Out of China

This Spanish-inflected piano and slide guitar piece is one of my least favorite pieces on Dance Music. The extremely fast piano part is hypnotic, but the slide guitar doesn't fit comfortably with it. I don't know if it's the tone of the guitar or the relative simplicity of its licks, but something doesn't match. The lack of development in the piano part would be fine, but the attempt at development of the piece using slide guitar seems a little random and unconvincing. The strings that come in nearly midway work much better with the piano part. But it's not enough.

It's perfectly listenable, mind. It's just not very notable. Coming between the expansive Baroque-inflected "Modelling" and the frightening "Death Camp" (both excellent), it seems like filler.

What it has to do with China or what China has to do with Nico, I cannot say. I presume it's a reference to something other than the country, but the name doesn't seem to fit the music. There is a certain feeling of travel to the piece, I suppose.