New Brvtalism No. 037

As the smoke rises you suddenly lose your way. Lost in a maze of darkness and brvtality, there is no glimmer of light. Consumed by fear, your body must submit.

The Brvtalist is proud to present a new mix by Chicago-based duo HIDE. The project of Heather Gabel and Seth Sher, their music immediately resonated with us, as they craft punishing tracks accompanied by haunting visuals and occult symbolism. Their live shows are an equally unique experience, immersing the audience in a hazy cloud of brvtality. Hide is a great mix of various genres, created by two fine artists with a complex and sophisticated point of view. Their three EPs invoke so many of our favorite elements that we were curious to find out more about the duo. We reached out to the band and they provided us with some great insight. Please find our Q&A below:

The Brvtalist: HIDE is a great blend of industrial, dark/synth wave, goth and experimental electronics with occult visuals and undertones. Talk a little bit about your and Seth's musical background and what you wanted to do with Hide.

Seth: I grew up listening mostly to metal as an angry teenager and my taste leaned more towards aggressive and violent metal with "something to say" rather than silly horror influenced stuff. Having played drums in most of my previous bands, I grew more and more tired of the typical band scenario and my desire to create something completely immersive overtook me. Something that literally resonated within the listener, hypnotizing them into a kind of trance state with huge, powerful, and unorthodox sounds.

Heather: I have never been in a band/made music before so I don't have much of a personal musical background. I toured for around 12 years working for a band though so I have more logistic experience than actual creative or performative experience. We started off wanting to do something really immersive, repetitive, meditative. I wanted to make something that I would want to see/hear that wasn't out there already. I have really specific tastes and strong aversions to certain sounds and was primarily interested in extending my hyper controlled visual art practice in another more messy medium. Basically looking for another means to express myself, to hear what it would sound like since I already know what it looks like.

TB: The live show kinda takes it to the next level. You and Seth are an electronic duo but it can feel like you have the force and presence of a full band. Would love to hear your approach to your live shows and performing.

Seth: I aim to create a huge and powerful wall of sound using the least amount of sounds possible. My history as a lover of all things aggressive and heavy makes our production style, which favors distortion, huge gut-punching kicks, and a loving embrace of all the dissonance/dirt you feel from a live band has a different approach to electronic music. We create songs that are centered around one evolving, pulsing mass that breathes and builds organically using live mixing and effects to tune into the resonant frequency of our surroundings.

Heather: Thank you! I had never been on stage before this band so that we are able to impart that force and presence is fucking awesome to hear. I attribute it to a few things, but our live stage setup is a huge part of it. We play in the dark with fog and three separately triggered strobes, only. We opened a bunch of shows for Marilyn Manson and we were playing these huge places with crazy lights and we would tell the confused house lighting person to turn everything off. We were able to transform these cavernous venues into intimate environments with a very specific area of visual interest. It fits our sound. We are as much about what isn't there as much as by what is. It's not a revolutionary set up or anything but the power to transform a space visually like that, to only allow glimpses into what's going on, is something we rely on. As far as performing, I am full on exorcising demons. I can barely see. I'm about to fall over the whole time. It's a completely visceral experience for me.

TB: Both of you are also great visual artists operating in mediums like collage, painting, graphics and photography. What is the relationship between your work as a fine artist and your work in Hide? Are they totally separate worlds for your or do you see them tied together?

Seth: Everything I do and think and create in every aspect of existence is working within and emitting from the whole of my being. Every piece of work I have created or will create revolves around seeing all dimensions of everything at once, never seeing only the surface of its meaning.

Heather: They are definitely not separate worlds for me. I said, when we started this band I was interested in it as another medium, but through this form of expression I've been able to get closer to the core of that part of myself that I am trying to get out. Like a direct channel has been carved out through the process of making and performing these songs. I used to feel informed about myself, post creation process, when I made visual art, whereas now, as a result of this "direct route" I have discovered/accessed with HIDE, it's like a veil has been lifted and there is more transparency, immediacy and I feel a stronger connection to my visual art, it feels like a much more accurate expression of the way I feel than it ever has before.

TB: Tell us about your mix and talk about how you chose the tracks. Also feel free to talk about some of your own influences in music and beyond.

