Customer Reviews

Ruok

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off this album is not like other Meat Beat Manifesto albums, not like Subliminal Sandwich or 99% but rather an amazing effort of creative samples infused with Jack's usual beats and sounds.
The album is rather down tempo, with really unique and often funny samples that go really well with the songs. Jack has moved on to a new level in his life ...which sometimes is not good for other musicans, however his exploration has worked out for him in the long run making this album very successful.

Jack Dangers has crafted a perfect assortment of multi-
layered experimentations relying more on the bassline
than the sample-infested tracks on previous output. All
signature rhythms are intact and ready to take off. A
direct and punchy experiential electronic focus is just
one of the many ingredients on RUOK? Recycled samples from
previous releases are run through vocoders, deep basslines
are elevated above sharp percussion, abstract electrical
rhythms are placed in a time-capsule set for space while
each and every bassline rumbles its way deep into the
subconscious. Incredibly addictive RUOK? may be, but the
bonus 3" disc of three tracks contains two top notch tracks
including 'Radio Atlantis' and 'Fromage'.. a workout on the
brain, and one that stays true to form. Simply marvelous.

Thinking about picking this up and are not sure? I hope this
review provides some insight on the magnificent world of
Meat Beat Manifesto. One of the originators of the breakbeat,

curators of the rhythm, and mastermind behind the bassline....

This is not the typical MBM from the last few albums. I personally like it more than Actual Sounds + Voices. It was a bit TOO experimental for my tastes. I've been listening to Jack since Storm the Studio, so I've seen all the transformations. To me, RUOK seems to be a mix of some of his other styles. With the exception of Intermission and Happiness (the last track), each song has a beat to it, and, as a previous reviewer had mentioned, each song has some great samples and mixing. The CD as a whole is downtempo, albeit upbeat. While not as experimental as the past, this is still worth your while to listen to if you are a MBM fan. And if you are not, why aren't you??

While taking a turn away from the experimentally mainstreamed Actual Sounds and Voices (quite the fault of the Matrix in the mainstreamed sense), Jack Dangers still stays with something familiar to listeners of Meat Beat Manifesto with the release of RUOK?. In fact, many of the sounds used here seem to be derrived from the same yarns that comprised Subliminal Sandwich, a work I found myself loving because of the samples it used and because of the sheer oddity of the work. This isn't to say that there isn't a newness to the album as well because there is, but it is to say that, in redefining himself, he has also remembered what has endeared him to so many of the masses.

So, how does one describe Meat Beat Manifesto to someone that's never tuned-in to their sounds before? Well, that's something difficult to do, because the music varies so much from album to album. Still, with RUOK?, there is melodic in its ability to forge a noticeable beat while inducting samples from a variety of sources into it, giving it the flavor of something experimental without going off the proverbial "deep end." While feeding from a scope of sources it stays fairly slow-tempoed, avoiding any type of grating sounds that some like to use, giving it a smooth electronic coating that is easily ingestable and hard to put down.

For anyone looking for something new to pull them down a few soothingly sampled electronic corridors, this might well be the thing for you. Still, if you've never listened to Meat Beat Manifesto before or you have and are afraid of what you might find herein, there are samples provided for your listening pleasure. That said, I highly recommend the album.

The production on this album is top notch. Frequencies that your speakers will hate you for. Electronic music is evolving from the glichy, clicky, aforementioned warp/lap-top stuff. thank god. Not to discredit anyone, but this is a different kind of vibe all around.Coming from the man that inspires electronic music on a level not perceived by most, this album takes people to a new dimension of listening. Sure it's not for the weak of heart, but if you want to know where electronic music is going in the near future, buy and listen to this album. Then you'll be a fan looking for all his other releases like I've been for the past 13 years.

This record seems to mark a turning point for Jack Dangers and his project Meat Beat Manifesto. Its everything Jack can do, but nothing like meat beat has done before. You cant compare this album to actual sounds and voices, or subliminal sandwhich. RUOK? Is more of an acoustic session inside the tapelab, with jack having fun with his gizmos gadets and of course, synthi.
At first listen you'll swear its not MEat BEat. The danceability to RUOK? is hihgly minimal. Its a great cd for driving however. "What does it all mean?" is sure to please every electro-hip hop seeker, and the other songs simply show Jack's studio wizadry.
Like someone mentioned before, the production is IMPECCABLE. This isn't just an audio cd, mbm release, but more of a package of music that is intended to be a productive listening experience in the way is was created.
If your a long time MBM fan, be prepared to play twice before listening, literally. That's certainly not an understatement though, as every listen gets better and better.

We were all kids once, and so was Jack Dangers. To me this album proves that he is now all grown up. No longer flinging alarmist left-wing rhetoric and prophecy, Dangers is now entering into a larger world of abstract electronics and exploration-- a world that he and his bandmates seem to gravitate to naturally. Although some of the songs seem to shift perpetually, this sounds very natural to the ear, and leads me to admire MBM even more for their efforts. Other songs drive along nicely, such as "Handkerchief Head"-- if this song doesn't make your boot-toes tap, I don't know what will. A definite must for fans of Meat Beat!

"RUOK" is a brilliant piece of genre-mixing from one of electronic music's most deservedly renowned figures. Jack Dangers's spacey, freeform explorations provide a welcome more organic counterpart to the more intellectual stylings of such British peers as Aphex Twin and Autechre. Taking electronica as a starting point, the compositions on RUOK veer off into other styling with abandon, seemlessly incorporating jazzy drumbeats, funky bass lines, and irresistible hip-hop rhythms. It's all wrapped tightly together in a collection of quirky, intricate tracks whose nuances should have your brain working overtime for the album's whole hour-long running time. Techno, hip-hip, industrial, call it what you want: RUOK is one of the most intelligent and forward-looking releases you're likely to hear, and a must for the adventurous listener.

Jack Dangers has never been one to rest steadily on his laurels, and his latest output R.U.O.K.? is testament to that. Dangers struck a winning combo with 1996's Subliminal Sandwich and somewhat repeated the process with 1998's Actual Sounds and Voices but it was time to move on. Enlisting the talents of turntablist Z-Trip and ambient trailblazer Alex Patterson (The Orb) was only the beginning. Maestro Dangers had an ace up his sleeve and that `ace' was the 1970's EMS Synthi 100. With this arcane unit in the hands of the seasoned Jack Dangers we now have Meat Beat Manifesto's furthermost musical moment since 1996. The political vocals were first up for nixing and then the dense layering was next. R.U.O.K.? is a new direction for Meat Beat Manifesto that will not disappoint long-time listeners though it may perplex emulators. Dangers' compositions are a musical alchemy that leads the listener through a sonic vortex of pulsing synths, obscure samples, tribal rhythms and contagious backbeats. MBM's R.U.O.K.? has successfully raised the bar of musical mediocrity.

-Christopher Curry

This album lacks the adventurous nature of his previous work. It's still good music but not nearly so engaging or interesting as before. If dancing to the music is your only interest than I guess this will do it for you though... I keep listening in hopes of hearing something that I've missed, but the tunes ARE more simple.