TEMPLƎR - Human Hate + Video Premieres

The Brvtalist is pleased to present a new release from Berlin-based, Toulouse native TEMPLƎR. The solo project of Thomas Chalandon, TEMPLƎR constructs bludgeoning rhythmic noise, infectious industrial and ritual electronics to create the perfect mix of dance floor depravity. Human Hate is the third offering from Berlin's X-IMG and it does not disappoint. 6 commanding tracks (including a remix from SΛRIN) pull you in to a scorched atmosphere that knows no bounds . To help launch the release, we have not one but two accompanying videos. The first is for the track, "The Last Walk", created by X-IMG. 

Chalandon is also a part of AREA-Z, a Toulouse-based collective of producers, DJs, artists, promoters and more. The group is responsible for one of our favorite mix series, Abyssal. The video for "LA Danse Macabre" was created by AREA-Z's own, Alison Flora. 

Human Hate is out February 14, 2017 on limited cassette and digital formats. We are fans of both X-IMG and AREA-Z and look forward to seeing more from the collectives. 

-JRS

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JFK - Nganga *Exclusive Stream*

The Brvtalist is pleased to present a new EP from experimental artist JFK. Nganga is a 6 track release out next month on pioneering label Chondritic Sound. With grinding, post-industrial chaos and punishing rhythmic noise, Nganga appeals to tastes across the musical spectrum. Standout tracks include the hypnotic percussion on "Maschinen"and the harsh electronics of "The Scythe". Top to bottom this is a standout release and we are pleased to host the entire EP streaming in full on The Brvtalist. 

Be sure to pre-order Nganga now and look for more great releases forthcoming on Chondritic Sound. 

-JRS

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New Brvtalism No. 083 + Q&A

The Brvtalist is proud to present a new mix from Grebenstein. In just a short time, the Kassel, Germany-based solo artist has produced some of the most exciting material in the realms of techno, industrial, ambient and more. With standout releases on Downwards and a new EP coming out this month on Horo, we caught up with the artist to learn about the history of the project and what to expect with the new album and upcoming release show (Feb. 18) at Ohm. Please find our Q&A below. 

The Brvtalist: I would love to hear about the inception of Grebenstein. After playing guitar and drums in various bands, you released your first solo EP under the Grebenstein moniker in 2014. What is your relationship with electronic music and was a project like this always something you envisioned? 

Grebenstein: My relationship with electronic music is quite young. When I moved to Kassel in 2010 I started recording music on my own. At this time my music still sounded like the music we were making in my last band. As I started art school my sound became more electronic, but at this time all I knew about electronic music was stuff like Ricardo Villalobos, Len Faki etc. In 2012 I played my first live shows under the moniker Grebenstein. I still used my guitar while playing live but apart from that I felt no connection between my roots as a drummer in a post-punk band and this electronic world I had just discovered. I became a bit frustrated. I had no clue how to combine both worlds properly. Then in 2013 I spent some days in Berlin and I discovered the first OAKE EP at Hardwax… that was the turning point - from there on I discovered all the Downwards releases… Blackest Ever Black etc.. and all the stuff i had listened to at this stage had a lasting impact on me. I felt more secure to experiment from there on. 

TB: Gloss is a new EP out later this month on Horo. With previous releases on Downwards, talk about your approach to this record and has anything changed with the new material? 

GR: I recorded my first EP on Downwards after struggling with an anxiety disorder. The sound of the record was caused by the feelings I had back in those days… It was all about the tension within myself. Working on the record was reflective and curing at the same time. When I worked on the Gloss EP everything had already massively changed. My mind had changed a lot. I’m more calm and focused, I take more time to work on my music. I wait for the point where everything feels "perfect“ and I have to say I’m much more interested in the technical process of creating and recording new sounds nowadays. 

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TB: The EP launch sees you playing live on February 18th at Ohm Berlin. How has your live set evolved over the last few years and what can we expect at the show? 

