From lwtcdi Sent Sat, Dec 20th 1997, 22:38
From lwtcdi Sent Sat, Dec 20th 1997, 22:38
I wrote: >> It's a nice >> gimmick but a gimmick all the same. If I want a tin I can go buy some >> sardines... >I dunno, but is anyone else getting pissed off with the amount of money >you're expected to shell out if you're into jungle/drum n' bass? Yes, totally... >For example, I'm heading off back to London for Christmas tommorrow, and >planning to get the latest Dillinja and Optical twelves on Prototype, Good choices out of an increasingly bad bunch... >and the Source Direct Dark Metal Remix. >For these three records, I'll be spending around 15 quid, all for 6 tracks. Well it used to be the case where you got two exceptional tracks on each release from a jungle producer, because they only put things out on a couple of labels and spend time crafting them. Now it seems every producer is in debt to every DJ label owner/runner around *and* the major label they are signed to. Look at Dillinja. He puts tracks out on Prototype, Dread, Hardleaders, V, Valve, Pain etc and is still supposed to be hard at work on his LP for London. The end result is that the artist is spread too thinly and we end up with some dodgy tracks that should never have been put out. Revelations on the new Dillinja is not much cop, but at least Optical can still manage to cram to classics on one 12" (how long will it go on, though). >What makes it worse is that a lot of current jungle output seems to be >made up of fairly generic rollers, and it seems that although not much >thought has been put into the tracks, they're selling for more than >other forms of music. Agreed, for a lot of it, although I think the Dillinja and Optical records you mention have been well worth the cash (for me anyway). I guess it's just a matter of being selective... >It doesn't seem to be this way with most other >genres, which for the most part give you around 4 tracks for your fiver, >or even more with stuff like the Jega EP's or Spymania releases. Yeah but a LOT of this is filler too. Not the first two Squarepusher releases on Spymania because he obviously had a backlog of stuff to put out, but the other releases are hardly quality. Wafta is good in places and shit in others, Spymania Allstars is all over the bloody place and there's not a decent whole track on it IMO, D.i.a.l is tedious as hell and overlong and the attempts at tracks in 3/4 and weird time signitures just annoy. I like a lot of music for my money as long as it's quality, but if artists are just putting filler on there I'd prefer them to cut the crap and just give me what's good... >However, if you want a four track jungle EP, you can expect to pay >through the nose to get it. Well, it's the old DJ thing, isn't it. If you buy these releases you MUST be a DJ and therefore you are sunning it in the Bahamas all year round sipping Champers so you can afford to go out any buy them at inflated prices (okay so real DJs would have them shipped to their door, but you get the assumptions and generalisations some labels are making). Plus if you're a drum and bass DJ you have to have each track on a separate side of vinyl so that means 2x12"s, 3x12", 4x12", 5x12" and upwards (check that Formation Boxed Set!). I am a bit of a bedroom DJ so this does come in handy, but labels seem to think they can make more profit the more pieces of vinyl they put it on, rather than just charging manufacture costs for the extra (I'm prepared to pay an extra 75p per slab for them to put the tracks on separate discs). Every label has to make a living, but the drum and bass scene is more saturated than it has ever been, so driving up prices in inevitable for some labels to stay afloat... "Prog Rock Boxed Set Atrocity Of The Year" award goes to the Roni Size album New Forms for coming out on two separate sets of vinyl, 3+ months apart, each retailing at about 20 quid!! Good album (IMO - no flames please!!) but Christ what does it take (and even then they preceded to leave 1 track off the vinyl version - grrrrr!). Worth it in the end, but did they really need to charge that much. I prefer this to them releasing a slimmed down vinyl version (see V Classic, new John B album, Platinum Breakz II, the list goes on). >I see stuff like Krust's Genetic >Manipulation and Suv's latest going for 7-8 quid, Yeah, they're expensive granted, but these particular 2 releases are pure quality, so I don't mind in the slightest. They're hardly putting something out every two minutes, and these NEED to be on double vinyl because otherwise they'd be worn out in no time! Full Cycle are one of the few labels who don't mess about when it comes to quality. If they put out a four track EP it's not just to rake in some cash, it's because this is the way it is supposed to be. The releases you mention are my top 1 and 2 singles/EPs of the year, so you've touched a bit of a raw nerve on that one! :-) In general I agree though. That Renegade Hardware doublepack and the latest Decoder 2x12" are both utterly overpriced and I don't like paying this price unless the release is something really fresh and different... >and Photek's Hidden >Camera was around #6.50 (admittedly worth it though - easily the best >drum n' bass release I've ever bought). Well, I only paid a fiver for mine, but the main reason for this is obviously that he's signed to a major who can easily put out singles at a loss and recoup with the LP (15-18 quid on vinyl!). Small labels often can't afford to think ahead this far and so have to prices releases accordingly at the time... >To put things in perspective, >once I've got the latest Source Direct twelve inch, I'll have 14 SD >tracks altogether - a good album's worth. Trouble is, it'll have cost >me 35 quid. Well, wait for the LP, 'cos if Photek is anything to go b(u)y it'll probably feature half the things you have already bought at a fiver each and make you pay that 15-18 quid again for seven new tracks! :-( >Anyway, it may be getting too near Christmas to sound this much like >Scrooge, Not at all - all the more reason! Money IS tight! >but this Metalheadz Box Set selling at 35 quid seems to me to >be another way of squeezing money out of hardcore fans. Well, at least it's coming out as a proper LP in the New Year (and at least I found out before I shelled out) but my prediction is either that it wont come out on vinyl again (CD only type thing), or it will but it'll be slimmed down or crammed on less pieces of vinyl. I'd pay about 20 quid for it maximum... Rant Over... Gb. -- £ "LWTCDi" Advent Madness - A New Feature Every Day... http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/lwtcdi/all/ £ "VIRTUAL JUKEBOX" Still online. Weekly transmissions imminent... http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/lwtcdi/all/4musjuke.htm