Brooks -- _Red Tape_ -- your thoughts?

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Never heard of this dude before today but listening to the mp3s of said album I'm thinking it's quite a treat. Signed to Herbert's label, has an inspired cover of PJ Harvey's "Man-Size" on it, very much danceable rather than chin-scratching, I think Dan would like this quite a bit. Interview here from under a month ago -- really a good article, actually!

Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 29 November 2004 16:53 (nineteen years ago) link

does anyone else detect Disco Inferno inspirations in Brooks music

DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:03 (nineteen years ago) link

Interesting. Well, since you mention that, I'm listening to "Red Tape" the song itself and some of the background noises have a certain DI sense to them, but I don't think I would have made any connection without your saying so. Hm!

Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:05 (nineteen years ago) link

also early New Order in terms of the basslines and floating sound

DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:07 (nineteen years ago) link

It has a permanent spot reserved in my year-end list (probably #2).

Love love LOVE his album from 2002 as well (less chopped-up, almost as perverse, no connection to DI whatsoever). I'm pretty sure it was one of my lone wolf Pazz & Jop picks (ditto the "Dripping in Gold" single).

Andy K (Andy K), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:29 (nineteen years ago) link

"a little bit of time" is still here but not for long i don't think!

jed_ (jed), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:32 (nineteen years ago) link

I really love his vocal melodies. They remind me of Eno's voice so strongly- both the tone of the voice and the way the vocal lines work. Lots of people nick Eno's programming ideas, but I can't think of many who are influenced by him as a singer. Check out that song "BedBugs"- how great is that song? Damn, that clarinet line kills. Also ruling: "Roxxxy". I just played a show with him at Fabric and he's pretty swoon-some too. He gets bonus points for starting his show with a loop from "A Zed and Two Noughts".

Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:32 (nineteen years ago) link

Someone by the name of The Soft Pink Truth did a swoonsome remix of "Wandering" not too long ago too....

jed_ (jed), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:37 (nineteen years ago) link

I WONDER WHO THAT IS. ;-) I admit I thought of Drew a bit when I read the article.

It has a permanent spot reserved in my year-end list (probably #2).

I'm actually thinking it might get in my own ballot! It really won me over very quickly.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 29 November 2004 17:45 (nineteen years ago) link

I love the vocals on the first album 'cause all of them (with the exception of Dani Siciliano's parts) seem like send-ups of '80s pop-R&B (which I love of course). ("Colour Me Bad" should have actually been titled "The Family," etc.)

I love the vocals on Red Tape because they creep me the fuck out (in other words, what Drew said... "Tell Somebody About Us" is my favorite, part of it sounds like a playground singalong taunt sung by a loner). Each track on the album gets better as it goes on.

I really wish he had wider distribution/press.

Andy K (Andy K), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:03 (nineteen years ago) link

(Like Ghostly, maybe.)

Andy K (Andy K), Monday, 29 November 2004 18:28 (nineteen years ago) link

the first brooks album is great! i haven't heard the new one, but i wasn't especially won over by the single except for "tell somebody about the beat".

it's tricky (disco stu), Monday, 29 November 2004 20:45 (nineteen years ago) link

i really rated the single! He wasn't somebody who'd crossed my transom until i heard him DJ at a Soundslike event in the Spring - he played one of his remixes (what it was i can't really remember) which was really superbrilliant, all over avant but still well danceable. great stuff!

james porter (james porter), Monday, 29 November 2004 21:45 (nineteen years ago) link

That track "Burning Buxx" is hot too.

Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Monday, 29 November 2004 22:01 (nineteen years ago) link

i've got several Brooks 12"s from Mantis and they all hit pretty hard. i have Red Tape but haven't given it enough of a chance. Burning Buxx came on the other day on random and it sounded great but his Mantis stuff is my favorite. i'm looking for a copy of his full length on Mantis and have tons of other Mantis stuff to trade if any kind soul wants to send me an email.

edit: shit, just realised it's Rhythm Plate that i love on Manits. Pink Cigarettes is classic though.

biznotic, Monday, 29 November 2004 23:17 (nineteen years ago) link

i am supposed to have won this from bbc collective ages ago ..

but the label have yet to deliver the cd to the bbc.

could be indicative as to why no-one has this album yet.


mark e (mark e), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 09:48 (nineteen years ago) link

How are his remixes? I only heard Chief Beef - 'The Golden Girl', which left little of a lasting impression, but I have a couple others (Grandadbob, Willis) that I haven't been able to check.

B.A.R.M.S. (Barima), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 15:38 (nineteen years ago) link

ten months pass...
has an inspired cover of PJ Harvey's "Man-Size" on it

insanity. I need to check this.

fandango (fandango), Monday, 3 October 2005 22:34 (eighteen years ago) link

seven months pass...
Nearly 2 years later, Red Tape is still haunting me...still an album I frequently have urges to hear, which is more than I can say for other works of this ilk. Any word on what Brooks has been up to? Is there a new album due out soon?

