Dan Bell

[Stella Boy]

the (arguable) godfather of minimal techno.

i'd agree with that although reading some blurbs on some of the more trendy minimal dj's *cough* cocoon linked *cough* you'd think they invented the sound single handedly :lol:

[gunjack]

dammit steve, always on about the details, f4cking up the music for the rest of us...

[The_Laughing_Man]

dammit steve, always on about the details, f4cking up the music for the rest of us...

it`s a curse, and quite clearly not normal behaviour.
But I never put much credence in normal

[gunjack]

so anyway, ahem, dan bell....

[basslinejunkie]

that first tune slav posted is quality, been wondering the name of that for ages, heard it on sets in the past. gotta love them people jiveing also!

[BloodStar]

yeah, Daniel Bell, Seventh City Detroit,. liking his stuff alot,. heard him for the first time around 2000 on one vienna radio station called FM4. showcase is called La Boom Deluxe, not sure anyone of you will know it, but for us middle european people FM4 played big role back in the days. at least for me it did, hahaha.
really likining Dan Bell tunes, easy listening minimal music with soul and emotional energy, not like the lettradethe808samplepack mnml crap which coming out these days. thumps up.

[SlavikSvensk]

yeah, Daniel Bell, Seventh City Detroit,. liking his stuff alot,. heard him for the first time around 2000 on one vienna radio station called FM4. showcase is called La Boom Deluxe, not sure anyone of you will know it, but for us middle european people FM4 played big role back in the days. at least for me it did, hahaha.
really likining Dan Bell tunes, easy listening minimal music with soul and emotional energy, not like the lettradethe808samplepack mnml crap which coming out these days. thumps up.

i agree with a lot of this. it's simple, but its 90s techno stripped down to its most functional parts. some sounds dated (in a "i wouldn't really play this out anymore" way) now, some still rocks like it always did.

here's one i always loved that threads that needle...

http://samples.beatport.com/items/vo...04367.LOFI.mp3

...and a more experimental tune...sounds awfully weird to listen to now

http://samples.beatport.com/items/vo...04355.LOFI.mp3

[Jay Pace]

I love dan bell stuff.

But I kinda suspect a lot of his stuff - if it was released today - would get dismissed as crap by a lot of the same people who hail it as genius.

[teknorich]

I think one point to note is that most of his tracks have a good fat drum under it which gives it the extra attitude and vibe. I think that's lacking in a lot of modern day mnml; the bass drums are often quite weak and lightweight. Bell's tracks can sound a bit dated, or a bit too basic, but at the same time they can also have a really ballsy, confident sound to them which really boosts them.

[The_Laughing_Man]

I think one point to note is that most of his tracks have a good fat drum under it which gives it the extra attitude and vibe. I think that's lacking in a lot of modern day mnml; the bass drums are often quite weak and lightweight. Bell's tracks can sound a bit dated, or a bit too basic, but at the same time they can also have a really ballsy, confident sound to them which really boosts them.

The thing with minimal stuff of today, is that the kicks are less obvious at home, as they tend to be compressed 808 type stuff.
No obvious bang bang that knocks your speakers at home, but those soft sounding 808`s have a big lump of sub in them, then a little click on top. Once they are pumped out on a good stack of 18`s or 24`s they shake the room to bits. You just need to give them room.
Immersion (or henry) used to use those kind of kicks to really amazing effect on pounding grooves.
I`ve kinda got bored of the 909 thump myself, but it does have more immediacy for sure.

Bell seems to have gone silent for the last few years production wise, is he using a pseudonym now?

[SlavikSvensk]

I love dan bell stuff.

But I kinda suspect a lot of his stuff - if it was released today - would get dismissed as crap by a lot of the same people who hail it as genius.

well, it's quite primitive by today's standards. things that were groundbreaking then are commonplace, or in some ways, cliche now. his music also reflects a different time when there was a different prevalent mentality in techno. it was much more open and less compartmentalized, and there was just less stuff to take in. but there was also less cumulative knowledge about what things "should" be like. as i see it, that knowledge has both a positive and a negative side to it. it's just a different climate now.

i think when people today celebrate someone like dan bell, they are doing so both because he made some great music, and because he broke ground in a way that helped set the stage for lots of quality stuff that came later.

[SlavikSvensk]

he hasn't put out a new record in years, as far as i know. martin will probably talk him into a dust science record eventually, like he did with fred giannelli...at least i hope so.

[gunjack]

where are the dogs when you need them?

[SlavikSvensk]

lurking.

really enjoyed that free release of theirs...