Search - Plastikman :: Artifakts (Bc)

*presses Repeat-button*

Rasmus Bryder | Denmark | 12/06/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First came Sheet One (1993) with the first sounds and beats ever produced by Richie Hawtin (Plastikman). Then came Musik (1994), which made electronic music a new thing and feeling. Shortly after, Richie planned his third album, Klinik, but after his world tour, he dropped it. In 1998 came Consumed, and only about a month after, Artifakts came. Artifakts contains some tracks from Klinik, and the others like Are Friends Electrik? and Hypokondriak. Richie wanted this album to be his third album, since it has another old sound than Consumed. Korridor is just a non-beat-track with no really concept. Just a sound repeating over and over again. Psyk is much better; starts with a kick and then moves on with cymbals, snares and much more, until a synthesizer is repeated and repeated, but actually it sounds good. Dong, dong, dong, dong...that is actually what Pakard sounds like. Over 12+ minutes, it repeats and repeats the same sounds, when a kinda siren playing in the background. I think, it's kinda boring, but it's sounds good in the end. H Y P O K O N D R I A K is OK, but it's a little annoying, when you hear it many times (especially when they're after each other), and that's why this is my hate-track on Artifakts. So......Rekall is very nice made. I like the synthesizers used in this track, and the beats are perfect. Skizofrenik is also good - enough. It's an OK beat, but it's not the best. Are Friends Elektrik? is really good, just as good as Psyk. Then it goes with Lodgikal Nonsense, just a 2:17-track, but it's really funny! I laughed, when I heard it. Just letting Richie spin the normal conversations into funny talk! Artifakts is an okay album, though it could be a little better. But as the ending of the trilogy with Sheet One and Musik, it's really good. Sheet One does the movement and trips, Musik goes into funkier beats and melodies, and when we get to Artifakts, it's a flashback to Sheet One and the long endless ambient style. My tip is to buy this one before Consumed, to get the real feeling, that Richie is getting better on the way. Anyway, it's a nice album. *presses Repeat-button* :-/"

Plastikman at the top of his game

Roger B. Owsley | Centerville, OH United States | 10/07/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Simply put...if you like electronic music that defines a genre...then pick this up. I disagree with a lot of the reviewers on this piece. If you listen to the first three tracks only for eternity...it's worth the price. There are some interesting pieces from tracks 4-7...but they are nothing compared to the conceptual slowmotion groove apocalypse that is set by the first three tracks. Korridor...although beatless...sets up Psyk, an all time speaker crusher which melts into the ultra-chill Packard. [Which you must bow to the sheer largesse of instantly.] Total preludes to the entire "Consumed" Record from a conceptual standpoint. Which I would recommend any interested party pick up as well. Minimalism at it's best. Artifakts B.C. is what good electronic music should be...timeless. [In an age where gear upgrades occur on a daily basis and the hybrids of style have already created endless new classifications.] This one will never be lost. It defines...it delivers. It would do so if it only had the the first 3 tracks. It get's 4 stars based on those tracks alone."

Working the less is more theory very nicely!

epsy | Turner, ME United States | 11/14/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It seems like even when I don't think i'm in the mood to hear something off this album, it only takes me about 1 minute of listening before it takes me back into it's zone. It's nice to see people alive in electronic music nowadays that realize the importance of techniques like what Hawtin is using in his work."