Customer Reviews

Modus Operandi

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I think I understand Photek's mindset. He has a deep appreciation for excellence, he wants perfection--he is a perfectionist. And he's really good at expressing this urge through music. When you use a computer to make music (I think he mentioned he uses cubase vst mainly), you have complete and total utter control over every aspect of sound, right down to the microsecond. It seems like every beat, every snare, bass drum or symbol is painstakingly constructed to come as close to perfection as possible, without sounding to overly robotic. Some people might say that this stuff does sound too mechanical or unemotional...it may seem like that at first, but when you really listen closely you actually notice that not every beat is precisely accurate. His beats are completely handcrafted, and you can start to tell after many careful listenings. That's what makes it so impressive. He puts so much time and effort into making these tracks that it's hard not to respect the man. I read that he spends about 5 weeks on average to complete just one track! This guy is like a ninja, a kung-fu master of the art of creating sonic excellence. Some of these tracks are simply exhillarating, you really can feel the emotion of the drums in some of these songs. Pure intensity, anger, tranquility, he can do every emotion with drums alone. The sonic textures to accompany these masterful beats only inhance the effect.

I can understand why people rated Photek poorly. His work is cold and inhuman-- more focused on precision than melody. It's a tough listen: in many ways, its probably about as inaccessible as a popularly acessible drum n' bass or jungle album is. It's all about straight ahead beats. Melodies become minimal: this is the cold blade of drum and bass with the fluff thrown away...

It's not your grandmothers Oldsmobile either. It's not comfortable and it sounds awfully spartan for the first one.... er... twenty listens. To listen to it you have to think soberly. To analyze. Even with Amon Tobin (who does some really tight work) there is a margin for error as a listener provided by the padding of sampling.... a buffer zone.... whereas here, this record bleeds into your subconcious... tribally... like 'jungle' should....

This is Photek's best record although some of his remixes, etc. are pretty hard to beat. This, along with Vibert's (Plug) "Drum and Bass for Papa" and Tobin, Aphex Twin, and Squarepusher's work is about as far-out as stuff gets.....

But that stuff is better if you don't know what you're getting into. This is like the eighteen year old double malt of electronic composition.....

Does Drum 'N' Bass need to be 'Danceable' to be considered good Drum 'N' Bass???....if the answer is "Yes", than you'll need to pass on this CD, and head for one of the Drum 'N' Bass producers known for remarkably dancefloor friendly music. Because Photek (aka "Rupert Parkes"), although having recorded Drum 'n Bass for many years (also under a few aliases), Photek makes the sort of Drum 'N' Bass, that would be incredibly hard to sell to those that like listen to their Drum 'n' Bass in both the home and in the Club. Hardly surprising as Photek rarely DJ's, and is more a producer than musician.

You know when you have the sort of sublime Drum 'n Bass that is catchy, melodic, has a great sense of rhythm and has that tremendous build-up before giving you the central/chorus rhythm, or has superb use of Vocals or Mc'ing???. Well forget all of that, because this has absolutely none of that. Doesn't sound so promising so far does it??? but what Photek does have on his side is a level of intricate Drum/Rhythm programming, that really is second to none.....(apparently needing several weeks of computer preparation, just to put one track together), and tightly focused sounds and sound effect manipulation that gives his sound that distinctly menacing, Paranoid & anxious effect. Forget about guest female vocalists singing beautifully over samba/Latin breakbeat's, or funky Drum 'n' Bass beats mixed with up-tempo Jazz. Photek deals in the dark end of Drum 'n' Bass, and more specifically the 'Home listening' end of D'n'B, because you'll be hard pressed to find many people willing to try dancing to this in a traditional D'n'B club.

Think sci-fi strings, and skittering beats, that wouldn't sound out of place, if someone like "Aphex Twin" or "Squarepusher" were drafted in to create a minimalist, industrial-styled drum 'N' Bass, but without the weird & wonderful twists & Turns that their music is known for. It's a strangely Cold sound and with the music taking the form of thrumming bass, sweeping synths, bell tones and hyperkinetic drum patterns swirl together, forming a mysterious mood, that is as much keeping with electronica as it is D'n'B, and the feeling is a weirdly detached, synthetic sound, not unlike more aggressively paced ambient techno track. (think "Autechre" handling moody breakbeat)

This is music designed almost exclusively for listening to at home, because such is the overridingly dense and claustrophobic nature of his music, and the fiercely complex nature of his drum patterns, and minimalist approach to arrangement (almost unlike anything else out there), this is what, I would refer to as 'Mood Music', insofar as it's not generally something that'll have wide/accessible appeal, but those entering into this with the right frame of mind/ or under the right circumstances will (hopefully) all see what all the fuss is about.

