Electronic Brain Storms discussion

[mcbpete]

Hey hey !

I've been listening to a few of these sets over this bank holiday weekend and totally forgot how amazing they are. Seamlessly blending their own tracks with others from a complete range of decades, into this grandiose soup of sound. FSOL have always proclaimed themselves as more of samplists than traditional musicians and this almost seems to be an extension of that ethic. To steal an extract from an interview copied from Ross' site (taken from GLR back in 2002):

Interviewer: You are thieves of sound!

Garry Cobain: Well we are the best pick-pockets in town, yeah! [laughs] In a way, I like taking things of colour, things that have different sort of feelings, and just piecing them together. In order to do that, I take things from the present - the streets - and I sit there like a couch potato some nights, and rather than just taking the stuff that I'm bombarded with, I say "Ok I'm going to make useful out of this, I'm going to make it creative, I'm not going to sit here."

So in my eyes (well, ears !) these Electronic Brain Storms are less mixes and more entire new FSOL albums if copyright as a concept didn't exist at all.

I can't possibly comment on the whole project as there's just so much of it (just over 12 hours so far) but all I can say as these really haven't got the attention (outside these forum walls anyway) that they really do deserve. Currently listening to Volume 2 (the 3 hour one) and the tracklisting of the thing is just insane (both in terms of length and range of artists), but the beauty is that is flows just so seamlessly - If I was a stoner or acid head this would be ideal sountrack for a trip, but as I'm not I can just say that it's bloody ace !

So any favourites (or favourite moments) from guys here - I know Volume 7 is quite popular (by far one of my most played anyway)

Pete.

[Pandemonium]

I totally agree with you Pete,
I listened those mixes last year,
now, I'm at a full cycle, starting again from 1984-88 period, and can't get through the 1989 bullshit

But yeah, EBS mixes are highly underrated in popularity...

[Dennis]

Funny thing, EBS 7 just now running while I'm checking the forum reading this topic here. Synchronicity!!!
Really cannot say which one's my favourite, just love them all. And yeah, this is trip music at its best. It's just timeless, good stuff, no need to hook up on some stupid trends from the 'current electronic music scene' (...wob wob...)
And I really don't know, as much as I would like to see them getting more attention I somehow like the thought that these mixes are some kind of a kept secret only known to some nice people with a REAL exquisite taste of music, har har

[mcbpete]

It's just timeless

That's the exact word - "Timeless". I mean it's difficult for me to predict so far in the future - but I can't say that these would sound any more (or less) dated in 20 years than they do now. I mean the fact that there's (for example) extracts from a Delia Derbyshire's Dream album recorded back in the early 60s that fits in so seamlessly with tracks recorded in this decade shows just how much longevity the compilation potentially has.

[dubmasta]

I think all of them are brilliant and represent what FSOL is all about. Each volume is different to another, and is like a puzzle to form one whole amorphous sonic image. I think 7 is the most dreamy of all and probably my favorite, but regarding sentimental value i think it would be 3, the Frisky Radio broadcast if i remember. I think this was the one that we all hoped someone would record and share on the old fsolboard, as rumored to feature new works from the following new album which would be Environments 2. All this was before the era of The Pod room and i remember there was a great feeling of happiness and satisfaction among us when somebody recorded and shared it in a nice quality.

Interviewer: You are thieves of sound!

Garry Cobain: Well we are the best pick-pockets in town, yeah! [laughs] In a way, I like taking things of colour, things that have different sort of feelings, and just piecing them together. In order to do that, I take things from the present - the streets - and I sit there like a couch potato some nights, and rather than just taking the stuff that I'm bombarded with, I say "Ok I'm going to make useful out of this, I'm going to make it creative, I'm not going to sit here."

This way of thinking and concept was the reason that i found fascinating about FSOL in the early days of their discovery, i remember at that time i didnt even have an idea about how electronic music is made or sequenced, absolutely zero. like i assume most of metalheadz who liked to scratch their electric guitar over heavy drumbeats and mad basslines 'ala' Cliff Burton. But yet i could recognize that it was many different pieces of sounds that formed the absolute heavenly sonic puzzle, something that reminded me of hip hop regarding structure. Then "who exactly FSOL are and what it is they do to create this kind of heaven?" followed, then massive and insane electronic music listening overload took place for many years and exploring the electronica territory, which ended up with an absolute need for creating electronic music.

Ive spoken to some artists over these last years, i think many of them have a special place in their hearts for The Future Sound Of London, because they are something special...

[mcbpete]

Great post man - some spot on stuff going on. I too listened them back when I started making music and was completely baffled as to how or where these sounds could've come from - it's only over the last few years (for me anyway) the pieces that make up a FSOL puzzle of a track have started to come to light. I guess in a way these EBS releases are a sort of 'behind the scenes' longer form version of the samples that they take elements from to make their tracks, it also seems to help pin down a lot of their influences that they've grown up to which is possibly why they fit in with their own pieces so well.

Sorry I'm rambling again.

[TheWallOfSacrifice]

yeah they are/were incredible, quality selection / transitions / narration plus they are definitely eclectics (always +1 in any mix ) and pretty educative too (i found some really interesting artists trough them, like jorge reyes). They also show a really great taste in music.. i mean, current 93, nww, nocturnal emissions, 23skidoo... wow!!

If you think of people like demdike stare which release great, highly rated and collected music that is 100 % sampling / cratedigging / plunderphonics / collages, then yeah, i think we could considerate some EBS's something closer to an album than mixes. By the way also as 'mixes' they still are next level stuff.

[Tooros]

Anyone know if they'll ever get put back on FSOL digital? I only have #6 + #7.

Would love to get the others.