This is my entry into the Mason ft Róisín Murphy "Boadicea" "refurb" cover competition - recorded acapella in my bedroom using just my voice, a mic and Ableton. At first I thought this was a remix competition, but after reading the fine print I discovered that you weren't able to use the original parts and the finished article was not meant to be dance music. Which actually suited me better than doing a remix in the end. I'm happy with this :-)
First of a two part in depth interview with myself on the Edinburgh-based club listings blog Lo-Quality. In this part we chat about my background, Little Rock, and the inspiration for I Came: Keen to keep numerous projects on the go, on top of his latest release, the electro-disco / house / techno / acid / quirky electronic producer has just finished a Metatron EP for Black Lantern Music, and contributed lead vocals to ‘Infinite Capacity (For Love)’, the debut single from Ben Butler & Mousepad on digital download from Loaf Recordings. In between his production work, he appears as resident for Glasgow’s Menergy club, which returns in February 2011 at the School of Art’s Vic Bar: he helpfully advises that you can always download guest mixes from the Menergy blog, such as the recently compiled Hi-NRG mix by Frenchbloke, of music he was hearing at Glasgow’s Bennets venue in 1985 and 1986.
As much as I hate it (and hate to admit it), I have been drawn into this year's X Factor competition. Not for any particular reason other than it has been on, I have caught few episodes, and been sucked in. And, you know, sometimes it feels good to participate in the huge cultural happenings that bring us together as a nation. Sometimes.
This just arrived by electronic mail today - the forthcoming EP by Ben Butler & Mousepad on LOAF Recordings, that features me singing on the lead track "Infinite Capacity (For Love)". Niiiice! The EP is out for digital download now, you can purchase a copy here.
There's a re-edit of the track from when we originally recorded it, way back in early 2009, by Dolby Anol that is excellent and not included in the EP. I can see why though, as it doesn't fit the overall sound. Here it is for you lot to download anyway.
What is included on the EP is the remix by Dam Mantle, as well as a remix by Fugelance. The Dam Mantle mix has been editted to fit the release, so here is his original full length remix for you lucky buggers as well:
Glaswegian funk-machine-renaissance-man The Niallist is gearing up to release the rude and bouncy new track ‘I Came’, featuring the vocals of Miss Mac D.
Already a big figure on the Manchester and Glasgow gay scenes, we spoke to The Niallist about nights out, gay music culture, his fantasy gig and multiple orgasms.
Finish the sentence: A good track starts with... A cowbell.
A week today sees the release of my next single on vinyl, "I Came (Female Version)" with vocals by Ms Mac D. Exciting!! Some feedback is coming in already and so far so good. The 12" has remixes by me, Brassica and DFRNT. It's always satisfying to have your music on vinyl!
It's been great hanging out and catching up with Danny Wang this year, especially as he has been teaching me the darkest secrets of voguing. I love this photo - it's us tripping out to artist Richard Wright at Glasgow's Modern Institute.
Wow, the Menergy Fierce Ruling Divas Ball went better than I could have hoped! The atmosphere is electric, and even though it was quite chaotic, we pulled it off with aplomb. I mean, queens started walking without even being called first!! What is this world coming to? After a while I had to abandon the rule book and go with the flow - let the queens walk and announce them as they appeared. But the crowd loved it!
Overall winner Nigela Von Scrumptious was very popular, as was overall runner up Lady P (who actually had lights in her wig! Now THAT'S fierce!), and everyone who walked got a good cheer. Except from the judges, who threw down a whole world of shade. Eventually the crowd invaded the catwalk to celebrate the winners (see video below) before I had to go and literally throw them off to make room for our special guest Vanity Von Glow to do her thing. And she nailed it with much aplomb, possibly being the crowd favourite queen of the night. Kid Zipper played a blinder, followed by Graham Peel of Dolby Anol, and Jon Pleased Wimmin, who dragged up for the first time in ages. Big shouts to Camille and all at LVB for being great sports, and putting so much effort into making this happen. Next stop, Manchester!
And thanks to Marina Maclean, Michael James, April McArdle, Les Garcons De Glasgow, the Nicest Kid in Town and Attention to Detail for the pics. There's lots lots more over at www.menergy.tv.
