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Aphex Twin, Festival Ceremonia, México. April 6 2019


markedone

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I think that’s a new hot take going around in social media, saw a similar Twitter post a couple of weeks ago before Ceremonia about some other DJ or festival. Haven’t read this article either but it sounds like clickbait.

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Man what a good show. I stayed out of the center this time and posted up at the sound board. Best seat in the house, in my opinion.

 

I also really enjoyed DJ Koze and Modeselektor. I really didn't intend to enjoy their sets as much as I did.

 

 

While it was refreshing to hear such wildly challenging tracks during a main stage headline performance, it was impossible to ignore the inherent inequality of a high-earning artist playing songs by underground producers who earn a sliver of his income and remain uncredited (except on Reddit and SoundCloud comments), since Aphex Twin hasn't posted his tracklist.

 

 

I think the merits of him not posting DJ setlists are arguable - he maintains the trainspotting tradition of rave culture and the days of white label 12"

 

I would point out that the publicity producers get from being played in an Aphex Twin set is substantial. I'm sure many have been glossed over by FACT and RA. It seems more earnest to DJ obscure gems than just get paid an alleged $1 mill for hitting "play" on his SAWI tracks at 60% speed with some new percussion. Most EDM DJs getting paid six figures are playing tracks by other successful EDM artists or doing paint by numbers MIDI sets of their own material. I can't think of another electronic artist with the notoriety and fame of RDJ going out of his or her way to play such overlooked music.

 

 

 

I have no interest in reading that article, but it sounds like they're pissed that he's not playing popular tracks? What the fuck? RDJ is obviously aware of the status he has, so he's trying to elevate the rest of the scene. I assume he respects good music/art wherever he finds it, so he tries to help out the super talented little guys. That kind of exposure obviously can make someone's career (coughrolandosimmonscough).

 

Or he just plays shit he likes. Sheesh.

 

No, he wasn't playing the right obscure / underground tracks. Actually, that wasn't it either, the article was claiming it was a disservice to not name them explicitly. Like "meh, he's getting paid a million to DJ some stuff he found on soundcloud" but like didn't go as far to call it exploitative. I guess? It was a mess of an article. I think there was some angle to champion queer acts that were overshadowed at the fest but it was juxtaposed against Aphex Twin in some half-baked sneer. 

 

It wasn't very committed to making any point, it read like a smarmy college age kid sighing and rolling their eyes about how lame something is without giving explanation, all while they browse twitter and half-heartrendingly laugh at some meta joke before hitting the bong at some party they felt like attending but not socializing at.

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Man what a good show. I stayed out of the center this time and posted up at the sound board. Best seat in the house, in my opinion.

 

I also really enjoyed DJ Koze and Modeselektor. I really didn't intend to enjoy their sets as much as I did.

I was about 10m from the front and it was actually chill up there, people were dancing in their own weird ways and enjoying it and there were not many people pushing in or anything (unlike the blue stage).  But im sure afx sounded and looked amazing from either angle.

 

I do wonder how many people in the front row knew what they were getting into with their faces being distorted up on the big screen.  Compared to the Field Day video, people seemed a bit more caught off guard here, at least at first.

 

Modeselektor.. i was actually dissappointed in their performance.  I've seen Moderat in the past and the "dj dudes jamming it out" look was fine there, but came off rather cheesy here for some reason.  Twas 95% just their new album, which im not crazy about.  High point was the flohio track when she came out.  Low point(s) were bringing out pussy riot (I agree with their message.. but it felt cringey to parade it in such an in your face way) and Szary holding up a 909 like a prop to show the audience "Look, im really using this shit."

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I wrote an e-mail to RA-AFX article author Michelle Lhooqr. Here is the mail, (p.s tomorrow Avant Gardner will be crazyyy!!!, see u guys there and afterparty):

 

" It’s mindblowing to see the things you wrote on RA and then on Twitter. First of all, you talk as it is a person duty to share the tracklist of the DJ set. I have never heard such a ridiculous idea. Back in the days, DJ’s were purposely hiding the labels with stickers to protect their record crate secrets. Would you call this action as unethical? And what is the benefit of sharing a tracklist when people are already Shazaming it like crazy, and therefore it is available immediately? And from there you go to, sharing Aphex Twin’s income with the tracklist composers. What do you recommend? Are we giving concert income money for %3 per each person in tracklist? Maybe you are not aware but, Aphex Twin concert tracklists are “Oscars” (sorry for using this term) of underground dance music. Check out this article which came out today. https://mixmag.net/feature/when-aphex-twin-plays-your-music

 

Every artist in the tracklist gots lots of exposure and even gets album deals (Brainwaltzera, Zuli, etc.). And I am sure they would choose this spotlight over money. But I think it is not enough for you, to be ethically correct, Aphex needs to carefully selects each artist by its gender and give everyone an equal chance. How is %33 Male %33 Queer %33.333 Female for gender distribution of the artist?

