Drum and bass is firmly rooted in DJ culture, and so most of its offerings are strictly vinyl, 12-inch releases. A full-length record from a single artist is a relatively rare but welcome occurrence. But then, if you like drum and bass then you know all of this already. And you've also probably heard of Photek.
Form and Function is a collection of some of his seminal work which, until now, has resided in the record bags of the lucky few who got the original 12-inch releases. Included are remixes from some of jungle's finest: Doc Scott, Peshay, Digital, and Decoder. Photek himself remixed "Resolution" and "The Seven Samurai" for the album. These are some dark, ghostly, and intensely interesting tracks. Not exactly dance-floor material, this record is more of a cerebral experience. Which is not to say that the tracks are inaccessible or overly experimental. Drum and bass was born of a blending of hip hop and club culture, and Photek no doubt can rock a crowd. But Form and Function will appeal most of all to the heads, the connoisseurs, and the intellectuals.
This record makes it onto the short list of drum and bass albums, along with his previous effort Modus Operandi, Roni Size and Reprazent's New Forms, LTJ Bukem's Logical Progression, and Goldie's Timeless. Like these other artists, Photek goes back to day one of the genre.
If you like Photek, check out:
Photek Modus Operandi
Source Direct Controlled Developments
Various Artists V Classic
