isolee - wearemonster

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wow, it has both texture and direction (songs, non-boring, rational progressions & changes basically) in spades for me.

I still need to pick up Rest, but SO will eventually.

xpost - Pillowtalk is probably my most played track by a long way.

I can only gush really at this point. It's virtually perfect in every way.

― fandango (fandango), Wednesday, 27 June 2001 02:57 (twenty-four years ago)

three years pass...

haven't seen any talk about this, and don't seem to be able to find out much about it via google, but i think i read somewhere that it's coming out in june. i really like it on a first couple of listens, particularly "schrapnell", whcih reminds m of some rock track that i can't quite place.

― toby (tsg20), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 12:10 (twenty years ago)

heard 2 tracks from it and found it hard to believe they were isloee 'cos they were so discofied. It took me 2 listens to get used to them and now i love them, theyre a real surprise and the amount of detail in both tracks ("schrapnell" and "spam") is incredible.

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 12:25 (twenty years ago)

or rather, it took me 2 listens to get used to the fact that i was listening to Isolee.

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 12:42 (twenty years ago)

Oooh I got this in the post the other day - it's excellent. I like the twangy Duane Eddy guitar one.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 12:49 (twenty years ago)

yeah, i heard the same two tracks as you, jed, which is prob why "schrapnell" is so firmly stuck in my head. is "spam" called "do re mi" now?

― toby (tsg20), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 13:05 (twenty years ago)

that's "schrapnell" JtN! ive no idea abotu "spam", toby.

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 13:38 (twenty years ago)

I am loving it so far. I'm now wondering if he was ever "micro-house" at all. The sound is so lush.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Saturday, 16 April 2005 17:30 (twenty years ago)

my electronic album of the year so far, no contest. coming to glasgow in july - woot!

'spam' (or whatever it is now called) and 'schrapnel' always have about 20 people queuing up to download them if i ever use limewire. i was surprised he is so popular.

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Saturday, 16 April 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

and yes, it is really lush. i always consider 'beau mot plage' to be thee micro-house anthem but this is something else. disco macro-house?

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Saturday, 16 April 2005 17:56 (twenty years ago)

It's so warm, maybe like a micro-daft punk.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Saturday, 16 April 2005 18:37 (twenty years ago)

i'm loving this album, too. he previewed some of the tracks at mutek last year and it was probably my favorite night out of 2004. the tracks sound so good on a big system. they all have this almost deceptive level of depth to them which is probably what also made "beau mot plage" so good. the tracks with guitars on this put all corny indie fuxxtronica to shame. the melancholic and euphoric elements (or tension/release) on this album are immaculate. the bassline on "face b" would make ed rush proud. woo!!

― prada robot (disco stu), Saturday, 16 April 2005 18:42 (twenty years ago)

"Today" has a very A.R. Kane-ish vibe.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Saturday, 16 April 2005 18:46 (twenty years ago)

i love the way he uses the entire soundfield for all of the squelchy bass. this album has a really well designed or economical usage of sound, too. it's kind of like nothing takes precedence over anything else.

― prada robot (disco stu), Saturday, 16 April 2005 18:55 (twenty years ago)

Putting the D back in IDM.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Saturday, 16 April 2005 20:10 (twenty years ago)

yo!! what up D?!!

― prada robot (disco stu), Saturday, 16 April 2005 22:01 (twenty years ago)

Where you been the past ten years?!?

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Sunday, 17 April 2005 00:00 (twenty years ago)

no shit, but was idm really ever for dancing? on the recent "recommend me some idm" thread i almost listed basic channel, but i couldn't because bc is techno. i was happy to see someone else list it, but still it doesn't seem right. i think i listed pole instead. with idm i have the spliff smoking robot from the warp comp embedded in my brain so it's always about the coffee table more than the dancefloor. short of stuff like sweet exorcist (which is really not idm to begin with), i can't think of much idm that has ever been dancefloor oriented. the first autechre album? "didgeridoo" wasn't even idm. and here's where i say idm is a shit genre name to begin with.

anyway, the reason i am posting to this thread is because i wanted to ask, how fucking great would it be if isolee remixed recloose's "dust" the way he did "cardiology". that remix was so huge!!

― prada robot (disco stu), Sunday, 17 April 2005 05:40 (twenty years ago)

Yes, IDM was never really dancefloor material to begin with. I was bascially commenting on how with every passing year, producers have been reducing the "D" and the "M" to miniscule levels, and just giving us straight "I." More D please.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Sunday, 17 April 2005 05:52 (twenty years ago)

Is the album at all like the "Cardiology" remix or "Can't Sleep All Night"? I love love love both of those.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 17 April 2005 06:28 (twenty years ago)

Scrapnell reminds me alot of some Northern soul tune i can't quite put my finger on.

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 17 April 2005 13:00 (twenty years ago)

'stand by me'? kinda, at times

― hold tight the private caller (mwah), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 07:31 (twenty years ago)

album of the year so far for me.

funny moment of the weekend: at an afterparty in cuernavaca, mexico. luciano and mike shannon are DJing. i start to hear isolee's recloose remix fade in, walk over to where he's standing shirtless by the swimming pool (i shit you not, this party was like "mutek: the reality show" - it would've been on some ubercoolische parody shit if it weren't so bizarre), and tell him that it was one of my fave tracks of last year. isolee: "what is it?" and then about 3 seconds later he covers his face in his hands when he realizes it's his, cracking up.

to be fair, it was a long week. and his live set was fantastic, totally gloopy and overblown, just like the record.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 20:03 (twenty years ago)

This is really good, and i was totally expecting some more rhythmic nebulousness, but it was a lot more BEAT than I expected.

― Lethal Dizzle (djdee2005), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 20:06 (twenty years ago)

the whole things melts so pretty like.

― jermaine (jnoble), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

gloopy/melts are good words. it's like kelis' ice cream cone has succumbed to the heat and humidiy of summer, but it's still so sweet...(not there are many vocals on this album, i was more after the image)

― prada robot (disco stu), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 23:45 (twenty years ago)

i'm loving this right now. but i'm stuck on track three midway, not wanting it to get bad. and also needing a time to process it. i'm not sure how to describe it. is this idm? feels sorta like a shoegazer doing dance/IDM tracks to me on first track.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Monday, 25 April 2005 07:09 (twenty years ago)

mmmm the sounds are nice and thick - not that separated stringy stuff

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Monday, 25 April 2005 07:19 (twenty years ago)

oooo...its getting more good!

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Monday, 25 April 2005 07:26 (twenty years ago)

track five is insanely good-esp. toward middle/end.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Monday, 25 April 2005 07:30 (twenty years ago)

It's still a bit early, but I don't know if we'll see a better electronic/house record this year.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Monday, 25 April 2005 08:11 (twenty years ago)

i really love this - and i've listened to barely any techno/house/electronica this year, nor did i really want to, either.

― stelfox, Monday, 25 April 2005 10:25 (twenty years ago)

i got stuck on track 5 till 3am last nite. i'm afraid to go any further - i skipped over track 6 and tried a little bit of 7 - it seemed pretty good.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Monday, 25 April 2005 15:26 (twenty years ago)

there's a subltle part on track 5 where it builds up to make a transition and then there is these high pitched glassy sounds - like glass breaking but in same key as previous sounds - i know its just a synthesizer effect but its kinda amazing. felt really like mathematical and spatial.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Monday, 25 April 2005 15:42 (twenty years ago)

i want philip's life.

― mark p (Mark P), Monday, 25 April 2005 15:51 (twenty years ago)

hahaha.... i was waiting for someone to express the requisite jealousy! thank you, mark. i feel validated now.

still record of the year for me, and moreso every day, if that's possible.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Monday, 25 April 2005 16:31 (twenty years ago)

i'm still on track five. i like the retro electronica thing (maybe just on this track) i think he's doing. i.e when i hear the hornish/brass sounds and that running type tempo - running gloriously toward the "new world" or whatever. it makes you feel corny and excited! i don't have any examples but wasn't that strong in the early 80's? all i can think of is donald fagan-different music kinda but give you similar sentiment.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 17:39 (twenty years ago)

i want philip's life too

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 17:48 (twenty years ago)

what am I missing >:O the only track I'm feeling is "Schrapnell"

― W i l l (common_person), Tuesday, 26 April 2005 17:50 (twenty years ago)

this record is absolutely amazing.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 09:43 (twenty years ago)

every track has so many ideas, it's like they begin and you think "well this is a nice groove", and then more parts keep coming in, like even in the last 30 seconds of some of the tracks something totally new and different will come in, it's so unpredictable and it gives it this massive depth.

