IDM Mailing Archive

The kraftwerk discussion struck a chord in me (so to speak). I've been out of the music scene for about a year now. I took a leave because I was spending too much money and I felt like the albums I was buying were getting more and more pedantic. I was buying stuff just to own it, listening to it a couple times, playing it on my show, and stashing it away. So, here at the end of a year of being mostly out of it. I feel at once like a lot of albums have passed me by, and that the scene has stalled since I left it.. I feel like I'm stuck back in the golden years of the early nineties. I still listen to the orb, the aphex twin, the ai releases, orbital's self titled releases, the klf, fortran 5, system 7. I am nostalgic for my purchases of years ago. The day I came home with U.F.Orb, or Surfing on Sine Waves. I remember when Fortran 5's new album came out and the people at HMV thought I was crazy. They only bought one copy of it which I snapped up before they could put it on the shelf. All this was only a couple years ago. I feel like I need to listen to the oldies techno stations, but techno is barely old enough to have oldies. Kraftwerk, Jarre, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Tomita, Eno, these are the oldies of techno and much of their stuff still sounds fresh in a way that the Eagles don't :). My point. Concentrate on good music. Music which you will want to listen to years from now. I still love the song transitions from the brown album. I still shudder when A Place of Horror comes on. I still love the icky, squicky noises of Bronchus. I still love the funny Sound of Music samples from Polygon Window. How many albums came out this year which you will play again and again? Will you play orbital's new album as often as you played the brown album? Will you play Ventolin as often as you did On? Will you play Tri Repatae as much as you did Incunabula? [fletcher]

On Fri, 26 Jul 1996, Fletcher Sandbeck wrote:

quoted 7 lines How many albums came out this year which you will play again and

> How many albums came out this year which you will play again and > again? Will you play orbital's new album as often as you played > the brown album? Will you play Ventolin as often as you did On? > Will you play Tri Repatae as much as you did Incunabula? > > [fletcher] >

yes. I will also play LFO's "Advance" more than "Frequencies". Also I will definitely play "Tri Repetae" more than "Incunabula". And last but not least, the worst part about not buying new music; you're missing records like the Skam rec's, new Rephlex, and interesting mutations such as Funki Porcini (Dub/Jungle). Last, but definitely not least(again), the phenomenon of the Junglist Massive. I don't need to explain how all of these new ideas have changed my life. I couldn't even fathom describing it. Just some thoughts _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- J A M E S B E N J A M I N G I L L U N F O R T U N A T E L Y L I V I N G I N A R I Z O N A J G I L L @ U . A R I Z O N A . E D U (ron trent is *still* the bomb!)

On Fri, 26 Jul 1996, James B Gill wrote:

quoted 1 line yes. I will also play LFO's "Advance" more than "Frequencies". Al

> yes. I will also play LFO's "Advance" more than "Frequencies". Also I

...what's the verdict on Advance? all i could gather from the few reviews i saw was that it was a real departure from Frequencies...

On Sat, 27 Jul 1996, Arjun wrote:

quoted 7 lines On Fri, 26 Jul 1996, James B Gill wrote:

> > On Fri, 26 Jul 1996, James B Gill wrote: > > yes. I will also play LFO's "Advance" more than "Frequencies". Also I > > ...what's the verdict on Advance? all i could gather from the few reviews > i saw was that it was a real departure from Frequencies... >

Well, not in my opinion. I think that Advance is very beautiful, some tracks being more IDM than Frequencies, and others old fav's (Tied Up) that resurfaced. An excellent album, worth listening to in order for the full length effect. Get it. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- J A M E S B E N J A M I N G I L L U N F O R T U N A T E L Y L I V I N G I N A R I Z O N A J G I L L @ U . A R I Z O N A . E D U (ron trent is *still* the bomb!)

Speed on and on... It's fear of death that drives it all. Obsolescence reminds us of death in some visceral freaked way. We have no more faith, no more religion, only the driving empty fashion passion of our own self-indulgent trends. It's the 18-month computercycle infecting _everything_. It's fun until you're broke and then you want to scream, a la George Jetson: "Stop This Crazy Thing!!!!!". (Those who are cultural illiterates and have no comprehension of the finer points of the Jetsons should then consult their Coldcut record collections). Look at synth technology. Maybe people have had enough of the rush, to a certain extent, as a counter-revolution is occurring beneath our feet. The vintage-synth revival, that is, in which classic synths are being sought after with amazing alacrity and passion, now being bought at sold at levels exceeding their original pricetags. Let's not go to excess and break out the Casiotones, however, an aesthetic crime as deep as wearing bell-bottoms (sorry, Paris, you've lost the ball. Milano has the vibe now). Shall we never learn from the error of our ways? Of course, if you can make the Casiotone make interesting noises, sounds it was never intended for, by overdriving its circuits, or just driving over its circuits (suitable vehicle not included), then more power to you, you genius! Best, Zenon M. Feszczak Synthetic Anthropologist On Now: The Black Dog, "Spanners", which always makes me moody and philosophical. "Nommo" puts me in an alternate universe.

On Fri, 26 Jul 1996, Zenon M. Feszczak wrote:

quoted 3 lines It's the 18-month computercycle infecting _everything_.

> > It's the 18-month computercycle infecting _everything_. >

is this sort of along the lines of the "thiry year cycle" in music that Jeff Mills talks so much about? Just curious... _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- J A M E S B E N J A M I N G I L L U N F O R T U N A T E L Y L I V I N G I N A R I Z O N A J G I L L @ U . A R I Z O N A . E D U (ron trent is *still* the bomb!)