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AMUL9 has mostly become known in the New York Afro-Punk movement but sadly have been missing from their hometown scene in Atlanta, Georgia for many years. The main attitude has been, and rightly so, that Atlanta just wasn’t ready for them. Afterall, it’s a metro known mostly for R&B, Hip-Hop, and Rap. While AMUL9 is an all black, or as they like to call themselves “Nubian”, band – they are actually a Punk-Rock band!

When they began work on their new album, “Elevated Beings” (soon to be released), Zoser came to me to inquire about the industry, marketing, distribution, and a number of things the band had never had to face before. They have been very active traveling up and down the East coast playing life and becoming more visible and communicating with fans through the Afro-Punk website. They had never released an album and had only previously been handing out five track demo CDRs at live gigs to spread their sound.

Many, myself included, had thought Punk was dead! Being a Gen-Xer I was excited to find out that not only was there a new scene for Punk music, but it was one that instead of destroying and tearing down, was about building up and uniting AND even more empactful, one that not only accepts diversity but warmly embraces it! Seeing all this, and knowing Zoser as a personal friend, I was more than willing to help in any way that I could to help them get off the ground, it’s simply what I love doing!!! After partnerships were forged, I later found out that Zoser had also become friends with the legendary Earl Hudson of the well known band Bad Brains. I was a little stunned to be honest. Later, I was also informed that they were working in the recording studio with grammy nominated producer Miguel Scott of TreeSound Studios in Atlanta. They later had Earl produce three tracks for the album and final mixing of the album was then brought to another interesting name, Chris Griffin who has worked with acts like Live and Drivin’ & Cryin’ and is CEO of Griffin Mastering, Inc. Needless to say, things were already on a new level for this band before I even knew it!

Being that I have mostly worked in the Goth/Industrial music scene, I do have some additional things I’m working on for them but unfortunately I can’t say much about now as nothing has been agreed upon yet. I can say that I’ve talked to some Industrial talents who are more than willing to work on some remixes/restructure of tracks for a genre crossing remix album! I just can’t say who all I’m talking to yet as anyone in the industry knows – things change daily until it actually happens. I’m hoping to focus on this next year and have it completed by Fall of 2011, *crosses fingers*, we’ll see.

To help the band break into both the Atlanta scene and gain some recognition, since obviously introducing them to the Hip-Hop scene wouldn’t do too much for them, I decided that Punk fits better with the Industrial/EBM music scene of today as the entire Goth/Industrial scene evolved with the Punk scene back in the 70′s anyway and everyone I know who listens to that also likes a bit of New Wave and Punk too! SO, why not have them at the fastest growing EBM club in Atlanta, also voted the Best New Club in Atlanta by Creative Loafing for 2010, The Shelter ATL. They were VERY well received by all who attended and photographer Federico Mastrianni was so impressed he posted the following blog entry hailing them as Atlanta’s New 7 Dust. Can you say WOW!!!?!!! I hope he doesn’t mind me saying this but The Shelter’s manager, Dave Copeland, even said that he was really impressed, they were tight, and he’s seen LOTS of Punk acts in his day. Gave me a huge warm fuzzy!!!

Quick note about The Shelter ATL, as you may, or may not know, The Shelter hosts a monthly event called Das Bunker and I’m not 100% on the association but I know Andy LaPlegua, of COMBICHRIST and founder of Icon of Coil, is closely associated with it and brings live acts and DJs from all over the globe here! Evidently, he did the same in California and that has now become the ultra-popular nightclub Das Bunker.

Anyway, I have no doubts that if you like Punk-Rock, you are gonna LOVE AMUL9 – so stay posted to Latex Records and the NEW AMUL9 website for coming information. Also, check out the most recent post about AMUL9 at the Afro-Punk website!

NOTE: Be sure to check out the photos from the live show at The Shelter as our friends NEON ARMOUR decided to bring us a very nice bodypainted gift to the show!!! <3 you guys!!!!