So good to have a record you can really dive into!

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 09:45 (twenty years ago)

This is good - it reminds me of a slightly more beefed up Plaid, which is a very good thing!

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 10:18 (twenty years ago)

Ha ha Ronan has now been totally naturalized as a microhouse fan!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 21:06 (twenty years ago)

haha it's true, but I think alot of it is to do with the way electrohouse and microhouse have slowly fused together, particularly in the last 6-9 months. I have been buying loads of micro stuff lately though, not least cos I feel the really huge electro anthems have kind of ceased to exist in the last 6 months or so, in favour of really epic minimal records.

I am quite pleased to note I actually have alot of "Today" on vinyl of my own accord. I'd been starting my mixes off with "Spark" too.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 6 May 2005 11:59 (twenty years ago)

"schrapnell" is ear candy. sooooooo amazing.

― cutty (mcutt), Friday, 6 May 2005 12:19 (twenty years ago)

ronan, you totally hit the nail on the head right there - you're right, even at the end of a track some little melodic element will make its cameo and the whole thing will change once more. it's as busy as an episode of arrested development or the simpsons.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Friday, 6 May 2005 13:28 (twenty years ago)

it's as busy as an episode of arrested development

they should put that on a sticker on the cover.

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Friday, 6 May 2005 13:45 (twenty years ago)

yeah they should.

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 6 May 2005 13:54 (twenty years ago)

"Schrapnell" worked perfectly as my driving-around-the-desert near Coachella soundtrack all last weekend.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 6 May 2005 16:06 (twenty years ago)

There are so many wonderful tracks on this - there's not as much willful oddness as on Rest (Wearemonster is always listenable). However, the highs of Rest ("Beau Mot Plage" "Djamel Et Jamshid" "Logiciel" "Keep On Dancin'") remain my favorite Isolee moments.

What track should Anu Pillai work into a Freeform Reform trilogy???

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 6 May 2005 16:44 (twenty years ago)

what do you guys think of the louie vega remixes by isolèe? i found them yesterday but haven't had a chance to hear them yet

― manuel (manuel), Friday, 6 May 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

I am very excited to hear about them! I think Masters at Work get thrown around as some kind of MOR classicist strawmen and they are *anything but*. If you want microhouse detail, listen to some MAW dubs on headphones.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 6 May 2005 17:49 (twenty years ago)

Is this better or worse than 'Rest' then?

I wouldn't mind hearing some more Playhouse-ish stuff, the Villalobos lp was quite good :O) but I'm tempted to get the one with "Beau Mot Plage" on instead. That and 'Rockers' off the Herbert Globus mix are all I've heard, and they're grrreat. Funds are a little stretched and I really shouldn't even be considering either!

― fandango (fandango), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 01:40 (twenty years ago)

I like Rest more, but this is absolutely great anyway.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 16:38 (twenty years ago)

Yes, yes, I really like it. But every so often I get the feeling I'm listening to an instrumental dub mix of something else.

― JoB (JoB), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 17:34 (twenty years ago)

i agree JoB. i totally love it but sometimes i think some of the tracks should be songs. maybe on the next record?

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 18:09 (twenty years ago)

Who do you want to sing?

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 18:11 (twenty years ago)

that's a very good question. i think really to do justice to isolee's music it would probably have to be a creature from the other side of our solar system.

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 18:16 (twenty years ago)

http://img37.exs.cx/img37/3684/jabba2fq.jpg

― fandango (fandango), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 18:21 (twenty years ago)

that's the very creature! you have to watch out when he hits the low bass notes though.

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 18:31 (twenty years ago)

I think I burnt out on this very quickly, as much as I like it, then again I think I burn out on everything extremely quickly these days.

I mean I still like it but the wow factor dissipates a bit. I imagine it'll be great again when I can buy it on vinyl and play it out a bit.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 18:48 (twenty years ago)

I just finished listening to it ... I think it has its hot and cold moments. Unsurprisingly, the more minimal cuts, such as the final tracks "Pillowtalk", are my faves.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 18:54 (twenty years ago)

I *love* the singing on Rest - it also had that warm analog-yet-micro sound.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 17 May 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

Yep. This (wearemonster) appears to be totally sweet.

Will play it again *loud* after I'm done ripping.

― fandango (fandango), Friday, 10 June 2005 08:46 (twenty years ago)

My humble take on this.

I've been getting into "Pillowtalk" a lot lately, I used to listen to this a lot on the way home from work, but I always got home by track 9.

Also the word is that this going to some US distribution...

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Friday, 10 June 2005 15:19 (twenty years ago)

good.

― Yakuza Ghost Six (nordicskilla), Friday, 10 June 2005 15:21 (twenty years ago)

I'm really loving this right now.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 10 June 2005 15:23 (twenty years ago)

I'm curious, though, why I hear this described as an IDM album in the first place. Not that I've read that much about it -- first I'd heard of Isolee was your article, Michael -- but is it because he comes from an IDM background?

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 10 June 2005 15:24 (twenty years ago)

my review of this is in the new Plan B and also here.

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 10 June 2005 15:24 (twenty years ago)

It's because MICHAEL F. GILL wants to turn house into IDM.

― the D Double signal (nordicskilla), Friday, 10 June 2005 15:25 (twenty years ago)

How dare you reveal my master plan, Adam!

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Friday, 10 June 2005 15:44 (twenty years ago)

John - He doesn't have an IDM background, but he does seems to admire IDM's structural complexity more than most House producers coming out of Germany these days. Robag Wruhme/Wighnomy Brothers is another producer who's mental makeup seems to be focused on IDM (ie dry, clicky, and techy sounds) but channels this through micro/minimal house.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Friday, 10 June 2005 15:56 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, actually, the more I listen to it, the more I notice that.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 10 June 2005 16:11 (twenty years ago)

MICHAEL F. GILL has spoken.

― the D Double signal (nordicskilla), Friday, 10 June 2005 17:18 (twenty years ago)

the one thing i have noticed in this album that i haven't seen pointed out yet is how great the tracks work together. he managed to make it so cohesive while the tracks still retain their singular qualities. i think rest was like this, too, but i haven't heard that album for awhile. the segue from "schrapnell" into "enrico" is mind blowing. based on the sounds, it shouldn't work, but the change in mood is perfect.

― tricky (disco stu), Friday, 10 June 2005 17:53 (twenty years ago)

Looks like I might actually get to ten records I can make a 'top ten' of this year!

Beyond delightful. Been playing it all day and not remotely bored of it yet.

― fandango (fandango), Friday, 10 June 2005 22:54 (twenty years ago)

the segue from "schrapnell" into "enrico"

holy shit, OTM. the way that vocal cut up comes in is just gorgeous.

― cutty (mcutt), Friday, 10 June 2005 23:23 (twenty years ago)

Quote from pitchfork review by "Nick Sylvester":

Isolée aren't bangers but they groove hard enough

I have always assumed it was just Rajko Müller...

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 15:54 (twenty years ago)

― the D Double signal (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 15:57 (twenty years ago)

"Isolée aren't bangers but they groove hard enough"

i think there's a word missing between isolee and aren't. "tracks", maybe?

― martin turenne, Wednesday, 15 June 2005 16:40 (twenty years ago)

Ah, that makes sense.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 16:48 (twenty years ago)

chomping at the bit, are we, chow?

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 16:52 (twenty years ago)

That's "Spencer Chow" to you!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 16:53 (twenty years ago)

Surely that should be "Chowing at the bit".

― the D Double signal (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 16:58 (twenty years ago)

brilliant

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 17:34 (twenty years ago)

What an incredibly unreadable review about a rather listenable album.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 18:18 (twenty years ago)

My favorite new album this year so far. "My Hi-Matic' is the best updating of classic Moroder chug-into-space I've heard in ages. And the whole thing's just in love with the low end, which is so f*ckin' nice to hear.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Thursday, 16 June 2005 01:58 (twenty years ago)

"My Hi-Matic' is the best updating of classic Moroder chug-into-space I've heard in ages" --- wow, good description! i didn't know what it was...but that is it.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Thursday, 16 June 2005 17:45 (twenty years ago)

My Hi-Matic is my favorite track on this record.

