Dubstep became mandatory, it’s sold as the new revolution and definitively it’s the rising trend for 2012. Originated in south London, England, back at the end of the 90s, Dubstep get far and from an alternative street music became institution in America. This is embezzlement, it happened to Rock And Roll, to Punk and to Grunge, this is the so-called evolution, the way of art from creativity to mainstream and from self-expression to industry. Art might become a product, but rarely a product contains artistic values. Although I like those wobbling basses and ass kicking hits or contorted twists, Dubstep get patternized, becomes predictable and kind of meaningless, emptied of itself.
This “Bangarang” EP’s highlight is probably the collaboration between keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Krieger, the surviving members of the legendary rock band of the 60s and 70s, The Doors and Sonny John Moore aka Skrillex, ex-rocker, nowadays famous and appreciated electronic dance music producer. They get together for the Re:Generation Music Project, and the result is the song called “Breakn’ A Sweat” and the movie comes out February 2012.
I wonder, there’s still any fire left to light? Read more Skrillex – Bangarang (2011)
2011
The Thing – Mono (2011)
Mats Gustafsson (saxophones), Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (double bass), and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums) also known as The Thing, are back. Those who know them, know exactly what I’m talking about, what to expect from them, those who never had the chance – or misfortune – to collide with them until now, can’t even imagine what’s this trio about. Avant-gard, free jazz, action-jazz, 101% improvising, no grooves, riffs, themes, nothing to hang on, this is quite something anti-establishment, anti-pattern, anti-structure, and not at least anti-music form of expression. Art – or madness, quite impossible to drew a line between them. Far as I know, no MySpace, no Facebook or Twitter page, not even official web site, this is an old-style, hardworking band, taking the world club by club, selling their CDs after their tumultuous gigs and going further, eventually sometimes looking back, but not necessarily and not in anger. Read more The Thing – Mono (2011)
Dungeon Elite [**] – New World Disorder (2011)
Emocore, NintendoCore, Happy GrindCore, Electro Metal, label it as you please, this is extremely intense and murderous s*it. Fada (Screaming), Becko (Synthesizers and Vocals), and finally Maia (Vocals) formed the group in Rome, Italy and their released their debut, “Make Love Not Warcraft” in 2007. Described on their MySpace profile as “Techno/Grindcore/Emotronic”, their music is a refreshing mixture of Hardcore, Nintendo and Game sounds like elements with Dance and Electronic musics, it’s extremely pulsing, dynamic, Metal and Techno melt into one and explode. Read more Dungeon Elite [**] – New World Disorder (2011)
4Star – Daylight (2011)
If you’re looking for some biting hip hop mixed up with cutting edge industrial, this is it, no use to looking further. Obviously the first thing coming on my mind is Saul Williams’ 2007 album “The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!”, and actually there’s a quite impressive vibe of Nine Inch Nails behind these songs, but still, 4Star sounds different, more aggressive, more intense, eventually raw in its very positive – street – sense. “Daylight” probably is not a radio-friendly product, not something build upon the public and mainstream taste, still, it sounds simple and massive simultaneously, blow your head off.
I saw a video on YouTube (Face Change) and it was bloody murderous. I put 4Star on search at Google and I got myself a serious list of 4 star Hotels from the whole world. Gee! Read more 4Star – Daylight (2011)
Man Overboard – Self Titled (2011)
It is not very clear when the term pop punk was first used, but pop-influenced punk rock had been around since the mid- to late-1970s. In ’77 in an article title published by New York Times appeared “Cabaret: Tom Petty’s Pop Punk Rock Evokes Sounds of 60s”, but regarding the merging of sounds between pop/new wave and punk were all over the 80’s and several bands merged pop melodies and catchiness with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and dirty guitars. In the mid-1990s, the California pop punk bands Green Day and The Offspring set the new trend and ever since even new sub-genres – eventually labels – rose: “happy punk”, “faux-punk”, “mall punk”, “pseudo-punk” or “bubblegum punk”.
I admit it unconditionally, I’m an old – stubborn – hardcore punk fan, even mentioning pop and punk in the same phrase sometimes I might consider it at least a deadly sin, but I’m old – and hopefully wise – enough not to generalize, not to reject “by default”, not to hate anything or anybody and I know for sure, every genre has its diamonds and pearls, just like its dirt.
