Ade Fenton - Artificial Perfect

2007 collaboration between DJ/producer Ade Fenton and Synthpop legend Gary Numan. After co-producing Jagged , Numan's last album which came out in spring 2006, Fenton spent the next few months working on his own solo debut album Artificial Perfect, a heavy Electronic album with elements of Cabaret Voltaire, Nine Inch Nails, Motor, Aphex Twin and Front 242. Fenton wrote all nine tracks, fronting some of the material himself but also working with Numan on four songs: 'Healing', 'The Leather Sea', 'Slide Away' and 'Recall'. A third singer, Helen Tilley, adds an atmospheric edge to the likes of 'Everything Changes' and 'Burn'. Submission. Album Description

This album has grown on me: A Numan-centric perspective.

The title ought to have made my position clear, but in case you missed it: I'm a HUGE Numan fan. I would not have ever heard of Ade Fenton had he not conspired with Numan. As a result, I'm only going to discuss the tracks with Numan on them and from the perspective of a Numan fan.

The good: Numan affects a deeper, gruffer tone with his vocals than he usually does. He still sounds like Numan, but the effect is pleasing, edgy, and compelling. While Numan is credited only with vocals, I note that there is good use of the soaring synth pads typical of him. Fenton has an excellent grasp of Numan's style, as evidenced by his work on Jagged, so perhaps this was just a nod. I particularly liked Gary's vocals on The Leather Sea (still mad at god, even on somebody else's track!). Recall is also quite good. Both are in my head after a few plays. I also like the clarity of the mix. One thing that frustrates me about Numan is that his mix tends to be muddy and that he tends to pot the guitars and edgier sounds way down - Fenton is the antidote to this.

The bad: One thing I love about Numan is that he is unique. Even when he is influenced by others, he generally adapts rather than borrows. That in mind, I was embarrassed to hear such strong NIN and Front 242 riffs - I honestly expected to hear "Head Like a Hole" until the other layers dropped in. I'm tempted to mix those bits out and add a more Numanesque intro for my own listening pleasure, or perhaps fade from the NIN/242 tracks into the Fenton tracks. I can only imagine that there was a bit of eye-rolling from Numan.

Overall: Buy it. This is an essential for the Numan fan. Despite some missteps, there is much to like here. Numan's vocals are quite good, there is noticeable Numan influence upon the instrumentation, and the Numan/Fenton partnership holds promise. Even if it doesn't last, Gary tends to learn as much as he can from the people he collaborates with.
July 22, 2008

Don't listen to the 1 star guy

Anybody who thinks industrial music revolves around Numan and Reznor really shouldn't be insulting industrial music. For one, Numan and Reznor's music both play great inspiration in this album; it's rather hard not to see that.

Anyway, this album may have some flaws, but it still functions as a great album. Ade Fenton is an experienced techno artist, and for a techno artist to dive into industrial song writing (or actual song writing in general), this is a great piece of work.

Some tracks are typical moody gothic industrial, not much to listen to (such as 'The Leather Sea', 'Everything Changes'), while others are honestly brilliant (I personally really like 'Healing' and 'Truth'). The only thing I have to say I absolutely dislike in this album would be the lyrics: childish mopey 'he said she said' stuff, but then again, he is used to being a techno artist so I'm sure the lyrics department is very new business for him. It could've used a couple more tracks though, just to give a stronger impression.

And if you can, try finding the extended version of 'One Day' or the alternate version of 'Healing', entitled 'Healed', which I think would have been great as a tenth track closer. June 12, 2008

I WANT MY MONEY BACK

I consider myself to be as big an industrial fan as any. But, I own EVERY Gary Numan CD and EVERY NIN CD and I can tell you right now this is not "Gary Numan" or "NIN" in any way.

Sorry Ade, but using all the same synthesizers that Trent Reznor uses does not make you "Trent Reznor". And having Gary Numan sing on your tracks does not make you "Gary Numan". These songs were so boring and the lyrics corny. I've listened to this CD 7 times hoping it would grow on me. It didn't. This work is far inferior to the artists he tries to emulate.

Go ahead and buy it if you must. I had to due to all the hype. But I was sorely disappointed. January 23, 2008

Industrial Goth Giants Merge

For fans of industrial electronica with rich gothic overtones, you are going to love this album.

Without taking anything away from Ade, the appearance of Gary Numan on a handful of the tracks makes this album extra special. And this alone will help push the Ade Fenton name out to those that haven't heard the name before.

But Gary aside (remember who composed these tracks), this is still a solid album with some nice variation within the nine tracks. Personally, I felt the Helen Tilley tracks were a little weaker but not due to the vocals. These tracks were just not as edgy as the rest.

Complaints? Too short. This project could have been more lengthy for such an important release.

Now that this project has been released, I can only imagine a brighter future (or should I say "darker" future?) for both Ade Fenton and Gary Numan.

It will be nice to hear how Ade can progress without working with weighty names behind him. My instincts tell me this won't be an issue.

Finally, I was interested to note that the CDDB has this listed as a compilation rather than as an Ade Fenton album. After all, the cover does credit the album as Ade. Just me I guess :)
May 16, 2007

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