BAD KARAOKE MAGAZINE

REVIEW -TERROR DANJAH 'UNDENIABLE'

2010-10-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

An article i recently wrote for iDJ magazine:

After a few mediocre releases, its good to see the godfather of Grime pull it big for Hyperdub. Jumping in with all guns blazing, ‘Grand Opening’ launches with an epic, militant orchestra sample and crystal clear flows from rising MC Dream Mclean echoing the lazy vocal styles of Trim. Other highlights on the 14-track master-class come from the hip-hop swing of the already popular ‘Bruzing’ VIP and the dreamy, future-step tones of ‘Leave Me Alone’ featuring long time UK mainstay Bruza, its hostility pinned down by clever, innovative and fierce wordplay.

Terror’s productions weed out the pretenders ringing through the speakers of phones on the night bus home; with the quality of production and manipulation of bass, from Grime’s most trustworthy leader, its undeniable that Terror remains one of the scene’s most integral and varied. Its out on Hyperdub soon and when it drops, man's should go and grab it, seen?

http://www.myspace.com/terrordanjah

Ten Bloody Questions

2010-05-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a friend today and decided it was high time to start blogging agin. This is an old post that still makes me smile

This month: Hatebeak.
Hardcore/ death metallers with waldo, the parrot, as lead singer

Introduce yourselves please
I am Mark, also known as Matterhorn to some people. Blake is the other human component of Hatebeak, he drives a bus for a living. Waldo is an African Gray parrot, somewhere around 15 years old, and an incorrigible prima-donna.

That really is a bad bwoy scream.....why use a parrot? did you teach him?
I think he learned it by imitating death metal singers. We would often play music in the background way before we ever thought of doing a parrot-fronted band. I think the music struck a chord with Waldo, or at least the vocal delivery.

Does he have the best scream in the band?
Unquestionably. Blake & I sound like wounded guppies in comparison. He must have learned to shriek in the jungle.

How much training does Waldo put in? Is he easy to work with?
His training essentially consists of complaining for food and then complaining about the food. He does his best work on his own terms. Sometimes we have to leave the mic and recorder running for hours next to his cage to get a good take. I think he's got a lot of pent-up emotion to get out.

With the band, are you voicing your opinions the way you want?
We get a lot of freedom with the music, I think Waldo's pretty content just handling vocals. There are times that he's reacted negatively to some of the stuff we played back for him. Actually, Blake and Waldo didn't speak for almost a month over one particularly hotly contested guitar fill.

Are you making a massive stand against 'fashioncore'?
Absolutely. If hipsters were more inclined to stick feathers to their naked bodies and jump off of rooftops attempting to be more parrot-like, we might be more forgiving.

What bands inspired you?
We're into old Earache death metal bands like Carcass, Morbid Angel, At The Gates, etc, old Relapse bands like Suffocation & Incantation. The list could go on indefinitely. We basically like anything that is brutal and true to the ethics of metal. These kinds of bands are a rarity nowadays. We also like some weird traditional folk music from Western Maryland, but that's more of a nostalgic family thing. Blake is working on a jug-band side project right now. I'm listening to the Twisted Sister Christmas album right now.

With tunes like 'god of empty nest' and 'unlisted', do you see avian creatures to be the alpha survivors of our putrid earth?
I think of birds as the link between the thunder lizards and the hairless apes. Evolution should have stopped with archaeopteryx.

Whats the next release? anything more in the pipeline on relapse records? or are you sticking with reptilian? We've actually had a CD in the can for over a year now. Reptilian will put it out as soon as the artwork is finished. As far as future releases, we'll work with almost anybody that wants to work with us. That is, as long as they subscribe to the philosophy of true worldwide avian supremacy. Thanks from the three of us for the interview, infernal squawks go out from the Mighty Diabolical Flock of the Beak to Seun and Don't Panic too!

Right on, Brother.

Thank to seun at dont panic for setting me up!

www.myspace.com/beak666

Joseph sings the Killers, far better than the Killers

2009-02-20T04:32:00.000-08:00

The Killers eh? We all know they're music is self pretentious tosh and the new album is pap....so, even more reason for them to stand aside and let this little soldier sing their tunes. He's far better than that bloke with the moustache, singing about jesus all the time anyway.....

Buraka Som Sistema Live @ The Scala, 15/02/09

2009-02-19T14:12:00.000-08:00

Buraka have had a phenomenal rise to power over the last 2 years, wielding a natural ability to set floors ablaze with a mixture of bottom heavy beats, booming sub bass and enough percussion instruments to shake a wegue at; it’s all wrapped around a street-wise, brash and full-on bulldozer sound. The percussion element comes from Kuduro, a type of West-Angolan, improvisatory music. Portugal’s Buraka, with their African connections, take Kuduro and re-adjust it’s parameters with split rave and urban/grime influences - ghetto-tech for a 21st Century European audience.

So it’s no wonder that the Scala - more like a maze than a venue with its endless stairwells, balconies and post-box red walls - was possibly the fullest I’ve ever seen it (kind of relative when you think that the band sold thousands of copies of their debut single without a deal and a youtube video). Bursting at the seams, with punters literally falling over themselves, it became slightly uncomfortable to say the least, especially when they were half an hour late on stage. However, we were treated to the proto-dubstep, two-step flavours of the warm up DJ, who held the crowd nicely until the stars of the show finally appeared.( cAN ANYONE ACTUALLY TELL ME WHO THIS GUYS FUCKING NAME IS PLEASE? I CAN FIND IT ANYWHERE - NO ONE KNOWS!)

Half an hour of waiting in a stretched-capacity room of sweat and elbows only seemed to make the crowd jump about more furiously, as the warped bassline and live kick-drum of ‘Luanda-Lisboa’ smashed into action, the crowd a sea of jumping, writhing bodies. In fact, for the first couple of songs, the ailing venue had to re-adjust their sound config’s, with the sound of two Laptops and a live drummer melding into one, leaving it all sounding slightly flat, the usual emphasis on Buraka’s killer drops and wicked tones missing. Fortunately this was just a temporary measure, as they literally ploughed through a jaw dropping set list of tunes such as ‘Wegue-Wegue’ and new banger ‘Sound Of Kuduro’. The two MC’s gleefully played the crowd, feeding them from the palm of their hands. And all the while I was thinking “do her dance moves get any crazier?” while watching the dancer flex and grind, her limbs bending to breaking point whilst throwing the most insane, booty shaking shapes.

Although the place was so full of life and energy that the trio had to shout to be heard over the crowd, and the speakers distorted under the sheer bass frequencies, it remained a full-steam party throughout. Forever teasing and coaxing the crowd, DJ Riot cheekily cut in samples from classic tunes such as ‘Show me what You Got’, Benni Benassi’s ‘Satisfaction’, Snaps ‘Rhythm is A Dancer’ and lots of vocal-house-meets-ghetto-tech polyrhythm’s in between. It gave the crowd a real surprise that went down as smooth as a pint of Caffrey’s, with added live drums and vocoder vocals over the top for extra heavyweight clout. When the former’s B-more ghetto-house style seamlessly blended into smash-debut single ‘Yah’, it was game over; the place literally crumbled under the crowd, exploding as the wooden block smacks of the opening bars burst to life; everyone in sight, from the top balcony through to the front of stage was jumping in unison. A great night for Portugal, judging from all the flags proudly thrust onto stage during the encore.

Rinse 08: Alexander Nut

2009-02-17T08:44:00.001-08:00

(Rinse) (UK)

Oily hip-hop, spacey soul and disjointed Dubstep make up this journey. A sub-drenched dub mix of 2562 of ‘Brother: The Point’; Roots Maunva getting all steel-drum bashment on heads with Do Nah Bodda Mih and even a Digital Soundboy remix of the irrepressible ‘Night’, with a light syncopated percussion beat for pace. These are just some of the treats that wait upon this unclassifiable collection of stellar soundscapes, as the mix unfolds and melts like spreadable butter. This and the weekly show on a Saturday afternoon are more than worthy of the title ‘Essential Listening’. It’s a testament to a futurist sound, heavily rich in depth, flavour and direction. Buy it.

Catch Alex on the Mixed Nuttz show every Saturday from 1-3pm on Rinse.fm. Alternatively, lock on to some podcast akshun blaaard: http://rinsefm.blogspot.com/2009/02/alexander-nut-14th-february.html

School of Language

2009-02-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

David Brewis is fast becoming somewhat of an English hero. Lead vocalist and protagonist of successful band Field Music, David is known for a decisively creative and musical approach to his work. But he’s also known under many guises, the one in question here being ‘School Of Language’, his very own solo, and experimental masterpiece. Deep, epic and engaging in a more rock-led aesthetic, it represents David’s embrace of a newfound freedom to create, diversify and follow a different path, as he divulges....

(this interview was orginally published last year, but Im a big fan of David Brewis, so thought i put it up anyway)

When approaching this solo project, what musical ambitions did you have? It’s quite a departure from the field music pop structure, a lot heavier and darker.

I wanted to do something that was put together in a more spontaneous way. One of the frustrations of the last Field Music record was getting the three of us together at the same time and getting all involved. We felt pressured to maintain that with FM at the time. This was more like I’ll do whatever I feel like and be free. I linked that with re-discovering how much I actually love playing guitar. Its more guitar orientated than any of the field music stuff.

Did you record the guitars at a higher level? It’s seems that when you listen to the album it sounds like the guitars were recorded louder to give more resonance.

It’s mainly because I wrote the tunes on my guitar, and the field music set-up was always emphasizing piano and the songs were based around that. There was no pressure to do it any particular way, other than me wanting to do something spontaneous.

Has this been your most liberating project to date then? There’s more of a grungy feel to it all at times.

