Me & Smashypoos have been asking to play in a club in Second Life - a virtual erm, second life. From what i can gather, it's a bit like an onine Sims game. You can create an avatar and dance away in this virtual club listening to the sounds of me and Edd. But we ARE real. Aren't we?
I've fallen out with NIN for playing only Arena gigs in the UK to finish off a huge worldwide tour. Trent Reznor's a hypocrite. He told us he'd never do that. What's worse is that this will be the last UK appearance for some time. I really don't like arena gigs.
Soo, with Nine Inch Nails being in my bad books at the moment (Shock Horror!) I have been trying to fill that Trent Reznor void in my life.
I went to see Alec Empire at Satan's Hollow on Saturday.
What a hero!
His stage presence is huge. He launched himself into the crowd, encouraged everyone to shout, scream, and hurl abuse...he climbed up the pillars. It was LOUD, apocalyptic, and there were liberal amounts of strobe flashing. I fell in love.
For anyone who doesn't know about Mr Empire...(taken from Wiki)
Alec Empire's body of work spans a range of electronic styles. His earlier releases for Force Inc. were influenced by the rave scene in his native Berlin, and included Acid house, Techno, Hardcore, Punk and Breakbeat. On creating DHR his solo recordings for that label consisted largely of the digital hardcore staples of breakcore and later experimental noise, while his work during the same period for Mille Plateaux saw him experimenting with minimal techno (Pulse Code), ambient (Low on Ice) and musique concrete (Les Étoiles des Filles Mortes).
He's most well know for his output with band Atari Teenage Riot...
After the demise of Atari Teenage Riot, Empire's major releases for DHR sought to continue in the guitar-based, punk-influenced vein of the band. Intelligence and Sacrifice utilised live guitars, breakbeats, noise, sampled cinematic dialogue and Empire's trademark spoken/shouted English vocals, while Futurist saw a more obvious return to his punk roots and consequently sounds as if it were largely recorded using all live instrumentation, even though it was electronically produced. The creation of the Eat Your Heart Out label saw a move to a much more electronic-sounding approach with comparatively subdued vocals over synthesized sounds and beats.
His latest album 'The Golden Foretaste of Heaven' is great. It's a departure from the breakcore/industrial rock stuff he's known for. It's a bit more synth driven, but never lacks power. Take a listen.
...Oh yeah, and while i'm bumming Alec Empire i shall now harp on about his mate Patrick Wolf!
I think Patrick now has four albums under his belt at the tender age of 25...i have no idea why, but I only just realised his genius about 2 weeks ago.
To be free of any record company shackles he's managed to set up a bandstocks account so that he can fund his musical explorations via donations made by fans. Investors get all kinds of perks including invited to private shows and freebies.
His latest album 'The Batchelor' features the nob-twiddling talents of Mr Alec Empire, and is a wonderful blend of acoustic and electronic music - violins and dirty drum machines sit side by side and the result is, well, ace. I'm not really very good at describing this kind of thing. Just listen and decide for yourself. I just love it - if this is what pop music sounds like in 2009 then i'm really rather impressed.
This video really reminds me of 'Sin' era Nine Inch Nails...it's an acquired taste, for sure - but this track sounds like an amalgamation of NIN, Soft Cell and Depeche Mode. And I love all three of them.
1st May - ELECTRODE MAY DAY PARTY @ The Palace *******************************************
SCANONE (LIVE) ************* "Perhaps best known for his work with Combat Recordings, Jude Greenaway aka “ScanOne” is a London-based producer, DJ and visual artist who has been making, playing and releasing music for over a decade. In that time he has managed to develop a sound that skirts around the lunatic fringes of a myriad of underground genres, from bass-heavy electro and techno to glitched-up IDM and techy, brooding, dubstep"
A true innovator, we've been wanting to get ScanOne on at Electrode for as long as we've been going - check this link for an interview and a taste of what to expect from ScanOne's live set:
WARLOCK ********* "Together with Noyeahno, Warlock runs the uncompromising Rag & Bone label which aside from their own releases has seen cult material being unleashed by the likes of Aaron Spectre, Drop The Lime, King Cannibal and Blackmass Plastics. Expect dirty dancefloor business all the way"
At the centre of the London dubstep scene with a regular show on Ill FM Warlock never fails to bring the party. We welcome him back to grace the decks at Electrode.
DUNCAN WHITELEY aka MR SUSHI (Botchit & Scarper) ******************* "Music all too often seems to be dumbed down, regarding the importance of image over musical experimentation. Duncan Whiteley walks down the latter path... An alias of sorts, under his former (and still active...) guise he has been soaked in the world of music for over ten years.
