FSOL - Lifeforms and what else?

deltaphase · Post by **deltaphase** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:16 pm

Hey guys.

I've listened to electronic music for some years now and I'm still amazed that nothing, to this day, beats this album. Its so rich in detail, its colorful, varied to the max, beautiful,spacey etc.

My question for you is: What else is there except Lifeforms? And why is it that it still sounds fresh even today? Why didn't more producers follow what FSOL did so well with Lifeforms,ISDN and Dead Cities? Albums that surprises and takes you on a real journey? Since 1994 up until today there hasn't been many or even any albums that surprise me like first time I heard Lifeforms.

If you're going to recommend me some stuff then please don't mention obvious albums by The Orb,Secede,Kettel,Aphex Twin,Biosphere,Klf,Eno,Solar Fields,Global Communication etc etc.

Negamuse · Post by **Negamuse** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 10:50 pm

I wrote a long thing about why it still sounds fresh but it comes down to, they had their own different set of influences, musical language and workflow that was impossible to emulate, only to reflect. What you can't copy, you can't make people tired of. So it never aged, kinda like BoC.

Which is what makes it hard to find stuff that sounds similar, especially outside what you've listed. I'm looking down my playlist here looking for stuff I've grouped with them... and it's all stuff like, lots of Leaf label stuff, Faultline's "Closer Colder", 310's stuff... all of which misses the spacy, beautiful, collage-y nature of Lifeforms, but maybe might hit on the experimentation and the grit?

And that all came out so many years later.

saob · Post by **saob** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 10:54 pm

That "etc etc" in the end reads a bit like "don't bother recommend me stuff".

Try Indigo Egg's "Ixland" (2008).

deltaphase · Post by **deltaphase** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 11:25 pm

saob wrote:That "etc etc" in the end reads a bit like "don't bother recommend me stuff".

Try Indigo Egg's "Ixland" (2008).

Hehe, no, Its just that I want to point out that I don't want recommendations on those obvious classical albums that almost every fan of electronica/ambient/idm knows about.

aorta · Post by **aorta** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 1:42 am

Banco De Gaia - Kincajou (Duck! Asteroid)

The Telepathic Kid · Post by **The Telepathic Kid** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:18 am

gonna throw a spanner in the works here,

for me, Lifeforms sounds incredibly dated.

But charmingly so.

Like how Kraftwerk sounds incredibly dated, but that's why it's good.

2ndMOUSE · Post by **2ndMOUSE** » Mon Jan 07, 2013 10:22 pm

I really liked FSOL , and their earlier incarnation as stakker humanoid , of which the snowman mix remains to this day one of my all time favourite tracks. However , i thought ISDN was infinitely better than lifeforms , which i thought was a bit dull and dreary , in comparison , to be honest.

An album that made my jaw drop , and still does to this day , is Leftfields " rhythm and stealth ".
Because I produce my own music , I strapped on a pair of cans one day and listened to how they were doing things , trying to reverse engineer their technique.
My mind was blownand I have such an awe for that album. The production is flawless. The execution is bang on target. It goes above and beyond its mandate , and delivers shock and awe. Ive loved dance music since the days of Kraftwerk and JMJ , and its so so rare to find an artist who not only does their own thing and pioneers their own inimitable sound , but does it with such style, quality and imagination.

Plaids' " Not for threes " would have to be in there with a shout too. Their track "myopia" would be one that i'd say helped shape my own style.

If you like artists who aren't afraid to go out on a limb to explore ALL sound , and find melody in everything , you may enjoy my tracks too. Every single one is different , with an emphasis on both experimentation and memorable melodies.

Try my sig