Channel Pressure
Channel Pressure | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 7, 2011 | |||
Recorded | November 2010–January 2011 | |||
Studio | Gary's Electric in Brooklyn, New York | |||
Genre |
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Length | 37:23 | |||
Label | Software | |||
Producer |
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Ford & Lopatin chronology | ||||
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Singles from Channel Pressure | ||||
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Channel Pressure is the debut studio album of electronic music duo Ford & Lopatin, consisting of producers Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never) and Joel Ford. Following the group's abandonment of their previous name "Games" for legal reasons, they recorded the album at Gary's Electric Studios in Brooklyn, New York. It was released on June 7, 2011 as the first album to be issued on Software, Lopatin's own label under the Mexican Summer imprint.
Channel Pressure is a
The album was promoted with two singles, "Emergency Room" and "Too Much MIDI (Please Forgive Me)." Channel Pressure garnered favorable reviews from professional
Background and production
Ford & Lopatin formed in 2009 under the moniker Games.[3] Their debut record That We Can Play (2010) was an extended play that was produced by recording and editing one single stereo Pro Tools improv jam.[4] In an August 2010 interview, Ford said that he had recently met in Brooklyn with Jan Hammer's son, who was a fan of the Tigercity project, so he could talk about recording the synths for Games' first full-length album at Hammer's studio in upstate New York, and announced they would begin recording the LP at the studio in December: "We're honing in [sic] on the concept still, but it definitely involves athletic cuts and smooth jazz-fusion."[3]
In the fall of 2010, Keith Abrahamsson and Andres Santo Domingo, founders of the imprint
Lopatin said his use of the program for making Channel Pressure increased his comfort and familiarity with the program. He described the development process as "kind of a White Album thing going on where some songs were more driven by Joel, some by me. But whatever ideas were on the table, both of us were kind of throwing a lot of stuff together."[7] The Gaia synth by Roland was used to achieve what he called "the weird scat dad sounds": "It's definitely like we wanted to do almost this J-pop, cartoony thing and to have this overload of interesting synth moments, Thomas Dolby style, where he's showing you all these little strange [...] but in a fun way that's not wanky, being a zoo of little synth emotions and shapes."[7]
Composition
The style of Channel Pressure was described by
The hectic sound editing is most prevalent in the instrumental facet of the album,
As Becker analyzed, the use of vocals on Channel Pressure makes the album "a collection of pop songs rather than yet another instrumental so-old-it’s-new electronic album."
Concept
Channel Pressure is a
Tracks
Channel Pressure opens with "Scumsoft", where Rogers, while clicking through channels on the television, is possessed by snippets of demonic shows.
"Emergency Room" was Channel Pressure's lead single, released on April 25, 2011.[16]
It's a joyous track that
"Too Much MIDI (Please Forgive Me)" was Channel Pressure's second single; it was the first of ten tracks to be issued under
As Ford and Lopatin's "secret recipe", most of the songs written for Channel Pressure, started out as smooth jazz songs before Ford and Lopatin began experimenting with them.[13] The making of "New Planet" is the best example of this process;[13] Ford and Lopatin built the track around fretless bass guitar lead melodies and synth pads, and Prefuse 73, in the duo's words, "took this one above the clouds."[13] Jokingly described by Ford and Lopatin as "our sweet ELO ripoff jam," "The Voices" lyrically has a double meaning; the song is about Roger hearing voices, but at the same time it also talks about earworms the narrator hates to have in his brain.[13] Despite the track's glitchy sound, the song also contains elements of pop music that gives it a mournful, scented tone.[13] It is followed by the theme song for and named after Joey Rogers, which is about needing System II to produce the record he wants make that, in Ford's words, "dominates his dreams."[13]
"Dead Jammer" was described by Ford as "ambient John McLaughlin meets Jerry Garcia and Steve Roach."[13] Jan Hammer's signature arpeggiated synthesizer riffs and tape echos are present on the track, as well as guitar work from Tigercity's Andrew Brady.[13] It was described by Marrow as a "polyrhythmic yet relaxing mixture where the guitar, bass, and programmed sounds all do different things."[10] "Break Inside", labeled "the Babyface jam" during development, features Autre Ne Veut and Gitelman singing the same lead vocal melody in different styles, while Ford acts as "weird computer glue holding them together," Lopatin said.[13] Categorized as a "lover's Casio reggae" song by Lopatin, "I Surrender" is another track on Channel Pressure featuring vocals from Autre Ne Veut.[13] The song is followed by "Green Fields", another Hammer-influenced cut on Channel Pressure.[13] Musically influenced from Yello's song "Oh Yeah" that Ford and Lopatin heard on a Twix television advertisement, "World of Regret" is the part of the album's story where Rogers' "hedonistic last supper" takes place, with a choir of "dads" attending it.[13] Channel Pressure close with "G's Dream."