Hide: We both selected songs that have been tracks we always go back to despite our more passing fancies - that have been a sort of mainstay in each of our different paths musically throughout the years. With regards to the newer tracks we've chosen, they embody the ethos of what we have always been moved by. It's maybe a little more schizophrenic (Seth is essentially a metalhead who likes techno and I grew up on death rock, d-beat, peace punk bands) than some other mixes on The Brvtalist but hopefully the commonality of the aggressively unapologetic spirit in these tracks comes across to the listener. I would say that spirit, abstractly, is much more an influence on what we're doing than any band or genre in particular.

TB: What's next for HIDE?

Hide: We are taking a break from playing shows currently, we were playing a few times a month to save money to record a proper record. Aside from writing new material for a full length we are working on a video piece for The Palace Film Festival in Chicago this January. We are coming to LA to do a record with Joe Cardamone at Valley Recording Co in Burbank. I've (Heather) been friends with Joe since the late 90's. He gets it.

We've got similarly passionate loves and hates when it comes to music and I've always dug and respected what he was doing with his band The Icarus Line. I was really excited when he asked about doing a re-mix for a HIDE track, which was initially how we got to talking recording. He did end up doing a re-mix, it's on an upcoming EP we did for Midwich Records (Jim Magas's label), and it's so good. We are really excited about it, it's our first vinyl release. Seth's been in the studio before but I haven't. We recorded everything we've put out ourselves so far, (three tapes, 2 songs each) as well as the tracks for the upcoming EP, in our practice space ourselves, so this will be my first time making a record. Really can't wait to get out there and start working on it, hungry for the new experience and thrilled to be working with Joe.

We would like to thank Heather and Seth for their great responses and for contributing an incredible mix. We look forward to forthcoming Hide material and can't wait to see them again live. For more information please visit Hide, Facebook and Youtube.

-JRS

Tracklist:

The Imperial House Band - Isé No Umi
Church of the Universal and Triumphan - Decree Remix
Marital Vows - Trauma
Einstürzende Neubauten - Krieg in den Städten(live)
Test Dept - Shockwork
Spk - A Heart that Breaks in No time or Place
PIL - Four Enclosed Walls
Swans - Coward
Jesus Lizard - Boilermaker
Rudimentary Peni - Inside
Christian Death - Spiritual Cramp
Sadist - Minotaur's Maze
Discharge - The Nightmare Continues
Ministry - Breathe
Dystopia - Stress Builds Character
Crass - Shaved Women
The Creatures - Festival of Colours
Adult - Kick in the Shin
Sisters of Mercy - Valentine
Brett Naucke - Harp of the Evening Garden
Perc - My Head is Slowly Exploding (Original mix)
Meshuggah - Concatenation
Pantera - Altered State
NON - Total War

DL: http://bit.ly/1NxyPs3

Subversive - "Domestique"

Now listening at Brvtalist Headquarters is the latest release from VRV techno artist Subversive. "Domestique" follows up last season's "Chainbreaker" with powerful atmospheric movements that leave the listener in a pitch black hypnosis. Subversive utilizes strong rhythmic elements and synthesize a variety of patterns to create dramatic environments that are perfect for extended warehouse rituals. Also included on the EP is the Raíz remix of "Corosync", which dives deep into the thick beat construction the duo have become known for.

This release is timed perfectly as we approach the 13 year anniversary of Interface in Los Angeles. The 53rd(!) installment of the Droid Behavior event is a true testament to the creators and supporters of the Droid collective and its commitment to bringing their unique brand of techno to Los Angeles and beyond. Since its creation, Interface has taken place in such cities as New York, Detroit, Amsterdam, San Francisco and Denver. Residents Raíz, Truncate and Drumcell continue to share with the world their unique perspective on techno, production and performance. We were fortunate enough to speak with Vidal Vargas (Raíz, Droid co-founder) and we asked him to say a few words about the event:

Droid Behavior residents have been busier then ever with Droid Behavior Showcases and Interface events worldwide happening with increasing frequency, but it is only right we bring it back to the place where it all began... Los Angeles. Celebrating 13 years of collective existence, we present the 53rd installment of Interface series on Saturday November 28th.

We would like to thank Vidal for his assistance with this feature and we congratulate Droid Behavior on a truly incredible run and we look forward to seeing more releases and events from them for years to come. "Domestique" is out now and please visit Droid Behavior and Interface 53 for more information.

-JRS

New Brvtalism No. 036

Night falls and your judgment awaits. Kneel before your master as the seconds tick away. You embrace the end but it's only the beginning.

