IDM Mailing Archive

hi all, just resubbed after a brief hiatus. wondering what you lot thought of The Aphex Twins' latest :: Drugks i thought it reAlly sucked, anyone else? it sounded like he was on a lot of acid or really lonely, or cash was running short. i think he is just playing a joke on all of us, which is really unfair, cause i've loved his music since i first heard "laughing man" back in 90' just wanted to see if anyone else felt the way i do. he ain't going to buy nomore godamn tanks or milles with my hard earn cash. peace out Grady --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

quoted 4 lines wondering what you lot thought of The Aphex Twins'

> wondering what you lot thought of The Aphex Twins' > latest :: Drugks > > i thought it reAlly sucked, anyone else?

Yeah..Really lazy sounding, like a bunch of unfinshed ideas and the sequencing of the LP makes it even more like a demo...No focus. Maybe hes just trying to end what he started but putting out shitty tracks..So then everyone will copy him and make shitty tracks, thinking they're cool cause they sound like the new aphex, and eventually everyone will realize all these tracks are boring and suck..aphex will be laughing, rolling in the dough and this 'scene' will die out..Even if this is true, it dosent make him cool or his music good..Its important to have an image and hes done really well with that. but only if you can back it up with outstanding quality material does it really matter. Or maybe hes just out of new ideas. anyway you look at it, its just really dissapointing. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals. http://personals.yahoo.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

I don't get it... People love "Melodies from Mars" because it sounds like a demo... It's not even an official release and people are all over that shit like bombs in Afghanistan, yet this release is crappy for the same reasons? It's not as if every Aphex album has been full of brand new tracks... ICBYD has the dates of tracks listed, SAW 85-92 covers a supposed seven years of work... Every criticism I've seen of the album (except for the people who didn't like the piano tracks) knocks it for reasons that his other albums are lauded. What exactly did Aphex start? So-called "IDM"? The difficult artist mentality? Nope. As far as I can tell, the only thing he started (or at least popularized) was the idea of having a billion pseudonyms releasing tracks on a plethora of labels. Which is now the way a lot of musicians work. As for the "scene" dying out, Ill be glad if whiners like you lot stop listening to quote-unquote IDM. Maybe then the beat-y electronic music genre will gain the academic respect and acceptance that electroacoustic music has always had. \ Two fingers my friends, jA! At 10:30 AM 10/22/2001, you wrote:

quoted 30 lines wondering what you lot thought of The Aphex Twins'

> > wondering what you lot thought of The Aphex Twins' > > latest :: Drugks > > > > i thought it reAlly sucked, anyone else? > > >Yeah..Really lazy sounding, like a bunch of unfinshed >ideas and the sequencing of the LP makes it even more >like a demo...No focus. Maybe hes just trying to end >what he started but putting out shitty tracks..So then >everyone will copy him and make shitty tracks, >thinking they're cool cause they sound like the new >aphex, and eventually everyone will realize all these >tracks are boring and suck..aphex will be laughing, >rolling in the dough and this 'scene' will die >out..Even if this is true, it dosent make him cool or >his music good..Its important to have an image and hes >done really well with that. but only if you can back >it up with outstanding quality material does it really >matter. Or maybe hes just out of new ideas. anyway you >look at it, its just really dissapointing. > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals. >http://personals.yahoo.com > >--------------------------------------------------------------------- >To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org >For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

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On Mon, 22 Oct 2001 suffigus@yahoo.com wrote:

quoted 10 lines wondering what you lot thought of The Aphex Twins'

> > > wondering what you lot thought of The Aphex Twins' > > latest :: Drugks > > > > i thought it reAlly sucked, anyone else? > > > Yeah..Really lazy sounding, like a bunch of unfinshed > ideas and the sequencing of the LP makes it even more > like a demo...No focus.

