Sounds of D.U.M.E.

The concept of undergraduate musical compositions isn't one that excites most people, certainly not critics. It conjures images of marginal talents imitating the latest fads, artistic blunderers honing their chops as would-be Jewels and Dave Matthews. Art demands experience, and undergraduates, almost by definition, lack it.

The Duke University Music Exchange, or DUME, challenges that notion. Founded two years ago by former faculty member George Stetton and funded by the Pratt School of Engineering, the organization managed to crank out a worthwhile compilation of tunes on volume one. Beneath the Surface, or volume two, hopes to expand on the promise of the first. It's a classic D.I.Y. venture-most of the tracks are recorded in producer and senior Todd Atlas' apartment. The group hopes to receive formal recognition from the administration, as well as compile a third volume for next year.

Still, being a compilation of amateurs, it's no surprise that this volume features several singer-songwriters-artists with nothing but their words and a simple acoustic guitar or piano to back them up. Even stripped of a band's melodies, or even sheer volume, many of these songs manage to get by on words and barest music alone. Junior Dave Widders' "Runaways" and 2000 graduate Diane Louvel's "Little Girl" do an especially fine job of holding up under the weight of silence. A little MIDI computer instrumentation gives seniors Todd Atlas and Erin Rikard an almost fully-realized effort in the engaging "Something Missing."

But this DUME disc surpasses the singer-songwriter sphere with more than just a little computer programming. Manish Avinash Ayachit (a 1999 graduate) serves up a futuristic beatscape with the Eastern-inflected "Boomzin." And that's on track nine-DUME's producers obviously know the meaning of delayed gratification.

Despite the dearth of campus rock bands, DUME managed to find a couple of them to fill out the roster, with Hideaway regulars Mojo Train's "Jump On It" and Jappa's "Glimpse." While both ride the jam-band gravy train to some extent-little surprise in a mainstream college rock climate-they at least do a half-decent job of it. Jappa's smooth effort boasts airy vocal harmonies and lyrics that could only be conceived by a scientist or strong hallucination, with tight instrumentation and slick production to boot. Phish should watch their backs in 10 years.

Are there any incipient Amos' or Anastasios-or even DJ Shadows-in this mix? Maybe. But whether a document of things to come or merely a moment in time, DUME has captured something worth listening to.

DUME's discs are available for sale at the textbook store. Students interested in recording for volume three can contact Jeff Janis at jwj2@duke.edu.