Sunday, March 28, 2010

HEADQUARTERS ON CROWN 2001

wades just uploaded some footage from the Sweden 'Same Diff' and 'rebirth of fool 2' launch at sydney homosexual amusement park, headquarters on crown where in 2001 they were kind enough to give me a 2 hour slots before opening to have a variety of acts perform in their labyrinth of sex room.

here he is performing as kangerman



wonder how long it will last on youtube?

here's another video of the same night featuring sweden performing in the cage

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Makers of the Dead Travel Fast : Live at Auraltered State #1

I'm planning to record all the Auraltered State gigs dualpLOVER is hosting at Performance Space this year and post some of the best tracks up here, through the FMA.

First lot mixed down are these four excerpts from the brilliant set the recently reformed Makers of the Dead Travel delivered at Auraltered State #1



Expect more over the coming months from Menstruation Sisters, Naked on the Vague, Crab Smasher and Bradbury (sorry Von Krapps your set crashed the computer)i will hopefully have time to mix these down before the next two concerts in the series coming up in May and June, two more varied evenings of the best of the NSW underground, fliers below.







Thursday, March 18, 2010

Zoo review on BodySpace

[translated from Portuguese] "The underground Yogyakarta, Indonesia, beat us to the door with an opera-zeuhl, which could have been inspired by the New Zealand haka. (?!?)

It's not every day we receive news of the underground of Yogyakarta, a small province of Indonesia, located on the island of Java. For this is the place that serves as living quarters for Zoo, collectively shaken by a convergence of styles, which allows the flow in the native languages, and battered metal bizarre fetish for striking an infernal rhythmic organization of the Japanese Ruins. Indeed, such is the wood that burns in the short and violent attacks by the Zoo, which has even been cited to compare with the Magma absolutely unique, not so much the length of songs, but the approach to zeuhl (term used for a fusion of jazz with metal, complex melodies, sounds heavenly and all that Christian Vander sought to incorporate in its Magma). Moreover, zeuhl Zoo and sound good side by side.

But this is just one way of tackling a disk, which, despite generating a frenzy a dull, always finds improbable solutions for their rituals. And this turns out to be ritualistic tendency to force that pushes Trilogi Peradaban ( "trilogy civilization") to a ground pattern where the euphoria and intensity matter more than the allegiance to conduct a musical. As a whole, Trilogi Peradaban almost sounds to what could be the haka, a dance of intimidation of the selection of Rugby in New Zealand, turned into a histrionic opera. Ears acagaçam up.

Still, the Zoo did not deserve my best comparison free: Trilogi Peradaban come a long way to find this issue, which houses the disc in digipack velvety whose design is top class (which is not always the case in world music). Before that, the debut of the Zoo had been released in its entirety online and also divided into three cd-r. The latter explains a lot about the nature of a trilogy spread over three ages of stone. Embedded in this strange logic, the themes become more elaborate as the retreat of the time. Yesterday, as today, the Indonesians must be crazy."