Hmmm... No disrespect, but I completely disagree. It sounds like he chose tracks from the past several years, as many of them sound like the old Aphex Twin. But some of them seem more fully realized than most of his semi-recent output. The quiet interlude tracks immediately grab me as compositions that are completely outside the current IDM production methodology -- they're brilliant little music-box pieces. He also is playing a subtle game of electo-acoustics -- he has sampled real world and real instrument sounds, and then resequences them in ways that sound like live recordings. Tracks like Strotha Tyne really does sound like a simple Satie-esque piece recorded live, but I suspect there's more going on here than miking up a piano and then passing it through a flanger. 'Bbydhyonchord' sounds remarkably like Boards of Canada, but raises the tempo somewhat and works a latin percussion groove that just won't quit. All it needs is a 909 kick and a few hi hats and its a deep house track... Let me put it another way, this is perhaps the most listenable record he's put out since the early 90s. I for one am feeling it. Your mileage may vary. There's a reason that there are so many different producers and musical styles out there -- tastes vary. I'd be interested in knowing who -- if you think DRUQKS sucks so bat -- is making music that you find more appealing. And I love the spot where he comes in yelling "Come on you cunt let's have some Aphex Acid!' it makes you ill. If you order from Warp Mart they're throwing in Bumper Stickers that say that. It just happens once -- Fatboy Slim would repeat it until it mades you ill. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

On Mon, 22 Oct 2001, Kent williams wrote:

quoted 3 lines Hmmm... No disrespect, but I completely disagree. It sounds like he

> Hmmm... No disrespect, but I completely disagree. It sounds like he > chose tracks from the past several years, as many of them sound like > the old Aphex Twin. But some of them seem more fully realized than

there were several tracks off ctd, icbyd that were not the type of songs that could easily fit in the genre of the album coz they were written before the others. for example 'start as you mean to go on' more easily fit on the On EP. so i don't think that would be a disadvantage of the new album. for me, the more complexe rhythms are missing from Druqks. apart from that, i really like it a lot. bias. [70] 234-7610 >|ax!waJ o6Ja>|af wafshs punos ew!ue <<<<<<<<<<<<< sxwJ6 regi 222-3540 fsafuo> x!waJ apow ay>adap >>>>>>>> qel f!ueqn>!q >>>>>> se!q --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

quoted 2 lines for example 'start as you mean to go on' more easily

> for example 'start as you mean to go on' more easily >fit on the On EP.

I thought that was because the On EP was created from "start as you mean to go *on*" or was it the other way around... derek ------- eggytoast.com ------- fresh like pie --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

Or maybe it's that the Aphex "demo sound" is getting old. I mean, come on. It's been done by him before. Maybe it's just a simple issue of delivering the same old sound. Again. Just on another release under a new name... I'm not saying he's not a brilliant artist, because hands-down, he is. But the Drukqs sound *is* getting pretty damn old - I mean I could definately stand hearing something that doesn't fit into the same old slot coming from him, IMHO. -somrux. http://www.somrux.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "jeremy axon" <jeremy@eyedmedia.com> To: <idm@hyperreal.org> Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 9:57 AM Subject: Re: [idm] DRUkqs bitching

quoted 1 line I don't get it... People love "Melodies from Mars" because it sounds like

> I don't get it... People love "Melodies from Mars" because it sounds like

a

quoted 1 line demo... It's not even an official release and people are all over that

> demo... It's not even an official release and people are all over that

shit

quoted 1 line like bombs in Afghanistan, yet this release is crappy for the same

> like bombs in Afghanistan, yet this release is crappy for the same

reasons?

quoted 1 line It's not as if every Aphex album has been full of brand new tracks...

> It's not as if every Aphex album has been full of brand new tracks...

ICBYD

quoted 5 lines has the dates of tracks listed, SAW 85-92 covers a supposed seven years of

> has the dates of tracks listed, SAW 85-92 covers a supposed seven years of > work... Every criticism I've seen of the album (except for the people who > didn't like the piano tracks) knocks it for reasons that his other albums > are lauded. What exactly did Aphex start? So-called "IDM"? The difficult > artist mentality? Nope. As far as I can tell, the only thing he started

(or

quoted 1 line at least popularized) was the idea of having a billion pseudonyms

> at least popularized) was the idea of having a billion pseudonyms

releasing

quoted 3 lines tracks on a plethora of labels. Which is now the way a lot of musicians

