Photek Finds Form And Function 2 After 9 Years

August 15th, 2007

Rupert Parkes composes music that you have probably listened to without considering who or what created it. He composed the theme song for the popular tv show “Six Feet Under” and the music that accompanies action scenes in movies like “Invincible” and “The Italian Job.” But Parkes is much more well known for his compositions as Photek, music that could be found in most record bags being lugged around by drum and bass djs in the late 90′s. Photek came into the drum and bass scene when it was thriving, and fell in love with the energy in the music as it was thumping out of huge soundsystems at renegade warehouse parties in the UK.

Photek – “Aleph 1″:

Parkes By Day, Photek By Night

Parkes immersed himself in the sensory-overload of the UK rave scene and it inspired him to make music of his own. He already had a love for jazz, which ties in nicely with the rhythms and chord progressions of drum and bass music. But instead of making music the same way that everyone else was, he took a totally different approach. He removed a lot of the melodic and vocal parts and filled the air with drum patterns. Complicated drum patterns that would take weeks to program. Some of his songs are just layers of these drum patterns that switch out or evolve into other drum patterns. Some folks said that he stripped the soul from the music, while others felt he refreshed the enthusiasm for darker, “intelligent” drum and bass (“intelligent” like IDM). Regardless of which emotional response one feels from Photek’s music, one thing is for sure – this new style created what would come to be known as hard-tek which would eventually lead to the even more drum-crazed breakcore genre.

If this sounds familiar, but you don’t recognize the name Photek, you may know his music under one of his many other monikers: Code of Practice, Aquarius, Studio Pressure, or the Truper and Sentinel. He’s worked or reworked the music of many other big names in drum and bass styles, like LTJ Bukem, Goldie, Roni Size, and Peshay, as well as more mainstream artists like NIN, Bjork, David Bowie, and Pharrell.

Photek ReSurfaces With UnImagined Sequel

It’s been 7 years since Photek’s last release, Solaris and 9 years since Form and Function Vol. 1, and Parkes would probably have us believe this is just how long it takes to make a full album of such complex sequencing and composition. When Form and Function Vol. 1 was released on Science (and Astralworks in the US), it was actually intended to stand on its own rather than begin a series. But, Parkes has apparently changed his mind, because Form and Function Vol. 2 is set to hit the streets this October! And – it sounds like he has reinvented his sound again. This album features more melody and vocals than any Photek album before it, plus a bit of Parkes’ early hip hop influences. F&F2 includes Photek allies Chiara, Hochi, Tech Itch, TeeBee, DJ Die & Clipse, and Full Cycle. According to the album’s press statement:

Bowing to pressure, Saturated Hip Hop and One Nation are finally dragged from the dubplate archives and onto the “grooves” of the CD. More stand outs: Love & War, which features some epic classical strings, vocals by Chiara, timely lyrical content and a Hochi remix that flips the track into a ruthlessly tear out anthem. Also from Hochi comes Full Spectrum Dominance – a full on assault with echoes of the classic Photek sound and the venomous Sidewinder remix.

Tech Itch is also on top form, with his remix of Baltimore and the icy cold collaboration with Photek and TeeBee on Man Down. TeeBee then goes one step further by confronting his nemesis on Ni Ten Ichi Ryu, handling the challenge with class and precision. The pure energy of the DJ Die & Clipse remix of Thunder reinforces the alliance with the Full Cycle family and is a long awaited arrival on its own right.

If you like this style of edgy music, be sure to jump over to Tech Itch’s music page as well. Tech Itch makes intensely dark music that is well established in the current of drum and bass music.