Marcus Barr (Marcus Barr), Thursday, 1 June 2006 00:25 (seventeen years ago) link

Bump

and,

oh yeah,

I love this album.

Jedmond (Jedmond), Thursday, 1 June 2006 14:00 (seventeen years ago) link

saw this album at the back of the drawer today (gorgeous cover artwork as well) and thought - i really need to check that album out again.

and voila - a revived thread reminding me to do just that !

tis indeed rather special stuff.


mark e (mark e), Thursday, 1 June 2006 15:19 (seventeen years ago) link

Yes. this is great stuff. Roxxy still kills straight-up. The whole Carbarnet send-up works surprisingly well too.

natedey (ndeyoung), Thursday, 1 June 2006 15:33 (seventeen years ago) link

brooks had been taking some time off from music but i believe he's coming back soon w/ a pseudonymous record on the french label republic of desire....

philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Thursday, 1 June 2006 23:00 (seventeen years ago) link

Nice to hear of some new music.

Any idea what's happening with Republic of Desire - a great start, with fantastic artwork, and then nothing, and it's not like they don't have the music to release as promos have been floating around for a while.

Jedmond (Jedmond), Thursday, 1 June 2006 23:29 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah, they spent a while working out their distro but as i understand they finally locked that down, and regular releases should start coming out pretty damn soon. i know there's a lot of exciting stuff going on behind the scenes there, so stay tuned.

philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Friday, 2 June 2006 00:50 (seventeen years ago) link

Thanks for the info - "In Love" was the kind of 12" that I just want Issakidis to spend his time making cheap knock-off 12"s of it, because even the knock-offs would be pretty damn spectacular.

Jedmond (Jedmond), Friday, 2 June 2006 01:49 (seventeen years ago) link

you've heard his remix for colder (on output), right? holy fuck that's an amazing tune...

philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Friday, 2 June 2006 02:02 (seventeen years ago) link

Nice to see this thread revived, cool news to learn as well!

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 2 June 2006 02:03 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh god yes! Dzir Dub = "I've got such a crush" = makes me want to try and like Colder.

xpost

Jedmond (Jedmond), Friday, 2 June 2006 02:05 (seventeen years ago) link

the drum pattern just slays me, and Midnght Mike and Arto Mwambe's remixes of "To The Music" also want me to make friends with Colder - but just highlight Colder's failings.

Jedmond (Jedmond), Friday, 2 June 2006 02:12 (seventeen years ago) link

one year passes...

And bump again cause why not. Had the mp3s all this time as mentioned but when I saw Red Tape on CD for a buck at Amoeba in SF I had to spring for it.

Ned Raggett, Sunday, 13 January 2008 17:03 (sixteen years ago) link

Since I believe in always assisting with a bump.

One of the saddest music fan things I've ever done was buy 30 copies of "You, Me & Us" for a buck each. After having already paid full price for the album. Ended up giving most them away at a house-warming party I held a week or so later.

The question is: What royalties does an artist get of albums sold at that price?

Jedmond, Monday, 14 January 2008 01:27 (sixteen years ago) link

Sad, perhaps, but noble. (I still need to get that album!) As for royalties, surely you jest.

Ned Raggett, Monday, 14 January 2008 01:28 (sixteen years ago) link

Hey, I'm not expecting the artist to get much from an album sold at a dollar. But I am curious how sale/mark down prices affect royalties?

Jedmond, Monday, 14 January 2008 01:36 (sixteen years ago) link

Meantime, as was brought to my attention elsewhere, he's on Myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/andrewjamesbrooks

Ned Raggett, Thursday, 17 January 2008 21:38 (sixteen years ago) link

eleven years pass...

He never did much of anything after that - a single here and there, but his stuff is my favorite music of the first decade of this century. But going through my itunes and seeing his albums made me seek out if he has done anything, and he has a bandcamp page with two songs on it from 2017. Shame he hasn't done much, he is just brilliant.

But check it out, totally danceable with the usual soulful and bitchin' dark grooves as usual.

https://brooks23.bandcamp.com/releases

Twee.TV (I M Losted), Friday, 15 February 2019 21:55 (five years ago) link

Hey, thanks for the update!

Ned Raggett, Friday, 15 February 2019 22:10 (five years ago) link

I couldn't resist writing to him and telling him how much his albums meant to me, and I read he's doing some projects related to sound and its use in architecture, and I said I wished him luck in his endeavors. But I wish he'd come back, or at least that all his stuff would be on Spotify.

Twee.TV (I M Losted), Friday, 15 February 2019 22:44 (five years ago) link


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