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Due to the extended, continued, absence of DJ Pulse from LaTeX RaDiO, Latex Records is teaming up with our great friend Chris Mish of EBM-Radio for our LIVE Broadcasts! More info to come…

LaTeX RaDiO (Podcast) [Twitter]
EBM-Radio [Twitter]

Latex Records [Twitter]

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01. O… Saya
02. Riots
03. Mausam & Escape
04. Paper Planes
05. Paper Planes (DFA Remix)
06. Ringa Ringa
07. Liquid Dance
08. Latika’s Theme
09. Aaj Ki raat
10. Millionaire
11. Gangsta Blues
12. Dreams On Fire
13. Jai Ho

This album was originally released in 2008 by Interscope Records. I only recently got to see the film and so am only now getting to finally hear the full musical composition. While watching the film, which is excellent, I was struck by the soundtrack and immediately decided to get a copy of it. The instant appeal was the combination of Electronic music with traditional Middle-Eastern structures. There is also a lot of modern Middle-Eastern styles as well including rap. Looking up the composer, it seems Rahman is gaining a lot of groun in India and redefining film music there. There are also some tracks by M.I.A., influenced by her time in London, and one by Sonu Nigam.

The thing about Middle-Eastern music in general which I find fascinating is that there are unique vocal techniques used which you do not find copied anywhere else in the world. They also use instrumentation that is highly original and in my own opinion are the best hand drummers around!

What you will find in “Slumdog Millionaire” is a combination of modern and traditional styles blended in such a way that they create an original style in themselves. I don’t normally do a track by track review but since this is so original I’m making an exception in this case. This is evident with the first track, “O… Saya”, which begins with a more traditional sound with the exception of the vocoder on the vocals. However, when the music picks up you begin hearing a guitar with a heavy buzz on it and when M.I.A. rap kicks in you know you are listening to something original and very new as elements of Trance are blended in as well. “Riots” is a bit like an Industrial/Trance piece with Tribal-esque drumming. “Mausam & Escape” begins with a deceptive classical acoustic guitar and then becomes like something out of The Matrix but with very rapid sitar and sliding buzz electro and orchestral hits. It’s like Bullet Time in Bollywood! “Paper Planes” is a rap by M.I.A. Some think this song is about murder or drugs but this is clearly about being a hustler, murder and drugs just happen to sometimes play into that. I especially like the chorus with the gunshots and cash register, “All I wanna do is…” bang bang bang bang, ka-ching “..and take your money.” Funny, but cool! This track reminds me of 80′s Wave but it’s a rap and the music is created using a sample of the intro to “Straight To Hell” by The Clash. This track is followed by a remix of the same song but personally I feel this falls very short after you hear the original. It has a sort of early 80′s Wave Funk mixture. After this is “Ringa Ringa” which has traditional sounding female vocals, drums, and flute. This is much like what most Westerners associate with snake charmers and harems. However, even this is blended about mid-way with some very Industrial styled affects. While I cannot understand any of the language, something tells me the words are very non-traditional lyrics. I still wonder how they do that with their voices! Not any less amazing is “Liquid Dance” which uses traditional Indian male singing styles with what sounds like violin and orchestrations combined with electronic dance music. By the time you get this far you are realizing how freakin’ awesome Rahman is!! The breaks in this track are really cool. He’s definitely creating something with such eloquent blending or musical structures that is practically defies description. “Latika’s Theme” takes it down a bit with soft feminine vocals, guitar, and soft electronics with somewhat of an Ethereal element to the overall feel of this one. This picks back up again with “Aaj Ki Raat”, even more difficult to descripe. The driving beat starts out sounding a bit Industrial but soon sounds like soft 80′s Wave but with a very Pop feel to it. “Millionaire” is another really cool track with some great electro elements! This one almost sounds more like EBM in the vein of Apop or Rotersand but very Trancey. However, the end changes and becomes a bit lighter but ends dark. Oddly enough, “Gansta Blues” is literally that, a very funky gangsta rap! This is very odd to hear done by Indian artists but it is very well executed. “Dreams on Fire” is a soft Ethereal track, obviously a backing track that works well in the film but is a bit empty as a stand alone. “Jai Ho” is the ending song and in the film it is the one all the actors are dancing to. Great drumming and electro combination with traditional sounding male vocals. Like “Mausam & Escape”, this sounds like it could almost go into The Matrix with the orchestral hits and electronica. Sadly, this is not maintained through the chorus which becomes a lot more Pop feeling. The interludes maintain this and also include some great instrumental solos and mixed vocal styles.

One thing I can say is after hearing this I will be watching Rahman and checking out more of his work. I’m highly impressed with how smoothly he combines elements of musical structures normally completely not associated together. I’m a fan of Middle-Eastern music, though I know very little about it and have very little exposure, as well as various forms of Electronica! Thus, I have a feeling Rahman will likely become one of my new favorite film composers!