GR: At the moment I’m super happy with my live shows and my setup. In the past I used to have a guitar with me, a vermona drum machine, a Korg ms-20 and a NI Machine. It was too much to handle as a single person. Every show I played was an experiment and I felt bad for the people who came to see me play because I wasn’t able to recreate the tracks they knew from my records and I thought that was what they are coming for. So over the last 2 years I reduced my live-setup drastically and now I’m able to recreate the tracks from the records while still keeping a good amount of improvisation.  

TB: Tell us a little bit about the mix you made for The Brvtalist. 

GR: If you’d invite me to play a DJ-set at your next pajama-party - that’s what might happen.

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TB: What's coming up next for you? 

GR: I’m working on a new project called "Gruppe Formal“. It’s a kind of an open collective where I’m inviting people to make and discuss music with me. At the moment the plan is to do this in the form of short residencies. Working one week together and at the end of the week doing a public event, presenting what happened in form of talks, live-shows or exhibitions. One live-show by "Gruppe Formal“ will happen on April 2nd at OHM Berlin. 

The Brvtalist would like to thank Grebenstein for this great contribution to our mix series and taking the time to speak with us. Be sure to pick up Gloss and if you're in Berlin don't miss that show. 

-JRS

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Tracklist:
DVA DAMAS - Shortcut to X
Balaban - Trailer Trash
Broken English Club - Derelict
Anno Stamm - Triangular Patch of Lip
Demdike Stare - Sourcer
Ansome - Bad Blood (Perc remix)
PEARL - HOG ll (Stave remix)
Samuel Kerridge - FLA 7
Paula Temple - Gegen
OAKE - Hélicorde
Grebenstein - Self

Litanies of Skin + Q&A

At the intersection of metal and plant come the striking offerings of French jewelry label Litanies of Skin. The creations of artist and designer Maëlle Cadoret, the brand forges a powerful combination of nature and macabre, fusing iconic symbols with unique craftsmanship. Cadoret uses resin, a plant-based material with mysterious qualities along with stainless steel and the result are true works of art. We speak with the designer about her process, inspiration and more in this great Q&A below. 

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photo credit: dvwphotographie

The Brvtalist: What is your background as an artist/designer? Do you work in other mediums and has jewelry always been something you created?

Maëlle Cadoret: I never attended a fashion or jewelry school and my skills are all self-taught. I started creating first pieces around15 years ago. While I've worked in other fields I have always enjoyed making jewelry. Later, I enrolled in several training courses with professionals and craftsmen (bobbin lace makers and jewelers) on my own, outside of the casual fashion system. In 2012 I wanted to enhance my own aesthetic universe through my own brands Le Train Fantôme (now Imus Nocte) and since last year, Litanies Of Skin. I'm a hard-working girl, my job is my passion. I'm also learning bobbin lace making and patterns design as part of personal works. I'm living in south of France, in Haut-Languedoc natural park. I love long hikes in the woods, taking pictures of natural textures, landscapes or ruins (chapels, cemeteries..) which are testimonies from the past we need to preserve. I also shoot pretty girls from time to time. Speaking about my jewels, I always start with drawings – a mandatory medium to achieve my ideas. 

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TB: I would love to hear about working with resin. What drew you to it and how it is the same or different than working with other materials? 

MC: It's the main material I use for Litanies Of Skin. I launched this project because I was interested in creating something really different with a natural, cruelty-free, black material. It took me 2 and a half years to discover the final recipe. It's a constraining material which forces me to make one of the kind, hand carved items and that's the main particularity. I can materialize things I have in mind, while elaborating personal techniques with the resin – it's a limitless artistic freedom. I can also realize inclusions in the resin: fine stones (like black tourmaline, my favorite one) or others elements like ashes and hairs. It's also an eco-friendly material, which is very important to me at this time. To protect the jewels and for the finishes, I'm using a wax made by french monks, based on an ancestral recipe.

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TB: You use very iconic symbols (skull, heart, etc) but give each piece a very unique character. What types of things are you inspired by? 