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Beats per Minute | 73%[8] |
DIY | 8/10[23] |
Pitchfork | 7.5/10[15] |
PopMatters | 9/10[12] |
Spin | 8/10[9] |
Sputnikmusic | 4/5[11] |
Tiny Mix Tapes | [1] |
Under the Radar | [24] |
XLR8R | 6/10[18] |
Channel Pressure earned moderately positive reviews upon its release. PopMatters critic Richard Elliot wrote a highly favorable review of the record, calling it "a work of heroic heritage—reorganizing an era that is too often dismissed as sterile and empty" and a record that "gets better with every play, with every peeling back of its more obvious, glossy layers."[12] He analyzed that the LP was "far from being subject to a nostalgia for inauthenticity, or a desire for style over content," and the duo "get involved in the labor of memory work, piecing together textures and re-composing slabs of sound in ways that challenge and change their original logic."[12] He also highlighted how the "broken" and unstable arrangements of the tracks are made into "magical pop sounds."[12] K. Ross Hoffman, a journalist for AllMusic, compared it to Neon Neon's album Stainless Style (2008), writing that Channel Pressure "is equally enjoyable as a painstaking period re-creation drenched in neon nostalgia and nylon nausea, and as a piece of sterling (if decidedly warped) electronic pop music in its own right."[2] He praised the duo's ability of making sounds from music of the 1980s "feel surprisingly fresh, thanks to their obvious affection for the material and their equally devoted attention to songs [...] and sounds."[2]
Larry Fitzmaurice called Channel Pressure "overstuffed and ridiculous, but also an enticing invitation to plug in and drop out." He praised the vocals and "merely functional" instrumentals, opining that they help "keep the balance right," as well as the old-era-style songwriting.[15] Savage described Channel Pressure as a "creation that is equal parts experimentation and familiarity, cheese sincerity, teen affect, cultural diagnostics, and a liberal streak of naïve charm."[1] He highlighted how the melodies "won’t impress themselves instantly upon the consciousness but rather work their way into it," which was clever given the album's concept about computers manipulating the behavior of a human.[1] Hajduch praised Channel Pressure as "something strange and pretty universally likable at the same time" and one of the few records to properly homage music from the 1980s.[10] Reviewing for Exclaim!, Cam Lindsay honored the album for being "shrewd" and accessible to many listeners while still being complex.[25] The LP later made it to number 16 on the publication's list of the "20 Best Dance & Electronic Albums of 2011."[26] Tao highlighted the complexity of the sounds used in the album, which helped make it worth repeated listens given that the lyrics mostly has "vague references to the album's concept or express some generic sentiment along the lines of "Big Brother is watching"."[11]
In a more mixed review, writer Ben Schumer felt that while the LP was "enjoyable," it was nothing "more than a time capsule."
