"laptop music" (for lack of a better term)

[miss understood]

So, I've been listening to a handful of records over and over again lately whose genre I would struggle to classify but might approximate as "laptop music," those being Mum's "Yesterday Was Dramatic..." and "Finally We Are No One," Four Tet's "Rounds" and "Pause," Manitoba's "Up in Flames," and so on. I want more!

Generally speaking, I'm pretty familiar (or becoming more familiar) with the work of Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, Autechre, etc., all of which either came up in my research or were suggested to me as good artists to check out in this vein. The problem is, I've found these albums and artists to be either of not very much interest (Autechre) or quite excellent (Aphex Twin), but, shall we say, not as similar to the previously mentioned as I wish they were (if you know what I mean).

Anyway--your input would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[9000]

you may be able to find something you like on the morr music, city centre offices, or apestaartje labels. have you heard ham by the chap yet? you may like that one too.

[vesper]

junior boys' last exit, while not all (but some!) produced through a laptop, is one of the more excellent releases of the past couple years that also fits this mold. i actually just pulled it out today after forgetting how god damn breathtaking it is.

surely bjork's vespertine also fits here? i asked paul the other day how the new readymade fc album is and while i personally can't vouch for the whole thing, i do recommend hunting down "a fire in the forest" ft. david sylvian. really lovely. in fact, you could do much worse than hunt down some of david sylvian's other albums -- blemish and secrets of the beehive, especially, although they're after something more like talk talk's later work than anything on a laptop. a lot of post-rock in general has a similar aesthetic.

[earl grey]

i agree w/ the suggestions so far ... definitely explore the morr music roster. and the junior boys record is an absolute must, tho it's poppier than the stuff you listed. some others off the top of my head:

to rococo rot - the amateur view
either ulrich schnauss album (really easy to get into, though i kinda burned out on him)
marc leclair - musique pour 3 femmes enceintes
the 'clicks and cuts' series (some filler on these, but generally pretty strong)

david byrne put out a luaka bop comp a few yrs ago called 'the only blip-hop record you will ever need, vol. 1' that covers a lot of this stuff and is worth seeking it out. you can probably find it relatively cheap used.

[Joel]

How about MATMOS, people? They rule.

[earl grey]

How about MATMOS, people? They rule.

totally. i can't believe i forgot to mention them. can't wait for their show tomorrow!

'the civil war' is the best place to start w/ them IMO, though 'a chance to cut...' is just as good.

[Joel]

a non-laptop precursor worth checking into (that i was just listening to): seefeel.

[miss understood]

Many thanks for the suggestions so far. Any artists or releases in particular on Morr Music? As mentioned, the only one I'm really familiar with is Mum.

Tangentially, what this little investigation has most taught me is how little agreement there is on what exactly is "ambient" music. Not that there's a very meaningful definition of jazz, or rock, but....between Eno and Aphex Twin -- the two names that seem to pop up in discussions of this genre most frequently -- I find very little, if not nothing, in common. The Eno releases I do like (the Ambient 1/Discreet Music era) I find bleeds very easily (and somewhat disconcertingly) to what others would call New Age. While an Aphex Twin track, on the other hand, can be anything from a quasi-classical microtonal composition to a full-bore dance track. What's more, everytime you ask someone who claims to know something about ambient music, eight times out of ten what they really mean is another form of dance music (not at all what I personally am looking for, at least not from this).

That and I'm still not convinced that half of what gets called "post-rock" isn't just out and out wankery (cf. A Silver Mt. Zion etc).....but I guess that's another discussion. :)

[miss understood]

totally. i can't believe i forgot to mention them. can't wait for their show tomorrow!

'the civil war' is the best place to start w/ them IMO, though 'a chance to cut...' is just as good.

Pretty bummed I snoozed and missed out on tix for this one.

[9000]

morr music: ms. john soda, manual, and b. fleischmann are worth investigating.

[johansen smith]

Ms John Soda is sort of the MORR posterchild, you should probably start there.

[earl grey]

yeah, b. fleischmann is great. masha qrella is good too, i think she's on morr.

i didn't even realize manual was on morr, though i can totally see it.