Quite frankly, the Fierce Ruling Divas Ball was the party of the year. Even if I say so myself.
Probably the most famous voguing house in the world is the House of Ninja, formed by the legendary Willi Ninja back (I'm guessing here) in the early 80's or late 70s. Even though drag balls already existed, as did the dance, Willi Ninja is regarded as the godfather of voguing, and is featured heavily in both the Paris Is Burning film and the "Deep In Vogue" video by Malcolm McLaren. In anticipation of our own Fierce Ruling Divas Ball on Saturday, here's a selection of some of the best moves by the house, that can also serve as a kind of introduction to how voguing (and "houses") work.
Last post for just now - I have a new 3 track Metatron EP about to drop on Black Lantern Music. Before they gat it up though, here it is for you my blog readers. This is more experimental than the last EP, though it still falls roughly within the boundaries of what we call "dubstep" 9this time with some industrial, house and techno influences). It's a bit rough and ready as I am trying to capture a certain naiveté of production, and it was made mostly on train journeys up and down the land, hence the name.
I went to a great event here on Sunday evening - the Manchester premiere of a new documentary on the American composer/inventor Raymond Scott, directed by his son Stan Warnow. On the bill, along with the film itself, were special Scott-themed live sets by local acts Demdike Stare, Illum Sphere v Kidkanevil and the one-off supergroup The Manhattan Research Transfer Project.
As well as publishing my interview with Shunda K, issue #5 of Lock Up Your Daughters also featured a piece I wrote called "Taxonomy of Bears". This was to describe to the girls what all the different terms associated with "bear" culture mean. I ended up writing it in a nursery rhyme fashion, and Lucy from LUYD did some cracking illustrations to boot. I'd love to get this printed on a t-shirt some day...
I did a short live set at Zombie Pride for Halloween this year - it were a right good laugh! Even the annoying French people who invaded the stage were useful, as I could just shout at them when I forgot the lyrics to "Paranoid". There was a great zombie walk off later on too, with the winner(s) being given a 5 litre bottle of lube. I wonder how long it will last.
I also got to see for the first time the fantastic Bad Taste Barbies in action. I really liked their Hi-NRG rock show, so much that I wish I had gone on before them. I reckon we will be working on stuff together at some point! Unfortunately there seems to be only one picture of me from this historic occassion, but it is a good picture:
Another spook-a-look mix, and another crosspost from Shallow Rave.
DJ Goatface Killah made a name for himself at the Satanic Toga Party a few months back by supplying the devil-worshipping revellers with a soundtrack of non-stop Dark Lord-themed hits. This being the witching season, we asked him to do a Satanic mix for Shallow Rave, and here it is. It's rather bloody good too, and surprisingly features nothing from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (no, that's a different Iron Maiden). HAIL SATAN! \m/
01. ANTON SZANDOR LAVEY (USA) / THE SATANIC MASS (EDIT) (1968) 02. ANTONIUS REX (ITALY) / NON FIAT VOLUNTAS TUA (1974) 03. BLACK WIDOW (UK) / IN ANCIENT DAYS (1969) 04. COVEN (USA) / BLACK SABBATH (1969) 05. BULBOUS CREATION (UK) / SATAN (1969) 06. THE RATTLES (GERMANY) / THE WITCH (1968) 07. THE GHOST (UK) / NOW YOU’RE DEAD (1970) 08. THE GUN (UK) / RACE WITH THE DEVIL (1968) 09. THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN (UK) / FIRE (1968) 10. ROKY ERICKSON & THE ALIENS (USA) / WHITE FACES (1977) 11. LOLLIPOP SHOPPE (USA) / YOU MUST BE A WITCH (1967) 12. DUFFY (UK) / JUDGEMENT DAY (1971) 13. BEDEMON (USA) / CHILD OF DARKNESS (1973) 14. LUCIFER’S FRIEND (UK / GERMANY) / LUCIFER’S FRIEND (1970) 15. IRON MAIDEN (UK) / GOD OF DARKNESS (1969) 16. AFFINITY (UK) / THREE SISTERS (1970) 17. SAM GOPAL (UK) / THE DARK LORD (1969) 18. BOBBY BEAUSOLEIL (USA) / LUCIFER RISING PART II (1972) Download "Ave Satanas" from this link.
