IDM Mailing Archive

hi, I heard that the "It's all becoming..." Clear comp would have extra tracks on the tape release(as opposed to the cd)... is this true? Probably not... and-e

simonw@sol.ftp.com:

quoted 3 lines Clear have never released a bad record. So there!

>>Clear have never released a bad record. So there! > >Spacepimp?

Nope, sorry, I like that one as well. The only Clear I haven't heard is the Jake Slazenger promo and the Dr Rockit 7 inch. The rest are all great. BTW if anyone wants to sell the Dr Rockit seven inch, I'll be eternally grateful. BTW if anyone was offended at my boondocks comment it wasn't a smug Englishman rolling in IDM looking down at the yanks, it was an Englishman living in Mass who's in the same boat, and remembers fondly record shopping in London. Cheers, Andrew C.

could someone throw the clear e-mail address my way? thanks, phil

On Fri, 21 Nov 1997, Philip Sherburne wrote:

quoted 1 line could someone throw the clear e-mail address my way? thanks,

> could someone throw the clear e-mail address my way? thanks,

clear.london@easynet.co.uk tp

quoted 3 lines A new UK label has started up called District Six that

>A new UK label has started up called District Six that >looks to be filling the void left buy the folding of the >Clear label.

What VOID?? I mean the first four or five releases (Plaid, Gescom, Jake Slaz, Jedi Knights) were all excellent and worth purchasing, but were produced by already established artists. What followed thereafter was for the most part OK, nevertheless, not very exciting. As One was good, but again, an already established artist. I don't really see why Clear was considered so "revolutionary" when all they did was enlist IDM illuminati and had them perform in a retro style. Not trying to slag the label or its fans... just my two cents. Mike.

Excerpts from mail: 9-Mar-99 (idm) clear by Michael Stein@MasterChar

quoted 4 lines What VOID?? I mean the first four or five releases (Plaid, Gescom, Jake

> What VOID?? I mean the first four or five releases (Plaid, Gescom, Jake > Slaz, Jedi Knights) were all excellent and worth purchasing, but were > produced by already established artists. What followed thereafter was for > the most part OK, nevertheless, not very exciting.

Try Metamatics and Morgan Geist for size. Both are far superior to the pretentious wankery Paradinas barfed out on Clear. Aaron

On Tue, 9 Mar 1999 11:29:57 -0500 (EST), you wrote:

quoted 2 lines Try Metamatics and Morgan Geist for size. Both are far superior to the

>Try Metamatics and Morgan Geist for size. Both are far superior to the >pretentious wankery Paradinas barfed out on Clear.

wha? tusken raiders is my favourite clear probably, but yeah, the slazenger stuff isn't so engrossing i spose. btw i still have the megaphonk ep available, first to offer 50usd gets it!

At 09:38 AM 3/9/99 -0600, you wrote:

quoted 12 lines A new UK label has started up called District Six that

>>A new UK label has started up called District Six that >>looks to be filling the void left buy the folding of the >>Clear label. > >What VOID?? I mean the first four or five releases (Plaid, Gescom, Jake >Slaz, Jedi Knights) were all excellent and worth purchasing, but were >produced by already established artists. What followed thereafter was for >the most part OK, nevertheless, not very exciting. As One was good, but >again, an already established artist. I don't really see why Clear was >considered so "revolutionary" when all they did was enlist IDM illuminati >and had them perform in a retro style. >

There were several other worthwhile releases on Clear aside from the ones you mention: Gregory Fleckner Quintet, Metamatics, Daniel Ibbotson, Clatterbox, Dr. Rocket, Morgan Geist, Reflection and the Reflection remix project. There were a few releases that were of lesser quality but nowhere near enough to dimiss the label as a whole. Regarding "IDM iuminati" and Clear, the way i see it Clear's first few releases were by "IDM iuminati" but from then on they mostly developed and released their own talent. Dr Rocket, Clatterbox, Metamatics, Daniel Ibbotson, Gregory Fleckner Quintet, Reflection and The Lithium first appeared or were first brought to prominence on the Clear label. I agree that Clear may have gotten a little more hype than they deserve but even without that hype they were still a very good label. -->-Lance--- mclance@nacs.net lance@inaudible.com p.o. box 450715 westlake, ohio 44145 united states

