First of all, this isn't music for everyone. The earlier material is arguably better, drum'n'bass, only with a good deal of the obvious tropes edited out. That's how Rupert Parkes used to work, via editing, taking out anything he feels is superfluous in order that the drums can breathe.
Now on paper I can imagine that sounding terrible to anyone who isn't in love with tones and percussives. It's actually a lot more listenable than it sounds, and it can be fucking devastating in effect. Parkes' sparse beats are some of the finest examples of drum programming you'll ever hear: these are breakbeats to stand in awe of. The most readily available (and possibly best) showcases are Modus Operandi, Form and Function and the Ni Ten Ichi Ryu EP. The depth of the drums is staggering, coherent and danceable while seemingly never repeating the same phrase in its entirety, some notes soaked with reverb, others totally dry.
The tunes are effortlessly moody, sometimes tense and even menacing. Check out UFO, in which marines represented by their sampled dialogue are literally stalked through a forest, Predator-style. Or KJZ, coiled and ready to strike, a spy movie conjured from just a double bass, cymbals and snare (breakbeat hardly seems the right word). Ni Ten Ichi Ryu is his masterpiece, perfectly balanced and flowing, disciplined, the drums seemingly like a series of swift, perfectly aimed sword strokes (helped by the sparing use of samples from martial arts flicks). Everything is understated, everything is stripped down.
Solaris is much more diverse, but arguably lacking in the strength of personality of the previous records. The minimalism is ever-present, but on this set he leaves behind the virtuoso programming to deliver much more basic beats, with touches of house and techno. It's only on Terminus that he realy returns to his more established style, and even here he's restrained his excesses, delivering pretty straight - albeit edgy - drum'n'bass.
That's not nearly exhaustive. This discography covers some of the work he's done for other labels under different names. I recommend starting with the first three I mentioned and working from there. |
