Hello again, by now you're probably aware of what this section of M:UD is about. If not, I cover the "classics" of electronic music, from the older days long gone.
This month, I'm going to talk about something a bit different. From the days before electronica even had labels, anybody was using the term "old skool" and people were just starting to find the technology... it wasn't always associated with banging your head to in a club. This month, I'm going to talk about Die Form.
For those who don't know, and I'm sure many don't, Die Form began as an artist making experimental and noise music in the early '80s, pretty much inventing some of the foundations of techno without knowing it. He became somewhat more famous later on for his songs such as "Savage Logic", which were more synth pop oriented, and he's still going today. But it's these early works he did which stand out for me. Really, they're just fascinating. A mixture of 909 and 808 drum machines with lurking vocals, abstract distortion techniques and ancient synth noises, but so skillfully crafted that it could have passed for something done in 1990. And even more strangely, you have to consider that as you listen, Die Form wasn't really trying to start anything, or think about how to do something new, it was just in the moment improvisation and creativity.
I could talk about a few of his early releases, all put out on cassette (cassette was the big format in the 1980's for experimental music of all kinds), even name a few to look up, "Die Form 1", "Camera Obscura - Terrains Vagues", "Fine AutomatiC - OrgasMECHANISM", but the one in particular I'm going to talk about today is "Excisions". For me, this one stood out as the most forward thinking of all his early works. Some of his very first tapes lacked structure, and so though they were definitely genius, they weren't quite accessible. Excisions takes this to the next level, each of the tracks are rhythmic, blending his unusual sounds with something closer to the likes of synth pop or disco that were around at the time (in the most twisted possible way). And of course, this combination is golden. There's also more of a contrast in sounds, whereas his previous releases were purely down to the harsh, challenging ideas, Excisions has some calmer moments where it's all about the melodies too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQH5uUOKNKQ
Sadly, it's not easy to find clips of anything from this amazing album! In fact, I could only find 1 on YouTube, which I've put below. There are also places you can download it, but... yeah, I'll let you figure that one out for yourselves. The whole album carries even more innovation than "Instruments" below suggests, though. "Torture" as a definitive example of an early industrial tune, with an unbelievable surprise at the end I won't spoil. "Screams From The Monastery" and "Projected Sign" have definitive techno influences, in the case of the latter one mixed with Philippe's own vocals, and "Arabian Draught" literally sounds like a Ras G tune 20 years before he was even around!
Don't expect to find any of Die Form's tapes easily, though. As with many in these out of the way scene (generally known as the "post punk" scene, for people who want to explore), tapes were either pressed in very limited numbers, or for a select mail order audience. Expect to be paying anything over £40 if you come across as a second hand copy of one of his works. Everything about them was meant to be alien and inaccessible, including electronics no doubt helped that along. But as a strange stroke of genius from out of the darkness, "Excisions" is a masterpiece and real genre bender.
On another note, if you think this cassette scene was ancient news, think again. In the last few years, the whole idea has cropped up again, and a ton of select little labels are pressing their tapes in limited numbers. Some of it is dark ambient, some of it is abstract rock music, and some electronic with the likes of dubstep influences being thrown in. If you're interested in looking into this, this website is dedicated to keeping track of them. I can confirm that there are a lot of hidden gems emerging http://animalpsi.com.
That's all from me for this month. It seems nobody's really interested in emailing in about questions... I get the picture, haha. Nonetheless, M.U.D.oldskool@gmail.com is the address you need to know. Over and out.
Friday 13 April 2012
Friday 3 February 2012
Hi again, for those of you who missed the last issue, or don’t really keep up and just found this page… this is the old skool section. I’m George, I’m talking to you about all old skool electronica from the ‘80s-‘90s, because it can’t be forgotten.
This month’s pick of the litter for me was 808 State’s latest album, “Blueprint”. Fair enough, you’re right smart arse, it’s not exactly old skool because it just came out. However, all the tunes on it are, and being a massive 808 fan I thought I’d at least pick it up, not knowing exactly whether to expect a cheap compilation that had been slapped together or something special. Well, I’m writing about it now because it turned out to be incredible!