Some thoughts on Clear. illuminati. It's true that Clear enlisted well known artists (illuminati) to introduce its first series of releases starting in January of 1995. What was different and challenging about the label was an apparent confidence in their overall concept. As I understand it, their idea was to release records created by well known artists, using ambiguous pseudonyms, in a electro/retro style. The names of the artists were made even more ambiguous because of the difficult to read, highly stylized 'graffiti' type treatment used on the record labels and sleeves. Clear was actually "looking forward while looking backward" by asking their artists to create using a retro style sound. From 1995 to 1998 the label put out one excellent release after another. Over those 4 years the label showed an evolution in sound: 1995 :solid electro ( Jedi Knights, Gescom, Jake Slazenger and others ) 1996 :cheeze, jazz; experimental ( The Gregory Fleckner Quintet, Clatterbox and others ) 1997 :drum and jazz and bass and asymmetry ( Metamatics, Reflection and Morgan Geist ) 1998 :fluid and jazzy; percussive "live instrument" sound ( newer artists like The Lithium Project ) design. Clear showed a high level of strategic design sensibility with its product. Each Clear package looked and felt well designed; contributing to the overall development of the Clear "brand" above and beyond just the music itself. The label knew that it wasn't just the "the record", but it was good design that contributed to an overall experience. Choices like printing ink color ( inks included metallics ), paper and novel packaging ideas ( Reflections magnet closure, Its All Becoming Clear's complex die-cut packaging ) helped define a cohesive look and feel for the label. some highlights: Reflection: The Errornormous World Reflection: The Morerroronus World Remix comp Morgan Geist: The Driving Memoirs Metamatics: various As One: The Message ... GFQ: Monkey Boots mindset. When Clear first came out they were motivated to represent a sound they felt got overlooked. They had the foresight to commit themselves to a retro/electro style in 1995. I remember listening to the Jedi Knights 12" ( in 1995 ) and thinking it was really bad. Today I really appreciate Clear; thorough design, quirky music and a creative concept. releases (most, not all): 400 : Various : It's All Becoming... Clear 406 : Jedi Knights : May The Funk Be With You 407 : Tusken Raiders : Bantha Trax 408 : Gescom : The Sounds Of Machines ... 409 : Plaid : Android 410 : Jake Slazenger : Makesaracket 411 : Doctor Rockit : Ready To Rockit 412 : Clatterbox : Clatterbox 414 : Daniel Ibbotson : Souped Up 415 : Spacepimp : Spacepimp 416 : Doctor Rockit : D For Doctor 417 : As One : The Message In Herbie's Shirts 418 : Gregory Fleckner Quintet : A Gentle Introduction 419 : Gregory Fleckner Quintet : Monkey Boots 420 : Gregory Fleckner Quintet : Goodbye Morals, Hello Happiness 421 : Clatterbox : Spatz 422 : Clatterbox : Easy Does It 423 : Doctor Rockit : Swingtime 424 : Doctor Rockit : The Music Of Sound 425 : Metamatics : EP.01 426 : Metamatics : EP.02 427 : Metamatics : EP.03 428 : Metamatics : EP.04 429 : Metamatics : A Metamatics Production 430 : As One : In With Their Arps and Moogs and Jazz and Things 431 : Reflection : Transparent 432 : Reflection : The Errornormous World 433 : Morgan Geist : Linking Tunnel/Food & Fuel 434 : Reflection : Sampler 1 435 : Reflection : Sampler 2 436 : Reflection : The Morerroronus World 437 : Morgan Geist : The Driving Memoirs 438 : Metamatics : Onyx 439 : The Lithium Project : The Lithium Project If you want to read more about the Clear label you can read the results to a reader survey posted at my site. Included in the results are popular opinions to some of the questions in this thread including: favorite packaging, favorite Clear year, favorite full length, and 12", etc. Clear Visual Discography: http://www.formstudio.com/thesesubjects/music/clear/pollresults.html Jeffrey.

quoted 3 lines I don't really see why Clear was

>I don't really see why Clear was >>considered so "revolutionary" when all they did was enlist IDM illuminati >>and had them perform in a retro style.

On Tue, 09 Mar 1999 11:40:35 -0500, Lance C McGannon <mclance@nacs.net> said:

quoted 16 lines There were several other worthwhile releases on Clear

> >There were several other worthwhile releases on Clear >aside from the ones you mention: Gregory Fleckner Quintet, >Metamatics, Daniel Ibbotson, Clatterbox, Dr. Rocket, >Morgan Geist, Reflection and the Reflection remix project. >There were a few releases that were of lesser quality but >nowhere near enough to dimiss the label as a whole. > >Regarding "IDM iuminati" and Clear, the way i see it >Clear's first few releases were by "IDM iuminati" but >from then on they mostly developed and released their >own talent. Dr Rocket, Clatterbox, Metamatics, Daniel >Ibbotson, Gregory Fleckner Quintet, Reflection and The >Lithium first appeared or were first brought to prominence >on the Clear label. >

as usual, i agree with lance here and view clear as much more than a label which released "established acts in a retro style". while there was certainly a retro-ethic in effect during "the first electro comeback" which coincided roughly with the clear start-up, i think later releases branched out and progressed into many smooth and jazzy directions which were by no means rear-view-mirror based. in particular, the metamatics stuff and reflection releases were largely underappreciated (in my opinion) and really represented some nice sounds. neo-ouija (not technically on clear) hardly received a mention, and it was one of my tops for 1998. i look forward to geting my lazy ass down to bent crayon to pick up the new lee norris stuff on district six.......... np: jake mandell: bottombracket peeeeeeeeeeeeeece, -- Jeff Davis pHlow@earthlink.net fn:216.533.6303 fx:216.266.2310 text:2165336303@mobile.att.net pHlow.linx: home.earthlink.net/~phlow/ Bochum Welt: www.bochumwelt.com Rotator Locator: hyperreal.org/music/rotator/

