Photodementia - Fig. 04

[psn]

I think Awepittance makes a really good point about the production on Photodementia.

I don't care what anyone says, I am not going to believe that either release had more than a nominal influence from Monolith unless there is irrefutable proof, because I just don't think he's capable of making something like Fig. 03. Neither emotionally/creatively or in production chops.

Honestly, I think it would make a lot of sense if the shitty tracks on youtube that didnt make it to release were Monolith's, and nothing else. first, to throw people off the scent of it being AFX, without ruining the quality of the physical release. second, because I dont believe monolith is capible of doing something stylistically that AFX hasn't done first, and it makes total sense that he would be in on Photodementia being AFX, and thinking "oh hey I should ape this too" and going off and making shallow photodementia sound-alikes.

If I am wrong, and proof surfaces that monolith made all the tracks, then I will absolutely have more respect for him.

and if that is the case, and monolith keeps up with WATMM, then I owe him an apology. Otherwise though...

 

edit: I should specify though, I don't in fact have solid belief that this is afx either, I'm just going into hypotheticals here

 

This is ridiculous. Monolith's signature is all over Photodementia - the drum patterns, the thick swelling pads, the harmonies, the snappy basses.

 

Photodementia's production is pretty flat too, so I think a lot people could have accomplished that. Compare it to The Tuss production which is insanely intricate and 3 dimensional, and could only have been executed by a handful guys.

 

Also, which AFX track is "Farewell Frenchman" a stylistic copy of? I thought that track was pretty original and very well done.

[awepittance]

keep in mind i'm only referring to what's on Fig 4, not anything else i've heard. I don't think the production off of 4 is flat by any means, but i've only been hearing it on low quality samples and those can be deceiving.

[psn]

Yeah, "flat" isn't really what I meant. But when comparing to RDJ, it doesn't quite have the texture of Analord, nor the spatial qualities of The Tuss.

 

If anything, I'd rather compare Photodementia with Automat:

 

[Guest Spunk Monkey]

i mean i haven't heard the CD or vinyl quality tracks myself, maybe if someone out there would provide a context for the music for me to make a better judgement i could judge more accurately

Why don't you buy it?

[Adieu]

This is good, but after many listens (to previews) I've decided it probably is Dave. This artist uses a lot of similar synths/sounds as Dave and it doesn't sound enough like Aphex. I don't believe Aphex would alter his work to conform to some kind of con and I hope none of the Rephlex camp are silly enough to do something like that. They all seem like decent enough individuals with a healthy dose of artistic integrity. I thought for a moment that this was a compilation of Rephlex artists but each one of the tracks started sounding more and more like Dave Monolith to me, and less like everyone else. I'm just assuming, because too many tracks sound like Monolith that all of them are his.

 

On another note, the easiest way for us to get them to stop is to shut up about who is creating all this music and start talking about the music itself. I know it would take quite a bit of self-control, and it would be less fun. The biggest reason they are probably doing this is for a laugh. The positive consequence of it also slightly increasing revenue due to speculation is probably just icing on the cake. These guys don't need anything from us they do it because they love it.

 

I'm wiling to only talk about the music if you guys are as well. We've been going around in circles since before I was even a member here.

[syd syside]

Awepittance used the speculation as a bridge to talk about the different qualities between photodementia and other rephlex people. Ganus expanded on this. And you did as well. Speculation and talking about the music aren't mutually exclusive necessarily.

 

If some monolith/photodementia/kendrick/steinvord tracks were dj'd by him before these artists released anything how would watmm perceive those tracks? As unknown musicians or aphex do you think?

 

 

It's subjective so there is not a whole lot to be gained from this kind of speculation. So feel free to ignore these questions if you really are sick of the discussion. I just don't think the speculation gets in the way of focusing on the music, quite the opposite actually. It's like a puzzle and so I am bound to be more intrigued. Pay closer attention.

[Adieu]

I don't think it gets in the way. I think that it encourages Rephlex, and I think what Rephlex is doing is sort of annoying in my opinion. It does force us to analyze the tracks a great deal, but I think that would happen naturally to a large extent.

