- Demo that dir
-
posted by
Saboteur
on
09.01.2010 01:59
(0 comments)
Hey now. Lately I've been all talk and no show. Just this once though, I can make an exception (but not many excuses). And with that said, clicky clicky.
onemoreglitter (as previously linked in new year's post)
mylittlearp
untitled lead
storiesneverend (clip)
should have been studying
Some of that is 2009 stuff that I never put up. They didn't magically improve since then or anything, I just figured I couldn't have an entire year's gap in the demodir there. Yeah yeah, I'm so out of touch, whatever. Not that I ever was in touch, mind. Still worth an effort.
- Happy new year!
-
posted by
Saboteur
on
31.12.2009 01:59
(0 comments)
Happy new year! See you this evening at the Helsinki Senate Square!
edit 4Jan2010: O wait. I meant to share something too.
- Q2/09
-
Jon Hopkins and Renoise -
posted by
Saboteur
on
04.07.2009 23:47
(0 comments)
No real news this quarter. I am still around of course, working and procrastinating. (Achieving my bachelor's degree is within the realm of reasonability in something like 6 months' time, provided I get around to starting my final project).
Seems my Renoise registration has run its course - the program recently reached version 2.1 and that is the last version my current registration enables me to upgrade to. Renoise has certainly evolved into a professional music creation tool. With the state of my tracking lately though, I am in no hurry to renew my license. I'm certainly prepared to cough up the cash for my program of choice, but it's just that I never seem to get around to writing any music. We'll see how things develop. Maybe something demodir-worthy will surface soon, or perhaps a previously unreleased older track that has been written as a co-op with a good friend? We're only missing a title and at most minor touch-ups.
I did buy the new album by Jon Hopkins some time ago. "Insides" is a direct continuance to where Contact Note left off 5 years ago. The sound is true to his style and the listener is treated to a few great songs (including one where Coldplay is generously sampled off into a "Point of Departure by Necros"-esque electronica journey), but something is left to be desired. Hopkins has never strayed far from the path laid out in "Opalescent", and that has served him well on his two first studio albums. By now, however, some amount of reinventing himself musically would be required. I myself should know better than most that you can only get so much mileage out of working with the same themes for years on end.
"Insides" no longer manages to inspire awe from the listener like "Opalescent" did in its day. Some gentle breaking of the mold melodically would have benefitted this album tremendously. As it stands it is essential for a Hopkins fan, seeing as he has produced a mere 3 albums in 8 years. But if you're new to Hopkins and looking for some bigbeat/electronica-influenced IDM / melodic ambient music, just find yourself the first 2 Hopkins albums instead of this.
(Editor's note: I have previously reviewed the other Hopkins albums, take a look in the reviews section if the topic interests you.)
- Röyksopp - Junior
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Designer music for the discerning crowd -
posted by
Saboteur
on
26.03.2009 23:05
(0 comments)
The new Röyksopp offering is superior chillout and a stylized pop number... But is it something that nobody besides Röyksopp could have done?
Röyksopp takes the line pursued in "The Understanding" yet futher and ventures into the realm of pretentiousness, but just manages to redeem itself with glamorous drumbeats and flowing compositions. The music is crisp, funky and at the same time atmospheric and wonderfully melodic.
Even though all that is a good thing, it goes to such lengths that you almost get the feel that this is some kind of designer pop music for chillout enthusiasts, reduced to "street credible background music for parties". It fits so well into this niche, one might think it could have been made by any of the other groups already in this niche - not necessarily by Röyksopp.
In a way I feel Röyksopp is suffering from Air syndrome - their unique style made them such a runaway success that while trying to improve on their formula, they lost at least part of their original charm.
Ghosts of records past aside, what about "Junior"? A mix of fantastically high moods and big beats, sharply distorted synth melodies and booming basslines all laden with compelling hooks. Who could possibly argue?
The way the record starts up with the uplifting, deliciously naive big beat stylings of Happy Up Here perfectly sets the listener up. You might think of, indeed, Air, or perhaps Mylo, Mint Royale, Lemon Jelly, if you want an idea of what kind of moods to expect throughout. None of the mentioned are close matches - the closest is clearly "The Understanding" by Röyksopp. It's fair to say that Röyksopp has improved on the themes they worked with on that album.
The departure from the subtlety of "Melody AM", their first album, becomes most apparent on the second track, The Girl and the Robot. The 2000s dance anthem could almost be a Kylie Minogue track, if not for the slightly more evolved melodies. It's a nice track in its own right, but the comparison to Kylie is telling, and not something you'd have expected from Röyksopp 6 years ago. Still, the track does not feel out of place.
The rest of the album mixes triphop influences with big beat, electronica, pop and what have you in much the same way as "The Understanding" did. Similarities are evidenced on tracks such as This Must Be It (almost like a rearranged version of What Else Is There? from the previous album) or Tricky Tricky, the album's other clear dancefloor anthem (which scores extra points for a successful ending, by the way).
Trip hop moods are experienced on Röyksopp Forever and Silver Cruiser, both of which progress into quite the dramatic crescendos. An excellent Vision One, featuring some nice distorted synth leads, ventures more into the realm of RnB, but let's not hold that against a good track.
Overall the album is consistently enjoyable, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the tracks turn into summer hits this year. The album certainly does put me in a summer mood.
But does it have staying power?
Based on my experience from "The Understanding", I believe it does. The snipe about "designer music" isn't meant to belittle this album; even though Röyksopp has ventured into this direction, they still manage to stand out and keep the other chillout audio engineers at arm's length.
The real trial for Röyksopp may be their next album. If it is a linear progression from "Junior", Röyksopp is in danger of becoming common. Meanwhile, I can safely say that Röyksopp remains one of my favourite artists.
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