― the D Double signal (nordicskilla), Thursday, 16 June 2005 17:46 (twenty years ago)

me too

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Thursday, 16 June 2005 17:47 (twenty years ago)

Too hard to pick a favourite, there are only like the 5-6 'most played' and that keeps changing.

The only one I don't really feel much for of them all is 'Today'.

― fandango (fandango), Thursday, 16 June 2005 18:03 (twenty years ago)

http://www.ccucp.org/images/I

― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 16 June 2005 18:13 (twenty years ago)

Headphone album of the year!

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Thursday, 16 June 2005 19:35 (twenty years ago)

gets better and then fades away and then gets better again. think "pillowtalk" is still my favourite. bizarre night tonight, friends girlfriend was like "I love this chill out stuff", "but it's not....oh ok yeah you're right it's brilliant................sigh".

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 18 June 2005 00:54 (twenty years ago)

haha that's exactly what I get when I play Superpitcher's Today and the Traum Interkontinental album at the office

― rizzx (rizzx), Saturday, 18 June 2005 06:25 (twenty years ago)

thisismonster

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 09:19 (twenty years ago)

had this nearly a week now and still haven't had a chance to play all of it. on evidence of first 2 or 3 tracks tho, it does sound super.

(heh, the title written as one word as on this thread always makes me think: WEREWOLVES OF DURHAM!)

― zebedee (zebedee), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 09:31 (twenty years ago)

Cozen brought this to the pub last night and I was marvelling about the thickness of the vinyl, before I realised there were two records in the same half of sleeve. Then I marvelled about the triple vinyl and the lovely gatefold. Maybe I should even try listening to it.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 10:40 (twenty years ago)

"busier than an episode of arrested development! don't let the brown skin put you off!"

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 20:50 (twenty years ago)

this record is making me super happy right now, even just thinking about it gets me going.

give it a try, mädchen.

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 20:54 (twenty years ago)

I hope everyone who likes this also gets Rest.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

I'm down.

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 21:00 (twenty years ago)

oo i don't have that (yet)

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Thursday, 23 June 2005 04:21 (twenty years ago)

I have Rest.

Cutty likes Rest.

― a real bear behind the microphone (nordicskilla), Thursday, 23 June 2005 04:27 (twenty years ago)

Here

― mpeethree, Thursday, 23 June 2005 05:06 (twenty years ago)

I can't decide whether I prefer it loud and super bassy or on headphones and super detailed. Both are great.

― Jacob (Jacob), Thursday, 23 June 2005 06:50 (twenty years ago)

so what do YOU want to know about mr. rajko 'isolee' muller? tell me cos we're mailing, little interview

― rizzx (rizzx), Thursday, 23 June 2005 07:52 (twenty years ago)

Is this record melodic?

― Comstock Carabinieri (nostudium), Thursday, 23 June 2005 07:54 (twenty years ago)

Mmmmm... Face B had so much bass! Definitely going to test this one out tonight over a huge system!

― Mika, Thursday, 23 June 2005 08:35 (twenty years ago)

friends girlfriend was like "I love this chill out stuff", "but it's not....oh ok yeah you're right it's brilliant................sigh".

haha! true.

― sleep (sleep), Thursday, 23 June 2005 13:18 (twenty years ago)

Has anybody seen Isolee perform live? good? bad? indifferent? I love his recorded material...

― tylero (tylero), Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:04 (twenty years ago)

I think I remember Tim Finney talking about seeing him DJ.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)

isolee is fantastic live. he did a cross between a live set and a laptop dj mix when i heard him and it was all rubbery disco goodness. (i also remember that he played "schrapnell" and this was at mutek 2004) he played a lot of stuff i didn't recognize from his singles/albums/remixes. sounded crisp and heavy on a big system. his shit is so laid back and loose and that pretty much washed over the crowd. smiles all around...

― tricky (disco stu), Thursday, 23 June 2005 17:09 (twenty years ago)

i want to start a band that does a schrapnell cover.

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 23 June 2005 17:11 (twenty years ago)

rizzx, are you still mailing with him?

― tricky (disco stu), Thursday, 23 June 2005 17:13 (twenty years ago)

i saw isolee DJ at APT in NY. he might have been great but i couldn't tell because that place is so terrible

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 23 June 2005 17:18 (twenty years ago)

i am, hit me

― rizzx (rizzx), Thursday, 23 June 2005 18:09 (twenty years ago)

i heard he'll be back in NYC this fall, can't wait for that ... i sadly missed him at APT.

― rajeev (rajeev), Thursday, 23 June 2005 18:17 (twenty years ago)

ok, does he have any plans to tour Australia (specifically Brisbane)?

xpost

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Thursday, 23 June 2005 18:18 (twenty years ago)

I have the chance to book him (in San Diego) in september, but it's a sunday or monday, and I bet we'd lose our shirts, with the crowd we can expect. *sigh*

― tylero (tylero), Thursday, 23 June 2005 19:02 (twenty years ago)

Is he coming to SF?

― a real bear behind the microphone (nordicskilla), Thursday, 23 June 2005 19:03 (twenty years ago)

ok, ask him

- if he has any remixes in the pipeline
- if he is coming back to the states at all
- what he thinks about the current popularity and positive critical reception of his album and of the big german dance labels
- what he thinks of terms like underground - is it still relevant?
- why the huge gap of time between rest and we are monster

i could probably come up with more...

― tricky (disco stu), Thursday, 23 June 2005 19:07 (twenty years ago)

bummer tylero. there needs to be a package tour with a few of these guys i think.

― tricky (disco stu), Thursday, 23 June 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

Word is that this is going to come out on Astralwerks in the fall.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Thursday, 23 June 2005 21:35 (twenty years ago)

http://www.gabba.cc/ at the moment have an mp3 up from Rest 'Keep On Dancin'. I will probably get that one too (sometime) now!

― fandango (fandango), Thursday, 23 June 2005 21:43 (twenty years ago)

I saw him play in late '01 so it was all stuff from Rest mainly. An amazing show, the sound was enormous and had everyone going insane (and this in a fairly small bar). "Beau Mot Plage" felt like it went for about 20 minutes, and I mean that as a compliment!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 23 June 2005 21:45 (twenty years ago)

His set was great at APT. Got drunk off his ass, too! Sweet guy.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:44 (twenty years ago)

i prefer this record to "Rest", i think.

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 23 June 2005 22:47 (twenty years ago)

i'm making a special trip to HMV tomorrow to pick this up.. (london rules)

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Thursday, 23 June 2005 23:13 (twenty years ago)

"Keep On Dancin'" is one of my favorites.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 23 June 2005 23:19 (twenty years ago)

Everytime I think of a track from Rest I think it's my favourite (I still think "Music..." is an unheralded successor to Loveless), but I usually pick "I Owe You" - those stabs are so dramatic!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 23 June 2005 23:33 (twenty years ago)

I love the inscrutable artwork too:

http://www.kompaktkiste.de/cd/_abc/_p/playhouse38c.jpg

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 23 June 2005 23:38 (twenty years ago)

Ill post a transcript at http://shake-appeal.blogspot.com

― Joris (rizzx), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:04 (twenty years ago)

that was me

― rizzx (rizzx), Friday, 24 June 2005 12:05 (twenty years ago)

his website is pretty inscrutable, too, but you can listen to the whole album in high-quality quicktime. http://www.isolee.de/

― tricky (disco stu), Friday, 24 June 2005 13:25 (twenty years ago)

aw, crap. it was £15! I guess I just assumed it was am import from London. Damn. I'll just wait 'til it goes domestic in the fall... I did get a copy of Rip It Up and Start Again for £9.99...

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Friday, 24 June 2005 16:20 (twenty years ago)

interview posted: http://shake-appeal.blogspot.com/

― rizzx (rizzx), Monday, 27 June 2005 10:21 (twenty years ago)

Any U.S. online shops where I can get this? Without spending too much?

― Justin McVicker (makelove), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:32 (twenty years ago)

I really enjoyed the interview, rizzx.