 

Also, that track sounds like Dave Monolith. I don't think Aphex would EQ his snare drum and kick drum that way. I like it though. I think it is maybe an 8/10. Aphex would alter the EQ, finesse it, and use analog gear to make it 9-9.5/10. Granted, I'm listening at a very low volume because the cops came to my door earlier while I was listening to music.

[4d0]

It's Impakt.

[qnio]

Yeah, "flat" isn't really what I meant. But when comparing to RDJ, it doesn't quite have the texture of Analord, nor the spatial qualities of The Tuss.

 

If anything, I'd rather compare Photodementia with Automat:

 

anyway, there are some differences in sound palette & composition between fig. 03 and fig. 04

[Amen Lare]

iirc the original idea behind the tuss was to let people focus on the music rather than the person behind it. If you look at the photodementia, edm 2, steinvord, etc. threads they are 80% about who created it rather than debating the merits of the music itself. Seems like the mystery stuff had the opposite of the intended effect, at least on watmm.

 

There are even people who are convinced dave barnard and jodey kendrick are actors paid by rephlex. Would that be the case had there never been a tuss?

 

Take Burial moaning. If you want it to be about pure music why the hell you play games with public? Use your name, declare you don't need PR, job is done. And if you're already known, then don't fool around inviting people to concentrate on the aspect of authorship. They thrown it for discussion, they got exactly what they wanted.

 

Basically this is marketing strategy. For example, Photodementia had second place at album of year WATMM poll, straight behind much hyped Actress.

[Adieu]

 

iirc the original idea behind the tuss was to let people focus on the music rather than the person behind it. If you look at the photodementia, edm 2, steinvord, etc. threads they are 80% about who created it rather than debating the merits of the music itself. Seems like the mystery stuff had the opposite of the intended effect, at least on watmm.

There are even people who are convinced dave barnard and jodey kendrick are actors paid by rephlex. Would that be the case had there never been a tuss?

Take Burial moaning. If you want it to be about pure music why the hell you play games with public? Use your name, declare you don't need PR, job is done. And if you're already known, then don't fool around inviting people to concentrate on the aspect of authorship. They thrown it for discussion, they got exactly what they wanted.

 

Basically this is marketing strategy. For example, Photodementia had second place at album of year WATMM poll, straight behind much hyped Actress.

I think we are all aware this is a marketing strategy, but I think that it is secondary to another intended goal. Some people believe there is a long con here, but I have a hard time believing that. Compsom makes some good points about certain identities, but I don't buy it fully. I mean Jodey is DJ'ing in sandals and athletics shorts so he is either the most IDM or the least. If Rephlex is using Aphex's music and legacy to get more orders on music that isn't RDJ it could only mean they don't believe in the artists they are signing to begin with. I really don't believe that to be the case. Basically, Aphex is allowing himself to be taken advantage of in exactly the opposite way. His legacy is selling other peoples' music. Maybe he doesn't give a shit though. If I had to guess there is a legitimate reason behind a lot of it and it is less fuckery than we all suspect. Maybe I'm just being optimistic though.

[perunamuusi]

So do people actually think Jodey Kendrick has been a patsy since 2007 or whenever he started putting out +10 stuff on NE?

[Adieu]

I was just joking about JK to be honest. These people could just be a modern example of what a successful music career can look like.

[perunamuusi]

Some people on here thought clips of 5 or 6 year old JK tracks were proof that Konklaver was happening.

[eh Speedy]

BEST BUZZ EVER.

[eh Speedy]

...end of the day, no one would give a shit who this stuff is by if it wasn't pretty damn good.

[brian trageskin]

i finally broke the code and i can confirm that phodementia is 100% afx. i now have irrefutable evidence of it.

 

basically i used those:

 

 

more to come

[psn]

Nerf.

[rekosn]

some melodies in fig 04 are utterly monolithic

[awepittance]

 

i mean i haven't heard the CD or vinyl quality tracks myself, maybe if someone out there would provide a context for the music for me to make a better judgement i could judge more accurately

Why don't you buy it?

 

i probably will, at least fig 4.