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01. Televised
02. Reminders
03. Slow Cascade
04. Forgiven
05. The Debate
06. Ruin
07. Sentinel
08. Stand Up
09. Hindsight
10. Delete

Light it Up features guest appearances from Frank Spinath of Seabound and Victoria Lloyd of HMB, Monochrome and Claire Voyant. Founded by J. Ned Kirby in the early 1990′s, Stromkern (including Kelly Shaffer) have created a unique sound in the Electro-Industrial genre by combining hip-hop vocals and ryhthms with classical compositions and post-industrial rock.

One of the things that really stand out to me personally on this album is not just the danceable rhythms combined with the hard electro-industrial themes and styles, but also the addition of piano to this mix. As a fan of keyboard music in general, be it electronic or acoustic, I absolutely love the way Ned combines these elements. I’ve been looking at various tracks by several artists who have used piano in unexpected ways with music styles that it might not normally be associated with traditionally and find Ned’s to be one of the most appealing combination to me personally. There are not many in the Industrial genre who have done this and the first you might think of is Trent Reznor. However, Ned’s work does not become so melodramatic and instead is a smooth combination where the piano accompanies the Electro rather than taking over the mood of it. I hope he continues this with future releases as I’m a huge fan of it. The most melodramatic track, and also a great standout, is probably “Hindsight” featuring Victoria Lloyd of Claire Voyant. However, the softer side of the female vocals and piano is contrasted by heavy rock guitar. Love this track!!

This album is by far my favorite so far by Stromkern and is the one that turned me onto the band to begin with causing me to buy all his previous releases. However, this one stands out far and above his previous releases and I believe he will only get better. As for his use of hip-hop vocals, do not let this confuse you into thinking this is anything but pure hard electro-industrial because it is not some candy-coated hip-hip BS at all. Instead, think of Uberbyte as an example maybe. Though Stromkern’s “Stand Up” came first! Don’t forget it!

This is an excellent album for the Electro, Industrial, and EBM genres and is not only my favorite by Stromkern but is actually one of my favorite releases in the genre overall. This will likely go down as an all-time fave!! Definitely worth checking out!!! This is very well put together and the contrasting elements cleanly combined while maintaining a hard edge.

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Proceeds will be donated to the Foundation for Cancer Research and Wellness

PROMOTIONAL COPY TRACKLIST ONLY

NOTE: for a complete track list of all 5 CDs please visit Metropolis Records.

Disc 1-Diagnosis and Insurance (4 of 17 tracks)

02 – Stromkern – Notes From A War
04 – Interface – Never Say Farewell
05 – Chemlab – Solar Max (The Jimmy Semtex Coil)
09 – 16Volt – Things Unkind

Additional artists on disc: SMP, Boole, Bow Ever Down, The Gothsicles, Terrorfakt, Rein[Forced], Ego Likeness, Burikusu!!!, Inure, Cesium_137, Cyanotic, Silent Auction, & Terror Firma Sky

Disc 2-Chemotherapy and Radiation (5 of 17 tracks)

01 – The Dark Clan – Beat It, Kill It
03 – genCAB – Version 2 (Aesthetic Perfection Mix)
07 – Assemblage 23 – Impermanence (Flight AC-112 Mix)
08 – I:Scintilla – From A Wasteland To A Dream
10 – ThouShaltNot – Sick

Additional artists on disc: The Azoic, Christ Analogue, Prometheus Burning feat. Jimmy Semtex of Rein[Forced], Boxed Warning, Imperative Reaction, Combichrist, Sonik Foundry, XuberX, Mindless Faith, Cyber Strukture, vircon, & Jordan Decay

Disc 3-Surgery (4 of 16 tracks)

01 – Deathline Int’l – Breaking
02 – Encoder featuring Jimmy Semtex of Rein[Forced] and Patricia Wake – Jim’s Song
04 – backandtotheleft – Maybe Today
09 – System Syn – Blood (2009 Edit)

Additional artists on disc: Vicious Alliance, Nachtmahr, Null Device, Suicide Commando, Agnes Wired For Sound, Acumen Nation, Aesthetic Perfection, Dismantled, FGFC820, Everything Goes Cold, Leæther Strip, Mordacious, & Flesh Field

Disc 4-Recovery (4 of 16 tracks)

01 – Noisuf-X – White Noise (Gift Mix)
03 – The Atomica Project – Transmission
07 – Alter Der Ruine VS Premeditated Light – Dawn
13 – Hypefactor – The Sweetest Soul (Rex Mix)