His famously eclectic dj sets can't be categorized, known for all manner of genres... Provoking adverse audience reactions, crafting an unpredictable performance is always the key foundation. When it comes to remixes Duncan has been luckily enough to get his hands on the musical parts of M.I.A, Huoratron, Various Production, ILS, Bonobo, Si Begg, The Ravenottes, Product. 01, Fil Okay and Loose Cannons"
Support on the night comes from *SEX WITH ROBOTS*, and ELECTRODE RESIDENTS.
It's been an amazing couple of weeks. I've been rather a busy girl.
I wanted to talk about Wednesday 22nd April, and what a great Wednesday it was.
YEAHYEAHYEAH'S @ Manchester Academy
Anyone who hasn't listened to the new Yeah Yeah Yeah's album "It's Blitz" should sleep no longer. It's a departure from their earlier more garage-rock output...but this new sound is gooooood. David Sitek from TV on the Radio was involved in the production, and guitarist Nick Zinner tried his hands at playing a load of synths...this is more than enough to get me salivating. Get this album.
I'd been too skint/too slow about organising tickets to see the YYY's...and was feeling really rather upset about it. My luck changed, however, when I managed to wangle a free ticket to this SOLD OUT show (Nice One Adam!)
I'd heard really good things about their live performance. To get to see Karen O in the flesh was a treat in itself; to behold her and her getup! (my favourite item being some kind of glittery cape thing) They sound amaaaazing. Really rather good. Opening song 'Heads Will Roll' seemed to get everyone off on the right foot - the crowd seemed to be really up for this gig. Plus, they did a cover of the Cramps' Human Fly! There were confetti/glitter explosions, the stage was kitted out with a huge eyeball, a la the cover of their latest album It's Blitz, there were costume changes, long, tension-building intros to songs to keep everyone simmering...wicked gig. '
Here's set list:
'Heads Will Roll' 'Black Tongue' 'Human Fly' 'Phenomena' 'Dull Life' 'Gold Lion' 'Miles Away' 'Skeletons' 'Soft Shock' 'Down Boy' 'Zero' 'Y Control' 'Maps' 'Date With The Night'
DISTANCE - Format @ The Ruby Lounge
I've been listening to Distance's album 'Repercussions' for months now. It's a winner. It's one of my 'most played' on itunes. A very dark affair (Dubstep and powerchords!? Yes, it WORKS.), it's eerie and brooding and doesn't suffer the problem some dubstep long-players seem to have of being just plain old boring/samey-same-same. Go listen to/buy it and see why everyone had it on their Best of 2008 lists!
As for Format; I wasn't disappointed. Great atmosphere! I came for Distance, to be honest...but MC Chunky was actually NOT irritating (i'm easily annoyed by MCs), support from Jakes was pretty badass. The Ruby Lounge is a great venue, and save a few of those inevitable Rewind moments one will probably ALWAYS encounter at a Dubstep night this was a flawless evening. Wob!
Free Palestine — End Israeli Occupation — End the Arms trade
JOIN US TO MAKE THIS THE BIGGEST DEMONSTRATION FOR PALESTINE IN THE UK
Called by: Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, British Muslim Initiative and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Palestinian Forum in Britain
Supported by: Action Palestine, Amos Trust, Arab Media Watch, Association of Palestinian Communities UK, Britain-Palestine Twinning Network, Campaign Against the Arms Trade, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Friends of Lebanon, Friends of Sabeel UK, The Green Party, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions UK, Jewish Socialists’ Group, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, Midlands Palestinian Community Association, Muslim Association of Britain, NUS Black Students Campaign, UNISON, Pax Christi, Public and Commercial Services Union, Rail Maritime and Transport Union, Viva Palestina, War on Want, Zaytoun.
Leaflets are available from the PSC office — please save the date and start organising transport now!
CURSOR MINER (LIVE) ****************** "Cursor Miner's live sets reveal a completely deranged electronic lunacy with the odd occasional punk tendency, which he also applies to professional sound-design for Radio One and relentless and severely warped breakbeat / electro punishment on numerous labels like Lo Recordings, Combat Recordings, Uncharted Audio, Seed, Noodles and so on."
....Yes mate!!
KANJI KINETIC ************ "Already being championed globally by the likes of Drop The Lime, Tayo, Rico Tubbs and Starkey. After a short period of drum & bass production, Kanji began creating high-energy 4x4 and dubstep beats with influences ranging from oldskool rave, drum & bass and chiptune, united by monstrous basslines."
With recent releases on some of our favourite labels – Coin-Operated and Rag'n'Bone – we're well excited to have Kanji playing at Electrode.
Check this mix for an idea of what to expect: http://www.zshare.net/audio/12743468d4746e62/
STORMFIELD *********** "Stormfield's sound could be described at the result of dark, fierce and strange noises getting absorbed, chopped up, mutilated and spat back out again in dancefloor form, what he loosely calls "fierce bassbin electronics".
Always a favourite at Electrode, we look forward to the return of the Combat Recordings boss, who always leaves us feeling happy, but at the same time also a little bit sick.