[Audioblysk]

I think Awepittance makes a really good point about the production on Photodementia.

I don't care what anyone says, I am not going to believe that either release had more than a nominal influence from Monolith unless there is irrefutable proof, because I just don't think he's capable of making something like Fig. 03. Neither emotionally/creatively or in production chops.

Honestly, I think it would make a lot of sense if the shitty tracks on youtube that didnt make it to release were Monolith's, and nothing else. first, to throw people off the scent of it being AFX, without ruining the quality of the physical release. second, because I dont believe monolith is capible of doing something stylistically that AFX hasn't done first, and it makes total sense that he would be in on Photodementia being AFX, and thinking "oh hey I should ape this too" and going off and making shallow photodementia sound-alikes.

If I am wrong, and proof surfaces that monolith made all the tracks, then I will absolutely have more respect for him.

and if that is the case, and monolith keeps up with WATMM, then I owe him an apology. Otherwise though...

 

edit: I should specify though, I don't in fact have solid belief that this is afx either, I'm just going into hypotheticals here

Its more than likely Dave alone or Dave and co.

Some of the pads/bass sounds off both the records are exactly the same or very close from Welcome. He has the production chops and c'mon man, will you stop saying his work lacks emotion or creativity. The last two tracks on volume 1 are alone enough to stand up with the rephlex crowd and be better than 95% of WATMMs producers.

 

Live, but if you don't see creativity or emotion in that, you just have a stick up your ass about the dude.

 

(end rant)

so yeah, I got this album, love it.

[brian trageskin]

[Fahz0r]

 

I think Awepittance makes a really good point about the production on Photodementia.

I don't care what anyone says, I am not going to believe that either release had more than a nominal influence from Monolith unless there is irrefutable proof, because I just don't think he's capable of making something like Fig. 03. Neither emotionally/creatively or in production chops.

Honestly, I think it would make a lot of sense if the shitty tracks on youtube that didnt make it to release were Monolith's, and nothing else. first, to throw people off the scent of it being AFX, without ruining the quality of the physical release. second, because I dont believe monolith is capible of doing something stylistically that AFX hasn't done first, and it makes total sense that he would be in on Photodementia being AFX, and thinking "oh hey I should ape this too" and going off and making shallow photodementia sound-alikes.

If I am wrong, and proof surfaces that monolith made all the tracks, then I will absolutely have more respect for him.

and if that is the case, and monolith keeps up with WATMM, then I owe him an apology. Otherwise though...

 

edit: I should specify though, I don't in fact have solid belief that this is afx either, I'm just going into hypotheticals here

Its more than likely Dave alone or Dave and co.

Some of the pads/bass sounds off both the records are exactly the same or very close from Welcome. He has the production chops and c'mon man, will you stop saying his work lacks emotion or creativity. The last two tracks on volume 1 are alone enough to stand up with the rephlex crowd and be better than 95% of WATMMs producers.

 

Live, but if you don't see creativity or emotion in that, you just have a stick up your ass about the dude.

 

(end rant)

so yeah, I got this album, love it.

 

Stop wanking this dude off and get around listening some more music to widen your palette. You sound like this is your end of the line in music terms and you dismiss everyone who doesn't agree with you as tone deaf or ignorant. Just fuck off already.

[Food]

I don't think Monolith worked alone, a collaboration between him and Gerard Donald now seems highly probable, either as edits or reworks of some kind... But Donald is definitely involved. I bet there's a (real) third person involved as well.

The photographer of Photodementia images is an astronomer in Bonn, and has a heavy presence of the Max-Planck institute for Physics on his CV including lectures in astrophysics there. Why is this important? Because Donald has collaborated with astrophysics students from The Max-Planck institute on his recent projects so the probability that two (or in this case three) successful young scientists from a similar area of physics working on the same institute just happen to be all involved in distinct Detroit sounding electro projects seems very low to me.

...

And before you say it, yes, I know how sick I am for stalking all these people.

 

I think the image for fig. 4 is taken by this guy in 2006

 

I wonder if Richard paid him...

[Alcofribas]

lol

 

I love the idea of proving shit with pads