 

I think with your article you should go one step ahead and say shooting videos of people in the crowd are against privacy and using Aphex logo on people should have legal consequences. Above all, your twitter posts dropped your mask, by "saying shitty DJ obscure music.” You hate the guy because he is a big name and he is a successful male, and he is the reason why the old unequal music industry system should be demolished. If he were queer, you will love the concert and write 180 flipped version of this review. I am astonished that you call yourself a music journalist. How about changing that to my clan vs. your clan game in the music industry journalism? Your biasing must be super high to see Aphex visuals and music as not a real transgression or transcendence and put tags rave, hypnotic over the article. I’ve seen FAKA 2 times, and they were great, but I doubt that you will give them a chance if their performances were masculine-oriented. It’s too bad that RA removed the comment section. People would eat you alive for writing shitty clickbait article like that — anyway, good luck with your weedy ravey journalism. "

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Even negative attention is attention. 'Grats, you just gave her the subject for her next RA article 'Aphex Twin's Toxic Troll Fans or Receiving Abusive Messages From Aphex's Alt-Right Troll Army'

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Even negative attention is attention. 'Grats, you just gave her the subject for her next RA article 'Aphex Twin's Toxic Troll Fans or Receiving Abusive Messages From Aphex's Alt-Right Troll Army'

 

 

Ahshaha, that was funny! I am just sick and tired of people bashing, successful and skilled artists just because of their gender, and popularity. These ideologically driven people are dreaming about revolutionizing whole music industry by sharing the income of the DJ with the composer. This sharing tracklist was a new one tho. My ex-girlfriend was just like this, so I know how corrupt these ideas can go. Check out the twitter of the author: https://mobile.twitter.com/MichelleLhooq?p=s zhe was criticizing festival sponsorship of Budweiser money but if you go down below, zhe was saying how zhe is upset about RBMA closed and zer dreams were ruined by it. Just amazing.

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That kind of exposure obviously can make someone's career (coughrolandosimmonscough).

 

 

sounding pretty passive aggressive here man, what's your deal?

 

 

 

don't remember him playing mr. ö, when was that? like he doesn't deserve more recognition braintree *grumpy emoji*

 

 

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Im shocked that Pictureplane is replying to that girls tweet with "Damn I’m going to see him here in NYC. He’s just doing a DJ set of other people’s music? Not a live set?"

:facepalm:

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That kind of exposure obviously can make someone's career (coughrolandosimmonscough).

 

 

sounding pretty passive aggressive here man, what's your deal?

 

 

 

don't remember him playing mr. ö, when was that? like he doesn't deserve more recognition braintree *grumpy emoji*

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not taking a dig at Mattias. He deserves all of the success he's worked for. However, some of that success is obviously from the support of a legendary artist.

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I'm not taking a dig at Mattias. He deserves all of the success he's worked for. However, some of that success is obviously from the support of a legendary artist.

 

 

 

Ahh ok. I've never heard someone do the coughing thing without firing a shot at whoever they were referring to. You're right in that getting exposure from day for night did definitely help out. I remember seeing his bandcamp purchases increase substantially after that set. 

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I for one didn't even know about the DFN thing. The Trackermatte material has gotten exposure around these parts for years and I'd always dismissed it as what I thought of as the standard Analord-ripoff stuff that was rampant on WATMM for most of a decade. Then he put out World Building, and somehow it all clicked hugely for me. Now I'm working my way back through his catalogue and instabuying all his new material. I listen to RS more than Aphex nowadays, tbh.

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I think this is my favorite track he played at Ceremonia, and that's saying lot considering the company it's in

 

https://infinitemachine.bandcamp.com/track/the-curtain-fall

 

Also that Pete Cannon track - good god RDJ can really find some diamonds in the rough on bandcamp

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