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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
It may come as a shock to the purists, but after two albums of pushing abstruse drum & bass to minimalist and epic extremes, the East Anglian producer has thrown a heap of new sounds onto his percussive palate. To some, Solaris is going to sound like a chicken in search of a roost: both "Can't Come Down" and "Mine To Give" are pure 1988 old-school Chicago house. The latter even features that era's legendary vocalist, Robert Owens. "Terminus" and "Junk" pay loose homage to the nu-school breakz template, while "Halogen" and "Lost Blue Heaven" are beautifully poised, damaged electronic torch songs. There's even some drifting ambience too. But what's missing in terms of coherence is more than made up for by the visceral power of Photek's production. Intense, stripped back and wielding more brute force than Leftfield's "Swords", there's a menacing beauty at work here that reinforces Photek's reputation for tingling sonic sculpturing on a grand scale. --Calvin Bush
Product Description
PHOTEK Solaris (2000 UK 11-track CD album including Glamourama featuring vocals performed by Marie-Jose Jongerius taken from the film Vedette picture sleeve)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Quite a departure. If you've listened to the stark paranoid beats of Modus Operandi and are looking for more futuristic drum and bass beats, you've come to the wrong place. Photek has but one D&B outing on this album. But what an outing it is, rumbling bass and moodshifts that flow from soundtracky to pure dancefloor D&B bliss. On the rest of the tracks, however, Photek has evolved in an entirely new direction. Its what made this album all the more special on its release, the utter surprise of the change of direction. It opens up with Terminus, a kind of harsh breakbeaty track, which reminds me of a more severe version of the house tempo breakbeat that was The Hidden Camera. Next up, we have the surprises ... Junk and Glamourama. Gritty house tracks working hypnotic grooves and sharp sharp drum programming that reminds you of early Chicago era tracks without the sloosh softness that those early drum machines used to kick out. Mine To Give features classic house vocalist Robert Owens, so its fitting that the track melts together Chicago style beats and soulful vocals with the rumbling bass noises you'd associate with D&B. No wonder that this tune (in its many forms) became a progressive house classic. Owens features again on Can't Come Down. For me, this is the weakest track of the album. Owens vocals don't quite seem to sit right over Photeks energetic yet chilled jazzy backing. Infinity comes next, shattering the chill set up in the previous track in the most wonderful manner before we head back into those old skool house beats with Solaris. Aura is a nice little short ambient filler before we head into the more chilled summary to the album. Halogen almost has a Massive Attack sence of downtempo menace about it, sci fi chords and dubby echoes with a nice Photek rumbling bassline.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
Reports suggest that Robert Owens is about as expensive as Michael Owen to get to work for you, but he certainly is worth it. The two central tracks, "Mine To Give" and "Can't Come Down", boost this album to Classic Status.
"Mine To Give" just begs to be remixed and that is exactly what has happened to it. I'd guess at there being about 75 different versions of this tune (that may be an exaggeration), but none compare to the subtlety and brilliance of the original. "Can't Come Down" follows on beautifully, mainly because both revolve around the lyrics of Robert Owens.
Rupert Parkes, a.k.a. Photek, then resorts to his Drum'N'Bass roots with the chilling "Infinity", which in it's own right is worthy of release into the singles market, perhaps with the underground edges trimmed slightly.
Critics who know anything about music will not be able to knock the ingenuity and originality of this album, and would be foolish to do so.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Johno
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Compared with Modus Operandi, this album is less cohesive but that's more than made up for by the quality of the tracks here. Getting Robert Owens on vocals for two 'Mine to Give'and 'Can't Come Down' is a master stroke. All the usual Photek trademarks are here in Solaris but despite that the music sounds as fresh as ever. Definitely a contender for one of the best of this year.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Photek is his various guises has always been one of the true innovators of the Drum and Bass scene. Ask those that know and they will tell you, no one has got beats anything like his.
I have been lucky enough to hear this work ahead of release and i haven't been so gripped by an album for a long time. It opens up with the trademark 'two men fighting with saucepans' beats and just builds and builds from there. Mr Parke has always paid great attention to his drum patterns remaining fiercely imaginative as he grew away from the Amen of the hardcore days, and the progression continues with this offering. What is new here are the noises, melodies and styles that bring them to life. A couple of tracks will get hammered for the dancefloor by New Skool Breaks DJs; and a couple should be remastered over the top of Bladerunner such is the mastery achieved. As a bit of a deep house man myself the stand out tracks are 'Mine to Give' and 'Can't Come Down', featuring Robert Owens vocals. Both have the Classic Chicago production feel, but there's a real 21st century edge to it, they both feature tough beats, heavy, heavy bass and emotion-soaked vocals: what more could you ask for. Straight out of the top drawer. These are the kind of tunes that should be played out on the big club sound systems, but I doubt will be, let's hope someone is brave enough to do it, because they will blow people away. Blinding from start to finish and even the artwork is ... class.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Photek's latest album has produced something that steps beyond simple categorisation. It is an album drenched in the feel of a soundtrack and full of emotion. Drawing on a huge house influence without leaving the sound of his d n b production behind, Photek transcends the two genres to make beautiful and sometimes frightening music. The vocals of Robert Owens are an undoubted highlight but the whole album carries a feel of being something special. A unique piece of music from a unique artist. check it!
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3.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
this music is pure genius
im writing this review because this album works so brilliantly, never making its way far down my playlist / CD stack - whch i always find surprising because the sound is so crisp... Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2007 by D. NIXON
2.0 out of 5 stars
What Happened?
Listening to the previous albums, I was hoping for another drum bustin' CD...but I was wrong. The first track sounded quite sweet, but as I skipped on I was shocked; Photek went... Read more
Published on 30 Aug 2001 by S. Kainth
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not very good
I'd never listened to anything by Photek before and was mightily disappointed when i first did. Its a shame judging by some of the reviews on this page that all he offers on this... Read more
Published on 26 April 2001
1.0 out of 5 stars
criminal
Having heard modus operandi and Form and function i was addicted to Photek. The swooping basslines and dark dark beats and breaks had me afraid to listen to the albums at night. Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2001 by Biglouie
1.0 out of 5 stars
What a shame...
This is the most dissapointing album in ages, I love the old drum and base photek but this departure is just crap. No innovation (it sounds like goldies discard pile). Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2001
1.0 out of 5 stars
Illogical Regression
I hear your cries "why does Photek diserve 1 star? I dont understand?" The answer to this question would be this. Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars
bad ass!
I heard that this CD was a deviation towards house for Photek and I thought hmmm, is it going to be as good as his D&B? Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2000 by Rich
5.0 out of 5 stars
?
i'm not a drum and bass man and i really thought this was going to be a full-on hardcore album. i was wrong. Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2000
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