Taking Sides: Alex Under Vs. Alex Smoke

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Personally I've had a hard time with this question.

― Thomas Mehlt (Tokyo Ghost Stories), Sunday, 22 October 2006 19:04 (nineteen years ago)

I'd say Under though.

I could even make a personal subtopic: Chica Wappa vs. Las Bicicletas Son Para El Verano. Probably my two favourite tracks from 2005.

― Thomas Mehlt (Tokyo Ghost Stories), Sunday, 22 October 2006 19:07 (nineteen years ago)

Under by a mile.

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 22 October 2006 19:35 (nineteen years ago)

As I said on the other thread: Under. But it's close and I've never seen either DJ.

― struttin' with some barbecue (jimnaseum), Sunday, 22 October 2006 19:39 (nineteen years ago)

i haven't listened to Smoke that much, although i think i've heard just about everything (my partner is a big fan). Under's music frequently excites me, Smoke's hasn't yet but i still think he's good.

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 22 October 2006 20:15 (nineteen years ago)

Alex Smoke's underrated and under-heard 2005 album Incommunicado is worth everyone's attention. Great electronic album from start to finish. Smoke has done some solid remixes recently including a killer Junior Boys remix of "In The Morning". As for Smoke Vs. Under, i can't say, not familiar enough with Under. Smoke is one to watch, although his latest record Paradolia doesn't match Incommunicado's consistency.

― lawrencerock (lawrencerock), Sunday, 22 October 2006 21:29 (nineteen years ago)

...and he's a totally sweetie as well.

― lexurian (lexurian), Sunday, 22 October 2006 21:34 (nineteen years ago)

(lex did your kitten just disappear?)

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 22 October 2006 21:35 (nineteen years ago)

lex i just emailed you

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 22 October 2006 21:39 (nineteen years ago)

jed - dinnae wirry, backatcha

― lexurian (lexurian), Sunday, 22 October 2006 21:47 (nineteen years ago)

under by a country mile

― Good Dog (Good Dog), Sunday, 22 October 2006 22:25 (nineteen years ago)

under, nowhere near being close

― a (rslvd), Monday, 23 October 2006 07:02 (nineteen years ago)

People be underestimating Smoke in this thread. Lest we forget:

Envoy - Move On (Alex Smoke Dub)
Andre Kraml - Safari (Alex Smoke Remix)
Junior Boys - In The Morning (Alex Smoke Remix)
Alex Smoke - Simple Things
Alex Smoke - Brian's Lung
Alex Smoke - Chica Wrappa
Alex Smoke - Don't See The Point
Alex Smoke - You're A Bit Rough
Alex Smoke - Neds

I think it's too close to call probably.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 23 October 2006 07:13 (nineteen years ago)

Smoke by a nose for me.. I love them both but (probably because he's done a couple of albums) Smoke seems to have a little more variety to his sound and be more suited for home listening.

― Bn1 (Bn1), Monday, 23 October 2006 07:48 (nineteen years ago)

under is over

― joan vich (joan vich), Monday, 23 October 2006 08:50 (nineteen years ago)

Under for sure. Saw him live at Sonar last year and he rocked it. Really consistent output too, even going back to his earliest 12"s.

Bought Smoke's Incommunicado based on the reviews I'd read and subsequently sold it. Yuck. His new mix cd: http://www.residentadvisor.net/news.asp?ID=8219 looks great though.

― smn (smn), Monday, 23 October 2006 11:11 (nineteen years ago)

I really like both, but aren't people really into Under for his minimal techno cred? Smoke seems more home listening or populist at heart.

― mh. (mike h.), Monday, 23 October 2006 15:28 (nineteen years ago)

tim have you heard smoke's latest album? it flows perhaps a bit too easily but it avoids all the home-listening-indietronica pitfalls and there are some wonderful moments on it eg 'prima materia'. ada's 'never want to see you again' rmx is ace too. smoke's scifihifi is a bit of a curate's egg but i should listen to it a bit more really.

i think i prefer under as a dj, smoke (just) as a producer.

