The Brvtalist is proud to present a mix from Manni Dee. This entry in our series was recorded live on October 20th, 2017 at the Omen Recordings night in Los Angeles, CA. This was the U.K. artist's U.S. debut and he destroys.
With big releases on Perc Trax, Leyla, Candela Rising and more, Manni Dee is one of the most crushing producers out right now. For more visit Facebook.
-JRS
After releasing the impressive “Human Augmentation” EP earlier this year, Blush Response is back on Sonic Groove with “Infinite Density”, a full length which proves the artist is slowly, but surely moving towards a more polished sound that still manages to remain Brvtal. Theres an infectious rhythm that makes his music actually worthy of that ubiquitous EBM "label" we keep seeing these days. He’s definitely a name to follow closely as his passion for music and prolific creativity (you should also check out his other projects KONKURS and Impulse Controls) are a sign that there’s more goodness to come from Blush Response in the near future.
We caught up with Joey to talk about Infinite Density, Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly) and to find out whether or not he’s a replicant.
The Brvtalist (Marie Bungau): Hi Joey, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. You've just released your first full length on Sonic Groove. How does it feel and how has been the feedback so far?
Blush Response: This is definitely my proudest achievement at the moment. Sonic Groove is my favorite techno label. I was a fan way before I was their artist, and it feels like a perfect fit. So far reception has been overwhelmingly positive, and that definitely puts the pressure on me for the next release! haha
TB: This is your second release on Sonic Groove, after the amazing EP “Human Augmentation”. How did you and Adam meet and why do you think this collaboration works so well?
BR: Adam and I met at Berghain. I went to see him DJ, and we got to talking. I think I annoyed him enough that eventually he let me release on the label. Adam and I are both major rivetheads so it was an instant bromance once we started talking about music.
Blush Response - Infinite Density (Sonic Groove, 2017)
TB: Walk us through the release a bit. What inspired “Infinite Density”?
BR: There are several inspirations for Infinite Density - both from things I have experienced personally, and observed happening in the world. I prefer to keep the real intentions to myself. This album was a catharsis for me. An expurgation of a lot of negativity and angst I had held inside of me, an anxiety that was infinitely dense. That is just one side of it.
TB: How does your creative process work? Do you just prefer to go with the flow, play with the gear and see where the inspiration takes you or do you start with something in mind and try to work in that direction?
BR: I always go with the flow. Many times when I have an idea in mind and I try to force it out, it never comes out the same way, or takes too long to achieve the perfect image in my mind. I'd much rather let things happen organically. I usually scrap things if they aren't working out in a short enough time.
TB: The album features a collaboration with Rhys Fulber. How did you two work on this one and how did you meet Rhys?
BR: The story of how I met Rhys is actually pretty cool. Alan Wilder of Depeche Mode was doing his Recoil tour, and some friends of mine had seen him on a few dates and gotten to know him a bit. For whatever reason, he needed a Korg MS20 for two nights, and they called me because they knew I had one. So I went down to Baltimore with my MS20 and Alan used it there and in New York. Rhys was opening for him as Conjure One, and Daniel Myer was doing his Architect project as well. I always think how strange it would be if I hadn't gone. I was a bit conflicted since it was the night of Halloween. This conflict didn't last long though. If I hadn't gone I wouldn't have met Rhys or Daniel, both of whom I love dearly. As for the collaboration, I sent the track to Rhys just for feedback, and he said he heard a part for it, so I told him to do it, and that's that!
TB: There is one track called “Aum Shinrikyo”, which is a Japanese cult who carried out a sarin attack in the Tokyo underground in 1995. Was this event a source of inspiration and if so, how come?
BR: The event didn't inspire the track at all, but the entire idea of cult thought and mind control - how someone can be driven to insanity because of their belief in something, was a big inspiration. Sometimes for me, track titles are as much about how the words look as they are what they mean. One example of this is TESSELATE. To me, the way the word looks and sounds is similar to the track itself in my mind. With Aum Shinrikyo, I really loved the way the name sounded, and it went well with what I had in mind with the mental slavery/terror concept.
TB: I believe Infinite Density has a powerful sound with a story that seems to keep it all together and make it flow, almost like a film score. In a way, it reminds me of Tetsuo: The Iron Man. Would you ever consider doing music for films?