For those who aren’t entirely in on it yet, Blueprint isn’t exactly a “best of”, it’s a mixture of tunes the group consider their favourites, with some modern remakes of their classics thrown in as well. Because of the fortune of every tune on the album holding up, and the fact that almost every tune isn’t available on another CD that’s easily accessible, it’s worth what it gives you in completion. Some of the more common tracks thrown in for the newbies are the very first version of their massive hit “Pacific State” and “Fire Cracker”. Fire Cracker, for those who don’t know, is one of the best things 808 ever did, and could not really have been a better choice for someone wanting to be introduced to them. Underneath the tune lies a 303 acid bassline, and on top of its gurgling is a beautiful mixture of strings and euphoric synths, as well as a vocal which I can never make out. For anyone who missed out on buying Quadrastate, if like me you really wanted that album for Pacific and Fire Cracker you may as well be satisfied with this release.
Then, onto the remakes… I really didn’t know what to expect from this, as although 808 State are excellent producers, I never really liked what they did later on as much. So as with many groups, I was wondering if these would be fillers, or just have completely different vibes. But no, I have to say I f*cking love the “Revisited” mix of “Cobra Bora”, which was actually my favourite tune by the band. On one hand, it doesn’t take the deep and progressive route the original did, but its skilfully crafted and blended in with modern, harsh techno and breaks. Hell, it almost carves a new direction for this generation, in a world where tunes can only be remixed as dubstep tracks nowadays it’s refreshing to hear 808 State are still up for the same improvisation and mixture of roots they were almost twenty years ago. Check it out below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANqymUiW0X8
Then on top of all this, 808 made the wise choice to include alternative mixes of their tracks instead of the ones we already knew. The mixes of “Timebomb” and “Plan 9” on Blueprint as awesome and represent just how much of a diverse group they were, Plan 9 is verging on ambient and sort of more lifelike with the use of guitar (Brian Eno helped make this mix, which was a bonus, you can tell he was involved), whereas Timebomb is fast, heavy and has a real feel of the rave scene. So for the £9.99 this album is going for, I would say *any* 808 fan can get a fair deal out of this. For the new listeners a couple, though not all, of the classics are thrown in, for the curious there are obscure mixes, and for everyone else wanting at least something new there are their brand new remixes.
Another little find this month I thought I’d throw in – “Remixes Vol Two” on Ganja Records, part of the classic remix series of DJ Hype tracks they brought out back in the early-mid ‘90s at the start of their run. I picked this up for a fiver and have to say both sides are real killers if you’re into the mash-up amen sound of around 1995. On one side there’s a remix from Origin Unknown with their amazing attention to detail on beat chopping, and on the other (my favourite) a wicked remix from Krome & Time. For any vinyl collectors, if you come across this grab it while the prices are still reasonable (don’t look at how much “Remixes Vol 1” goes for unless you want a free heart attack). Have a listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh_rjx2oxDE
That’s all for this month, big ups and all that. Noone tried emailing last month, which is cool because this is pretty new and all, but the option’s still there – any questions related to the scene, my collection, or anything else about music, just drop your questions over at M.U.D.oldskool@gmail.com. Just please don’t email me about how you just broke up with your girlfriend, because I don’t care (lol).
Peace, have a happy February.
This month’s pick of the litter for me was 808 State’s latest album, “Blueprint”. Fair enough, you’re right smart arse, it’s not exactly old skool because it just came out. However, all the tunes on it are, and being a massive 808 fan I thought I’d at least pick it up, not knowing exactly whether to expect a cheap compilation that had been slapped together or something special. Well, I’m writing about it now because it turned out to be incredible!
For those who aren’t entirely in on it yet, Blueprint isn’t exactly a “best of”, it’s a mixture of tunes the group consider their favourites, with some modern remakes of their classics thrown in as well. Because of the fortune of every tune on the album holding up, and the fact that almost every tune isn’t available on another CD that’s easily accessible, it’s worth what it gives you in completion. Some of the more common tracks thrown in for the newbies are the very first version of their massive hit “Pacific State” and “Fire Cracker”. Fire Cracker, for those who don’t know, is one of the best things 808 ever did, and could not really have been a better choice for someone wanting to be introduced to them. Underneath the tune lies a 303 acid bassline, and on top of its gurgling is a beautiful mixture of strings and euphoric synths, as well as a vocal which I can never make out. For anyone who missed out on buying Quadrastate, if like me you really wanted that album for Pacific and Fire Cracker you may as well be satisfied with this release.
