“Angina P is no copy-cat of the earlier mentioned IDM-masters, her own approach is too convincing for that. The warm atmosphere and the story-like song structures seem to have become her trademark. The power of this album is that you can listen to it in the way that IDM was supposed to be: as Livingroom-housemusic. But the very danceable and multi-layered tracks are also very suitable for the dancefloor as well…”
Gothtronic.com
“Angina P composes a different kind of industrial music injecting a fresh boost in the Hands catalogue. I’m not saying that you can hear a female touch in the sound, but it’s less brute and raw than the average industrial composition. That’s probably the main difference with most of the bands active in this genre, but that brings me to the question if Angina P is really composing industrial music. The multiple influences injected in “Sensitive Files” are gathering different styles moving from ambient to d’n’b to soundscapes to some tribal approach….”
Side-Line.com
“The last three years been a busy time for Ulla involved in different productions and projects- and travelled continuous around the world. “Sensitive Files” is a resume of these turbulent years. And if you read the albums name you will understand that the title owns a double meaning. “Sensitive Files” is a kind of diary, a personal view on world that spins faster every day. “Sensitive Files” is also an album that represents a stunning power. Broken beats influenced by IDM and kind of Drum and Bass – but never in the way you might expect it. It’s the magic of Angina P musicality, she never functions in the way the mainstream does.”
Cuemix-magazine.com
“Vienna based producer Angina P has amassed an impressive underground following since first posting music to mp3.com. Her photogenic looks belied her skills behind the sequencer as she gained cult status for synthesizing complex electronic rhythms and melodies with the soul and story-telling capability of a traditional artist…”
Cynics Unlimited
“Als Dame hinter den Arbeitsgeräten stellt man im elektronischen Genre ja ohnehin schon etwas Besonderes dar, aber das Material auf „Sensitive Files“ überzeugt auch so mit Finesse, Intelligenz und Charme…”
Terrorverlag
“The tracks here are nice and complex; there are tons of broken beats, upbeat breaks, beeps and clicks harping along on their merry way. There are subtle and beautiful melodies dispersed throughout each piece, guiding them along and providing some guidance for the imagery that will inevitably populate your head upon listening…”
Connexion Bizarre
There are various reasons to adopt a certain alias. An Austrian lady calls herself Angina P because of here chronic throat inflammation. (angina means pain, angina p could’ve meant angina pectoris, but that means heart pain).
She’s been producing her warm electronic sound from Vienna for quite some time now. Now there’s the fully fledged 8 Rooms release, 5 tracks and 5 remixes. She makes a really blistering cross breed of ambient, IDM and breakbeats.
The sound is obscenely fat and very good, a real treat for every speakerbox. She rounds up her drum and bass with serene sounds and rich textures of electronic elements. It is dark but mainly because of the beats, an easy digestible and very tasty dish. The elements are sometimes old but the combinations are refreshing. She combines her slamming tracks with almost spooky atmosheres. Think of a very good mix of Boymerang, Breakbeat Era, Disjecta, Craig Armstrong, Locust, Aphex Twin, Crystal Method, Autechre and Goldie. 3 very good remixes come from Semiomime, Edgey and Larvae. Angina P brings long gone days back to life in a blistering and original way. On the verge of 2007 I’m listening to one of the most striking, most swinging and refreshing releases!
