Luomo

Luckily there's "Could Be Like This", which is like "The Present Lover" mark 2 (slightly less vocals) and is possibly (gasp) BETTER.

Anyway, I love it. Not sure yet how I would rank it next to Vocalcity but v. nice.

Mutualism reports a new Luomo album in the works for 2006. Plus Vocalcity is being reissued this year on his own label as all Force stuff is out of print.

FORTHCOMING REMIXES:

THE BLACK DICE
LUOMO REMIX
(DFA RECORDS)

i wonder...

RHYTHM&SOUND
VLADISLAV DELAY REMIX
(BASIC CHANNEL)

You can also add a comment and vote for it if you are keen on it.

Thanks

http://www.akrue.privat.t-online.de/manic.jpg

http://www.boomkat.com/media/image/Luomo-VocalCity.jpg

No extras, although the back says "Won't play on computers, huh?"

xp!

cool!

I read this as meaning you'd heard he was loaded from LISTENING to the music!

Does he have a song about being loaded? With breathy cut up vocals and an echoey Maurizio-indebted bassline?

I ordered it from Other Music but they took three weeks to tell me they didn't stock it. I'm hoping to find it when I'm in London and Berlin next month. It is absolutely TOP of my list.

Luomo!

so does any other Luomo come close to Vocalcity? I've heard a few tracks but nothing really seems as good.

no.

my friend sent me a luomo track called "mirrorball" which is real nice, i don't know if its on an album i don't have or what

the only other album by him i like as much as vocalcity is vladislav delay - the four quarters which is not really dance music of course

i still like present lover more than vocalcity

I got a mint copy of Vocalcity for £6 second hand a month ago!

I MUCH prefer it to Present Lover, but it has so much bass the needle literally jumps out of the groove on my nice turntable. Have to put the tracking force to about 3 to get it to play. Sounds great, though.

(I don't think that's why it was only 6 pounds, as it plays fine on cheap direct drive turntable)

Ah, Vocalcity what a masterpiece of sound design, texture, and deep house grooving. Everything else, what a dissapointment :( I sold my copy of the Present Lover after, well, not too long, at the time I deemed it something to the effect of fashion show runway house. It hurts me to say this to, what I've heard of his even later stuff is well, I don't want to be too harsh on him. Nevertheless, all is beyond forgotten because his stuff as Uuisitalo is better than ever, some reallllllly good tracks, a return to dance-music form, and how.

http://www.huumerecordings.com/accidents

coming out soon:

LUOMO - CONVIVIAL !!!

featuring guest appearances from Cassy, Jake Shears, Robert Owens, Apparat, etc

Jake Shears!

"Convivial" is not a title that fills me me with any great hope or aniticipation, I must say.

robert owens, tho

true that.

cassy and apparat!!!

jake shears :/

paper tigers :------(

I won't expect much from this in order not to get heart broke again

I still listen to Paper Tigers.

Also, my "Jake Shears!" comment was surprise, not excitement. If anything, he makes me skeptical.

http://www.thewire.co.uk/images/artists/delay_vladislav/288cover.jpg

when vlad delay finally played in NYC, it was because he was also sneaking into the scissor sisters' studio to finish up the album.

that wire thing had really cool photos of his studio

I'm very confident about this (I don't know if I should be). Although I must say I've taken University courses which require less work than following his recent output.

xposts. it's a pity that the first time I see someone else use that Richard Hamilton pun and not replace 'homes' with 'house'. It's just much more clever that way!

What makes today's Techno so different, so appealing, so acceptable to 20something yupsters in graphic design jobs who drive VWs

Let me elaborate on the first point though. I think a prime reason I thought the present lover was so bunk was that largely because the vocals were just. kind of haphazardly thrown in there. I think with Cassy and Robert Owens (which got a whoa out of me), I'm confident he's going to not only have fancy vocalists (who will ideally write better lyrics than the stuff in TPL and what have you), but they're the type where the sound design is crafted around the vocals (in other works, please! no more of those irritating, kind of drunk-sounding synths!)

i love the vocals in TPL! :/

me too

me three

apart from that cartman track

what about that moment in body speaking where she gets it in the butt?

Between the last two posts I'm really starting to thing that my dislike of the present lover isn't just me.

seriously, if the dude says he doesn't like vocalcity and meant for it to come out totally different, then i don't trust him to make music i like now that he's refined his technique.

he doesn't like vocalcity? in that case i agree with you, elan. TPL isn't all that great. i love "So You" so much though.

The Present Lover is probably my favourite record of all time!

What's strange to me is that Vocalcity and The Present Lover are so different and yet equal in my affections, whereas The Present Lover and Paper Tigers are so similar and yet I adore one and never listen to the other.

Or maybe it's not so strange: if Paper Tigers had ventured further afield perhaps its glaring inferiority vis a vis The Present Lover would be less of an issue. But it's hard to understand how/why Luomo dropped the ball.

i would easily take TPL over vocalcity. i like the quirky murky meandering imprecision of vc but easily choose rhythmically taught cohesion over it every time

See that's the thing, I don't hear it as rhythmically taught cohesion, I hear it as essentially throwing away what made VC so damn interesting, instead, making it kind of simple, unadventurous, and well, boring (NB Luomo was one of the first dance acts I ever got into, me being an IDM-head of sorts before. And while Tessio was a grand realization of sorts, it didn't even really catch up to me until much more recently). I mean, he does vocal house well enough (although I seemed to remember him taking a big turn for the worse in making his synths a lot more I guess, wonky and off-kilter, and later on a bit shrill, I think. Nevertheless, I would still prefer Vocalcity sans the rhythmic all-over-the placeness over TPL).