It has been really liberating but much more like a learning experience, of realising that I can do whatever and whenever. We restricted ourselves by the pressure we put ourselves under with field music. The pressure was always ‘try and make a real record’ but I don’t feel like that at all any more. If I try my best and make something exciting then that’s the best I can do. And if people don’t like it…

You’ve had a busy year it has to be said no?
The first few months was gigging, then spent the whole of March in the US, with school of language, and with band members who I’ve never met before, which was liberating. Then we did UK and European tours and got on with our own thing. I’ve also been recording with various people and writing stuff in between. I’m just totally knackered.

Finally, what with all the sequencing, writing and recording on your own, was it a bit testing and painstaking or did you see it as another liberation?

I don’t find the recording process painful, but a lot of it was definitely painstaking. We’ve been recording for so long, I mean, I’ve got this little four track when I was young and I’ve got about 14 years worth. Also this was the first time I’d recorded straight onto computer, but it was a big help. It was fun more than anything, another learning experience. New ways to mic up, new technical challenges… but a lot of the fun is the challenge. There’s nothing incompatible with recording interesting performances; personally, I love the recording process. It gives you the framework in which to do a performance.

David Caruso: The man with the greatest glasses

2009-02-07T14:30:00.000-08:00

Our man in Miami, David, has never been the sharpest of tools ot even the most fluid of acing talent. Here the legend is on top wooden form, showing us what he does indeed do best....put on a pair of sunglasses, spout a snappy one liner, and walk stage right.

Salute.

AWDIO _ PLAY THE WORLD

2009-02-07T13:45:00.000-08:00

Awdio is the manic brainchild of Frenchmen Vittorio Strigari and designer Ora-Ito come to fruition. Now a free membership service, Awdio asks you to come and ‘play the world’, enabling users to listen to real time DJ sets across the world, as they happen from the comfort of your own home. Clash music last reported that Shoreditch’s T-bar and Brixton’s Dogstar had signed up to the 100-venue strong service; now Awdio move into the future with new venues on the horizon, more interactivity between users and artists and a global vision of networked live music.

Hello. Please introduce yourself and your role at Awdio. How did you form the company?
My name is Vittorio and I founded the company two years ago with a friend. I studied graphic design but decided to quit for music. I had this crazy idea of listening to clubs all over the world in real time. I wanted to listen to clubs and see what was going on in places like Asia. It was from scratch, so I took it to my Vitto and he instantly supported me. I spent 6 months travelling the world, meeting with club owners and sourcing, and we also met producers, labels and artists. But we’re not just about your Pacha’s and superclubs, we wanted the cool bars and pokey underground clubs; all the places that effect our experience of music.

What is the ethos of the company?
For us the clubs and venues are tomorrow’s fresh labels. They have been producing, developing and helping many talents and artists. They’ve never really been acknowledged in this way, as a brand. They contribute in such a large way, and they don’t have their own media set ups to promote themselves and give platforms to artists. We are giving a voice for the underground, so they can bring to light their nights but also with the introduction of players so we can host music as well.

Digital technology has been critical in the evolution of modern musical experience, but also for communication hasn’t it?
There are many different music scenes going on right now, so we offer a new way to be able to listen in on these scenes and cultures without having to buy a plane ticket. What we are doing is giving a voice to the underground and bringing to life their musical programs and their shows; we are connecting the musical community on a level that can be maintained through digital technology.

Are the sets in high quality?
It is compressed MP3 format in good quality, 120kps per second for streaming. Sometimes we go to 150 and 160 but what with the internet and its constant evolution, we will be looking to further improve on this soon.

What is the plan for 2009?
We want to collect 350 clubs and sources by the end of this year to the existing list. We also want to sign up festivals, and we’re going to make a Myspace where signed up clubs and artists can manage their own dates and space. In April we going to give the artists the opportunity to manage and interact with their community. We are going fully interactive, so I guess we are going ‘Web 2.0’. We will also be going to Africa, South America, Jamaica. Not just for electronic music but other things like jazz and reggae. We are going truly global.

Listen up and get connected at www.awdio.com

Drums Of Death

2009-02-07T13:22:00.000-08:00

Drumz of Death is not a DJ. He is a performer. Nor is he an actual real person, rather an alter ego of the one previously known as jazzy, electronica producer Kid Twist. However, with Drumz of Death, his techno meets bass heavy metal-dance music has been hotly tipped by the music bigwigs, with the release of a full-length album imminent and a hardcore following hanging off every 4-4 beat he concocts, including a deal at Hot Chips Greco-Roman label. Angry but emotional, energetic and twisted, the face-painted mask and Papa Lazaroo-esque stage costume are a frightful and often high-octane experience in itself. But far underneath the mask is Colin, a meek and friendly character. One of the softest-spoken people I’ve ever heard, Colin is exuberant, charming and down to earth, his enthusiastic dialect coated with a thick but decipherable Scottish accent. “This a character is super villain for Greco-Roman, but at the same time he’s a manic depressive guy. He’ll go from wild crazy rave bass abandon to piano and melancholic pieces. People will understand this person through the live shows” he cryptically tells.

Attracting characters from all ends of the spectrum, Drumz has a string of remixes under his belt, incorporating many mixed styles, from dubstep to grime, and electronica to hardcore metal. How did the young and no doubt polite Colin discover music?
“ I listened to tears for fears, Michael Jackson and loads of eighties stuff. When I was young, I remember you could send off for this tape,’ he amuses ‘I was more into animation and that.. I wasn’t into music until I got into Nirvana and more grungy stuff.” Colin even used to be in a Hardcore Punk band. “Oh Aye,” he agrees, ‘I was in a bunch of them. I love the attitude in the music, the energy, but I’m more focused on the fifteen-year-old feeling like that. I started producing music quite late, after being in bands” he confesses, “It took me a long time to write a song because I was scared of the process,” he says.
So, after discovering a love for electronica and a thirst for computer production, after a healthy career in punk bands, what possessed Colin to transform to Kid Twist – and then – onto the current demonic guise.
“It was stuff like Drop the Lime, and lots of laptop stuff’ he spurts, ‘more techno stuff, more people buying laptops and stuff. I was in a group in Glasgow called Measle. I was making all this electronica stuff in the vein of Venetian snares and stuff. But when I moved to London I wanted to make more upbeat, club music and put my hat in that ring and I want a show that goes with it. The reason I do what I do is because it takes me and other people out of their comfort zone. I wanted to make it more like a hardcore show, but with tones and textures more akin to Kraftwerk, or acid house and Jamaican bass culture, with a mix of grime. I wanted to something visually, something that in personally wanted to see. People are getting bored of clubbing; I’m not saying I’m the saviour of clubbing and live dance music, but I personally wanted to make it more exciting.”

So Drumz, in his humble manner, has stated that he’s not the saviour, but does he hope to change the perception of laptop DJ’s, to blend the visual aspects of performance with clubbing sonics?
“I think ill change peoples perceptions of Scottish guys who wear make up,” he laughs. “ I don’t know, it’s a bit of an unknown path. Its down to all dj’s to change the perception of what they do. The nature of what I do is becoming less dj. I play my own stuff and when I play it’s an all Iive show. There’s version’s of tracks, samples and patches and bit and bobs that are special; it becomes less programmed and more spontaneous. There’s a lot of club music that I play that will never be released because I want it for the live show” he states.

Drumz definitely earned his name by churning out high profile, well received remixes blending recognisable tracks with a mixture of dark, light and meaningful sounds, attracting a deal with Greco-Roman. Does drums owe these remixes part of his success? Were they instrumental in his development?” I guess they have been, but I’m lucky to have been able to do what I want with them” he agrees. “It’s been good to do something different and I’ve tried to make each mix have its own feel. They have been very important to get me out there though and I’m grateful!”

“All the tracks on my EP are part of a mix tape that friends were handing round. Joe from Hot Chip got his hands on it. They put out some songs and asked me to do an album. That first 12” is more about dance-floor stuff, more of a hip-hop electro thing, which nods to Egyptian Lover: he was – and is - a big influence. The forthcoming album is going to be more fun to play, with more of a song structure though. Some of its pop music, but some of it is really full on, but not all of it ‘cause that would be boring” he whispers. “But,” he promises glefully, “they’ll be plenty of bangers on there!”

The Major event! - Skream / Serge Santiago @ The Star Bethnal Green - a DJ mag party

2009-01-27T07:18:00.000-08:00

Yes yes, alright then, it may be the last movement at bar rumba, but across town tomorrow night something very interesting is going on. Our lovely cohorts at DJ mag have decided to treat those of us with wiry nerve receptors to a tasty cosmic/italo disco set by none other than stalwart Serge Santiago (!), and modern bass-bin botherer Skream!

To catch them in action head to the star in Bethnal Green, 9pm tomorrow night and feel the pair's unique take on far out sounds, disco claps and a unique partnership.

Down on the Underside: The return to Holland

2009-01-22T13:49:00.000-08:00

Noorderslag / Eurosonic 2009
14/15/16 January, Groningen, Holland

After the Xmas blow-out, and the world sleepily moves towards a cold and dark Winter, the relatively small and low key City of Groningen bursts to life with music industry movers, wild-eyed music obsessed teenagers, and the cream of Europe’s musical talent. Similar to The Great Escape, with its roaming, spoilt-for-choice ethos, over 200 bands played across the city amongst the historical, the raucous and the down right bizarre (ever eaten a Febo - draw twinky? Don’t.).

For three days we cavorted and jaunted across the tiny city, hungry for music and fresh experience. In typical Dutch fashion, the whole thing seemed relaxed and open. The queue’s – in comparison to recent disasters at The Camden Crawl - were better than expected, although there was absolutely no way we were getting anywhere near Vera for Fight Like Apes. The drinks prices were reasonable too, but the festival USP was an electrifying atmosphere. Sure, their dances are wonky, they eat chips with Mayonnaise and everyone rides a bike, but at night the cobwebs are shaken off as you fluctuate between the Spacious hall of Grand Theatre, to the dimly lit bar of Huis De Beurs through sprawling and buzzing streets. Hell, we even saw Rolo Tomassi play an unscheduled TV session in a fake wooden pub in the middle of the city’s main square.

