The YouTube version of this video doesn't do it justice. It's too unsynchronized. And submitter, it's not his best. "Lucas With The Lid Off" was his best.

Very annoying ryhthm loops.

I'm not one of those dumb primitives who has contempt for ALL electronic music either.

I just know that electronic music CAN have a more natural and organic sound. This track had some great tones overall but the drum/rhythm parts sounded cheap and embarrassingly dated.

craigdamage: Very annoying ryhthm loops.

I'm not one of those dumb primitives who has contempt for ALL electronic music either.

I just know that electronic music CAN have a more natural and organic sound. This track had some great tones overall but the drum/rhythm parts sounded cheap and embarrassingly dated.

Wow, I thought I was the resident electronic music snob. So enlighten us all to electronic music that has "natural and organic" sound.

I don't agree that it sounds "cheap" or "embarrassingly dated." It's just a happy little pop song.

floor9: The YouTube version of this video doesn't do it justice. It's too unsynchronized. And submitter, it's not his best. "Lucas With The Lid Off" was his best.

THIS!
That whole best of DVD is pretty damn great.

So enlighten us all to electronic music that has "natural and organic" sound.


Cabaret Voltaire
Underworld
Young Gods
Muslim Gauze
Skinny Puppy
The Tear Garden...etc....
....the above are based on the criteria of percussion sound mainly.
Cabaret Voltaire's "Code" record was done mostly with the dreadful 80s Yamaha DX-7 but yet the rhythms on that one still had a more lush and open sound to them.

My advice with a drum machine or percussion samples:

Play it through a real amplifier and close mic it and run that signal through a decent tube-mic preamp. Make sure and use good reverb too.(some reverb is too digital and processed sounding)

Well, it's difficult to get into an argument over something which is completely subjective. I think of your examples, only Muslimgauze is what I would consider being vaguely natural and organic, and that would be his early to mid material only. His later stuff became more industrial and harsh. That's a quality I would attribute to the other bands you listed, excluding Underworld.

The general stuff I hear people attribute to being "organic" is Ishq, Solar Fields, Carbon Based Lifeforms, old FSoL, Suns of Arqa, etc. I don't have an opinion on the matter. I don't sit about debating if what I listen to is organic or not.

Honestly, "Star Guitar" was one of the Chem's biggest hits, you just sound like an arse when you attempt a serious critique of it with your "great tones overall but the drum/rhythm parts sounded cheap and embarrassingly dated" and your opinion on how drum parts should be recorded.

I'm not a big Chems fan, but unless you are banging out hits like they are, might you shut up and stop acting like a pompous twat? With the list of groups you gave, you paint yourself as one of those garbage industrial music fans who sits moodily in his parent's basement with his MP3 collection.

/Bloody Tear Garden is "organic." Pshaw.

I love electron music but I was never a fan of the chemical bros but star guitar is a great video and would be better on DVD. Youtube definitely does not do it justice. Another great Chemical Bros Video is the one they did with K-os, Get Yourself High.

craigdamage: Underworld

Just finished listening to Underworld, so I'm getting kick out of this coincidence

I'm just talking about drums dude. (I thought I was explicit on this)

I don't think "pompous twat" really enters into any of this.

My obsession with both recorded and live drums does not act as a function of pomposity. If you want me to get all pompous on your ass you will have to start arguing the electric bass. (my main instrument)

"Organic" may sound as broad and ambiguous but amongst musicians and recording engineers it can be profound.

example:
an electric guitar played through a tube amp and close mic recorded on an analog board and or an old reel to reel will likely sound "organic" also--"warm" "dense" "alive" etc...etc..

a guitar plugged directly into a digital board or played through a solid state amp or other digital device will often sound "synthetic" or "cold" or "too brittle" or "too clean" ...etc...etc.

The above is really cliches.
I would cast serious doubt on the intellect of someone who regards this as "pompous"

I regard Tear Garden as organic because of the analog sound in the music.(much of it is actually digital though)

craigdamage: I'm just talking about drums dude. (I thought I was explicit on this)

I don't think "pompous twat" really enters into any of this.

I'm still debating it. The list of artists you feel are "organic" baffles me. It's the same tired list every self-proclaimed "expert" on electronic music trots out, with the exception of Young Godz, and it's also slanted towards industrial music. In general, most fans of industrial are a special sort of wanker. Not saying you are, mind you, and I expect to rile up a horde of angry, angsty, pasty-white Farkers with that comment.

I suppose I should give you a golf-clap for mentioning Muslimgauze on Fark though. That's worth something I suppose.

Maybe I should clarify my tone here: I'm not really attacking you, I'm just taking the piss.