I should mention, though. Not long ago I bought the Black-Dice - Smiling Off Ep (2006) and the Luomo remix on it is actually pretty good.

he doesn't like vocalcity? in that case i agree with you, elan. TPL isn't all that great. i love "So You" so much though.

-- jed_, Tuesday, August 12, 2008 7:31 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link

i can't remember the source, and i don't want to dig right now, but i remember reading an interview where he said that when he made vocalcity, he didn't really know what he was doing as far as house-making (having only done dub experiments as vladislav delay), and that the present lover was what he really wanted to make. i was shocked to read that. the present lover is very good music to me, but vocalcity is exceptional. i understand how tpl could be considered a step up based on certain criteria, but i disagree.

yes! xp that remix is amazing. check also his remix of rhythm & sound "truly" for a similar bassy sound.

I got that one on vinyl too. Gorgeous!

Y'know he makes for quite a remixer, which I guess fits into my 'his vocalists and choice of synths suck" hypothesis

http://phlow.net/mag/interview_portrait/luomo_der_straighte_vladislav_delay.php

Phlow: Was it a big pressure on you that so many people adored and praised "Vocalcity"?

Vladislav Delay: It was more a personal pressure. Although there was this fact that vocalcity was treated as something I didn´t stand behind, ie. I wasn´t happy with the album while people listening it were. But in the end it was doing something I was happy with, otherwise it wouldn´t make sense to do this.

Phlow: Why didn't you stand behind "vocalcity"? Could you explain yourself a little bit more?

Vladislav Delay: I did vocalcity in a rush and mainly in a state I can´t remember anymore. In the end when I saw the cd and heard it I didn´t like it, it wasn´t what I had in mind to create. New one sounds a bit like I wanted vocalcity to sound.

'rhythmic all over the placeness' when describing tpl doesnt make any sense. what does that mean? the grooves on that record are pretty unbelievably tight where the first one was kind of off kilter

i also dont get what is 'wonky' about the synths

lopsided, misaligned or off-centre; feeble, shaky or rickety; suffering from intermittent bugs, broken; Generally incorrect
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wonky

i dont see how anyone can hear both of these albums and conclude that tpl is the rhythmically 'wonky' recording - like, that criticism makes no sense when compared to vc...?? i mean i can understand saying you prefer wonky and therefore prefer vc but ... what you're saying isnt like 'difference of opinion' its like looking at a mountain and saying its a valley ...?

i have been getting so into this shit again, and i haven't even heard the new one. something about it which pleased me so much a couple years ago has returned...weirdly, also been revisiting 'Orchestra of Bubbles' quite a bit, too.

By 'all over the place' I just mean the glitch aspects of the percussion i.e. not just kick hat snare, but the more randomized, carefully crafted percussive sounds in the track. Not like squarepusher all over the place, but compared to straightforward house. . .
And 'wonky' (and yeah, it is a very vague term), I mean like in really don't mind, those kind of shrill, high pitched synth pads, or like "could be like this." I can't help but find it a little bit cheesy sometimes.

I will give you this much: The track The Present Lover is, and I always have thought, is excellent

but it uses the same synth pads! and the rhythms on vc were even MORE glitchy and random

As I recall the whole Wire interview was more or less about him never "knowing" what he was doing? If he now thinks he can make a record true to his Vocalcity beliefs, I for one like to hear it. I'm at least pretty sure that wouldn't sound like Paper Tigers.

It just struck me Luomo made his whole career on "Glamour Profession" by Steely Dan

I don't understand this last comment.

Anyway, any reaction to the new song posted on pitchfork?

Okay I might even do a track by track initial reactions for this album, which I'm listening to for the first time.

"Have You Ever": Woah. This is very very good. Very pop, very busy, very clean, lots of jitters and whirs but hardly any stutters or glitches, some beautiful bumping bass lines. More like the production on Karhuneinen (which I really liked) than the last Luomo album, although even more pop than either. If this new direction is maintained it's all to the good I think - finally moving out from under the shadow of The Present Lover. Cassy's vocals are charming and understated. I'm gonna be returning to this a lot.

"Love You All": dark and dense italo-ish electro-pop, OMD circa Organisation meets Depeche Mode circa Violator, stabbing groove, Junior Boys green with envy. Fuck this is good. Slick and emotionally manipulative in the best way possible, and totally compulsive. STRINGS. Did anyone know Apparat could sing so pretty? I didn't hear his last album. Okay so so far this is like Luomo's "let's just make an album of classic pop songs" album. Forgot to mention that the 8 minutes of "Have You Ever" just flies by, and so does the seven minutes here - so perfectly formed and shaped. Oh no - scary synth arpeggios! Someone's been listening to Silent Shout. Love it!

"If I Can't": ironically for the Jake Shears track, this is the most typically Luomo-ish yet, that rueful, bruised-sounding bassline and synth chords and empty underground cavern dub echo and big thumping house beat are immediately identifiable. Jake's doing disco falsetto multitracked slyness which I'm not decided on, nothing wrong with it exactly but I want all the vocals here to break my heart. Okay the chorus is pretty good! I'd be worried if this was first because a better, more streamlined version of Paper Tigers is a nice idea but hardly essential; coming third it's a nice reminder of why I will always have a place for this guy in my heart. The diff. from Paper Tigers is almost clearer here because of the substantive sonic similarities: everything is so classically proportioned, with every sound coming in exactly where it's supposed to. There's a focus and concision here despite the near eight minute length. Ben Williams once compared The Present Lover to EBTG on some Luomo thread - this actually reminds me of "Temperamental".

