File this under hype threads I never thought I'd start. I didn't like Great Lengths very much (great noises, kinda boring grooves), and only listened to this one because a friend was repping really heavily for it, but this is... banging! Like, this is what most of the dudes on the dance partisans thread THINK they sound like, it's dark and it's bassy but never falls victim to the modern malaise of going "look, bass!" and just leaving it to stodge away without doing anything interesting. He's always been better at sound design than most of the artists he's associated with, but he's evidently worked out how to construct a groove, which helps.
Mercifully there's barely any corny post-dubstep residue here at all, it feels like a proper big-room techno album, with big old-skool rave and 90s house hooks filtered through rhythms that might be funky if they weren't so cold and metallic. And it sort of reminds me of Tiefschwarz circa-2004 and what we used to call Space Battle Techno in its ravey maximalism...
Spotify link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Umn2nmno0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1O9WJrKljE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=velQjpqRDwM
― Matt DC, Thursday, 13 October 2011 18:31 (thirteen years ago)
yes, it's excellent and the sound design is great; i particularly like the use of that front 242 sample on "viper". the breakbeat tracks were also surprisingly refreshing sounding. it's very rare that i'll buy an album of this stuff but i'm glad i picked this one up.
― stirmonster, Thursday, 13 October 2011 18:39 (thirteen years ago)
Checking now. Like you I didn't really get into 'Great Lengths'. Stuff before the album, like his remixes of Efdemin and TRG and the EP on Applepips still stand up I think.
― Chewshabadoo, Thursday, 13 October 2011 18:48 (thirteen years ago)
Popgun is pretty immense. I've been a sucker for pitched snare sounds since the jungle days.
― Chewshabadoo, Thursday, 13 October 2011 19:06 (thirteen years ago)
great album. popgun and the last two tracks are huge.
the london's arches edit of viper is pretty cool too: http://soundcloud.com/3024world/viper-londons-arches-edit
great lengths was a bit of a slog but the best bits were really good - right?star! and elden st iirc.
― jabba hands, Thursday, 13 October 2011 21:17 (thirteen years ago)
kinda weird that this is on brainfeeder
― hardcore oatmeal (Jordan), Thursday, 13 October 2011 22:15 (thirteen years ago)
i really liked the idea of 'great lengths' but found it never really drew me in - kind of boring grooves, like matt dc said.
― j., Friday, 14 October 2011 03:16 (thirteen years ago)
these sound nice tho.
― j., Friday, 14 October 2011 03:29 (thirteen years ago)
I much preferred the preceding 12"s to anything that appeared on Great Lengths. 'All I have is memories' was a beautiful track.
― sam500, Friday, 14 October 2011 06:34 (thirteen years ago)
^^^ but I haven't heard Ghost People yet.
― Tim F, Friday, 14 October 2011 06:43 (thirteen years ago)
My brostep loving brother and his friends have been going on about this, which made me cautious, even though I didn't actually dislike Great Lengths (a bit long and grey but great singles) - but it turns out this is actually really good. I can see why it appeals to them - ear-grabbing noises, clattery rhythms, rave signifiers from the past twenty years falling over themselves - but it's cold, crisp and twisted enough to be more than basic tropes regurgitated, and it doesn't really align itself with house, techno, dubstep or funky, more the hinterland between. Texturally, it reminds me of Actress' albums, but if they're the 8am comedown on a dark morning then this is the 2am party drenched in sweat.
― "only girl in the kitchen" (boxedjoy), Wednesday, 16 November 2011 00:41 (thirteen years ago)
It bangs.
― matt damon & the jb's (the anephric project), Wednesday, 16 November 2011 02:47 (thirteen years ago)
apropos of nothing much here is a forum thread about Martyn being a scam artist started in 2009 by the world's stupidest man
― going to grind shows so they can quasi-ironically EDM (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 10 July 2013 19:56 (eleven years ago)
That page is taking ages to load here, but while my computer chunters away I just want to say that the last track on Ghost People was absolutely immense. This guy has a new album out soon right?
― Ralph Vogon Williams (NickB), Wednesday, 10 July 2013 20:05 (eleven years ago)
wow that's some forum design
― the late great, Wednesday, 10 July 2013 20:10 (eleven years ago)
looking forward to the new album
enjoying his detroit techno direction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVzLX7_lmdg
― the late great, Wednesday, 10 July 2013 20:11 (eleven years ago)
ha good thread over there
― Ralph Vogon Williams (NickB), Wednesday, 10 July 2013 20:14 (eleven years ago)
Been getting heavily into this guy's back catalogue recently, great stuff.
― the joke should be over once the kid is eaten. (chap), Monday, 23 November 2015 17:48 (nine years ago)
which tracks in particular do you really enjoy?
― the late great, Monday, 23 November 2015 22:07 (nine years ago)
i actually haven't liked much of his stuff since "ghost people" but the doms/deykers collaborations with steffi are dope
I'm nuts about his Efdemin remix that sounds like a beatless version of Aphex Twin's "on".
― brimstead, Monday, 23 November 2015 22:09 (nine years ago)
this one?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh4JXXTanL4
― the late great, Monday, 23 November 2015 22:17 (nine years ago)
― the late great
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVXPVJloWhc
― the joke should be over once the kid is eaten. (chap), Tuesday, 24 November 2015 12:21 (nine years ago)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGKavKQgtns
― the joke should be over once the kid is eaten. (chap), Tuesday, 24 November 2015 12:23 (nine years ago)
xxp yep
― brimstead, Tuesday, 24 November 2015 20:41 (nine years ago)
I'm on the fence about much of the Doms & Deykers album, but this one is enormous:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M56Ft0KCLXM
― chap, Thursday, 1 December 2016 12:04 (eight years ago)
It's You I See is the one for me. They both worked together on the Virginia album too which is probably my favourite dance long-play of the year.
― boxedjoy, Thursday, 1 December 2016 12:54 (eight years ago)
Thanks, I'll give that a listen.
― chap, Thursday, 1 December 2016 13:39 (eight years ago)
Erm... If you provide a little more information on it! Proving hard to google...
― chap, Thursday, 1 December 2016 13:40 (eight years ago)
https://open.spotify.com/album/2FsoqzeL3EHhOpJQUPuimg
― willem, Thursday, 1 December 2016 13:50 (eight years ago)
Ta!
― chap, Thursday, 1 December 2016 13:56 (eight years ago)
'Mind Rain' is an absolute fucking monster. If this is the direction he's going in with Ostgut Ton then I'm on board.
― Matt DC, Friday, 11 May 2018 13:46 (seven years ago)
Love this dude.
― chap, Friday, 11 May 2018 13:49 (seven years ago)