― c/n (Cozen), Tuesday, 28 June 2005 22:46 (twenty years ago)

ha, i liked that you asked if he knew what rockism was!

some guitar bands like the stone roses for example, and I listened of course to some new electronic releases like Ricardo's Alcachova, DJ Koze's stuff and International Pony, and to some old stuff, The Beach Boys, Shuggie Otis...
yeah, that all makes sense, having now heard the whole LP

poortheatre: aren't you in Amsterdam now? i'll bet you can get wearemonster there

record shops in Amsterdam thread

― zebedee (zebedee), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 10:47 (twenty years ago)

12.) What is it about Germany that makes it such an electronic nation?
I don't know, maybe it is because there is no sea and no sunshine, otherwise it would be big windsurfing-nation.

ha ha!

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 11:14 (twenty years ago)

ha, i liked that you asked if he knew what rockism was!

Hah i like the answer even more. People should pick up on that around here ;)

― rizzx (rizzx), Wednesday, 29 June 2005 15:50 (twenty years ago)

nick's review is good I thought (I just spent a wee while reading a heap of his pfork stuff, it's mostly good and funny though sometimes a bit disingenuous and hurtful but he's from new york I guess! hi nick, I'm cozen) and it hints at the thing I most like abt the album on the few albums I've been able to give it: "seems so effortless, breathes so carefree" - and this might sound silly but it's almost as if the songs are alive (ok maybe that makes no sense) 0 that the songs themselves sound so confident and so assured, comfortable in using the best-sounding synth for half a bar only and then almost forgetting they ever did. and of course, yeah, music of any power detaches itself from its creator to enjoy an existence of its own, (usually at the stage of eventual reader-reception.) "enrico" sounds like an isolée remix blend of "dexter"/"easy lee" and so is obv. brilliant.

― c/n (Cozen), Sunday, 3 July 2005 16:22 (twenty years ago)

(haha "key word: mostly. thanks MUCH, fucker" - sorry, it was all good and funny)

― c/n (Cozen), Sunday, 3 July 2005 16:24 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

while going through some answers i thought this might interest you

He's gonna do: "A remix for dixon, egoexpress, probably Tiga."

― rizzx (rizzx), Monday, 18 July 2005 17:01 (twenty years ago)

OK, so I've been listening to this album a lot as something has been bothering me about it. I have to say that while Isolee is the absolute master of "texture", this album is lacking in direction. No matter how beautiful they sound, the tracks just don't go anywhere. They're almost like beautifully layered interstitial tracks - the problem is I keep waiting for it to really take off - even something as lovely as Schrapnell just seems like verse after verse. Rest was much more fully realized in this regard. As such Wearemonster is a somewhat frustrating experience for me.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 18 July 2005 17:17 (twenty years ago)

pillowtalk has it's claws in me, i dont dig schrapnell that much, too earthly. i like how pillowtalk digs deeper and deeper towards the end. as for lacking in direction, i dont have a problem with that. muller himself wouldn't like that u think that, i'm sure as he's put in a lot of work to decide on track order etc

― rizzx (rizzx), Monday, 18 July 2005 18:45 (twenty years ago)

it's all about 'today'

― czn (johnson), Monday, 18 July 2005 21:42 (twenty years ago)

I love this album. So spongy!

I love Rest too though. It's not an either/or thing.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 18 July 2005 22:30 (twenty years ago)

unbelievably, rest is even better!

― czn (johnson), Friday, 22 July 2005 20:28 (twenty years ago)

i must listen to that again.

― jed_ (jed), Friday, 22 July 2005 20:42 (twenty years ago)

cozen, have you heard the Isolee remix of Recloose's "Cardiology" from last year? Sometimes I think that's his finest moment.

(although there's stiff competition)

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 22 July 2005 20:53 (twenty years ago)

ok so maybe you guys were right for once. this album is intolerably sexy. don't let it go to your heads.

why do i have the sudden urge to lose 20 pounds and wear designer clothes? why am i in this bathroom stall?

― Lukas (lukas), Thursday, 4 August 2005 18:21 (twenty years ago)

Good news for fellow Amerikaner Schwein who haven't picked this up yet- Neighborhoodies have this for $11.99 with free shipping in their music section. I don't work for them, I swear; I too have laughed long and hard at the CRUNK OMG guy. Still a good deal though.

― Telephonething (Telephonething), Thursday, 4 August 2005 19:03 (twenty years ago)

i can't stop listening to "Pillowtalk".

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 4 August 2005 19:05 (twenty years ago)

yeaaah 'pillowtalk' is the shiznit

― rizzx (Rizz), Thursday, 4 August 2005 19:07 (twenty years ago)

that bathroom stall comment wins the thread.

i love "pillowtalk" too!! so good.

everyone (techno and non-techno fans included) i have turned this album onto really likes it.

― tricky (disco stu), Thursday, 4 August 2005 19:21 (twenty years ago)

could somebody post a link to "the CRUNK OMG guy"? i think i must see this beast.

― vahid (vahid), Thursday, 4 August 2005 19:22 (twenty years ago)

He was a random Corny Indie Fuck on a Pitchfork sidebar with a Neighborhoodies shirt reading (IIRC) "CRUNKED UP" over a picture of an assault rifle. Because, you know, irony.

― Telephonething (Telephonething), Thursday, 4 August 2005 20:00 (twenty years ago)

aw that's too bad. i thought somebody was wearing a hoody that said "CRUNK OMG" on it ... hey, wait ...

― vahid (vahid), Thursday, 4 August 2005 22:30 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

sf weekly (p. sherburne) on wearemonster

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 20:34 (twenty years ago)

It's a little bit house, a little bit disco, and, yes, a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll.

buh?

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 20:37 (twenty years ago)

Great write-up, but this:

according to Discogs.com, an electronic-music discography, the song appears on no fewer than 47 compilations. Many of them feature titles like Café Mambo: The Real Sound of Ibiza and Spirit of the Sun 2 -- breezy, Balearic references that seem at odds with the cold, Teutonic vibe of Isolée's other work up until that point

I think this is missing the fact that most of these comps use the Freeform Five (Anu Pillai) remix. It is much more "organic" and includes many newly played and sung bits from "live" musicians which I think helps to explain why that version appears so often on "those" kind of collections.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 20:42 (twenty years ago)

Isolee is playing in Cambridge/Boston next week, details are over here.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 20:46 (twenty years ago)

"I think this is missing the fact that most of these comps use the Freeform Five (Anu Pillai) remix. It is much more "organic" and includes many newly played and sung bits from "live" musicians which I think helps to explain why that version appears so often on "those" kind of collections."

And of course that remix is one of the best nu-balearic tunes evah!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 21:41 (twenty years ago)

I think it's probably one of the top 10 remixes of all time!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 21:42 (twenty years ago)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/dance/breezeblock/breezeblock_archive.shtml?20050906

― toby (tsg20), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 08:22 (twenty years ago)

"I think it's probably one of the top 10 remixes of all time! "

Today, Spencer, I will be agreeing with you.

There is a shivery excitement from the moment they bring in the live percussion and instruments over the top of the original muted pulse, like you just know this ain't gonna be no ordinary remix.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 11:50 (twenty years ago)

that Freeform Five mix is rotten.

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 11:56 (twenty years ago)

of course i think that! ;)

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 11:56 (twenty years ago)

http://cbg.nohomers.net/images/newgrab4.gif

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 12:06 (twenty years ago)

i dunno who that is :/

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 12:19 (twenty years ago)

never mind.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 12:21 (twenty years ago)

as if.

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 12:29 (twenty years ago)

My other favourite bizarro remix of Isolee is Lopazz on "It's About" - starts off twinkling alien disco and ends up clanking robot funk.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 12:44 (twenty years ago)

Some of those comps feature the remix, yeah, and I should have spelled that out.... but I was surprised how many feature the original!

As for the "little bit country, little bit rock and roll," ok, maybe "country" is a bit of a stretch, but there's no denying the Americana-ness of those guitars.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 14:17 (twenty years ago)

Great article, Philip.

I can't seem to get enough of Wearemonster. It's one of the most rewarding albums of the year, continually revealing new facets and sounds with every listen. It's pretty much everything I could ask for from an electronic record. Organic, melodic and surprising.

The patience it would take to weave this stuff together in a sequencer is mind boggling. It's high art!

