I wait for so long

Could this be MO part 2 ??

I hope so !

I can't wait. I'd say its been a longer wait than 5 years.

His last proper album was Solaris.

I recall the first time I listened to Modus Operandi in 97. That album shaped the very core of my DnB roots as a teenager growing up on the West coast. I have listened to Photek's musical endeavors over the years and appreciated each one for the beauty and distinction they hold. Society lacks Dj's with true talent and creative know how these days(for the most part). So it is refreshing to know that you are evolving into an even more amazing artist Mr. Parkes. Thank you...sincerely. Cheers!

Can't wait for this

new bbc radio 1: essential mix from photek, incl upcoming tracks of KUALM album.
.
soundcloud.com/everybodywantstobethedj/photek-essential-mix-2012-10

01. Apparat & Raz Ohara - Holdon (Modeselektor Remix) [HoldOn, SHITKATAPULT]
02. Photek - Quadrant [KUALM, Photek Productions]
03. Apparat - Arcadia (Telefon Tel Aviv Remix) [SHITKATAPULT]
04. GRENIER - Bury The Blade [Unknown]
05. Cowboy Rythmbox - Shake [Comeme]
06. Truncate - Transients [Truncate]
07. Jan Driver - Gain Reaction [Boysnoize]
08. MJ Cole - TGV [Satellite EP, Prolific Recordings]
09. Blackbird Blackbird - It's A War [THE BORACAY PLANT EP, LAVISH HABITS]
10. Maxxi Soundsystem feat. Name One - Regrets We Have No Use For
11. Alan Fitzpatrick - Always Something For Nothing [Life Through Different Eyes EP, Drumcode]
12. Parallel Dance Ensemble - Shopping Cart (Maxxi Soundsystem Remix) [Permanent Vacation]
13. Kobana & Yane3 - BN2 1TW [Particles]
14. Ellen Allien & Apparat - Jet (Ben Klock Remix) [BPitch Control]
15. Appleblim & Ramadanman - Void 23 (Carl Craig Re-Edit) [aus music/FutureAudio]
16. Hot Chip - Flutes (Sasha Remix) [Last Night on Earth]
17. Apparat -Berlin [Shitkatapult]
18. Mao - Harvest [Southern Fried]
19. Delano Smith - Wires [Darker Shades Of Detroit, Sushitech]
20. Maetrik - Revenge of Jack [The Entity, True Soul]
21. GRENIER - Frenemies [Photek Productions]
22. The Mole - Stupid Famous [If I Had A Nickel, Maybe Tomorrow]
23. Photek - Quevedo [KUALM, Photek Productions]
24. Calibre - Temple Step [Simple Emotion, Signature]
25. Photek - Pyramid [KUALM, Photek Productions]
26. Dub Phizix - Handmade [Never Been, Critical Music]
27. Photek - Shape Charge [KUALM, Photek Productions]
28. Mala - The Tunnel [Mala In Cuba, Brownswood Recordings]
29. Die & Break - Tear Down [Grand Funk Hustle, Digital Sound Boy]
30. Enei & Kasra - So Real [Sequence 2, Critical Music]
31. Light Year - Moderation [Bang Gang]
32. L-Vis 1990 - Feel The Void (Paul Woolford's After Hours Mix) [PMR Records]
33. Cannible - Primitive [Monique Musique]
34. Oliver & Destructo - La Funky [BNR Trax]
35. Photek - Mine To Give (Satoshie Tomiie Remix) [Solaris, Science/Virgin]
.
best EM of 2012.

So we have MJ Cole's garage, Appleblim's dubstep, Ben Klock's minimal techno, Sasha's melodic prog, and Kasra's dnb all in one mix? That looks really interesting, I gotta say

http://soundcloud.com/photek/pyramid-benji

i agree best essential mix of 2012

Photek - Shape Charge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfjGD8LntfM&feature=youtu.be

'Oshun' and 'One Of A Kind' (amongst others) are almost comically poor, generic EDM bilge, and an absolute insult to a producer who stood virtually peerless throughout the 90s.

Shame to see someone as talented as photek release something this poor. Bring back those Aquarius / The Sentinel / Special Forces vibes!!

Listened to the lengthy samples on Beatport and was kind of astonished how out of place some of it sounds. Parkes has proven he can make sexy deep house on Solaris. This LP is whack

Those last 3 vocal tracks are so embarrassingly bad, it ruins the rest of it for me

well i don't think it's soooo bad but definitely below expectations. i was expecting more of that dark vibe from his dj kicks like m25fm, no agenda, levitation but instead there are some really weak proggy tracks, esp. last two. i like pyramid, mistral and sleepwalking though. also, to me, aviator is nice. i'm a big photek fan, he was basically my pass into the world of electronic music and i still think he's one of the greatest, hopefully this one grows on me but i was definitely expecting more.

damnn wtf is happening with you photek? your dj kicks and last essential mix was amazing.