Yes, its that time of year again, when darkness spreads across the land and the midnight hour is close at hand, etc etc. Due to the venue we had hired going out of business, we have been forced to cancel this years Rock'n'Shock festivities, which is a shame, but there's lots of other options for Samhain revelling (personally I highly recommend the Cry Parrot Art School party with Gary War, Ben Butler & Ultimate Thrush, and the return of Optimo Espookio). To get you in the mood, here are some free spookilicious download-able mixes.
The first two are from our own Menergy gang. We made these mixes back in May to promote the Italo Horror Party, but they seem more relevant at this time of year. Mine is a comp of all your favourite disco versions of horror themes while KZ's is a more brooding, modern take on John Carpenter atmospherics. But with some gay disco thrown in for good measure.
Halloween II - John Carpenter Cannibal Ferox - Fabio Frizzi Zombi - Goblin Amityville Frenzy - Lalo Schiffrin Prom Night Theme - Zaza & Zitter Phantasm - Captain Zorro Phantasmagoria / Silver Sphere Disco - Fred Myrow & Malcolm Seagrave NYC Theme - Budy-Maglione Demons (Disco Beard Edit) - Claudio Simonetti Friday The 13th Part III - Manfredini & Zager Lust - Rinder & Lewis Doin' It In A Haunted House - Yvonne Cage Disco Blood - The Vamps Soul Dracula - Hot Blood
Actress- Paint Straw and Bubbles Tobe Hooker- Haddonfield Fear Factory Mr Pauli- The Crunch Black Devil Disco Club- Timing, Forget The Timing Pat Hodges- Fly By Night Telespazio – Galileo – Rodion Mix Goblin- Tenebre Lory D – Bank Robbery Bunker 2 – Dark Side of The Moon Gique- Fulci's Rotting Children Patrick Cowley – They Came At Night Ajello and Daniele Baldelli – Cosmogony The Immortals- Ultimate Warlord Goblin- Suspira Solenoid- Suspiriosm Porn Darstellar- Holocaust
Next up we have a special festive mix from our chums at the disco/house blog Feel My Bicep. The whole thing is three hours long and available from their website. There are loads of great tracks up on the to download too, so get over there and get clickin'.
And finally here's an epic four hour mix from the producer Frenchbloke. Put together for a friend of his who had only just discovered Cabaret Voltaire, it features lots of cold-wave and minimal electronics form the early 80's. This is not specifially Halloween themed, but it is great, and some of these tunes are deliciously creepy!
xeno & oaklander - saracen psychic youth - the future is now ciaran harte - love is strange deux - felicita nightmoves - transdance (uk disco mix) fad gadget - the box the eurythmics - take me to your heart metal urbain - panik robert rental - a.c.c rude 666 - the 1000 year storm palais schaumburg - telefon victrola - maritime tatami rema rema - instrumental the normal - warm leatherette (mathew stone remix) cabaret voltaire - seconds too late das boomerang - suzanne oppenheimer analysis - the devil's dancers futurisk - poison ivy missing scientists - big city, bright lights hiroshima chair - tu eddie and sunshine - lines moderne - indicatif dark day - no, nothing, never gorilla aktiv - spiegelbild monte cazazza - kick that habit man the passage - xoyo ami marie - spiel mit mir our daughters wedding - lawnchairs (dance club version) daf - kebabtraume blah blah blah - in the army john bender - 06-27b4 (rainy day sunshine girl) martin rev - mari conrad schnitzler - auf dem schwarzen kanal severed heads - adolf a carrot emak - tanz in den himmel soft cell - bleak is my favourite cliche der plan - rot grun rot the gist - iambic pentameter yello - there is no reason bourbonese qualk - lies das kabinette - the cabinet die krupps - goldfinger klinik - moving hands hula - poison (club mix) chris and cosey - october (love song) he said - a.b.c.dicks love neon - lobotomy portion control - go talk john foxx - 20th century front 242 - operating tracks i start counting - my translucent hands kas product - loony bin spk - metal field silicon teens - sun flight dorothy - i confess hard corps - je suis passee daniel miller & boyd rice - cleanliness to order malaria! - tod holger hiller- jonny (du lump) heaven 17 - i'm your money voice farm - sleep die doraus und die marinas - fred vom jupiter