Original Portuguese here

http://www.bodyspace.net/album.php?album_id=1769

Friday, March 12, 2010

Dokaka review on Egotripping

"My first encounter with Dokaka was several years ago, thanks to the amazing video game We Love Katamari. A human beatbox cover of the Katamari theme called Katamari on the Rocks was easily one of the highlights of the amazing game soundtrack – and it’s a theme that will get stuck in your head for DAYS. His other credits involve becoming a viral internet sensation via the blogosphere with his all-vocal covers of songs like Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, as well as collaborating with Björk on her 2004 album Médulla – particularly on the well-known track Triumph of a Heart.
Dokaka’s debut album Human Interface is a hyperactive treat. Constructed from Dokaka’s signature style of recording layer upon layer of vocal insanity, which includes every musical element of a song including rhythm and bass, the 67 minute album is actually seventeen hours of sound, mixed into 88 tracks. Whilst the majority of tracks are less than a minute and the shortest jingles barely hit five seconds, it is the longer tracks that illustrate the true scope of Dokaka’s talent.
A broad range of musical influence is apparent throughout the album, with songs touching on genres that range from Baroque (Yamada – an interpretation of Pachelbel’s Canon in D) to surf rock (Obara is an incredible version of Miserlou). Other highlights include Neko Shakitori, a track built around Dokaka’s cat meow and Minato Kaze, an eerie almost-torch song.
All in all, the album would have benefitted from longer and more developed tracks, but listening to Dokaka’s Human Interface is the musical equivalent of the anime FLCL, or perhaps wandering through a Japanese arcade and catching an aural glimpse of every game you pass. It’s a schizophrenic delight that will leave you marvelling at the variety of noises that can be created by a single man."

Written by Jess Fogarty
http://www.egotripping.com.au/fullstory.php?id=28

Monday, March 8, 2010

Justice Yeldham Releases on Blossoming Noise

The good folks out in atlanta had the good sense to regonise good glass playing talent when they see it and have releases two justice yeldham related consumables at once.



Two Thousand-Five : Justice Yeldham / Dave Phillips

This is the live-document of their 2005 North American tour recorded in Bloomington, Denver, San francisco & Los Angeles. Mastered by Rashad Becker. Edition of 300 on white vinyl.


Skills/Faces DVD
Skills is a documentary featuring Lucas Abela, Rudolf Eb.er, & Zbigniew Karkowski. Faces is a live document with footage from Peter Flemmig, Dave Phillips, MSBR, Tim Hecker, & Kouhei Matsunaga. Edition of 300.

SKILLS theatrical trailer!!!

http://blossomingnoise.com

Sunday, March 7, 2010

NEW WEIRD AUSTRALIA Vol 5


another excellent assemblage of the current state of the australian new music underground including a track from our very own Justice Yeldham is out, proud and available free for download from here


http://newweirdaustralia.com/2010/03/new-weird-australia-volume-five/


tracklisting as follows

1. MOOKOID, Hex River Valley (3:32)
2. DOT.AY, You Knight (5:25)
3. PEACE OUT!, Running On Sand, Walking On Water (4:29)
4. BURNING PALMS, Mockery (2:12)
5. THE ATLAS ROOM, Iris (5:18)
6. ///▲▲▲\\\, Spit Shine (2:00)
7. KATE CARR, Textopera (3:06)
8. RED PLUM & SNOW, I Would Die 4 U (2:21)
9. DUNS, Bad Rythm (sic) (5:47)
10. VORAD FILS, Temple Leak (2:42)
11. JUSTICE YELDHAM, March Of The Bodypumpers (4:54)
12. GAIL PRIEST, Etchings (3:22)
13. CAUGHT SHIP, BlackHole/SweatBeat (5:32)
14. CRAB SMASHER, Skin Destruction (3:58)
15. RIPPLES, False Mission (5:06)
16. BLAKE FREELE, Inside There’s Expectations (8:59)

download this and the other 4 in the series to get a inkling of the variety of amazing sounds permeating from our fatal shores.

also check out there weekly broadcasts on Sydney's FBI radio Thursdays 9-11pm (Aus EST) for those outside australia it's streamable from here

http://fbiradio.com/content.php/3.html

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Auraltered State #2


Performance Space in association with dualpLOVER invites you to Auraltered State #2 the second of eight free performances to be conducted across 2010 focusing on the music of New South Wales as heard through the ears of Lucas Abela. The performances will cross a wide spectrum of music from the state with a focus on some of our more entertaining, innovative, unusual and new thought artists. All shows will be held at the new Performance Space ClubHouse which has a limited capacity of 100 patrons so please come early. This series has been kindly supported by Arts NSW.

