IDM Mailing Archive

a brief synopsis of rephlex postings from the last month or so, for those who've missed them: i never said that!...there's no bad blood!...pathetic bored college students!...his music will kick your ass!...that's not electro!...i'm so damned bitter and angry!...hiss,spit... are they turning into the bad seed of the internet? phon2

quoted 6 lines A brief synopsis of Rephlex postings from the last month or so, for those

> A brief synopsis of Rephlex postings from the last month or so, for those > who've missed them: > > I never said that! ... there's no bad blood! ... pathetic bored college > students! ... his music will kick your ass! ... that's not Electro! ... I'm > so damned bitter and angry! ... hiss, spit ...

As the poster of the "Bad blood?" message, I got a kick out of Grant (I assume it was Grant; no one ever signs these posts from RePHLeX) calling me a "pathetic bored college student". (Probably because I haven't seen the inside of a Uni classroom since 1978, which I reckon is about the time all those "Old School"-ers were still thinking about their O levels.) So ... Rule #1: Presumptuousness will get you nowhere. Rule #2: Don't condescend to the audience. There are plenty of people on the IDM list who Know Their Shit. We're not the Unwashed Heathens who need to be enlightened. ("I'm here to help you people") Please remember PLUR ... Rule #3: Always try and imagine how your postings are viewed from the outside looking in. Former Acen member(s?) release record on Clear. J. Random music-consuming Proletariat assumes, not unreasonably, that records released by Clear are done so with Clair's approval. 'Net posting from rephlex@dircon.CO.UK contains "DON'T BOTHER" in reference to said Clear recording. Post contains no words to the effect "Oh, btw, this is just my personal taste/opinion and should not be interpreted as The Official Voice Of RePHLeX Records". Now really ... Is it all that hard to fathom why J. Random Usenet Reader would wonder why An Official Post From Rephlex (remember, no disclaimers present) is apparently dissing on a Clear release? To the uninitiated, it Looks Bad. Now in reality, it may well be a case of Just Good Ol' Grant Expressing His Own Personal Taste In An Informal Manner, Irrespective Of The Label Of Origin. And that's fine. But if that's the case, mention it. Remember that posting from the "rephlex" address carries with it a certain extra interpretive weight. Let's put it this way: If I posted something stating that U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski - senior Democratic Senator on the U.S. Senate subcommittee that oversees the NASA budget - was a "wrinkled old prune", it would probably look pretty bad coming from my work site at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory if I didn't disclaim it as just my own opinion. (JPL is a part of NASA.) (Well, even if I disclaimed it, it would look pretty bad! (-: ) Do you see my point? "idle gossip"? Hardly; more like downright surprise. And finally: Rule #4: On the 'Net, nobody knows you're a dog ... erm, big-time label honcho. We're all Bozos on this bus. - Greg

On Wed, 19 Jul 1995, Greg Earle wrote:

quoted 3 lines So ...

> So ... > > Rule #1: Presumptuousness will get you nowhere.

<snipped lots of good politically correct advice about net posts> The problem is Graham IS the voice of Rephlex because he runs the label. And the metaphor of NASA and JPL is good in the context you use it which is a politically run institution but Rephlex is a record label and probably couldn't give a shit about politics. They focus on music and good music at that, so publicly dissing Warp or releases on Clear is very typical and won't make a single damned difference as to how well the next Rephlex release will sell. As far as I'm concerned Graham could be demonically posessed and trying to control the universe through mind control but I don't give a damn as long as the next Rephlex release is good. I agree with Graham at times (in agreeing that Warp is getting a bit too commercial) and disagree other times (I liked Space Pimps quite a bit and find the "electro revival" rather fun). But all in all the Rephlex posts quite entertaining and that's the job of a company like a record label which is entertainment based. It's job is not to be PC. That's the job of NASA and other political and largely commercial corporations. I highly doubt if you went to a record store and picked up a Rephlex record and listened to it and it blew your mind that you'd stop and think, "Well, those posts by Rephlex on the net were pretty offensive so I'd better not buy this slammin' track." If you did then I think you're missing the point. Musicians and labels are VERY dedicated to what they do and if they aren't then they will be trompled over by those who are passionate about it. Music is the key and everything else is insignificant! -robert --> __ _ _ _____ _____ _____ / _\ | || || _ \|_ _|/ _ \ / /_\\ | -- || |_) | _| |_ | (_) | ______________ /______\\____/|_____/|_____|\_____/ ( *electronic* ) "Thanks for the technical data. It sure is nice to read something useful for once, instead of all that noise about useless Roland x0x boxes." -metlay

On Thu, 20 Jul 1995, rbcIII the lovebot wrote:

quoted 1 line The problem is Graham IS the voice of Rephlex because he runs the label.