[vesper]

umm lali puna as well? shamefully, i don't know matmos outside of vespertine; i should fix that. also that guy sixtoo put out an album a couple years ago that had at least one really incredible track with damo suzuki (the name escapes me).

w/r/t my statements about post-rock, i specifically mean the type associated with british late 80s/early 90s bands along the lines of talk talk, disco inferno, and bark psychosis to name a few (i haven't heard seefeel, but i would probaly like them). the whole gybe/silver mt. zion "wankery" that gets shopped around as post-rock is only a small subsection (label, actually, though certainly explosions in the sky, mono, and even mogwai fit the constellation credo) of what is in reality a sonically and historically expansive area/field/genre/what have you.

i don't know how far yr going to get into laptop stuff if you want to avoid the dance stuff. well, okay, maybe not dance in the sense of techno and house (which is what i think you mean?), but most of the stuff under the big electronic umbrella focuses on rhythms before melodies.

with that in mind though, maybe you would dig stuff like fennesz, tim hecker, delia gonzalez and gavin russom and others in the Mego crowd.

[Joel]

w/r/t my statements about post-rock, i specifically mean the type associated with british late 80s/early 90s bands along the lines of talk talk, disco inferno, and bark psychosis to name a few (i haven't heard seefeel, but i would probaly like them). the whole gybe/silver mt. zion "wankery" that gets shopped around as post-rock is only a small subsection (label, actually, though certainly explosions in the sky, mono, and even mogwai fit the constellation credo) of what is in reality a sonically and historically expansive area/field/genre/what have you.

yeah when simon reynolds originally coined the term, it was referring to those uk bands -- who are all probably worth checking out.

tangentially related: mego's ending as a label soon. they had a good run.

[apeshite]

pole (Matador in the house)

[redheaven]

Black Moth Super Rainbow's "Start A People" I think would fall into this category......I've only heard it a couple of times, but it seemed to be good, loopy analog stuff.......

[Joel]

pole (Matador in the house)

actually i'm listening to pole "1" right now and remembering how really great and low-key it is.

[Salman]

Venice by Fennesz is great. The River Made No Sound by Pan American may also be up your alley. A lot of people don't like that record - or band - but I find it quite good. Also, been digging Our Noise by Herrmann und Kleine. Excellent disc off of Morr.

[9000]

pole (Matador in the house)

the pole matador trilogy is essential listening; however, i'm not sure that's the sound that miss understood is after. regardless, pole 1, 2, and 3 rule! when do we get "4"?!

[vesper]

ah, i've only heard one pan-american album, quiet city, and it really is great.

joel, as much as i feel like i know that simon reynolds article (from reference, mainly), i still haven't actually read it. i'll have to hunt it down somehow. and that's a shame about Mego.

[Maximo]

err, can someone explain to me a little more about what this genre entails? I'm a wee bit confused.


on the side though, Needle in the Camel's Eye - Brian Eno is on my latest mix.

[miss understood]

i don't know how far yr going to get into laptop stuff if you want to avoid the dance stuff. well, okay, maybe not dance in the sense of techno and house (which is what i think you mean?), but most of the stuff under the big electronic umbrella focuses on rhythms before melodies.

Yeah, I definitely hear you. It's just the DOOMPH-DOOMPH-DOOMPH-DOOMPH-DOOMPH of most dance music I hear that makes listening impossible (or at least excruciating) for me. That and the whole white/Jewish/don't dance thing is kind of a dealbreaker. ;)

Either way, thanks a million for all these suggestions. You guys rule the school.

[earl grey]

the pole matador trilogy is essential listening; however, i'm not sure that's the sound that miss understood is after. regardless, pole 1, 2, and 3 rule! when do we get "4"?!

i think 'R' and '45/45' came after those three, though what i heard of them doesn't match up to the early stuff (which i agree is essential).

as far as dubbier stuff goes, deadbeat is well worth checking out and david last is pretty good as well.

[earl grey]

DOOMPH-DOOMPH-DOOMPH-DOOMPH-DOOMPH

i totally hear you, but there's a lot that avoids this. check out michael mayer's 'immer' mix or - for something even less about the four-to-the-floor - villalobos's 'alcachofa.' (the new villalobos EP is meant to be aces but i haven't heard it yet.)

[9000]

seriously, miss_understood, you should give some of the more dance-oriented stuff a chance. it's not all doompf-doompf. hey, hey, take it to the electronic thread...