MC: These are powerful symbols and I have included them in my collections since the beginning. You can easily divert from their original meaning, which provide a real freedom of interpretation. I like to play on ambiguities and find this very interesting. These are universal icons, like the symbolic shape of the heart which gives life to human passion and romantic love (even if the heart shape had also other meanings and uncertain origins and age). The skull design is terrifying and fascinating, associated to death and human vanities and can be traced back to Greco-Roman antiquity. The cross design was used for centuries prior to AD. I have been raised in a family where religion was almost something prohibited and this certainly has shaped my fascination for religious symbols. Furthermore, I'm living in a region with a strong historic background, with plenty of rich cultural heritage. In every village there are sculptures, paintings, Romanesque chapels with old cemeteries, and all of these have an inevitable and big influence on my works. Nature also has a great place in my creations, to the point that I need to spend some time in the forest everyday. I'm also sure that I would not have developed my own recipe of vegetal resin if I would have stayed in a city. I am sensitive to the poetic abstraction of Pierrette Bloch, to the black fascination of Pierre Soulages and to the complex and refined design of Aubrey Beardsley. At the moment I'm listening a lot to Eraas, Ritual Howls or Radikal Satan while working in my studio.

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TB: What is your vision for the brand and what's coming up next? 

MC: 2017 already looks like an exciting year! A new series of metal pieces will shortly be released (in a very interesting alloy). I also expect to work with tattoo artists on a capsule collection. I would like to continue to develop unisex designs (it's interesting to work in mens items). I have some editorials made with artist Peter Coulson being published soon. I'm also looking to shoot with non-standard models, and I'm always opened to work on something fresh and new.

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We would like to thank Ms. Cadoret for this great conversation and we look forward to the new offerings from the brand. Follow Litanies of Skin on Facebook and Instragram. 

-JRS 

The Brvtalist Premieres: Prostitutes - Club Style

The Brvtalist is proud to premiere a new track from American artist Prostitutes. The well known project of James Donadio, Prostitutes has released material on labels such as Diagonal and Spectrum Spools and has developed a unique sound that is both familiar yet un-categorical. "Club Style" comes off the new EP, Live At Cookout, which also marks the first offering from the newly launched Nashville-based label, Tram Planet.  The whole EP is filled with warped techno, acid and house burners that instantly infect your nervous system. "Club Style" is the perfect introduction to a stellar cassette release. 

Run by Grey People and Future DZ, Tram Planet Records is a great new label focused on experimental techno and related genres. Pick up Live at Cookout on cassette or digital now. 

-JRS 

Unboxing Creativity With The Palace Film Festival

by Leslie Gray

What does a song look like? How do you play a film? Can a still life dance? 

The Palace Film Festival, which was held at historic Thalia Hall in Chicago on January 28-29th, investigated these questions with 30 short films, 2 live performances, an afterparty featuring Xeno + Oaklander, Champagne Mirrors and Simulation and a discussion panel. It played at the intersection of art, film and music—and invited us to join them.  

Now in its 3rd year, the festival is a collaboration between Heather Gabel (musician and artist), Anna Cernigilia (Johalla Projects) and Robert Stockwell (Cinema Libertad). I asked Heather a few questions about how Palace comes to life. 

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The Brvtalist (Leslie Gray): This is the 3rd year of Palace, how has it developed from your original vision?

Heather Gabel: Palace started with a focus on the intersection of music and the moving image, on work from non-filmmakers, artists working outside of their usual medium, as well as established video artists. The programming has continued in that spirit. 

TB: What inspired the interdisciplinary focus?

HG: I was in a place creatively where I was craving a challenge, a little fear, and work in different mediums that I had little to no previous experience in. I have been doing visual art for twenty years beginning with photography, then painting, then settling into collaging for the past twelve or so years. I made a film, started writing lyrics, singing in a band—I wanted to do everything. The way all areas of my work were coming together as a result of doing all these different things simultaneously was really exciting. That, and feeling compelled to present a wide array of works connected solely by their relationships to sound are what inspired the interdisciplinary focus.

