IDM Mailing Archive

quoted 3 lines This isn't necessarily IDM material, but has anyone listened to any of

> This isn't necessarily IDM material, but has anyone listened to any of >Rising Sun/Utu/Ken Ishii's lps? I've heard that over in house-land they're >considered pretty good. Opinions?

It is absolutely IDM material! (Alan's list welcome message even says so!) As far as I'm concerned, Ken is as important an artist as anyone in IDM. He can do your head in with seriously fucked-up sounds and then the next thing you know you're right in the middle of a gorgeous cloud of a track. He's really got his own sound and I think he's a lot more consistent than a lot of the golden calves of IDM. Brief Ken Ishii LP on CD discography: Ken Ishii: 'Innerelements' (R&S BE, Sony JP) Compiles tracks from several R&S 12"s. Skewed a bit toward the harsher end of things. Flare: 'Reference to Difference' (Sublime UK?/US/JP) Tends to his more atmospheric side. Probably my favorite Ishii album (and one of my favorite IDM albums, period). Ken Ishii: Jelly Tones (R&S BE) Probably the best for beginners, this is his most accessible. You've probably heard "Extra" (and seen the excellent video). Flare: Grip (Sublime UK/JP) His most recent album, I haven't really got my head around it yet. Seems to be unusually well-distributed in the US. There's also at least a couple Japan-only CD albums (if anyone has any information on how to get these, mail me privately, please), and quite a few singles. I'm not aware of any Utu album (he used this name for a 12" or two on Plus 8). I've seen a new album of remixes of tracks from 'Grip,' remixed by other people. I wasn't familiar with more than one or two of the remixers, so I've been wary of buying it. Anyone have a review? C. -- C.Hilker (cspot@hyperreal.com) "He was mesmerized by the light-pictures, and the music sent him right into dreamland"

On Tue, 25 Mar 1997, Chris.Hilker wrote:

quoted 8 lines This isn't necessarily IDM material, but has anyone listened to any of

> > This isn't necessarily IDM material, but has anyone listened to any of > >Rising Sun/Utu/Ken Ishii's lps? I've heard that over in house-land they're > >considered pretty good. Opinions? > > It is absolutely IDM material! > As far as I'm concerned, Ken is as important an artist as anyone in IDM. > He can do your head in with seriously fucked-up sounds and then the next > thing you know you're right in the middle of a gorgeous cloud of a track.

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes! Where most dance artists want to twist your head around with "fucked-up sounds" (which I love, don't get me wrong), in Ken's music, somehow the sounds add up to something that often reaches the sublime. My fave tracks of his: N428 (UTU) -- this track is the main reason I bought the Ethnotechno comp, which otherwise doesn't hold up over time so well. It's impossible to say in a few sentences what makes this track so utterly exquisite. "Out of the Inside" (Ref. to Diff.) -- the opening: fantastic random cross-relations from out-of-sync loops, and then that bassline! both implying and denying a sense of progression at one and the same time. Tasty perc., a lot of it coming from squelchy overmodulated FM stuff "Nervewrench" (R to D) -- Wack! Makes me chuckle. "Morceau" (R to D) -- out of tune chords you wouldn't want any other way "Non essentia" (R to D) -- swooping, sliding melodies that are twisted and graceful at once Thanks Chris for the brief discog -- I want more of this stuff! Related question: on the old recording of Steve Reich's _Music for 18 Musicians_, the cellist is listed as none other than Ken Ishii. Is this the same guy? It seems unlikely that there are two musicians of the same name, both into repetitive musics. J NP: Non essentia ________ \ / | Bee women: "What kind of corn soldiers are you?" H. James Harkins | Arthur: "Umm, oh, er, we're, uh, we're colonels." jharkins@acpub.duke.edu | \/ | - from "The Tick," now on Comedy Central, 6PM M-F

quoted 4 lines Related question: on the old recording of Steve Reich's _Music for 18

>Related question: on the old recording of Steve Reich's _Music for 18 >Musicians_, the cellist is listed as none other than Ken Ishii. Is this >the same guy? It seems unlikely that there are two musicians of the same >name, both into repetitive musics. J

I think it was Morris who confirmed that the two are unrelated a while back. C. -- C.Hilker (cspot@hyperreal.com) "He was mesmerized by the light-pictures, and the music sent him right into dreamland"

quoted 3 lines This isn't necessarily IDM material, but has anyone listened to any of

> This isn't necessarily IDM material, but has anyone listened to any of > Rising Sun/Utu/Ken Ishii's lps? I've heard that over in house-land they're > considered pretty good. Opinions?

House-Land?.. Yeah the Utu 12" on +8 is pretty damn fine, i mean come on its Ken!.. Yeah its more dancefloor than his regular Garden on the palm type stuff (it is on plus 8), but its still pretty good. While we're on the Ishii tip here i bought that Flare Reference to Difference CD a while back... ive only listened to it once (this next bit kinda contradicts my second sentence...) and i didnt think much of it, it kind of remided me of some of the less interesting ART stuff, lots of FM synthesis... ive noticed some other Flare stuff knocking about though, any opinions? kF

Speaking of Ken Ishii, I saw a copy of Mix-up Vol.3 with Ken Ishii. I think its from Sony Japan. Anyone have any opinion on this and is it worth picking up?? p.s. Vol. 1 features some other japanese artist, that I can't seem to recall, but if you know who I'm talking about, tell me if the album is any good. AtL-5