Hi Folks,
I don't think anyone who has been listening carefully can say that a
'fall' is on the cards for Warp. I agree with those who relish the
widening in style that has been signalled by recent releases. Shit, all
that bass and bleep stuff back at the beginning was cool (I'll never
forget seeing 'LFO' by LFO on Top of the Pops and thinking 'What the
fuck was that???') but a lot has happened since then. The way I see
it Warp has always attempted to cover the stylish part of the cutting
edge. Back then that meant blowing speakers and jumping needles, now
that means Squarepusher, Slazenger, Aphex, Freeform, Tenor, Red
Snapper etc., etc. We should be grateful that the label still means
'cool and bang up to the minute'.
Whilst I'm on the subject, RePHLeX is doing easily as good a job.
The quality of a label should not be judged on how successfully it
replicates the sound of its early recordings. The "identity" of a
label, if you must define it, should be something to do with how it
expands whilst following a guiding philosophy. I love the byline I
saw in a recent RePHLeX advert: (something like) "releasing records
so you don't have to waste your money on shit". Exactly!
love, Rob ;-)