30 thoughts on “The Horrorist – The Man Master”

  4. This dude pops up a lot on synth blogs and I have to say I really don’t get it. I’m not knocking it, I just don’t hear anything that grabs me. It’s cool that someone is doing, what I consider old school electro-industrial, I’d just like to see him put some sort of spin on it. I listened to this kind of stuff back in the day too but have never been one for nostalgia I guess…but then again if he were recreating Too Dark Park I’d be all over it.

  9. Never get haters…. If it ain’t your bag fine but come up with something constructive or bore the fuck off and make something better.
    This guy makes the music that he feels and it certaiy aint trendy or popular. Like it or lump it he keeps true to himself and his blog WIRE TO THE EAR is there purely to help people on there way in electronic music. Nice guy. Nothing wrong with nostalgic music if you where actually there being inspired.

      1. I’I’ll never get people who get their panties in a bunch when someone doesn’t share their opinion. I said nothing negative. I don’t think you need to be willing to shower someone with praise in order to make a post.

  10. Honestly though, its easy to write off anything as sucking because in all actuality, everything does suck….but the fun part of the challenge is to instead find something, any quality you can appreciate and enjoy so it doesn’t suck anymore, not just for this video, but in all things.

  11. I’ll admit that at first listen I was not a fan, but as I listened again I was able to begin to peel back the layers. On the surface this seems like a simple synth song attempting to create some shock value with low budget disturbing imagery, and unimaginative lyrics. Yet, if you listen carefully you begin to get a sense of what the artist is trying to accomplish. “The Boss” is referring to anyone or anything that is in control of your life. We all know that we are the ones that need to take hold of our OWN lives if we plan on being successful and happy. “Feed me poison” is what you and I do on an unconscious level every time we listen to what the corporate puppet masters have to say. In a way, we all are like meat in someone’s hands, being manipulated without the ability to fight back. You can see that his head is being pointed different directions forcing him to look at things against his will. Is that not all of us in some way? Are we all REALY in control of our lives.

    I don’t want to spoil everything, but I suggest you watch: “Mastering the Man” a four part series that takes you Behind the Scenes with “The Horrorist” , airing next week on PBS. It goes in-depth into the song writing process Oliver challenges himself with each and every day. See how each song is crafted, the days “slaving” over getting that one word just right in order to convey to his listeners nuggets of wisdom, a tour of his studio being built in the rolling hills of Irland, and some candid interviews with the friends and family supporting his mission. Very inspiring series that I feel will make anyone that watches it feel encouraged to strive harder for the things you believe in.

  13. Excellent.
    For those who feel they “don’t get it”, I would say the value is that this style is very true, historically relevant and nearly extinct. If this style was proliferated throughout the mainstream I’d probably feel different. But we’re witnessing a lost art.

  15. Love it or hate it thanks for listening… and thanks for the post James! It’s actually interesting to get a wider view of what people think than when I post stuff in my own circles. This song is definitely for a specific audience. More to come!

  17. I do love this kind of music from the past. Sigue Sigue reminded me of it. It’s ok that it’s not my cup of tea these days, but you do it because you can, and that’s good. The production value is top notch.

  18. Well, obviously this music got a reaction with all the comments here…so in that light it succeeds to some degree. On some levels it doesn’t do much for me personally, but that doesn’t mean I can’t respect some of the production elements. I like the synth textures he’s using, and also the kick drum sounds great on this track. The video is not for me although it does stick with you and it succeeds in providing a dirty, skanky, s&m feeling that i personally want to wash my ears out after listening too…lol, so maybe that’s part of what’s clever about it. I can get the sense that he would be laughing knowing that he made me feel that way.

    I don’t really get anything new from this music or it’s ideas and I guess that’s part of many frustrations here. Nice production though. And again Oliver succeeds in getting people talking here. I do like his blog, and his passion for synths and making music. His site is also very helpful and inspiring, even of this music here isn’t my sort of thing. More power to him though! Hope he finds his master?!

  19. It is a big nod to the past, but I was there, and I love the sound sound of cheap monosynths and drum machines. So to me this is when synths really came into their own in the late 70’s early 80’s, electronic punk as opposed to the polished blandness of the current computer based electronic music that surrounds us now….

    1. I don’t fully buy into that. True, there were a lot of the greatest synths and sounds that came of age during that time, but I think if you look a little deeper, beyond the copycats and nostalgic rehashes you will find plenty of amazing electronic artists heading in new directions or at least turning things upside down a bit. Not that I completely dislike what Oliver has done here, but it’s not exactly new or better than the ‘master’s he seems to be worshipping. He manages to get a strong reaction here though , so congrats Oliver. But I believe there’s many artists working with new and vintage instruments in bold new ways that deserve a listen. If you break this down it’s still basically synth pop…not mainstream material per se, but pop nonetheless. Not a bad thing either I guess. He did a good job, but it would be nice in my humble opinion to ditch the verse-chorus approach and get away from the constraints of pop for a while..or maybe use some different scales or meters at least for a twist. I’m a little bored of thi sort of thing…sorry Oliver, love your blog!

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