Customer Reviews

Form & Function

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this CD soon after I bought Modus Operandi. And I would have to say Form & Function was a disappointment, but after listening to Modus Operandi, anything is a disappointment. I suggest you stay away from this alnum until you listen to M.O. because of the overbearing mechanical precison of this album leaves you feeling dry. Too much uniformity can be a bad thing if it's not backed up with enough variety of sampling. This CD does not have much listening life to it unlike it's exceptional predecessor: Modu Operandi. Form & Funcion was good but could have been a lot better. It just doesn't sound complete, almost as it was released by Photek unfinshed.

About a year agoA friend of mine told me of his Photek addiction. His began with the closing credits of the movie Blade which features a Photek tune. I watched the credits just to hear it, and immediately understood. Photek's music takes elements of minimalism, jazz, and electro-acoustic composition to new realms (3 areas of music where the same works seem to be repeating for the last ten years). I can't get enough of this disc especially "UFO". The art is in the simplicity.

First star off: no Ni Ten Ichi Ryu. This wasn't even on Modus Operandi, and it isn't here either!

Second star off: not enough other real classics included, some that everyone needs to hear. e.g. Into The 90s and The Rain. Instead choosing to include the overly-repetitive Water Margin (the remix is a good one though), and the tacky UFO (these days, those sighting samples don't even sound quaint - they're embarrassing).

But despite that, included here is the staggering Parkes hat-trick: Rings Around Saturn, his own remix of Seventh Samurai (making the original sound very VERY lacking by comparison - just a Ni Ten rip-off, in fact), and the totally, totally devastating Peshay and Decoder remix of (again) Rings Around Saturn.

Santiago gets pretty close just by having the single greatest use of handclaps in a d&b tune, and Knitevision proves that Parkes is the only man who can make 7 minutes of - pretty much - only drums, sound fascinating.

Throw in a couple more sorta-decent remixes, and there you go, you have Form & Function (although we could do without the remix of UFO - no disrespek to J Majik, it's not really his mixing, but the track that I dislike). Starting off very well but faltering from beginning to end between good and dodgy tracks. 3 out of 5 it the most I can give it. Grab Risk vs Reward (for the stunning Ni Ten Ichi Ryu) first, then pick up Modus Operandi. Only come here if you thoroughly loved both.

In this album Photek has shown that there is no limit for finding new ways to produce an experimental drum and bass compilation he is always breaking new grounds and is a constant inspiration.

I'd get Modus Operandi instead if I were you. This CD didn't do anything for me; it only skimmed the surface, never really dive into anywhere

"Form and Function" is a wonderful drum and bass production brought to you by Rupert Parkes, aka Photek. Overall it is a very crafty minimal album. Photek experiments with slight rhythmic alterations of his breakbeats that most artists hardly ever tackle. The basslines are short, deep, powerful engines to the frantic skittery breakbeats. Very little sampling is used very cleverly and affectively, whether it is the gongs and clashing swords on "The Seven Samurai" or the light, melodic atmosphere implamented on "Rings Around Saturn". This is one of the finest drum and bass albums to date.

Don't settle for less; it's all right here. Drum N bass has met its master. I understand why a lot of people criticize Photek's similarity among his songs. But I have to say that to be a fan of Photek you have to be willing to put in the time to dissect and listen to each track. Minimal, yes; boring or repetitive, no.

Photek futher proves he is the king of dark drum and bass. With complex breaks and minimiliast programming, he makes no attempt to warm you up. This disc has two new trax, four out of print cutz, and six remixes of past photek material. "Knitevision is the best of the new, while "Rings around Saturn" is the best of the old. Peshay&Decoder provide an awesome mix of this song. Modus Operandi is a better introduction to Photek, but Form & Function is a masterpiece in its own right.

Photek is a refreshing sound amidst a genre hellbent on using alot of rehashed sounds with bad orchestration. His albums alway seem to reach new territories, and Form and Function does this with a classy, simple approach. His soundscapes are structurely very complex and clinical, providing an antiseptic type approach to beat construction and quirky nuances that fill your ears with unique sounds. This minimalist style allows room for each timbre of sound to hit your ears with an unusual precision, leaving you offguard for what's to come next. Choosing sounds and programming beats to create moods rather than "just to dance to," this album aurally has many soothing qualities similar to Stewart Walker's "Stabiles." By far one of the great producers of electronic music, Photek remains a true pioneer, discovering and creating his own art form without the usual influence of so many others.

If you just want drum n bass,that you can dance to or listen to casually,don't buy this! You'll probably end up finding it boring and monotonous! This stuff is much more than that,more perplexing,more intelligent,the patient audiophile will definitely be rewarded! This album is also kinda along the same lines as "Modus Operandi"(you definitely wanna check that out,if you like this,a definite DnB classic),precise and minimalistic.Some of Photek's old classics are on here(finally available on CD),and some excellent remixes of those tracks as well,like "The Margin 98",very well implemented by the great Doc Scott(also check out "Lost In Drum and Bass"),the "Rings around Saturn(remix)" by Peshay and Decoder("Miles From Home" is defintely a MUST BUY! ),and the "UFO(remix)" by J Majik(still waiting for his full length debut! ),and the excellent remix of "The Lightening",by Digital(waiting for his album,as well! ).Needless to say,the remixes by Photek are brilliant! All his tracks have always been exceptional! On the whole,this is an excellent compilation!