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 14:29 (twenty years ago)

Maybe you all knew already, but Playhouse will reissue Rest in October, with new cover art. Check it out on their site.

― Ben (crispyben), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 14:45 (twenty years ago)

The patience it would take to weave this stuff together in a sequencer is mind boggling. It's high art!

and not only are the sound design, song structure and track sequence brilliant, but most of the tracks also have these insanely deep grooves to them (much like rest did). woo!! i was so happy that he opened with "enrico" in sf.

― tricky (disco stu), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 15:34 (twenty years ago)

oh wow, on ongaku.de they have basquiat dressed in isolee t-shirts. i think my brane is melting. mellllting.

― tricky (disco stu), Tuesday, 20 September 2005 15:58 (twenty years ago)

shit & pistols

― cozen (Cozen), Thursday, 29 September 2005 19:59 (twenty years ago)

This is still my N°1 record this year.

― snowballing (snowballing), Thursday, 29 September 2005 20:02 (twenty years ago)

matias aguayo a (surprisingly) close second, at least at the moment. but fucking hell, yeah.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Thursday, 29 September 2005 22:05 (twenty years ago)

agree philip. the aguayo is stunning. 'de papel' hot on the heels of 'i feel space' as my dance 12 of the year.

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Thursday, 29 September 2005 22:09 (twenty years ago)

between this (Isolee), Sizzla (Soul Deep) and the new Go-Kart Mozart for me so far (ha just realised the double entendre in Tearing Up The Album Chart!) (hm gotta check this Aguayo)

― Paul (scifisoul), Thursday, 29 September 2005 22:11 (twenty years ago)

after the slow rmx my hopes were up for the aguayo album and he did not disappoint that's for sure. i love how slow in tempo the album is. and that it's minimal but doesn't sound minimal at all. some heavy stuff going on in those beats!

― tricky (disco stu), Thursday, 29 September 2005 22:21 (twenty years ago)

what is aguayo please

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 29 September 2005 22:38 (twenty years ago)

I think it's the guy who was one half of Closer Musik?

Does this album have vocals?

― fandango (fandango), Thursday, 29 September 2005 22:44 (twenty years ago)

If the album refered to is "Wearemonster" - then yes, but only vocal stutters.

If the album refered to is "Are You Really Lost", by Matias Aguayo (who definetly is half of Closer Musik) - then yes, some songs don't have much, but others do - even rapping and "Cosmic Sandwich" style twittering/listing of the days of the week occur.

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Thursday, 29 September 2005 23:26 (twenty years ago)

I feel like the only one slightly perplexed by the Matias album. "De Papel" is brilliant though.

Isolee is still my #1 disc of the year, and was pretty great live too. He also likes pizza.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Friday, 30 September 2005 00:18 (twenty years ago)

i wish i'd seen him live. i still really like this cd.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Friday, 30 September 2005 00:38 (twenty years ago)

One thing I meant to ask earlier: has anybody heard anything about singles being released of Wearemonster?

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Friday, 30 September 2005 04:03 (twenty years ago)

(and it's algeria, and it's 'bomo plage')

: )

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 30 September 2005 08:22 (twenty years ago)

So I picked up the re-issue of Rest. I listened to all the way through two times now and there are the expected highlights ("Beau Mot Plage","Skeep On Dancin'") but overall, it doesn't hit me nearly as hard. And it is very different sounding, much more minimal. It makes this quote from the beginning of the thread regarding Wearemonster seem very true to me: "I'm now wondering if he was ever "micro-house" at all. The sound is so lush." Rest is much more squelchy and high-end to me, and I think I really like the low end of Wearemonster. As of now it is my album of the year. Do I just need to give Rest more time? What is wrong with me? I can't stop listening to Wearemonster and am only mildly interested in Rest.

― matt2 (matt2), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 16:14 (twenty years ago)

Matt2, you need to sit on Rest for a while. It's dense and reveals it's glory slowly. It's also reliant on external factors coming together to fascilitate the enjoyment. To be honest, his 12"s on Playhouse from that era are much easier to digest and enjoy. Wearemonster is Rest distilled and recut for the dancefloor. If there were a good soundboard recording of his recent live sets, i'd be extremely thankful.

― biz, Tuesday, 11 October 2005 16:24 (twenty years ago)

Haha Matt, I wrote that quote and I was referring to Rest AS OPPOSED TO Wearemonster!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 16:52 (twenty years ago)

That is funny because I've been thinking that Rest is a very much minimal (is that statement possible) and perhaps that, in contrast with Wearemonster's maximal-ness, is why I'm having a hard time sinking my teeth in to it. I won't give up, though.

― matt2 (matt2), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 14:10 (twenty years ago)

I love rest, it's so wiry and splintered... it reminds me of the music I sometimes see in dreams

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 14:28 (twenty years ago)

Matt, I was referring to the sounds themselves if that helps. Something about Wearemonster 'sounds' thin to me, whereas Rest is very warm and full.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 12 October 2005 16:50 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

not sure why i'm posting this, maybe b/c this made the pitchfork list and Thrills didn't, but i listened to this last night and it seemed...not that exciting. I still like My Hi-Matic alot though.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 17:54 (nineteen years ago)

Ditto. It's still on the outside looking in at my Top 5 of '05 (electronic/dance releases, that is).

― Zimmer026 (Zimmer026), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 17:59 (nineteen years ago)

you're crazy, susan! clearly, my beneficial influence is wearing off around 1122 church st. it's all that neil young, it's destroying your brain!

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 18:13 (nineteen years ago)

it true and w/o the influx of new music, i'm just hanging by the thread of ellen allien albums of past. when that breaks off, i'll probably start listening to Boz Scaggs reckirds. think of that while you're sitting pretty in your european paradise surrounded by the latest. I'LL BE IN AMERICA LISTENING TO SCAGGS! or Neil Young's electronica album!!!

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 18:35 (nineteen years ago)

Brains...need...more...brains... I can't speak for Susan's sanity, but I just, hmmm, rarely find myself returning to it (after not going back for "seconds" all that often in the first place).

Although, "Face B" = tasty, chunky dessert.

― Zimmer026 (Zimmer026), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 18:37 (nineteen years ago)

"I can't speak for Susan's sanity"
well!

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 18:39 (nineteen years ago)

"Brains...need...more...brains..."
this is also disturbing

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 18:40 (nineteen years ago)

I still like but don't love Wearemonster. I feel like getphysical and all my time spent reliving 10 year old chicago house have embittered me toward small drums. Even records I took to right away (Ferenc, Matias Aguayo) I didn't end up playing very much.

― deej.. (deej..), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 18:42 (nineteen years ago)

"embittered toward small drums" is a track title waiting to happen.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 18:49 (nineteen years ago)

Haha I should probably copyright it while I have the chance.
I should also mention I usually end up at clubs that play a lot more trad chicago house than I do microclubs. I don't even know if there are any microclubs in Chicago.

― deej.. (deej..), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 18:54 (nineteen years ago)

I mean Sonotheque + smartbar host DJs who spin German stuff from time to time but I'm not aware of any regular nights.

― deej.. (deej..), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 18:58 (nineteen years ago)

more on my dislike: I guess what disturbs me about the rest of the album is he's too focused on tidbits and transitions he thinks are cool and if you listen to it again and again they become very prominent/garish and the connecting parts kinda slip away. i ended up feeling that besides M"y-HiMatic" and "Face B" that the album was rough in that way and he didn't make the music his own. When I first listened to this, I think I was just impressed with how he was using the retro elements. Also the sounds are nice.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 18:59 (nineteen years ago)

My continued love and devotion stems from all those varied tidbits and transitions and the way they work so well to make the whole interesting throughout. Just sayin'.

― matt2 (matt2), Thursday, 22 December 2005 17:46 (nineteen years ago)

I am immune to this album :/

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Thursday, 22 December 2005 17:57 (nineteen years ago)

my position is similar to deej, i like the album a lot and invariably enjoy it when i put it on, but very little sticks in the mind afterwards ('schrapnell' and 'my hi-matic' the big exceptions) and it's certainly nowhere near the quality of thrills. i don't know why this got all the critical love by comparison!

― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 22 December 2005 18:19 (nineteen years ago)

'Schrapnell''s another track I like ok. And I have to say, I like the cover art alot! But how/what 'Enrico'....???

