I MUST CRY (KPM SCORE RELATED)

edited November 2020 in Strut Central


From a private fb group of editing pro's I am in... I missed my own KPM mini-score by a day. He gave them away for nothing. Somebody familiar with KPM LP covers make me feel better by telling me that only the green labels are worth anything. Right?!

I know I have access to these digitally in the EMI library now that they own KPM, but somebody already knowledged tell me these are 80s dreck. Please! Tell me they're chud I couldn't even unload easily! Fuck!

  Comments


  • DuderonomyDuderonomy Haut de la Garenne 7,789 Posts
    I know I have access to these digitally in the EMI library now that they own KPM, but somebody already knowledged tell me these are 80s dreck. 

    Damn. It depends - could be from a listening experience that it was 2 boxes of chud. From a sampling/DJing perspective, you kind of imagine that at the very least there would've been some decent sounds if not good tracks. Tough miss. Feels.


  • ElectrodeElectrode Los Angeles 3,129 Posts
    Here's a track from "Futures"



    I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I spent hours looking through a lot more than two large boxes of mostly early 80s libraries early this year. I was very selective even at a few bucks per record and the ability to listen beforehand. "Science class safety video" vibes on many on them. At best, you will get a one-tracker that is at most 2 minutes long. Even a green KPM isn't a guarantee of anything worthwhile. 
    Duderonomy

  • From the handful of spines visible I see no green label series, but I can't help but wonder. Any big batch of library has me wondering if there's one or two that'd pay the bills. But you're right, from what little you can see, it's unlikely two boxes of that sort of 80s stuff would be extending far back into the KPM grail years. It's some old-timer TV techie guy's closet clearout so it'd be weird to have such a date range. Still, the price was right ($0)...

  • RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,782 Posts
    A lot of the 80s libraries are super sought after now by the synth heads (but no KPMs come to mind)....especially if they feature the Bastow brothers or Hawkshaw.  

    I know I'm kicking myself for passing up 80s Bruton libraries back in the day for cheap because they were no "breaks".  Now a lot of those records push the $100 range.

    Eventually, the 80s nostalgia kicks in.


  • I was sure Alan Hawkshaw had been on some 80s KPM but he certainly was mostly on Bruton in those years. I looked it up and it looks like there's one '86 KPM release, Power, at least.

  • I have both albums pictured and they aren’t great. As Raj says there are more heaters in the 80s Brutons. Generally it takes a lot of digging to find good stuff in any of the 80s libraries as they all pivoted to digital synths around then so it’s mostly dx7 super cheese with occasional one-trackers. You get some funky drum machine loops and weird textures here and there tho. 

  • RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,782 Posts
    I have both albums pictured and they aren’t great. As Raj says there are more heaters in the 80s Brutons. Generally it takes a lot of digging to find good stuff in any of the 80s libraries as they all pivoted to digital synths around then so it’s mostly dx7 super cheese with occasional one-trackers. You get some funky drum machine loops and weird textures here and there tho. 

    Good post.  Yeah.  Post 83 is when shit gets overly cheesy.  The Bastow brothers is all I really look out for.

    Trevor Bastow went on as the alias Anthony Hobson and released some electro fire as well:



  • dizzybulldizzybull Eerie Dicks 338 Posts
    I hate the dx7. Especially that digital piano sound. It ruined music. Why people ditched the fender rhoades for that crappy piano I’ll never know. 
    Jimster

  • Maybe it's because (especially in 2020 living conditions) I'm just in my own little bubble of music consumption, but it feels like there's a decent amount of rhodes and wurlitzers working their way into "real instrument" music of various genres. It feels like it's on the rise compared to DX style. But again, maybe that's because I gravitate toward music I like and music I like doesn't have a lot of 80s Yamaha vibes.

  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,955 Posts
    dizzybull said:
    I hate the dx7. Especially that digital piano sound. It ruined music. Why people ditched the fender rhoades for that crappy piano I’ll never know. 

    The Rhodes units are heavy to move from a to b and the tines suffer from mechanical degradation over time.  They require (compared to a DX7) a lot of nurture.  And they go for hella coin now.  You can of course get them repaired, I know a guy.  But $$$.

    And who, in the 80s, with one eye on Miami Vice and the other on Inspector Gadget (ok that would require two tellies and going a bit gozzy eyed), could resist the deep plastic lure of "The Future Sound of Music"?


  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,955 Posts
    Maybe it's because (especially in 2020 living conditions) I'm just in my own little bubble of music consumption, but it feels like there's a decent amount of rhodes and wurlitzers working their way into "real instrument" music of various genres. It feels like it's on the rise compared to DX style. But again, maybe that's because I gravitate toward music I like and music I like doesn't have a lot of 80s Yamaha vibes.

    I don't get wood for the DX sound either but there does seem to be a lot of poast-modern "Funk/Boogie" stuff that's minted like, 30 seconds ago, that worship the whole perceived 80s vibe down to a tee, cheddar keys included.  Seems to be a really "NOW!" thing.  The basslines are solid af, that was one kind of sound that the 80s synths had down pat, but yeah, the DX noodling tones are unbearable for me.  'Spesh when they do all the pitch bending with the obligatory wheel.

    I guess the current kids weren't alive the first time 'round, so look at the 80s without the baggage of hearing it done to death by the time we got to the 90s.  But there is some good stuff off the back of all this.  If that System/Boogie vibe is your bag, there is a guy called Walla P who has a regular show chock with it.

    https://www.musicismysanctuary.com/category/exclusive-mixes/podcast/partner-shows/voyage-funktastique 


    Soundcloud never embeds properly for me.



  • RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,782 Posts
    Interestingly enough, I was at a local spot and found this in the bins for a couple bucks.

    1985.... killer ambient 80s synth vibes all over this.  





    So... if you dig, you must cry.
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