tycho - past is prologue cd review from textura.org Artists understandably wince when a comparison to another is constantly invoked, yet it's impossible to discuss Past is Prologue without mentioning Boards of Canada; in truth, Tycho's sound apes the group's signature style so baldly, one starts thinking Tycho might be the Warp duo in disguise rather than an alias for Scott Hansen. Gauzy atmospheres and woozy synthesizer melodies establish the connection immediately in “From Home,” with languorous hip-hop beats deepening the dreamy ambiance, while speaking voices and seaside noises in “Sunrise Projector” complete the simulacral picture. Similarities aside, Past is Prologue—for the record, a re-mastered reissue of Tycho's 2004 full-length debut Sunrise Projector fleshed out with two new tracks and three remixes—impresses most when Tycho charts his own course, when “Dictaphone's Lament” introduces a smattering of boom-bap, for example, or when the dynamic title track gravitates towards a jazzy strain of drum & bass. The collection ends on a high note with some solid remixes by Dusty Brown, who sweetens his harder-edged “A Circular Reeducation” treatment with angelic voices, and Nautilis (aka Malcom Kipe), who adds a funky vocodered squelch to the hip-hop aroma of “Sunrise Projector.” -Ron Schepper tycho - past is prologue cd review from goflyingturtle.blogspot.com Snobby but informative online publications like Boomkat merely dismissed this release by S. Hanson, aka Tycho, as a Boards of Canada ripoff. Ok, so there are plenty of nostalgic sounding track titles and keys and vocal samples of kids playing and old educational programs, but beyond those similarities, Tycho is an entirely different animal. This is an album of bright, glistening beat-oriented music in a Sunshine Saturday hip-hop vein. Tycho's sound is far less dark and dusty as Boards', which might be a good or bad thing, depending on who you ask. Getting some heavy rotation in my car, this is perfect, smile-inducing driving music much akin to laying on a grassy hill in the summertime and looking up at the clouds, finding dragons in the sky. Mr. Hanson also did the way cool cover artwork on this release, complimenting the sunny sounds found on disc. -Steve

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