At 12:16 PM 3/11/99 +0000, you wrote:

quoted 9 lines in particular, the metamatics stuff and reflection releases were largely

> >in particular, the metamatics stuff and reflection releases were largely >underappreciated (in my opinion) and really represented some nice sounds. >neo-ouija (not technically on clear) hardly received a mention, and it was >one of my tops for 1998. > >i look forward to geting my lazy ass down to bent crayon to pick up the new >lee norris stuff on district six.......... >

Speaking of which, I've been meaning to post to the list about how good the aforementioned new Metamatics 12" on District Six called Dayglo Tinsel is. It's a gritty melodic four tracker of complex electronica and breakbeaty stuff with a very original sound to it. Probably the best metamatics release yet. Get it if you can. I hear it's pretty limited. -->-Lance--- mclance@nacs.net lance@inaudible.com p.o. box 450715 westlake, ohio 44145 united states

not to mention Dr Rockitt, Clatterbox and Daniel Ibottson - all have released classics on Clear... GV

--little miss trinitron <artist@sub-con-geo.demon.co.uk> wrote:

quoted 4 lines On Tue, 9 Mar 1999 11:29:57 -0500 (EST), you wrote:

> > On Tue, 9 Mar 1999 11:29:57 -0500 (EST), you wrote: > > >Try Metamatics and Morgan Geist for size. Both are far superior to

the

quoted 4 lines pretentious wankery Paradinas barfed out on Clear.

> >pretentious wankery Paradinas barfed out on Clear. > > wha? tusken raiders is my favourite clear probably, but yeah, the > slazenger stuff isn't so engrossing i spose.

I don't think the Tusken Raiders is that special. The Plaid and Gescom singles on Clear are FAR better. == SO CAL IDM Homepage http://home.earthlink.net/~efrans/scidm SWOPE TRANSMISSIONS Radio Show http://home.earthlink.net/~efrans/swope-transmissions/ _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

On Tue, 9 Mar 1999 19:34:18 -0800 (PST), you wrote:

quoted 2 lines wha? tusken raiders is my favourite clear probably, but yeah, the

>> wha? tusken raiders is my favourite clear probably, but yeah, the >> slazenger stuff isn't so engrossing i spose.

quoted 2 lines I don't think the Tusken Raiders is that special. The Plaid and Gescom

>I don't think the Tusken Raiders is that special. The Plaid and Gescom >singles on Clear are FAR better.

oh, but tusken's ep is just so ROUGH! but the point is, all the early clear eps are really good.. it's a shame they couldn't quite keep up the quality (of both the music and the packaging) further down the line.

on design: track down the series of Reflection releases to see some beautiful designs implemented over a variety of packages. the remix comp and associated 12s had a grid of colored rectangles assembled in various patterns. The Errornormous World series of packaging was done with a two color metallic ink scheme that was very lush and organic. on music: if you don't like, you don't like. but the label showed an evolution in sound that some people grew to enjoy while some early adopters rejected. Jeffrey.

quoted 4 lines the point is, all the early

>the point is, all the early >clear eps are really good.. it's a shame they couldn't quite keep up >the quality (of both the music and the packaging) further down the >line.

--little miss trinitron <artist@sub-con-geo.demon.co.uk> wrote:

quoted 7 lines On Tue, 9 Mar 1999 19:34:18 -0800 (PST), you wrote:

> > On Tue, 9 Mar 1999 19:34:18 -0800 (PST), you wrote: > > >> wha? tusken raiders is my favourite clear probably, but yeah, the > >> slazenger stuff isn't so engrossing i spose. > > >I don't think the Tusken Raiders is that special. The Plaid and

Gescom

quoted 6 lines singles on Clear are FAR better.

> >singles on Clear are FAR better. > > oh, but tusken's ep is just so ROUGH! but the point is, all the early > clear eps are really good.. it's a shame they couldn't quite keep up > the quality (of both the music and the packaging) further down the > line.

True, Clear had a great start. From the beginning, it looked like one of those labels that you just buy anything off it and you knew it would be good (kind of like SKAM). I think it was around the time of Clatterbox that it started to get too quirky for me. The Reel label looks promising. Cheers _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com