Photek Solaris CD

The erstwhile Rupert Parkes here comes up with a house-flavored CD (save "Terminus" and "Junk"), as the backdrop to what appears to be a dreamy and fluid diary of reflection, growth, and enlightenment. Enlisting veteran vocalist Robert Owens of Fingers Inc. fame on "Mine to Give" and "Can't Come Down," Photek here attempts to broaden his fan base by applying his expert ear and masterful technical skills to other genres.

"Halogen," for instance, is reminiscent of Meat Beat Manifesto, with echoes of an industrial-ambient sound. "Glamourama" returns him to his house and hip-hop roots on the Mo Wax and Op-Art labels, with samples from the film VEDETTE, rich in a sensual Latino texture. "Lost Blue Heaven," a Portishead-BLADERUNNER type trip-hop track with vocalist Simone Simone, is featured in the movie UNTER DEN PALMEN by Photek's Dutch film director wife Miriam Kruishoop, while the track "Under The Palms" provides a soothing finale to this junglist's long-awaited return.

Photek producer Rupert Parkes moved on to embrace Chicago acid house and minimal techno for his 2nd release 'Solaris'. Parkes made the acid house connections direct by enlisting help for two vocal tracks from Chicago institution Robert Owens (Fingers Inc.). The first Owens track, 'Mine to Give', attacks with suprisingly unwavering beats and a rumbling bass line straight out of the Windy City sound of the late '80s. 2000 Astralwerks release.

Additional personnel includes: Robert Owens, Simone Simone, Marie-Jose Jongerius (vocals).

Personnel: Robert Owens (vocals).

Photek: Rupert Parkes (vocals, programing).

Spin (11/00, pp.206-7) - 8 out of 10 - "...May be [his] best record yet....Not only an ascetic blend of house and jungle; it's also an ingenious fusion of mathematically cool beats and desperately human heat..."
Alternative Press (11/00, p.122) - 3 out of 5 - "...Rolling bass&drum gems....a sprawling record full of bizarre turns turning into frothy UK garage house and drawling Massive Attack-ish downtempo cuts..."
The Wire (10/00, pp.70,72) - "...Excellent....Not drum'n'bass at all. One track is up to speed...but the rest is slow breaks, atmospheric HipHop, Techfunk and, in 'Mine To Give', chartstorming vocal House..."
Mixmag (10/00, p.183) - 3 out of 5 - "...[A] mixture of old skool vibes over slow breaks and sparse deep house numbers..."
Muzik (10/00, p.73) - 4 out of 5 - "...Joins the dots between house, techno and hip-hop in a truly original, compelling and often spellbinding manner..."
CMJ (9/11/00, p.28) - "...A complex and unique collection of futuristic electronic music..."
Melody Maker (10/17/00, p.59) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...The king of minimalist drum'n'bass gets himself a proper singer (!) and goes all deep house (!!)..."
Mojo (Publisher) (10/00, p.100) - "...Continues his sonic adventure...mixing zero-gravity beats...with deeply dubby Chicago house....An album of supreme control..."
NME (Magazine) (10/14/00, p.39) - 8 out of 10 - "...An album steeped in bleep-techno aesthetics and shaped by the irresistible groove of ancient Chicago house....pushing drum'n'bass far beyond its self-imposed restrictions..."