Clash picked two favourite venues in amongst the thirty strong list, one being Vera, the historical home of the city’s connection with live music. Once home to a rising and unknown Nirvana and a cheap 5-gilder U2 gig, the venue itself played host to Lowline offering their heavy, ballsy, Northern twang to a packed room of eager and fresh meat and Baddies showed us what the hype was about. Other acts at the Mecca included Fight Like Apes, Firefox and uber-cool, all-girl electro pop trio Le Corps Mince De Francoise, who showed us how to remain sassy even in the face of a confused and rather warped out crowd.

Clash’s other favourite venue was the Simplon Youth Hostel, located a fair way out from the main city, and host to some stunning acts. A youth hostel/arts centre, it’s two floors played host to Vice and Warp records, devilishly treating us after a long schlap to core alternative music, including Hudson Mohawk, Tim Exile, Beardyman and Esser, although Clash gleefully looked forward to a strong line up on the second night. Elsewhere, In assorted venue’s, we were treated to Hellsongs dark and unashamed death-folk and Dinosaur Pile Up’s post rock.

The low-point (and it kills to say this) had to be the third and final day, Eurosonic, a showcase of Dutch artists, housed under the space-age Oosterpoort centre at the top of town. With droves of cramped revellers, paranoid security and enough Orange semiotics, Grolsch advertising and festival logo’s to choke upon, I felt the feeling of mellow freedom and spontaneity melt away as we were mashed-up in amongst the lunatic fans. Luckily though, The Death Letters, and new epitaph signing zZz created an energetic break from a lot of other twee Dutch folk artists, such as the dreadfully dreary Wouter Hamel and the nausea inducing Masses. In fact, we were possibly the only British journalists in the building and after battling through Dutch speaking pop music, we ended the weekend with something that we knew required no talking whatsoever; we got our ‘cloggstep’ on to bass-baiting 2562 for smooth, techno inspired sub bass, followed with a tearing Caspa and Rusko style set from DJ Gomes as a nice little nightcap. That’s if you consider a sledgehammer round your cranium a nightcap to be fair.

Dutch music itself may be slightly damp and a bit squalid, and there may have been bemused foreigners and language barriers hanging off every chord and band, but fortunately, the festival remains one of Europe’s best, friendliest and - most importantly – cheapest. It offers great value for money and a scene away from the clutches of the global US market. And they definitely know how to put on a good party too!! In fact i got completely fucking twated. Here is what i remember:

Hits:

Buraka Som Sistema: No matter where Portugal’s’ Buraka go, they start the party fire with a bottle of Kerosene, a box of matches and a sinister grin.

Rolo Tomassi: Fresh, young and certainly not naïve, the shredding guitars and singers insane growling scared the wits out of us.

2562: a refreshing alternative to the day when Holland’s pop music comes together in what traditionally focuses upon jazz, blues and twee indie.

The Rakes: Playing a few new songs and all their favourites didn’t matter to the curious crowd, who after a flat start warmed to The Rakes’ twitchy post-punk indie.

Dinosaur Pile Up: A triumphant show from brave English post rockers. Every tune sounded like it had been plucked from a broad spectrum of tastes. Exuberant stage presence.

Shits

Firefox – Low-end grunge blues sounded strong, solid and rounded. Unfortunately, the crowd were just passing and the set fell flat after three songs and the band looked like wounded guppies for nthe next half hour.

Fight Like Apes – Hugely hyped Irish band. Clearly, the hype had spread far and wide, as it was the only band of the weekend that we were turned away from. Not worth a toss anyhow.

Filthy Dukes – Unfortunately, our geeky electro rock brothers played a full on, high-octane set that no one was around to witness. During the last two songs the venue started to fill – but is was too late after seeing them play ‘Messages’ and ‘The Rhythm’ to a virtually empty crowd.

John and Jehn – thistly crap that bored me – and everyone else – to tears. Bland, flat and not pop memorable, but pop annoying.

The Blow UP: The death Set

2008-02-12T05:42:00.000-08:00

(They're on Ninja Tune ya know! Bye bye dinner jazz!)

Presenting ‘The Death Set’: loud, unruly kids, from Australia and now residing in Baltimore, US. They roam around with makeshift instruments, packing a punch into electronic music by ‘punking’ it up to its utter limits. Loud, abrasive and sickly fun, they compare to noise stalwarts Tiger Force pumped up on Love Hearts, the excitement and energy seeping through their sweaty pores and instruments in a tangled, hyperactive unison. But it seems, as I call up Jonny Sierra, one half of the spazzed out duo, I’ve caught him at the worst of times.
‘Hi. I’m Jonny Sierra, and I’m really hung-over right now’ he burbles politely when asked for an introduction. ‘Let me go and splash my face with water’. Meanwhile, on the other end of the line I shuffle my notes and chuckle; what a way to break the ice so commonly reserved for us lowly music hacks. On his return, we chitchat idly about alcohol, bands, and the Baltimore rock scene.
‘I guess it’s really good’ he suggests. ‘It’s changed since I moved here (from oz). There was a crazy warehouse scene, and people were doing loads of mad shows. There’s a lot of spirit to it.’ The conversation flows as we chat about fellow BA noise merchants such as Dan Deacon.

Taking the DIY ethos literally, the band have shed sweat and tears, relentlessly touring and recording 3 eps and many collaborations; Jonny’s got every reason to feel worn out. But since Counter Records, Ninja Tunes rock offspring label picked the band up, the workload is easing off.

‘We haven’t had much strong label support or anything up until now. We did everything ourselves, y’know what I mean? That DIY ethos is sort of ingrained in us and our music (the band offered their homemade synth for sale on their myspace) from touring and putting on our shows. Yeah, playing shows with Dan Deacon in Baltimore to like four kids!’ he snorts gleefully.

And it seems Jonny’s excited to be among the first on this fresh, breaking imprint. ‘I’m totally psyched. This record’s been planned for such a long time, and to have someone help us push it is amazing. I’m generally psyched about everything, and its great to get help from our label!’
The conversation drifts into struggling bands without label backing, relentlessly playing out of love and hope, so I appropriately ask how he felt to support legends Suicide a while back.
> ‘Oh it was so weird’ he laughs. ‘We were playing in the financial district of Manhattan. It was cool, but it was weird to see them on this big stage in the middle of Manhattan with families walking around and suits and stuff!’ he quizzes. ‘Obviously, you can’t turn down the chance though.’

If he thinks it’s weird to find Suicide in Manhattan, imagine what it must’ve been like to hear a noisy band screaming and shouting their vocals at the passing traffic. Is this hybrid sound more of a concentration on dance or on punk music?
‘First and foremost, we’re a punk band’ he says proudly. ‘Obviously we have that big electronic element. The reaction we usually get is like kids going to punk rock shows rather than out clubbing’ Jonny slowly muses. ‘We’ve played shows with 100% dance acts like Bonde Do Role, but we’re punk all the way’ he states

So what makes the elements of a good punk show? Mad energy? Crazy attitude? Or simply just youth having fun (take note reformists)? In some circles, DS are known for serving up high octane, fever pitch shows, where kids literally run riot; blood, sweat and sticky booze. Surely Jonny has seen some insanity whilst touring.
‘Its usually kids man’ he grins, ‘its getting harder and harder to play on the floor. They’ll try to help by holding the mic stand and they’ll thrash out, smashing you in the face. It’s all fun, but those Brooklyn shows are especially badass’ he pauses, as he gulps a mouthful of liquid (presumably water!). ‘We played with Dan Deacon at this one venue, and there was asbestos everywhere and kids were hanging on pipes made of it and stuff…scary shit, but the crazier the crowd the more fun it is. It’s hard to play high energy music to three people with their arms folded. We feed off each other, the audience and us’ he says admiringly.
>
> And punk music’s core lies within the audience’s interaction, seemingly a strong part of the bands success. On inspection of the myspace site, it’s refreshing to see that the band give away song accapelas for people to download and make remixes of. After all, we live amongst the ‘free market’.
> ‘I guess it’s really the idea of ‘the more versions of our songs out there, the better’ and it’s good for feedback’ admits Jonny when quizzed behind his thinking. ‘We’ve been getting some really good ones lately, id love to hear them in a club someday!’ he laughs. And, I wonder, what with the more high profile mixes?
‘I really like the Dan Deacon remix, but my favourite has to be the Bonde Do Role one, its completely rad!’ he gushes.

The only way to finish this interview is with Jonny’s line about the forthcoming album: ‘It’s totally mental’. Clocking in at 25 minutes over 18 tracks, it’s a short, sharp cardiac burst of colourful mayhem. Go grab the ‘MFDS’ ep and prepare yourselves!

