paolo

Mechanical phantoms
'Dedication' is an amazing album. His Hyperdub and Ramp releases were good but this is on another level. One of the few producers around who's really doing something original
 

unclerico

Well-known member
its weird because i really like zomby's music but unfortunately i also feel massively frustrated by some of his tunes and particularly this album

i just feel a lot of the tracks are great ideas for tracks but the execution in a lot of cases seems lazy and unfinished, mostly in how he sequences and arranges his tracks. its not the choice of sounds or the loops themselves, which are really great. its just i can tell he simply creates a few loops and sticks them together and then lets them end. the effect for me is that the tracks end up being shallow and one dimensional with v little in the way of progression or narrative at all. this seems a real shame as if he just worked on the tracks a bit more i think his music would be up there with the very best of electronic music, but as it is i feel its a bit overhyped
 

Leo

Well-known member
interesting cover interview in the august issue of the wire, i didn't realize he was such a character (notorious for gig no-shows, total pothead, etc.) also, he said the album is "dedicated" to his father, who passed away in the past year, apparently had a big impact on the tracks.
 

empty mirror

remember the jackalope
really into his last effort. they do feel a bit sketchy, but i prefer that to tracks that have been too carefully fiddled with (generally speaking).

he was interesting to follow on twitter, always floating out new tracks. haven't seen him tweet in ages though.

he was appropriating photos of users on another forum i am on for use in press releases and the like. caused quite a bit of confusion for a bit. apparently he wasn't interested in actually, like, working with the people whose photo skills he apparently admired. a bit dodgy.
 

Benny Bunter

Well-known member
I like most of this LP and Zomby in general but I always kinda want him to better than he actually is, if you know what I mean. That said I approve of his 'leave the tap running', churn em out, limited sound palate approach. Obviously Wiley is a good comparison here. Its time for a Wiley style Zip-file bombardment I reckon. Maybe we'll get a boxset in 2020, lol.
 

unclerico

Well-known member
yeah but wiley's tracks are usually beats to rap over so it works better for me like that

even though i absolutely love wileys beats (well his old eski ones anyway) i tried to listen to an album of instrumentals and it got monotonous v quick

if zomby's music wasnt so original and atmospheric i wouldnt care, but i just get the feeling if he wanted to he could manage to craft the tracks without losing what makes them good in the first place.

not least because certain tracks he has done are more worked on and sound amazing as a result
 

Tentative Andy

I'm in the Meal Deal
Yeah I'm really enjoying this album, more than I expected I would actually. I can see what unclerico is saying but with this particular album the way it's like a collection of miniature sketches seems to be the point of it. It's like flicking through photographs or reading a book of short stories. Or something.
 

unclerico

Well-known member
Yeah I'm really enjoying this album, more than I expected I would actually. I can see what unclerico is saying but with this particular album the way it's like a collection of miniature sketches seems to be the point of it. It's like flicking through photographs or reading a book of short stories. Or something.

this is the last im going to say about it cos i dont want to go on, but ive noticed a lot of people making excuses for his slapdash approach, as if its intentional but he has always done this - not just on this album

if his next album has tracks which are no more than barely sequenced loops with abrupt non-endings and no intros i suspect there will be a backlash from a lot of people who currently rate him and want to give him the benefit of the doubt

i hope this doesnt happen as i love the originality and atmosphere his music has
 

e/y

Well-known member
lol

the album is great. often when I listen to it, I find myself starting to fall asleep, but in a good way (if that makes any sense at all).
 

paolo

Mechanical phantoms
Anyone actually seen him DJing or playing live (not sure which he does)? He's been booked to play twice in Glasgow as far as I know and failed to show both times. I heard one of the promoters say that he was the most difficult artist that he ever had to deal with
 
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NKC

Member
But then I read that Wire article and he seems pretty normal to me. I mean, he talks about his love for designer clothes and watches. How does he even pay that?

Is it all an act to create a mystical aura? :confused:

syncing.
his stuff's all over catwalk shows, lady gaga shows (was it lady gaga?) and shit like that.
BIG money there surely?

i love zomby, i havent given the album a proper listen yet, but in the past i haven't cared about the track length or structures.
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
His father may/may not have been a successful musician from that Wire interview. Who knows, maybe it was somebody discussed on this very board or something...

That's not me dropping hints. It's more like the thousand yard stare of "I wonder..." thing.
 

Ory

warp drive
t/l for zomby - nothing:

1 Labyrinth
2 Digital Fractal
3 Equinox
4 Sens
5 It Was All A Dream
6 Trapdoor
7 Ecstasy Versions

t/l for forthcoming japanese bonus disc version of zomby - dedication:

17 Haunted Part 2
18 Hexxx
19 Gates Of Hell
20 Labyrinth
21 Digital Fractal
22 Sens
23 It Was All A Dream
24 Trapdoor
25 Stargate 5
26 Ecstasy Versions

a lot of overlap there. dunno if you'll be able to get either digitally tho
 

hopper

Well-known member
labyrinth is pretty fucking good... easily one of my favourite producers at the moment. his twitter is great fun as well, my favourite so far is 'this is not an event sponsored by red bull'
 
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