> tracks on a plethora of labels. Which is now the way a lot of musicians > work. As for the "scene" dying out, Ill be glad if whiners like you lot > stop listening to quote-unquote IDM. Maybe then the beat-y electronic

music

quoted 47 lines genre will gain the academic respect and acceptance that electroacoustic

> genre will gain the academic respect and acceptance that electroacoustic > music has always had. > \ > Two fingers my friends, > > jA! > > At 10:30 AM 10/22/2001, you wrote: > > > > wondering what you lot thought of The Aphex Twins' > > > latest :: Drugks > > > > > > i thought it reAlly sucked, anyone else? > > > > > >Yeah..Really lazy sounding, like a bunch of unfinshed > >ideas and the sequencing of the LP makes it even more > >like a demo...No focus. Maybe hes just trying to end > >what he started but putting out shitty tracks..So then > >everyone will copy him and make shitty tracks, > >thinking they're cool cause they sound like the new > >aphex, and eventually everyone will realize all these > >tracks are boring and suck..aphex will be laughing, > >rolling in the dough and this 'scene' will die > >out..Even if this is true, it dosent make him cool or > >his music good..Its important to have an image and hes > >done really well with that. but only if you can back > >it up with outstanding quality material does it really > >matter. Or maybe hes just out of new ideas. anyway you > >look at it, its just really dissapointing. > > > >__________________________________________________ > >Do You Yahoo!? > >Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals. > >http://personals.yahoo.com > > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org > >For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org > For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org > >

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quoted 3 lines I mean I could definately

>I mean I could definately >stand hearing something that doesn't fit into the same old slot coming from >him, IMHO.

i thought that was where all the minimal/piano tracks fit in... -- ________________________ omz beautamous loaf recordings http://www.hotweird.com/loaf --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

On Mon, 22 Oct 2001, somrux wrote:

quoted 3 lines Or maybe it's that the Aphex "demo sound" is getting old. I mean, come on.

> Or maybe it's that the Aphex "demo sound" is getting old. I mean, come on. > It's been done by him before. Maybe it's just a simple issue of delivering > the same old sound. Again. Just on another release under a new name...

I think that he works a lot more carefully and deliberately than you're giving him credit for. Listen to what he's doing -- there's always layers of business going on even if on first listen it sounds like a piano recorded through a boom box. Again no accounting for taste. I'm not hear to debate you but to me the CD sounds brilliant. To the extent he's revisiting styles he's worked with before, so what? I've been around long enough to have been buying his stuff when it came out since the early 90s, and if anything there's been a tendency in his work to have a very short attention span, and never fully realize a particular idea. There's a real tendency to mistake sound design for musical intent in IDM. I love a Envelope follower modulating the grain length downsampled to 5 bits as much as the next guy, but I think people forget their musical history. The instrumentation used for music changes so quickly these days -- keep in mind that Bach and Webern both worked with similar sound pallettes, and there's no mistaking one for the other. Literally thousands of artists have made meaningful music with nothing more than a piano. So whatever. I'm sure the haters can find something more edgey and strange with which to make themselves cool. I never cared much about that shit. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

Once again, it all comes down to a matter of taste. If we all had the same opinions, well...It'd be a pretty boring place to live, eh? I can tell that he puts alot of thought and work into his music - I just want to hear some new ideas instead of hearing him revisit his old ideas and tweaking them. His new release sounds like old stuff + 5% playing around with a few new things. Again, opinion only. -somrux. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kent williams" <kent@avalon.net> To: "somrux" <bishop@somrux.com> Cc: <idm@hyperreal.org> Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 10:15 AM Subject: Re: [idm] DRUkqs bitching

quoted 2 lines On Mon, 22 Oct 2001, somrux wrote:

> On Mon, 22 Oct 2001, somrux wrote: > > Or maybe it's that the Aphex "demo sound" is getting old. I mean, come

on.

quoted 1 line It's been done by him before. Maybe it's just a simple issue of

> > It's been done by him before. Maybe it's just a simple issue of

delivering

quoted 12 lines the same old sound. Again. Just on another release under a new name...

