarah after our first evening was that underneath the outgoing exterior she is sensitive and thoughtful. I would guess she’s quite high maintenance but a lot of fun.
We’ve seen each other almost every day since and I like her more and more.
Romance is definitely on the cards. I still find it hard to believe that I met a woman I could fall for on a blind date. At least it will make good conversation in years to come when people ask how we met.
Anderson, Amy