The Brvtalist is proud to present a live mix by prolific electronic music artist Rich Oddie. Known for his work with seminal techno duo Orphx and experimental project O/H among others, Oddie has been a key player in the global electronic music community for over two decades. We are excited to release this special live mix recorded on September 10, 2015 at Urban Spree in Berlin. This was for a party called Fleisch and other DJs that night included Tzusing, Phase Fatale, Zoe Zanias, Lghtwght and Primary. This is an incredible odyssey that connects the dots between EBM, industrial, techno and experimental.

2016 will be another stellar year for Oddie as we can expect new releases from Orphx, Eschaton, O/H and Oureboros, as well as new solo material. The next European tour for Orphx will be in April / May 2016, with other live dates for all projects throughout the year. We could not be more pleased to present this special mix from an artist we have always admired and we look forward to hearing more from Oddie in the coming year.

-JRS

*Cover photograph by Deane Madsen. Live photograph by Michelle White.

Tracklist:

SPK - Metal Field
Hard Corps - Dirty
Liasons Dangereuses - Los Ninos del Parque
Ministry - We Believe
Klinik - Burning Inside
Lassigue Bendthaus - Automotive
PTP - Rubber Glove Seduction
Skinny Puppy - Deadlines
Acid Horse - No Name, No Slogan
Beau Wanzer - Fuk U Klaxons
Front 242 - U-Men
A Split Second - Flesh
Legowelt - Total Pussy Control
Click Click - Sweet Stuff
Chris and Cosey - Love Cuts
Cute Heels - Silence Complot
DAF - El Que
Nitzer Ebb - Control I'm Here
Cyberaktif - Temper
Front 242 - Moldavia
Klinik - Memories
The Hacker - Village of the Damned
Nitzer Ebb - Let Your Body Learn
Sarin - Interceptor
Terence Fixmer - Electrostatic
Solvent - Burn The Tables (Orphx remix)
Download - Glassblower
Powell - Club Music (Ancient Methods Körpersäure 91 mix)
Silent Servant - Cut Unconscious
Polar Inertia - Floating Away Fire
Blush Response - Fenix
Orphx - Outcast
Rich Oddie - Bloodstream
British Murder Boys - Anti-Inferno
Smell The Flesh - Hail Kongo
Female - Backlash
Rumenige - Kylie (Regis BHX mix)
P.E.A.R.L. - All Gods of Men (Oscar Mulero remix)
Monolith - The Inner Core

Nick Zinner's 601 Photographs: Interview by Aaron Montaigne

The Brvtalist is proud to present the first collaborative feature with infamous Los Angeles gallery Lethal Amounts and Aaron Montaigne. One of the events that caught our eye was famed guitar player Nick Zinner's (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Headwound City) upcoming photography show. Titled "601 Photographs", the show features photos that Zinner captured from years of touring the world. Artist and musician Aaron Montaigne (Dangerous Boys Club, Antioch Arrow) is both a friend and collaborator of Zinner and we thought it best to put them together and the result is a very candid and insightful interview. See the Q&A below:

Los Angeles 1500 hrs, November 4, 2015.

Aaron Montaigne: I am here at Chateau Zinner, Studio City here with Nick Zinner, legendary guitarist of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and prolific photographer. The first thing I am curious about before we get into talking about your show is to ask about the first thing that inspired you to want to take pictures.

Nick Zinner: I think, as with many things in my life, it started with a girl. I had a girlfriend who I was in high school with and she introduced me to photography. So I took a class and liked the aspect of taking things from normal life, which is always a struggle in high school, and transforming it into something else and crystalizing that time. I remember the summer after meeting her between my junior and senior year of high school I traveled around Europe and took a lot of photos, a few of which I still really like. At the time I was very shy and weird and taking pictures gave me a sort of purpose. It gave me a sense of in any given situation a way to interact and experience what was happening around me instead of just being a shy kid in the corner.

AM: At what age did you start taking photos, what was your format and what was your first camera?

NZ: I was 16 shooting black and white. I didn’t shoot color until I was in college at Bard. When in college I bought a Nikon F2, it was a camera that fell off of a cliff and survived. It became my camera of choice for the time being. I always shot black and white and I always developed my own film and got pretty good at printing. I went to college to study photography, it was my major so when I moved to New York City printing was the only real skill I had and did that for a few years.

AM: Cool.