> > the same old sound. Again. Just on another release under a new name... > > I think that he works a lot more carefully and deliberately than you're > giving him credit for. Listen to what he's doing -- there's always > layers of business going on even if on first listen it sounds like a piano > recorded through a boom box. > > Again no accounting for taste. I'm not hear to debate you but to me the > CD sounds brilliant. To the extent he's revisiting styles he's worked with > before, so what? I've been around long enough to have been buying his > stuff when it came out since the early 90s, and if anything there's been > a tendency in his work to have a very short attention span, and never

fully

quoted 6 lines realize a particular idea.

> realize a particular idea. > > There's a real tendency to mistake sound design for musical intent in IDM. > I love a Envelope follower modulating the grain length downsampled to 5 > bits as much as the next guy, but I think people forget their musical > history. The instrumentation used for music changes so quickly these

days --

quoted 1 line keep in mind that Bach and Webern both worked with similar sound

> keep in mind that Bach and Webern both worked with similar sound

pallettes, and

quoted 1 line there's no mistaking one for the other. Literally thousands of artists

> there's no mistaking one for the other. Literally thousands of artists

have

quoted 3 lines made meaningful music with nothing more than a piano.

> made meaningful music with nothing more than a piano. > > So whatever. I'm sure the haters can find something more edgey and

strange

quoted 8 lines with which to make themselves cool. I never cared much about that shit.

> with which to make themselves cool. I never cared much about that shit. > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org > For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org > >

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On Mon, 22 Oct 2001, Kent williams wrote:

quoted 8 lines Going back to sound design versus composition -- the new tracks sound

> Going back to sound design versus composition -- the new tracks sound > superficially like tracks we've heard from him before. But they have new > and different melodic content, different structural dynamics, etc. Bach > wrote a lot of Cantatas for choir, something like 2 a month for years. Each > one was for the same choir and small ensemble, and they were all rigorously > structured. If you listen to two at random for the first time they'll sound > like the same thing. If you listen to them long enough to get to know them, > they will sound completely different.

imho if someone does not like the new aphex, it means he did not got that sound from rdj he wanted to. even me was surprised to hear the new tracks, thgought he would fuck all of his tracks up more than on CTD and the windowlicker ep. bias. [70] 234-7610 >|ax!waJ o6Ja>|af wafshs punos ew!ue <<<<<<<<<<<<< sxwJ6 regi 222-3540 fsafuo> x!waJ apow ay>adap >>>>>>>> qel f!ueqn>!q >>>>>> se!q --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

i'm gonna let everyone in on a little secret... rdj did the piano-type pieces. tom jenkinson did the rest. simple as that and it sure does explain alot. -brian ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kent williams" <kent@avalon.net> To: "somrux" <bishop@somrux.com> Cc: <idm@hyperreal.org> Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 3:55 PM Subject: Re: [idm] DRUkqs bitching

quoted 2 lines On Mon, 22 Oct 2001, somrux wrote:

> On Mon, 22 Oct 2001, somrux wrote: > > Once again, it all comes down to a matter of taste. If we all had the

same

quoted 12 lines opinions, well...It'd be a pretty boring place to live, eh?

> > opinions, well...It'd be a pretty boring place to live, eh? > > > Well I don't want to get salty about it. I just hear something different, > and in some respects I'm LISTENING for something different. > > > His new release sounds like old stuff + 5% playing around with a few new > > things. Again, opinion only. > > > Going back to sound design versus composition -- the new tracks sound > superficially like tracks we've heard from him before. But they have new > and different melodic content, different structural dynamics, etc. Bach > wrote a lot of Cantatas for choir, something like 2 a month for years.

Each

quoted 1 line one was for the same choir and small ensemble, and they were all

> one was for the same choir and small ensemble, and they were all

rigorously

quoted 1 line structured. If you listen to two at random for the first time they'll

> structured. If you listen to two at random for the first time they'll

sound

quoted 1 line like the same thing. If you listen to them long enough to get to know

> like the same thing. If you listen to them long enough to get to know

them,

quoted 5 lines they will sound completely different.

