Ultra-Red

Los Angeles collective Ultra-red (previous releases available from Comatonse, Mille Plateaux, Fat Cat, and Beta Bodega) come forward with an intense, playful and urgent commentary on the rights of undocumented immigrant workers. Using the May Day 2000 rally which took place on Wall Street in New York City as the sound source from which the group craft this suite of compositions, this 20 minute EP energetically brings the immediacy of the workers' situation to the fore. Ranging in style from finely detailed minimal house to precise and focused soundscaping, these recordings mark a stylistic departure for the collective while merging to create a seamless listening experience complete with repeating motifs, both verbal and musical, throughout the release. The use of field recordings of the rally (vocal house?) to create the sense of protest through atmosphere and rhythmic urgency is more effective and complex than to be found in Ultra-red's previous works. Includes an essay by Ultra-red, presented in English and Spanish, on the situation faced by undocumented workers in the USA.