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Thursday, 22 December 2005 18:31 (nineteen years ago)

I love the shivery tremolo on the vocal uhhs and ahhs that race across "Enrico"- it's weirdly reminiscent of Coil circa "Love's Secret Domain"

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Thursday, 22 December 2005 18:48 (nineteen years ago)

I think this album deserves all the acclaim, and "Enrico" is maybe my favorite track -- it's the one I play first for friends who don't already know the album. I love how that track in particularly combines so many improbable things: a schaffel feel (in the breathy vocal stuff), straight techno rhythms, scratchy rhythm guitar, dub effects. And the punchy snare hit that comes around every once in a while is such a perfect sound, perfectly timed.

― National Roffle Association (Paul in Santa Cruz), Thursday, 22 December 2005 19:09 (nineteen years ago)

there are alot of cool and interesting sounds but its just that the songs structure is weird/plotless and not in a good way.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Thursday, 22 December 2005 19:18 (nineteen years ago)

I don't know why this got all the critical love by comparison!

"We Are Monster" - addictive, instant (yet revealing on further listens), and original ear candy by the ton.
"Thrills" - possibly quite inaccesible to crack the surface (of what could appear fairly straightforward 4/4 grooves)?

Anyway, I think they're both of reasonably equal 'quality'. Obviously Ellen Allien hits me way harder on some head/gut-level than the Isolee, but that one is a lot of fun too and I spent a goodly portion of the year bouncing between the delights of both.

The interesting thing is how Thrills sounds possibly even more effortlessly constructed and 'organic' than We Are Monster, despite the tracks being trackier. When I got bored with that I tended to go back to We Are Monster, only to eventually find it after many playthroughs a bit too artfully constructed & poised in it's squiggliness by comparison... which was when I'd go back to the rougher goodness of Thrills ... etcetera

tbh it's the Vitalic love I don't get this year.

― Merry Christmas (fandango), Thursday, 22 December 2005 19:23 (nineteen years ago)

no, no, no, no, no. weird and plotted in the best way.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Thursday, 22 December 2005 19:29 (nineteen years ago)

i've never knowingly heard Ellen Alien. i've just listened to wearemonster again & i adore it. Pillowtalk needs more love here. it's not quite my album of the year but it's up there.

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 22 December 2005 19:37 (nineteen years ago)

We Are Monster feels like one of the most WHOLE, perfect and complete (and odd! "Baby/Jelly-fish" wtf?) ecosystems in a 'dance/electronic' record I can recall hearing since "Bytes"... I guess that's why my "if I was a critic" head would elevate it over Thrills in quality.

― Merry Christmas (fandango), Thursday, 22 December 2005 19:37 (nineteen years ago)

If I was coming to it later (still haven't heard 'Rest'), or with a broader comprehensive knowledge of it's antecedents in disco, microhouse whatever then it might not seem that way of course. This is one time I'm happy to be ignorant though.

― Merry Christmas (fandango), Thursday, 22 December 2005 19:39 (nineteen years ago)

I love the shivery tremolo on the vocal uhhs and ahhs that race across "Enrico"- it's weirdly reminiscent of Coil circa "Love's Secret Domain"

!!!!!!!!!

i love you drew daniel

― geeta (geeta), Thursday, 22 December 2005 20:11 (nineteen years ago)

I am immune to this album :/

Me too. Thrills, same thing.

― Omar (Omar), Thursday, 22 December 2005 20:57 (nineteen years ago)

The interesting thing is how Thrills sounds possibly even more effortlessly constructed and 'organic' than We Are Monster, despite the tracks being trackier. When I got bored with that I tended to go back to We Are Monster, only to eventually find it after many playthroughs a bit too artfully constructed & poised in it's squiggliness by comparison... which was when I'd go back to the rougher goodness of Thrills ... etcetera -

Merry Christmas

maybe this is my problem in beginning. i was really liking this until i started listening to Thrills (recently) really heavily and then wham! the love completely deflated, maybe eventually I'll get tired of Thrills and have the perfect toggle situation. hmmm.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Thursday, 22 December 2005 21:23 (nineteen years ago)

susan, i think that's what we hear differently - we have different ideas of what is "effortless," "constructed," and "organic," i think. i don't hear anything forced or even that constructed in the isolée - what i hear are shapes and figures that just sort of morph and meld at their own will. ok, sometimes i hear him do something and i immediately think, "what was rajko thinking when he did that?" but even in those cases, it's more like i see him reacting to this supersystem he'd built, navigating his way through it. i think it's because of all the cogs and gears and bits and bobs that it feels effortless to me, because they all seem to have their own agendas and logics, and for the most part they all play nice - but never too nice.

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Thursday, 22 December 2005 22:09 (nineteen years ago)

yep, and i think this is my same problem and our same difference on Kelley Polar's album.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Thursday, 22 December 2005 22:25 (nineteen years ago)

also....can someone finally quickly explain how to italicize here? (just realized looks like I wrote and was not quoting Merry Christmas' post).

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Thursday, 22 December 2005 22:38 (nineteen years ago)

< i > italics go here, without the spaces in the brackets < /i >

― Merry Christmas (fandango) (fandango), Thursday, 22 December 2005 22:45 (nineteen years ago)

or try here - http://www.pageresource.com/html/textags.htm

― Merry Christmas (fandango), Thursday, 22 December 2005 22:45 (nineteen years ago)

< hello ILM >

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Friday, 23 December 2005 03:13 (nineteen years ago)

shit.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Friday, 23 December 2005 03:15 (nineteen years ago)

haHAAAAAA!

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Friday, 23 December 2005 03:18 (nineteen years ago)

hmmmm...

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Friday, 23 December 2005 03:58 (nineteen years ago)

I have to admit, I do feel a bit guilty about using an email notification thread to learn how to use italics - at lease you (aka Susan) had the decency to contribute to the thread.

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Friday, 23 December 2005 04:00 (nineteen years ago)

i never really thought about that. ok thx for putting an end to my selfishly frivolous posting habits. THANK YOU!

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Friday, 23 December 2005 05:20 (nineteen years ago)

coming soon -

ISOLÉE - WESTERN STORE - CD - Playhouse
A collection from his 12" material that came out before his first album
»REST« featuring of course »über-hit« »BEAU MOT PLAGE«. All tracks are
remastered!

This beautiful collection is accompanied by a 2x12" with »Super Disco Edits«
by the likes of LUCIANO, VILLALOBOS, THE GLIMMERS and DIXON of their choice
songs from the WESTERN STORE.

ISOLÉE - WESTERN STORE - THE DISCO EDITS - 2x12" - Playhouse

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Friday, 23 December 2005 06:02 (nineteen years ago)

This is a lot like the Berlinette vs Thrills discussion on the Ellen Allien thread -- a slicker, more polished-sounding album vs a rougher, grimier, coarser one. "Wearemonster" and "Thrills" are so different, I'm not even sure why they're being compared.

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Friday, 23 December 2005 06:55 (nineteen years ago)

i want to learn how to italicize too

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Friday, 23 December 2005 08:12 (nineteen years ago)

Hey Stirmonster, don't go stopping my heart like that.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Friday, 23 December 2005 09:09 (nineteen years ago)

That's some review of Phil's: CHiPS, Aaron Copland, Kraftwerk, Darwin and intelligent design all seamlessly (and correctly!) woven in.

I have a question about rest. Do the strings sound intentionally woozy (or is my vinyl warped?). 'Cos I hear a little of that on some of Wearemonster, but not to quite the same extent. After hours of driving myself mad, I've decided that they are meant to sound like that, but that my record is also slightly warped (and also is Beau Mot Plage-less).

Anyway, Mi-Hi-Matic is 'monster'.

― Jamie T Smith (Jamie T Smith), Friday, 23 December 2005 11:07 (nineteen years ago)

its just that the songs structure is weird/plotless and not in a good way

insofar as there's a structure at all, maybe this is why none of the components stick in my head. i end up filing we are monster as really high quality mood music, or morning after music.

tbh it's the Vitalic love I don't get this year.

what don't you love about vitalic?! i mean he's v different to e allien and r mueller so there's no reason i should assume you like him, but...

