Villalobos Fabric 36- Thoughts?

gek-opel

entered apprentice
OK, not being discussed elsewhere as far as I can tell, interested to hear what people are thinking about this one...

So far it seems to me to be rather a pedantic mix, overly dry and simplistic up until about half way through when it greatly improves (although the ranting woman may not be to everyone's taste). Obviously his beats are luminously 3D in terms of how well engineered they are, but even discounting the fact that there are few melodic elements its still not interesting on a polyrhythmical level, too simple and conventionally house-like, lacking in Perlon-ic percussion grubs or tripping Fizheuer Zieheuer-esque strafing delay patterns.

Indeed sat next to similar mix/artist-album projects like False's "2007" and Hawtin's "DE9" its surprisingly hard work.
 

tox

Factory Girl
It's in my CD player now, but without some considered listening I don't dare comment... give it a few hours and I'll have some proper thoughts!
 

Gavin

booty bass intellectual
I am by no means a mnml aesthete, nor have I heard much Villalobos (I thought the Fabric mix might be a good intro), but I wasn't expecting it to be so clicks-n-cutsy -- I was underwhelmed. It did pick up toward the end though, and I'll admit I haven't test-driven it on headphones yet. Is there a more representative (or at least more enjoyable) mix that would shed some light on the hype?
 

Gavin

booty bass intellectual
I also have some thoughts on the politics of increasingly intricate sound design, but maybe that can wait for another thread (or at least until I can formulate my thoughts better).
 

Guybrush

Dittohead
While he is supposed to be an excellent DJ, most of the hype is about his own tracks. Like:

Beck - Cellphone's Dead (Ricardo Villalobos Mix)
Depeche Mode - Sinner in Me (Ricardo Villalobos Mix)
Rhythm & Sound - Let We Go (Ricardo Villalobos Mix)
Ricardo Villalobos - 1º Encuentro Latinoamericano de la Soledad
Ricardo Villalobos - Fizheuer Zieheuer
Señor Coconut and His Orchestra - Behind the Mask (Ricardo Villalobos Mix)
Shackleton - Blood on My Hands (Ricardo Villalobos Mix)

+ the albums and the twelve-inches.
 

turtles

in the sea
guybrush: the fabric mix IS only his own productions, and thus double-hyped.

Personally I fine villalobos very context-specific. You have to be very much in the right mindset to really get into all the intricate details, usually late at night...I haven't hit that stage yet with this mix, but i'm sure when i do, it'll fit perfectly. A lot to like though, and "primero encuentro..." is kinda amazingly peak-time when it comes in.
 

Guybrush

Dittohead
Yeah, I know it only features his own productions, but I still reckon most of the hype has been about single tracks. (By the way, I’m pretty much indifferent to everything I have heard of him pre-2005, or something [except his fab ‘One Night in NYC’ remix], so I would advise anyone checking him out for the first time [whoever that lonely soul might be] to go for the newish productions.)
 

gek-opel

entered apprentice
Sure, the peak is fine. But the initial half hour is just dull. No ear-candy sound-design, no polyrhythms, not even a deep-minimal sense of hypnotic drugginess. I'm in love with overly-tooled sound design stuff, but this just kind of trudges along, without even a more trad-house maximalist oomph. "Primero Encuentro..." is ace however.
 

gek-opel

entered apprentice
Yeah, I know it only features his own productions, but I still reckon most of the hype has been about single tracks. (By the way, I’m pretty much indifferent to everything I have heard of him pre-2005, or something [except his fab ‘One Night in NYC’ remix], so I would advise anyone checking him out for the first time [whoever that lonely soul might be] to go for the newish productions.)

What not even a fan of "Dexter"...? Probably the most beautiful techno track ever produced (at least in the 00s)...
 
S

simon silverdollar

Guest
LOVE this mix/album. it doesn't have the trippy complexity of much of his stuff over the apst few years, but it's really light, airy and dainty...i can see what villalobos is talking about when he describes it as 'sunny'. i feel kind of refreshed after hearing this record.
 

Gabba Flamenco Crossover

High Sierra Skullfuck
Is there a more representative (or at least more enjoyable) mix that would shed some light on the hype?

Someone upped an NYE mix he did in the minimal anthems thread - spread across about 6 files (it's huge!). The links have probably expired now but you could PM whoever it was. That was pretty cool, deep tracky house, best thing I've heard from him anyway - although it is shocking technically, he cannot mix for shit.

I also have some thoughts on the politics of increasingly intricate sound design, but maybe that can wait for another thread (or at least until I can formulate my thoughts better).

Yeah, me too - specifically about the way minimal is so decorative, whereas the techno I like always draws it's strength from acknowledging structure. This would be a good thread, I'm too busy to start it off today though!
 

swears

preppy-kei
Have only listened once so can't really judge, but I sort of got the feeling he cut back on a lot of the complexity, almost as if he was afraid of things getting too cluttered as one track is mixed in to the next. As a whole it does seem a bit overly stripped down, nice enough though I guess.
 

tox

Factory Girl
The only bit that stood out for me yesterday was when the fourth track kicked in... but I fell asleep soon after that.

I'm gonna keep plugging away at this one though, as I'm sure it was very considered and needs to be properly unpackaged to be enjoyed.

That said, it's not as immediate as DE9, although tbf that was greatly enhanced by the DVD with the track titles fading in and out. Certainly not as immediate as Magda's "She's a Dancing Machine" but I stopped listening to that after about a month so it's swings and roundabouts innit...
 

Leo

Well-known member
i like this cd but not super excited about it. maybe it will grow on me but right now much of it comes across as kind of low-key and faceless, although i'm guessing it wouldn't come across that way in a club.

still think the "achso" 2x12 and select bits of the two solo cds are more interesting.
 

shudder

Well-known member
I like to relate music to architecture quite alot.

Could just be cos i'm a pretentious wanker though.

ha! The "acknowledging structure" is totally modernist architecture law, whereas minimal being accused of being "decorative" is totally like adoph loos or something. :) not that the metaphor is inapt or anything. Just funny.

As for the Villalobos, I've never heard anything of his I liked more than Achso EP. Yes, Dexter wins for the sublime prettiness, but Achso holds my interest a lot longer.
 

tht

akstavrh
tend to concur with gek

cut everything before andruic & japan and it is a lot more interesting

achso is his apogee so far i think also, not a weak track or phase-of-track
 
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