Aphex Twin - Syro

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thinking i'd heard it much earlier than that, but was thinking of EBM i heard from a whitebread nitzer ebb afficionado in 1990 who probably read it in spin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_body_music
The term electronic body music was coined by Ralf Hütter of the German electronic band Kraftwerk in 1978 to explain the more physical sound of their album The Man-Machine.[3] DAF from Germany used the term "Körpermusik" (body music) to describe their danceable electronic punk sound.[4] The term was later used in by Belgian band Front 242 in 1984 to describe the music of their EP of that year, No Comment.[5][6]
so wouldn't be surprised to see EDM kicking around for a while before 2010 online either :)
you come and go, you come and go. amitabha neither a follower nor a leader be tagore "where roads are made i lose my way" where there is certainty, consideration is absent.

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xoxos wrote:thinking i'd heard it much earlier than that, but was thinking of EBM i heard from a whitebread nitzer ebb afficionado in 1990 who probably read it in spin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_body_music
The term electronic body music was coined by Ralf Hütter of the German electronic band Kraftwerk in 1978 to explain the more physical sound of their album The Man-Machine.[3] DAF from Germany used the term "Körpermusik" (body music) to describe their danceable electronic punk sound.[4] The term was later used in by Belgian band Front 242 in 1984 to describe the music of their EP of that year, No Comment.[5][6]
so wouldn't be surprised to see EDM kicking around for a while before 2010 online either :)

I'm not claiming to know the first time EDM was "used", it came into fashion in the 90s when the mainstream started referring to all EDM as techno. I've never heard the term EBM. Noobs would show up at parties talking about "techno" this and "techno" that when they really didn't know what techno proper was. Just like people today don't know what EDM is, they think that it's specific, when it's really quite general.

From the discussion page of the bullshit Wikipedia entry.
The reason I keep removing it is because *my* experience tells me it was a popular term in the late 1990s to early 2000s. Further, I can easily find hundreds of sources preceding the mid-2000s that explicitly use the term EDM.
Before the use of EDM people used "electronica", but this was too broad because it refers to non-danceable electronic music as well.

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Sendy wrote:I'm enjoying the Minipops track so far. Really has that classic Aphex vibe to it. Takes me right back to the mid Nineties when making electronic music meant being an eccentric artist with a room full of black boxes and crazy machines - an impenetrable world to most people which has a lot of romanticism to me. I try and keep that world alive with the music I make and listen to, as an attempt to fight off the oncoming wall of crushing ubiquitous confomrity which appears to be advancing from all sides.

His music isn't afraid to be flawed. There are parts of the minipops track that almost sound like the track stumbling over it's-self. This kind of thing would never fly under the watchful eye of Perfect Production Masterclass 101 Big Brother. You can be flawed as you like if you're also unique and have a lot to say. And good Aphex has a lot to say to me.
I've loved everything Richard James has made since I got out of high school back in '99. But I have to say that, while I get where you're coming from, I think of it in a completely different way. Millions of people worship each and every fart the man makes so they see everything he does as some holy grail unattainable by any other musician. I think if the same flaws James makes in his music was made by anyone here on KVR for example, it would be considered what it is: a mistake. I know many people here and elsewhere on the web who are unique and talented, yet they aren't praised and coveted nearly as much as the AFX Twin. Sure, he was a pioneer...back in 1994. Nowadays, there are hundreds of artists out there who possess considerably more talent than Rich and yet they aren't known outside of their 4.000 Soundcloud fans.
[Insert Signature Here]

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bailees7irish wrote: Sure, he was a pioneer...back in 1994. Nowadays, there are hundreds of artists out there who possess considerably more talent than Rich and yet they aren't known outside of their 4.000 Soundcloud fans.
Yep, I agree. I'm not into RDJ worship and I don't really think that this effort is pionerring in any sense of the word. It's about what I'd expect from him. That's not a problem, per se, other than, for me, to the extent that he's ever had a style, I don't like it. I liked the things that he did, in context, that were less about "a style", and more about standing out.

