Remastered Melodies From Mars

Do you think it exists?

What do you think on the subject?

It's not my favorite although I do fancy a couple tracks. Some are not enjoyable for me, but they have some interesting qualities to them. They are pretty simple songs so I wouldn't doubt it would be easy to remaster them and give them more life (sonic depth). I would rather have a remastered and proper release of AB5.

Also, seems like really early Aphex. Like I would put its creation before or during the creation of SAW, but that is just a guess.

  On 3/28/2013 at 9:55 PM, AdieuErsatzEnnui said:

It's not my favorite although I do fancy a couple tracks. Some are not enjoyable for me, but they have some interesting qualities to them. They are pretty simple songs so I wouldn't doubt it would be easy to remaster them and give them more life (sonic depth). I would rather have a remastered and proper release of AB5.

 

Also, seems like really early Aphex. Like I would put its creation before or during the creation of SAW, but that is just a guess.

it doesn't seem like an early work to me, more like he chose to make it under some constraints, like a limited editor/machine. but i don't really know. whatever the case it's one of my favorite of his, emotive headnodding goodness

  On 3/28/2013 at 10:20 PM, Adjective said:

 

  On 3/28/2013 at 9:55 PM, AdieuErsatzEnnui said:

It's not my favorite although I do fancy a couple tracks. Some are not enjoyable for me, but they have some interesting qualities to them. They are pretty simple songs so I wouldn't doubt it would be easy to remaster them and give them more life (sonic depth). I would rather have a remastered and proper release of AB5.

 

Also, seems like really early Aphex. Like I would put its creation before or during the creation of SAW, but that is just a guess.

it doesn't seem like an early work to me, more like he chose to make it under some constraints, like a limited editor/machine. but i don't really know. whatever the case it's one of my favorite of his, emotive headnodding goodness

Constraints like knowing nothing about music and having cheap/homemade gear? I can't imagine that once he got good at making music and had lush gear that he would want to go back and make something like this. But I am only guessing like I said.

I don't believe that SAW is his earliest work especially compared to MFM.

Will someone please tell me where this high hat originated from?

Nope.

maybe i just enjoy the idea that it was a reaction to writer's block or something. i know when i get blocked or feel uninspired, i'll try playing with a really limited machine, where i don't have the pressure of any expectations, just to get the creative juices frothing.

if he wasn't lying, i'm curious what afx meant by saying he "redid" MFM, if he means remastered or recomposed in a new environment, or ...

not knowing anything about music? I'd like to hear you pull off something as catchy as Melodies from Mars. Definitely one of my favorite aphex twin releases. It's not 'really early aphex' either, you can easily tell based on the chronology of his discography it was made around the same time as I care because you do or Richard D James album, probably in between the two. All you have to check out are the sounds he's using. I never liked Saw anyways, to me it is one of his weakest albums, and it's very evident (at least i would hope so, to anyone who has produced music) it was made with a lower level of experience than Melodies from Mars

challenge accepted

  On 3/28/2013 at 10:58 PM, John Ehrlichman said:

It's not 'really early aphex' either, you can easily tell based on the chronology of his discography it was made around the same time as I care because you do or Richard D James album, probably in between the two. All you have to check out are the sounds he's using.

I'd Concur with this, it's easy to tell roughly what era Melodies originates from. Just listen to Ventolin-Crowsmengegus Mix and you can hear some startling similarities in the technique, playful melodies and that warm bedroom mix aesthetic. It really feels like it comes from the same period,

Melodies from Mars is most certainly not immature or his earliest work. You can tell it's Richard having fun but it's a deceptively simple album, finely tuned and those kind of melodies don't come from not knowing anything about music.

  On 3/29/2013 at 12:32 AM, Dissolvedpaul said:

 

  On 3/28/2013 at 10:58 PM, John Ehrlichman said:

It's not 'really early aphex' either, you can easily tell based on the chronology of his discography it was made around the same time as I care because you do or Richard D James album, probably in between the two. All you have to check out are the sounds he's using.

 

I'd Concur with this, it's easy to tell roughly what era Melodies originates from. Just listen to Ventolin-Crowsmengegus Mix and you can hear some startling similarities in the technique, playful melodies and that warm bedroom mix aesthetic. It really feels like it comes from the same period,

Melodies from Mars is most certainly not immature or his earliest work. You can tell it's Richard having fun but it's a deceptively simple album, finely tuned and those kind of melodies don't come from not knowing anything about music.

In my defense I missed a couple of the more complex tracks from the album that made it seem like it probably wasn't his earliest stuff. The tracks I had recently listened to were deceptively simple as you put it, but the ones that I just listened to were more complex and skillfully done.

there are instances on melodies from mars where he's using cheesy sounds intentionally, like preset organ patches and stuff like that.
To me it sounds like he's using mostly software to make it, which i think was a similar way he worked on Come to Daddy and RDJ album and maybe Windowlicker. IT's one of his only albums where i don't hear a tell-tale analog synth sound anywhere

Well, I was going to say I also see the precursor to RDJ album connection, but I just realized Fingerbib is like track 3? So, that is a given isn't it. Granted I still don't see a huge gap between SAW and this stuff. I kind of think some of them could have been started alongside SAW especially the simpler ones. I know from my own personal experience I don't work in a linear path. I could start a track years ago and just now decide to start working on it again.

