Photek - Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu

My first obvious run-ins with drum'n'bass were Squarepusher and Hrvatski, both of whom whet my insatiable appetite for more. I'd read all about Goldie, the Metalheadz crew, Grooverider, Roni Size and everyone else involved, but it was all so different from my initial introductions and most of it didn't do too much for me. (Later, I learned the more hectic d'n'b stuff was being labeled drill'n'bass, even though there wasn't much bass to be found.) Roni Size and Goldie produced some of the best of that scene, but their records weren't nearly hyperkinetic enough for my tastes, and most of the Metalheadz seemed to use the same breaks over and over again. Drum'n'Bass sounded so much more interesting in writing. Hell, even Roni Size and Goldie were kind of disappointments for me initially, with Goldie only producing one good album (Timeless pretty much lives up to it's name.) and Roni and his crew making great tracks for years after (Krust is the unsung hero of the Reprazent crew!). I suppose if I'd heard this stuff before Squarepusher and Hrvatski that I wouldn't necessarily have been so disappointed, but who knows? The exception to all of this though was Photek.

Photek is the best known alias for Rupert Parkes, an English producer whose records dripped fear and espionage. His earliest works were revered throughout the UK indie scene, with the ridiculously limited copies having disappeared with the quickness. The difference between Photek and everyone else is his creativity when it came to programming. He didn't reuse the amen break till it was further broken, he made his own beats, and they skittered and scattered all over the place. Nowhere near as insane as the aforementioned Squarepusher and Hrvatski, Photek was just as creative and more about building a dark or subtle mood. The title track of his first full-length album, Modus Operandi, was a minimal jazz charmer that didn't concern itself with making the beats crazy, it merely wanted to sustain that mood for seven minutes. Incredible stuff!

After Modus Operandi, Photek released the incredible Form & Function compilation which collected some of those ridiculously rare early singles of his as well as new remixes by himself and other d'n'b producers. He followed that up with Solaris, a significant change in style with experiments in house and with vocalists, something he had never done before. Despite still being dark and moody, it was labeled a misstep by many in the press and Photek took some time off. He reappeared in 2007 with Form & Function 2, another excellent compilation of rare singles and new remixes, which showed he still has his incredible form, but not much has been heard since.

Most of Photek's stuff is still available for purchase digitally, but one of my favorite records of his was bundled with an earlier EP as Risc vs. Reward. That would be Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu, and I'm sharing it with you today. It's not his most intense or emotive record, but it's probably the best example of how much he did with so little. It's B-Side, The Fifth Column, is similarly deep and made the cut on the Modus Operandi album. Overall, it's a great introduction to Photek's dark world.

If you'd like to learn more about Mr. Rupert Parkes and his various aliases, starting primarily with Photek of course, you can visit his MySpace page or his wikipedia reference. Sadly, it appears that his website, Photek Productions, is no longer online. You can also purchase his tracks at Amazon and iTunes.

Please come back Photek! I need more of this stuff, and I know I'm not the only one!

Photek - Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu

01 Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu (Two Swords Technique)
02 The Fifth Column


PS - There is an incredible remix 12" for Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu available at the excellent Teenage Riot. Follow this link and let it blow your mind!