As I've said, Selected Ambient Works (vol2, 85-92 is good, but not as good) is my favorite stuff from him, but, I liked Analogue Bubblebath, back then. I still like the former, but I don't care much for the latter. I think that Orbital is/was much more timeless. Sometimes RDJ's stuff grabs your attention, you take notice, but once the surprise wears off, it doesn't warrant repeated listening.

I think that this latest effort is meh.

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The two trax ive heard so far are good. Im not a massive fan. Most of his old stuff is drivel.

Got my green credit card promo receipt tho, pick up the vinyl saturday.

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Kriminal wrote:drivel
That's what Syro is to me, after one listen (yes, it has been leaked). The man has had a lobotomy and managed to keep this secret from everyone?

Hey, I came up with two new music genre names:

Idiotic non-Dance-able Muzak

and

Braindead

WTF, I used to admire him back then! :cry: :dog:

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Always a mixed bag with me and Aphex. There's things he's done which I think are truly brilliant, and some that are truly beautiful, and a lot of stuff that wasn't worth hearing.

The Minipops tune is *not bad*, it grew on me. I'll definitely be checking Syro out, with low expectations, but hoping for a gem or two

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toothnclaw wrote: Braindead
Close enough. His label released this

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About the EDM again... I'm into electronic music for the last 25 years, but never heard of the term EDM until lately. And... I actually heard of EBM since the 00s. Whatever... It's not that important really.

Syro leaked?

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e@rs wrote:About the EDM again... I'm into electronic music for the last 25 years, but never heard of the term EDM until lately. And... I actually heard of EBM since the 00s. Whatever... It's not that important really.
You just weren't hanging out in the right circles. The first reference to EDM as "electronic dance music" on the san francisco raves list is from 1998, there are hundreds of references over the next few years and the term is used as I describe. The archives are on line and you can check it yourself. My experience in different parts of the country are similar, although, I don't have those archives to check. Here's a simple reference from 2001.
sfr.0109:There's a section for every major EDM genre, including
sfr.0109-house, techno, DnB, and hardcore. Go check it out!
My understanding is not in debate for anyone who attended parties in the U.S. in the late 90s. EDM, as it's name obviously implies, is a blanket term for all electronic dance music and it's use came into fashion as the scene grew tired of the misuse of the word techno during the increasing commercial presence of EDM in the late 90s. If you don't recall, this was when raves were shut down across the U.S. because they were becoming too popular with suburban youth. You can see some conversations like this in the sfraves archives. There is still abuse of the term though, it's interesting because you can see the transition. This poster from 2000 is using the phrase techno to mean EDM.
Just like when you talk to heavies in the electronic sound
fields, they say that techno is crap. (my teachers abhor it)...because they
think it's way to simple. There's a formula and it's predictable and there's
little originality.

This post from 2002 captures the essence of the annoyance among long time partygoers over the misuse of the phrase techno. I can assure you that this kid was given a few eyerolls at a party for misusing techno.
./2002/sfr.0204:I've recently heard EDM used as a blanket term for
./2002/sfr.0204-electronic dance music, since "electronica" is often
./2002/sfr.0204-used for poppier stuff and "techno" really should be
./2002/sfr.0204-used for the subgenre, not the blanket term. But what
./2002/sfr.0204-does the I stand for? Independent? Industrial?

If you haven't heard the term until recently, and you are in the U.S., then I suspect that your experience of electronic music is from outside of the "scene." Record stores, for example, did not use the term in those days. Vinyl shops of course used proper genre titles and generic shops used electronica if they used anything at all, electronic music was often just lumped in with pop.

The use of EBM goes back to the start of the list in 92 so it certainly predates the use of EDM, but it is very clear that it is not a blanket term for EDM, it is reference to industrial and alternative influenced electronic music and perhaps old school electro (not the same as new electro). I'm sure that I've probably seen the phrase used in context and I'm sure that I ignored it because I was never into that scene in any kind of serious way. There is no confusion on my part, I'm not talking about EBM at all.

Moreover, even though EDM as an acronym doesn't show up until 98 on the sfr list, the phrase proper "electronic dance music" also goes back to the start of the list. The adoption of EDM was part of acronym fetishism so popular in the 90s. The blanket phrase, however, has been around a long time and so the conversation that I'm talking about has roots all the way back to the early 90s when groups like "technotronic" started diluting the phrase "techno."