AM: I met you after College wandering z streets of Williamsburg and we would spy each other across train platforms recognizing each others taste in black clothes. Upon meeting you I soon discovered that locals considered you the “Mayor” of Williamsburg.

NZ: (Laughs), At the time I was.

AM: Then, like now you always had a camera with you and I always thought that was really cool and I was always curious if that was a tool for you to break z ice in any situation.

NZ: Yeah, its still the same and will never go away. But also it was a way for me to capture a moment. Even if its a shitty photo, it still a moment in time captured forever.

AM: At that time in z late 90’s early 2000’s you were playing in a band called Challenge of the Future, pre-Yeah Yeah Yeahs

NZ: Yeah

AM: At that point of time was music becoming more important to you, or was photography?

NZ: I think at that time it was probably music. I moved down to New York with the Challenge of the Future guys, we all went to Bard together. At that time it was like ’98, ’99. We really wanted to be a successful band, you know make records and play shows and that just didn’t happen. All of our lives and jobs got in the way, same story of any band, you start fighting and things don’t go how you want them to. It was hard, move to New York with a dream and failed (laughs).

AM: Ultimately no…

NZ: But in that band, as a band we failed but it was a great experience, we’re still friends.

AM: but at that time music was taking over your passion?

NZ: I tried working as a photographer, I didn’t learn any technical skills because I studied under art photographers. I never learned to “light” anything or be employed as a photographer, I took band photos, I shot your band The Witches

AM: The bloodbath show?

NZ: Yeah

AM: Nice! I would love to see that.

AM: Cool, well obviously your style of photography is “shooting in z moment” candid style, but who has been your greatest muse?

NZ: Definitely Karen O

NZ: A lot of photos I take are while I’m on tour. I always shoot Karen and Brian. A lot of my favorite pictures are of them.

AM: I realized early on that art and music go hand and hand. I discovered this when it came time to actualize making record covers for my bands. Did any record cover or band photos ever influence you? For me it was always pop art or Roxy Music. Did any inspire you?

NZ: I never really thought about that….. I like Anton Corbin’s stuff, classic work. When Robert Frank followed the Rolling Stones around, when he made Cocksucker Blues which is more film but he is one of my favorite photographers. His stills from the film made it to the cover of Exile on Main Street, I like the gritty candidness and starkness. As for record art, a lot of photos are posed and I never really knew how to do that.

AM: Tell me about the show your doing at Lethal Amounts on November 20th. The Brvtalist himself is wondering if this was a conceived exhibition or did you realize you were sitting on an archive of really killer pictures and decided to share?

NZ: Its something I've been wanting to do in LA for a long time. Its based on some shows I've done in the last three or four years. I've done two shows where I had 1,000 photos and for the Photoville festival in New York around 2 years ago we brought it down to 500 images. Danny from Lethal Amounts approached me to do a show, so I am showing 601 Photographs which is the title of the show. Basically its a bigger space than my last show and i wanted to show some newer photos too. This show I am trying to re-emphasize the music aspect of my work where as in the New York show it was more of my documentary and traveling work. There is also another section of the show where I exhibit “Slept in Beds” which is something that I do. Everywhere I sleep, when I wake up I take a picture of where I've slept.

AM: (showing me z bed photos) Wow some are glamorous, some not so much.

NZ: I feel like its such a big overlooked part of traveling or touring, or just living. Obviously you spend, in my case as much time as possible sleeping (laughs), and when you’re on tour or traveling its just not something you think about and when you put the photos together there is an interesting, potentially lost narrative.

AM: So anyone that knows you or has ever visited z Zinner maison in z past 25 years has known that you are sitting on like 9 million photos.

NZ: (laughs)

AM: So what I am curious is how did you decide which 601 to use out of 9 million for this show?

NZ: Its not easy to be totally objective, what is a great photograph and what is not. I was working with a curator for my last show, there would be images that I thought were great. It would be a photo of someone who I was close to or a time or moment that triggered some significant emotion, and the curator would be like that photograph is not interesting at all. For me choosing the images to present, I’m looking for something special that maybe inspires a reaction, An image that suggests more than it actually is. Or sometimes just something sort of funny , or creepy. There are no dates or titles on any of my photos so I want each picture to be specific and also vague so you can imagine half a dozen before and after or during scenarios, like a film still.

AM: To me looking at your photos is like looking into a microcosm of your life.

