Future Sound of London...

...arty farty computer twiddlers or musical genius?

I go for the latter. I used to think that, in 100 years time, they will be remembered in the same category as Bach and Beethoven - looks like the upward curve in their early career came to a bit of an end around the time of the completely inaccessible 'Far Out Son of a Lung and the Ramblings of a Madman' EP. But still think 'Lifeforms' is one of the greatest albums ever - just pipped by the Simple Minds double LP mentioned in another thread. And 'Accelerator' has its moments too, like 'Central Industrial' and the legendary 'Papua New Guinea'.

Anyway, was always gushing in praise and only realised that they were treated with contempt by so many after reading Simon Reynold's 'Energy Flash', where he slams them for their sneering attitude to dance music and their arrogance. So what's your take?

davej

They're pretty good alright. Gotta love Accelerator and ISDN. But yes Lifeforms is amazing.

davej

drunkenfool

Aphex twin is already being looked at as a modern day composer being compared to bach etc.

Aphex Twin has sure had his moments. Anyone seen WARP dvd, featuring vids from Aphex Twin, LFO, Squarepusher etc. - some real works of art in there.

dalk

Ever listen to Amorphous Androgynous - The Isness & the Otherness?

appalling crap...

Anyway i like a lot FSOLs earlier stuff, but genius? That word is getting diluted by over-use... I prefer to think of genius as being exceptional and extremely extremely rare. So no i dont consider them genius. Talented and capable of some beautiful moments, oh yes.

btw i consider the music they've produced in the last 5-6 years as "arty farty computer twiddling". Suppose its a fine line...

John

I didn't even know they were still going. I liked the stuff they were releasing about ten years ago.

jonny68

Love them musical genius definetly,have all of their albums Lifeforms being the finest,the best Ambient album ever produced

2tel1

Deleted User wrote:

In 100 years time, they will be remembered in the same category as Bach

I like to think that aswell. But seriously, the way technology is progressing, they're work could be looked upon as primitive (thats if the music keeps on progressing). Can you imagine music in a 100 years...

pwd

Hmm found Dead cities, Androgenous Amourpheous and Life Forms in my old cassette collection. Have arecording of the live broadcast they did on 2fm in 1995 somewhere also.
listening to the music for the first tiume in years, I tend to agree that it is -well- not actually music at all. It is something different. They described it themeselves as an organic sound collection back then and I'd tend to agree.

Listening to Life Forms. I used to visualise all sorts of mad stuff while listening to it. I'm not now. It make sme feel strange, and has got me thinking about odd things (probably as mcuh because it revives memories as because of the album itself.)

Selik

Overall I love them.

Accelerator is a great album as is Lifeforms although they're very different.

Tunewise Papua New Guinea is literally one of my all time favourites.

John

2tel1 wrote:

I like to think that aswell. But seriously, the way technology is progressing, they're work could be looked upon as primitive (thats if the music keeps on progressing). Can you imagine music in a 100 years...

Yeah because nobody listens to music written more than a hundred years ago :rolleyes:

I do think the twentieth century will be known for electronic music and not for rock and roll. What artists are remembered is a moot point. The fact that people were doing it is enough. I listen to electronic music from 40-50 years ago and its still as good now as it was then. In fact there's some recordings I have from the sixties that would put Aphex Twin to shame.

drunkenfool

John2 wrote:

In fact there's some recordings I have from the sixties that would put Aphex Twin to shame.

Thats a faily bold statement to be making in fairness.

dalk wrote:

Ever listen to Amorphous Androgynous - The Isness & the Otherness?

I have to agree with you there, i bought it about 2 months ago, literally shocked!

John

drunkenfool wrote:

Thats a faily bold statement to be making in fairness.

It's true though. Granted the technology was bigger, bulkier and not as easy to work with but Richard James has freely admitted that he's an old school electronica fan and it shows in his music. People like Luc Ferrari, Tod Dockstadter, Pauline Oliveros and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop have been pushing electronic music for decades and it's acts like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher that are continuing the legacy.

2tel1

John2 wrote:

Yeah because nobody listens to music written more than a hundred years ago :rolleyes:

Whats your point?