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 23 December 2005 12:51 (nineteen years ago)

Vitalic makes my head hurt in exactly the same way as hard trance. Granted he doesn't have quite such bad kickdrums or unimaginative synths but... It's WAY too ampetaminized, headbanging and obvious. I can live with being a dance snob on this one if that's what it comes down to, I just need -more- in subtlety/depth/mood/interesting noises personally. It (and he) has some sort of 'character' sure, but meh... Not enough to make up for the things I dislike.

It's also hard to pinpoint how it's different from Daft Punk's similarly abrasive moments, just that it is... I can't feel the house in Vitalic, but I can hear the stadium, the glowsticks and the cheese all too clearly. I didn't like that Björk remix much either :/

(if I could have edited that last part by now I would have btw... it was flippant & I don't really want to hijack the thread. As you asked I may as well reply was all I thought).

― Merry Christmas (fandango), Friday, 23 December 2005 15:31 (nineteen years ago)

In less words perhaps... yes, what he does is "effective", that I wouldn't deny, but it also leaves me stone cold and uninvolved on some other (apparently crucial) level.

― Merry Christmas (fandango), Friday, 23 December 2005 15:40 (nineteen years ago)

i pretty much agree with you MC but I do love Fanfares, which may well be his "stupidist" track.

― jed_ (jed), Friday, 23 December 2005 15:48 (nineteen years ago)

I think I liked Fanfares too last time I heard it... it was just the album stuff which I recoiled from mostly, no way was I going to spend money on that (I don't download much recently).

― Merry Christmas (fandango), Friday, 23 December 2005 18:43 (nineteen years ago)

why isn't 'Are We Gonna Make It' on the CD version?
definitely one of the strongest tracks on the album... + much more straightforwardly floor friendly (obviously part of the answer)

― a, Saturday, 31 December 2005 03:51 (nineteen years ago)

*'Are You Gonna Make It'

― a, Saturday, 31 December 2005 03:53 (nineteen years ago)

It's like the Isolee remix of "What You Say" all over again.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Saturday, 31 December 2005 05:38 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...

OK, so I've been listening to this album a lot as something has been bothering me about it. I have to say that while Isolee is the absolute master of "texture", this album is lacking in direction. No matter how beautiful they sound, the tracks just don't go anywhere. They're almost like beautifully layered interstitial tracks - the problem is I keep waiting for it to really take off - even something as lovely as Schrapnell just seems like verse after verse. Rest was much more fully realized in this regard. As such Wearemonster is a somewhat frustrating experience for me.
-- Spencer Chow (spencercho...), July 18th, 2005.

i don't understand the origin of this accusation. the songs may not build to a peak and then resolve, and they may not exhibit any sort of logical construction over time, but they know how to hitch themselves to your mood and pull you in a certain direction. that type of progression feels so much better. why all the hate for iterative structures?

― lf (lfam), Saturday, 18 March 2006 03:05 (nineteen years ago)

whoa, i just totally bought into mill's hierarchy of pleasure. what a seductive technique. i'm not sure how much i stand by my statement anymore.

― lf (lfam), Saturday, 18 March 2006 03:09 (nineteen years ago)

WHOA.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Saturday, 18 March 2006 04:47 (nineteen years ago)

"they may not exhibit any sort of logical construction over time" --> really? 'schrapnell' conforms to a pretty standard song structure, to my ears. it wouldn't be out of place on an indie-rock record. 'my hi-matic' adheres to a verse-chorus-verse-chorus format and several of the other tracks do, too. in a lot of ways i think it's the most accessible, most pop record isolee has ever done.

― geeta (geeta), Saturday, 18 March 2006 04:53 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

he's performing here tomorrow, for a rather hefty price, so tell me:

how good is isolee live?

― jermaine (jnoble), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 09:42 (nineteen years ago)

i thought he was really good, super-warm and sunny and housey. he won over the non-believers very quickly. there's not much live about his show though if that is important to you. and he only played for an hour or so when i saw him.

― Good Dog (Good Dog), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 10:00 (nineteen years ago)

any other opinions on isolee live? I wonder if he stretches it out ever. Does he DJ?

― Good Dog (Good Dog), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 17:47 (nineteen years ago)

i saw him last september and loved it. your description is about right - he played for an hour or so, and the songs weren't drastically different from the recorded versions. he tweaked things enough to keep it interesting though.

― rajeev (rajeev), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 17:57 (nineteen years ago)

it's worth the price for Beau Mot Plage alone. if anyone has a copy of this track from his recent live sets, i'd love to hear it again.

― biz, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 19:33 (nineteen years ago)

so he was pretty great. his typical one hour set, then. 'hi matic' was breathtaking. gotta say though, 'beau mot' didn't sound especially different from the recorded version, though obviously didn't disappoint. what did disappoint, at least me, tremendously, was that he didn't play 'schrapnell'. fuck. they even used it as a loop on the event promo website. really wanted to hear 'schrapnell'. told him afterwards that schrapnell was one of my favourite pieces of music, and he gave a sort of appreciative nod, waited a while, and then said "i am very stoned".

― jermaine (jnoble), Thursday, 27 April 2006 08:58 (nineteen years ago)

ha ha

― Good Dog (Good Dog), Thursday, 27 April 2006 10:28 (nineteen years ago)

haha, i spoke to him once and he was in a similar state.

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 27 April 2006 13:09 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...

http://www.livincompany.de/images/shirts/universe_prev.jpg

familiar, non? :)

Stephan Marx Isolee-esque t-shirts, available from Search & Destroy. Cool dudes skater-owned shop: Oranienstr, Kreuzberg, Berlin.

― fandango (fandango), Saturday, 1 July 2006 10:08 (nineteen years ago)

oops, linkage - http://www.livincompany.de/tshirts.html

― fandango (fandango), Saturday, 1 July 2006 10:09 (nineteen years ago)

wearetshirt

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Saturday, 1 July 2006 14:18 (nineteen years ago)

did he do the album art?

― lf (lfam), Saturday, 1 July 2006 14:37 (nineteen years ago)

yep. better link, on a different domain, confusingly - http://livincompany.com/

no smalls left for this tee :'(

http://livincompany.com/img/rave.jpg

― fandango (fandango), Saturday, 1 July 2006 14:42 (nineteen years ago)

check ongaku.de (playhouse online shop) fandango! they also have a nice "villalobos" t-shirt in the same style.

― breakfast pants (disco stu), Saturday, 1 July 2006 16:03 (nineteen years ago)

i like the way these look, but do people wear such shirts? it just seems weird to me.

― trees (treesessplode), Saturday, 1 July 2006 16:48 (nineteen years ago)

seen weirder things...

― fandango (fandango), Saturday, 1 July 2006 18:09 (nineteen years ago)

of course, but i guess that wearing a 'rave is king' shirt is a lot different than wearing an 'isolee' shirt or a 'villalobos' shirt. just seems like this isn't the sort of scene where people wear t-shirts of their favorite artists. but maybe i am mistaken.

i really do like the designs, tho.

― trees (treesessplode), Saturday, 1 July 2006 19:29 (nineteen years ago)

still don't get it

― boonah (boonah), Sunday, 2 July 2006 04:01 (nineteen years ago)

what, the album or the shirts?

― lf (lfam), Sunday, 2 July 2006 04:47 (nineteen years ago)

album

― boonah (boonah), Sunday, 2 July 2006 05:00 (nineteen years ago)

i bought rest on vinyl recently,but it doesn't have beau mot plage or keep on dancing on it
what gives?

― robin (robin), Monday, 3 July 2006 00:33 (nineteen years ago)

kinda poopy

― kevin barking (arghargh), Monday, 3 July 2006 01:59 (nineteen years ago)

Robin, I'd say it was because it Beau Mot Plage & Keep On Dancing were already on previous 12 inch singles, but that doesn't explain why the entire "I Owe You" single is on the Rest vinyl...

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Monday, 3 July 2006 03:09 (nineteen years ago)

i dunno, that 'rave is king' t-shirt design is a little too minimal and tasteful for me...not nearly cheesy enough. where are the bubbly day-glo letters, fractals, and cartoons of astronauts and the simpsons and shit?

― geeta (geeta), Monday, 3 July 2006 07:20 (nineteen years ago)

To be fair to the Villalobos T-shirt it doesn't have his face on the front and tour dates on the back, just the word "Venceremos" ("we shall overcome") in an arty font on the front. Even people who know Villalobos would be unlikely to know it was a "band t-shirt".