Auraltered State #2 6th March

NAKED ON THE VAGUE
Diving deep into a world of apocalyptic pop and psychedelic weirdness Naked On The Vague offer a modern take on the post punk aesthetic. Falling into existence in 2005 with a found organ, broken bass guitar, borrowed drum and some old doom poetry. Their 2007 debut album `the blood pressure sessions' attracted them the attention of seminal US label siltbreeze, who are set to release their second album. The album (their first as a four piece after the original duo acquired a drummer and bass guitarist) is one of the most anticipated local releases this year

BRADBURY
Sydney Australia's favourite chronically depressed, long term unemployed, alcoholic, asthmatic, homosexual electronic music pioneer. An early adherent to punderphonics, Gary Bradbury is a master editor of found sound, whether it be fastidious early experiments with reel to reel tape or working on today's digital palette. Since his early involvement with seminal post punk group Severed Heads during their golden years in the early 1980, he has worked with the Sydney Theatre Company on scores for The Tempest and MacBeth and released three solo albums.

CRAB SMASHER
Crab Smasher is a NSW based group of improvisational sound sharks crafting a frenzied hodgepodge of weirdo psychedelic noise rock and experimental pop delicious. The band formed in 2002 as a cheesy electronic novelty noise act and have since mutated through a number of confusing formations into the sellout 4-5 headed rock-and-roll hydra that exists today. With about 13 or 14 CDR, cassette, and digital releases to their name, the band is currently working on a new LP, which promises to be both titillating and queer.

PERFORMANCE SPACE CLUBHOUSE
CARRIAGEWORKS 245 WILSON STREET EVELEIGH
8PM – 11PM FREE *LIMITED CAPACITY of 100 patrons*
ALL AGES (18+ bar service available in lobby, strictly no BYO)

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Egotripping discusses the finer points of the Auraltered State series with Lucas Abela

New South Wales gets Auraltered
James Ryan talks with Lucas Abela about his new project, Auraltered State.

One man who undeniably loves both art and sound is Lucas Abela, who has been working hard to ensure that the more experimental and innovative, but not necessarily very accessible side of music has a place it can call home. A co-founder of the DualPlover record label and artist-run performance space Lan Franchi's Memorial Discotheque, and performing as noise artist Justice Yeldham, Abela has a resume that can't be measured by chart success so much as the following his events have generated, and the bizarre excellence of the acts he's supported with them. Now he's organised Auraltered State - a series of eight performances comprising artists from across New South Wales. Ego Tripping's James Ryan asks him more...

While there are some Sydney stalwarts like Gary Bradbury appearing as part of the Auraltered States showcase, I see a lot of new names that I'm less familiar with. What was the response like when you were putting the roster together? Did it change your impression of what was happening across New South Wales in terms of experimental music?
Not really, I’m extremely familiar with all the acts playing. The festival or series is about the NSW underground, something I like to think I know like the back of my hand. I purposely haven’t booked the entire series, which runs 'til November, as I’m hoping to leave places open for new acts that may pop up during the year. I’m always excited about new generations of players and want Auraltered State to represent not just where we are or were, but where we are going.

The most apparent thread that runs through your listing are the visceral descriptions of confronting acts that don't quite fit into an established indie or electronic format and yet they seem to be active and creatively thriving. To my ears a number of acts also shared a frenzied but elated frustration in their sound. What set apart these acts for Auraltered State, and how much is "inaccessible" an insipid assumption about experimental music?
I don’t see any of the acts as inaccessible and booked them from the point of view of acts I think put on a good show and are both aurally and visually appealing to me. I can’t see why so called ‘experimental music’ can't also be entertaining beyond the audio - not that this is a prerequisite. For instance, Bradbury won’t be as visually engaging as the Vonn Krapp Family, unless he’s off his meds?