BR: That would be a dream of mine. I would love to score films and video games. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to present my music. If I knew how, I would make some sort of game that ties directly in with the music. The full experience in VR, some way. Where you can only hear the rest by progressing through the game, and everything ties together. I have no idea how to go about this, or what sort of mechanics I would use in the game to make it work, but it's something I've considered.
TB: You mentioned previously that for you a live performance is like a statement, where you are communicating with your audience through your gestures and sounds. Do you see this performance as a dialogue where the input coming from the listeners determine where the sound will go or do you prefer to create a journey and just guide them?
BR: When I'm on stage, I am the master of ceremonies. I control the energy levels. I think we all experience a shared hallucination, and I help guide the crowd on their way through our imagined world. Feedback from the crowd influences when I make moves, but what world I decide to move us to is entirely up to me.
TB: Why does cyberpunk and anime seem to have such an appeal to you?
BR: I don't know why, I just know that it does. From the first second I saw anything like that, I knew it was cool and something I wanted to explore. I think the first cyberpunk thing I saw was the Aeon Flux cartoon on MTV in the 90s. Something about the look and feel really touches me.
Blush Response - Infinite Density (Sonic Groove, 2017)
TB: I know you saw Blade Runner 2049. What does 2049 look like?
BR: 2049 looks pretty bleak if we don't figure out climate change now. I don't want to see my hometown under water. We are all pretty fucked and it seems like nobody is doing anything about it. Still, I have hope that in the end, once big business starts losing a lot of money, that the illuminati will band together to solve things, in the name of profit. Never underestimate the motivational value of profit losses.
TB: One last question: are you a replicant?
BR: Nobody will ever know.
Blush Response’s “Infinite Density” album is out on Sonic Groove and you can buy your copy here.
-Maria Bungau
The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere a new track from Smog. "Seethe" comes off the upcoming EP, DualExercise_I, by Daniel Ruane and smog on the Berlin based multi-disciplinary collective and label oqko. "Seethe" is a track of contrasts, an entanglement of melody and bleak metallic overtones. Smog knows how to fuse mechanical noise with poetry in 8 minutes of boiling shattering beats, breaking it down into 2 alternating dimensions, where you switch from depths of tension into short blissful breaks and plunge back into the abyss.
Smog is a sound artist focusing on the phenomenon of experimentation, creating music that’s at the crossroads between techno, industrial, ambient and noise.
DualExercise_I is out on November 28th and you can preorder it here.
Like a jolt of raw, unsettling energy comes the hypnotizing new exhibition from New York City-based artist Elaine Cameron-Weir. wave form walks the earth is the artist's LA-debut at Hannah Hoffman Gallery. While only containing 6 pieces, the installation is a powerful statement, combining elements of fashion, sculpture and more to create a striking narrative.
Installation view: Elaine Cameron-Weir, wave form walks the earth, September 17 - November 4, 2017, Hannah Hoffman, Los Angeles
One can't help but notice the industrial influences as steel clasps, hooks and raw materials appear frequently throughout the works. There is a clinical mood that seeps into the environment while still maintaining a very soft, delicate touch. Leather is also a primary material and the mixture of the stark white space with almost fetish undertones resonated strongly with us.
Elaine Cameron-Weir, dressing for altitude, 2017, Pewter, stainless steel, leather, sandbags, 44.5 x 8 x 60.5 inches (113 x 20.3 x 153.7 cm) (height variable)
Elaine Cameron-Weir, FOR MAKE ADMIT THIS VOIDE, 2017, Rubber jacket, leather, orthopedic jaw fixation hardware, stainless steel, amber, 16 x 6 x 57 inches (40.6 x 15.2 x 144.8 cm)
Elaine Cameron-Weir, FOR MAKE ADMIT THIS VOIDE, 2017, 16 x 6 x 57 inches (40.6 x 15.2 x 144.8 cm)
From rubber to the orthopedic jaw fixation hardware, there is something so beautifully sinister about these pieces that also make you a little uneasy. The more sculptural curtain like works and the steel barrel that looks like an IV could be survival necessities from a twisted future laboratory.
