Monolith - Volume 1

[Guest Renivatio]

I guess I'm the only one who doesn't think Monolith is a total Tuss clone. Aside from some timbres, can't really see...or maybe I was distracted to hell while listening to teh tracks. I'll give 'em another shake.

[awesomeperson]

so shall we come up with a number percentage for how much other members here clone Analord? or just the ones who aren't members for a very long time that blow away most of the competition on this board? i think it's pretty unfair to criticize monolith for what he's making and his subsequent signing to one of the most cult followed record labels in the scene. Especially given that fact that 90% of 'your latest creations' for the past 3 years has been deeply indebted to the analord sound and technique. I rarely ever see anybody on watmm complain about that.

 

Heh, impakt range is really vast, even his EP on breakin' is varied in influences.

 

All artists want to be original, to get recognition, all people currently know Monolith as the "Tuss clone" and let's be honest a lot of people also think Monolith is RDJ, but whaever, enjoy the music if you are able to, didn't mean to ruin the fun for the rest.

 

So all of monoliths music sounds like the tuss? Or is it just this release? I am honestly not that familiar with his music yet.

 

All in all good music is good music... if anyone here could make songs that sound as good as the Tuss, I would definitely listen/buy their stuff. So if you are going to bitch about someone copying someone, then please post your completely original revolutionary music for me to hear! The Tuss is less than an hour of music... how is some more of that, over-saturated? Maybe Richard/Grant specifically noticed Monolith's skills and asked him to give a crack at something Tuss like... That or perhaps its a homage

 

They all sounded like Tuss from day 1. If artistic integrity is a foreign concept then carry on, enjoy the tunes for what they are. I liked Monolith's early tracks but after a while as he posted more they all sounded like Tuss but very campy, guess I'm just tired of Monolith's sound.

 

 

I like electronic music but I have no ambition to make any, still I see the appeal in Rephlex signing-on all these AFX sounding myspace artists lately, since that's what people like anyway.

[Food]

I think it's pretty fucking impressive how nice this sounds because for all the other people who have bitten the Tuss/Analord or even AFX's drill n bass no one else has come anywhere near this close (aside for moments of wisp). That is a feat in itself that can't be dismissed with a "lol tuss clone 99%".

 

Maybe I am easily impressed or something but good to know I am in good company. (rephlex)

 

HAB - lol squarepusher clone 92.3% lol

[Guest vodor]

i'm surprised there's not a more substantial "Monolith is RDJ" camp

[Guest Grizz]

I don't give a shit what he sounds like. Truth is the EP is probably the most enjoyable release that's come from the Rephlex update.

[impakt]

so shall we come up with a number percentage for how much other members here clone Analord? or just the ones who aren't members for a very long time that blow away most of the competition on this board? i think it's pretty unfair to criticize monolith for what he's making and his subsequent signing to one of the most cult followed record labels in the scene. Especially given that fact that 90% of 'your latest creations' for the past 3 years has been deeply indebted to the analord sound and technique. I rarely ever see anybody on watmm complain about that.

 

Perhaps the tracks I post watmm is picked out specifically for watmm, ever thought about that? So much of the music I make would not go very well with this crowd so I don't even share it or use the same aliases for it. I don't think it's unfair to criticize monolith for being a total tuss-clone, I've been criticized for being an aphex-ripoff on every forum I've been so why shouldn't he be subject to the same critique?

 

All his tracks sound like someone making tuss fakes, it's really offputting. At least when I make fakes I do it tongue in cheek and post them on watmm/youtube, not on rephlex under my real name.

[impakt]

And I even happen to like the occasional Tycho and Flashbulb.

[acidphakist]

oops, you got some tuss on your chin...no no, more to the right...yeah. that's it, you got it all.

[Fahz0r]

While the tracks are very good, I find it silly by Rephlex to release a 100% Tuss clone.

 

I think artists that can come anywhere near a convincing Tuss sound are pretty rare. Of the 70+ tuss fake tracks that showed up before/around the time when Tuss was originally being released, the only one that was on a similar level was Teddy Oggie and look who got signed to Rephlex at least partially on the strength of that track.

 

Just like EAP borrowed heavily from Analord but overall leaned closer to rubbery italo disco(especially towards the end), Monolith borrows Tuss production methods but it's overall more danceable and Mary Anne Hobbs friendly.

 

I think Vol. 1 is more original than Monolith's earlier pre-signing stuff, and he'll probably continue to diverge from the Tuss sound. The fact that he's starting out with production skill similar to RDJ who has been making tunes for 20 years is pretty impressive I think!

 

Eagerly looking forward to a full-length...

 

You do realise sounding like someone is easier than coming up with a sound that sounds like an artist has been at it for 20 years? It really is as simple as tweaking synth sounds as close to the original and throwing in similar "tricks" as in the original works. I personally don't find it at all interesting how close someone sounds like another style or artist. No matter how much i like the release, it's picking up another sound that someone else made, and then take credit for it. When you take credit for something, it's because of your own personal hard work with a certain result.

 

But i also think Monolith has dived itself into a bit of a shithole, because now everyone is going to listen to him, and like him, because he sounds like The Tuss and not because of his sound skills or what he can do. So if he'll make something else, i recon not a lot of people will listen to that, so he might get stuck in making the same thing, while i'm actually way more excited about what else he can do.

 

Overall, i found the release mild fun, but somehow i forgot all about it already. But then again, i forgot about The Tuss all together as well...

[Guest Otto Krat]

Im with vasio and impakt. Monolith music may be fine, but what the hell, aren't we supposed to be idm fans, which means to like what goes a bit far away from what "normal" electro is? Well since the tuss did it, it doesn't makes monolith bad; it just makes it uninteresting.