NZ: Yeah, I actually don’t think about that as much as I should. Thats always at the end when everything is up on a wall and I think Shit, this is actually my life.

AM: Well and you are a fairly private person.

NZ: Yeah, and so if its really personal, I wont show it.

AM: (Looking at one of Nicks photos of Justin Pearson) Does JP really have “punk” tattooed in his lip?

NZ: Yeah.

AM: Nice.

AM: I am curious about the photo of z ladies with the masks thats the header shot for your show.

NZ: I take pictures of every crowd I play to. I like Robert Frank and William Klein from the 1960’s and 1970’s. They have photographs I like where there will be a street shot but there will be 25 faces or heads in one frame and I love the way crowds look, so many faces and the idea of all of those faces in formation for one time and one time only is inspiring. So that particular image was from a Yeah Yeah Yeahs video shoot for the 2007 EP Is is. So we shot the video with Lance Bangs who is in the photo. This video was shot at Glasslands in Brooklyn in the dark. We had two shows, one which was only girls and the second was co-ed. We filmed them in the dark, had the audience wear glasses and shot it in night vision.

AM: Cool.

AM: Do you think Lady GaGa is hot?

NZ: Umm occasionally, occasionally.

We would like to thank Nick Zinner, Aaron Montaigne and Lethal Amounts for this great interview. 601 Photographs opens this Friday, November 20th, at Lethal Amounts Gallery. Sponsored by Amoeba Hollywood. For more information please visit their official website.

-JRS

New Brvtalism No. 035

Flesh covered steel is all that remains. The stench of dread cuts the air. As you work under darkness, you finally feel at home.

The Brvtalist is proud to present a new mix by New York City-based artist duo Material Lust. Christian Lopez Swafford and Lauren Larson are responsible for some of our favorite furniture, object and interior designs over the past few years. The duo infuses alchemical symbolism and sacred geometry into what can only be described as "functional sculpture".

Their "Geometry is God" series are captivating works that utilize paganism and ancient ideologies to create furniture and objects that convey a powerful presence, transcending the medium and existing in a space in between art and philosophy. We were immediately drawn not only to their design aesthetic, but the duo's dedication to working within different disciplines, maintaining a unique ideology throughout. The pair calls this ideology "Oppressionism", and it is defined as the combination of heavy-handed theatrics with high design and its exploitation of uncomfortable and often pornographic imagery. We reached out to the artists to learn more about their work and we are excited the share the Q&A below:

The Brvtalist: This is kind of the ultimate New Brvtalism for me because you guys are artists who are now well known as furniture and interior designers and you also made a mixtape for us. Talk about the importance of multi-disciplinary practice and how you have found your way into all these different things.

Material Lust: We explore as many mediums as possible. Our studio has music on all day and night so a mix tape would be a natural extension of our design/art process. That being said with this mix we chose to do something that was more direct in presentation. I was tired of listening to cerebral mixes of drones that proliferate soundcloud (although I love drone). We are combating that with a tribute to our guilty pleasures.

We practice interior design, furniture design, lighting design, graphic design, textile design and set design. With so many different types of projects happening at once we really have to keep a watch on our brand and vision. Every project has to fit in our overall vision for our practice or else we don't take it on. Since we are both artists at heart we want our body of work in the end to read like the life and work of an artist.

TB: I have to talk about the "Geometry is God" line. Striking furniture and home accessories like the Pagan Chair and Candelabra that are infused with sacred geometry and alchemical symbolism. These are true works of art. Do you find that you often look to pagan symbolism and alchemy for inspiration in your work? Are you interested in their meaning for purposes beyond design and aesthetic and how does your philosophy of "Oppressionism" play into this?

ML: That line is heavily influenced by the geometry's of alchemy, hieroglyphics and cave paintings. It was our introduction as a brand and we wanted to create something primal and striking. We like to constantly reinvent ourselves and what often changes is our reference source material. For our work coming out in 2016 we will be referencing surrealist, folk and religious/anti-religious themes with our work. It will still very much look like Material Lust but will have more hand carved and hand illustrated pieces. It would be easy for us to just keep doing the Geometry is God collection over and over, and we will be adding a couple new pieces to that collection, but for 2016 we are declaring "Geometry is Dead".

