REVIEW: Photek, Form & Function (Astralwerks)
- Simon West
"Anyone who can't hear emotion in a drum beat suffers from a lack of understanding of what's going on in dance music and they need to hear more." - Rupert Parkes, a.k.a. Photek
He'd be the one to know. As drum and bass continues to assimilate ever more diverse musical genres, it's refreshing to see straight up minimalism ain't dead yet. Form & Function is a compilation of early Photek singles, previously unavailable on CD, along with some recent remixes of same, and a couple of brand new tracks.
The original versions of "The Seven Samurai", "Rings Around Saturn", "UFO" and "The Water Margin", recorded between 1994 and 1996 on Photek's eponymous label sit alongside recent remixes by both Photek and other leaders of the drum and bass scene. Spartan stuff for the most part, Photek's use of space is as important as beats. Unlike the more commercial drum and bass excursions of Roni Size et. al, this is abstract, brutal mood music. "The Seven Samurai" is particularly effective, with a cool, crisp sound that sounds like the violence of the martial artist. "Rings Around Saturn" has an atypical groove to it, with samples from jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders mixed in with the sci-fi beats.
Of the two new tracks, "Santiago" employs the odd hand-clap and has a funkier, less mechanical feel to it than typical Photek. "Knitevision" is a slow, ominous, throbbing affair, one of the standout tracks on the disc.
Being a compilation, Form & Function doesn't flow quite as well as Photek's debut Modus Operandi, but the quality is just as high. Don't come here looking for tunes - Photek's world is not a particularly radio-friendly one, but if you can hear "emotion in a drum beat" or just appreciate beats, the beats are here.