"Nothing Goes Away": female spoken word house rappin'! And not crazy cut up action a la AGF either, but like, a proper US accent and everything. But this is so lovely, chiefly for its irrepressible springloaded but waterlogged beat and classic shimmering Luomo chords swooping all over the place. This is the new Luomo aesthetic: beautifully produced - the beats are gorgeous - but very simple and totally unafraid of its own prettiness. As the song progresses everything gets a little more fractured and cluttered and dramatic, but developing so organically and inevitably like plunging further and further into the depths of what was already there; in this it reminds me of the development of tracks on the first album, only now transposed into a very different and much more pop sonic context. I am seriously bowled over by how good this is.

ahh where u find this

"Robert's Reason": I imagined the Robert Owens track would sound a bit like this, with its warm but slightly growly bassline, roughly classicist house percussion and emotionally ambivalent (uptempo? druggy? sick with desire?) vibe. Owens underused a bit - this is the most cut-up vocal so far - but the groove is undeniable. Straghtforward fun with high production values, kind of like prime period Get Physical (actually it reminds me of the M.A.N.D.Y. remix of Chelonis's "Le Bateau Ivre") and other poppy Chicago revivalism from around that time.

Sorry Deej can't share this one at the moment.

"Slow Dying Places": this is great. Shimmering underworldly synth burbles and long beatless intro with stark female vocals that make me want to say 'Propaganda' but I'd have to listen to 'Propaganda' again to confirm. Then this kinda wired syncopated pseudo-house rhythm starts up and the whole thing just gets so voluptuously, decadently riotous with detail, every single crevice suffered with another amazing sound, like late 90s Mouse on Mars making a love album. Constantly changing, always getting better and better and AHHHH it actually makes me feel like crying that I have this guy back and so ostentatiously good and making music purposely for me, at least it feels that way right now.

Did anyone know Apparat could sing so pretty? I didn't hear his last album

tim did you ever hear orchestra of bubbles??!!! i can't believe you haven't heard that. you must.

I have Orchestra of Bubbles but did he sing on that? Every time I've listened to it I love it but then i forget to listen to it again for ages.

Not that I'd want to stop you from listening to Propaganda, but that was my initial reaction as well.

Great album.

xpost

A few tracks from Convivial are on his MySpace page.

grrrrr pls to hear whole album

he sang on 'leave me alone' which to be fair i always skip too.

xpps

"Sleep Tonight": The slightly baleful house pulse sounds almost harsh coming after the rococo "Slow Dying Places", but in fact it's very much of a piece with that track and "Nothing Goes Away" - meticulously detailed and very very pretty. The pinging sounds put me in mind of early Akufen a bit. Some cut-up diva vocals here but they're somewhere between the first album and what you might expect on a very good dub of a house track (actually this also reminds me of my beloved Mei Lwun Uno Records mix). The stronger house pulse makes me think this'd be irresistible on the floor. When the beat kicks in after the breakdown it's like "let's go!". Then there are these weird space invader synth wobbles fizzing and defraying everywhere. As much as all of this stuff sounds totally natural, I really like how Delay has discovered a certain level of unpredictability in his sound design, so much of the fun here is wondering "what is the next sound gonna be?" I also like how the production seems to get more like that as the record progresses, like it's a tightly wound coil and you're slowly approaching the centre.

"Gets Along Fine": This strts off more predictable in that if I'd been asked to dream up Luomo making the perfect piece of affirmative house-pop I would have imagined this down to every precise detail. "We all get along!" But then... Watch out for the propulsive snare action! It's like the outro on Ada's "Each and Every One (Blindhouse)" but better, surrounded by these slithering bleeps that are simultaneously melancholy and joyful. Holy shit this just keeps getting better, forgive the immediate-reaction hyperbole but I cannot say for certain that this is not the best piece of music I have ever heard in my life. And then a brief respite. And then the snare section again. It will blow your minds I promise.

What label is this new one going to be on? The downloads from his huumerecordings site have been great for all the recent releases, and reasonably-priced, I kind of hope he still self-releases this album too.

"Lonely Music Co.": After all that, a relatively relaxed outro, all subdued chords and a wistful digi-dub beat and lovely female vox. And I'm thinking "take a rest man, you've earnt it", when all unexpectedly at the end it threatens to turn into woozy 2-step.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR.

wow

What label is this new one going to be on? The downloads from his huumerecordings site have been great for all the recent releases, and reasonably-priced, I kind of hope he still self-releases this album too.

Huume, yeah.

ha Andy, I thought I was imagining the Propaganda connection.

tim did you get your (i am assuming) promo copy through an australian pr house?

also there are too many albums of the year now. last year could have done with some of these

wow. have gone from not planning to bother with to anticipating more than anything in a long time. great stuff, tim.

like what, lex? i've kinda given up on new stuff this year, really.

Brought this with me into work today for an initial listen. Should be good...

"tim did you get your (i am assuming) promo copy through an australian pr house?"

Nope, pitchfork.

like what, lex? i've kinda given up on new stuff this year, really.

erykah badu, mariah carey, lindstrom, lil' wayne, young jeezy, the-dream, wiley, the bug and anja schneider would all be comfortably in my 07 top 2. danity kane, akiko kiyama, tinchy stryder, ear dis and shed not far behind. and jazmine sullivan was astonishing on one listen. and still awaiting ciara, t.i., crazy cousinz, beyoncé and obv luomo! plus great mixes from ellen allien, plastician, appleblim, ame...

It's been a good year.

and i forgot ne-yo

Matthew Dear's Body Language 7 mix is very good also.

I still haven't heard the Lindstrom. ;_;

i shld give that the bug album a listen

more info:

Luomo - Convival
http://www.dotshop.se/ds/release.php?code=HUUME016CD

A new Luomo! His best ever! Hyper pop house of highest grade. Featuring Apparat *******
Huume (HUUME016CD)
This item will be released on October 20th, 2008

OUR FAVOURITE LUMBERJACK & DUB NOIR PILOT RETURNZ WITH HIS LUOMO PROJECT ***** “Convivial" is the 4th installment in project LUOMO from a Finnish producer known as VLADISLAV DELAY & UUSITALO on his own label HUUME. Convivial features vocal appearances from CASSY, SASCHA RING AKA APPARAT, JAKE SHEARS, SUE CIE, ROBERT OWENS, CHUBBS and long time partner JOHANNA IIVANAINEN.