Oppressionism is a term we coined to vocalize our frustration at the trend following and low quality driven nature of the Art and Design world. Giant companies sell poorly made, under designed, disposable furniture, lighting and art. There has been a backlash against this with many designers making things in the US and out of higher quality materials but even then what is the point of making something high quality if it is also devoid of any voice or perspective? In order for us to survive we have to always feel like we are fighting against something. Admittedly, what we are fighting against changes every time you ask us.

TB: I also love that Material Lust is a duo. Talk about the interplay between you guys and the artistic process. You both have slightly different backgrounds so how do you think you've come together to create something so cohesive?

ML: We are both very different people and designers but when we come together we don't become a mixture of those ideas. We become a third separate identity with its own ideas and vision. Material Lust is its own organism and we are just trying to use our experiences and skills to pull out the best work possible from it. We do battle it out when it comes to details on a design but instead of getting super frustrated we try and embrace the process. All our work has been drawn and criticized and redrawn and prototyped and criticized and re-prototyped a million times over before it is ready to be shown.

TB: The surrealist children's line, "Fictional Furniture", is amazing (the Ibis is also one of my favorite birds). Talk about how this came about and did you ever envision creating a kids line?!

ML: While we where heavily into Egyptian Hieroglyphics a gallery named Kinder Modern approached us about doing a kids collection and we instantly said yes. It all happened pretty organically. Our idea was to create heirloom quality gender neutral kids furniture that does not look juvenile and in turn subconsciously introduces the child to a world of hand crafted art and design. Through the process of designing that collection we started to integrate some surrealist influences and that opened up a whole new world and direction for us. The Crawl Chair in carved walnut with its primitive hands and feet is our first extension of those influences.

TB: What is next for Material Lust and is there anything you haven't done that you would like to get into?

ML: We are busy designing the 2016 collection as well as introducing a line of textiles named Derma. Derma is a collaboration with textile artists To Dødsfall based in Brooklyn. We are kindred spirits and when they approached us about doing a collaboration it was an instant creative shot to the arm. We released the first piece and we have already gained a ton of attention (which never happens, its usually a slow burn, especially with our work). We are also opening up a small gallery in Manhattan. It will be a super small space that is a curated collection of our work mixed with antiques and art. We are planning on changing the installation out every 3-4 months and having a new fully realized and meticulously designed space.

We would like to thank Christian and Laura for their insightful responses and for their great mix. New Brvtalism No. 035 contains industrial metal, folk, goth and more and we love that it was named "Guilty Pleasures". The Brvtalist is always interested in artists who are not bound by any discipline and who continue to evolve while carrying a philosophy through all of their work. Material Lust has fast become one of the most innovate and unpredictable artists working today and we couldn't be more honored to feature them on our site. For more information please visit Material-Lust.com.

-JRS

Track list:
Nine Inch Nails - Last
Clock DVA - Buried Dreams
Zombi - Spirit Animal
Revolting Cocks - Stainless Steel Providers
Siouxsie & The Banshees - Monitor
L7 - Wargasm
Rammstein - Das Modell
Type O Negative - Drunk in Paris
Chemlab - I still Bleed
KMFDM - Terror
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Mideast Vacation
Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored
Brujeria - Seis Seis Seis
3TEETH - Nihil

Daniel Menche and Mamiffer - "Crater"

The Brvtalist is proud to feature the latest release by Washington-based, experimental project Mamiffer and abstract sound artist Daniel Menche. Crater is an album four years in the making and documents the intimate friendship between the Pacific Northwest inhabitants. Comprised of Aaron Turner (Isis) and Faith Coloccia (Barnett + Coloccia), Mamiffer has shown through several releases that their music exists in a very unique space - somewhere in between drone, doom, ambient and noise. Known for their powerful and transformational works, it was no surprise that a partnership with illustrious sound artist Daniel Menche would produce such a prodigious album.

Crater is both effectual and evocative, perfectly summarizing the landform for which it is named. Mamiffer's combination of haunting electronics and sorrowing hymns is the perfect compliment to Menche's cerebral abstractions. The record puts the listener into the room with the trio and one can slowly envision the environment and atmosphere that inspired the music. Truly cinematic in proportion, Crater unveils an excellent new chapter in the progression of Turner and Coloccia, and is another impressive entry in the Daniel Menche catalog. We asked the artists to say a few words about the release and Turner and Menche contributed the following:

Never underestimate the power of a good hike with good friends to inspire sounds and noise that runs deep with our friendship and in turn this collaboration recording "Crater".
- Daniel Menche

Working with people where there's an underlying foundation of friendship, has in our experience, always produced the most meaningful results. There's a greater human depth to the experience of making the music, as well as listening back to it because of the personal bonds between the creators. I believe this is something that can be felt by listeners as well.
-Aaron Turner

For your listening pleasure we have also included the track "Husk", which is a great example of the album's force and scope. Crater is out November 13th on the always impressive Sige Records and will be available on CD, cassette and digital formats.