Words: Joe Gamp

official! more to do in Holland than just smoking weed

2008-02-12T05:25:00.000-08:00

Really? What's all this i hear about Northern Europes Biggest Breaking bands showcase? (My ear actually looked like this)

>> Fear not music lovers, for a place exists that’s cheap, friendly and still rocking in the gloomy winter months. The Noorderslag/Eurosonic festival started as a battle of the bands between 10 Dutch and Belgian outfits. It’s now grown into Northern Europe’s largest showcase for breaking new music, attracting industry types and record labels from across the world. If Europe ever needed a platform for showcasing their wares outside the American Market, then this was the place to do it.
>>
>> At one point, when travelling by train across Holland to the city of Groningen, I cursed myself for not bringing ‘hard-wearing’ shoes and foolishly choosing slip-ons. With over 220 bands, acts and showcases, crammed into three evenings across 30 venues in the city, I realised I had my work cut out. In the following piece, it’ll become clear how I damaged the ligament in my Knee whilst attempting to make a dent in it all.
>>

>> Thursday
>>
>> After spending the day chilling around the student City and settling into my hostel (!), chaos broke at Dam square’s immense Grand Theatre for Swedish superstars I’m from Barcelona, who in amongst the contemporary walls of the theatre, opened up the festival positively. Queen samples and melancholic lyrics bubbled over orchestrated, big band party music. When the balloons and the clapping started, I realised shots were needed to sedate them, before I choked on ecstatic happiness.
>> A short walk away lay Vera, Groningen’s favourite rock venue (apparently, Nirvana got spotted there and U2 once played for 10 guilders), the basis for British urban-country stalwart Lightspeed Champion to display his talent in a tight and eye-openingly deep set (elsewhere, The Ting Tings played). After getting lost on route, I caught the tail-end of Austria‘s Killed By Nine Volt Batteries, who peddled sludgy shoe-gaze rock, with heavy feedback in the vein of Kyuss, at Shadrak, a poky venue down a tight alleyway. Two tracks later, we were running back to Grand Theatre to catch the crazy sine wave, Go! Team-esque Alphabeat, who raised the roof with their funky, 80’s influenced disco in a sea of aural pleasure. Half way through, I hobbled off over to Muziekschool for hotly tipped Swedes The Kleerup who failed to disappoint even though slotted at the same time as France’s Zombie Zombie and Britain’s Ripchord. After watching a rather hair-raising show, where the country bluegrass and trip hop eventually became a geeky man in lens-less glasses shout-rapping, the sweat was pouring and my calf’s were niggling. Defiantly, I shot back to Vera’s for The DO, a dischorded, wailing and strung out grunge band, peddling minor chords and obnoxious, angst vocals. Pity it was in French.
>> Alarm bells rang. I ran, well, limped toward the electronic Dutch whiz-kid that EVERYONE spoke about; Adept. It was a 20min walk to the Simplon where they played. Luckily, I jumped in a taxi with some Italians en-route. We were lucky enough to catch the last ten and boy, it was worth it.

'Urgh, where my contacts?'

>> Heading back, I split my time between 7 venues in the space of an hour; I glimpsed 5 minutes of Krakow, playing acoustic melodramas in the upstairs of a lovely, quirky pub (De Speigel). I moved swiftly to see rude-bwoy rapper De Kraan to lift my spirits, with boom-bap beats and a super smooth, Dutch spoken flow that would impress MC Solaar. Then, after 10 minutes of Calvin Harris’ neon disco, it was off to see Iceland’s Bloodgroup, a disappointment as people were turned away. Instead we subjected to chart botherer’s The Hoosiers, who surprisingly played a tight set, the mostly European crowd lapping it up; on the way to see Friendly Fires, I got lost again. I gladly saw the dirty, nihilistic and vitriolic Blood Red Shoes instead, whose set was awash with filthy riffs and nagging feedback. On the way, we witnessed The Dykeenie’s literally destroying a small pub; they were heard at the end of the street.
>> Playing next to my Hostel, Does It Offend You, Yeah? concluded many a bemused Dutchman’s evening in a raucous, high voltage show, that literally blew everyone away.
>>
>> Friday
>>
>> Friday night’s action was immense, with a further ten venues opening up across the City. Unlike the Camden Crawl, the venues were all within walking distance; except you had to walk loads and often up bastard hills, avoiding hurtling cyclists.
>> I kicked off with locals Nine Volt, a snappy, incubus like emo-core band; inexperienced, young and full of hope. Next it was Holland’s Get Well Soon. Nihilistic, drawn out and monotonous, the defeatist instrumentation and eerie presence reminded of early Interpol. Afterwards, I found myself watching sludge metalheads Kruger, strangely, in a bright white art space, with a sombre crowd of 20 moody long hairs. I quickly exit to get over for the Curtis Mayfield meets Hendrix vibes of The Heavy, one of the best bands of the weekend, with their dirty southern blues and raunchy, stomping drumbeats making a lasting impression. On my way toward Vera, I pop my head in for Miss Platinum, a Danish Ms Dynamite; quite awful, hideously generic and a touch boring. Two tracks later, I scarper for Sweden’s Taxi Taxi, whose eerily playful chimes and innocent vocals didn’t help before going to see the well established, mesmerising Cult of Luna, blending progressive rock and metal seamlessly.
>>
>> I scuttled back to Grand Theatre for Dutch heavyweight duo Pete Philly and Periquiste, who dazzled with the aid of live looping technology; the flowing rap of Pete and the jazz breaks combo fit perfect for a Ninja tune release.
>> New Killer Stars played at a cramped venue, the Oi punk sound needed to catch more attention and The Dirty Shambles, Britain’s continuation of Placebo style post rock made sure they were known. I forced my way into the seething mess of fans cramming into see Who Made Who at Vera; this time it was at breaking point, such was the case later on when attempting to watch Chrome Hoof. We ended up watching Pete and the Pirates after a short taster of jazz metal action.
>> The most triumphant gig, however, belonged to The Futureheads, who made a triumphant return previewing new material, and playing a blasting set of favourites. My knee was swollen, and I was drenched in beer and sweat. Time to go home.
>>
>>
>> Saturday
>>
>> The Eurosonic section of the event closed, leaving Noorderslag, the proud jewel in Groningen’s crown, dedicated to the best of popular Dutch talent, broadcast across Europe.
>> Based In the multi-venue capacity of De Oosterpoort, Groningen’s cultural centrepiece, the modernised and well facilitated structure held a large capacity of people, a whooping 8 largely sized stages, a maze of corridors and a wide range of artists. Kicking off in the middle was Wouter Hamel, a popular modern folk musician who combines jazz and funk to his pop structure, and I was treated to a slice of his ambition whilst I through the building.
>> Holland’s love affair with Jazz and Blues constantly shows within their pop continuum. A tradition upheld by Room 11, who mix the sounds of Paulo Conte, Miles and classic finger-snapping, bar room jazz. Watched in a large concert hall, I moved due to the filling crowd size and struggling air conditioning.
>> Beforehand, I’d been treated to David Gilmour Girls, darlings of the Dutch scene and favourites of the British press, who made a great impression to the bustling crowd. When they finish I hear, behind them in another venue, the sounds of synths twitching and bass-cones firing up; Parra Soundsystem, Holland’s answer to SMD, unleash pounding techno beats, dirty stabs and rave pianos.
>>
>> Other bands worthy of taking note included Amsterdam’s Hospital Bombers, with their tweaky, weezer type rock; brat like, ska-tinged punk band All Missing Pieces and popular, indie rock outfit Moke, the formers well polished, articulately pronounced sounds grabbing the crowd in its British-like intensity (apparently Paul Weller loves them and invites them on tour), sounding like its straight off the stamping streets of London.
>> Other standout acts included Lolly Jane Blue, singing deep, throaty country tales of bittersweet love and life, and Voicst, possibly Holland’s hottest commercial, progressive rock outfit, playing a set that’s expertly executed through an exhilarating set.
>> Finally, a short stint in the Hip Hop stage unearthed conscious, dub reggae influenced GMB, mixing Dutch and English rhymes with full fat, rounded beats, which followed spaced out, thug type Space Kees; outer worldly beats on a more militant tip than Dr who Dat’s futurist sound.
>>
>> And with that it was time to travel back to Amsterdam, and then (eventually) onto Home. With my Knee hanging off, a scummy pad of notes and a backpack full of dirty washing, my head was buzzing from the energy and discovery of new music.
>>
>> Make sure you’re fighting fit and up for a good mission, because at 50 euros a ticket, and enough music to choke a horse, Groningen should be your first port of call next winter. If you’re up for going to a tucked away location to catch bands of a likewise nature, then you really can’t do much better. So many bands played, it was humanly impossible for me to catch them all; next year, go find out for yourselves.
>>
>> By Joe Gamp.
>>

Interview: These New Puritans

2007-12-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

These New Puritans

These New Puritans are a bit of a quasi-enigma. They have no particular form or shape, and often find themselves lost within different spheres of space and time. Creating a storm with an angular, trancey and mathematical pop formula, they’re proving to be one of the most exciting and promising bands in a short while. I caught up with singer Jack for a more insightful approach to the music, especially when it comes from someone who ‘really likes My Bloody Valentine, The Walker Brothers, Danny Weed, and Vybz Kartel’ and is currently listening to the likes of ‘Balinese chant. I'm also listening to Rolf Harris, he's very underrated’ admits Jack. Hmmmm........

There’s a fair few towns in this country with a youth scene; a small, close knit group of musical appreciators who stay focused on their love, while not much else around them happens. How does Jack feel about the music spawned in his hometown, Southend? ‘The Southend Scene almost existed. It definitely doesn't exist anymore’ he says. ‘I suppose we really should have exploited it as a media tag type-thing, but I think that would have been destructive and all destruction is evil. So we didn't and will not. Southend is just a vacuum. That is what is good about it; Southend is nothing really.’
And to have gone from playing the local haunts of Southend’s relaxed musical scene, to writing a soundtrack piece for a ‘Dior Homme’ fashion show must have been a surreal experience. ‘It was a great furious piece of creative energy.’ reminisces Jack, ‘lots of amazing studios, staying in a top-floor flat in a Paris side-street, trying to communicate with French engineers, nineteen hour days.’

It must have seemed a world apart from the usual milieu that bands find themselves wading through in search of a leading edge. Not least because it was an international fashion show, but because the whopping 17 minute soundtrack was a far cry from 3 minute simplicity and hasty art punk.
‘That was the whole point - to lose our sound!’ assures Jack authoritatively. ‘We'd never done a song longer than 3 minutes, now we had to do a 17 minute one. It's good to sound different to yourself - the music I'm writing at the moment is for mallet instruments and a choir and will be recorded live in the countryside. So that's different to the album and the album is different to the EP. All we want to do is be something else, and then something else, and then something else. All we want to do is forget ourselves.’ The Puritans are purely more than just style over substance.

