RIP IT UP : George Kaye

Dunedin has long been synonymous with the Do-It-Yourself purist garage philosophy of post-punk bands like STRAITJACKET FITS, THE VERLAINES, SNAPPER, THE CLEAN et al. And now in keeping with the city's fine rock 'n' roll pedigree, newish and rapidly aspiring local label YELLOW EYE are highlighting some of the contemporary noises emitting from this fair city and occasionally from points further North. According to their press release LOVE CONSORT are a gathering of Dunedin weirdos who've used SHAKESPEARE's THE TEMPEST as the inspiration behind this sparse but lovely funky thing they call ENTER ARIEL. Centred around the dulcet, angelic tones of Fiona Reid, Genevieve McLean and Rebecca Rice, the band spins off into various grooves from the clattering funk of EYES DRUMS DARKNESS to the techno overtones of MAKE ME SLAVE TO IT. Equally impressive are the various forms of SONG OF JUNO and the spiralling guitar line and mutant undertone vocals of YOU HAVE ONE NEW MESSAGE and the monastic conclusion of JUNO. ENTER ARIEL is a wonderfully inventive debut from a band who've absorbed the best from JAMES BROWN through to ORBITAL, monasteries and beyond. FUNKY MONK(ey)S.

CRY MUSIC TV : P. Starling

Inspired by a five note musical phrase and a choral piece in a Dunedin production of SHAKESPEARE's THE TEMPEST, musician and producer Wallace Chapman gathers together a group of 'Dunedin wierdos' in order to make this disc. The first track SONG OF JUNO defines the approach of this album - a beautiful soprano vocal from Rebecca Rice and the previously mentioned musical phrase (ENTER ARIEL) are married to programmed dance beats, funk guitar and some slapping bass. If this idea sounds familiar, fear not, this album is no rehash of MALCOLM McLAREN's FANS. The production is musical cut and paste. Samples of the choral piece, discussions concerning the album and other sound bites are sprinkled throughout it's tracks, giving the disk unity. Judicious use of piano, violin viola and cello keeps the feel organic, the technology never robs these pieces of their human soul. Stand out tracks include I WANT TO TOUCH YOU, the smouldering sensuality of Genevieve McLean's vocal perfectly complemented by violin, viola and organ, and the acid jazz of YOU HAVE ONE NEW MESSAGE. Selecting individual songs however may be unfair, the album has its own internal logic, each track makes reference to others and builds to a unified whole. By taking text from SHAKESPEARE, an electic rane of instrumentation and musical styles, a group of people from Dunedin have created an almost faultless gem, buy it today.

REAL GROOVE : April 1996 : Ilmar Taimre

Jazzy dance beats and soft edged rap meet samples of medieval madrigal singing plus other snapshots from the camerata obscura - the ingredients are reconstructed with smooth elegance by a cluster of Dunedin based denizens of the demimonde electronique. The main person(s) seem(s) to be Wallace Chapman (possibly two people, the album packaging strives for obfuscation), but numerous guests help out. I WANT TO TOUCH YOU features the vocals of Genevieve McLean who sounds enticingly vulnerable and distinctly alien at the same time - unhinged violins (courtesy Alan Starret) and a final verse of disembodied male vocals seem quite at home (but who knows where home is?). Later on, this track briefly reappears in deconstructed reprise, as LOVEISM. Meanwhile, the gorgeous classical singing of Rebecca Rice splashes nectar on SONG OF JUNO (with lyrics adapted from SHAKESPEARE's THE TEMPEST). And on tracks such as ENTER ARIEL, Fiona Reads vocals create inviting worlds of another hue, sometimes reminiscent of MAGGIE REILLY's sonorities on MIKE OLDFIELD's early eighties albums.

RIP IT UP : April 1996 : Andy Pickering

Ethereal music from Dunedin. This album was recorded by a bunch of Dunedin Weirdos (their words not mine), and is inspired by the five note ENTER ARIEL phrase and a choral track from SHAKESPEARE's THE TEMPEST. The music is very groovy in a jazzy sort of way, erotic in a detached sense, and pretty fuckin' cool actually. Okay, some of the down tempo beats are kinda cheesy, but its all just so laidback and contemplative that you just drift along. Anyway, I'm glad to have my own snobby preconceptions of Dunedin music thrown back in my face with as much style as this. Quality.