The chronology of Aphex tracks is frustratingly elusive.. with the exception of I Care Because you do, where every track is dated.

It's not totally clear when the MFM tracks were made, but I'd say it's fairly certain that they are part of the same body of work as those on Analogue Bubblebath 5, the sound of those two albums is pretty much interchangeable.

My thought has always been that AB5 (as well as MFM) were scrapped for public release in favour of the Hangable Auto Bulb sound he had been developing in 94-95, giving an approx date for AB5 and MFM as 1993 to early 1994

One thing I don't quite understand about AB5 though, is that it has a track from AB4, the "cuckoo" track. Why would that be, if it was pressed afterwards? The Rephlex catalogue numbers would indicate a later release (AB4 - 019, AB5 - 034) but looking at them all the cat nos. aren't always in chronological order.

Three questions come out of this, I suppose:

Did anyone ever see AB5 in the wild before the release of AB4?

and..

Might it be that AB5 was actually scrapped in favour of "I Care Because You Do"?

and..

Has AB5 ever actually been officially acknowledged as "Analogue Bubblebath 5"?

Also, when I was referring to knowledge. I meant a literal knowledge about music creation and sound design. I think that you can have a visceral talent for making music without having a lot of knowledge about it.

Ab5, melodies and I care because you do all fit in a very similar canon to me. Ab5 sits very nicely with MFM, similar overtly happy vibes. Donkey rhubarb also fits into this style same style.

  On 3/29/2013 at 12:51 AM, xy_politics said:

The chronology of Aphex tracks is frustratingly elusive.. with the exception of I Care Because you do, where every track is dated.

 

It's not totally clear when the MFM tracks were made, but I'd say it's fairly certain that they are part of the same body of work as those on Analogue Bubblebath 5, the sound of those two albums is pretty much interchangeable.

 

My thought has always been that AB5 (as well as MFM) were scrapped for public release in favour of the Hangable Auto Bulb sound he had been developing in 94-95, giving an approx date for AB5 and MFM as 1993 to early 1994

 

One thing I don't quite understand about AB5 though, is that it has a track from AB4, the "cuckoo" track. Why would that be, if it was pressed afterwards? The Rephlex catalogue numbers would indicate a later release (AB4 - 019, AB5 - 034) but looking at them all the cat nos. aren't always in chronological order.

 

Three questions come out of this, I suppose:

 

Did anyone ever see AB5 in the wild before the release of AB4?

 

and..

 

Might it be that AB5 was actually scrapped in favour of "I Care Because You Do"?

 

and..

 

Has AB5 ever actually been officially acknowledged as "Analogue Bubblebath 5"?

To the last question yes, because it was released as a very limited release to some of the purchasers of one of the Analord series records I believe. (or some other release)

Also, the one direct relationship between AB5 and MFM that I know of is the high hat sound in the track I posted above and the first track (I think) from AB5.

besides the high hat sound, the up front happy vibes in the melodies sound very MFM as well. I care because you do is a little more melancholic and in some places much darker compared to either record

  On 3/29/2013 at 12:54 AM, AdieuErsatzEnnui said:

To the last question yes, because it was released as a very limited release to some of the purchasers of one of the Analord series records I believe. (or some other release)

That's true, but If i recall, it was just included in the binder as a blank white label, with nothing identifying it as "Analogue Bubblebath 5", unless I'm mistaken.

thats pretty awesome of them for doing that, copies of it fetch upwards of $500 regularly

Wouldn't it be great if the next person to interview Aphex got some of this info out of him. He'd probably appreciate being asked about the music instead of usual bank/tank nonsense. I'd particularly like to know dates for the tracks on SAW 1.

I see now on the insert for AB4 that, indeed, CAT034 is listed as "Analogue Bubblebath 5" coming soon. Odd that "cuckoo" is on both volumes then. Mastering error? Maybe that's why it was scrapped, who knows.

Am I overthinking this or am I maybe onto something here??

1:25- 2:16... (low synth melodic progression that comes in)

http://youtu.be/0kYYDM3so8o

and... (the obvious hypnotic progression)

http://youtu.be/Jls5jACc-6I

Also, the tone of that pad in MFM Untitled #10 sounds kinda similar in tone to some of the SAW II tones.

Thoughts?

^ wow, come to think of it, after listening back again, i dont think im overthinking it.. quite similar of a progression.. obviously a different key, but i think it's a harmonic variation.

relistening to mfm, it's such a playful and fun collection of tracks.

really makes a lot of modern residentadvisor-core stuff sound bland and unemotional in comparison :(

  On 3/28/2013 at 10:30 PM, Friendly Foil said:

Nope.

ha!