SASU RIPATTI is the producer and head writer behind the project LUOMO, his musical outfit that has redrawn the very boundaries of what "house music" can achieve. Always a shy man, RIPATTI returns into view to introduce to the world "Convivial"; his latest, and fourth, album as LUOMO. For his relief though, this time he doesn't have to arrive alone. In addition to a long-time collaborator JOHANNA IIVANAINEN (From Helsinki, Finland), this time he lands with a semi-underground star cast; CASSY (Panorama Bar), SASCHA RING (APPARAT), JAKE SHEARS (SCISSOR SISTERS), ROBERT OWENS, SUE-C and one anonymous singer who hides behind a name CHUBBS.

The album in question is not so much of an assembly as a series of commentaries, interspersed with contemporaneous studio stylings and entries from travel diaries he kept while working on the album. It is for the first time that there's a real collaboration between him and the singers; where he didn't write all the lyrics himself but left sometimes plenty of room for the collaborators to bring in the lyrics and musical ideas. The title refers to rather convivial vibe and social atmosphere that surrounded the making-of the album; something new in LUOMO'S production history. The main hub to record and create the album was again Berlin as is in so many cases today, but since then the artist has decided to relocate to his home country, Finland, where he finished the album and is currently living.

While beginning the production for "Convivial" RIPATTI went back to recall thinking how fascinating and strange it was when he first begun making his version of LUOMO'S dance music, and how difficult it has sometimes been since then while trying to search for more and newer ways to lay down the seemingly simple formula of so-called house music. With "Convivial" he wanted let go off the structures and rules, as well as the pressures and aims as to what one should create and instead just took a moment to enjoy making the kind of music he felt strongly about. Often together with other people. The network of artists and singers he worked with for the album bring about strong song characteristics and wide range of electronic music to experience.

CASSY is participating on a dancefloor-friendly song "Have You Ever", while SASCHA RING makes a touching appearance singing a semi-ballad "Love You All". JAKE SHEARS does add a piece of glamour in "If I Can't" while a long-time friend from California, SUE-C does great lead vocals in "Nothing Goes Away", a song probably everyone can relate to. Classic house vocalist ROBERT OWENS gets treated and processed in soulful "Robert's Reason", while JOHANNA IIVANAINEN both brings back and takes further than before what vocals can do in experimental pop music.

As always in his productions the vocals rarely speak out on narrow or specific issues, preferring sweeping hyperbolic statements all about seasonless emotions and about transition and exchange, because that is what people have in their lives, and it is his wish to reflect on that in his music. Aside from great production, the charm of listening to LUOMO’S music lies in his ability to put people at ease even when he doesn’t share a common language or theme with them, with vocals becoming like instruments among synthesizers, effects and other machines. For some people he might be irreverent for his lack of deep knowledge of house or club music and its history or how he creates his own style effortlessly mixing things up, as though he is willing to embody for the new world all the traits they so eagerly use to stereotype the old world: sensuality, knowingness, an alluring combination of earthiness and high culture. But avoiding the genre-licking is almost meaningless as these days the dynamics have changed anyway and the fusion is about. More than anything, his kafkaesque productions come with wonderful petulance about it bringing in more depth and certainly growing the meaning of the dance music in bigger picture.

His medium as LUOMO is a little bit canned but also equally sincere. Indeed, if the lines sometimes sound vaguely pre-packaged, it’s mostly because SASU RIPATTI, 31, has been proselytising like this for a decade now, jumping back and forth electronic and experimental works and each time he comes back to making LUOMO productions he has no guilt going all the way to the medium he sees for him to explore; pop and everything it carries around. He is nothing less than a great tragedian, holding a mirror before a music society that sometimes would like to hear less stories.

Nevertheless he finds the dance music medium most suitable for his pop explorations, which makes sense when you consider his heavy-hitting resume in the electronic and experimental music mediums. He resists pigeonholing and is against market fundamentalism but still loves to cross over to pop worlds. For him the fear is never an option and somewhat through all that he has a remarkable ability to endure, with a respectable and wide-ranging catalogue of unique no-frills releases, with "Convivial" certainly being no exception.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Have You Ever (w/ CASSY),
2. Love You All (w/ SASCHA RING aka APPARAT),
3. If I Can't (w/ JAKE SHEARS),
4. Nothing Goes Away (w/ SUE CIE & JOHANNA IIVANAINEN),
5. Robert's Reason (w/ ROBERT OWENS),
6. Slow Dying Places (w/ JOHANNA IIVANAINEN),
7. Sleep Tonight (w/ JOHANNA IIVANAINEN),
8. Gets Along Fine (w/ CHUBBS),
9. Lonely Music Co. (w/ JOHANNA IIVANAINEN)

Tim's take on "Love You All" said it better than I ever could. Amazing, amazing song.

off topic, but would appeal to Luomo fans

Shaque Lilli
http://www.myspace.com/shaquelilli

Influences: Kraftwerk - David Sylvian - Karl Lagerfeld - Josephine Baker - Beyoncé- Joy division - Prince - My bloody valentine - Cocteau Twins - Andre 2000 - Luther Vandross - Moondog - and many more

signed to the danish label:

Speed of Sound
http://www.speedofsound.dk/SOS%20-%20Artists.html

Luther Vandross - Moondog

Of course

TIm, your short bits on the new tracks has left me drooling

Album gets a touch sleepy in the middle for me but picks up with the final tracks. Then again we'll see what relistens prompt.

