First off the cover artwork on the inlay booklet/poster is just sensational - so funny. Secondly this CD is full to the brim with people from the current incarnation of King Crimson. Thirdly, the album is pretty well all instrumental. Fourthly it's just fantastic, musically.

After a brief opening salutation, you are immediately exploded into seven minutes of wild music with a storm force wall of guitar, samples and all sorts of electronic sounding things over a massive electronic drum rhythm, pounding bass and huge sounding production - it's like an unstoppable musical juggernaut full of ice cream - you stare open-mouthed at its wonders while wondering if it's going to take you apart at the same time.

The next track continues the rhythms although not quite as in-your-face as more

galloping styles erupt, and this time we have Tony Levin bass, Fripp's guitar

and voice samples, the ever present wall of effects and electronic treatments,

more bowel-erupting deep bass and a track that will leave you both aghast at

its strength and amused by its inherent humour, with some corking guitar work

in there from all sides, nearly six minutes that passes all too quickly.

Track four varies the pattern with all manner of weird sounds and effects

opening up the proceedings before this sort of Namlook style ambient rhythm adds

to the percussive gallop and a sort of crazed pattern emerges with scorched

earth treatments from a slew of textures, squalls of guitar, thunderous

rhythms and expansive production (as throughout the album) all combine -

christ, I'll swear the kitchen sink's in the mix somewhere - just incredible

stuff.Track five features samples from Fripp, David Byrne & League Of Crafty

Guitarists, as our duo in league with Levin take a more undulating path as

dubby bass, lolloping drums and deep bass saunter along powerfully, when at

just short of five minutes, this guitar figure bursts in and a heavenly

almost 'Baby's On Fire'-esque solo takes you by the throat amid the towers of

rhythms, samples and treatments, a caustic bass figure ringing out that's

worthy of Magma's finest seventies bassists (almost).

Nearly nine minutes of this and still we have nine tracks to go.

I would love to do a blow-by-blow account, but I'll be put in an asylum if I

try that here - just let me say that the rest of the album is both consistent

and all the way up to the high standards set by the tracks I have described,

the rhythms are sensational thoughout, the sounds, textures, layers, samples,

solos and treatments nothing short of jaw-dropping, the music varied and

cohesive within its framework and the result is one of the finest albums I've

heard in ages.

This is what it's all about.

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BPM&M is:

Bill Munyon and Pat Mastelotto

Percussive Engineers and Sample Manglers.

Featuring the voice and guitar of Robert Fripp, Low frequency groove reinforcements of Tony Levin and his espresso machine,Virtuoso Warr guitar musicality by Trey Gunn, Turkish synthesizer mastery from Cenk Eroglu,

Cuttings and snippets of vocals from Adrian Belew and David Byrne, Soothing Tabla acupuncture lesson from Aloke Dutta, Artwork and cartoons by Denis Rodier, And more, including you, the listener, and your ability to perceive things within this platter that may or may not exist in the first place.

"Keep it complicated."

That, is exactly what rhythmatist Pat Mastelotto and Austin, TX sound sorcerer Bill Munyon have done with BPM&M, an experimental exploration that involves remixing an assortment of aural documents created throughout the years by legendary group King Crimson, it's associates, and other sources from beyond. With an assortment of computers, this literal dynamic duo have somehow managed to modify their laptops into musical electrocardiogram machines and have output a display of techno heartbeats previously unknown to mankind. The grand result is one aluminum and plastic-based compact disc containing sounds of nuclear beats and jungles of drone, compiled in measures of time that will have patrons of raves dancing on walls and exchanging the left sides of their brains with the right. And, it is highly safe (or unsafe perhaps) to say that the two have exploited modern technology to it's finest and fullest, along with putting the group's musical and philosophical thought processes through some rather intense digital therapy. A guitar is played by a saxophone, and tape machine transport mechanisms are put through some hefty isodynamic benchmark tests. Those are just minor examples of what's going on in the grand scheme of things. But,

"What were you expecting?!"

Those are words of wisdom from Crimson founder, seer and guitar manipulator Robert Fripp, whose voice of deconstructural reason haunts BPM&M's sonic architecture. In fact, everything that you hear on BPM&M comes from someplace else. The gents have combed through piles of sticky rusty magnetic tapes of live performances and scholastic guitar lessons, studio microwave leftovers and late night mad scientist garage clangings and mouse clicks. It is a project within a ProjeKct- not only does east meets west, east meets Cygnus as well. Cinematically speaking, it is Jurassic Park playing on a drive-in screen inside the sci-fi world of Blade Runner.

The deluxe packaging featuring the illustrations of Superman comic artist is a feat within itself, visually depicting the gents o' the Crim evolving into what they really are: creatures! (Besides, the artwork goes over well with Fripp who would rather not see a camera used in the process!)

If none of the above makes sense, do not worry. The definite here is that BPM&M will keep you moving, which is the point; we think. But we won't reveal anything more- it is now up to you to decipher what is going on with BPM&M. Reason being is that we fear revaling any more than we actually have- because if we do, Mastelotto and Munyon might gets their hands on it and sample it!

So remember fellow luddites-

Keep It Complicated!

Or was it- Epileptic Atom Deck?