> The problem is Graham IS the voice of Rephlex because he runs the label.

You're referring to Grant of course.. :: Alan M. Parry :: fluid@hyperreal.com :: <finger me for PGP key> :: http://hyperreal.com/~fluid

Words to live by--or so it seems :)

quoted 3 lines They focus on music and good music at that, so publicly dissing Warp or

> They focus on music and good music at that, so publicly dissing Warp or > releases on Clear is very typical and won't make a single damned difference > as to how well the next Rephlex release will sell.

Exactly. They can do or say just about whatever they want at this point and it will not put a dent in their record sales, which is what's important here. People are buying the music for purposes of their own, and don't care about the politics. Though it seems a big part, all the words that Moby said in his last CD booklet did not affect the opinion that I had formed about the album from just the _music_. None of us get the priviledge to see all the fussing that goes in to making a record anyway. Let's leave that up to them.

quoted 3 lines As far as I'm concerned Graham could be demonically posessed and trying

> As far as I'm concerned Graham could be demonically posessed and trying > to control the universe through mind control but I don't give a damn as > long as the next Rephlex release is good.

Well I hope that that's not the case for [Grant] but you're right about the music. The task of pleasing the masses can get tricky...

quoted 4 lines But all in all the Rephlex posts [are] quite entertaining and that's the job

> But all in all the Rephlex posts [are] quite entertaining and that's the job > of a company like a record label which is entertainment based. It's job is > not to be PC. That's the job of NASA and other political and largely > commercial corporations.

At least there are some people out there understanding all this!

quoted 9 lines I highly doubt if you went to a record store and picked up a Rephlex

> I highly doubt if you went to a record store and picked up a Rephlex > record and listened to it and it blew your mind that you'd stop and > think, "Well, those posts by Rephlex on the net were pretty offensive so > I'd better not buy this slammin' track." If you did then I think you're > missing the point. Musicians and labels are VERY dedicated to what they > do and if they aren't then they will be trompled over by those who are > passionate about it. > > Music is the key and everything else is insignificant!

YES. YES. YES. You should be a musician. Excuse me if you already are! -Steve -lammers1@pilot.msu.edu

On Thu, 20 Jul 1995, Matt MacQueen wrote:

quoted 8 lines obIDM: what's the breakdown of all the Tension records sub-labels, what

> obIDM: what's the breakdown of all the Tension records sub-labels, what > are they for, distinct genres or different artists (?) I can think if > plain old TENSION MUSIC, then INNER SANCTUM ("a division of"), Rancho > Relaxo ("a division of"), are they yet more divisions? can anyone shed > some light here? ANd does anyone know if the SIN "the man who hates > himself EP" on the INNER SANCTUM division plays at 45 or 33.3? Frankly, it > sounds pretty good both ways, er? As much as I want to play it as a dance > record, I have a feeling it was indented to be 33?

Wow! Tension makes the IDM list! Here's the way I see their sublabel breakdown, although if you asked Abe (label boss) he'd probably give you a slightly less rigid answer... :) Tension: straight-up techno; lately on the minimal tip Tension Music: a six-record series - more techno with the accent on producer anonymity Hollis Haus: stripped-down house-flavored stuff, sometimes acidic Rancho Relaxo: chill-out & listening oriented stuff Inner Sanctum: acid-jazzy stuff Nutsack: hip-hop/trip-hop offshoot...coming soon! There you have it! I'll try to get back to you with an answer on that SIN record, Matt! - Matthew "I grew up thinking that techno music is actually something that you can't imagine. That is techno at its best. If you hear something that you'd never expect to hear - that's techno. If you hear something that kind of sounds like you've heard it before, then it's not techno." - Jeff Mills