Photek - 124

[executive steve]

Don't post on here much these days, but figured I'd make an exception for a 15 year old tune that sounds like a slice of "Future Garage" and was released at a time when there was barely even a thing called "UK Garage".

I always enjoyed this one as a deep tune to listen to, but when I bought the vinyl I never really played it much (DnB head) until I rediscovered it recently and realised it's not exactly a million miles away from all that deep lush swung ambient 2-step that sprung up like a rash the past few years in the wake of Burial and Synkro...

A lot of people go on about Steve Gurley's drums, and El-B of course, and how they changed the course of music with their approach to beats in garage, but I think this tune here has to have had at least an inspirational effect on those two, especially considering Gurley's roots...

I'm presuming all the heads on here (young and old) who know about old Photek know about this one already, and maybe all the heads who are digging his new stuff (Pyramid!!!!) are going back and having a root around through the stuff that made him famous; not too many people seem to know about this one though, and while I'm always going to love his pre-Modus Operandi years the most, I'm beginning to think that this may well have been one of his most prophetic and prescient tunes.

Not too many tunes that sound like they're nailing a current trend 15 years after they're released!

[247]

Here here!

I love the remix he did of Goldies Believe. plus he did a tune called Stealth on the legendary Reinforced which is just something else. True pioneer!

[speak braille]

Loefah always cited Photek as being one of the inspirations for him to move into his minimal spacious half-step work.

You can definitely see why with tracks like this.

Truly one of the greats. Big up.

Great interview where he talks about it:
http://blackdownsoundboy.blogspot.com/2 ... 4772283245

and w/Kryptic Minds where he cites Photek being a common reference point with their beats:
http://blackdownsoundboy.blogspot.com/2 ... oefah.html

[speak braille]

[alphacat]

Photek and Squarepusher (sort of a yin/yang really) are THE two artists that got me most into DnB back inna day, and yes - I can see what you mean. Honestly, the level of detail and attention that he put into his drum edits and overall productions raised the bar and set the stage for all kinds of developments... from drumfunk to skippy nu-garage.

That said, I stopped paying as much attention to him when he did Solaris. Not my cuppa. I personally don't yet understand why people who make wonderfully forward-thinking music often freak out and retreat into the [imo] sterile simplicity of house. Been trying to be more open to it - the Zinc crack house stuff for instance - and just can't get past the big dumb 4/4. That's my own personal issue tho, not belief. I harbor worries that - much like with certain rock bands I always used to hate but have come to appreciate more [cough cough Rush] - as I get older, I will suddenly "get it" and finally realize 20+ years after the fact why Photek did that record...

Better late than never I guess.

In the meantime, I like my snares and breaks and I'm glad Rupert finally got around to doing that again. He's also a super nice guy, met him briefly a couple times. Anyone ever hear his Sentinel, Truper, or Special Forces side projects? Special Forces esp. was DOPE DOPE DOPE.

[alphacat]

I am now brocking out like a fuckin' goon at my desk listening to the song I just posted. God, such a tune!

[ghosttown]

Such a great track! I'm going to go and listen to the album now. Thanks for the post!

[ekidd91]

Modus Operandi was the first electronic album I "got". Something just clicked, phenomenal and incredibly influential throughout genres.

[LizzyB]

aye, here's the first tune off his new album if you haven't heard it yet... it's sick

http://soundcloud.com/photek/pyramid

[Geey]

Tunes like these stay fresh forever..
We'll look back at tunes like footcrab and juke type tunes and will wonder what the fuck we were thinking when we bought them on wax haha

[alphacat]

New Photek tune. Unexpected. I'm digging it fo'sho.

Soundcloud

[assassimon]

aye, here's the first tune off his new album if you haven't heard it yet... it's sick

http://soundcloud.com/photek/pyramid

I was only listening to that 5 minutes ago again, really need the album just for that track

[runner]

.. plus he did a tune called Stealth on the legendary Reinforced which is just something else. True pioneer!

somebody please find a youtube or vimeo or any link that has Stealth by him as Special Forces on the classic Deadly Chambers Of Sound compilation of 1999


124 is a lesson in arrangement and atmos. Ruper nails it in the fucking head right there..
I am actually starting my sets this year with this beast of a vibe-tune and manage to mix in anything between garage, house & detroit

new LP apart from 2-3 tunes is still not good at all IMO and his output in the last decade has been par compared to what he used to do in the past.
OK he moved off to LA, made music for films, no need to prove himself to noone anymore but with shite after shite tune all decade round (OK, the occasional conventional roller was decent and was played in clubs but we're talking about RupertParkes here) I just stopped watching
Plus we saw him in Athens like 2 yrs ago approximately and his set was the lamest dubstep/prog house stuff I have heard in yrs.

Somebody please find an online video/audio of Stealth.. It is crazily upfront and was basically his final statement into uncharted territories before he 'left' that space..

[assassimon]

http://www.factmag.com/2013/03/06/recor ... th-photek/

Following recent sessions with Ben UFO and Jamie Lidell, FACT TV went record shopping with drum’n'bass trendsetter Photek.

Having started releasing records again in 2011 after several years focussing on his soundtrack work, the artist behind classics like ‘UFO’ and Modus Operandi took us to Soho’s BM (Black Market) to talk about record shopping in his current home of Hollywood, the first record he ever bought, first meeting Goldie and how Black Market was where it all started for him.