> they will sound completely different. > > I mean really! If something is 'music' then it inhabits a fairly limited > state space, if it's going to appeal to an audience at all. You always > need a balance of familiar and novel elements to keep a listener's

interest.

quoted 5 lines Sure, you can choose something deliberately to be novel, and unpleasant.

> Sure, you can choose something deliberately to be novel, and unpleasant. > If you're an artist, though, the music that comes out is a thing meant to > affect a listener with something of the artist's mood and intent. > > I dunno, I hear something in these tracks -- especially the best of

them --

quoted 10 lines is a lot of intention, subtle sonic manipulation, and attempts towards an

> is a lot of intention, subtle sonic manipulation, and attempts towards an > unconventional, but euphonius harmony. > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org > For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org > >

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Yah I remember when the album was expected to come out, and one of the people who had heard it first described it as having some classical piano on it, I was really interested in the idea. Because like, a lot of people have accused him of being someone who randomly twists knobs and makes weird noises, but wasn't much of a good musician. I think that in a lot of the piano tracks, he dismantled that theory, and I think that's really cool. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kent williams" <kent@avalon.net> To: "somrux" <bishop@somrux.com> Cc: <idm@hyperreal.org> Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 8:15 AM Subject: Re: [idm] DRUkqs bitching

quoted 2 lines On Mon, 22 Oct 2001, somrux wrote:

> On Mon, 22 Oct 2001, somrux wrote: > > Or maybe it's that the Aphex "demo sound" is getting old. I mean, come

on.

quoted 1 line It's been done by him before. Maybe it's just a simple issue of

> > It's been done by him before. Maybe it's just a simple issue of

delivering

quoted 12 lines the same old sound. Again. Just on another release under a new name...

> > the same old sound. Again. Just on another release under a new name... > > I think that he works a lot more carefully and deliberately than you're > giving him credit for. Listen to what he's doing -- there's always > layers of business going on even if on first listen it sounds like a piano > recorded through a boom box. > > Again no accounting for taste. I'm not hear to debate you but to me the > CD sounds brilliant. To the extent he's revisiting styles he's worked with > before, so what? I've been around long enough to have been buying his > stuff when it came out since the early 90s, and if anything there's been > a tendency in his work to have a very short attention span, and never

fully

quoted 6 lines realize a particular idea.

> realize a particular idea. > > There's a real tendency to mistake sound design for musical intent in IDM. > I love a Envelope follower modulating the grain length downsampled to 5 > bits as much as the next guy, but I think people forget their musical > history. The instrumentation used for music changes so quickly these

days --

quoted 1 line keep in mind that Bach and Webern both worked with similar sound

> keep in mind that Bach and Webern both worked with similar sound

pallettes, and

quoted 1 line there's no mistaking one for the other. Literally thousands of artists

> there's no mistaking one for the other. Literally thousands of artists

have

quoted 3 lines made meaningful music with nothing more than a piano.

> made meaningful music with nothing more than a piano. > > So whatever. I'm sure the haters can find something more edgey and

strange

quoted 7 lines with which to make themselves cool. I never cared much about that shit.

> with which to make themselves cool. I never cared much about that shit. > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org > For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org >

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For what it's worth, I don't believe that this is Aphex's best work. But I'd take any one of his less than par tracks over any one of his follower's knockoffs any day. Most of the comments I've heard consist of comparisons of Aphex to Aphex. But compare Aphex to to others and it is a different story. Point is, he had set very high standards for himself due to the music he's released in the past. Because he may not have surpassed those achievements with Drukqs, people see that as a failure on his part. But in my opinion, this work is still top-notch. And it sure beats the hell out of a lot of other stuff I've heard. TekDz9er --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

quoted 4 lines Because he may not have surpassed those

> Because he may not have surpassed those >achievements with Drukqs, people see that as a failure on his part. But in >my opinion, this work is still top-notch. And it sure beats the hell out of >a lot of other stuff I've heard.

Amen. -- ^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^- omz beautamous loaf recordings http://www.hotweird.com/loaf/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org