Additional artists on disc: Hardwire, Massiv ini Mensch feat. Mind.In.A.Box, SD6, Obsenity Trial, nolongerhuman, Iris, Debutante, Andraculoid, Deviant UK, Freezepop, Spahn Ranch, & Caustic

Disc 5-Bonus Medication (Digital Download with physical CD purchase)

(no tracks represented in promo version)

Artists on bonus disc: Wreckcreation, Borderlines, AimOniA, Beloved Dead, Derek C.F. Pegritz, Molecule Party, Patricia Wake, Neurobash, Jon Zaremba, Less Like Flesh, EVP, Surviving The Odyssey, Retar-D2, The Hose Face, Sachem Orenda, & TowerOpensFire

REVIEW:
Generally, I must say that a 5 disc compilation project is not only a daunting task which deserves much respect for Metropolis Records for completing it but it’s downright intimidating. I mean, even to the consumer. It’s also a VERY bold move but one I hope will meet with much success! What I mean by this is that most music listeners these days try to get as much music as they can for as little money as possible, preferably free if they can, most often to the disatisfaction of record labels and musicians alike. Even without the bonus fifth disc, a 4CD compilation project is huge for fans. However, it’s being offered for the approximate cost of only 2-3 CDs so it’s a HUGE BARGAIN! If you buy the physical CD even moreso because you get the additional bonus disc of material as a download with the purchase that you do not get if you only purchase the Digital copy. Thus, it’s a HUGE undertaking to complete a project this size for the label but it’s also a great bargain for fans of Industrial music.

With this compilation you will see many of the most popular names in the current scene as well as many other older staples plus a smattering of new artists. If the tracks on the promotional copy are good representation of the overall project, which I think they most likely are, then this is one kickass collection for both old and new fans of the genre!

I must also add, as a label owner myself who has attempted compilation projects, this project is VERY well conceived. I am excited to see a compilation project with a solid theme and all associated tracks with appropriate lyrics and content. Personally, typical genre compilations are only good when that genre is new. This, however, is a project specifically dealing with the topic of Cancer and was produced to benefit Cancer Research. Jim Semonik (Distortion Productions), Cancer survivor and long time promoter and DJ, has assembled 83 artsits from around the world for this project in association with Metropolis Records. I love themes and this is definitely a worthy one with a worthy cause!! The most impassioned tracks, in my opinion, on the promo are ThouShaltNot’s “Sick”, which is a desperate plea for help, and “Maybe Today” by BackAndToTheLeft, which shows the every day, every moment struggle one lives with.

From a strictly musical perspective, there is a wide range of Industrial music represented from Harsh Electro and somewhat Caustic Noise to EBM & Trip-Hop, influenced tracks etc. In fact, I was so impressed with the promotional copy that I’m off to get the full thing myself, the physical version if there are any left!! This is a limited release so get yours while you still can. They will likely run out soon and then only the Digital versions will be available. I’d actually go so far as to say this is THE BEST Industrial compilation to come out in a long time!

I tried to stick to thematic compilations for Latex Records myself and I’ve also been doing so for my Podcast lately. I hope that others will pick up the torch and start doing more thought provoking compilation projects instead of just Tributes and very loosely themed releases. I absolutely love the fact that the artists jumped on this bandwagon for this cause and really put some time and effort into creating uniquely designed tracks for this specific project! KUDOS TO EVERYONE!

Great Piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about Electronic Saviors.

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Dismantled at Metropolis Records

On the 2010 season of American Idol we heard Andrew Garcia perform a wonderful acoustic version of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” during Hollywood week. However, back in 2005 in the EBM music scene, mastermind Gary Zon, the mind behind the band Dismantled, released a playful cover of the song on his EP “Breed To Death” on Metropolis Records. Having started as a Front Line Assembly sound-alike, this release was a fusion of 80’s, Electroclash, and Trance alongside traditional Electro elements and harsh synthetics. The title track was meant to exaggerate and stereotype the new wave of Electro, as well as balance the edge and complexity inherent in Dismantled’s music.

After seeing the American Idol episode, I just had to post something to help bring this excellent cover into the light! I’ve been a fan of Dismantled from the start and continue to enjoy the structural changes Gary has made with each progressive release. You can hear a sample of Dismantled’s version of the song as well as purchase a download copy by clicking the album artwork above.

