Thoughts on Fire For Effect/Ultrademon

I think this was a major coup for Rephlex tbh. The last couple years have seen the stalwarts still turning out good stuff - but stuff that we know and love. The new bochum welt could have been from 20 years ago and no one would have batted an eyelid. And the "new" rephlex artists these days - Jodey, Monolith, EOD (to a lesser extent) are still in a 10 yrs old braindance/afx model. I will love this stuff till the ends of the earth, but it's old territory.

I think FFE stuff was a really exciting direction: a true millennial (i think he's about 23) putting a very impressive debut of original and fun music. something that had appeal beyond just us nerds who love most rephlex shit no matter what. it was both ravey-pastiche and fun digi-madness in equal measures. not sure I've come across something like that before and it was exciting.

These kind of signings from rephlex should be encouraged!! and better promoted... jesus.

thoughts?

I don't have much to add to that other than I agree a 100%

It's funny you guys say that because I'm completely opposite. I don't enjoy his music and don't think it's treading new ground or anything... I found it a bit gimmicky, no offense...

get off my lawn

I love Ultrademon (obviously, we're having him out in Seattle January 3rd, and it's purely due to wanting to share that love with others). Absolutely refreshing music, and indeed, a change from the classic Braindance sound, which I too will love for eternity.

I respect that some people aren't going to like it, but I don't get the occasional hate.

I don't HATE it, to be quite honest. It's better than most things out there. I'd just rather throw on some Bogdan or DMX Krew or something.

  On 12/27/2013 at 11:52 PM, StephenG said:

I don't HATE it, to be quite honest. It's better than most things out there. I'd just rather throw on some Bogdan or DMX Krew or something.

And I totally get that :) I feel like for the first time in 15 years my mind is opening up to things I would have written off before.

I wish I could make it down to the show in Seattle to maybe change my mind! but it's like a 12 hour drive and I think I work that weekend. =(

  On 12/27/2013 at 11:56 PM, StephenG said:

I wish I could make it down to the show in Seattle to maybe change my mind! but it's like a 12 hour drive and I think I work that weekend. =(

Do it, I'll buy you a beer or three

  On 12/28/2013 at 7:11 AM, Audioblysk said:

 

  On 12/27/2013 at 11:56 PM, StephenG said:

I wish I could make it down to the show in Seattle to maybe change my mind! but it's like a 12 hour drive and I think I work that weekend. =(

 

Do it, I'll buy you a beer or three

 

I'll double this and smoke you out. If not Ultrademon, come see Wisp. March might certainly interest you as well. And then... and then...

You guys have fun in seattle.

The ultrademon thing is still very hit/miss for me. Some of it I love. Some of it sounds like wankery not going anywhere. And just won't click with me. Not seeing it clicking either, if you know what I mean. It doesn't sound like something which could click somewhere in the future. This hit/miss thing basically keeps me from jumping in the pool (read: buy album which is not available as digital download). So the current status on my ultrademon fanhood is to keep in check. Hearing how it develops. It might be going somewhere. Maybe the hit/miss ratio will change. Or maybe the good tracks get even better.

One thing worth mentioning is that Rephlex releases tunes late, like most record lables. Albert said he maid Bahrain back in 2010... so if he was cranking out tunes that killer 3 years ago, I imagine his new stuff has to be pretty friggin' good. All of their artists have a back-up catalog of music as they see releases probably every 2-3 years. Also, do keep in mind Albert is pretty young, like Monolith, so with time and the right folks to be around, they will be like a fine wine IMO and just get better with age

I like the new fire for effect stuff. It keeps the braindance/rephlex vibe while taking a youthful and somewhat modern approach to bringing 92' back to 2013. That's what is awesome about Rephlex IMO, they seem to release music they are into and they would want to rave to without taking into account popularity, hype or genre outside of the whole 'sounds like the tuss' thing. I can't be more pumped to see Ultrademon live in a few days.

  On 12/27/2013 at 11:52 PM, StephenG said:

I don't HATE it, to be quite honest. It's better than most things out there. I'd just rather throw on some Bogdan or DMX Krew or something.

kinda having severe musical crisis. nothing pleases. and how bad bogdans music aged imho. In these days its cylob and universal indicator that comes near the old feeling ....

  On 12/30/2013 at 2:41 AM, schlucharski said:

 

  On 12/27/2013 at 11:52 PM, StephenG said:

I don't HATE it, to be quite honest. It's better than most things out there. I'd just rather throw on some Bogdan or DMX Krew or something.

 

kinda having severe musical crisis. nothing pleases. and how bad bogdans music aged imho. In these days its cylob and universal indicator that comes near the old feeling ....

 

hahaha lol not at allll bogdan's shit is so good

I have to say this about Ultrademon - if Rephlex/Fire For Effect hadn't put out Seapunk I would of very likely never have given it a chance, at least not this year. Like vaporwave I had a bad first impression of the overall "seapunk" scene (though I like the former trend a lot more overall). It seems superficial but having a nod from a label like Rephlex help me give his music another chance.

