IDM Mailing Archive

so... my taste in IDM has always tended to drift towards really melodic hip-hop-y type stuff (a la BoC, ulrich schnauss, freescha, jet jaguar, etc...) to lushly ambient (a la biosphere, global comm.) to occasionally more lushly uptempo stuff (plaid and early autechre). not to say i don't like harsh beats now and again, but i'm a sucker for a beautiful melody (and the two together are particularly lovely.) my favorite labels include morr, deFocus, neo ouija, CCO, surgery, involve ... you get the idea. anyway, in the last year or so i've slowly started to get into the more minimal or micro side of IDM and i'm hoping you all can guide me towards more of what i've come to enjoy and keep me away from the rest. basically, in the last year i've discovered that i totally love monolake and pub. i've also discovered GAS and i have to say "pop" is a stunningly gorgeous album. however, i tend to find his earlier stuff to be rather boring. i got the new yagya "rhythm of snow" album and i like that quite a bit so far. but, i've also randomly picked up some other releases that have been pretty boring - like jetone "ultramarin" (about 2 good tracks) smyglyssna "u don't jump like i jump" (listened to it twice). i picked up the mille plateaux "clicks & cuts" comp cause it was supposed to be so ground breaking. i've played it once i gather that because i like monolake i should probably look into trying to find the basic channel/chain reaction releases of years past. (good luck, right?) but how do these releases really compare to monolake? and all this stuff qualifies as minimal techno right? how much of a distinction do you all draw between minimal techno and microhouse? it's kind of simplistic, but as far as i can tell, when it comes to the minimal side of things i seem to prefer something that pulses to something that thumps. does that make any sense? it also seems that all these artists stil retain a certain "lushness" to their music even though they are minimalistic - even monolake. although, maybe it would be more accurate to describe his lushness as a "deep spaciousness" or something. anyway, i hope you can see what i'm driving at here and recommend some other artists/releases i should be checking out. btw, i'm not trying to knock the releases i don't care for - just trying to give you a sense of my taste. truly, to each his own. thanks, - d

on 2/13/02 5:08 PM, d_jak at d_jak@netzero.net scrawled:

quoted 6 lines i gather that because i like monolake i should probably look into trying to

> i gather that because i like monolake i should probably look into trying to > find the basic channel/chain reaction releases of years past. (good luck, > right?) but how do these releases really compare to monolake? and all this > stuff qualifies as minimal techno right? how much of a distinction do you all > draw between minimal techno and microhouse? >

I would definitely do some research on the chain reaction basic channel tip. So much minimal house is rooted in that music. It may be all sleek and stylized nowadays, but it's dirty and rough around the edges origins are really worth checking out. I consider Octagon to be one of the best techno tracks ever produced, it's one of the only techno tracks I could actually describe using the word futurism and keep a straight face. Also worth noting is the Berlin - Detroit connection (i.e. Mills's basic channel remixes and the first several m!, basic channel records, and chain reaction comps putting a new spin on that sound), to say nothing of the influence Rob Hood and Dan Bell were to so many prominent producers right now. If you are into these sounds I suggest checking some of the more sparse sounding Detroit producers. The old Chain Reaction and Basic Channel material is easy to track down. If you are in US try submerge. To the best of my knowledge the basic channel records are repressed fairly often, I don't think the original 4-5 chain reaction comps are (anybody have a copy of 1 they don't need?) though - which is a damn shame. I often see all other chain reaction records in stores and so much of that label is archived on CD. I would actually skip Monolakes earliest work.. I find it really uninspired. I'd start with Interstate. You can't really go wrong with the chain reaction CD's but my personal fave is biokinetics by porter ricks. As for the categories you keep referring to, I wouldn't worry about them so much and just find what works for you. What some people describe as minimal techno, others might consider spartan disco.. As for 'microhouse' I was astonished when I read the feature in the wire. The article was well written and drew many valid connections together but the re-christening of a genre that was already there put me off a bit.

quoted 4 lines it's kind of simplistic, but as far as i can tell, when it comes to the

> it's kind of simplistic, but as far as i can tell, when it comes to the > minimal side of things i seem to prefer something that pulses to something > that thumps. does that make any sense? >

Yes.. subtlety.

quoted 3 lines anyway, i hope you can see what i'm driving at here and recommend some other