I was very much into EDM culture in the mid to late 90s, that is, I was attending parties, throwing parties, playing at parties, etc., and I recall having very similar conversations with people in the scene. This is just one of those things that, if you disagree with me, and you're in the U.S., you're just wrong. EDM was a term used as early as 96/97 within the scene as a blanket term to describe all electronic dance music. It was well established by 2000 or so and it was not diluted to come to mean a particular style until much much later. You can see the spike starting around 2012 in google trends.

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bailees7irish wrote:
Sendy wrote:I'm enjoying the Minipops track so far. Really has that classic Aphex vibe to it. Takes me right back to the mid Nineties when making electronic music meant being an eccentric artist with a room full of black boxes and crazy machines - an impenetrable world to most people which has a lot of romanticism to me. I try and keep that world alive with the music I make and listen to, as an attempt to fight off the oncoming wall of crushing ubiquitous confomrity which appears to be advancing from all sides.

His music isn't afraid to be flawed. There are parts of the minipops track that almost sound like the track stumbling over it's-self. This kind of thing would never fly under the watchful eye of Perfect Production Masterclass 101 Big Brother. You can be flawed as you like if you're also unique and have a lot to say. And good Aphex has a lot to say to me.
I've loved everything Richard James has made since I got out of high school back in '99. But I have to say that, while I get where you're coming from, I think of it in a completely different way. Millions of people worship each and every fart the man makes so they see everything he does as some holy grail unattainable by any other musician. I think if the same flaws James makes in his music was made by anyone here on KVR for example, it would be considered what it is: a mistake. I know many people here and elsewhere on the web who are unique and talented, yet they aren't praised and coveted nearly as much as the AFX Twin. Sure, he was a pioneer...back in 1994. Nowadays, there are hundreds of artists out there who possess considerably more talent than Rich and yet they aren't known outside of their 4.000 Soundcloud fans.
I agree, good point. Actually, listening to the Syro leak really brought this home to me. There were only 3 or 4 tracks that really got me excited, unlike DrugUse which I pretty much liked all of. The rest felt a bit like he was just sort of flailing around, trying to be "the real Aphex Twin". I really find the celebrity worship of AT somewhat disturbing (as I'm sure Richard does as well). But there's something enigmatic in his music when it all comes together - it's almost like this subliminal secret being told.

A counterpoint: Forums such as KVR are great for getting feedback but also breed mediocrity. "Tone down this", "take away this dischord", "polish it up"... you know... the feedback from 1000 musos can only lead to perfectly formed keybore music. AT's music has always been the perfect antidote to that, even though he has a chance of failing.

I'm not a fan of his hard techno stuff, I prefer the acid/breakbeat side of things. But overall I think something like Cornbrail Acid 2 by Beatwife is overall a much deeper acid/breakbeat/madcore/detuned sounds/experimental type record than Syro was.

Anyway, I'm rambling and probably not making an optimum amount of sense, so I'm going to stop. :party:
http://sendy.bandcamp.com/releases < My new album at Bandcamp! Now pay what you like!

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toothnclaw wrote:
Kriminal wrote:drivel
That's what Syro is to me, after one listen (yes, it has been leaked). The man has had a lobotomy and managed to keep this secret from everyone?

Hey, I came up with two new music genre names:

Idiotic non-Dance-able Muzak

and

Braindead

WTF, I used to admire him back then! :cry: :dog:

love to hear you do better :lol:

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Picked up my vinyl copy at lunchtime (even tho its not officially out till Monday)

Sleeve is a piece of art :cool:

Will listen over the w-end.

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I did not know Aphex Twins music yet and I just listened through the Cd a second time.

For me this is not EDM, it is ART.

It reminds me of walking through an Artexhibition and every song being a new room.

Every song has a clear musical idea with great variations.

And I think headphones are a must here.

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Just finished listening to the album. Its ok. Some good tracks, a few i wasnt keen on. Prob grow on me.

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