If your ears are bleeding, that means it’s working
typed for your pleasure on 20 July 2006, at 5.01 pmSdtrk: ‘Cruise (Force the truth)’ by whitehouse
Today was odd at work, as both of my managers were getting all pally with me. Allow me to set up some background, if you will: every week, I bring something to read so I’m not bored insensate both before work begins and for our 10 minute break period, and last week, I’d brought my copy of ‘The Scooter book‘. George ambled by and asked me what it was about, and I explained that I love Mod culture, hence the purchase. (Actually, Zip Gun gave it to me, but that’s a detail he wouldn’t be concerned with.) He pretty much stops round to my desk every time he sees me with a new book or magazine now, and today, he’d enquired as to what other stuff I’m into. I avoided mentioning the obvious, but I brought up Britcoms, and learned that George was a fan of ‘Are you being served?’ and ‘Chef!’, which was pretty ace, and completely unexpected…
Later on, my other supervisor Sean was asking me what kinds of music I’m into, as a couple of weeks ago, he’d seen me reading the recent MOJO magazine special on Morrissey & Manchester. He told me he used to be a guitarist in a local band for a couple of years back in the late Eighties; which, again, was the latest in a series of non sequiturs. I told him that I’m into all kinds of stuff, but these days, I usually can be found listening to either Noise/Power-electronics, or European girl singers from the Sixties. Naturally, I had to attempt to explain it, at which point, Sean said, ‘Have you got a Cd burner? Just burn me some stuff, and I’ll listen to it.’ Aheh heh heh. But of course.
Here’s what I made for him!
File has expired, sorry.
‘Soundtrack for Entropy’. 80 minutes of 18 tracks, featuring NON, Merzbow, Masonna, Ramleh, whitehouse, Venetian snares with Speedranch, The Gerogerigegege, popporu, and Wreath.VCA, which would be my own Power-electronics project from the late Nineties. My only regret is that I couldn’t fit a second Masonna track on the disk, but my intent should still be clear.
I’m eagerly awaiting his response, as it should be priceless. Unless, of course, it gets me fired
Random similar posts, for more timewasting:
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July 21st, 2006 at 2.55 pm
I’ve been meaning to ask you about the “no-wave” stuff that the recent documentary on the subject has spoken of. Is it an ancestor to the power/noise thingies you enjoy?
July 21st, 2006 at 4.30 pm
Errr.. no-wave is more like… err… it’s like post-punk, but sometimes with free jazz elements.
Most of the no-wave bands came out of New York during the late Seventies. You had people like Lydia Lunch and whatever band she was in at the time — she had like three or four — Mars, DNA, and that other one whose name I can’t remember. I’ve not heard a lot of no-wave, but what little I’ve heard would be James Chance and the Contortions, and they’re pretty crazy. They’re like frothy amphetamine funk, if you can dig that…
Noise & Power-electronics kinda transcend genres and styles. I was going to say that it’s more like Industrial, but without rhythms, but there are quite a few Noise releases and bands that use rhythm. Noise is more like Throbbing gristle-era Industrial with all the stops pulled out, and Power-electronics is… blokes playing tone generators through distortion and delay pedals. 🙂 There’s similarities between artists, but to the trained Noise ear, there are discernible differences — Incapacitants sounds different from Aube, which sounds different from Namanax, etc etc.
I guess you could say that the only real link between No-wave and Noise/Power-electronics is that they both utilise sound…
July 22nd, 2006 at 2.19 pm
Are either of them similar reactions to different root genres?
July 22nd, 2006 at 2.57 pm
Hrrm.. No-wave came from New wave, which came from Punk, which was a direct reaction to the turgid prog rock and cock rock of the Seventies. Noise was kind of a reaction to Punk — after all, take away Punk’s stripped-down energy and in-your-face tactics, and you just have Seventies rock with better clothing — and Power-electronics is a reaction to.. anything and everything. 🙂
– Davecat Bangs,
rock critic tosser
July 23rd, 2006 at 3.32 am
Lester,
I found your music history lesson fascinating reading, as I began to tune out when punk came into fashion. I dunno, it just pissed me off LOL
But it was good to read up on subsequent trends and ‘get” where they were all coming from.
Where does Nick Cave fit into all this, is what I want to know!
Regards and best wishes in your new career as critique-er 😉
PBS, Lily, & Eden
July 23rd, 2006 at 8.51 pm
The way I heard it, no-wave was an anti-new wave. Like a reaction to it, as opposed to a derivative of it.
I speak hearsay, of course, as I’m no music historian (I consider music interesting, amusing, yet ultimately unimportant–including my own anemic efforts at pianism!). I’ll say that whoever I remember saying that probably should consider that opposing action is itself a form of derivation.
Anyway, you say noise came from punk, not industrial or early techno/house or freeform jazz or something?