― The Lex (The Lex), Monday, 23 October 2006 15:51 (nineteen years ago)

under for me, smoke is just a dull villalobos rip off

― maarten maes (dice collective), Monday, 23 October 2006 15:55 (nineteen years ago)

But aren't people really into Under for his minimal techno cred?

No, i just don't like Smoke's music that much - too songlike. I saw him play a live set once and kill a party. I haven't seen Alex Under DJ but I like some of his tracks, which are bouncier and warmer than a lot of minimal techno (if still a bit stiff)

― Good Dog (Good Dog), Monday, 23 October 2006 16:00 (nineteen years ago)

Smoke's palette is a bit too IDM for me, the washy synths etc. Too maximal. Too songy as mentioned above. But I still really enjoy his stuff. Under has tracks like the A side to the first Multiplicanciones that just worm their way into your head like a hypnotic minimal freight train ergo he wins.

― struttin' with some barbecue (jimnaseum), Monday, 23 October 2006 16:05 (nineteen years ago)

And his sound design is amazing. So clean and sharp.

― struttin' with some barbecue (jimnaseum), Monday, 23 October 2006 16:06 (nineteen years ago)

smoke, hands down. under is good, but i think he relies on pretty similar tricks for most of his tracks, whereas smoke has a lot more scope, a lot more "songwriting" (but also a great grasp of what makes a track bang).

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Monday, 23 October 2006 16:14 (nineteen years ago)

To quote myself:

Envoy - Move On (Alex Smoke Dub)
Andre Kraml - Safari (Alex Smoke Remix)
Junior Boys - In The Morning (Alex Smoke Remix)

Just those three remixes show an amazing amount of variety, while all being spot-on, best-in-the-genre at what it is they do.

Smoke sounds nothing like Villalobos to me, which is not even me defending him - if I wanted to say he was a rip-off of anyone there'd be a million producers I'd choose before Villalobos.

It really bugs me how so many people compare everything to Villalobos! For one it doesn't reflect how distinctive Ricardo sounds compared to almost everything else in the scene.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 23 October 2006 23:45 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, he's absolutely nothing like Villalobos whatsoever. That's a complete wtf?-inducing comparison to draw.

― struttin' with some barbecue (jimnaseum), Monday, 23 October 2006 23:47 (nineteen years ago)

Smoke. Maybe give Under a couple years?

― jergins (jergins), Monday, 23 October 2006 23:59 (nineteen years ago)

alex smoke for the "safari" remix alone. failing that, incommunicado is one of the best electronic albums of the 00s IMO.

― josh. (disco stu), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 00:28 (nineteen years ago)

So, the question then is will Smoke prove to be the great white hope that Soma's been hoping? Are they right to extend the initial two album deal?

― lexurian (lexurian), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 10:10 (nineteen years ago)

four months pass...

Right now I'm sitting at home, NOT out seeing alex under due to circumstances beyond my control, what more listening to his mutek set, which just rubs it in all the more.

All that's left is for someone to post that go cry emo kid cat picture.

― mehlt, Friday, 2 March 2007 07:17 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

Oh my God, I just found out Alex Under and Damian Schwartz are coming to town, both live sets, at a party which goes 'till the morning nonetheless. I literally gasped to the extend my lungs could hold, I had to write of my excitement.

Incidentally this is put together by the same people who brought Alex Smoke here, to which I didn't gasp as much as enter a state of euphoria when hearing about that.

― mehlt, Wednesday, 5 March 2008 00:34 (eighteen years ago)

I'm going with myself.

― Alex in NYC, Wednesday, 5 March 2008 12:00 (eighteen years ago)

Are they playing in NY?

― Goethe*s Elective Affinities, Friday, 7 March 2008 02:49 (eighteen years ago)

from the little i've heard, Under > Smoke.

just noticed Alex Under is playing may 3rd in SF w/Agaric!

― one time, Saturday, 8 March 2008 05:39 (eighteen years ago)

one month passes...

Alex Under @ Kontrol in SF CA tonight! i'm psyched!

― one time, Sunday, 4 May 2008 04:16 (eighteen years ago)

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