First/best recording of Orange Curtain grinding hardcore, like a “happy” Terrorizer signed to Mystic Records. Their GIGA-bounce breakdowns split many a wig even in pug-mug L.A. (as did the Martial Law cover they’d close their sets with)...
Dead America - Demo 1, 1993
First/best recording of Orange Curtain grinding hardcore, like a “happy” Terrorizer signed to Mystic Records. Their GIGA-bounce breakdowns split many a wig even in pug-mug L.A. (as did the Martial Law cover they’d close their sets with)...
Q.R. Ghazala - “Threnody For The New Victims Of Hiroshima” CD 1995
“Threnody was created using Ghazala's invented ‘Vox Insecta’ instrument, an elaborate insect voice synthesizer housed within a 1940's stenograph machine. In addition to insect sounds, the instrument also synthesizes orchestral textures, choirs, and a strange assortment of surreal musical voices. The composition's five movements, considered unlistenable by some, thrive on the familiar discordance of [large gatherings of] insects and the wondrous uncharted harmonies that lie within. Titled after Penderecki's ground-breaking work, ‘Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima’, and exploring similar tonalities, extended instrumentation recalls the tragedy of Hiroshima's destruction through broad curtains of impressionistic sound.” 
Filmmaker - Live 11-11-19
Simple and organic gloomwave/post-electro (as composed by a teenage John Carpenter) live set from the prolific and utterly mysterious "Filmmaker" (of Colombia). COOL. SHIT! http://www.mediafire.com/file/nie87s9cyv4o0tx/Filmmaker_-_Live_11-11-19.mp3
Maldoror - "Live Great American Music Hall San Francisco December 20th 2002"
Masami n' Mike tearin' shit up a few years after their CD came out...
Lord Hitler - Rehearsal March 1991 Tape
I keep thinking Hellhouse with human drums...but cheesier/shittier/more incomprehensible. Lord Hitler was quite the outlier in the former Eastern Bloc* death-thrash scene solely because they were so embarrassingly lame...which is solely why I uploaded them...http://www.mediafire.com/file/8pzulimxqgxtxu8/Lord_Hitler_1991_Demo.zip/file
*NONE of the other bands were this terrible. Still cheesy, but usually hyper-proficient at performance.
Zos Kia/Coil - "Transparent" Tape 1984
"Zos Kia was a British musical group initially formed by John Gosling along with John Balance. This trio, along with Peter Christopherson on sound, and sometimes other guests, recorded and performed several concerts in 1982 and 1983 under the name 'Zos Kia and Coil'. Some of that material was available on their debut release 'Transparent'. Balance and Christopherson soon left to concentrate on Coil full-time. All material released under the Zos Kia name alone was primarily the work of John Gosling. After retiring the Zos Kia name, Gosling went on to record with 'Sugardog' and 'Psychic TV' and to work solo as 'Sugar J' and 'Mekon'. The name "Zos Kia" is derived from the 'Zos Kia Cultus', a system of magic devised by British artist Austin Osman Spare."
Blood N' Guts Records - Labelography '97-'98
Depressingly short-lived personal label of DJ Tron, releasing his own productions as well as one EP from the owner of the equally renowned "Brutal Chud". Piss-raw psycho speedcore that loved ultraviolence more than ultra-edits...http://www.mediafire.com/file/2si1qtnkdv57gtb/Blood_N_Guts_Records.zip/file
Bedrövlers - Side Of Split Demo With Asocial 1984 & Unreleased Recording 1985
Bedrövlerz was formed half a year ago [1984]. Then the line-up was Fredda, Håkan and Micke. Håkan [‘Hocke’ Stadin] then left to start playing drums in ‘Crude S.S.’, then Micke moved to drums and they brought in Dick [‘Kerre’ Karlsson] on bass, but also Dick preferred to play in ‘Crude S.S.’. Then Markko joined on bass. (But soon they stole him too (note: joke). Current members are: Fredda Frivolt – guitar, vocals; Micke B. Drövlig – drums, ‘Markko Mörker’ [Marko Vuorinen] – bass. They have had 5 gigs, three in Hedemora, one in Norberg and one in Fagersta, but they also have some gigs planned for Stockholm and also in Helsingborg.
Over to the questions: answered by all members, the first question is to Fredda...
Tell us a bit about ‘Avlopp 69’, you were anti-‘Crass’ but what about now?