Each track works to a very similar brief....bleak, nervous & unapologetically dark Metallic drum programming, and it's clinical Eerie industrial sounding take on underground jungle make this hard going for most, and the lack of distinctive song structures also threaten to make some tracks blur into the next. But this isn't an album that intends to impress on its first couple of listens.....no, multiple listens are required, and because of the density of the music, listening to the album in segments (several tracks at a time), will give a better appreciation of it's tightly interwoven arrangements that over the course of multiple listens really do begin to reveal exactly, that beneath the seemingly understated bassline, off-kilter snares and offsetting synth, lurks meticulous attention to detail, that some lesser skilled producers couldn't possibly hope to emulate.

subdued beats, give way to ominous cymbals and pattering snares, and the frequently rumblingly abrasive beat, works beautifully with the more tense and clinical sounding percussion effects. And again, it must be mentioned, that if the listener isn't prepared to really sink their teeth into this album, then the meticulously crafted tracks, the subtle use of Hi-hat, and LTJ Bukem styled synth's, layered over effects on tracks that all run at over 6 minutes, will have long outstayed their welcome, well after 3 minutes. As this is music that is much about technicality as it is musical expression.

If your the sort of person that is a little freeform with their music and doesn't mind / or applauds people attempting to do things a little differently with their music, or like musicians / producers that refuse to allow themselves to be confined to genre limitations, or do you find that you like the more 'leftfield' approach in the music that you listen to?? Then this is possibly the sort of album that may well interest you. The fact is that you might not even like this the first couple of times you hear it. I first heard Photek via a couple of remixes he did for other artists, and I thought "Nice...not bad", heard some of his own work, and thought "Hmmm.....that's okay, maybe not something I'd buy", and it's only after hearing the odd Mp3 around friends or (*Coughs*) downloading a couple of tracks, that I'm now really sold on his style of music. This really is either 'Love it' or 'Hate it' music. And if going through the trouble of trying to appreciate his music sounds like "Too much effort", then I suggest you give this a miss. But those that are prepared to stick with this 'Dance-unfriendly' Drum 'N' Bass, will (eventually) some of the most abstract and technically proficient Drum 'n' Bass/Electronica out there.

This is, by far, one of the best albums in my collection.
I'm not into the minimalistic drum & bass all that much, but my curiousity led me to purchasing this CD to see what it's all about. At first, I found myself skimming through the songs to kind of get a taste of what each song will offer; it was all sort of different to me and I didn't like it much at the beginning... but, I kept on listening... it kept on getting better with each listen. Now, I'm hooked. The bass lines are amazing. At most times, very smooth... but have that tendency to rattle you. The beats are all simple and redundant but never bother me for everything pieced together in the songs goes together like they were born together.
My favourite track is Modus Operandi, for it's classy, jazzy, lounge-type sound. The rest of the album is more on the darker side.

I highly recommend this CD to anyone into drum and bass or even downtempo. Give it a try. Well worth the price for that alone.

First of all I'll clear something up. Everyone says this music is "tense" but for some reason i think the word sounds too negative and inprecise. What I think it does is squeeze evey last drop of cold, hard, silently focused CONCENTRATION. That way the idea of Photeks precise style compliments it. You'll see what I mean if you play this on your headphones while playing a mad game of chess!

I think thats what this awesome piece, is founded on. This may sound wierd, but it's kind-a-like staring at a small dot and blowing it up totally in your mind, creating a huge vast world from it. And it's carved in cold stone, so there's no way around it, either you get it or you lose it.

I listen to FSOL, Download, Haujobb, Underworld, just to name a few; since there all (in my opinion) very artistic indeed. These artists are the raw material, the nitty-gritty of what electronic music stands for, and Photek fits in that group cuz he's also one and only.

I'll also warn not look at the technical side of this music or you will never enjoy this masterpiece. I guess that goes with every form of music. It's meant to be apprciated in the most artistic way possible. After all, listening is an art as well.