Then, onto the remakes… I really didn’t know what to expect from this, as although 808 State are excellent producers, I never really liked what they did later on as much. So as with many groups, I was wondering if these would be fillers, or just have completely different vibes. But no, I have to say I f*cking love the “Revisited” mix of “Cobra Bora”, which was actually my favourite tune by the band. On one hand, it doesn’t take the deep and progressive route the original did, but its skilfully crafted and blended in with modern, harsh techno and breaks. Hell, it almost carves a new direction for this generation, in a world where tunes can only be remixed as dubstep tracks nowadays it’s refreshing to hear 808 State are still up for the same improvisation and mixture of roots they were almost twenty years ago. Check it out below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANqymUiW0X8
Then on top of all this, 808 made the wise choice to include alternative mixes of their tracks instead of the ones we already knew. The mixes of “Timebomb” and “Plan 9” on Blueprint as awesome and represent just how much of a diverse group they were, Plan 9 is verging on ambient and sort of more lifelike with the use of guitar (Brian Eno helped make this mix, which was a bonus, you can tell he was involved), whereas Timebomb is fast, heavy and has a real feel of the rave scene. So for the £9.99 this album is going for, I would say *any* 808 fan can get a fair deal out of this. For the new listeners a couple, though not all, of the classics are thrown in, for the curious there are obscure mixes, and for everyone else wanting at least something new there are their brand new remixes.
Another little find this month I thought I’d throw in – “Remixes Vol Two” on Ganja Records, part of the classic remix series of DJ Hype tracks they brought out back in the early-mid ‘90s at the start of their run. I picked this up for a fiver and have to say both sides are real killers if you’re into the mash-up amen sound of around 1995. On one side there’s a remix from Origin Unknown with their amazing attention to detail on beat chopping, and on the other (my favourite) a wicked remix from Krome & Time. For any vinyl collectors, if you come across this grab it while the prices are still reasonable (don’t look at how much “Remixes Vol 1” goes for unless you want a free heart attack). Have a listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh_rjx2oxDE
That’s all for this month, big ups and all that. Noone tried emailing last month, which is cool because this is pretty new and all, but the option’s still there – any questions related to the scene, my collection, or anything else about music, just drop your questions over at M.U.D.oldskool@gmail.com. Just please don’t email me about how you just broke up with your girlfriend, because I don’t care (lol).
Peace, have a happy February.
Monday 2 January 2012
M:UD the first edition
Welcome to the old skool section, I’m George and I’ll be your ‘guide’ through the early ages of the underground. In my opinion, the ‘80s and ‘90s were some of the best years for electronica, they changed the face of audio technology and brought in the ideas that have lead to the techno, drum n bass, even dubstep we have today. And most of all, the sound back then was completely different, as well as massively underrated! As a teen that’s why it grew on me, it was like nothing else I’d ever heard and went on to inspire me to become a producer, one way or another. So this section will cover classics, or hidden gems, whether they’re from the early ‘80s industrial scene, late ‘80s house and techno scene or the early ‘90s old skool hardcore and jungle scenes, and hopefully show a few new kids what’s out there and out to change your minds… maybe even collect the vinyl like me. That’s right, people still buy vinyl.
So if I’m writing about music which came out twenty years ago, how can I write about what’s going on in the scene today, you ask? That’s the thing, I’m not. Each month I’ll be discussing the background behind producers I’ve come across, the scenes behind the music and, most of all, the tunes themselves. It’s basically all about what I find, when I find it. And that brings me onto this year in digging out classics… to be honest, it’s been amazing, but today let’s focus on the highlight of what I found this month.