Track listing
Derived from Channel Pressure.[28]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Scumsoft" | 0:40 |
2. | "Channel Pressure" | 3:02 |
3. | "Emergency Room" | 3:33 |
4. | "Rock Center Paronoia" | 1:21 |
5. | "Too Much MIDI (Please Forgive Me)" | 4:14 |
6. | "New Planet" | 3:22 |
7. | "The Voices" | 3:00 |
8. | "Joey Rogers" | 3:43 |
9. | "Dead Jammer" | 2:16 |
10. | "Break Inside" | 4:50 |
11. | "I Surrender" | 3:14 |
12. | "Green Fields" | 0:53 |
13. | "World Of Regret" | 2:42 |
14. | "G's Dream" | 0:41 |
Total length: | 37:23 |
Personnel
Derived from the liner notes of Channel Pressure.[28]
Recorded at
- Joel Ford - synthesizers, writing, production, vocals (except "Joey Rogers" and "I Surrender"), drum programming
- Daniel Lopatin- synthesizers, writing, production, additional drum programming (on "I Surrender")
- Jeff Gitelman - guitar (except on "Green Fields"), vocals (on "Joey Rogers"), additional vocals (on "Too Much MIDI (Please Forgive Me)"), additional vocals and lyrics (on "Break Inside")
- Autre Ne Veut - vocals and additional lyrics (on "I Surrender"), additional vocals and lyrics (on "Break Inside")
- Aaron David Cross - additional synthesizers (on "Break inside")
- Paul Hammer - drums (on "The Voices")
- Andrew Brady - guitar (on "Green Fields")
- Himanshu Suri- vocals on "Scumsoft"
- Julia Krivonos - System II voice (on "Channel Pressure")
- Al Carlson - engineering, vocal programming
- Joe LaPorta - mixing
- Guillermo Scott Herren - mixing
- Thunderhorse - cover art
- B. Sisto - layout and typography
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Savage, Rowan. "Ford & Lopatin – Channel Pressure". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ Rovi Corporation. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ Conde Nast. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
- ^ Pitchfork Media. Archived from the originalon February 14, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ Beta, Andy (June 10, 2011). "Q&A: Ford & Lopatin On Playing Together And Playing With Studio Toys". The Village Voice. Peter Barbey. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (February 9, 2011). "Games Change Name to Ford & Lopatin, Start Mexican Summer Imprint Software". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Session transcript Madrid 2011: Oneohtrix Point Never". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ Beats per Minute. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ SpinMedia. June 7, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Morrow, Scott; Hajduch, Patrick (June 29, 2011). "Morrow vs. Hajduch: Ford & Lopatin's Channel Pressure". Alarm. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Tao, Conrad (June 8, 2011). "Ford & Lopatin – Channel Pressure (album review 2)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Elliott, Richard (June 16, 2011). "Ford & Lopatin: Channel Pressure". PopMatters. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab "FREE ASSOCIATION: Stream Ford & Lopatin's 'Channel Pressure' LP and Read Their Track-By-Track Commentary". Self-titled. Pop Mart Media. July 1, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
- ^ a b "Ford & Lopatin – Channel Pressure". Mexican Summer. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ^ Conde Nast. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ "Emergency Room – Single by Ford & Lopatin". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Kelly, Zach (March 27, 2011). ""Emergency Room" by Ford & Lopatin Review". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Taylor, Ken (June 8, 2011). "Ford & Lopatin Channel Pressure". XLR8R. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ "Adult Swim Singles 2011". Adult Swim Official Website. Archived from the original on November 21, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Kelly, Zach (June 13, 2011). ""Too Much MIDI (Please Forgive Me)" by Ford & Lopatin Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
- ^ "Channel Pressure by Ford & Lopatin reviews". AnyDecentMusic? Retrieved July 30, 2017.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ Bodenham, Digby (June 6, 2011). "Ford & Lopatin – Channel Pressure". DIY. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ a b c Schumer, Ben (June 22, 2011). "Channel Pressure: Ford & Lopatin". Under the Radar. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ Lindsay, Cam (June 7, 2011). "Ford & Lopatin Channel Pressure". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
- ^ "Dance & Electronic 2011: 20 Best Albums". Exclaim!. December 1, 2011. p. 16. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ "gorilla vs. bear's albums of 2011". Gorilla vs. Bear. December 5, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ a b Channel Pressure (2014). Ford & Lopatin. Software. SFT001.