IDM Mailing Archive

1995-08-16 23:15Aaron MichelsonGot my copy of Donkey Rhubarb today in Toronto. If you act quick, Republic Records should

From:: Aaron Michelson <amichel@io.org>
To:: <idm@hyperreal.com>
Date:: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 19:15:12 -0400
Subject:: Donkey Rhubarb

Got my copy of Donkey Rhubarb today in Toronto. If you act quick, Republic Records should still have a few left. So far they're the only ones in Toronto who have it. Otherwise, it'll be a week or so before anybody else gets a copy. Just a few points I thought I should mention. The title track is excellent. RDJ is back into old form with fast beats and noisy looping! I think that the disc is worth the asking price alone for this first track. But, what about the praised Phillip Glass instrumental of Icct Hedral? I can't see that he did much. It seems like its just a straight to orchestra version, with no real style or flare. Am I missing something, or is this the general impression? Oh, and I won't say that this Aphex Twin disc is for everyone. I already got in trouble for this once.... DONKEY RHUBARB -------------- WINNER OF BEST SINGLE WINNER OF SHITTIEST COVER OF ALL TIME ____ __,---' `--.__ ,-' ; `. "Everything you know is wrong." ,' `--.`--. ,' `._ `-. ; ; `-- ; ,-'-_ _,-~~-. ,-- `. ;; `-,; ,'~`.__ ,;;; ; ; ;; ;,' ,;; `, ;;; `. ; `: ,' `:; __/ `.; ; ; ;~~^. `. `---'~~ ;; ; ; `,' `. `. .;;; ;' Aaron Michelson ,',^. `. `._ __ `:; ,' amichel@io.org `-' `--' ~`--'~~`--. ~ ,' /;`-;_ ; ;. /. / ; ~~`-. ; ; ; ; `,;`-;__;---; `----' ``-`-;__;: ; ;__; `-- `-' * Offline Orbit 0.75a *

1995-08-17 00:53Johnathan A. RickmanSteel drum stomper! On Wed, 16 Aug 1995, Aaron Michelson wrote: > Got my copy of Donkey Rh

From:: Johnathan A. Rickman <jknee@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
To:: Aaron Michelson <amichel@io.org>
Cc:: <idm@hyperreal.com>
Date:: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 20:53:23 -0400 (EDT)
Subject:: Re: Donkey Rhubarb
Reply to:: Donkey Rhubarb

Steel drum stomper! On Wed, 16 Aug 1995, Aaron Michelson wrote:

quoted 9 lines Got my copy of Donkey Rhubarb today in Toronto.

> Got my copy of Donkey Rhubarb today in Toronto. > > Just a few points I thought I should mention. The title track is excellent. > RDJ is back into old form with fast beats and noisy looping! I think that > the disc is worth the asking price alone for this first track. But, what > about the praised Phillip Glass instrumental of Icct Hedral? I can't see > that he did much. It seems like its just a straight to orchestra version, > with no real style or flare. Am I missing something, or is this the general > impression?

NO, you're right, it's pretty much note for note. I don't think it was meant to be a remix or anything, and I think it's beautiful. I like it better than the original actually! I don't see how you can say it lacks style or flare. Philip Glass definately has his own style. I'd love to hear an orchestrated version of X-Tal myself. Philip Glass seems to me, to be the most appropriate composer to orchestrate Aphex Twin. Glass is a very futuristic composer - easily the Aphex Twin of the classical music/new composers world. An acknowlegement of recognition from the old school to the new. But if you don't dig it, you don't dig it. S'ok.

quoted 5 lines DONKEY RHUBARB

> DONKEY RHUBARB > -------------- > WINNER OF BEST SINGLE > WINNER OF SHITTIEST COVER OF ALL TIME >

1995-08-17 20:04Mark KolmarOn Wed, 16 Aug 1995, Johnathan A. Rickman wrote: > Glass is a very futuristic composer - >

From:: Mark Kolmar <mkolmar@ccs.nslsilus.org>
To:: Johnathan A. Rickman <jknee@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
Cc:: Aaron Michelson <amichel@io.org>, <idm@hyperreal.com>
Date:: Thu, 17 Aug 1995 15:04:13 -0500 (CDT)
Subject:: Re: Donkey Rhubarb / modern composers
Reply to:: Re: Donkey Rhubarb

On Wed, 16 Aug 1995, Johnathan A. Rickman wrote:

quoted 2 lines Glass is a very futuristic composer -

> Glass is a very futuristic composer - > easily the Aphex Twin of the classical music/new composers world.

Glass has one great idea that he's been reusing for many years. Having said that, I consider _Glassworks_ and _The Photographer_ to be genius. Your analogy is very appropriate, though maybe not for the reason you made it. Richard James and Phillip Glass are both important and talented composers who are nonetheless desperately overrated, and who repeat themselves. Now that your ears are accustomed to new musical experiences, you might consider looking into some of these composers/works: (not IDM, I realize) Glenn Branca / Symphony #3 (Gloria) Music for the First 127 Intervals of the Harmonic Series. -- A successful blend of the visceral power of Rock and the subtleties of orchestral music. Performed on a number of custom-built electric stringed instruments, the harmonics blend, collide and bounce off each other to create a dense mist from which phantom instruments may emerge. Morton Feldman / Triadic Memories, For Bunita Marcos, For Phillip Guston, Piano and String Quartet -- Impossibly beautiful, elegant and time-warping, almost religious, minimalist music without a trace of the cliche. Triadic Memories and For Bunita Marcos are piano pieces. For Phillip Guston is a good starting point if you don't feel the need to dip your toes in the water before diving in. It is a 4-1/2 hour meditative (non-repetetive) head-trip. Piano and String Quartet performed by Kronos will probably be easiest to find and the least expensive. Conlon Nancarrow / Studies for Player Piano -- Only bother with the Vol. I-V on Wergo, don't settle for anything less. Nancarrow meticulously composed about 4 dozen amazing polyrhythmic musical creations using the best sequencer available to him: player piano. Since the piano is a sound one normally associates with human hands, these performances sound "superhuman" rather than "non-human" or "mechanical". Nancarrow often goes well beyond what is remotely playable by human hands, sometimes creating sounds which no longer even sound like piano.

Re: Donkey Rhubarb / modern composers