PAVEMENT : April 1996

One of the srtengths of the Dunedin music scene is its sense of community. MINK demonstrated that with their outstanding debut two years ago. Now LOVE CONSORT prove again that enrolling all the help you can under a musical director (this time Wallace Chapman), can help in coming up with some rich and rewarding goods. ENTER ARIEL is based on music composed for the 1995 Winter SHAKESPEARE's THE TEMPEST and is constructed around the beautiful choral arrangement for SONG OF JUNO (lyrics courtesy of Billy) by Wallace and Isoa Chapman. The album uses this choral work as a constant refrain within alternating 70's style jazz grooves and simple contemporary dance club beats, with the addition of guest string, woodwind and vocal contributions. The supreme confidence of this CONSORT (with only about three musical ideas) is sure to raise skyward the arms of shoe-gazingly serious musicians all over the southern city. And, while medieval tapestry thrown into a contemporary mix is not exceedingly original (Malcolm McLaren and our own Strawpeople have been there before), this is nevertheless a very tastey mix.

NZ MUSICIAN: September 1996 : Andrew Polson

Take a love of jazz, a fascination for SHAKESPEARE, some club and dub arrangements, and a host of vocals and you get some idea of LOVE CONSORT's sound. As unlikely as it seems, somehow these 15 musicians from Dunedin make ENTER ARIEL work. Inspired by THE TEMPEST (as ambitious a theme for a club album as anyone could want) the album goes from dub to standard jazz instrumentals to classical singing without seeming to lose cohesion, helped in part by its many recurring samples, like the five note ENTER ARIEL vocal phrase. The different vocalists on work with varying degrees of success. The beautiful soprano of Rebecca Rice on SONG OF JUNO makes an excellent opener, while the title track featuring Fiona Read sounds disconcertingly like RAPTURE by BLONDIE. Genevieve McLean turns in a wonderfully deadpan performance on I WANT TO TOUCH YOU (like NICO performing in some smoky Berlin Cabaret), making it a stand out track. All of the songs are excellently produced by the band and the fact that they got away with the sheer pretension of it all is an achievement in itself. Great to see this kind of experimentation in a city known for its jangly prowess.

O.U.S.A. CRITIC : May 96 : Darryl Baser

Another CD project by one person, in this case Wallace Chapman. The ENTER ARIEL concept basically came from the five note phrase to the words ENTER ARIEL from SHAKESPEARE's THE TEMPEST. The result is a phenomonal flowing soundscape with roots in ethereal dance. A comparison with contemporaries would be criminal, so imagine it as your favourite food being made even better. It features superb vocal performances by Genevieve McClean and Rebecca Rice as well as Chapman himself, although he didn't list himself as a vocalist (too humble Wal). Even if you aren't after local products, buy this now, its like nothing you've ever heard before and definitely better than some you have.

CHCH PRESS : Sharon McIver

Honour, riches, marriage, blessing, long continuance, hourly joys be still upon you, Juno sends her you. Anyone familiar with SHAKESPEARE's THE TEMPEST will recognise SONG OF JUNO from Act IV, which opens Dunedin band LOVE CONSORT's debut album. Soprano Rebecca Rice provides the song with a classical beauty that is usually found only in opera, while the infectious dance beats add a modern touch. LOVE CONSORT is the music of Wallace Chapman, brought to life by an assortment of Dunedin musicians, some of whom have connections with the MINK collective. Such a range of styles results in an album packed with textures and variations. As the title suggests the theme running through ENTER ARIEL is based on THE TEMPEST, but this is SHAKESPEARE for today, with verses lifted whole from the original text scored with saxophone, violin, flute and trumpet, with the funky, jazzy dance beats throughout. SONG OF JUNO makes several more appearances twice as dance remixes, and finally as a straight choral piece. The other standout track is ENTER ARIEL, which appears twice, and features Fiona Read, whose voice possesses a natural vulnerability. LOVE CONSORT offer not only a fresh perspective on one of SHAKESPEARE's plays, but also (another) fresh perspective on Dunedin music.