Aviator, Pyramid and Shape Charge save this ''photek'' album.

really thought I'd like something on this but turned out to be wrong.. disappointing.

It just seems bizarre that this gets released by somebody who made a name for himself by having an absolute attention to detail. I know that he can do better and I find it worrisome that some of these tracks should not be up to his own standard but made it onto the album anyways.

Wow. I thought this was one of 'Andrew Ryce is being too harsh' reviews, but no, he's more spot-on than I thought. I like Photek a lot, I loved his dj kicks, but this album is a mess, jumping from one style to other without any progression, and with some obvious mistakes in production and composition (namely: the last three tracks). I quite like Aviator and Quadrant, but Kualm sounds like an album trying to be dark in many styles and actually sounding like a salad with the wrong mix of ingredients.

Wish he'd used his 'deft hand at arrangement' to better effect on Shape Charge; it's decent enough but pretty forgettable IMO, and I was inordinately excited to hear his first new DnB in years. All the parts of a great tune are in it but in the wrong order.


'Pyramid' is amazing, the rest of it seems like the sound of someone making music because he knows how to and has forgotten the 'why'

Always said he died for me when he moved to LA, his music was at his best when he was making tunes in a basement in Ipswich on a an autumn day with shit weather. Moving to Beverly fucking Hills and driving a Ferrari around in the sun just isn't conducive to attaining the neccessary headspace for making the music he made his name with.

As for all the old heads lamenting the passing of the old Code of Practice / Truper / Special Forces / Sentinel days, you're looking in the wrong place really... Subtle Audio / Scientific Wax / Paradox Music / Pinecone Moonshine / Alphacut is where you look for those vibes in 2012.

maybe he will redeem himself with F+F volume 3. Indeed truly disappointing album. I remember when Solaris came out, it was hard to swallow the new direction, but eventually that album was accepted. This however, from the terrible name 'KUALM', and the lacklustre and contrived poorly conceived forgetful audio is hard to get into, purely because it just lacks substance, or form lets say (ha). It just all sounds very lazy (apart from Pyramid). Everytime I attempt to listen to this, I immediately turn it off, and scan back Modus Operandi to cure my ears of this junk. Seriously its like listening to a different artist. Other dnb/jungle pioneers evolve their sound pulling off vocal delights (e.g. 4hero), but when Photek attempts vocal tracks, they just sound like second rate pop songs. Is this his aim ? Total and complete sell out album. This is probably the final nail in the coffin to the 90s frenetic Photek sound- he bloody well knows the fans love that shit, and he chooses to release this as a big fuck you 'i'll write studio LA bar music.'. I remember when Goldie's Saturn Returnz album was panned, he released a remix package in response. Maybe thats what Photek needs to do, turn this drivel into a monster drum edited to fuck album.

I wish the album was actually called KUALM, with the emoticon and all.

kinda awful.....for once i agree with andrew ryce

big dissapointment!

For me 5/5 but andy stott's kind of pointless shitty stuff is via RA - amazing.

lmao

Photek redefines himself, and make it better than scuba and others, it's commercial stuff but easily can flow in underground way, give him a chance, snobzzzz!

More like Facealm. Very disappointing album, about three good tracks in the middle and the rest is so bland.

Photek's DJ Kicks was really, really good.

lol that Smili

RA gets reviews wrong often enough but sadly i also have to agree here. His essential mix was amazing and Pyramid is insanely good, what went wrong?

An answer Photek gave in an interview:
'I read a terrible review on ResidentAdvisor[.net] and I was like, “Wow, I don’t ever remember having one that bad!” I remember thinking, “Where do you fit, Resident Advisor? I don’t know what you’re about in that case.” It’s always presenting itself as this really highbrow tastemaker, and I’m like, “Really?” I can be quite objective about my music, but I can put my ego aside and go, “OK, let’s really look at this album. Let’s go through what could be the flaws in this record—and I know what they are—and I’m pretty realistic about what I’ve done in music, so that was a really funny one to read like, “Wow, I feel like I’m getting a battering here like something poor Skrillex would be getting from Resident Advisor. That was harsh.”

He's right. This review is pretty poor. I don't get how you can say ' 'Oshun' thumps at an astounding 136 BPM'? Do you only listen to slo-mo? It's actually a really good track and album.

Sorry Ando but there's really no defending this. Listen to the last few tracks again if you've forgotten how bad this was.

What's sad is that if this was an album of all Pyramid-level tunes it would easily be a 4.5