OUR FAVOURITE LUMBERJACK & DUB NOIR PILOT RETURNZ WITH HIS LUOMO PROJECT

"Album gets a touch sleepy in the middle for me but picks up with the final tracks. "

For me only "If I Can't" and "Robert's Reason" are weaker tracks.

AGF talks about moving to a remote island on her website (xpost)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR.

― Tim F, Wednesday, September 24, 2008 9:51 AM (5 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

truth. it's up there. on repeat.

cant wait to listen to this when i get home

yeah, this is awesome.

is this out? or is it "out"?

This item will be released on October 20th, 2008

to the internet!

can't wait to hear this item!

it's a good item

count me in for this one item or less

this may be album of the year for me as well, sublime! listening to 'kohde' off entain now, he really has a pretty trajectory from primordial ambient goo dub to gorgeous, full bloom pop, doesn't he? how well do these records sell outside of strictly dance circles i wonder?

<3 but im missing two traxx it seems ... :D

"Robert's Reason"

i think this is gr8

wow, this album.

yeah i thought maybe there was some tim f hyperbole going on but no

"yeah i thought maybe there was some tim f hyperbole going on but no"

You act like the two things are mutually exclusive.

never lose the hyperbole!

"get along fine" is some serious ((((((d-_-b))))))

psyched for cassy + luomo!

what is this: ((((((d-_-b))))))

its a face with headphones with soundwaves coming out of them

Really holds up well on a relisten. For that reason alone, it's a keeper.

i haven't liked any of his albums since Vocalcity. this one seems to perfect the pop/tech sound he was looking for on Present Lover and Paper Tigers. those LPs had a couple songs each worth repeating but this album is nearly perfect. it's been on repeat now for 2 days. still finding loads of detail in the music so i'd say it holds up very well to repeat listens.

where's everyone getting this from? not visible on slsk, isohunt etc.

http://blogsearch.google.co.uk/blogsearch?hl=en&q=luomo+convivial&btnG=Search+Blogs

regular old google will lead you also

i think the cassy track is my favourite so far

"its a face with headphones with soundwaves coming out of them"

i thought it may have been a reference to seismic booty-shaking beats.

"He resists pigeonholing and is against market fundamentalism"

THE NEW LUOMO ALBUM WILL SAVE THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

^^ I haven't got much past this and "Love You All"

my god! I am going to listen to this album a lot!

"against market fundamentalism"

actually this seems quite u+k the more i think about it.

This is great, and it's a direct line from the Uusitalo album to this -- "Robert's Reason" isn't even disguised much, it's just "Lumimies" from the Uusitalo record. And that's double plus good, because that album is one of my most listened-to records. It's one of those creeper records that when you first hear it, you think, "Ok, yeah, this is good stuff, cool, whatever," and then you listen to it 700 more times. I feel like the new Luomo will be like that, too.

The drum programming on 'gets along fine' sounds like it's really influenced by Coupe Decale and other african dance musics.

I like the track that sounds like Morten Harket.

I'm feeling a bit underwhelmed by this. I've listened ALOT and am continuing to do so but....it's not that exciting to me yet apart from the second track which I like.

It's not that it's bad, just feels a bit bland to me.

I am still listening to this lots, more than I've listened to an album in a long time, but I couldn't say I have been bowled over by it yet either. Kinda strange.

Really enjoying this. Listening to it makes me wonder what went wrong with Paper Tigers. Was he just completely uninspired when he made that or what?

A bit disappointed so far. I miss the "post-structural" vocal cut-ups

underwhelmed here too (although I think he peaked a long time ago w/vocalcity), the few tracks with chopped up vocal details are my favorites, but maybe only because they remind me of the glory days

Hmm, I reckon the bits that resemble his earlier stuff too closely are the (relatively) weakest moments on the album. Paper Tigers exhausted that aesthetic and (at times) took it into the realm of self-parody (in truth he was already edging into this realm with the TPL version of "Tessio", by far that album's weakest link).

My favourite moments on this album (to be really strict with myself: "Love You All", "Slow Dying Places", "Gets Along Fine") are those where he's really pushing himself into new areas sonically.

fact interview:

"I lived for quite a long time in Berlin, and looking back I think the album reflects my life there: social, collaborative, surrounded by people who make music, club music. Even though I consciously tried to avoid all that, it still had an influence…"

"Gets Along Fine" is.....INCREDIBLE.

that stood out for me on 1st listen, just beautiful

I listened to this again last night, and I still can't shake the feeling that it has been a case of diminishing returns since The Present Lover. There are moments I like a lot on Convivial ("If I Can't" is a highlight), but I have to say, I'd take Paper Tigers over it. There's nothing on here I like as much as "Really Don't Mind."

Ha ha I think "If I Can't" is one of the weaker tracks precisely because it could easily have been on Paper Tigers.

"Really Don't Mind" and "Wanna Tell" are fabulous tracks but they totally felt like the end-point of the aesthetic he pushed on The Present Lover.

Whereas with Convivial he starts from there only to travel in new directions. Nothing on Paper Tigers is as exciting or shocking as "Love You All", or the last half of "Slow Dying Places", or the percussive blasts of "Gets Along Fine".

I guess the disappointing thing for me is that those "new directions" are ... nothing new. Exciting? Shocking? I wish I heard what you were hearing in these tracks!

I haven't heard this, and the comments make me not want to, especiall after how much I've been enjoying The Present Lover this week, its wintry and crisp, its good for walking alone in town at night to.

I never really got Luomo before now, and this may be more to do with my changing tastes over the last 3-4 years, but this one really is sublime. I could lose myself in the second half of Slow Dying Places.

"Gets Along Fine" is.....INCREDIBLE.