Bands with such an immense intensity are bound to change and progress, especially when you take into account the punishing and prolific work schedule ahead. ‘We're touring in Europe and the uk in February and March, to support our album which is out in January’ states Jack. We’re also re-releasing 'Elvis' in January as well.
TNP are leaders in their field. Far from being content with three minute shoe gaze perfection, Jack explains how the band are striving forward to meet new goals, un-chartered and undiscovered; they’re achieving this in anything but a linear fashion and, as Jack explains, the album reflects countless new adventures in their sound.
‘Our EP was recorded by candle-light in 24 hours and was fuzzy and our album was recorded in harsh light over more than 24 hours and is pristine and electric’ muses Jack, ‘It's still harsh and compressed though. The whole time we were making it I had two phrases in my mind: "HYPER-FAVELA" and "WAVE".’The album has, I've been told, a bit of an electronica / dancehall / shoegaze / pop feel. I've managed to get over my obsession with distortion - distortion is easy.’
The new single, ‘Numbers and Colours’ has just been released; a hyperkinetic, enigmatic fusion of electronica, jerky, piercing riffs and hollow space like bass, show that the band crave something that most haven’t even thought of. They take the mundane and average observations of life, and forge an existential, parallel meaning from it.
‘Numerology is meaningless but it's good to take something meaningless and make it meaningful rather than take something meaningful like love or life and make it meaningless.’ quips Jack, who’s obviously spent many an hour pondering the worth of aesthetic gains. ‘Most bands try to make their music seem meaningful by referencing stuff but we've invented our own form of numerology that you can hear about in the song numbers.’

And this remains to be the spirit of the band; an entity of their own, lead by the often dictatorial and commanding Jack, who shouts and leads his band on stage, they shift between form and structure, normality and abstraction, linear and arbretary motion. Described as cryptic by some, I wonder if this symbolizes a longing to be whisked away to another world, without rules and constraints. Has the bands own experiences influenced their decision to not follow the beaten path?
Well, we had to re-map Southend into something meaningful, rather than something empty. These New Puritans is a mystery and I'm looking for the answer myself. I feel that we have something in common with dubstep but not in an obvious way.
We don't want to just re-create this world; we just want to make our own. In the words of Freddie Mercury: "are you ready for a brand new beat?’

http://www.myspace.com/thesenewpuritans

www.thesenewpuritans.com

Thanks to Beth at Toast fo the solid effort

2007-12-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

:::::::::: Dirty Projectors ::::::::::::::::::::::::

Neve too fond of the media, David Longstreth, the mad professor behind collective, multi instrumentalist group DP, talks elusively about motives, recollections and obstacles generated by the hadcore elite fratenity of NYC, when he decided bizzarely, to cover Black Flags seminal album 'Damaged', entierly from memory.

And it certainly takes balls to go against the once familiar grain. To take a classic slice of the niche ridden, often stagnating US hardcore scene and change the context of it is brave at minimum.
David Longstreth, the main creative force behind Dirty Projectors, has done exactly this with album number 6. A songwriter and busily prolific man, who cuts no corners and responds evasively to media perception: ‘I’m Gemini, brown eyes, brown hair, about six feet three inches. My music is loud and kind of unruly. Detail-oriented, but also reflects how I enjoy thinking about the bigger picture, like long walks in the woods’
Taking ‘Damaged’, Black Flag’s seminal 1981 album, and covering it for today’s more expansive and open minded music fans attention, I probe as to why he attempted such a great mission. ‘I didn't cover damaged. I rewrote the album from what I remembered of it in my head’ states David. ‘I have no idea why I did it -- maybe because it was there!’ he waves off.
Although these details are coincidental, it seems like a great feat; to take an album that you haven’t listened to in 10 years or so and completely rework it from memory is a huge task. In reality, he probably caned the album to the maximum, although he’s apparently not into Hardcore music: ‘I did cane it -- I really caned it, you got it!’ replies David sarcastically, ‘I’m not really a fan of hardcore music much, I do like the bad brains though’ he tells.
The angry, pounding riffage is converted to a more emotive, rhythmic song structure, but a constant juxtaposition remains throughout; the lyrics are sung softly, still containing the cagey, irritated and politically charged lyrics. From classic 'Police story', toned down and soft with its abrasive vocals in tact, or the deconstructed drone of once punchy 'Thirsty and miserable', Longstreth seems to dig opposites. He surely came up against the purists for daring to change the rulebook. ‘Indifference isn’t the word for it brother’ he confirms.

The album itself is like a mixture of West African Rhythms, tortured folk and aggressive math rock; sing along ‘gimmie gimmie gimmie’ has been bent into a more longing and dreamy context, one of melancholy compared to the angry, spiteful original. Does he aim to take the DIY aesthetic, and apply it less franticly? Carefully, David replies: ‘It’s not so much the aesthetic as the phylogeny, I’d suppose’, hinting towards the evolution of culture, rather than being stuck in history, forever trying to recreate a moment.
Recorded with Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, Longstreth’s deep, intense music is transposed onto the live stage, fragrantly sombre and absorbing, with the help of Amber Deradoorian, Brian McComber and Amber Coffman to bring sounds to life. Unconcerned with meaning, message and representation, Longstreth is the ultimate mad professor, concocting his own version of musical dialogues and creating by his own terms. ‘Culinary Piping, indeed’ he cryptically replies when quizzed about the next release, not wanting to give too much away. Rest assured though, brothers, that it’ll probably be another busy year for the dirty projectors, and it won’t be long before we hear from David again.

www.myspace.com/dirtyprojectors

The Blow Up:: Friendly Fires

2007-12-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

Feverent St albans genre mashers are funking their way to a system near you.....

I’m safely tucked up on a cold, grey winter’s night, excitedly anticipating a go-ahead txt. I’m waiting to call Ed McFarlane, bassist of funky and unwillingly cool Friendly Fires. It’s not even been six months since we last chatted, but Friendly Fires have been exhaustingly busy. I wanted to catch up with Ed, to find out what’s old and new, what’s borrowed and what makes him blue.

After pleasantries are exchanged, we muse upon the bands beginnings in the ever burgeoning hot bed of music that is St Albans, fast growing for its churning out of hardcore superstars such as Enter Shikari and Gallows. When asked if they were ever involved, Ed simply replies:
‘Well, we weren’t part of a scene; in fact I don’t think we’re part of any scene to be honest.’
That’s the pure spirit of Friendly Fires; a band uninterested by trends, fashions and cool record labels. They’re natural ability to transcend genre and seek original ambitions is executed effortlessly, probably without giving it a second thought.

‘Well, yeah we’re writing it for ourselves’ agrees Ed, ‘we don’t care about what else is going on! We don’t really, well, I don’t listen to a lot of indie music.’

We then start to scorn the way that bastardized and diluted electro has seeped into every pore of the musical plateau, grinding up all into a digestible paste; the modern day easy listening. Yes, Friendly Fires are a forward thinking band. Ed moves onto the unique, daring mix of different sounds. ‘Our sound is really compact, lots of lush melodies, with some tracks made using pads, others contain really deep funky disco elements. And to be honest, I don’t know a lot of the bands doing that. I really like the shocking pinks though!’

what’s changed for them in the last six months?
We’ve just been doing a lot of writing, lots of experimenting. We’ve just been travelling round touring. We did transmission on television as well!’

Aside from T Mobile sponsored shows, they manage to avoid the trappings of bands who do anything but write good, original melodies. But they’ve been lumped into the Nu-Rave bracket, no doubt because they display a fondness for synth driven eclectica; how does Ed feel about this?
‘I prefer labels that are about the band, not the image of the label itself. There must have been a phase where no-one mentioned new rave. Everyone asks us what its like to be included in it, it’s abit of a focal point, but I can’t really do anything about’ he shrugs casually. ‘It’s not like us to be dressed up and in part of a scene. There is a trance type element in our music that we’re trying to recreate. It’s just bubbly. Rave music to me is people playing piano.’

So, are friendly fires making a statement? Do they feel he media latches on too much to bands using electronics?
‘Yeah, I get abit annoyed about it but at the just talk about it because they need a hook’, Ed Chuckles, “Time Out’ called us ‘Nu-Rave rockers’ in the listings. Id rather people said ‘pop-indie band that use electronics’ if you were to categorize us!’ he chuckles wryly.

Of the pieces of kit and toys available, what is the weapon of choice?
‘I love using soft synths that I use live with a drum machine. We record on the most basic equipment the limitations help you make the music.’ Ed explains, ‘We’re used to it, and when we go to recording studio, we won’t bring our own speakers and mics and start messing about with it. We won’t lose any of the energy and authenticity, and what gives us the drive.

After success with the Cross The Line EP, the band will imminently drop they’re new 7inch ‘Paris’ on ‘Moshi Moshi’ records, another twisting turn in the echelons of the bands tastes. ‘ felt good when we put that EP out.’ And do they really want to live in Paris? ‘Actually’ laughs Ed, ‘the lyrics are quite coincidental and really have no link to the music…basically, it’s just a song I wrote for a friend. I don’t really wanna live there!’ (Laughter)
The trance element has the same feeling as stadium rock does.’ Says Ed. ‘Really big, healthy and epic, Paris is really stripped down, so we keep that real energy rush there……it sounds abit My Bloody Valentine, Brian Eno like, with loads of distortion, that kind of shoe gazing haze on it too. We don’t want to stick to one sound, we like to swap around; we’ve got lush ballad like tunes, really stripped down, no electronics punk-funk, then we got our straight up, 4-4 house sound. It
Without wanting to sound too contradictory, I take a big gulp of Dutch courage and probe further about electronic input. In the current issue of Artrocker they feature the ‘Year of the Indie Synth’ article, but I’m interested to see how much its influence hangs over these free spirits
‘Our sound would still be danceable, and have that punk funk edge to it’ muses Ed, ‘It would still be influenced by dance music, just minus all the layers of pads and rolling pitches. If it works it works; there’s no need to add too much to the track if it really isn’t needed’ states Ed. ‘Sometimes we just don’t want to use the synths and we just jam. We don’t really follow a set formula. I think it’s really healthy to do that, to experiment.’