Nobody said that...

weak infant

came across from you that, when you said 'primitive' that the music from now wont be worth listening to in 100 years time, i read it that way. don't think that's likely!

John

2tel1 wrote:

Whats your point?

Nobody said that...

That was the impression I got off your post.

DonkeyStyle \o/

Very talented alright... I think the first time I heard of them was from the Wipeout2097 soundtrack... I just thought "shít, these guys are good" and looked them up from there.

Executive Steve

autechre and squarepusher will go down in history as consistently pushing the envelope out in terms of mainstream electronica, but the "classical" world will be remembering the likes of stockhausen, who's stuff is so far out he makes fsol sound like a louis walsh band... dead cities is one hell of an album though.... soooo many lost afternoons listening to that years ago... dont even have a copy now

[cm]tyranny

[cm]tyranny wrote:

autechre and squarepusher will go down in history as consistently pushing the envelope out in terms of mainstream electronica

Point taken, but there is something inaccessible about some of their stuff. It may be pioneering, and that indeed is meritorious, but I dunno if it's easy on the ears at the same time. Take something like watching the video of 'Ganz Graf' - a striking piece, but kind of an assault on all the senses at the same time - I mean that in a good way of course.

hawkmoon269

Yes I've always liked them. Dead Cities is brilliant and relatively 'accessible' for them. Life Forms is more of a mixed bag - some very good tracks but I think it is somewhat too long.

Scubadevils

Deleted User wrote:

Aphex Twin has sure had his moments. Anyone seen WARP dvd, featuring vids from Aphex Twin, LFO, Squarepusher etc. - some real works of art in there.

Got that DVD a few weeks ago, brilliant.

I love FSOL and amazingly I dont have Lifeforms. Its next on my list after being reminded of it here! Was just listening to ISDN again the other day and I love that album.

I would HIGHLY recommend Some Other People - Orbitality as a genius album. Although I dont know if it can be got anywhere now! I bought it at least 10 years ago and have never seen reference to them again.

http://www.discogs.com/release/165477

Felixdhc

Felixdhc wrote:

Got that DVD a few weeks ago, brilliant.

Yep, only thing is the wife HATES it and refuses to watch it - even the music between the songs drives her from the room. So I try to put it on as often as possible...

LFO's 'LFO' and 'Freak' (what a video) and the Aphex Twin's 'On' and 'Nannou' are standouts too.

This...is going...to make you freak...


http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A3101572

Scubadevils

My wife actually likes some of it. Have to say though that the music on the menu is really annoying! I have yet to see the last few tracks on it, it always seems to be quite late at night when I put it on and also tend to have had a few drinks etc.

I had a tape up until about 3 years ago with endless videos recorded from MTV Dance (Party Zone?) and the Chill Out Zone. It was 4 hours long. My then g/f, now wife was dropping back a video to Chartbusters that we had rented. About a month later I found the tape we had rented those weeks before and wondered did my g/f drop back an empty case? - No, twas my prize video that was dropped back :mad: Never saw it again

gungo

Deleted User wrote:

Yep, only thing is the wife HATES it and refuses to watch it - even the music between the songs drives her from the room. So I try to put it on as often as possible...

LFO's 'LFO' and 'Freak' (what a video) and the Aphex Twin's 'On' and 'Nannou' are standouts too.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective/A3101572

Any idea where I could get my hands on this my girlfriend "ordered" it 4 me- but it never turned up- shock :eek:
heard loads about it- I'm dyin 2 get a look at it!

Scubadevils

I got my copy in HMV, think it was Grafton St

...or it might have been Virgin in Blanch

gungo

I'll give em a try anyway- cheers

gungo

gungo wrote:

Any idea where I could get my hands on this my girlfriend "ordered" it 4 me- but it never turned up

Got mine at Virgin in Cork.

Scubadevils

Felixdhc wrote:

I love FSOL and amazingly I dont have Lifeforms. Its next on my list after being reminded of it here! Was just listening to ISDN again the other day and I love that album.

Cant believe what I did yesterday re Lifeforms. Went and bought it yesterday evening and was looking at the cover in the car stuck in traffic. Thought the track listing looked very familiar and then copped that I already have it! Bought it a few months ago and pretty much forgot I had it...anyone else ever do this or is it just me?