Jan Willem Broek, De Subjectivisten Magazine, 12/27/2006; www.subjectivisten.org
“Zimmer mit Aussicht”
Ritchie Pettauer, The Gap No 073, www.thegap.at
Angina P makes her mark with an album of melodic ambient textures, sure to send you into a danceable yet hypnotic state. The Vienna-based producer known as Angina P may have taken her name from the medical term for her condition (a form of chronic throat pain), but on her new album, 8 Rooms, her music has all the richness and texture of any human voice. Presented here are eight tracks of enticing beat structures coupled with soothing ambience; sounds like a perfect formula for any ambient/IDM album. So what can Angina P offer that hasn’t been done by dozens of other artists of her ilk? One need only listen to 8 Rooms for the answer, for Angina P demonstrates her capacity for highly melodic soundscapes that are as dreamy as they are energetic. A series of steady sonar-like pings lead us into the first track, “Known Issues,” before a light buildup of strings and ringing synth pads layer atop each other to create a bed of lush ambience. A tinny drum & bass style beat kicks in, making the track as danceable as it is hypnotic, although never allowing itself to be completely overtaken by percussion. “No Time to Bleed” is slightly heavier on the beats, but amidst the cavernous echoes are those soft and subtle layers of strings and pads, belying the implied violence of the song’s title. However, it is on the third track, “Placemat Club,” that the listener becomes aware of a certain repetition of formula on 8 Rooms; this track contains only vague variations in the structure to differentiate it from the two preceding tracks, and comparisons to early Aphex Twin (particularly the Selected Ambient Works period) become all the more apparent. Then, when “Good Lady Wife” comes in with its soft yet eerie progressions slightly reminiscent of a suspense or psychological horror film, the atmosphere changes and we are treated to a track with a slightly darker tone, which somehow makes all the difference. “My Robots” is the last original track, and lives up to its title with a series of faded warbles and voice samples akin to how one might imagine an automaton’s circuit-bent thoughts would sound, making for one of the more abstract tracks on 8 Rooms. Closing the CD out are three remixes. Semiomime’s remix of “Known Issues” retains the pings, but places a heavier emphasis on the beats, while rearranging the pads into a new, more mysterious melody. Conversely, Edgey’s version of “No Time to Bleed” keeps true to the original melody, but besides adding an array of frenzied IDM beats and glitches, also includes some new bits of sustained distortion, making the track all the more ominous. The Larvae remix of “Placemat Club” slows down the tempo and exits us out with an almost breathless quality. Angina P has certainly crafted a lovely little album with 8 Rooms, and while it may not tear down the foundations of IDM or ambient music, it will definitely provide a great deal of enjoyment. The melodies are simple yet contemplative, the beats conservative yet lively, making an effective combination for music you can both dance and relax to.
Ilker Yücel, ReGen Magazine 01/30/2007
Released through Notochord, “8 Rooms”, the first proper physical release to come from the one-woman project Angina P, is one of the best releases I’ve had the luck to enjoy throughout 2006, period. With that out of the way, let’s proceed with the actual review. Without any prior exposure to Angina P’s material, apart from the occasional name-dropping in mp3.com and Myspace, the only thing that made me somewhat expectant of this release was the fact that Notochord was involved, a label that has procured some very good material during its relatively short course in the scene. While a short release, and with only 5 of the 8 tracks being original material (with 3 remixes by Edgey, Larvae and Semiomime), the album’s 45 minutes deliver a truly immersive musical experience. While alternating between soundscapes that are sometimes dark, sometimes melancholic, but always emotion provoking, Angina P provides pace and rhythm in patterns so solid and elaborate that the drums are no longer a backdrop for the sounds, but an intrinsic part of the entire aural trip that the album is. The 3 remixes found in the end part of the album are stellar, easily on par with the original tracks of the release, rather than filler, most probably due to the caliber of the artists responsible for the mixes. Very energetic, without bordering on the too aggressive side of listens, “8 Rooms” is equally at home when listened on the go as sonic fuel for another day in Urban Hell, or while at home in a session of relaxing contemplation, with its deeply emotional and complex sound. Truly a marvelous piece of work, and a certain boost for Notochord’s standing as a label, “8 Rooms” is a definite purchase for positively everyone who is interested in good music, genres aside.
George Mouratidis, Connexion Bizarre, 10/09/2006
Angina P delights us with her album “8 Rooms” and with it she has delivered one of the most interesting electronica releases of this year. The music of this Austrian beauty sounds like Autechre – while making “Amber”, but also reminds me of Anhe Donia. Or Plaid, or Aphex Twin. Even Funckarma, or Fourtet. Or some other warm, delicate, very melodic IDM act.Angina P, who took her name from medical term for the chronically throat pain she suffered, starts of very convincing with ‘Known Issues’. Especially the sound this lady produces is very well done: warm, tender and very gentle. ‘No Time To Bleed’ is most definitely the highlight on this release, but also ‘Placemat Club’ and ‘Good Lady Wife’ give me goose bumps.The last three tracks are remixes by Semiomime, Edgey and Larvae. The sound and style of these remixes aren’t very different from the originals, although the Edgey remix is a bit weird. The remix of the delightful ‘No Time To Bleed’ is well done and sounds very good, but is a bit chaotic and noisy. Therefore it doesn’t fit in with the other seven, more spherical tracks. And because he did remix my favorite, I’m not very fond of this track. But sofar, this is the only flaw I could think of. And I don’t expect to find any more, because this release keeps spinning in my stereo and discman. The disc comes in a funny cardboard sleeve with artwork that is clean, stylish and sterile. The website is fun and hip.To my humble opinion, Angina P is a very promising electronica heroine.