Organized religion and intimacy with a partner are filled with sacred rituals and daily rites. So where does one end and the other begin? Screened at this years Palace Film Festival, Anointing of The Sick is the third in a cinematic triptych of short films that explores these parallels. HIDE is the multi-disciplinary project of visual artist/singer Heather Gabel and musician/artist Seth Sher. 

TB: Palace is 100% curated. How do you select the artists featured? 

HG: I see what friends of friends of friends of friends are doing. I reach out to artists that I don't know whose work I want to include. I select work for it's relationship with the soundtrack/score and because I believe in and want to share it. That means an art school student is on the bill with Asia Argento (we screened the Chicago premier of "Misunderstood" in 2016) or Mark Pellington (Mothman Prophecies, we screened his feature length video for Chelsea Wolfe's "Pain is Beauty" album in 2013 titled "Lone").
 

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RED SHOES, Frédéric Nauczyciel, 2015, 4:17min Still: House of HMU

LINK: https://vimeo.com/132228516

Nauczyciel was a production manager for a dance theater when he fell in love with the camera. Today he works primarily in photography, video and performance in Paris and the US. Red Shoes explores the concept of masculinity in the underground voguing world of Baltimore–in red patent leather stilettos of course. 

TB: As a writer I have to ask, where does the written or spoken word fit in? 

HG: ADULT.'s performance piece "The Perfect Accent Piece" on Saturday night is the perfect illustration. Nicola was reading aloud written reviews of a sex doll and a vase from the internet, Adam was live manipulating Nicola's voice as she read. The video content and live performance were interactive and sounds from each informed each other.

A lot of the films are experimental and features no written or spoken word outwardly. There are always artists’ statements about the work though and that translation from visual to written language is also an intersection. 

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Heavenly Sin, Actually Huizenga, 2016, 65min Still: Actually Huizeng

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJAea_D9hJU

Musician Actually Huizenga draws on elements of Lynch and Waters to spin a tale of female sexuality, power and violence. Actually herself followed this up with a goth, rock and fantasy sexual DJ set that night. 

TB: What stood out to you, in or at the festival?

HG: I'm always really excited to share everything with the audience. Hearing people laugh or seeing them wince, it feels great be able to facilitate that. The live performances, giving artists a space to do something different, are especially rewarding.

TB: Did anything this year change what you’ll do in 2018?  

Q: We went with one live act a night this year instead of a few; I think we'll stick to that moving forward. I'm looking forward to putting it together!

We tend to put borders around our artistic expressions. There’s music class and art class. Nightclubs and dance studios. The movie theater and the stage. But in reality, film, photography, music and dance steal from and inspire each other like children. The same principles—story, rhythm and form—pulse through their veins. The Palace Film Festival stands out not just for the work it spotlights, but for the barriers it tears down.

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The Perfect Accent Piece, Kuperus & Miller (ADULT.), 2017, 40 min

Kuperus & Miller make music, sculpture, performances, videos, paintings, films, photographs and installations. Phew. Their live performance at the festival was a comment on domestic absurdity. 

For the complete list of artists, visit PalaceFilmFest.com. Follow on FB and Instagram @palacefilmfestival 

New Brvtalism No. 082

The Brvtalist is proud to present a new mix from Russian artist Morenceli. This emerging solo project first appeared in Moscow's underground in 2015 and she released her debut EP, Stigmatization, late last year on London's Blackwater Label. New Brvtalism No. 082 is a haunting narrative of crushing ambient, ritual post-industrial, rhythmic noise and beyond. 

The Stigmatization EP contains 4 tracks of experimental industrial, noise, ambient and power electronics. A classically trained musician, Morenceli's production displays an effortless grace and subversive depravity all at the same time. From the dark soundscapes of "Narcissistic Nature" to Dorian Grey's techno remix of "Caligula Statue", this is an excellent debut EP and we look forward to the artist's next release on the vinyl only label VENT. 

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With her first European shows on the horizon, we can't wait to see what's next from Morenceli. For more, visit Soundcloud and Blackwater Label. 