Haha OTM. It's like a really lush, deep take on Justin Timberlake house or something.

still where Garda was a month ago
but the problem for me may be that i want it to have the same aquaeous depth or immersive quality as things like 'Synkro' but retaining the song structures he's using now

hard to pin down what i feel about it. maybe that while the structures and vocals are cool it's all a bit too timid and abrupt and the sounds themselves just seem flat and boring (to me...altho last half of 'Slow Dying Places' can take exception to this as Tim sez). i'll probably get into it a bit more over more time tho (took me long enough to love Vocalcity stuff too).

still trying to see how much mileage he can get out of "tessio", apparently

http://www.discogs.com/Luomo-Tessio/release/1609790

not feeling those remixes. the spectre one is the better for me though.

stimming and luomo paired sounds fantastic, man made some of my favourite records of the year

this has grown on me like all Luomo does ha. at least 'Slow Dying Places' and 'Lonely Music Co.' have to the extent that I adore them as much as anything else he's done.

Vocalcity and (espec.) Present Lover two of my all-time faves but try as I might I cannot get into "Convivial". What do you all see in it??? I miss the space of the other albums. I like pop but not Luomo pop.

its not as good as the first two albums, but idk, its catchy as a mf imo

never really got into Vocalcity but, yeah, Present Lover will always remain one of my favorite albums. Lush, open - feels like a particularly lucid early morning

I like convivial a lot, it is very 80s.

new album coming soon:

http://www.myspace.com/luomomusic

"Lush, open - feels like a particularly lucid early morning"

damn, is this what early mornings are like for some people?

i like dont love convivial. present lover & vocalcity are too dope tho

tbh i like synkro more than any other luomo song, but i like the present lover better over all ... plus the way it was mixed down is way more dancefloor conducive

what about that moment in body speaking where she gets it in the butt?

― elan, Tuesday, August 12, 2008 4:57 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

this is the best

convivial is most noteworthy for the cassy and apparat collabs, but those two tracks are as beautiful as anything on the present lover

viz:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr0jIfwWIkE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg5XsIiNvjY

I like "Gets Along Fine" the best. It's so sad! "Nothing Goes Away" is so cutely retro.

"Get's Along Fine" > "Slow Dying Place" >>> "Nothing Goes Away" = "Love You All" > "Have You Ever"

why 'have you ever' so low?? i could listen to just its tappy percussion for hours, it's like the perfect pop distillation of his 'everything sounds the same until you listen closely' style i think. i've never cared for 'gets along fine' mostly cause i'm not a big fan of that throbbing synth stab thing he does, i don't really like 'love you all for the same reason. nothing goes away definitely deserves a higher place though, if only for the amazing water-drop counter to the bass drum. possibly my favorite drum-melody ever. convivial is great, people way underrate it imo

"Have You Ever" is great! It's my sixth favourite song on one of my favourite albums of 2008.

Still annoyed that I missed an uusitalo set in Montreal, even though I saw him as Delay and in the MVO trio. I guess it was a long set at the art museum that wasn't officially part of Mutek.

did anyone ever work out who "chubbs" was a pseudonym for on "gets along fine"?

OK I worked out to Convivial today and it sounded good. grrrrrr!

Because you move. The way you move. I've got to keep on moving with you.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/4666313926_3915645bbb_o.png

thought this would be revive for new album info

unchill

every time luomo releases a new album my heart breaks again, so i'm glad it's just a revive of my favorite song

new sistol is good

i think he lost his way a little in the last few years with 'convivial' and the live improv vlad delay stuff, but he's still a huge talent

Lol at the idea of "Convivial" being his shark-jumping moment when "Paper Tigers" exists.

He's now saying that he's retired 'Luomo' indefinitely.

pull the plug, sasu

sometimes i wonder if it isn't a blessing that derrick may gave up when he did

Lol at the idea of "Convivial" being his shark-jumping moment when "Paper Tigers" exists.

He's now saying that he's retired 'Luomo' indefinitely.

― Tim F, Tuesday, 30 November 2010 20:12 (26 minutes ago)

ha, i completely forgot about its existence

seem to remember it was 'alright' actually

I seem to remember it was forgettable

ha

I never understood people who got stuck with bands long after their creative peak has passed and specially those playing years old albums when there is so much better stuff nowadays until Luomo's Vocalcity. Why doesn't do more variations on that ultra dark sexual Mille Plateaux / Raster Noton house thing? You know, there's like four more albums to datamine from that particular record! I wish I had some talent so I could build a whole career out of my chillwave / hypnagogic impressions of him circa 2000.

He also said no more Uusitalo oh well

elan OTM. after "Paper Tigers," i was done.

that said, "Really Don't Mind" was a pretty decent track, especially the Radio Edit.

always meant to pick up the album after loving the radio edit of Really Don't Mind, so I still have the impression that there's a whole album of goodness waiting for me

keep it that way

O
M
G

three new Luomo songs on myspace
http://www.myspace.com/luomomusic

h8 ya luomo

new album new traxxx! http://www.luomomusic.org/#4

New album is a banger. May disappoint some people who don't want the project to disappear into the dancefloor and lose its luomo-ness (this is the least erm micro and least pop Luomo album yet) but some of the builds on these tracks would destroy a club.

It's not flashy-dense like Convivial was, more just really voluptuous dancefloor chuggers.

And the first schaffel track I've cared about in ages.

Excited!!!!!!

huh i didn't get any sense of bangingness at all from it, thought it was kinda flat with a few nice moments but after filing my review didn't feel compelled to return to it at all

you reviewed it and got to keep a copy

yeah but it's actually out now too

3 October I think.

Such is the state of my cred with record labels slash "the industry" that I have to listen to it on stream for review purposes.

the release date i was told was 18 sep?

having to stream albums sucks, i refuse to review based on them unless there's no other option

pushed back

Re the album itself, I expect I'll end up liking it less than Convivial (and Vocalcity and The Present Lover) but a lot more than Paper Tigers.