And it’s the Holidays season, Hanukkah, Christmas – or any other pick – , and if your looking for some free downloads and cookies, definitively you will find some taste stuffs on these guys web sites. But for some good stuffs always worth to pay. 🙂 Read more Man Overboard – Self Titled (2011)
Mr. Pan[k]sament – Mashed, Scratched, Trashed (2011)
Free download, but this isn’t a regular album, rather a collection of remixes, but featuring two original songs and the cover of Nine Inch Nails’s “Hurt”.
Regarding my remixes, as a fellow producer noticed, I do some creative work, actually I re-write, re-perform most of the instruments, not only “remixing” the songs, so this might be an exciting listening mainly for those who know the originals, but not exclusively for them. I twisted off, smashed and mashed, scratched and trashed songs by Nine Inch Nails, Ghostland Observatory, Paper Diamond, Archnemesis, Lloyd Banks, Peter Gabriel, Jane’s Addiction, She Wants Revenge, Jessie and the Toy Boys, WormZ and Family Force 5.
Download, have fun, Happy Holidays Everybody! Read more Mr. Pan[k]sament – Mashed, Scratched, Trashed (2011)
Superbutt – Music For Animals (2011)
I was waiting for this one. I know András since he was the frontman of his previous band, Fresh Fabrik back in the mid 90’s and I was there when he decided to leave the uprising band and take his chances with a brand new project. And it seems he was right. Superbutt became pretty soon one of the most strongest Hungarian metal combo. “2 Minutes For Roughing” released in 2001 was an angry, raging hardcore/metalcore album blowing right in your face. Two years later the band returned with “The Unbeatable Eleven” only to prove that they are here to stay. “Black Soup” in 2006 and “You and Your Revolution” in 2008 showed a more mature band, but without they loosing their edge. Superbutt has toured all across Europe since 2001 and played over 500 gigs, sharing the stage with bands such as Clawfinger, Ignite, Pro-Pain, Soulfly, In Flames, Prong, Mucky Pup and Rollins Band, among many others.
I was waiting for “Music For Animals” and Superbutt didn’t let me down again. Read more Superbutt – Music For Animals (2011)
Haujobb – New World March (2011)
11/11/11 stir up the minds of many and several artist chosen it as release date of their albums. Haujobb are back after an extensive pause, “New World March” is their first new album in 8 years, and while their previous “Vertical Theory” released in 2003 were more software based, this time Daniel Myer and Dejan Samardzic used more hardware, guitars, drums, and sound recordings, delivering a monumental production. And “New World March” is also a return to the more industrial, IDM and experimental area of electronic music while they latest dance – drum’n’bass and techno – oriented influences are faded away. Read more Haujobb – New World March (2011)
Rorcal vs. Solar Flare – Split (2011)
From Hollywood to Melbourne and from soul to pop and from blues to metal, Solar Flare (in different forms) seems to be a quite popular name among artists. I dug till China and back, but it was kind of “mission impossible” to find anything about this particular Solar Flare. Finally I get some help from the Domino Media Agency and about this “Swiss doom conspiracy”.
Switzerland already delivered several exciting products this year, and the land of 26 cantons seems to be very resourceful also in metal. Rocal was formed in 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland and last year their released their fifth record, “HELIOGABALUS” – which is a single 70 minutes monolithic piece. Solar Flare is a side-project from Impure Wilhemina formed also in Geneva by Michael Schindl (Guitar, vocals), David Schindl (Drums), Thierry Baertschiger (Guitar) and Didier Baertschiger (Bass) in 1998. In 2006, the band suffered several line-up changes: David and Thierry leaved Geneva, and were replaced by Mario Togni (drums) and Alexandre Müller (guitar).
This collaborative split is exclusively available on Call of Ror label’s e-shop and for entire streaming on SoundCloud. Read more Rorcal vs. Solar Flare – Split (2011)
Archnemesis – Peoples Radio (2011)
Their debut full length album “Peoples Radio” is available now for free download at their official website, just like their debut EP, “Diamonds And Glass”. Cookies for Christmas! Anyway, this is a quite fan (and user) friendly approach.
Formed by Justin Aubuchon and Curt Heiny, Archnemesis prefers to defined themselves by the self-coined term “Intelligent Electro-Crunk”. Merging funky licks with acid layers, digging back to the earliest jazz and blues samples and mash them up with modern hip hop and soul samples, contorted dubsteb wobbles and to all this boiling cocktail adding their own sound and creating something brand new and fresh, Archnemesis definitively know to set a club on fire with their glowing grooves. Dancing becomes a nasty business, isn’t it? So, let’s get dirty! 🙂 Read more Archnemesis – Peoples Radio (2011)