Sure, you're allowed to call it drum'n'bass but don't base the fact that you might like it because it is D'n'B. It's simply Photek.

What is 'Jungle' anyway? Should it be fast warp speed beats all the time? Must it be danceable? Should it have vocals, in order to make it appeal to the masses? I think the answer is "NO". None of these traits are present in this album, which makes it exceptionally original.

Listening to this album is almost like having the pleasure of listening to Aphex Twin's "Selected Ambient Works Vol 2", except with beats. This is the most intelligent version of "Drum and Bass", I have ever some across, next to Amon Tobin. Why? Let me explain.

First of all, I have never heard a remarkable display of background music to jungle beats. Although they are cold, they also leave the listener satisfied. Everything sounds scientific and brand new. By this I mean, it sounds futuristic. There is no way a human can dance to it. You have to settle for listening for the pleasure of it.

Secondly, the beats are very well calculated and organized. They may be repetitive from track to track, but that's not the idea. The background is more important. It gives the feel of techno music being man-made, rather than computer generated.

No 'Jungle' collection should be complete without this album. Don't expect to dance wildly....just bobb your head along with the beats and test your senses with the backgroung ambient.

In a time where the majority of drum 'n bass beats sound Xeroxed, Photek's "Modus" is a breath of fresh air. The album's strong points are most definitely the thinking-man's rhythms, which are a staple in Photek's vocabulary, and the reason why his music as accepted by both raver kids and real drummers. Others have commented on how repetitive all the tracks are, but if one listen's closely, there are many subtle changes that occur, slight they may be, they are there.

this for me is the pinnacle of drum and bass. the beats are so crisp and sharp that they cut into you. the bass so deep and punctuating it drags you along into the suite. very little else other than percussion and bass. the landscape can seem very barron, very empty. you can almost feel the tumbleweed rolling past or the sound of breaking glass 5 blocks away.

as previous reviewers have noted, this guy has manufactured every single part of this player. the beats constructed in a mans own image.

i dont think this is one for the masses, theres not really anything slightly commercial, nor would i ever recommend it as a gateway into this genre. the player is an entitlement ya gotta earn to appreciate it. it took me about 2 years to really enjoy what photek was doing here, and to listen to it now (many years on) it still unnerves me.

ideally be used as a soundtrack to a dark minimalist film nobody ever watches.

very haunting.....very very good.

Dark, slick and sophisticated drum n bass, Modus Operandi would have made a great accompaniment to the first Dirty Harry movie. A soundtrack of suspense and cool atmospherics. As one would expect from what I presume is called "minimalist" drum n bass, there are no real songs to speak of; no vocals either for that matter. Just a pitter-patter of snare, hi-hat and bass drum, a bass and the odd synth pad, sketching the scene of a New York City streetscene late at night. . Although this would appear to be low-key enough to qualify as ambient, oddly enough this is music that needs to be listened to. And it is in fact a really splendid record that is receiving heavy rotation at home. Just four or five tracks at a time, mind you. A little of this stuff goes a long way.
If you like this then I would recommend Surgeon for more upbeat fare.

Photek(a.k.a. Rupert Parkes) to me,is one of the most brilliant artists ever.I don't think I will ever find words to describe anything that he has ever made,thats how the experience of listening to any of his work leaves me,speechless.I feel that this album is one of the best works of art ever,period.And believe me,I'm not overrating it in any way,this is probably the least amount of praise that it deserves.It is Parkes' ability to see beauty in simplicity and to be so thought provoking that thoroughly amazes me,his style is just so personalized and unique,so precise,minimalistic and engineered to perfection.Despite its variety and diverse influences Modus Operandi is coherent throughout as, with his thrifty instrumentation, the attention is mostly focused on Parkes' incredibly detailed drum programming. Many tracks such as 'The Hidden Camera' and 'KJZ' have a jazz feel, employing cyclic double bass and impressionistic chordal effects, as Parkes' taut drum sounds fidget underneath. At the same time other tracks such as 'Aleph 1' and 'Minotaur' illustrate the techno influence in their choice of sounds while 'Smoke Rings' and 'The Fifth Column' are virtually all drums accompanied by abstract associative sounds.This is perplexing brain music at its best,buy it and buy everything else made by Photek,and expect nothing below absolute excellence,because you won't get anything else.