Sometimes punters can be intimidated by how serious some experimental acts can seem, but Auraltered States is presenting itself with humour and irreverence as well as a desire to push past the usual parameters. How important a factor is "fun" in art-music? Does it break the ice between performers and audiences or is it a part of the work itself?
Firstly, we should try and put the term ‘experimental music’ to bed in this interview, as it means nothing now as the experiment has ended and its now a genre with little experimentation by its fan-core artists. Like c’mon, they are little better than Wolfmother playing original interpretations of someone else’s experiments. For this reason I like to steer clear of the term, even though it’s an easy way to describe what’s going on. It has the wrong connotations for me and should be avoided.
In the press release I used the terms ‘more entertaining, innovative, unusual and new thought artists’ which hopefully describes what I’m trying to achieve here a little better. You ask about fun and yes, some of the acts I program will definitely be fun. Vonn Krapp Family for instance are a perfect example of a fun band that are also engaging musically. Other acts I plan to program, like Singing Sadie, also fit into this, but you’d be wrong to assume that is the principal driving factor.
What interests me is difference, even if it’s a slight difference; bands like Naked on the Vague who are at first glance an obvious example of the post punk revival, but to me unlike the others aren’t a genre cover band, but are bringing something new to it, furthering the music somehow. Innovation, no matter how slight, is extremely important to me. We just finished an entire decade without a musical revolution of any sort. People claim the 90s were shit, but at least they had techo. The last decade was the decade of revival where the biggest band coming out of the country was a Black Sabbath cover band who forgot the correct lyrics so just made up new ones! I truly hope we can get over this nostalgic ‘all music has been made’ trip and get on with buiness of fucking people's minds with a new music.
Last decade I fantasised that it was just because I was old and out of touch and somewhere in the world outside of my knowledge a music was going on where a youth were reinventing the wheel and minds were peeling. But I’m getting more and more worried that this didn’t happen and the new generation are just happy with playing dress up. It's why there is no real excitement at shows these days. As much as people say they love Kings Of Leon, Muse, or whoever the media shrouds as the new great band of our time, it’s inescapable when you listen that it's uninventive drivel, and because you’ve unconsciously heard it all before, you won’t scream like they did when rock and roll first came crashing down on society’s heads. Now rock and roll is society. For fuck's sake, AC/DC were on the cover of the Daily Telegraph today.
If I could have one wish for this new decade it’s that the new abandon the old and squeeze shit through the ears of today’s complacent music audience.

It's difficult to imagine the issues you and your collaborators have had to deal with in organising these events, with such a diverse range of acts. What drives you to do so? Is it important to make a space for that percentage of performers that don't fit in? Why?
It’s just because they don’t fit in is exactly why I champion such acts. ‘Experimental‘ festivals in general can be a very dry experience, except for the What Is? Music festival that has always brought us bang for buck and is a serious influence on the way I like to program music. Which is: 1) Contrasting acts: Who in their right mind wants to watch a series of carbon copy acts one after another? 2) No headliners: Each and every act I book is a headliner- no warm ups, just killer all the way. 3) Scene mixing: If this city is to work we must bring together some of our disparate scenes. We probably could have a better live music scene than Melbourne if somehow these fractured groups could meet and go to each others gigs, but that’s another interview…

http://egotripping.com.au/fullstory.php?id=25

Monday, March 1, 2010

Even the french like ZOO

"Gloriously mad! Hailing from Indonesia, Zoo combine the avant-punk of The Ex with the stop/go rock-in-opposition of Etron Fou Leloublan (or Ruins) and the pluristylistic craziness of Mr. Bungle or Sebkha-Chott. Loaded? You bet! 22 short pieces grouped into three movements, each track a one-two punch, yet no over-homogeneity issues – the music ranges from punk to tribal folk. Quality musicianship, clear artistic vision, and an excellent reassesment of Rock-in-Opposition’s heritage. Somewhere between Melt Banana and Savage Republic! I am thrilled after one listen. Pay attention to these guys!"

http://blog.monsieurdelire.com/2010/02/2010-02-25-roland-ramanan-tentet.html