Thefft – The Primer EP [CUT007]
Audio, Dubstep & Garage, Instrumental, Minimal, TechHouse //
By: simioliolio //
22/12/2011 //
10 Comments
Cut is a very new label. They have been going for nearly a year, and release deep, emotional electronica which is contributory to the post-dubstep and future garage movements. They have a handful of releases so far (five of which we have already reviewed), and the quality is outstanding. It is hard for a netlabel to carefully define their sound, and more importantly, to stick to it. It’s so easy to say yes to every submission, and end up with a huge catalogue spanning a wide range of styles. With Cut, there is a distinct consistency and solid foundation to the style of their releases. For new netlabels, I think this is extremely important, as it allows you to stick out above the sea of other labels out there.
Snappy and polished production, dance floor friendly, beautiful textures, wonderful musical content, and an enlightening experience. As I listen to this three-track EP, it makes me feel privileged to hear it, something which only a handful of artists have managed to achieve. Thefft seems to effortlessly bound around between techno, garage and dubstep whilst maintaining an exceptional flow.
The choice of synth sounds and samples is very original, and a delight to hear. On ‘Gammy Crazy’, the super-wide tones first heard at 1:22 have an almost cheeky element to them. This unconventional sound has allowed Thefft to flood this distinctive track with character and personality. Now I have heard it twice, I don’t think I will ever forget it, and that is a big sign of success. ‘No Match For She’ has some fantastic synth work on it too, and the expert use of reverb and delay gives the track a mesmerizing and addictive depth.
‘Stares’ scared me at first, as the beautiful melodic quality of the first two tracks was suddenly absent at the beginning. However, the delicate pad at 1:40 ends the drought with fine style. Then a funky four-to-the-floor digresses into a bizarre almost-atonal journey, with sporadic life-like chords scrambling the suggestion of monotony.
The tracks are short, and could be a great deal longer. But with modern looping techniques in DJ software, this is how it should be. The ep is a fine example of modern music done properly. Abiding by convention just enough to reach an eager audience, but demonstrating and delivering your own unique style to impress and innovate. Cut records we salute you, again.
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Not truly free. It requires you to either spam your twitter followers or give the label/bandcamp your e-mail address. Instant turn-off for me.
That seems a bit harsh. I can understand not wanting to promote a release you haven’t heard yet through “pay with a tweet”, but it’s not like Cut Records will flood your inbox with dozens of emails. Besides, the one or two emails I’ve received from them informed me of their new releases, which is something I wanted to know anyway.
By the way, Alex just wrote an article on the “cost of a free culture”, maybe you want to have a look at that.
If you like it, share it, and you get it for free. Seems fair.
If you like it, ask to be told about similar music, and you get it for free. Seems even fairer.
You can stream the release first, so you don’t have to tweet or give your email address.
Most recommends I tweet are highly appreciated (because they are about labels like Cut and artists like Thefft) So the pay by tweet is actually a bonus for me. I get to update my followers and get the release at the same time. It’s a win-win-win :)
I’ve not found a single entity on Bandcamp to spam anybody or send high frequency emails. Mostly the emails inform me there is a new release. Great.
Totally agree with the last 3 Comments!
Cut music if you are reading, thanks for your output this year – it has been nothing short of stunning!
One Thing:
If having a netlabel is about giving your music out free – maybe because you want to be an opposition to the existing structures of the music industry – why would you force someone to tweet for you?
At first if you don’t own a twitter-account you’re circled out. Second if you do own a account but don’t want to tell everybody what music you are downloading at this moment of time you can’t download it.
But the main point is: someone wants to decide for me IF I want to share it and WHERE I want to share it. Maybe I would love to share it – but if I’m forced to share it there is a great chance that I don’t even download it. And I might not be the only one thinking this way.
So all these artists are spending all this time working hard on releasing all these records and then they give them out for free just so you guys can skip, pause and seek through their life stories. All they are asking in return is that you share it with some people, NOT MONEY, just some support and that seems to be a “turn off” now. Net labels, as Simioliolio pointed out, are not here so you can get as much free music and then pick what you like. They are promoting artists that would be forever unheard of otherwise and I dont think its unfair or forceful if they expect a little support in return for this noble gesture.
So for all the complaints, here is a counter-complaint. I think you guys at Netlabelism.com and Net Labels in general, are doing a great job. I wish you all Best Wishes and my regards.
well said fixes! thanks for your support!
its the artist and label gaining appreciation for their music through a means not associated with wealth. if you like it, help the label out, not by showering them with money, but by sharing.
if you stumble across the release, and have no idea what twitter is, subscribing to the mailing list is offered as an alternative. there are also arguments against a potentially annoying subscription, as discussed above, but it really isn’t that much of a sacrifice.
net labels are not run by useless lazy hippies who believe in free love and free music, they are run by people who are sick of high-paid music culture, and want to participate in the offering of an alternative. it is most impressive that the music available at cut is of an exceptionally high quality, but does not require you to pay any money to listen to it. i, and many others, would happily exchange a tweet or a subscription for every release on warp, ghostly international, ninja tune etc, and (imo, fwiw) cut are managing to compete with these paid-for labels.