Back in 2000 I bought a CD called “File Under Futurism”, a collaboration between DJ Spooky and the Freight Elevator Quartet.

I had introduced several people to this CD over the years and I was often asked by others to borrow it. I was always hesitant as it was one of my most prized CDs, and yet, I wanted other people to hear this amazing work of genius. With all this borrowing and returning, the CD eventually got lost. I was bummed but thought I would just buy a new one. No. After 2003 I couldn’t find the CD anywhere, NOT EVEN ON ITunes. Everytime I visited a music store, I would go to the DJ Spooky section, and run through the stack hopeful that I might find FUF. No luck. It was kind of mind boggling to me that such a phenomenal piece of work was so hard to come by, but I relented to the idea that mediocrity had won out in America. Ah well. I had found it on Amazon.com and bookmarked it to order, but for this or that reason never got around to it. This and that reason may have been related to my need for instant gratification, but that’s another story. In this story, the CD just magically appeared in my collection again one day not too long ago. I was beside myself with joy, even though I didn’t have proper stereo equipment to play it anymore. This CD is not something you can listen to on the computer. It is an experience that requires high volume, closed eyes, and a dark room. In my opinion anyway.Last night I got the chance to listen to it on a good system. There’s nothing I can tell you to describe this music. Avante-garde? Yes. Experimental? Yes. Subliminal? Yes. Energetic? Yes. Evocative? Yes. Provocative? Yes. Mind altering? Yes.

I thought maybe the customer reviews on Amazon.com might be more helpful. How about this one?

Hi, my name is Ed and I live in Seattle Washington, I’m single, white, male. I like to listen to this as background music and it is really great.

There you have it folks. An intelligent review of intelligent music. The end.

Just kidding. Here’s a better review from Artist Direct:

DJ Spooky’s File Under Futurism is the result of a six-month collaboration with the Freight Elevator Quartet, an avant-garde electronic and acoustic group dedicated to pioneering new musical sounds and techniques. File Under Futurism features variations on compositions by DJ Spooky that were then reworked and remixed by both Spooky and the Freight Elevator Quartet. Each of the album’s pieces reflects society’s increasing speed and reliance on technology while exploring different subgenres of electronic music, from the breakbeat-inflected “File Under Futurism (Groove Protocol Mix)” to the minimalist, cello-driven “Downtempo Manifesto,” to the heavily processed digital hardcore of “Experimental Asynchronicity,” to the gentler, ambient “Chromatic Aberration.” File Under Futurism also includes DJ Spooky turntablisms “Interstitial A” and “Interstitial B,” as well as Freight Elevator Quartet compositions like “Bring Me My Mental Health” and “The RCA Mark II Synthesizer,” which was composed on the first synthesizer ever built. An ambitious and fascinating album, File Under Futurism is a rare successful combination of academics and kinetics. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide

Or this one from scaruffi.com:

The quartet augments Miller’s eccentric genius with a few gems of baroquely aristocratic chamber music in the vein of the Penguin Cafe` Orchestra (the middle-eastern motif of Infrared, the exotic adagio of The Revolution Will Be Streamed, the romantic aria of This Is What Happens) and Miller floods them with his rhythmic fireworks.

This is a delicious excursion off the beaten track that showcases Miller’s potential as a full-fledged composer.

Bottom line. It’s genius, but it’s not for everyone’s taste. DJ Spooky (Paul D. Miller), aside from being a DJ and composer, is also an activist, a writer, philosopher, and artist. Did I mention he’s also warm-hearted, humble, has amazing hands and oh yeah, he’s hot? Scroll down to the next post to see him speak on Duchamp. He gets a couple points off for not being the most coherent speaker, but then he would be PERFECT and that would contradict some cosmic law and we would all cease to exist.

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The post DJ Spooky – Velvet Verbosity is Going to Marry This Man first appeared on velvetverbosity.com.]]> 295 https://velvetverbosity.com/2002/02/17/dj-spooky-on-duchamp/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dj-spooky-on-duchamp Sun, 17 Feb 2002 09:29:23 +0000 http://velvetverbosity.com/2002/02/17/dj-spooky-on-duchamp/ Look at those dimples.  Look at that creative brain. / Digg this / Stumble this