From what I've heard of it, if Convivial was Uusitalo with vocals Plus is Sistol with vocals.

From memory Lex our favourite tracks on Convivial were rather different and I suspect that I can see in that the basis of our convergence w/r/t the new one.

Really Don't Mind is still better than anything on The Present Lover. Albeit just.

eh

better than "What Good"??! o_O

feel like he lost all his finesse with the vocal cut-up shtick on Paper Tigers, "Really Don't Mind" included.

I almost wish I hadn't read this, I may take a pill and lie in bed until October when I can maybe get my hands on it!

What Good is only the fourth or fifth best track on The Present Lover (which is why TPL is still a good chunk better than PT).

RIP Luomo
2000 AD - 2000 AD

It seems weird to say, but what the best material on the new album (e.g. "Make My Day", "Happy Strong") puts me in mind of is Michael Mayer crossed with Carl Craig.

What's definitely gone is the shimmer that's basically been Luomo's calling card since "The Present Lover".

From memory Lex our favourite tracks on Convivial were rather different and I suspect that I can see in that the basis of our convergence w/r/t the new one.

hmm, i'm not sure - i really liked convivial overall, but i'm not really after another vocal-led pop album from luomo per se, but it's the lack of shimmer and finesse you and lou correctly identify that makes it so whatever to me. i mean, there's stuff to enjoy about it, certainly, i gave it 3/5 - "how you look" is a bit H&LA and it's a good look, love the rattling percussion on "good stuff". it's just, you know...your typical three-star album. nice moments but not special.

So far my barrier to Plus is the vocals. On Convivial and PL especially the vocals were so distinctive, it made them a real highlight. I'm only streaming this at the moment so I'll wait judgment until I've purchased a CD copy. It took me a few listens to appreciate Convivial anyway.

The vocals definitely are basically just nominal structures around which to weave the grooves, which the exceptions of "Form In Void" and "Immaculate Motive" perhaps. Can't really see disliking them per se, but certainly they're not in any way haunting/charming like TPL's vocals often were. OTOH, at least they don't get in the way like they so often do on the Art Department album (which in some senses is a good point of comparison for this album).

As I said originally I can definitely get people saying "this has abandoned too many of the things that made me love Luomo to really adore it." It's really just good luck (for me) that Sasu has shifted towards another aesthetic (hyper-dense percussive layered house) that I feel very close to. If someone on Get Physical or Poker Flat or Kompakt had released this album at any time in the last 10 years I'm thinking it would have been top ten of that year for me.

I feel "Good Stuff" is the weakest track actually - 9 minutes spent barely building on its opening premise. Whereas look how much ground "Form In Void" covers in 4.

You really love hyperrhythmic percussive ish don't you Tim! Is this a thing that comes out of being a jungle fan I wonder - I was too young for any of that and it's not something I especially prioritise over texture and groove.

I thought the vox were kinda dull depeche modeisms tbh, not actively annoying a la art dept tho.

You really love hyperrhythmic percussive ish don't you Tim! Is this a thing that comes out of being a jungle fan I wonder - I was too young for any of that and it's not something I especially prioritise over texture and groove.

Absolutely, though I got into jungle and uk garage simultaneously and think the comes from that combination more than either alone.

I definitely think this album devalues texture (at least compared to his prior best work) as part of beefing up the role of rhythm - esp. vis a vis The Present Lover which is maybe its polar opposite, quite simple rhythms but absurdly swollen textures. Paper Tigers, of course, was basically Luomo indulging in luomoesque textures but with no real purpose or function (and his weakest rhythms).

("groove" is more the unifyer of how all these things plus melody move your body)

The part of Convivial that I feel the best tracks here (especialy "Make My Day" the second half of which is just insane, esp. turned up to ear-bleed volumes) pick up on is the second half of "Slow Dying Places", that sense of endlessly spiralling upward intensity.

What I would have loved but sadly isn't here is more of the vaguely Carribean snare action from "Gets Along Fine".

well excited about the new one

i don't know how you guys can absorb this music so fast. i'm still getting to grips with the new ones. didn't like either of them on first listen.

streaming here http://3voor12.vpro.nl/speler/luisterpaal/45128519#luisterpaal.45128519

I definitely think this album devalues texture (at least compared to his prior best work) as part of beefing up the role of rhythm - esp. vis a vis The Present Lover which is maybe its polar opposite, quite simple rhythms but absurdly swollen textures.

It's not either/or though is it? A lot of the textural interest on Vocalcity comes from changing and evolving rhythms brushing up against each other in different ways.

The second half of Slow Dying Places is my favourite part of Convivial, give or take an Apparat collaboration here or there, but actually I think this album plays it quite straight rhythmically in comparison. Admittedly there might be some elements than aren't coming through in the stream.

But it's really good nonetheless, and surprisingly ravey and bleepy for Luomo. The Depeche Mode-style vocals work, I think, because there's a slightly colder, more warehousey feel to the whole sound.

But yeah, to an extent this sounds like it could have been made by anyone. But if anyone had made it, it would still be really good, so...

Also for all the talk of shimmer and finesse and texture what's rarely commented upon with Luomo is how rich and satisfying his basslines are and those are all present and correct.

Yeah it's not either / or, and obv. by any other producer's standards Plus would seem texturally gorgeous, voluptuous et. al. These are all matters of degree.

It's not so much that Plus is rhythmically more dense or intricate than before, rather that because the grooves are more targeted at the dancefloor the effect is different - e.g. the way the groove seems to shudder with built-up friction on "Happy Strong".