-JRS 

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Track List: 
Runhild Gammelsæter - Expanding The Universe
Mas - Le Roi Est Mort
Contagious Orgasm - Interception
Bee Mask - In The Karst Interior
Nocturnal Emissions - Metal Frames
Andrew Liles - Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability
Skee Mask - Autoned
Mikron - Thought Field
Pessimist - Aurora
Elements Of Joy (aka UVB) - Les Conséquences De Mes Actes
Sawf - Menete (Yuji Kondo Remix)
Imaginary Forces - Council Flat (Roly Porter’s ‘Burning Light’ Version)
Morenceli - Caligula Statue
Rouz - To Go Along The Right Pain
Blanck Mass - What You Need

Alexey Volkov - Cold Blooded Genius + Video Premiere

One release we've been waiting for to start the year is the new EP from Berlin-based, Russian artist Alexey Volkov. Cold Blooded Genius is the second installment on LINDA RECORDS and this young imprint continues to impress with its great selection of artists and thoughtful presentation. The latest vinyl offering is a beautiful translucent red 10'' with an lust-worthy accompanying poster by photographer Jan Zimmerman. The music doesn't disappoint either, with three tracks of raw, rhythmic electronics that shatters the boundaries between techno, industrial, EBM and more.

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Image by Jan Zimmerman 

The record starts perfectly with the title track on Side A building you up with its heart pounding percussion and filthy, mechanical grind. Side B begins with the tension filled, warehouse destroyer "Unfriendly Nation" and "Curtains of Flesh" closes out the release with a massive introduction that bleeds into an infectious techno assault. To help launch the release, The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere the video for the title track, "Cold Blooded Genius". 

This EP was already getting a lot of attention ahead of its release and the vinyl can now be ours. The EP is available now via Bandcamp and other fine record sellers if you can manage to get your hands on one. For more visit Facebook and Soundcloud. 

-JRS

The Brvtalist Premieres: Multiple Man - "Power Fantasy"

The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere a new track from Australian duo, Multiple Man. The project of twin brothers, Sean and Chris Campion, Multiple Man is a high energy mix of EBM, synth, wave, acid and more. "Power Fantasy" comes of their debut LP, New Metal, out on Atlanta's DKA Records. Since our first listen, we have not stopped playing this track at Brvtalist HQ and the whole LP has already become one of our favorites this year. The artists describe it best when they say New Metal is, "8 NU TRACKS OF BURNING CHROME, CROSS CONTINENTAL HI-NRG, FIRM HANDSHAKE ELECTRONIC BODY MUSIC." One listen and you will immediately be hooked. 

New Metal is available for pre order and also be sure to check out DKA's upcoming compilation, Strategies Against The Body Vol. 2. This has been one of the best labels to watch and we look forward to more from Multiple Man and DKA. 

-JRS 

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Multiple Man - New Metal (DKA Records, 2017)

New Brvtalism No. 081

I've always returned to Architectural's work, but the moment I heard Witches’ Dance, I became completely drawn to his mesmerizing spaced-out universe. There’s a certain escapism to his sound, which comes as an invitation to an alternative reality, where Kafka-esque stories are being told through noise instead of words, and abstract paintings become cohesive sonic canvases.

With his latest EP, Cubismo (which obviously draws inspiration from the early-20th century artistic movement), Juan Rico aka Architectural, does what he knows best - deconstructs the reality around him and rebuilds it in a way that reflects his aesthetic without repeating himself. The EP offers both dance-floor ready raw techno cuts, as well as a rather cinematic series called Lost in Buenos Aires, which is the perfect introduction to the mix he prepared for the Brvtalist. No. 081 feels like more the work of a narrator who guides us through different sections of a movie, which unfolds itself with each step surprising both the listener and the storyteller. The mix captures the essence of Juan Rico’s approach to music, his penchant for fragmentation of sounds sequences, but also his constant drive to experiment and to open up to new avenues of interdisciplinary arts.

The EP ‘Cubismo’ went out on December 9th 2016 and you can buy it from here. For those of you living in Berlin, make sure you catch Architectural on February 10th at Suicide Circus.

-Marie Bungau
@mariebungau

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