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I found this book simply by chance. It happened to be sitting in a very visible location of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror section of a local bookstore while I was browsing for something new and entertaining to read. That is something I hardly do these days as usually I have predetermined list of things I want to read before ever entering a book store. I don’t normally read Star Wars books to be honest. In fact, I’ve only read two in the past. One of them was by RA Salvatore who I am a fan of for his Dark Elf series and the other was the first Star Wars book I’d ever seen after the movies started called Splinter of the Mind’s Eye by Alan Dean Foster. This one however caught my eye because of the unique artwork on its cover, a bloody storm trooper helmet suspended from a chain on a hook. I picked up the book and realized it was a Horror novel set in the Star Wars universe, published as an official Star Wars novel. Now, that’s interesting!!!

The main concept behind the story is a Prison barge, “Purge”, is on its way to its destination when two things occur. First, it has engine trouble and needs assistance and/or parts. Second, they encounter an Emperial Star Destroyer. When hailed, there is no response from the Destroyer so they send an team to locate the needed parts. Readings of the ship declare there is no life aboard. The Destroyer seems to be abandoned.

I don’t want to give any spoilers but will say that there is a lurking “evil” on the Destroyer and that the first half of the book is focused more on the disease the team takes back to the “Purge” and the rapid elimination of its crew to this deadly virus. As you can guess, the Destroyer is not empty but is instead infested with Emperial undead, zombies. The few remaining survivors have to navigate the “Purge” and the Destroyer to acquire the needed items and make an attempt at escape. I will say that about midway through some well known characters from the Star Wars saga are introduced and a lot of fun chaos ensues!

I found this book highly entertaining and would LOVE to see this in a movie form. Usually, I find novels better than their movie counterparts. However, in this case, the written word cannot do justice to the visuals that would be brought to life by a film. The only difficulty would be the already known Star Wars characters and who would play them.

If you love Star Wars and/or zombie fiction – this is definitely a fun and unique ride. I found the chapter of the Flesh Hill the most gross though. I hope there are more books in this series. Highly enteraining!!

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01. Division
02. Pale Horses
03. Shot In The Back Of The Head
04. Study War
05. Walk With Me
06. Stock Radio
07. Mistake
08. Scream Pilots
09. Jltf 1
10. Jltf
11. A Seated Night
12. Wait For Me
13. Hope Is Gone
14. Ghost Return
15. Slow Light
16. Isolate

Firstly, this is a collection of laid back tracks composed by Moby for this release rather than his Pop or Dance tracks he’s most often known for. However, anyone who is a Moby fan will tell you that his more chilled out tracks are often the ones that become the long-term favorites, like Procelain for instance. The only thing is that when you have a full album of them like this, individual tracks don’t tend to stand out as much. However, if you are like me and love Moby laid-back then this is definitely an album for you. This is a perfect album for reading on a Sunday afternoon for instance or any other leisure activity. There are some great combinations of ambient and groove-based elements and some, as only Moby can do it, nearly Gospel sounding soul!

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01. No Afterparty
02. All Pain Is Gone
03. I Want Your Blood
05. Can’t Change The Beat
06. Sent To Destroy
07. Spit
08. New Form Of Silence
09. Scarred
10. The Kill V2
11. Get Out Of My Head
12. Today We Are All Demons
13. At The End Of It All

The opening track is actually a recording of a voice message from someone who is going to jail for carrying a concealed weapon and needs bail. The speaker casually mentions that a female friend is in the hospital for attempting suicide. Clearly showing the sort of aggressive dark humor Combichrist is known for. LapPlegua opens the with the track “All Pain Is Gone” and you know he’s back with another pounding hook-heavy, beat-driven dance floor stomper. However, on the second track, “Kickstart The Fight”, you can tell he’s expanding the sound a bit as this is more Punk sounding while still maintaining the hard and heavy beats and Techno-esque rhythms. I personally love the addition of the female vocals. Reminds me a bit of KMFDM at the best of times, only better! Another favorite track is “Sent To Destroy”, which is what you’d expect from this project. The funniest track is “Spit” (fucking whore moms). Love the samples used for this!! The entire album is excellent and you will not be disappointed by the upbeat energy portrayed. The only exception to the overall tempo is the title track. This one took me by surprise as it starts out slow and dark and includes a bit of piano. Vocally, it sounds more like his work with Icon of Coil. The only negative, which is totally personal, is that with the release of the “Heat EP” the track “Can’t Change The Beat” now seems a bit redundant and overplayed to me. Overall, another great release for Combichrist.

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