Avlopp 69’ [Sewer 69] was my first band and we were very inspired by the Oi-scene at that time and everyone in Fagersta & Norberg kept on with the anti-‘Crass’-thing, which we also went for at first but we thought about it and no one is worse than those who can’t change. I have read through most of the ‘Crass’ lyrics and several of them are damn good. The music may well be a bit monotonous at times. But after all, the lyrics are much more important. Though, it’s not possible to compare ‘Avlopp 69’ and ‘Bedrövlerz’. There are two completely different bands and ‘Bedrövlerz’ are not against ‘Crass’.
Tell us a bit about the tape you did with ‘Asocial’?
We chose to record a tape together with ‘Asocial’ because we like ‘Asocial’ and are long-time friends with them. The tape contains 22 songs (and is called How Could Hardcore Be Any Worse?) Which is a bit ironic, since many songs are fast punk and this tape is super fast. Especially ‘Asocial’. It has received very good reviews in Maximum Rock’n’Roll (USA).
What is a good lyric to you?
Good lyrics should make the listeners react, make them comfortable, get them angry, laugh or whatever. They should provoke a reaction from the listener. We find that many of today’s punk lyrics are repetitions of bands like ‘Discharge’, for example ‘Anti-Cimex’. It’s better to try to make your own original lyrics than to copy others. A good lyric often has an important and an actual message, which is often found in punk. But also bands/people like Mikael Wiehe [Swedish singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer], Bob Dylan and John Lennon write/wrote very good lyrics.
Will you release more tapes or records soon?
Yes, we will soon record an EP with ‘Fear Of War’. It should contain about 8-10 songs and it should be cheap. We will have both Swedish and English lyrics to go with it. In addition, Uproar records & tapes, that we collaborate with, will do a compilation-album after our and the ‘Crude S.S.’ EPs.
Drugs, what do you think of those?
We don’t like drugs and we also count cannabis as a drug [BED REVELERS! NEUOOOOOO! --S]. We hate the drugdealers that get rich on the misfortume of others. We don’t like alcohol when it’s abused but can tolerate it for those that can handle it, not the abusers.
What do you do in your free time (when you don’t drink beer)?
We don’t drink as much as before due to changed attitudes. In our spare time we rehearse, write lyrics, meet up with mates, think, work on 6 Pack (a fanzine), ride our skateboards, go to peace-meetings, help other bands, Micke and Markko go to school but I (Fredda) am unemployed and off to do weapons-free military duty in October.
Influences, do you have any?
Influences? We’re influenced by all kinds of punk bands with good lyrics. But we’re not that shortsighted that we pretend to be something else, because we don’t. Those who listen to our music usually think that we’re listening to American bands since we play so fast, but that’s because we get out our aggression better that way. If that would be the case, this would mean that lyrics aren’t as important as the music but that’s not the case; and for that very reason we have made some calmer songs.
Political positions?
Markko: The centre-party is the best, says mom. No, jokes aside, I’m not voting for any party. I have my thoughts and ideas, but I don’t care if they are represented by any particular party. But I think politicians lie a lot, they make big promises before the election but afterwards they say something different.
Mikael: I’m not familiar with politics so I’m not interested, the little I know is that it’s a lot of false promises of more jobs and that everything will get better.
Fredda: I don’t want to take a political stand because I have problems with all party’s political programs. There are also some good things but more are bad. I’ve got some anarchist thoughts and ideas but I don’t call myself an anarchist because it’s a label. And I don’t like labels. But in order for anarchy to work, man must first change himself.
Subterranean Kids - "Subterranean Hardcore" Demo 1985 (With Scans)
Raw Power and Wretched's Spanish lovechild. Translated "No Flag" interview (early 90s) below...
Could you introduce the new ‘Subterranean Kids’ members?
Well, since we got together again or better said: reformed, the line-up of the band at the beginning of 1990 is: ‘Damned’ [Fernando Poza Díaz] (guitar; also playing with ‘Dr. Calypso’), ‘Boliche’ [Carlos Antonio Buira Monferrer] (drums; also playing in ‘Tropel Nat’), ‘Mimo’ [Sergio Martínez Paredes] (vocals) and ‘Moncho’ [‘Moo-yoo’; Ramón Cubedo Fort]: (bass; also plays [drums] in ‘Corn Flakes’).
Do you consider this ‘Subterranean Kids’ period as a follow-up to previous periods or as something different, as a ‘new beginning’?
I think it’s a bit of both. It’s a follow-up, that is clear, and we haven’t forgotten about the experiences acquired in the first 6 years. A new beginning after a brief hiatus helps us to take things with enthusiasm and although we think to be keeping up with the ‘Subterranean Kids’ style, we believe to be new in certain things, since the new members ‘Damned’ and ‘Moncho’ bring in new aspects in comparison to the old members, and I think we should take advantage of these.