-JRS

Sporting Guide: Q&A with Liz Goldwyn

Being Los Angeles natives, we are always struggling with negative stereotypes, misconceptions and a lack of understanding about our great city. Few people truly know about our fascinating past and even fewer go to the next level and share it with the rest of the world. Enter Sporting Guide: Los Angeles, 1897 - a new work of historical fiction written by acclaimed author, director (Pretty Things) and native Liz Goldwyn. When we first heard about her new book we immediately identified with the concept. Ms. Goldwyn has created a portal back in time - to an era of the city that was filled with development, expansion, vice and corruption. During the late 1800's Los Angeles was a booming town of settlers and dreamers and the city was essentially up for grabs. This created a beautifully twisted Darwinist world of sordid tales and captivating figures.

Sporting Guide does an incredible job of using historical facts and people and crafting something totally new and unique - capturing the essence of the time while still very much maintaining a connection to the present. We love the book's characters and the depiction of vice, corruption and lawlessness had us hooked like a classic pulp novel. We were hungry for more information and reached out to the author. Ms. Goldwyn graciously discussed her book with us and we are excited to share the Q&A below:

The Brvtalist: Sporting Guide takes place in Los Angeles in 1897, not necessarily a year people associate with the city. Being a native myself, I always love to see our amazing past exposed. Talk about the decision to set your book in L.A. at this time and your connection to the place and history.

Liz Goldwyn: I wanted to set my story in my own hometown, at the dawn of the Industrial Age, well before the movie business, which most people associate with the beginning of Los Angeles - I love being able to show an earlier time of a city I love, at a pivotal moment where so much change and technological advance was upon us. Now a century plus later, in the world of online sex, Tinder, Grinder, sexting and Snapchat, so little has changed of the basic human experience of love, sex, addiction fear and loss. It's fascinating to see the same stories repeat themselves whether in 1897 or 2015.

Sporting Guide: Los Angeles, 1897. Image courtesy of The Huntington Library.

TB: I love that you find glamour in the worlds of vice and illegal trade. What do you think draws you to these types of characters and what about them interests you?

LG: I wouldn't say that the world of prostitution as depicted in Sporting Guide is glamorous. Perhaps on the surface - silks, ostrich feathers, perfumes and stockings may be aesthetically pleasing, but my characters are by and large lonely hustlers, driven by necessity to their trade, one which uses their bodies and places great strain upon their souls. Ultimately of course, I am as drawn to vice as the next gal but digging deeper, I am interested in humanity, in all its' flaws and ugliness and have a desire to shine light on people who have been ignored or forgotten by the history books because of their profession.

TB: The book is historical fiction which is such a great genre. Many of the characters and locations in your book are based on real people and places. I've been so curious to know how you approached the research and going this far back in Los Angeles history.

LG: First I had the characters in mind - Mr. X, Jack , Frances and a version of Cora Phillips. Back when I was finishing my first (nonfiction) book, Pretty Things: The Last Generations of American Burlesque Queens, I started simultaneously researching prostitution in a broader scope (courtesans of the Italian Renaissance, bordellos of ancient Rome, harems, etc.) and found again that many of the same themes and situations repeated themselves in every time period. Later I decided to set it in Los Angeles, making the city the seventh character in the story. I love research so that part was second nature to me. It was hard to pull myself away from the facts and data I amassed over a number of years. I had to let the characters start speaking to me at a certain point and let the details become part of the background and the interstitial chapters.

TB: We love to talk about fashion and style - what are some of your favorite aspects of the fashions from this period? Was this a pivotal time in style for madams, call girls and the like?

LG: I actually love 19th century men's fashion. Give me a dandy any day! A floppy bow tie on Oscar Wilde or high button shoes. For women, it's all about a bloomer with the slit in the ass. Talk about covered up with a sexy surprise!

Author Liz Goldwyn. Image courtesy of Regan Arts.  Photograph by Keegan Allen. — Author Liz Goldwyn. Image courtesy of Regan Arts. Photograph by Keegan Allen.