What’s really grabbed my ear this time is the classic “Deep Sea Dweller” EP, by Drexciya. Funnily enough, I’d never actually heard of this group before, but found out they had their roots in techno around the time of the rave scene, so intrigued by the unusual name I blindly had a listen to this first release of their’s from back in 1992, and was pretty surprised. Each of the tunes sort of have an element of IDM, that’s “Intelligent Dance Music”, dance music that’s subtle for those of you kids who don’t know. They’re all really deep tracks on an aquatic theme, taking you right to the depths of the ocean with pulsating techno beats, sub-bass and bleeps that mix in what was of the time with something bold and original. On one side, there’s “Sea Quake” and “Nautilus 12”, two tunes on the mental side of early techno, and then on the other there’s this EP’s masterpiece and the one I keep coming back to, “Depressurization”. From the start this tune takes you in deeper, weird timestretched screechy noises play over an underwater soundscape, with the light beats of a 909 drum machine simmering over. Back then, using a 909 or 808 drum machine was considered the foundations of a techno tune… where do you think 808 State got their name from? Don’t say the state in Hawaii. Then, just as you think it couldn’t get any deeper, a mysterious organ riff drifts over everything else, sure it’s repetitive, but it summarizes exactly what’s so good about that element of surprise in some old skool music, that element of surprise by bringing in sounds you didn’t see coming made people realise what they could do years on! This is complemented by a more mellow example of bleepy techno, “Sea Snake”, just afterwards, really giving the two sides of the EP very different flavours.
So how easy is this record to get hold of? Not very, it seems, with copies going second hand on Discogs from £20 and up! But next time you’re on YouTube, if you want a good progressive techno classic “Depressurization” is a must listen, you’d be wasting your life if you didn’t give it a sample before you die.
That’s all for today kids, check the section every month for a new old discovery, I never pick a bad tune (unless you mean bad as in good). Respect! By the way, if you're feeling brave, send your questions through to m.u.d.oldskool@gmail.com (you can be anonymous if you're shy), and ask me any questions you have about the scene, my collection, whatever you think fits musically, and I'll answer next issue.
So if I’m writing about music which came out twenty years ago, how can I write about what’s going on in the scene today, you ask? That’s the thing, I’m not. Each month I’ll be discussing the background behind producers I’ve come across, the scenes behind the music and, most of all, the tunes themselves. It’s basically all about what I find, when I find it. And that brings me onto this year in digging out classics… to be honest, it’s been amazing, but today let’s focus on the highlight of what I found this month.
What’s really grabbed my ear this time is the classic “Deep Sea Dweller” EP, by Drexciya. Funnily enough, I’d never actually heard of this group before, but found out they had their roots in techno around the time of the rave scene, so intrigued by the unusual name I blindly had a listen to this first release of their’s from back in 1992, and was pretty surprised. Each of the tunes sort of have an element of IDM, that’s “Intelligent Dance Music”, dance music that’s subtle for those of you kids who don’t know. They’re all really deep tracks on an aquatic theme, taking you right to the depths of the ocean with pulsating techno beats, sub-bass and bleeps that mix in what was of the time with something bold and original. On one side, there’s “Sea Quake” and “Nautilus 12”, two tunes on the mental side of early techno, and then on the other there’s this EP’s masterpiece and the one I keep coming back to, “Depressurization”. From the start this tune takes you in deeper, weird timestretched screechy noises play over an underwater soundscape, with the light beats of a 909 drum machine simmering over. Back then, using a 909 or 808 drum machine was considered the foundations of a techno tune… where do you think 808 State got their name from? Don’t say the state in Hawaii. Then, just as you think it couldn’t get any deeper, a mysterious organ riff drifts over everything else, sure it’s repetitive, but it summarizes exactly what’s so good about that element of surprise in some old skool music, that element of surprise by bringing in sounds you didn’t see coming made people realise what they could do years on! This is complemented by a more mellow example of bleepy techno, “Sea Snake”, just afterwards, really giving the two sides of the EP very different flavours.
So how easy is this record to get hold of? Not very, it seems, with copies going second hand on Discogs from £20 and up! But next time you’re on YouTube, if you want a good progressive techno classic “Depressurization” is a must listen, you’d be wasting your life if you didn’t give it a sample before you die.
That’s all for today kids, check the section every month for a new old discovery, I never pick a bad tune (unless you mean bad as in good). Respect! By the way, if you're feeling brave, send your questions through to m.u.d.oldskool@gmail.com (you can be anonymous if you're shy), and ask me any questions you have about the scene, my collection, whatever you think fits musically, and I'll answer next issue.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)