Photek.

Alfons

Alfons

Way of the future
Photek was one of the guys who got me into dnb, really liked his stuff back in the day. I think Modus Operandi was amazing, tight and daring production, futuristic, cool drum & bass. I would recommend it as one of the best albums in dnb. Hidden Camera, KJZ, Minotaur, Axiom and the title track still get rotation from me! I thought it was generally regarded as being a very good album?

Form & Function LP was cool too, I liked some of the remixes (Doc Scott, Digital, J Majik) and some I didn't (Decoder and Peshay, Photeks own remix of Seven Samurai which didn't really add much). The original tunes are all classics and knitevision is amazing. In general I would recommend Modus Operandi and Form & Function as they are probably the most readily available.

Other Photek stuff worth checking:
Consciusness
The Rain
Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu
Brown Paper Bag remix
Something Else (The Bleeps Tune)
Infinity

In later years I agree with his stuff being horrible. One of (far to many) dnb artists whose past makes you seriously doub't that they really like the stuff that they are currently churning out. BUT I have to recommend the Sidewinder/The End (Remix) 12", both tunes are ace and get regular plays from me. Other similar artists and labels: early Digital stuff, Source Direct, early Teebee and K (aka Polar) and a lot of stuff on Certificate 18.

I'd really like to dig into the earlier Photek stuff, Studio Pressure, Aquarius, the form & function 12"s... Hopefully one day I'll have the money and time to buy that stuff somewhere!




viktorvaughn said:
All the other guests were wicked and played banging jungle and he played some terrible modern dnb stuff as a bit of self promotion i guess. The type of stuff UFO described in his pot.
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There was a lot of talk about this. I guess Photek must have misunderstood, missed a memo or something? Can't believe he just choose to play new stuff when he was specially picked to play older stuff

Logos said:
Yeah think one of them (not sure if its Jim or Phil) brought Vampire Records back, got people like Gremlinz and Stranjah on there.
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Yeah, Vampire is back. Phil is recording as Grand Masterz (with some other guy I think), the tunes Ive heard were quite good, sounded a bit like old SD.
 
2

28 Gun Nice Boy

Well-known member
Photek was one of the masters.

The only tunes that I would add as essential to those already mentioned are 'Jump' & 'Presha III' (as Studio Pressure) and his 2003 remix of M.I.S.T.'s 'How You Make Me Feel' (heavy, heavy b-line).
 
D

DJ PIMP

Well-known member
adruu said:
The Still Life remix is really the king here for me.
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I rinsed that tune for years. Great to mix with, some of my fave beatery of all time.

His earlier stuff beats his new shizzle for creativity, but tunes like Sidewinder, Babylon, Baltimore(!), Ready She Ready Rmx etc, they're just perversely ruff and heavy.

Tracks like Jump Mk II define a huge chunk of what I loved about jungle as far as beats, vibes and riddim go.

Also his Aquatic single on Good Looking - lovely dolphin business.

And the Inta Warriors remix, Inta! Inta! Super catchy/funky...
 
N

noel emits

a wonderful wooden reason
I always passed on the Form & Function 'LP'. I had all the 12"s and just couldn't understand why he / they left off so much good stuff in favour of a bunch of remixes from mates. But it's actually pretty good isn't it. I didn't expect to like it but the Peshay & Decoder remix of 'Rings' is as funky as a dead terrapin.
 
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O

Ory

warp drive
Alfons said:
There was a lot of talk about this. I guess Photek must have misunderstood, missed a memo or something? Can't believe he just choose to play new stuff when he was specially picked to play older stuff
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Ah, who could forget. The always pleasant MAH's comment that it was a "loose interpretation" of jungle. Understatement of the year.

And F&F 2... what was he thinking? "Love & War" is one of the most horribly... horrible tunes I've ever had the displeasure of hearing.

Regardless, Photek's early to mid 90's productions continue to influence me. What a waste of talent, truly.
 
T

tyranny

Well-known member
Ach! said:
Look:

http://www.myspace.com/unreleasedphotek

'Flavour of a Sound' and 'One Nation' were my absolute favourites way back when.
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"One Nation" came out on Form and Function Volume 2 in the end...

