Photek

小简介 当Goldie，Roni Size，4 Hero等人将drum n bass逐渐带出hardcore/jungle时期的黑暗与高压而走入充满人性色彩的明亮世界而为主流音乐所包容时，令一厢依然有一派jungle音乐家执著的致力于黑暗drum n bass之音的实验，Photek便可谓其中领军人物之一。 Photek的音乐出身是hardstep街头音乐，随后逐渐转入一种脱离了舞池的黑暗drum n bass王国之中。不似其他jungle制作人，Photek从不是一名DJ，也很少去俱乐部。他总是如同偏执狂一般把自己关在工作室里用几个星期去编排一首歌的节奏，正是这超人的毅力造就了photek商标般的无人可及的超级复杂节奏，于黑暗派drum n bass制作人中脱颖而出。 Photek的本名是Rupert Parkes，少年时的他喜欢的音乐是electro，techno，hip-hop和自由爵士/fusion。花了2000英镑买了一台采样器之后，他开始了自己的音乐创作。Parkes首先以Studio Pressure的笔名在Certificate 18公司发表单曲，他随后使用过的代号还包括Sentinel和the Truper，直到成立了自己的厂牌Photek之后，才开始专心使用Photek这个名字。Photek Records通过Goldie的厂牌Metalheadz和LTJ Bukem的厂牌Good Looking发表唱片，早期的作品包括一系列黑胶单曲和为Therapy?的一首《Loose》制作的remix。 在发行了80多张drum n bass黑胶单曲之后，终于有主流唱片公司Virgin前来拜访，将Photek收归其附属厂牌Science旗下。合约不仅包括5张唱片，还允许Parks以其他化名于其他独立唱片厂牌发表作品。很快，单曲《The Hidden Camera》发表，阴冷的氛围下幻化而致密的节奏已经将Photek的实力展露无疑。之后的第二张单曲《Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu》更是被收录到众星云集的电子乐合辑《MTV's AMP》之中，同化学兄弟，Underworld等的作品并列。这两张单曲随后被集结在迷你专辑《Risc Vs. Reward》之中。 by John Bush Though Goldie became the first superstar of jungle, the recordings of Rupert Parkes — as Code of Practice, Aquarius, Studio Pressure, the Truper and Sentinel, but most famously as Photek — made him an easy pick for the styles most artistic and intelligent producer. Working his way through street-level hardstep (on early productions for Certificate 18 and Street Beats) and airy, sub-aquatic dolphin tunes for L.T.J Bukems Good Looking label, Parkes finally arrived at a sound that pushed the bounds of drumnbass from the dancefloor into the realm of breakbeat headspace; unlike most jungle producers, Parkes has never DJed and rarely goes to clubs. His incredibly intricate rhythm programming — often requiring weeks of computer preparation — and the unmissable aura of paranoid menace on recordings such as The Hidden Camera and UFO exerted quite an influence on the return of dark-style drumnbass during the late 90s. As a teenager, Parkes listened to electro, techno and hip-hop as well as the more free-form side of jazz and fusion. Thanks to a sampler bought with a £2000 loan from the Trust of the Prince of Wales, he began producing tracks and first appeared on Paul Solomons Certificate 18 Records with singles as Studio Pressure. He also recorded for Basement (as Sentinel) and Street Beats (the Truper) before initiating a series of 12-inch singles for his own Photek Records, which gave him credentials and led to releases on Goldies Metalheadz label and L.T.J. Bukems Good Looking, as well as a remix of the Therapy? single Loose. After Parkes had released more than 80 tracks of drumnbass on half a dozen labels, he was approached by Virgin and signed to a five-album deal with the labels Science imprint (provided he was allowed to continue recording for other independent labels as well). Parkes first release on Science was The Hidden Camera EP, which appeared in May 1996. The second Science single Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu displayed an increasing interest in applying the lessons of martial arts to his programming (the title is Japanese for two swords, one technique). Virgin compiled the latter two releases on 1997s Risc Vs. Reward, then released the debut Photek album Modus Operandi in September 1997. Much-hyped though little-praised, the album was followed by 1998s Form & Function, a compilation including several original Photek Records tracks plus remixes and new tracks. During the next two years, Parkes focused on his new Photek Productions label, and finally released a second LP, Solaris, in 2000.