Finally, when will an album be released? ‘We’re recording it in January; we’ll literally lock ourselves away!’ assures Ed. And I believe him too.

http://www.friendlyfires.com/
www.myspace.com/friendlyfires

Ten Bloody Questions

2007-12-07T06:26:00.000-08:00

This month: Hatebeak.
Hardcore/ death metallers with waldo, the parrot, as lead singer

Introduce yourselves please
I am Mark, also known as Matterhorn to some people. Blake is the other human component of Hatebeak, he drives a bus for a living. Waldo is an African Gray parrot, somewhere around 15 years old, and an incorrigible prima-donna.

That really is a bad bwoy scream.....why use a parrot? did you teach him?
I think he learned it by imitating death metal singers. We would often play music in the background way before we ever thought of doing a parrot-fronted band. I think the music struck a chord with Waldo, or at least the vocal delivery.

Does he have the best scream in the band?
Unquestionably. Blake & I sound like wounded guppies in comparison. He must have learned to shriek in the jungle.

How much training does Waldo put in? Is he easy to work with?
His training essentially consists of complaining for food and then complaining about the food. He does his best work on his own terms. Sometimes we have to leave the mic and recorder running for hours next to his cage to get a good take. I think he's got a lot of pent-up emotion to get out.

With the band, are you voicing your opinions the way you want?
We get a lot of freedom with the music, I think Waldo's pretty content just handling vocals. There are times that he's reacted negatively to some of the stuff we played back for him. Actually, Blake and Waldo didn't speak for almost a month over one particularly hotly contested guitar fill.

Are you making a massive stand against 'fashioncore'?
Absolutely. If hipsters were more inclined to stick feathers to their naked bodies and jump off of rooftops attempting to be more parrot-like, we might be more forgiving.

What bands inspired you?
We're into old Earache death metal bands like Carcass, Morbid Angel, At The Gates, etc, old Relapse bands like Suffocation & Incantation. The list could go on indefinitely. We basically like anything that is brutal and true to the ethics of metal. These kinds of bands are a rarity nowadays. We also like some weird traditional folk music from Western Maryland, but that's more of a nostalgic family thing. Blake is working on a jug-band side project right now. I'm listening to the Twisted Sister Christmas album right now.

With tunes like 'god of empty nest' and 'unlisted', do you see avian creatures to be the alpha survivors of our putrid earth?
I think of birds as the link between the thunder lizards and the hairless apes. Evolution should have stopped with archaeopteryx.

Whats the next release? anything more in the pipeline on relapse records? or are you sticking with reptilian? We've actually had a CD in the can for over a year now. Reptilian will put it out as soon as the artwork is finished. As far as future releases, we'll work with almost anybody that wants to work with us. That is, as long as they subscribe to the philosophy of true worldwide avian supremacy. Thanks from the three of us for the interview, infernal squawks go out from the Mighty Diabolical Flock of the Beak to Seun and Don't Panic too!

Right on, Brother.

Thank to seun at dont panic for setting me up!

www.myspace.com/beak666

2007-11-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

Watch it.....Trash Fashion are here

My nose is dripping and I sound like I’ve had a sock rammed down my throat. Getting over a cold isn’t easy, especially whilst drinking a warm can of carling I bought from the over priced offie around the corner from Trash Fashions humble lair. Nonetheless I end up relaxed on the couch with the band inside. A band that doesn’t take things too seriously; it’s like sitting at home, drinking tea with some repairmen .

They don’t do things in small measures, I discover, as we chat lazily about their beginnings and the highs and lows of a struggling band.
‘We started in Birmingham and there’ve been a few members since we started, especially drummers. Bam Bam’s our like 20th in the band. We’ve only been going properly since Kbomb joined’ says Jet Mason, vocalist and one half of founding brotherhood Storm. ‘We’ve done most of the work ourselves. We’ve had to, but I guess you can nowadays. You’ve control over what you’re doing more, but we’re lucky to have the right people around us too.’

So how did the band come up with such an obscure yet direct name?
‘We got the name trash fashion and kept it because it’s so shit. It sums us up well really’ Laughs Jet, to the raucous laughter of everyone else in the room ‘The whole thing wasn’t supposed to be like trailer trash fashion, but just having fun and doing what you want. Not giving a fuck about fashion or trends.’

And the sound does the name proud. A fierce mix of growling hardcore, synth pop and cock rock are just a few of the elements that make up Trash fashion, known for their sloppy, loud and head thumping abrasiveness, epitomized in the infamous debut ‘It’s a Rave Dave’. But they’re due to release EP ‘Mom and Daddy’, and are keen to show that they’re more than just horn blowing, snotty, stripping ravers.
‘Basically, there’s five new tracks; mom and daddy, the original, is a departure from that whole ‘it’s a rave Dave’ thing’ tells Jet, ‘we love that track, but it wasn’t a fair signifier of what our band is actually about, so we needed to give this EP more.
It’s got a bit of everything; ‘Mom and Daddy’ is harder, ‘Give It Up’ is abit more indie and ‘You’re Dead’ goes much more rock, plus we’ve got the remixes at the end which obviously go on a more danceable path, so you can still go mental.’ Kbomb assures.
‘I think before we became a full band, we were OTT and our music just wasn’t coherent enough. We’re spending more time on songs nowadays. There’s someone to tell me ‘NO! That’s shit’ and keep the creative reigns on me, where there wasn’t before’ answers Jet when I ask if he’s had to dumb down.

These undiluted musical styles, the brightly coloured mismatched clothes and that single have hoisted the band into the nu-rave bracket.
‘I don’t really care’ pipes Jet when asked about their feelings towards it. ‘It’s not something we’ve considered either way; it’s just an umbrella term. I think it’s more about smashing the stereotyped image of bands and it’s more about lifestyle than music.’
‘If some kid says “hey I like your band and I’m into nu-rave”, I’m not going to be mad’ adds Kbomb, the bands American-European Bass player, ‘if someone likes our band then someone likes us.’

It’s not entirely surprising that a large quantity of these fans are kids, attracted to their excitingly vibrant, no holds barred attitude. ‘It’s always good that it’s the kids because when they get into you early then they’re yours for life y’know? Its great to have the influence, whereas older people already have their minds made up; they judge on their young musical experiences and it’s harder to gain their attention’ Jet jovially and enthusiastically explains.

And to top things off, the band landed a surprise support slot on Faithless’ tour, something that would surely be abit tame for these young punks to open up for…
‘We knew sister bliss through a friend of a friend when we first came to London. She came to a few shows and really enjoyed it’ smiles Jet. ‘Calvin Harris was to support but couldn’t make it so she asked us last minute’
‘As it was at the NIA, it was round the corner from us, so we managed to get loads of our mates in; it was so cool’ agrees Mason
‘It came from nowhere, we didn’t really have a plan’ concurs Jet, ‘but at the end people were coming over a saying “hey, that was great; who are you?” It was well scary.

With such a bright and queasily loud ethos, I end my chat by talking about their varying influences. Michael Jackson and have been cited; but what about Iron Maiden? What would they make of their dress sense?
‘That’s mainly from us, the brothers’ beams Mason, the guitarist and original member. ‘We actually sent Bruce Dickinson a couple of tracks to listen too.
Jet: He hasn’t played it yet, but we’re waiting. He’s got it though, id be interested to hear what he makes of it!
‘I think we’d have enough to say about their fashion sense’ chuckles Kbomb
‘Yeah, people in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones’ snorts Jet, followed by eruptions of laughter around the room.

2007-11-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

MySpace Layouts

Untitled Musical Project

2007-11-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

Loud and Prrroud, Baby!

Untitled Musical Project

It’s calm amongst the multi-shaded grey walls of Holborn and I’m waiting in a cosy boozer, for three down to earth lads who decided to form a band. I’m excited to meet them just before they’re appearance at the manic Durrr club night @ The end and they seem raring to go. As acquaintances are made and we casually relocate outside to enjoy a pint of central London’s finest ale (and smoke), it strikes me like a backhand to the chops that UMP really are just lads who want to make music on their own terms. And by god, it is THEIR music.
Utilising the great opportunity to the maximum, I’m here to natter about the band and their goals, their aspirations and critiques of the music scene, and why they insist on doing things their own way.

As I take a gulping mouthful of tasty alcohol, I presumptuously ask about the bands beginnings in the Midlands. But Andrew, the witty, relaxed and out-goingly hilarious drummer quickly informs me that the band hail from as far a field as Carlisle and Leeds and not all from Birmingham as I thought. But I find out that the Midlands remains as the tenuous link between the bands formation after all.
‘We all went to University together In Stafford, and did various student things together” he jokes. “We met Kieran (the guitarist) down the Pub, and the same with Jim. We thought we’d form a band from the ashes of an old outfit that Jim and I used to play in.’ explains Andrew as he munches on a portion of chips (that kept me waiting in the freezing cold!), “We just did it for a laugh really, and actually started to love what we were doing; I remember us all thinking ‘This is the best band we’ve played in before” beams Andrew, giving the impression of a man that’s finally found peace within his musical endeavours.

With a comment like that however, you would be forgiven for thinking they couldn’t play particularly well, something the band has stated themselves previously. But according to this pint sipping, avant-noise lover, fluency remains within the rhythmic and jerky nature of the music to which Kieran, the quieter, more thoughtful guitarist states “I haven’t played guitar for several years since I started, but I’m getting better now.”
“The reason we started is because I used to play in this band with Andy, and then we started moving into a heavier band’ settles Jim, “When that came to a head, we all found ourselves sitting around bored y’know? Kieran hadn’t played Guitar for ages and ages, but he just went out and bought one which was amazing
“It was cool” reminisces Andy, “We were all friends and shared very similar tastes in music. It’s a small place and there wasn’t much else interesting to do except form a band.”