Elaine Cameron-Weir, Who are what looks out from behind you are is the thing that names what transforms...now, look what calms the captive by letting him sniff the perfume, like smell what smells like your masters crotch, 2017
Overall this is a great exhibition from an exciting emerging artist which hits on so many of our favorite notes. On view now through November 22nd at Hannah Hoffman Gallery, Los Angeles. For more visit: http://hannahhoffmangallery.com
-JRS
Installation view: Elaine Cameron-Weir, wave form walks the earth, September 17 - November 4, 2017,
Elaine Cameron-Weir, aftermath, when the restraints bound them to their will, 2017,
The Brvtalist is proud to present a new mix from S. English. The Texas-based producer programs a profound amalgam of industrial, techno and other tracks from the outer realms of electronics. This mix comes on the heels of the artist's LP, Eris, out now on L.I.E.S, which we examine more closely below.
After releasing a standout EP on the imprint last summer, we were thrilled to see the producer back on the label for a full length record. Eris is a superb work, showcasing a staggering array of genres, moods and textures that grip you from beginning to end. S. English comes from a vital Austin, TX community and his music reflects the incomparable diversity and allure of the American electronics scene. From the mood-setting, ambient opener "Sanctuary" we are shoved into the crushing, industrial banger, "Building Cathedrals". Next, English slows down the tempo for the captivating, yet melancholy "The Room Tonight", which flows through just like a poem. The final track on the first side is "Bilocation Drift", an instant hit that tumbles across a shadowy groove with lustful, haunting vocals.
Side B teleports us back to obscure, cerebral electronics with "Concrete Message" before "Invasion Threat" charges in with its militant, dystopian aggression. "I'll Take That One" tunnels its way through to the excellent closing track, "Eleventh Night" with seeps its way deep into your core on the way out. On constant repeat right now. Definitely pick this one up. Available on vinyl and digital formats. Visit L.I.E.S. Records.
-JRS
Mix track list:
Vidna Obmana - Dazzling Array 1
Matrix - Blue Film #4+
Mecanica Popular - Las Maravillas Del Mañana
Human Head Transplant - Beyond Time
Muslimgauze - Bir Zeit
S·Core - Symptom
Tam Quam Tabula Rasa - Rigor Corporis
Esplendor Geométrico - Cosmódromo
La Sonorité Jaune - Comme Un Zephyr (Celestial Mix)
Rapoon - Lies And Propaganda
The Brvtalist is pleased to present a new track from Tommy Four Seven. The British born, Berlin based artist has become of the most powerful forces in electronic music and has released remarkable records on labels like CLR, Stroboscopic Artefacts and of course his own 47 imprint. "Hornet" comes off the upcoming EP, 47013, out November 9th on 47. The track immediately held us hostage with its relentless fury and sinister, rhythmic drive.
47013 is perhaps the artist's most diverse and accomplished release to date. Impossible to categorize, the four tracks are visions of future techno, crushing atmospherics and progressive sound design. Available November 9th on 12" and digital formats. For more information visit: http://www.tommyfourseven.com/
-JRS
*photo credit: © Kerstin zu Pan
The Brvtalist is proud to present a new mix from Roman Ćinske. The Berlin-based artist offers a mind bending trip through sound and time. From the artist:
Built around the idea of sonically demonstrating varying degrees of fear and panic with contrasting elements of fragility and vulnerability.
For more visit: soundcloud.com/bytheinch
-JRS
Track list:
Group Ongaku - Object (1961)
Trepaneringsritualen - Venerated & Despised (2014)
Puce Mary - Enter into Them (2016)
Body Sculptures - Feet into Soil (2016)
Nurse with Wound - I Was No Longer His Dominant (1983)
Kerridge - Death is Upon Us (2013)
Pessimist - Orphic (2016)
Tool - Faaip de Oiad (2001)
Grebenstein - Fuck (2015)
Pessimist - The Woods (2015)
Abdullah Rashim - Ultimate Reality (2015)
Casual Violence - Briefly Sexual (2009)
S S S S - Fragility (2017)
Orphx - Cut Through (2012)
ASC - Dissolve (Oprhx Remix) (2017)
From left: Richard Teschner - "Decay" (1914), By the Inch artwork by Jen Von Klitzing
Few labels have been as important and influential as Hospital Productions. For the last 20 years, the imprint has released a staggering array of quality records, tapes and more across a multitude of genres. To mark this milestone, on November 5th, PopGun and Quo Vadis Productions present an incredible 20th anniversary show in New York City; highlighted by Godflesh performing an all Streetcleaner set (one of our favorite records).
