Hop Frog - The Silk Road

At the moment The Silk Road remains a CD-R released in a raw and unpolished format to stir up some interest in the American experimental outfit Hop Frog. The eastern beats and ethnic rhythms of The Silk Road catch the vibe of Muslimgauze - unintentionally as it appears Hop Frog members were unaware of the work of the late Bryn Jones.

The Silk Road is constructed from soft keyboard flourishes and crude rhythms. Sounds are echoed, stretched and layered and given direction by the constant rhythm and melody. At some points I'm reminded of those oddball electronic pioneers the Residents, and the more recent skewed sounds of England's Volcano the Bear. Perhaps that's not too surprising as Hop Frog cite their musical influences as electronic, experimental, world music, Krautrock and Space rock. At the moment it remains an under produced CD-R but serious editing, a clean production and repackaged then this debut CD could be something else again. For more information go to www.hop-frog.com