The tastes that brought these disaffected youths together at the time of boredom are clear in the music. Inspired by The Pixies, The Jesus Lizard, Mcklusky and Ikara Colt, the band reveal that its more than just the gel the brought them together physically; it helped them to create original music.
“We just started to use some of the elements from the bands that we love” reveals Andy, “I think it worked. It’s a good method to use when writing music; find a few bands and just get inspired by them. Jim reiterates the point much more metaphorically however, to the amusement of all at the table.
“It’s a bit like cooking I guess. Take different ingredients; stick ‘em in the melting pot and out pops a nice brand new sound” he infectiously laughs

Anyone who’s checked out UMP will know that their sound is abrasive, loud and no holds barred. When I ask if this is why they’ve called themselves that particular name, I’m told a very different story, one that’s got diddly squat to do with representation of their ethos or any great artistic irony.
“Originally, back then, I played in this more metally band, and I didn’t want to piss those guys off too much by starting this thing” reveals Jim “We couldn’t call it a band, so we joined battle of the bands as a band with no name. And then we called ourselves manner of things such as untitled and musical project. It then pieced itself together really” he shrugs.

Although the band peddle spiky, angst fuelled lyrics and a sharp musical presence, they don’t feel that they’re music’s nature symbolizes any strong views or angry chastising
“We’re all reasonably angry” quips Andrew, “but I don’t really want to express my views in the music” he states, once again provoking the image of a band that make music for its sonic appeal rather than its highly stylised, political meaning. Something that’s refreshingly rare in the majority of bands today.
“If things are to obvious then it makes me cringe, I like to be obscure” agrees Jim
After a pause for thought, Andy rounds off the topic. “We’re quite outspoken but we don’t want to push and force our view onto other people” he sighs. “We don’t want to convince anyone of our beliefs. We don’t want people to believe it because they were told, as that’s the most stupid thing you could do, having it rammed down your throat” he tells condemningly

It not like they’re devoid of any meaning at all though. UMP create more of a polemic musical piece; you can either listen to the lyrics and couple them with the brash music, such as retro-centric baiting ‘Why Isn’t Paul McCartney Dead Already’, or you can rock out, have fun and appreciate it simply for what it is.
When I ask if any of their creations last longer than three minutes, I receive a collective response of ‘No!’ from the band, followed by Jim stating:
“If songs are required to be long then that’s cool, but it’s the pointless 24 minute guitar solo’s that I’m not into”, to which Andy agrees. “It’s just about how bands go about it. I mean, Radiohead’s ‘paranoid android” wouldn’t sound as good if it were any shorter. It’s still a great tune, just not over indulgent. We just feel comfortable with a wall of sound behind us”.
“I think that listening to 5minutes of our music would lose my interest” says Jim light heartedly, “One of our songs lasts 1.min 16, and it feels like a complete tune!”

The aforementioned track is one of eight sharp shocks delivered on the new self titled mini album which lasts 17 minutes in total, including snarling numbers like ‘Endless Deodorant’ and ‘A Popular Music Composition’ .
“It really is a mini album, but if it were a full LP, then it would be 25mins at a push. We originally blitzed the old stuff and made it really noisy, but then picked out new ones when closer to recording. It would have seemed rushed if it was recorded by another band, but we recorded it well. We spent a lot of recording time in the pub!” Answers Andy (laughter)
“In fact” shares Jim, “it was suggested by our producer that we did spend time in the pub! We’d go down, chat about the day’s entertainment over a pint or two, and then go back to the studio and go for it.” “Yeah, Recording was very pleasurable” smiles Andy

As we share a communal box of matches to light up, and finish the dregs of our expensive bevies, one question remains upon my lips; their opinion on the contemporary hum drum of modern music. Surely such an exuberant and vigorous band, full of vitality and creative freedom must have strong feelings towards the less integral side of music
“There’s loads of great, smaller bands out there man, but its just that no one knows about them and they don’t get noticed” says Andy regretfully, “its difficult for us to make an impact because of music being so sceney. Bands have to be the complete marketable package. How good you are seems to be determined by how fast you can churn stuff out. You feel worthy and realise what you’ve got if you do the toilet seat gigs (laughter) before you make the big time. You don’t demand stupid things on you’re tour rider and stuff”.
“Yeah!” blurts Jim in fits of giggles, “like carrot sticks and fresh dips” he sarcastically laughs. “We had rider specs in the other day and Kieran decided he’d be much happier if could have pre cooked carrot sticks, and a small pot of houmous weighing approximately 250 grams” he reveals to fits of laughter all around.

To be honest, never mind the homous, UMP have delivered us a fresh slab of noisy, raucous rock music, that’s more like 250 pounds of rock smashing into your head. The bands unintentional but driven attitude against the banner of stereotyped ‘indie’ music make them more than just interesting; more like fucking electric.

2007-11-05T07:02:00.000-08:00

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2007-11-03T07:51:00.001-07:00

2007-11-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

Are there such things as ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ music?

Is music gender specific? In many artists, including mainstream artists such as Madonna for example, have created a feminist profile within their music; using slow, grinding beats, or chimes, whispering vocal effects and sexy dance rituals, it can be said that Madonna is purely a feminine icon, and even looks to empower the female population. According to some, heavy metal is extremely male dominated, even stretching back to the days of Led Zeppelin, Deep purple and The Rolling Stones, and portrays a more carnal, aggressive and chauvinist influence to the music. But within this essay, I wish to discuss the ever-growing topic of gender identity, and whether the connotations derived express a male or female attitude through music, lyrics, and visually dominated lifestyles or has it now been blurred? Is music, especially hip-hop, becoming tailored towards a ‘Unisex’ notion? I think that to tackle this, to start, we need to address the ideas of identity and social construction, and the placing of ourselves in the world through Myth.
The ideas of Femininity and Masculinity are socially constructed ideologies, or more commonly known as identities. Identities are formed from our place and view of ourselves within society, and differ from each person.
That said, people will discover new meanings and different identities within certain music’s, depending on the listeners circumstances or other leanings such as race, gender, social class, age and moral beliefs; everyone’s own experience creates a social construction. If social construction is identity, then identity is about becoming rather than being, and everything is subject to change. Identity is portrayed and coupled well with music, as they are both polysemic systems, open to interpretation. ‘Freedom is knowing that nothing is fixed.’ Keith Negus, a musical historian has said in broader terms that:
‘..It concerns a shift from essentialist ideas about cultural identity- that is, the notion that individuals of a particular social type possess certain essential characteristics are found ‘expressed’ in particular cultural practices- towards the idea that cultural identities are not fixed in any way but are actively created through particular communication processes, social practices and articulations within specific circumstances.’(Negus; 2004: 100). I want to step away from growing essentialist attitudes in modern music, and will discuss this in more detail next.

Identity theories also examine the way in which the subjective activities of listening and performing are influenced by objective social, economic and political conditions.’(Beard & Gloag; 2005; 88). First, I want to compare the sexual ideologies of two types of music’s; heavy rock, looking at Robert Walser’s ‘Running with the Devil’ and, to start with, ‘classic’ hip-hop, particularly Death Row Records.
In the early 1990’s, the American Hip-Hop market exploded as rappers such as Tupac, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Warren G came to prominence. Dr Dre was also seen as a particularly influential artist with his eponymous debut ‘The Chronic’. This had seen a change from the early gangster rap days of the early 1980’s where, NWA, a hyper-masculine, aggressive hip-hop band, would frequently make violent,

Chauvinist and derogatory remarks about Women and life (you heard about the bitch that got shot? / Fuck her/ you think I give a damn about a bitch / I ain’t
A sucker’ spits Easy-E in flagship NWA tune ‘Straight Outta Compton’). Challenged in the late half of the nineties by more relaxed, socially conscious and feminine inspired artists such as A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, these groups provided an alternative for the lesser masculine men, and of course, women could join in with jumpy, frolic beats, fun lyrics and a deep sense of rhythm and cultural force within the music. A Tribe called Quest focused mainly on jazzy breaks, overlaid with samples of horns, basses and live drummers; this is opposed to the straight up funk break beat, and purely repetitive bass heavy rhythms found in the music of NWA that expressed a burning want and right to life in the poor southern states of America. An angry, male lead rebellion, underpinned by historical structures of persecution within the notion of the Black Diaspora, and has carried the culturally significant traits and elements of traditional African music.
It was when Dr Dre, formally of NWA, released The chronic and Snoop Dogg released ‘Doggy style’ in 1994 that the bridge was beginning to be forged; femininized slow, groovy soul samples being mixed with hyper-masculine, aggressive and challenging lyrics, into a polysemic form which could be enjoyed by both men and women in different situations, created by their different social constructions. The connotations of the lyrics were sexually and aggressively charged, but the beats are far more relaxed and smoother than those of NWA.

Comparing this process of evolution to another completely different sphere of music, heavy metal is still looked upon by some as hyper masculine, performance led and visually dominated, just like it was back in the 70’s era of Led Zeppelin:

‘The story of how the sexuality expressed through the blues gradually mutated into heavy metal and hardcore rap is a long and curious one….the best and finest moments of blues-based white rock have arrived through creative misunderstandings of the subtexts of the music….Led Zeppelin come on like thermonuclear gang rape. The woman-who in muddy waters song is evoked as a real person with real emotions- is here reduced to a mere receptacle, whose sole function s to receive the great Zeppelin.’(Shaar-Murray; 2001: 75)

Focusing on a mutation of twelve bar blues structures, modern rock has taken the desires, heartaches and disdain that frequently appeared in blues music, and textualized it fully. But in disagreement to Murray’s heartfelt denunciation of rock music, I argue the birth of an identity, or a perception of ones identity is polysemic, just as the ideas and connotations that are derived from that music are. It is more about the politics, class boundaries and probably drugs and other social constructions that create Murray’s own perception of rock music. According to Robert Walser:
‘
Heavy metal articulates a dialectic of controlling power and transcendent freedom…. visually, metal musicians typically appear as swaggering males, leaping and strutting about the stage, clad in spandex, scarves, leather and other visually noisy clothing, punctuating their performances with phallic thrusts of guitars and microphone stands. The performers use hyper masculinity or androgyny as visual enactments of spectacular transgression.’ (Walser; 1993: 109)

In today’s modern metal scene, though, I feel that female interest has grown within the genre, adding female musicians and vocalists to the mix; the men wear baggy jeans, tight t-shirts and trimmed goatee beards, while singing about more universal problems and issues, all usually delivered in the vein of masculinity. In fact, persons whom some would describe as ‘deviants’ are also now accepted: ‘This can be seen for example, in the activities of the gay metal society, a social club based in Chicago…Gay fans celebrate metal musicians whom they believe are gay’ (Walser; 1998: 116). Speaking of women and their perception of this social construction of sexuality: ‘Female fans, which now make up half of the audience for heavy metal, are invited to identify with the powerful position that is constructed for them.’(Walser; 1993: 119) He goes on to elaborate,

‘Though Bon Jovi offered typical experiences of the metal dialectic of absolute control and transcendent freedom, lead singer Jon Bon Jovi also projected a kind of sincerity and romantic vulnerability that had enormous appeal for female fans….it helped transform what had long been a mostly male sub cultural genre into a much more popular style with a gender balanced audience’ (Walser; 1993: 120).