July 24th, 2006 at 11.07 pm
PB&J and girlies –
Well, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but Nick Cave started out as a punk, in the crazy Australian fireball known as The Birthday Party. Since it was during the early Eighties, well into the Post-punk era, they were more of a Gothabilly band. But still! I recall ‘Release the bats’ and ‘Sonny’s burning’ as being fine songs, fine songs. 🙂
SafeT –
Noise came from Punk, but not directly — first there was Punk (Sex pistols, Ramones), then Post-punk (Joy division, err.. The Birthday party). Goth (Christian death, Bauhaus) and Industrial (TG, Cabaret Voltaire) split off from that; then you had New wave (Human league, Soft cell) and No wave. Whereas Power-electronics came from Industrial and Noise beating and/or fucking the shit out of each other in a darkened alley.
Noise as a non-genre didn’t really start until the early Eighties. I’m thinking in terms of Masami Akita, aka Merzbow, who began recording about ’83 – ’84. But then, you’ve got ‘Metal machine music’ (Lou Reed, 1975), the musique concrète of the Fifties and Sixties, and good ol’ Luigi Russolo from the Thirties..
Noise has always been with us, really; it’s just that, from time to time throughout history, there have been various notable ‘shapers’.
Where did Techno come from? Space, I think. 🙂
July 25th, 2006 at 12.19 pm
james chance & venetian snares working together, whoa!!!
opps, i guess i’m skimming . . .
sorrrrRee . . . :l
July 25th, 2006 at 2.56 pm
zszsz –
You know of the (in)famous Vsnares? Can I pin the blame on Patti Schmidt? 🙂
Recently, Neptune records of Royal oak went out of business, and during their last week open, I got up there and saw a couple of really-reasonably-priced Vsnares Cds (‘The Chocolate wheelchair album’ was the one that really stood out), but I didn’t pick up any of them, and I still regret it..
Gotta love the song titles for the ‘Winnipeg is a frozen shithole’ release, though. 🙂
July 26th, 2006 at 11.48 pm
Thanks AC/DC, I appreciate the knowledge infusion 😉
Actually, that is fine (the breaking it to me bit), as I have to start somewhere I suppose. I do have as my “punk reps” the Stranglers’ “Black & White” (because Kate B. is/was a fan) and the Clash 2-CD comp, because… well, they’re the CLASH!
I got turned onto Nick Cave when I watched Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire”, in which Cave has a few club scenes that are pretty wild :-O
Good stuff!
For some reason, he reminded me of a punk Jim Morrison 😛
Ta,
PBS & the Etcs (hm, sounds almost like a punk act LOL)
July 27th, 2006 at 5.27 am
OOPS! Hasty addendum! Just watched “W.o.D” and guess what? Not only is Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in it (doing “From Her to Eternity”) but ALSO: Crime In the City Solution! Dunno of you dig the movie, but since our own Elisabeth said that Lily’s story reminded her of it, well… *what are you waiting for?* (Lily want s to know LOL)
On the commentary (I watched it twice LOL). Wenders does some background on both groups, starting at about 1:20 in, and even mentions Brithday Party (says he “just had to shoot them both”)! How synchronistic is that, boyee? :-O (BTW both groups were shot live in Berlin’s Esplanade Ballroom, ca 1986, FYI)
Submitted for your approval 😉
PBS & esp Lily
July 30th, 2006 at 11.43 am
PBS and the Etcs (I remember seeing you play at St Andrews back in 1996, opening for The Damned. Fab show) –
A Punk Jim Morrison? Yeah, that’s a pretty accurate assesment.. He’s also a writer and a director, as you know. You can’t stop him!
Funny that you mention the Clash; a friend of mine likes them as well. I think they’re ace, but my favourite Punk ‘gang’ would be the Pistols. I told my Clash-loving friend that the difference between them and the Pistols is that the Clash is angry, but wants to ultimately enact change, whereas the Pistols are angry and really don’t give a shit anymore. 🙂
The Stranglers aren’t bad, either. Oddly enough, the first song I’d ever heard by them was ‘Golden brown’, when they were in their less-abrasive phase.. lovely song. I was really enthused to hear that Jean-Jacques Burnel did the opening and ending themes to ‘Gankutsuo’, which is an anime version of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’. That was completely unexpected..
And you know, I’ve never seen a single Wim Wenders fillum! I know, I know, I have to get round to it — they’re on my Eternal List of Films to See Before I Return To Dust. As you suspect, it’s a long list..
July 31st, 2006 at 6.02 am
‘ello ‘ello ‘ello!
-er, did I read that right? *Nick Cave* is a writer and director??? I did not know that! :-O
Or did you mean Wim-pronounced-Vim, thinking I meant him?
I’d give the Pistols a shot, since J. Lyndon was a Kate fan (believe it or not LOL), but I’m STILL mad at ‘im for wearing his “Fuck Pink Floyd” (or summat) t-shirt!
Maybe someday…
-still hung over from that St. Andrews gig o.O
PBS & the Etcs