Been playing photek's remix of jonny l - "2 of us" quite a bit recently again; such a lovely unassuming little tune...



Also - Therapy? - "Loose" (Photek Remix) - quite possibly the only occasion in history where "rock" sounds were successfully employed in an electronic music context, in my opinion.
 
A

aaron_shinn

Active member
It looks like most of the good Photek stuff has been mentioned already, and I can't emphasize enough how confused and diluted his sound became after Form & Function. I think the peak has to be the releases from The Seven Samurai up until The Hidden Camera, but the years before and after are worth hearing as well. Amazing, amazing stuff.

Source Direct were a little harder to pin down. In their best years, they weren't nearly as prolific as Photek. When they started out, they focused on a super-atmospheric, heavy sound which was dominated by the Apache break - so much so that I almost would say they abused it. I'm thinking of "A Made Up Sound / The Cult", "This is a Baad (rmx)", etc. Really great stuff.

The Photek influence is really obvious, "Stonekiller" is explicitly influenced by Photek's "The Seven Samurai". Overall, I'm not wild about their Amen-led stuff, but some of it is still gorgeous, like the bukemesque "Secret Liaison". Their tunes on Razor's Edge are particularly good as well.

As they developed their sound they got full-on experimental, probably influenced by "The Hidden Camera". I remember the "Two Masks / Black Domina" 12" to have a really extreme sound to it - Two Masks is actually hard to follow even now. Mp3s (embedded) are here.

When "Exorcise The Demons" came out, they sounded deflated and tired, and I don't remember liking their stuff on the Demonic label at all. I should really dig out all those old 12s to hear them again...
 
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Alfons

Alfons

Way of the future
tyranny said:
Also - Therapy? - "Loose" (Photek Remix) - quite possibly the only occasion in history where "rock" sounds were successfully employed in an electronic music context, in my opinion.
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oooh, forgot that one, it really is quite good! One of really few commercial remixes that got done by the big boys when dnb was all the rage that are any good.
 
U

UFO over easy

online mahjong
aaron_shinn said:
When they started out, they focused on a super-atmospheric, heavy sound which was dominated by the Apache break - so much so that I almost would say they abused it. I'm thinking of "A Made Up Sound / The Cult", "This is a Baad (rmx)", etc
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gonna be a complete dork for a second, sorry

out of that lot only a made up sound uses apache, and the only other apache source direct tune i can think of is artificial barriers. this is a baad rmx is funky mule, and the cult is cold sweat and soul pride i think, need to dig it out.

:eek:

sourcedirect.jpg


erk
 
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noel emits

a wonderful wooden reason
Then I can say something dorky about Photek. If you listen closely to some of the Form & Function era tracks, there's a surprising amount of 'studio buzz' on them.
 
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aaron_shinn

Active member
UFO over easy said:
gonna be a complete dork for a second, sorry

out of that lot only a made up sound uses apache, and the only other apache source direct tune i can think of is artificial barriers. this is a baad rmx is funky mule, and the cult is cold sweat and soul pride i think, need to dig it out.
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Oooo, I've been schooled! You're totally right.

That's what I get for just rattling off names without refreshing my memory. I remember picking up three 12s from them in the same year that were apache-based, but there were also loads of other dark apache bits at the time from J Majik, Hidden Agenda (?), et al at the time too, so perhaps I'm confused..

Okay, after a quick trip to discogs - the first one is from Mirage, called "Feel my Dreams". That tune is BAD! And the video is freaky. And it was posted on youtube by Arcon2 / Leon Mar?!

Now just to find the other one :) I might actually have to go to my basement then...
 
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UFO over easy

online mahjong
yeah that's a sick tune! mad video, I like it.

those headz guys all used some super fat and clean EQed version of apache from some sample CD I think. remember reading about it somewhere on subvert central
 
L

lowest form

Wild Horses
there's a bit of a sycophantic interview I did with Photek here: http://www.spannered.org/music/735/ but it is interesting because we talked a lot about the reduction of jungle to mindless rave music, which by the sounds of it he's succumbed to, in a more up to date way. I don't really know, I haven't heard any of his music since the relaunch of his label (the bleep tune, etc).

Source Direct; Secret Liaisons... probably in my top 10 tunes ever.
 
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