(fax) FAX progression (was: Fax list's schizophrenic nature)

[Trevor Cordes]

On 30 Jan, GREG HILL wrote:
> 
> nice topic! I came to this list through more beat oriented type of
> electronic music, stuff from the 80s("sci-fi/video game" electro) and

I think my story is well known already.  I came to FAX through Comp 1
(PK) though I had heard Dreamfish 1 earlier on the radio but not known
it at the time.  So I guess you can say I came from the trance/
beat-oriented side first.

I didn't "get" the ambient side of FAX at all until around 96-97 and the
(like Greg) SHADO 1, which up until that point I had listened to for the
epic/beat stuff, floored me with its beautiful ambient side.  Possibly
my first FAX "brain tingle".  I remember it well -- sitting out on my
(at the time) 9th story balcony on a nice cool summer's night at 3am
working on a university term paper listening on headphones.  Amazing how
vivid it is in my mind.  Pretty smart of PK to hide away juicy ambient
bits on most of the not-so-ambient releases; for later serendipitous
discovery.

Since then, I've gotten much more enjoyment out of ambient and
ambient-ish FAX than the trance.  Although I do still enjoy the (mostly
newer) beat-ful stuff.  Just the other day I was getting pretty excited
over Adlernebel after about 10 straight listens (too lazy to change the
playlist)... but details on that are for another post.

As a final thought, if I had heard stuff like 2350 and Silence *before*
getting into the beat-FAX, I *may* have not become such a FAX nut.  I
just wasn't ready for it pre-96.  However, the in-between stuff like
Zenith, Organic Cloud, etc, probably would have got my attention.

And I certainly would have never touched FAX again if the first stuff I
had heard (back then) was the jazzy/guitar/vocal stuff!  I like it now,
but back then I was too closed-minded.