Alter eRgo, Goththronic 10/18/2006
Promisingly starting publishing company, which made its debut with its excellent compilation, present its second step with project Angina P. On the introduction I have to state right away, it was an excellent gambit from the management and high quality material entered the world, and will please mostly fans, which prefer the atmospheric elements and idm electro. Great sound falls on you from the first minutes. Strong atmospheres resound in every minute and this all in dynamic beats. Brilliant and perfectly timed sounds, disturbing and hypnotic passages. Break beat structures and industrial frequencies often come up from the broken beats. Beautiful melody and crystallic electronics. So this is a newcomer in presentation of Austrian project. I musn´t forget the abundant remixes by: Semiomime, Edgey and Larvae. Brilliant !!!
Peter Rybar, Alien E-Zine 09/26/2006
Finally, here comes the debut (and much talked about) of the Vienna-based musician Angina P, who’s been active so far in videogames and film soundtrack. A solid and interesting work, “8 rooms” is a delicate and elegant album somewhere between drum’n'bass (for the structures), IDM (for the melodies and the lightness of sound) and light dub. Add to this remixes by Larvae, Semiomine (aka Dj Hidden) and Edgey, and you get a really nice, polished and fresh album. Clearly something to get.
Nicholas Chevreux, Ad Noiseam, 10/05/2006, www.adnoiseam.net
Based out of Vienna, Angina P beautifully strokes the audible coloring book with Crayons of melody, almost infrasonic waves of delightful hums, and looped noises. I love the way there’s broken beats statically constructed as the backdrop with this wavy wet synth and a background pad that pets the harmony into submission. Beautiful compositions that are daring, striking, and alluring, “8 Rooms” is a mansion where ambient, IDM, breaks, and experimental noise relax and leisure. Even the darker songs are glorious! If you’re an electronic music geek, you simply must add this to your wishlists.
J-Sin, Smother Magazine, 10/28/2006, www.smother.net
Z rzadka recenzuje epki, krótkie formaty, 30 minutowe wizytówki, plyty zazwyczaj malo mówiace o twórcach i ich talentach. Przed laty pisalem o epce projektu Nitrada – “0+”, wybitnej dawce nowoczesnej elektroniki, zdecydowanie najciekawszej i najbardziej zaskakujacej (moze dlatego wlasnie, ze krótkiej), w porównaniu chociazby z pózniejszym debiutem, który najlagodniej piszac byl “nudnawy”.
Takich przykladów mozna:by mnozyc, a kazdy z nas móglby podawac wiele swietnych muzycznych poczatków i slabych kontynuacji i fatalnych zakonczen. Angina P zasluguje na uwage, nawet jesli prezentuje jedynie
niecale 28 minut swojej muzyki (z remiksami ponad 45 min.). Muzyki o tyle ciekawej, ze niedokonczonej, niejednoznacznej, niedopowiedzianej. To ani nie jest do konca d’n’b, to nie jest breakcore, idm, ambient, experimental czy postindustrial. To wciagajaca mieszanka tych wszystkich gatunków, spójna, równa i niestety w warstwie rytmicznej zbyt jednorodna. Wszystkie 5 utworów autorstwa Anginy P (nie licze 3 remiksów od zaprzyjaznionych wykonawców: Semiomine (aka DJ Hidden), Edgey, Larvae) sa utrzymane w podobnym rytmie, w podobnym schemacie, w podobnym (uwaga modne slowo): „klimacie”. Na uwage zasluguje tez strona techniczna tej epki; sound, mastering, produkcja sa na zaskakujaco wysokim poziomie. Echo i inspiracje Beefcake, Soure Direct, Dryft, Photek, Polar, etc. pewnie dla tych, którzy znaja te grupy beda oczywiste. Echa i inspiracje to jednak nie to samo co nasladownictwo z racji nieposiadania talentu, czy kopiowanie pomyslów innych z racji nieposiadania muzycznych zdolnosci. Ta mloda kobieta z Austrii ma nie tylko talent, ale takze wyobraznie, entuzjazm i mlodziencza fantazje. Zobaczymy czy tego nie zmarnuje.PS. Z remiksów najciekawszy i najbardziej odbiegajacy od oryginalu jest „Placement Club’ w reinkarnacji projektu Larvae.
radek aka r@, Postindustry.org, 10/16/2006