Muff's Modules & More

greydominion · Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 12:41 pm Post subject: Early Front 242

Their first album Geography is pretty different from their other stuff as its more industrial/proto-ebm, less dancey, and no sampled drums and fm synths.

I believe a lot of it is System 100 and 100m along with an 808. Really awesome considering the sounds and sequences they came up with. What new modular gear (eurorack) you think would come close in terms of this functionality of sequencing, etc?

James Mandible · Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 3:00 pm Post subject:

I wondered about their gear too a while back and found this on google

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-electronic -music-production/680061-geography-era-front-242-a.html

Some good tips there on what they used and a link to a doc that I keep meaning to watch (hope it's still up!)
Geography is a fantastic record.

BTW are you familiar with the fact Dirk and Daniel (original members) have a new band together called Nothing But Noise? Doesn't sound much like Front 242, goes closer to Tangerine Dream than anything else, but it's a very lovely record. Sadly not much out there on youtube or anywhere else to check it out that I know of (yet)

iamgoldman · Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 3:01 pm Post subject:

A delay looper and a sega genesis :p
Seriously though, I saw similar sounds made with a Plan B Model 15 VCO + Cwejman MMF-1 FMing the Model 15. Run that through a delay and get a simple sequence going and you may come up with something similar to U-Men!

Front 242 were great back in the day. Headhunter will always have a special place in my heart.

xart · Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 3:07 pm Post subject:

Shin Guards made by Victor, Wright & Ditson thumbs up

Feel the power, feel the power, feel the power flow hihi

greydominion · Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 3:25 pm Post subject:

So first: I'll need to get vintage umpire gear with a vague militaristic look hmmm.....

Then: I have a Korg SDD-1000 so my delay world is pretty much covered. you think it's just a simple 16 step sequencer? I hear multiple things going on, triggering a second envelope on a filter or something. Then it changes to a whole different sequencer (or that's how it seems). What would do something like or combination of?

xart · Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 3:31 pm Post subject:

greydominion · Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 4:46 pm Post subject:

Is my picture of them doing live sequencing with 16-step sequencers actually just plugging into an MC-4?

vav · Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 5:39 pm Post subject:

The Geography remaster/reissue 2disc set on Alfa Matrix from a few years ago is WELL worth picking up. The booklet talks about their single takes (take one? hihi

) and the system 100. Disc 2 has demos, 4 track mixes, and material from the Pre-242 days.

drewtoothpaste · Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 6:28 pm Post subject:

242 is solid as fuck, always been a huge influence on me visually & musically.

ringstone · Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 6:32 pm Post subject:

Man I love those early 242 albums... actually I like everything they did, even the really late stuff...

Wasn't aware of the Geography re-master, have to keep an eye out for that, thanks!

Cheers
Blair

greydominion · Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 9:44 pm Post subject:

Seems like that geography reissue goes for $45 around the internet! I really want to see that booklet though!

What really interests me is the sequences and modulation they came up with with the System 100(m) and I was wondering what kind of gear would lead to that workflow.

thetwlo · Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 9:57 pm Post subject:

Geography is my favorite as well, but always loved this 12"

related, Luc Van Acker on vocals:

mhtones · Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 2:24 pm Post subject:

Haven't thought of Front 242 in a long time! Just pulled out some old CDs from my college days.

"An Unidentified Man, I think it ain't juste, I think it ain't juste". applause

CJ Miller · Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 1:50 pm Post subject:

vav · Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 1:54 pm Post subject:

dogoftears · Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 2:10 pm Post subject:

i love 242. even did a remix of "Work 242" a few months ago as a birthday gift for Goa Gil (they're his favorite band).
http://xexify.com/dogtracks/work242V11644dogmaster.wav

funny tho, i always like the early albums directly after Geography. i usually prefer the more analog albums of a bands hey-day, but F242 was just REALLY good with the FM sounds. Front by Front and Tyranny for You really tickle my unique-production funny bone.

i think the numbers era is when it all went downhill. i tried to listen to fuck up evil the other month and it was AWFUL. completely over produced, over compressed, sounds like trash, can't make out the details of any one individual sound (and there's a ton of crazy ones in there). i believe steve albini produced it? definitely one of his biggest failures. F242 is NOT nirvana!!!

does any one remember the "reboot" live album/tour? wtf HAPPENED to these guys?!?!? from some of the most killer and unique stuff to roland jp 8000 and v drums with rave beats.

