The first winner of “The Guide 2” competition is Ruben Aguirre Barba (b. 1979), publicly known as manwithnophase, a Mexican sound designer, editor and absolute music lover. In his teenage days inspired by The Cure, Ministry, New Order, NIN, Pixies, Dead Can Dance, Depeche Mode, The Orb, Front 242, FSOL and many other bands, mostly related to industrial music, Barba gradually developed his mature musical taste. After graduating in computer science and electronics in Guadalajara (2002) Barba decided to continue exploring sound world - his true passion. After a couple of years of traveling he finally settled in London (2004) where he got a chance to make a living out of regular DJ performances. Time passed quickly and in 2006 Barba decided to enroll himself on a sound engineering course, to follow his true interest in working with films. In a surprisingly short period he was involved in “Majesty” film making in 2010 and created sound effects and design for it. Since then he had been working on over 40 features such as “This Must Be the Place”, “Berberian Sound Studio”, “Conquest 1453”.
Barba has explored the 4th given topic “The Urban Utopia/Dystopia” - the interpretation of imagined utopian or dystopian urban space, the fictional city of your dreams/nightmares.
Ruben Aguirre Barba’s words about his mix:
The mix is intended to emulate a cinematographic experience which is at the core of my practice. It also tries to expose its complicity of an increasing sense of distortion and alienation in contemporary media and pop culture. Its musical landscape covers several fields, most of which have, at some point in history, challenged our perception of acceptance and aesthetics which reminds us of the role music has often played overthrowing social and cultural established conceptions (Billy Bao – Factory Of Repression [Parts Unknown Records, 2008]).
In a world overwhelmingly dominated by our sense of sight, filmmaking offers a vivid insight into people's lives and dreams. I find interesting the process by which we mechanically capture the very essence of our own reality and present it back to ourselves augmented, distorted or simply reinterpreted (Henrik Rylander – 01.00 [Firework Edition Records, 2003]) by somebody's own point of view and experiences (Roland Etzin – Portrait 6 (Recorded in Japan, 10/2010) (Excerpt) [Gruenrekorder, 2012]). I also find interesting the illusion that occurs when a photographic sequence played at a certain speed becomes the life of a character that has the potential to connect at very many levels with any given audience and aided by a sonic layer has even the potential to drive the audience to a semi state of intoxication in which most "absolute" references can be not only question but played with at will and how this vulnerability has been exploited in many different ways.
The theme explored on the mix has been at the centre of my interests and concerns for a while and the selected works try to somehow allude and bring to the foreground some pressing issues related to the seemingly state of utter dystopia in which many communities around the globe are entrenched (Georg Friedrich Hass – In Vain [Kairos, 2003] & Whirling Hall Of Knives – Choked At The End Of A Dying City [Nute Records, 2011]), how the progressive dreams of the 60’s and early 70’s have degenerated into nightmares of repression, terror and despair.
False promises of untested agents causing record high death tolls among bee colonies (Apostolos Loufopoulos – Bee [Touchradio, 2011]), the permanent threat of nuclear disasters (Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine – A Perfect Day To Drop The Bomb [Big Cat UK Records, 1990]), unsustainability (Saint Etienne – The Way We Live Now (Intro) [Mantra Recordings, 2002]), waste (VNDL – Recycle Theory [Hymen Records, 2012]), genetic manipulation (Phonophani – Gene Manipulation [Rune Grammofon, 2001]), social unrest and right wing cynicism (A Guy Called Gerald – Millenium Sanhedrin [Studio !K7, 2004]), state surveillance in a post Orwellian society in which future generations could face the prospect of total lack of privacy (Ryoji Ikeda – Data.Vortex [Raster-Noton, 2005] & Scanner) and how the utopian dream of relentless and widespread technical progress has somehow turned its back on us as we become aware of the physical limitations of such ideals (Risil – Everyone Else's World [Important Records, 2009]).
On the other hand the mix also intends to cherish the actions and reactions of an ever increasing amount of people willing to put the brakes and turn in a different direction (Phil Ranelin – Time Is Running Out (Telefon Tel Aviv Remix) [Hefty Records, 2007]) if we are to avoid permanent supply shortages and total chaos (Holden – Sky Burial [Border Community, 2013] & Phonophani – End Of All Things II [Rune Grammofon, 2001]), people who take full responsibility of their place as inheritors of an evolutionary and revolutionary heritage (Holden – The Inheritors [Border Community, 2013]), people that reminds us that, as René Dubos puts it: “Trend is not destiny.”
Tracklist:
- Show Playlist
- 1. Apostolos Loufopoulos – Bee [Touchradio, 2011]
2. Roland Etzin – Portrait 6 (Rec. in Japan, 2010) (Excerpt) [Gruenrekorder, 2012]
3. Goem – Fam [12k, 2001]
4. Henrik Rylander – 01.00 [Firework Edition Records, 2003]
5. Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine – A Perfect Day To Drop The Bomb [Big Cat UK Records, 1990]
6. Saint Etienne – The Way We Live Now (Intro) [Mantra Recordings, 2002]
7. Phonophani – Gene Manipulation [Rune Grammofon, 2001]
8. Georg Friedrich Hass – In Vain [Kairos, 2003]
9. Aphex Twin – Gwarek2 [Warp Records, 2001]
10. Luigi Archetti & Bo Wiget – Stuck 22 [Rune Grammofon, 2005]
11. A Guy Called Gerald – Millenium Sanhedrin [Studio !K7, 2004]
12. Amon Tobin – Rhino Jockey [Ninja Tune, 2000]
13. Georg Friedrich Hass – In Vain [Kairos, 2003]
14. Risil – Everyone Else's World [Important Records, 2009]
15. Ryoji Ikeda – Data.Vortex [Raster-Noton, 2005]
16. Holden – The Inheritors [Border Community, 2013]
17. Peter Ablinger – Quadraturen IV (“Selbstportrait Mit Berlin”) Pt.3 [Kairos, 2000]
18. Alva Noto – Transspray [Raster-Noton, 2005]
19. Whirling Hall Of Knives – Choked At The End Of A Dying City [Nute Rec., 2011]
20. Holden – Sky Burial [Border Community, 2013]
21. Scanner – Humdum Talk [Sub Rosa, 2012]
22. Scanner – Moth Open Math [Sub Rosa, 2012]
23. VNDL – Recycle Theory [Hymen Records, 2012]
24. Phil Ranelin – Time Is Running Out (Telefon Tel Aviv Remix) [Hefty Rec., 2007]
25. Billy Bao – Factory Of Repression [Parts Unknown Records, 2008]
26. Phonophani – End Of All Things II [Rune Grammofon, 2001]