That's just the beginning as the day also features Jesu/Nothing with Prurient, Orphx, Regis, Skin Crime, Clay Rendering, the U.S. debut of Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement and much more. The event will also see DJ sets by Becka Diamond and Nikki Sneakers as well as a pre-party with Phase Fatale and after party with Ron Morelli. Ahead of the madness, The Brvtalist's Yannick Franck chatted with Head Nurse of Hospital, Becka Diamond. A driving force behind the label, the two discuss the upcoming event, her background as a DJ and what's next. See below.
The Brvtalist (Yannick Franck): Thanks for doing this interview. In order to go straight into the matter, I was wondering if you could tell us what the audience can expect of your DJ set at the Hospital Productions night in NYC on November the 5th?
Becka Diamond: We're just coming off our Hospital 20 years fest at Berghain & my first time playing there so I'm feeling inspired. Obviously it will be a very different setting, since it's a live venue and a daytime slot, but I've been deep into creating completely new sets lately, so will likely do something custom for the event. The label is releasing quite a bit of new music currently, so I'll probably play some unreleased tracks as well.
TB: What is at the core of your musical interests? Are you both playing recent release and "classics" of a kind?
BD: I always play a mix of old and new. I grew up on goth & industrial, so obviously it's hard to keep some of that out of my selections. That being said, there is a lot of great producers/bands making stuff now that would have blown my mind as a teenager, so I'm glad the interest is still around, even if it has become a bit of a trend.
Photo by Nikki Sneakers
TB: Have you been DJing a long time?
BD: Too long! I started about 15 years ago but have been playing full time since 2010.
TB: How did you get started with DJing? When were your first club experiences?
BD: My first gig was a friend's birthday party in Boston, about 15 years ago. I'd never considered 'DJing' but I sure had a lot of records. He asked me and I figured it out from there! Man Ray was the first club I ever went to, in Cambridge, on a fake ID at 17 years old! RIP, one of the best ever. I didn't start playing in clubs however until I got to NYC in 2005.
TB: Do you also produce live music and composition?
BD: So far I haven't released anything of my own, but I work on a lot of our releases, assisting on production, sequencing, etc. I've also done vocals for a few things, most recently on a Vatican Shadow remix of Radioslave's 'Grindhouse' due out in a few months.
TB: You are a photographer (thirteenthirteenportfolio.com), could you tell us about your background and how it all started?
BD: 13:13 began with an Instax of me passed out a hotel bathroom floor while on tour in the US. It started as a polaroid project but grew into a personal brand for my work. We've made t shirts, it's existed as a music blog, featured mixes and now is a home for my work. The name comes from one of my favorite Lydia Lunch albums.
TB: You did the photography for Prurient 'Frozen Niagara Falls’, Clay Rendering 'Snowthorn' as well as their 7”. Is there more artwork to come?
BD: I’m always shooting, and sometimes the works end up on records and sometimes I shoot with something in mind. The next record I shot is a collection of Dual Action's cassette works. I took his portrait for the back cover while he was visiting us in Berlin.
TB: Are there any exhibitions featuring your visual work to be expected in the future?
BD: Not at the moment, but it's definitely on my to do list!
Special thank you to Becka Diamond for taking the time to speak with us. Do not miss the Hospital Productions 20th Anniversary event, Sunday, November 5th at Warsaw Concerts in Brooklyn. Bone Awl just added this week too. For tickets and info visit here.
The Brvtalist is pleased to premiere a new track from Talker. Battle Standard (Surgeon Remix) is a selection off the massive upcoming Remix EP, Battle Standards. This also marks Anthony Child's first remix in over a year and definitely one of our favorites. Altering the direction of the previous composition, Surgeon offers a crushing mix of brutal environments and delicate balance.
The third release on Standards & Practices, the EP sees an all UK remix staff also featuring excellent contributions from Regis and Broken English Club. With full color sleeve, cover art by Common Name and a limited number pressed on silver vinyl, this is one you definitely want to pick up. Out November 24th via Triple Vision Rotterdam. Fore more visit: http://www.stanprac.com/
-JRS
The Brvtalist is proud to present a live set from Orphx. This pioneering Canadian duo has consistently been at the forefront of electronic music and is responsible for some of our favorite releases. We are thrilled to host this incredible set recorded live on April 22, 2017, at Seveso #16 in Lyon, France. Thanks to Alexandre Couthier and Uncivil Productions.
Now is also a good time to revisit New Brvtalism No. 036. For more visit https://www.orphx.com/
-JRS