― jimnaseum (jimnaseum), Monday, 3 July 2006 07:33 (nineteen years ago)

nine months pass...

haha , i heard face b in a restaurant tonight!

― lfam, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 00:11 (eighteen years ago)

I bought this album less than a week ago, nearly two years late, ha.

Either way, I knew it was supposed to be good, but certainly not this good!

― mehlt, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 00:16 (eighteen years ago)

hooray

― lfam, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 00:17 (eighteen years ago)

oh! it's the best

xpost

― lfam, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 00:17 (eighteen years ago)

when I have to work 14 hour days I usually end up listening to this album on repeat for 12 of them (I switch over to the new Radicalfashion for the last 2)

― bernard snowy, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 00:56 (eighteen years ago)

what happened to the rest of the thread?? I didn't start this!

― fandango, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 07:36 (eighteen years ago)

oh no

― lfam, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 07:43 (eighteen years ago)

weird

― blueski, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 10:44 (eighteen years ago)

what happened to the rest of the thread?? I didn't start this!
And you certainly didn't start it in 2001 as it says up the top!

― jim, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 10:59 (eighteen years ago)

i think the second post was originally the first post of the thread

― Michael F Gill, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 11:26 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, seriously how did that happen. I was looking at it going "how come I'm always the last to know about every thing, I only heard about this two years ago!"

― I know, right?, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 11:31 (eighteen years ago)

mod req thread: http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=56&threadid=1646#unread

― lfam, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 13:24 (eighteen years ago)

ha, i thought it was weird, as i remembered starting this thread, but didin't notice the timestamp oddness.

― toby, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 21:21 (eighteen years ago)

'my hi-matic' adheres to a verse-chorus-verse-chorus format and several of the other tracks do, too.

Not really to me. There is a verse, but no chorus as such. Yes, it's different from the verse but the "chorus" sections are sort of downers. I'd prefer just a constantly building verse.

― Spencer Chow, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 21:43 (eighteen years ago)

i used to like that restaurant but then they got a new staff, and the worst service in the world, and kicked all the unique dishes, so now it's just another hip nu-italian joint in the coral gables restaurant district, across the street from the scientology building.

― lfam, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 21:56 (eighteen years ago)

hmmm...

― Spencer Chow, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 21:58 (eighteen years ago)

that sounds the suck.

― the table is the table, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 22:06 (eighteen years ago)

one month passes...

i just heard my hi-matic on npr

― elan, Saturday, 23 June 2007 19:32 (eighteen years ago)

four weeks pass...

i just found a wearemonster t-shirt, white with the pattern from the inside sleeve to the lp, size L, unworn (because i have another one just like it). first one to email me gets it.

― tricky, Sunday, 22 July 2007 01:35 (eighteen years ago)

for free?

― bernard snowy, Sunday, 22 July 2007 01:42 (eighteen years ago)

yes. maybe you could help me with postage if you don't live in the states.

― tricky, Sunday, 22 July 2007 01:44 (eighteen years ago)

did you get my messages? i can't tell if they went through

― lucas pine, Sunday, 22 July 2007 01:49 (eighteen years ago)

no, maybe the ilx email server is misbehaving.

tricky disco at gmail

― tricky, Sunday, 22 July 2007 01:58 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

this album still rules

that is all

― Drew Daniel, Saturday, 4 October 2008 16:55 (seventeen years ago)

indeed it does

― the lord of overstock (ciderpress), Saturday, 4 October 2008 18:33 (seventeen years ago)

schrapnell was my ringtone for AGES

― cutty, Saturday, 4 October 2008 20:15 (seventeen years ago)

This Album!

― Cars That Go Boom (mehlt), Saturday, 4 October 2008 21:03 (seventeen years ago)

Amazing. Still listen to it once a week.

― paulhw, Saturday, 4 October 2008 22:56 (seventeen years ago)

seven months pass...

ok i was in a dept store and heard a pop/r&b tune that i swear was built on the riff from schrapnell. anyone know what this is (or is it the other way around?)

― Swat Valley High (goole), Thursday, 21 May 2009 04:26 (sixteen years ago)

really, nobody?

― Swat Valley High (goole), Thursday, 21 May 2009 18:42 (sixteen years ago)

one year passes...

They've been using "Schrapnell" for a while as the theme music to the New Yorker's fiction podcast.

― with hidden noise, Saturday, 17 July 2010 19:14 (fifteen years ago)

I finally, after so many years, got my hands on real copy of Rest a few hours ago. Stumbled upon it used, and bam, it's mine :D

This album is definitely top 10 of the 00's for me.

― Where Time Becomes A Loop, Where Time Becomes Aloof (EDB), Sunday, 18 July 2010 02:40 (fifteen years ago)

six months pass...

oh my god why have I neglect listening to this guy for all these last few years

stupid ex that is why

but now I'm making up for the lost time

― Umm, I think that's my glass. (laser precise purpose maker era), Tuesday, 25 January 2011 03:57 (fourteen years ago)

just sayin that the new album is....um...kind of really boring?

― tbf explicitly gay albums aren't quite as cultural (the table is the table), Tuesday, 25 January 2011 04:56 (fourteen years ago)

yeah it's not great. i was gonna give it the benefit of the doubt, then i put wearemonster on again and was like, actually, no, this has nothing on that.

― lextasy refix (lex pretend), Tuesday, 25 January 2011 08:36 (fourteen years ago)

New album is better than Wearemonster but not as good as the debut. Wearemonster is Isolee being very simple and floor-oriented. The new one is a good blend of the previous two albums.

― brotherlovesdub, Tuesday, 25 January 2011 23:29 (fourteen years ago)

interviewed him today, and let me tell you, Rajko is one of the nicest guys i've ever interviewed, after Mr. G maybe.

anyway, i listened to it again, and it does have some good tracks, but it's no Wearemonster. and definitely fucking not Western Store.

― tbf explicitly gay albums aren't quite as cultural (the table is the table), Wednesday, 26 January 2011 06:04 (fourteen years ago)

like, so many of the little flourishes and ornamentation that made those records so heady are just absent. the October/Nightingale single beats the record by like, a fucking lap and a half, imo

― tbf explicitly gay albums aren't quite as cultural (the table is the table), Wednesday, 26 January 2011 06:06 (fourteen years ago)

one month passes...

Let me get this right, Pampa reissue Wearemonster along with previously vinyl only tracks....and instead of including Are You Gonna Make It (a track that only appeared on the vinyl release of the album), Pampa decided to include the readily available Can't Sleep All Night, Lost, and Hermelin? Maybe I still have yet to get over losing my digital copy of Are You Gonna Make It, but this strikes me as willfully stupid.

― Jedmond, Sunday, 27 February 2011 13:40 (fourteen years ago)

here

― elan, Monday, 28 February 2011 00:01 (fourteen years ago)

here

― elan, Monday, 28 February 2011 00:01 (fourteen years ago)

-1

― elan, Monday, 28 February 2011 00:04 (fourteen years ago)

Thanks, greatly appreciated. Now that I've re-listened to Are You Gonna Make It I can carefully confirm that leaving it off the reissue was really stupid. Did I mention Lost had been edited as well?

― Jedmond, Monday, 28 February 2011 00:36 (fourteen years ago)

Is it the "Forever Lost" edit by The Glimmers that came out on Western Store Edits Pt. 2?

Can't Sleep All Night is an awesome Isolee song -- very Rest-y.

― elan, Monday, 28 February 2011 04:20 (fourteen years ago)

Also, I think the best non-album Isolee cut is It's About: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY9x9xUZWtY

― elan, Monday, 28 February 2011 04:21 (fourteen years ago)

Oh that video has a voiceover, too bad.

― elan, Monday, 28 February 2011 04:22 (fourteen years ago)

x post

I don't know - I've only seen the track listing and times - but there was no mention of the Glimmers. I agree Can't Sleep All Night is fantastic - Rest-esque, but with some of the gloopy thickness that Wearemonster brought. It's not that the added tracks are weak, they just wouldn't have been my first choice. I know licensing might have been an issue but it would have been far more handy if Are You Gonna Make It, Brazil.com, French Fries, It's About et al had been included. In other words, an Easternstore would be a fantastic thing.

― Jedmond, Monday, 28 February 2011 04:33 (fourteen years ago)

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