I want to digress slightly and to criticize Walser’s notion of subculture, as I do not believe that it was an ‘underground’ (sub) culture ever since the point in history when a certain person decided to make a sequence of noise. Applied to hip-hop, I do not think it was sub cultural after the funk parties being held in the warehouse district of New York became widely known. As soon as the records were released and the parties advertised, it absorbed into mainstream culture and was no longer ‘underground’. How can heavy metal have been a subculture before Bon Jovi, with the likes of Guns and Roses selling out world tour stadiums globally in the eighties?

Nevertheless, the main point is, in some cases, according to Mavis Bayton, author of ‘Frock rock’, that women are now performing more and more in popular music (its major explosion was the appearance of ‘riot grrl’ in 1991 in the states). ‘In the progressive rock period, instrumental virtuosity was required…punk simplified music…amateurishness and mistakes were in fashion. For this reason alone, many women who had previously lacked the confidence even to consider joining a band started performing…a key feature of ‘riot grrl’ was a confrontational attitude which challenged not only sexism but also the established political correctness of the 1990’s’ (Bayton; 1998: 64/75). Although Bayton is a woman herself, I do not agree with her essentialist view that women were naturally ready to be involved in a certain identity, but I agree with the idea of their personal constructions of society, forging a new style of rock music and cultural identity.
In the words of Keith Negus, who praises Walser, speaking of the riot grrl ‘sub’ genre: ‘Gottlieb and Wald have argued that rock cannot simply be referred to as a male form because the music has no essential characteristics.' Walser continues, critiquing Robert Fisk’s previous study of male ideologies in television programs:

‘..Metal’s Negotiations of the anxieties of gender and power are never conclusive; that is why, as Fiske says, these imaginary resolutions of real anxieties must be re-enacted over and over again. In fact, since around 1987, concert audiences for metal shows have been roughly gender balanced’ (Walser; 1993: 111)

To compare a polysemic, and often sonic medium to a controlled program of visually dominated sequenced events such as television, is not uncommon, as Walser is right to point out, that to keep the male desire and prominence burning, he must have an outlet to engage with and relate too. But as he goes on: ‘Head bangers ball’, the three-hour MTV program devoted to heavy metal, is quite popular with fans, but it is hardly the most important aspect of their involvement with metal. Concerts, records, radio, fan magazines and quite often playing an instrument figure as primary components of metal fans’ lives.’(Walser; 1993: 113) This is opposed to hip-hop which is more visually led through the medium of film, video and television

The world of popular music is highly structured in terms of gender. Traditionally, women have been positioned as consumers and fans, and in supportive roles, rather than as active producers of music: Musicians’ (Bayton; 1998: 2). As we have seen, metal music is primarily masculine, but we have also seen that women have taken an interest in sexual anxieties as well, and as we saw, have even started actively participating within them too. I now want to relate this to the evolutionary music known as hip hop, and how it has incorporated new social constructions and boundaries, that have stemmed from a later sound of American rap, known fondly as ‘Dirty South’ or ‘Crunk’.

To start, I want to quote Simon Frith, from his essay ‘Afterthoughts’, about the perils of following essentialist ideas of cultural constructions:

‘…Our account of how music carries sexual meaning now seems awfully dated. We rejected rock naturalism but we retained the suggestion that sexuality has some sort of autonomous form, which is expressed or controlled by cultural practice. We are reminded that ‘cultural production occurs in relation to ideology and not to the real world’; we were instructed that rock is a signifying practice through which a particular discourse of sexuality is constituted. The task of criticism is not to show how performers articulate a predefined ideology, but to trace the way sexuality is constructed by the performing conventions themselves, by the responses they compel listeners to make.’(Frith; 1990: 421).

As we can see, Frith is arguing against essentialist ideas, saying that ones ideological connotations are his own, and the source of cultural production of identity comes from the music and visuals themselves, helping to make up peoples identities in relation to the performance of a certain song and the subtexts that are read beneath them. In this context, dirty south Hip-Hop, or by some known as ‘Crunk’, has challenged and left the idea’s of Hip-Hop being purely male dominated behind. Like Frith said previously, women in rock, as in rap, are aware of the power and regard held for them, and men are also aware of this fact too.

It did, of course, come to prominence a few years before ‘Crunk’ when ‘Missy Elliot’ became a household name, due to her brash, loud vocal techniques, aggressive
delivery and tough bravado, in a manor which would make commentators like Mavis Bayton proud. She adopted many styles from male rappers, in an attempt to position herself within a male-dominated framework, saying ‘I’m also part of this- I am a woman.’ However, through doing this, she inspired many female admirers of rap music to get more involved, and created an identity through her music and visual mediations, such as her music videos: she also confronted myths to do with appearance and identity, admired by many a feminist for her ‘large’ size and androgynous body language.
With Crunk, the focus is not on the lyrical delivery itself, or even the message, but about the beats rhythms and dirty timbres connected; the days of slow and simple 4-4 structuring and fast lyrical delivery have now fizzled away, as the hip-hop now is more club focused, the essential shift being one that moves away from gender categorization to dancing and having fun. ‘Music and more particularly dance provide an arena for pushing back boundaries, exploring the zones that separate male from female. Whilst dance is an enactment of masculinity and femininity at ritual occasions such as weddings, it is also an arena in which gender categories can be fully contested.’ (Stokes; 1997: 22)
The representations of a poor, ‘Diasporic’ and marginalised class in America are still apparent; in any ‘Lil’ Jon’ videos, we are offered enough cars, jewellery and money to retire on, an excessive ‘bling-bling’ wealth which even appears in the Artists teeth. Gender and sexuality are still represented more or less the same; scantily clad Women, homeboy men and constant reference to sex still hang over the music. Sexist remarks about women still remain, but women are rather seen as more of an attribute (a prize, of value), than the dismissive attitude and distrust displayed by ‘rappers’ such as Ice Cube or Notorious BIG in their videos and music.

The ideas of modern gender relations and their importance now apply to both sexes: there are plenty of female rappers and ‘crunk’ producers emerging, and a certain amount of cross gender androgyny is arising. For example, the gold cases on the teeth of performers; not only has Lil’ Jon decked himself out in these but female rappers have too, La Chat of the ‘three-six mafia’ crew is also known for flashing the gold in her teeth, as well as chunky timberland boots and puffer jackets. In the words of Whiteley, an academic in popular music: ‘In addition to the careful mixing of vocal/visual, it is equally apparent that the ordered sequences open out and make sense of the narrative exposition of events in the song’ (Whiteley; 1997: 269).
For example, Brook Valentine’s video’s express a sexual mannerism, especially in the classic ‘Girl Fight’. As well as wearing items like teeth casings that could have once been associated with male rappers, is now expressed by the female in terms of power, especially as the main action sequences are literally a girl fight, with hair pulling and scratching. The female rapper is shown to be just as powerful, streetwise and as talented as her male counterparts.
In this instance, the sexuality of southern hip-hop is being defined by the actions of the artists; (no-one is genetically made for a music type, music does not stand alone) and in turn we are coerced into building our own sexual construction of identity from them, such as the influence of music video’s for example. (In rock, it can be extended to the live concert). My idea is that southern hip-hop has moved away from ideas of sexual identity (masculinity and femininity) and is more concerned with corporeal elements of the music. In a form where the female is as powerful in her own way, for women and men alike, as the male is, all sexes are welcome and not extradited, rebelled against or seen as threats. In most videos, the two sexes are usually dancing next to each other, much to both subjects enjoyment, instead of segregation and gangs of men cruising together, as stereotypically once associated with.
For Stokes, this process of reclassification is seen from a Marxist perspective:
‘
The fact that musicians preside over controlling the flow of the socio-musical space makes them powerful and problematic figures for the society at large…the moral order of many societies is entirely predicated upon the separation of gender and the control of sexuality; behaviour which threatens this is complicated and conflict ridden. Culturally desexing the musicians is one way of affecting this control’ (Stokes; 1997: 23).

To conclude, my answer could be read as yes, there are plain differences between masculinity and femininity, and they do occur through the sound of music. But they are social constructions, just like all issues of racial identity and political identity. The fact that blatant representations in mediations and music have been dumbed down or sidelined is seen as a controlling method of desexing these ‘cultural figures’, in a way in which we can gain meanings to help us blend into society. If the world was full of ‘Madonna’s’, or people who have complete control and knowledge over peoples perceptions of their cultural representations, then there would be no room for manoeuvring around anchored down stereotypes, placed by society. Modern society has instilled certain principles and notions concerned with gender and sexuality.
Modern music forms, such as dirty south hip-hop or nu-metal are more polysemic, and, thankfully, harder to categorize and define. ‘Crunk’ demonstrates that social constructions are being crossed between boundaries of gender and are down to an individual taste. Everyone is included and catered for, regardless of whether they are male or female; in short, some of the myth’s linking sexuality and music are gradually being eroded away