"Make My Day" is like "Slow Dying Places" with all the clicks and whirs and jitter riffs replaced with conventional kicks, snares, handclaps etc. I can see why this would disappoint some but I think it works tremendously.

^ Except I think Make My Day is more gradual in its transition. Honestly I'm a bit relieved, I wasn't that impressed with the three that had been around on soundcloud for ages - Good Stuff, Happy Strong & Spy - but they're the weakest tracks on the album. How You Look, Make My Day & Form In Void are the repeaters for me at the moment.

And yeah, Moodmusic is the perfect label for this to be on. We can only hope for a DJ Naughty remix (circa 2004-5).

The drums are definitely bigger on Plus than on any other Luomo that I've heard.

surprised no one is talking about Plus. "Good Stuff" is on repeat here.

I talked about it a lot upthread. But "Good Stuff" is def. my least favourite track.

Need to spend some time with Plus but I'm to afraid this guy is diminishing returns.

to _ too

I should learn English at some point.

http://i53.tinypic.com/rlceas.jpg

Diminishing returns? Vocal City > Convivial = The Present Lover > Plus >> Paper Tigers. No diminish returns, yet. Also Plus, Sistol, and to a lesser degree the Quartet show Sasu having fun with new ideas - even if the execution isn't always quite there.

Latoma EP on echocord is pretty great.

I enjoy "Plus" a lot, "Spy" especially. Jedmond OTM.

i'd put plus over convivial and TPL over both. vocal city on top, of course.

enjoying this remix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNbBd-rTjF8&feature=related

Wow, is this good. I can't believe it came out of the Arctic Circle. I might finally break down and get the import!

I gave up and ordered the CD. I am so excited it is coming later this week. My new speakers are hooked up and ready. Listening to the singles NONSTOP. This is the real sh--!

Tim F. is right, it has a very dense sound, it's kind of weird. Certainly worth your time, but don't expect to be blown away at first. Holding out hope that it gets better.

Want to make one of those "brain lighting up" meme images but with "Tessio" --> "Synkro" --> "The Right Wing".

the devil's advocate in me adds a fourth image that's just the cover image of The Present Lover

this is where I admit I own almost all the vladislav delay releases on physical media

Vocalcity is still one of my go-to albums to throw on when I'm tired and not quite ready to fall asleep in bed. just let my mind wander

sometimes i have black coffee and i think "should i also have feta cheese?"

a contrasting palate palette

anyone know where this limited pressing of a remastered Vocalcity can be found? it was mentioned in a Bandcamp notification (which has also disappeared into the aether) but all I can find is the digital.

https://www.normanrecords.com/records/181087-luomo-vocalcity-20th-anniversary-remaster

xo!

Dear listener,

To bring some emotional rescue in these difficult times we have released a 20th anniversary of Luomo "Vocalcity", remastered and with the original artwork again, triple vinyl in deep blue color. There's a limited edition 300 copies pressing available on Boomkat now.

Stay strong.

SR

boomkat's the only one with the limited blue one afaict

Love luomo.

the blue vinyl Vocalcity remaster arrived!

it's a good remaster/reissue! kind of surprised with one track per side that it's 33rpm but it sounds nice

checking outside a couple times a day in case my record is out there

Damn, glad I saw this. I had no idea this was getting reissued. Is the blue version still available? I see the black on at Juno but the blue is gone at Boomkat.

I bought the rerelease from Norman records - really looking forward to it

New subscription launched: https://vladislavdelay.bandcamp.com/subscribe

sometimes i just marvel at everything that's going on in "class"

vocalcity is really favorite album of all time material

really great run of old school ilm posts at the start of this thread

no wait i was thinking of another thread lol

*this* one starts with a great run of old school ilm posts: Explain the appeal of Luomo

The tessio thread is fun too when we are all just posting the lyrics

I enjoyed rereading my "immediate reax" posts to Convivial upthread that I just had to put it on again.

An early internet search for Vocalcity was my first contact with ILM. It took me a lol of a long time to find site new answers. I swear that I thought ILM was just one thread (not this one, I don't think) about Luomo's Vocalcity for months after that.

yep same thing that brought me to ILM

wow! :)

#onethread

because you move

because you move

― brimstead, Thursday, November 19, 2020 8:25 PM (one year ago) bookmarkflaglink

I
Got
To
Keep
On
Moving
With
You

there's nothing in the world that you can do for me
like there's nothing in the world that i need from you
like there's nothing in the world that i feel from you
i want everything from you
i take everything from you

i guess you turn me on
when you're gone
for me, it didn't go wrong
we just made another song

who did the vocals on this album? can't find this info anywhere

i always assumed it was Antye Greie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antye_Greie

It took me a decade since the first time I ever heard it, but I’ve finally realized The Right Wing is an extraordinarily strong track. I used to think it was the album’s dullest moment, but now I’m realizing just how strong that beat is!

And out of nowhere:

https://vladislavdelay.bandcamp.com/album/talovahti

haha you beat me by 25 seconds

it's just one track - but it's great.

Actually there are two tracks (it seems another one was loaded a month ago) - and they’re both so warm and comforting - still closer to the style of Plus than anything prior, but with some of the sharper edges of the Plus tracks carefully sanded away. It’s like he knew we needed to be comforted.

both of these tracks are remarkable

awesome

"talovahti" in particular is right in that luomo space, sound and rhythm and melody colliding in such a half-awake state that they smear into each other

excited to hear these, thanks for the tip!

anyone been following the bandcamp stuff in general?highlights? haven’t heard anything since rakka 1, i think… (which was pretty sick!)

There have been two more since

https://vladislavdelay.bandcamp.com/album/kadotetut

and just today:
https://vladislavdelay.bandcamp.com/album/nelj-kuuta

dude is on a tear