 

Rephlex is supposed to be the best label out there, not a rdj-clones label. It is normal that they inspire themselves with the best of them, but come on, monolith is pure masturbation.

 

And I am the first one to copy aphex, but I don't think that for now the aphex-like tunes I make are really "good music".

 

Listenning to Monolith for fun is ok. Saying "omg best release, so good" is lack of taste.

[Fahz0r]

but when you're a fucking 100% clone... set up some limits, have some honor, some pride and some respect.

 

this is bullshit, monolith is not a 100% clone of the Tuss. some of you guys are very arbitrarily protective of who's allowed to copy/be greatly influenced by aphex twin in here and who isn't.

 

You seem to be very pin pointed on who can make an opinion and who can't.

[Guest tidbit]

its all about production skills nowdays..

[pissflaps]

I love this. Tuss clone indeed, but who gives a shit. Im honestly enjoying this more than the other new releases at the moment.

[acidphakist]

My GF loved Monolith when I played it for her, and she isn't into electro funk or IDM or acid or...

 

It's just plain good music.

[noise]

You guys sure invent a lot of problems for yourselves over an EP on a record label.

 

I just wanted to comment on someone saying that The Tuss was totally original and moving into new territory etc..

 

Have you guys ever heard 70s/80s funk/jazz with lots of synth use in it? Parliament? Herbie Hancock? Or maybe the albums Aphex, Squarepusher, µ-Ziq etc. made in the mid 90s? You're saying that The Tuss is vastly different from this? If anything, it's a nod back to those days, with classic breakbeat styles and "beat mashing". Plus some Analord Next Generation type tracks. I quite like The Tuss, but don't come here saying that Aphex's always moving into totally new, unknown territory. What about Analord? Don't you think he was really into Ceephax and old techno/house at that point? Are some of you honestly saying that he came up with that sound all on his own? Fuck's sake! Without standing on the shoulders of others, we wouldn't come very far in music, science, arts etc. At least that's what I think.

 

Oh, and if you're saying I just cloned Analord when I made my tracks, go ahead. I know I didn't.

[acidphakist]

Noise-

 

She loves your tracks, too, BTW.

[awesomeperson]

 

 

But i also think Monolith has dived itself into a bit of a shithole, because now everyone is going to listen to him, and like him, because he sounds like The Tuss and not because of his sound skills or what he can do. So if he'll make something else, i recon not a lot of people will listen to that, so he might get stuck in making the same thing, while i'm actually way more excited about what else he can do.

 

That's exactly it, he's too talented to wast it in just being under the Tuss shadow.

Initially I just thought it as a style exercise of sorts like: "Hey I can also sound like Rushup Edge if I wanted to", but then he kinda got stuck in that sound. Also don't think much of the overall trance patches in most of Monolith's tracks.

[brian trageskin]

Oh, and if you're saying I just cloned Analord when I made my tracks, go ahead. I know I didn't.

 

yes you did. FACE THE TRUTH

lol just kidding

 

i don't know if it's related to anything in this topic but as much as i like analord, it still isn't worth a good old ICBYD or classics, SAW1 and AB3. you may develop your musical language as much as you can, sometimes the good old tricks are more efficient, more "meaningful". ie techno is where it's at

[zazen]

Rephlex is supposed to be the best label out there, not a rdj-clones label.

 

I know what you mean, but a lot of the people on Rephlex have sounded Aphex-like at times, which is why there's that joke that "everyone on Rephlex is RDJ"

 

I like Monolith much more than I like the Tuss, so there must be some difference there.

[awepittance]

That is a feat in itself that can't be dismissed with a "lol tuss clone 99%".

 

i sense jealousy in this thread, and i think it's understandable when you take that into account.

 

I'm just frankly shocked that a newcomer to this forum is being dissed so much for being signed to rephlex because he is heavily influenced by the Tuss. I'll say it again but if anybody else from this forum who made aphex twin influenced music was signed to rephlex and they were not a 'n00b' their ass would be kissed.

[awepittance]

but when you're a fucking 100% clone... set up some limits, have some honor, some pride and some respect.

 

this is bullshit, monolith is not a 100% clone of the Tuss. some of you guys are very arbitrarily protective of who's allowed to copy/be greatly influenced by aphex twin in here and who isn't.

 

You seem to be very pin pointed on who can make an opinion and who can't.

 

i'm just trying to point out the pot calling the kettle black & group-think aspect of this bizarre discussion.

[Guest cult fiction]

Oh, and if you're saying I just cloned Analord when I made my tracks, go ahead. I know I didn't.

 

Certainly not saying they were 'cloned' or even as close to Analord as Monolith is to Tuss. But I think whether you were conscious of it or not the earlier tunes in the EAP series were very heavily influenced by Analord. Listen to 'Buxlerfin' and 'Cilonen' together for instance.

 

As the series went on I feel like it went to an entirely different place than Analord though. 'Batchangr', 'storage', 'Threshid', 'File A6E00B', etc. I can't see any Analord influence there and they are utterly brilliant.

[noise]

Oh, I won't hide that I'm influenced by AFX or anything else :)

 

I don't have a problem with Monolith either, leave that to others! I do get annoyed by the IDM kids that think everything is AFX though!

[Fahz0r]

but when you're a fucking 100% clone... set up some limits, have some honor, some pride and some respect.

 

this is bullshit, monolith is not a 100% clone of the Tuss. some of you guys are very arbitrarily protective of who's allowed to copy/be greatly influenced by aphex twin in here and who isn't.

 

You seem to be very pin pointed on who can make an opinion and who can't.

 

i'm just trying to point out the pot calling the kettle black & group-think aspect of this bizarre discussion.

 

Hah, but Impakt did not make Analord ripoffs, so i don't agree.

[Retape]

You guys sure invent a lot of problems for yourselves over an EP on a record label.