[miss understood]

No, you're right. It's just a genre I've had a prejudice against for so long. I should go back and give it a sincere effort. Hip-hop being another.

I blame it on every single Thai restaurant in Manhattan and Brooklyn. That and the lingering memories of high school dances.

[vesper]

this thread made me go buy pole's 2 and 3, put matmos' two matador albums on a wait list, consider those disco inferno eps and eyeball some seefeel album that was going for $30!

[redheaven]

Forgot to add Susumu Yokota to the list. His recent stuff is a bit flaky, but his albums Grinning Cat and Sakura are incredible.....

Also, if you like the glitchier stuff, Efterklang are pretty interesting.....

Man, I'd forgotten about Seefeel. I remember having one album (Quique, I think) that didn't really do much for me back when I was a kid. Just went to grab it, and I think I sold it. Dang. Anyway, is that a good place to (re)start with them?

[apeshite]

this thread made me go buy pole's 2 and 3, put matmos' two matador albums on a wait list... Mwah ha ha! The plan is working. Eggszellent. *taps finger tips together*

[vesper]

Forgot to add Susumu Yokota to the list. His recent stuff is a bit flaky, but his albums Grinning Cat and Sakura are incredible.....

i almost bought a susumu yokota/rothko split cd a couple weeks ago, but i don't anything about either. any good?

[miss understood]

a non-laptop precursor worth checking into (that i was just listening to): seefeel.
Listening to "Quique" on Rhapsody right now. Exactly what I was looking for.

[Joel]

Man, I'd forgotten about Seefeel. I remember having one album (Quique, I think) that didn't really do much for me back when I was a kid. Just went to grab it, and I think I sold it. Dang. Anyway, is that a good place to (re)start with them?

Absolutely. Jammed that yesterday in the warehouse while responding to the thread.

Listening to "Quique" on Rhapsody right now. Exactly what I was looking for.

Great!

Totally excited about seeing Matmos tonight, realizing that I haven't seen them since like '99 or something.

[redheaven]

Absolutely. Jammed that yesterday in the warehouse while responding to the thread.

Ah, cool, thanks.....I'll have to see if I can track it down

i almost bought a susumu yokota/rothko split cd a couple weeks ago, but i don't anything about either. any good?

Hmmm, haven't heard that one, actually. But what I know of Rothko ranges from tolerable to awful, just kind of boring new age-y stuff. Kind of like recent Susumu Yokota, actually.....anyway, hope that helps!

[Fiona]

i almost bought a susumu yokota/rothko split cd a couple weeks ago, but i don't anything about either. any good?
That's "Distant Sounds of Summer", I rather like this, very quiet - has an ambient, soundtrack feel to it.
I didn't see Minotaur Shock mentioned, I'd recommend Bagatelle or Chiff-Chaffs and Willow Warblers

[earl grey]

Totally excited about seeing Matmos tonight, realizing that I haven't seen them since like '99 or something.

so what'd you think? i thought matmos rocked it tonight. all new stuff, i believe, and it sounded great. tuneful like the last album but with a thump. can't wait to hear the record. so percussion added a lot too ... that larry levan "portrait" at the end was awesome.

[earl grey]

how did we get this far without mentioning mouse in mars? the albums i know by them are all awesome, and i've heard only good things about the rest. ('niun niggung' is my fave of the ones i know.)

[Fiona]

Probably the same way we got this far without mentioning Plaid!

[vesper]

or anything from germany. mouse on mars' "actionist respoke" is still my favorite song of the 00s.

[Joel]

so what'd you think? i thought matmos rocked it tonight. all new stuff, i believe, and it sounded great. tuneful like the last album but with a thump. can't wait to hear the record. so percussion added a lot too ... that larry levan "portrait" at the end was awesome.

in total agreement. the whole show was great, but the larry levan portrait was probably the best.

[Fiona]

Also worth checking out:

Efterklang - Tripper lp or Springer ep
Marc Hellner - Marriage
Anything by Lackluster, though I'm fond of new album Slice
I know 9000 mentioned Morr Music, but Isan and Masha Qrella in particular worth a listen

[mac m]

the Morr comp "putting the morr back in morrissey" is pretty awesome top to bottom, and will recommend plenty of artists to you (many of which have already been mentioned in this thread).

also, Tujiko Noriko comes to mind as making some pretty awesome music with a laptop.