Backroads · Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 11:18 pm Post subject:

That remix is great! I love goa as much as, if not more than, I love the 242 sound. What did you use to do it?

greydominion · Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 11:27 pm Post subject:

I love the FM Front 242 too. Tyranny for You is probably my other favorite. I have a DX7 for that wink

James Mandible · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 12:42 am Post subject:

thetwlo · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 12:51 am Post subject:

[quote=
I believe it was JG Thirlwell who produced it, not Albini.[/quote]

yes, the stuff after Tyranny was a fail, but didn't think Thirlwell or Alibini played a part.
Even Albini produced some great Whitehouse(and don't discount Big Black-- they and 242 were the best in those years). Although, Foetus (Thirlwell) was also snatched up my CBS about the same time as 242.
hmmm... checking.

thetwlo · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 1:29 am Post subject:

James Mandible · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 9:33 am Post subject:

haricots · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 10:55 am Post subject:

dogoftears · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 11:30 am Post subject:

Backroads · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 2:41 pm Post subject:

Very cool! I've often gone on record (in this forum even) touting the stylistic similarities between early ebm/industrial and goa (not the mention newer progressive psytrance). Those basslines! SlayerBadger!

computer controlled · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 5:03 pm Post subject:

Never Stop is my fave by them. Followed closely by Front By Front and Official Version.

morphic · Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 11:28 am Post subject:

saw 242 dec love them still saw paul oakenfold last night he started with a nitzer ebb remix. ebm-trance got to love it we're not worthy

thetwlo · Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 1:22 am Post subject:

amnesia · Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 2:24 am Post subject:

i grew up on F242, Skinny Puppy, Nitzer Ebb, Severed Heads etc but I think I have just listened to it all way too much that they don't as much interest anymore. Headhunter is still a brilliant track!

kroton · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 4:20 am Post subject:

Listened to a lot of 242 back in the day. Can still remember the awe of seeing them during the Tyranny For You tour. To me, though, most of their stuff has aged pretty badly. Apart from the early singles, Geography and the Endless Riddance 12", that is. Those stil sound as fresh today, as when I first heard them. Geography is surely up there among the 10-20 best electronic albums ever made.

iamgoldman · Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 5:40 pm Post subject:

Fuck Up Evil is a timeless album.

djs · Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 7:54 pm Post subject:

kroton · Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 7:57 am Post subject:

matttech · Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 3:50 pm Post subject:

can't believe folk slagging Albini off - the guy's a genius!

the production on things like "two nuns and a packmule" by Rapeman is AWESOME!

anyway....back to Front 242 - i always really liked this track:

you can never quite work out if it's off-beat or "on-beat".....or does it keep changing?? heard it on John Peel years ago.....cool as f**k

Kodama · Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 10:07 am Post subject:

Yes! I love the Backcatalog stuff and Official Version.

I also love Off Evil, such an amazing album with horrible mixing. I really hope they remix/master it one day (remix as in with a mixer).

zombie

zedius · Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 12:54 pm Post subject:

I love love love early Front 242. Geography has some of my favorite songs... G.V.D.T., Felines, Kampfbereit. I had Official Version on tape for years and just picked it up on CD. Very excited to listen to this one again. Love Quite Unusual immensely.

There really is something magic in Front 242's sound and also their aesthetic. It feels like punk kraftwerk to me.

Agree that their later stuff fizzled out. I feel like the whole goth/industrial 90s thing backwashed into them in a very bad way. I've been listening to some of the stuff on Pulse lately and appreciating it though.

morphic · Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 7:24 pm Post subject:

[quote="zedius"]I love love love early Front 242. Geography has some of my favorite songs... G.V.D.T., Felines, Kampfbereit. I had Official Version on tape for years and just picked it up on CD. Very excited to listen to this one again. Love Quite Unusual immensely.

There really is something magic in Front 242's sound and also their aesthetic. It feels like punk kraftwerk to me.

quite unusual is a great track,
played a friend GVDT he thought it was new

i think offical version def had a impact on mode when they did black celebration

autodisco · Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 11:26 am Post subject:

very nice to find a F242 thread on the muffwiglers forum!

my favorite albums are Geography, Front by Front and Pulse.

thing is that i didn't like Nitzer Ebb one bit - although reading the lyrics really made me want to like them, they just didn't tickle my EARS right. it is something about the aesthetics of sound... F242 is saturated, almost material (if you allow me to say such a thing)

in case you haven't seen it, there is an in-depth retrospective interview they had at the barcelona red bull music academy thingie:

also, there is this wonderful interview from the 80s era where they stay very much in-character (and in a very coherent and tasteful manner... compared to today's artists)

James Mandible · Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:11 pm Post subject: