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Q2/09, Jon Hopkins and Renoise
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Saboteur
Posted: Jul 4 2009, 10:47 PM


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No real news this quarter. I am still around of course, working and procrastinating. (Achieving my bachelor's degree is within the realm of reasonability in something like 6 months' time, provided I get around to starting my final project).

Seems my Renoise registration has run its course - the program recently reached version 2.1 and that is the last version my current registration enables me to upgrade to. Renoise has certainly evolved into a professional music creation tool. With the state of my tracking lately though, I am in no hurry to renew my license. I'm certainly prepared to cough up the cash for my program of choice, but it's just that I never seem to get around to writing any music. We'll see how things develop. Maybe something demodir-worthy will surface soon, or perhaps a previously unreleased older track that has been written as a co-op with a good friend? We're only missing a title and at most minor touch-ups.

I did buy the new album by Jon Hopkins some time ago. "Insides" is a direct continuance to where Contact Note left off 5 years ago. The sound is true to his style and the listener is treated to a few great songs (including one where Coldplay is generously sampled off into a "Point of Departure by Necros"-esque electronica journey), but something is left to be desired. Hopkins has never strayed far from the path laid out in "Opalescent", and that has served him well on his two first studio albums. By now, however, some amount of reinventing himself musically would be required. I myself should know better than most that you can only get so much mileage out of working with the same themes for years on end.

"Insides" no longer manages to inspire awe from the listener like "Opalescent" did in its day. Some gentle breaking of the mold melodically would have benefitted this album tremendously. As it stands it is essential for a Hopkins fan, seeing as he has produced a mere 3 albums in 8 years. But if you're new to Hopkins and looking for some bigbeat/electronica-influenced IDM / melodic ambient music, just find yourself the first 2 Hopkins albums instead of this.

(Editor's note: I have previously reviewed the other Hopkins albums, take a look in the reviews section if the topic interests you.)

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