We would like to thank Liz Goldwyn for her great responses and it has been a pleasure for The Brvtalist to discover such a great book and be able to speak with its author. Sporting Guide: Los Angeles, 1897 is available now through Regan Arts and other fine booksellers. We urge you to pick up a copy as you won't be able to put it down.

-JRS

New Brvtalism No. 034

An alien phenomenon engulfs the earth. Forces which are not known cannot be interrupted. A new phase begins.

The Brvtalist is proud to present a new mix by Los Angeles-based, multi-disciplinary artist Suzy Poling. Operating under the moniker Pod Blotz for her music endeavors, Poling creates some of the most innovative and thought provoking audio experiments we have heard to date. Also working within the mediums of performance art, photography, painting, video and light installations, Poling has been one of our favorite artists for the past few years. Inspired by ecological oddities, space, natural phenomena and more, her work presents an inspired point of view that is both gripping and awe inspiring. Her depiction of the natural and supernatural world, and its relationship to the human experience has compelled us ever since we laid eyes upon her work.

We have been fortunate enough to see Pod Blotz perform live on a few occasions and each time is a unique experience. This Saturday, November 7th, offers a new opportunity to see her perform and this time it is along side Brvtalist favorite Ariisk, LFA and Future Blondes. Expect a fully immersive environment incorporating video, visuals arts and more.

We would like to thank Suzy for her amazing contribution to our series. For more information please visit her official website.

-JRS

Tracklist:

Wenn Stiere Richtig Wild Werden - Dr. P. Li Khan
The Need - Chris & Cosey
Body Language - Corporate Park
Absolute Blue - L.F.A.
El Continent - Novy Svet
Ernste Stunde - Maska Genetik
His Arm Was Her Leg - Throbbing Gristle
Neger Brauchen Keine Elektronik - CHBB
Ephedrin - Ke/Hil
Baby Blue Eyes - SPK
Beyond Temptation - Chris Carter
Citizen - S. English
Mag Unser Sein - Wermut
Peacock/ Catch PH - Portion Control
New Phase - Portion Control
Pod Blotz - Other Side of Night

United Nude A/W 2015

While Fall has technically been underway for some time, here in Los Angeles we are just getting our first real glimpse of the cloudy weather, crisp air and cool nights. Nothing can celebrate such an occasion more than new shoes. Boots are synonymous with Fall weather and we are constantly looking for interesting and progressive fashion in the footwear arena. Over the past couple of years, Dutch brand United Nude has continued to entice us with their avant-garde designs, groundbreaking collaborations (Iris Van Herpen) and compelling accessories. UN launched their first shoe, Möbuis, in 2003 and it has since been recognized as a design classic, nearly cementing the brand's name as a leader in architectural footwear. Each season we are always impressed by the company's offerings - whether it be their use of materials, details or color palate, there are few labels that are re-thinking fashion like United Nude.

The Autumn/Winter 2015 collection is no exception. Here you will find silver and gold desert boots direct from the future, women's heels that redefine the category and cutting edge accessories that subtly make a very bold statement. We were given access to the stunning images of this great collection and below please find some of our selections:

Iris Van Herpen x United Nude - Biopiracy Boot Black

Thank you to United Nude for giving us access to their great photographs and we are already looking forward to the Spring collection. For more information please visit the brand's official site.

-JRS

Deth Crux - "Pears of Anguish"

The Brvtalist is proud to premiere the new EP by Los Angeles-based five piece Deth Crux. Comprised of members of Ancestors, Lightning Swords of Death, Buried at Sea and more, Deth Crux is truly an amalgamation of its predecessors, creating blackened deathrock that transfuses elements of doom, post-punk and primitive black metal.

<a href="http://dethcrux.bandcamp.com/album/pears-of-anguish">Pears of Anguish by Deth Crux</a>

"Pears of Anguish" is the band's debut release and offers an exquisite taste of the group's musical genetics. Mixed by famed engineer Sanford Parker (Corrections House), the EP is a successful evolution of genres and we were immediately drawn to the haunting atmospherics and dystopian themes of the tracks. After already performing live with bands such as Ides of Gemini and Abigail Williams, Deth Crux is poised to infiltrate with their unique brand of assailing rhythms and dark glamour. We are pleased to present the EP streaming in full and we look forward to more material from the band.

-JRS