I have no idea how this was filmed. Taking the idea of a beat machine/sequencer into the metaphor of a train ride, with landmarks being the beats: ungodly brilliant. And good.

Glitchwerks: old FSoL

let's just pretend The Isness never happened.

FeedTheCollapse: Glitchwerks: old FSoL

let's just pretend The Isness never happened.

No argument here!

craigdamage:

Cabaret Voltaire


I never really thought Cabaret Voltaire were trying for any kind of warm, organic sound to be fair, at least not early days. Do you think, say, Suicide were?

Mind you, maybe they both were. Hmmmm, they're both more warm than Kraftwerk ever were. Hmmm.

If it had been Gondry-Barbera, American animation would have been spared a generation of suck.

I've always preferred Let Forever Be. (new window)

I really don't think the Beatles were going for an "organic" sound either. They just got it because there was NOTHING around in those days BUT tube amps,tube mics,reel to reel recorders,big BBC studio recording rooms with high ceilings....etc.

I don't exactly know what the Cabs were "going for" sound wise.
I just think their music has a lush sensual sound despite being generated by many electronic devices. Underworld too.

To be fair--the dude in Muslimgauze used live percussion and supposedly never "looped" it. Also,The Young Gods had a live drummer with a real drum kit.

I am NOT an "industrial" wanker. I appreciate much industrial because I find it creatively akin to much 70s era "prog" and "kraut" forms.
I like too many styles and genres to mention.

Sure I dig Front 242 and Meat Beat Manifesto.
I also dig Antonin Dvorak,Miles Davis and Black Sabbath.

I deliberately regard "electronic" as an extremely broad term.

craigdamage:
I don't exactly know what the Cabs were "going for" sound wise.
I just think their music has a lush sensual sound despite being generated by many electronic devices. Underworld too.

I've avoided the Cabs and really only come in at around "Plasticity" and "The Conversation." I'm a brief fan of Kirk and his solo material, but he's an artist that went in directions I just don't follow any more. I'm listening to "Number of Magic" right now. I guess you could call it lush, maybe organic. I dunno.

To be fair--the dude in Muslimgauze used live percussion and supposedly never "looped" it.

Yeah, but if there was ever an artist who was just wanking about over and over again, it's Bryn Jones. The dude had no quality control and just recorded an endless amount of music. Even his record labels were of the opinion that they couldn't continue to put out every damn thing he recorded. He's had more posthumous record releases than Tupac and every other deceased recording artist combined. His early stuff like "United States of Islam" and stuff like "Veiled Sisters" are brilliant, but around "Gun Aramic" people were beginning to realize this dude was in some sort of autopilot mode. He finally started doing noisey, industrial soundscapes, and I confess I stopped listening altogether.

I am NOT an "industrial" wanker. I appreciate much industrial because I find it creatively akin to much 70s era "prog" and "kraut" forms.
I like too many styles and genres to mention.

Sure I dig Front 242 and Meat Beat Manifesto.
I also dig Antonin Dvorak,Miles Davis and Black Sabbath.

I deliberately regard "electronic" as an extremely broad term.

Yeah, but again your list of preferences has a viewpoint that I consider a bit skewed towards the industrial side. You mention Front 242, what about Cybotron? Just sayin' the majority of industrial heads are Euro-trash who like some highly unlistenable shiate like Front 242. That's a bit of a joke. Sorta.

i happened to like the video. it was neat. thanks, subby!

although i somehow think the song just by itself wouldn't be as good.... the video compliments it wickedly.

bikerdiva
wait, what? there's a Michel Gondry best of video?
or a best of Chemical brothers video?

Even his record labels were of the opinion that they couldn't continue to put out every damn thing he recorded

true.
if you mailed him a letter and sent some modest amount of money he put you on a list and would send you EVERYTHING he recorded.
I totally agree with the "autopilot" statement. "Zul'M" is my favorite.

Here are my favorite Cabaret Voltaire moments: (sorry--too stupid for html)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z9BEUL005Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUG4GpsU3RI

Even live they are as dark and creepy as on record.
Both songs from "The Crackdown" 1983.
Their music from 1979-1982 is more sparse and less funky.
"The Covenant,The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord" 1985 is regarded by many as their "finest hour"

craigdamage: and embarrassingly dated.

That's because the track is about seven years old.

mrchowwow: I have no idea how this was filmed.

IIRC, Michel Gondry filmed the video by taking several trips on a train across France, with a camera fixed out the window the entire time. He drew up a graphical representation of the song, and used that as a timebase to loop the footage. Somewhere on Youtube there's a "making of" clip from this video.

