For real? That kinda sucks to hear but I believe it. I recently read an interview with Mike and he said when he first submitted his work to Richard he said something along the lines of "Yeah, it sounds ok. But it's all b-sides. You have to make some a-sides, ok?"
Brutal.
Definitely brutal, but with all due respect to Mike (someone who's music I like but never loved), it's a pretty good way to summarise AFX vs Mu-Ziq
Yeah, I mostly agree with that sentiment though I do believe that he has improved and more than earned his acclaim. I guess the reverse is true for Mike with regards to building a label and promoting artists, however.
Hey, at least you can say Mike's label ended up being a success in the end!