> anyway, i hope you can see what i'm driving at here and recommend some other > artists/releases i should be checking out. >

-mannequin lung - art of travel on plug research -geez n' gosh - my life with jesus on mille plateaux -rob hood - movable parts/minimal nation on mplant -all the farben releases on klang, the gramm album on source, and jan jelineck album on ~scape -dan bell's most recent output on central (remix!) and ladomat record from last year. -nanospeed's material on shitkatapult -rechenzenstrum's john peel sessions album -anything herbert does under an alias -sutekh's period make sense -background records in general -ditto for revolver -mitch akiyama's hope the lines don't cross on substractif -akufen's trapez and perlon records -deadbeats primordia on introversion -the rip off artists' pump album on mille plateaux (fairly new and damn good) Happy hunting.. ~g ps.. get a good pair of headphones and listen to Kit Claytons 'loads early like normal' on the first clicks and cuts comp. That experience may have you singin' a different tune about the album. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

On 13 Dec 2002 at 22:23, Greg Smith wrote:

quoted 2 lines I would actually skip Monolakes earliest work.. I find it really

> I would actually skip Monolakes earliest work.. I find it really > uninspired. I'd start with Interstate.

Each to his/her own, and all that... but how could you POSSIBLY skip Hong Kong??? Speaking of which, I do find their new "Cinemascope" rather in a similar vein and would certainly recommend it to anyone liking their style. I * --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

on 2/14/02 8:13 AM, Irene McC at substar@iafrica.com scrawled:

quoted 8 lines On 13 Dec 2002 at 22:23, Greg Smith wrote:

> On 13 Dec 2002 at 22:23, Greg Smith wrote: > >> I would actually skip Monolakes earliest work.. I find it really >> uninspired. I'd start with Interstate. > > Each to his/her own, and all that... but how could you POSSIBLY skip > Hong Kong??? >

That statement sounded a bit harsh. It's not that I don't like Hong Kong (or Gravity for that matter) It's just that I think Interstate was such a strong album it pretty much changed the way I thought about lushness and spaciousness (all the things that person posted in the original message I responded to) in techno flavored music. Interstate sounded like a walk through a rainforest. To me, Hong Kong sounds much less distinct and even in the context of 'it's an early work' I still don't find it very interesting. Circa, Gobi/Interstate + the few 12" 's released around that timeframe.. wow! That's just my fickle taste though... ~g --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

--- Greg Smith <purgasmith@earthlink.net> wrote: > on 2/14/02 8:13 AM, Irene McC at substar@iafrica.com

quoted 11 lines scrawled:

> scrawled: > > > On 13 Dec 2002 at 22:23, Greg Smith wrote: > > > >> I would actually skip Monolakes earliest work.. I > find it really > >> uninspired. I'd start with Interstate. > > > > Each to his/her own, and all that... but how could > you POSSIBLY skip > > Hong Kong???

Absolutely. Hong Kong is i think monolakes definative work.In terms of lush evocative soundscapes it is not equalled anywhere in their back catalogue. Cyan is incredible, a journey through blue neon, rainy modern city. i have precisely no time for gravity though, it just sounds sterile and sucked dry of all the earlier inspiration, to me. Anyway, hong kong is a transcendental masterpiece, and is not to be missed. -thomas __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my.yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

try Rhythn & sound: "Rhythn & sound"(nov 2001)- beautiful minimal dub, CD has mostly their singles collected also POLE - all of cds: "1", "2", "3", "r" __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE Valentine eCards with Yahoo! Greetings! http://greetings.yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

on 2/20/02 12:37 PM, lysaabi at lysaabi@earthlink.net scrawled:

quoted 8 lines I'm just curious... would you tell me what you mean by the word "futurism"?

> I'm just curious... would you tell me what you mean by the word "futurism"? > Do you relate it all to the term "futurist"? > And for clarification, are you thinking of the movement which originated in > Italy in the early 1900's? > > thx, > Lisa >

I was thinking of futurist in the Alvin Toffler sense. Do some digging into Detroit Lore and you can play connect the dots with his 'techno rebel' and '3rd wave' spiels and the styles of Detroit techno and it's overall aesthetic in relation to the socioeconomic and musical history of the Motor City. I suppose it ties in equally well with them Italian fascist machine fetishists as well but that is not what I was getting at. ~g --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org