Most of his stuff is pretty good, even if you don't necessarily like the music. He's known for a lot of clever camera trickery (seriously, watch Lucas With the Lid Off, and tell me that's not amazing for one continuous shot) and puns. Some of his best works (including this one) are Lucas With The Lid Off (Lucas), The Hardest Button to Button & Fell In Love With A Girl (White Stripes), Let Forever Be (Chemical Bros), the Gap "Holiday" commercials (circa 2000), the Levi "Drugstore / Dustbowl" commercials, and the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Third_Uncle_Eno: wait, what? there's a Michel Gondry best of video?

Yup.

floor9: Third_Uncle_Eno: wait, what? there's a Michel Gondry best of video?

Yup.

Yeah. And the Chris Cunningham one on the same label is pretty amazing too. Director's series or something. Too lazy to walk five feet to tell you for sure. Also have the Spike Jonze one. There was a second release with Tarsem (I think) and some other good guys, but the first set of three with Jonze, Gondry, and Cunningham pretty much satisfied my need for awesomeness.

dammit, i meant dvd, not 'video'.... you got my drift, tho...

The videos I mentioned above:

Lucas With The Lid Off: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5HOsnq_2j4
Hardest Button to Button: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWe-7Cm1GHg
Fell In Love With A Girl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T8xPntR3M0
Let Forever Be: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmpxsk3dHaA


Levi's Commercial (Dustbowl): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj6G1C6c0uw
Gap Holiday 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh6VlXpQE68&feature=related
Gap Holiday 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-7N5MWqneE
Gap Holiday Kids: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHHjpuoQb_U

For whoever was asking how they made the linked video for Star Guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF0-wGbRqEs

ZODIAC MOTHERFARKER:

WHY YOU GUYS SO RIDIC. CANT YOU SEE THE LIGHT POSTS HAPPEN WITH THA BEATS. THIS IS TEH AWESOMES.


im lying im sorry.

craigdamage: Very annoying ryhthm loops.

I'm not one of those dumb primitives who has contempt for ALL electronic music either.

I just know that electronic music CAN have a more natural and organic sound. This track had some great tones overall but the drum/rhythm parts sounded cheap and embarrassingly dated.

The problem is that you didn't use the proper cables for your speakers.

Glitchwerks:
Wow, I thought I was the resident electronic music snob. So enlighten us all to electronic music that has "natural and organic" sound.

The whole acousmatic movement is based on this very concept: Pierre Henri, Robert Normandeau, Françis Dhomont, etc. Paul Lansky did amazing things with processed found sounds. Much of the work of Phill Niblock, the counterpoint pieces by Steve Reich. Maybe you could argue Glenn Branca, James Tenney, or Pauline Oliveros.


I don't agree that it sounds "cheap" or "embarrassingly dated." It's just a happy little pop song.

Glitchwerks:
Yeah, but again your list of preferences has a viewpoint that I consider a bit skewed towards the industrial side. You mention Front 242, what about Cybotron? Just sayin' the majority of industrial heads are Euro-trash who like some highly unlistenable shiate like Front 242. That's a bit of a joke. Sorta.

Unlistenable? Who's the pompous twat now? Are you one of those guys who says "I liked headhunter when I was in 7th grade" anytime Front 242 becomes a subject of conversation? They're only one of the most successful and influential electronic music acts that have come down the pipe...

TSE: Unlistenable? Who's the pompous twat now? Are you one of those guys who says "I liked headhunter when I was in 7th grade" anytime Front 242 becomes a subject of conversation? They're only one of the most successful and influential electronic music acts that have come down the pipe...

No, not really. If you really want to believe that, go right ahead. EBM has been quietly filed in that great big record bin in the sky, a dusty and forgotten style of music that only brings embarrassment when someone stumbles over the MP3's in your collection by mistake.

"EBM" is an early example of over-thinking genre tags for various types of electronic music. Front 242 were innovators and are still respected among musicians I know.

TSE: "EBM" is an early example of over-thinking genre tags for various types of electronic music. Front 242 were innovators and are still respected among musicians I know.

Yes, they were innovative using all those presets on their keyboards and singing in dull, monotonous voices. By the way, they invented the term "EBM" to describe their music, so you only have them to blame for "over-thinking" genre tags, as you put it.

Glitchwerks: TSE: "EBM" is an early example of over-thinking genre tags for various types of electronic music. Front 242 were innovators and are still respected among musicians I know.

Yes, they were innovative using all those presets on their keyboards and singing in dull, monotonous voices. By the way, they invented the term "EBM" to describe their music, so you only have them to blame for "over-thinking" genre tags, as you put it.

yea ok your loss, some classic music