Bogdan's mixes on Soundcloud are still pretty good.

this is the sea punk guy? sorry, i guess i dont get it as im a gen x'er. Im glad i dont get it. i dont want to get it. i get sea sick even thinking about him, and honestly i feel Grant might be losing it here. whats he thinking

sorry, dont mean to be a hater.

  On 12/30/2013 at 8:09 PM, marf said:

sorry, dont mean to be a hater.

Sure you did, you gen'xer. or else you wouldn't have typed all that.

What's your guff with it marf? No connection with the music or the scene aesthetic? Just curious

Something born out of a generation that gave birth to Bronies? Sorry, i drink a lot of espresso in the morning. Im usually not opinionated. the music is just OK. I think the difference between millennials and gen x is millennials are averse to cognitive dissonance. gen x had a very angsty vibe and you could here it in the music. sweet and sour. all that. hey, i dont know shit. i get ripped apart on the guardian message boards

Hey we had Nirvana! Lol

Generation X here as well (born '77). I don't "get" the whole aesthetic myself, but I like that they do their own thing, and I really enjoy the music.

As lame as it may sound, I wouldn't have given this all a 2nd glance if it weren't for Grant / Rephlex. Grant serves as a filter through the multitude of stuff out there, and because I generally agree with his tastes, I was willing to give it a shot. As a result I'm now really loving all sorts of electronic music that gets a lot of hate (juke, bass, footwork, whatever all those silly names mean). It really opened me up to a new world.

With that said, Rephlex has put out some pure shit, or at least stuff that I don't care for, but it's been a while since they did.

  On 12/31/2013 at 2:52 AM, marf said:

Something born out of a generation that gave birth to Bronies? Sorry, i drink a lot of espresso in the morning. Im usually not opinionated. the music is just OK. I think the difference between millennials and gen x is millennials are averse to cognitive dissonance. gen x had a very angsty vibe and you could here it in the music. sweet and sour. all that. hey, i dont know shit. i get ripped apart on the guardian message boards

Albert (Ultrademon) was born in 1988. He's the same age as Skrillex. Both were in more rock-esque bands before they blew up (Skrillex was in some fairly successful screamo group before he messed with 8-bit and then EDM). Albert was in this dance-punk band called Sscion.

Here's the thing, I was born in 1986. Friends and family of mine born just a few years after (1988-1991) or a few years before (1982-1985) we're all technically millennials. However the range is literally from early 80s to the very late 90s/early 00s.

Here's the thing, that's a huge difference. The problem with millenials is it's a arbitrary, arguably irrelevant grouping. The second half of millenials were BORN into social media and the internet. They don't know anything else. That makes someone born in say, 1995 (who is now about to go into college) has a COMPLETELY different experience in absorbing media than I do.

Some are very similar to me (maybe more old souls or adverse to bullshit like texting all the time or actually appreciate fandom of art and music) whereas other as superficial, and have other social and emotional "issues" attributed to the generation. Hell, some very young WATMMers are hard to distinguish from the older members, to give an example.

I like seapunk and similar 90s aesthetic music (wonky, chillwave, vaporwave, 8bit) because for me it's nostalgic and familiar yet, when done right, coupled with novel sounds. It's like what Boards of Canada was to those who grew up in the 70s. But many seapunk fans, teens especially, don't recall the 90s at all. They grew up in the 00s and know all of the nostalgic media I love through tumblr pics, youtube videos, and blog articles. It's curated for them already. It's frustrating for me to hear some 15 year old geek out over say, Nintendo or Sega, when they never even fucking played one growing up. It's surreal.

Generation X experienced a lot of changes but nothing like the changes social media and internet brought upon. There are children who can operate tablets, smart phones, and feel absolutely alone and confused without digital devices and the internet. Generation X never had such an internal divide in that regard. So that's an interesting point you bring up. Also, fuck Bronies. I don't want to be associated with that nonsense lol.

And I sat on my father's lap and programmed our Timex-Sinclair 1000 at less than 10 from the back of Compute magazine. What does it all mean?

  On 12/31/2013 at 2:52 AM, marf said:

Something born out of a generation that gave birth to Bronies? Sorry, i drink a lot of espresso in the morning. Im usually not opinionated. the music is just OK. I think the difference between millennials and gen x is millennials are averse to cognitive dissonance. gen x had a very angsty vibe and you could here it in the music. sweet and sour. all that. hey, i dont know shit. i get ripped apart on the guardian message boards

Millennials are averse to cognitive dissonance? Why? The only reason I can imagine is that they're very affluent with getting from the cloud what they need. Which is just another way of saying they're pretty good at staying away from truths they don't want to see.

Cognitive dissonance seems like something which is inherent to the way the brain works (read: constructs its sense of reality).