What really stimulated you for the reunion of ‘Subterranean Kids’? How did you convince ‘Mimo’ to sing again? (Red.: This info was provided by Jordi of B-Core during ‘Subterranean Kids’ gig in Sala Argentina, hence the question about ‘Mimo’. Apparently it wasn´t like that.)
Firstly, let’s have a good laugh (hahaha). Nobody convinced ‘Mimo’ to sing in the band again; it was rather him who, after the disastrous tour that we did across Europe the previous year and after splitting up, convinced us to play again with ‘Moncho’. The idea for a reunion was his; ‘Damned’ and myself were both comfortable with our respective bands: ‘L’Odi Social’ and ‘Tropel Nat’. The idea that drove us, was seeing how really dead the scene was plus also trying to find out if we could really do good things with the new line-up.
Are you still in touch with old members ‘Pep’ and Marc? What are they doing nowadays? Are they still playing music?
We meet them from time to time. ‘Pep’ [guitarist Pepe Vidal] is no longer involved in music and Marc [bassist Marc García Sastre] plays in a band called ‘Malas Influencias’ that recently recorded a demo. It’s a pity that ‘Pep’ is no longer interested in making music.
Do you think to keep on playing with ‘Damned’ and ‘Moncho’ or are you looking for more dedicated members to play in ‘Subterranean Kids’? Don’t you think that ‘Corn Flakes’or ‘L’Odi Social’ tours could be a handicap to the band?
First off: ‘L’Odi Social’ no longer exists, it’s a pity but is true. Secondly, it could take up a bit of time from the band if any member of ‘Subterranean Kids’ plays in another band but they have the right to do that and also it’s something that enriches our scene, having creative members that cooperate in different projects. Myself (‘Boliche’), I collaborate in Reptil zine, and ‘Moncho’ and ‘Damned’ have their own bands. Besides that we also have our day jobs. Of course we think about keeping on with this line-up for a long time, until we get bored.
Could you tell us about the new ‘Subterranean Kids’ songs? Will they be similar to the old songs or will you take a new direction? What about the lyrics?
‘Mimo’s lyrics could be a bit different and take a more personal point of view; music-wise I think we play fast songs as well as middle-paced songs that people who listen to ‘Subterranean Kids’ will certainly like. Next week we will also record a 6-track maxi-single for Mondo Stereo [label], a division of Semaphore, and since they do the production of it, we can expect a more powerful sound. We haven’t decided on the title yet.
Mixing my previous questions: Who’s going to write the new songs? Aren’t you afraid of having ‘Corn Flakes’ or ‘L’Odi Social’ influences in these new compositions?
One could perceive some new nuances in the music but as I said before ‘L’Odi Social’ no longer exists and ‘Moncho’ plays drums in ‘Corn Flakes’, so we don’t see it as something disadvantageous.
Will you continue working with the B-Core label? How do you value his work, regardless of you personal friendship?
B-Core [record-label from Barcelona founded by Jordi Llansamà] will probably organise a compilation with bands from Catalonia or from Spain, and it’s almost certain that there will be some music by ‘Subterranean Kids’ on it. He’s also very interested in re-releasing our very first demo Subterranean Hardcore as an LP or as a double-7”. We’ll see about that. We think he does a very good job: no-one in Spain knew about the band ‘Identity’ for example, in spite of them having members of ‘Raped Teenagers’, and thanks to the tours he organised for them and the EP he released through B-Core they got more popular over here and they’ve featured in some fanzines, which is good. We also know the musical tastes of B-Core and we think that none of his next releases is going to disappoint us, we have pretty similar tastes.
Could you tell us about your next concerts? Where do you think you’ll play? Will there be another “fucking problems tour”?
Yesterday we played in a benefit-gig in KGB, a concert-space in Barcelona, and even thought it was on a Thursday, around 300 people showed up and all hell broke loose: everybody was singing, there was non-stop slam-dancing…and of course there was big expectation towards the new songs since we haven’t played in Barcelona since March ‘91. There’s also a demonstration organised by the local neighbours each Thursday to get KGB closed down and there was such a demonstration the same day of our gig, so there were about 30 neighbours protesting with whistles in front of KGB. It was funny considering we were treated as criminals for attending a gig, really funny. We’ve some more gigs planned, like one in November in Sala Argentina in Madrid and another one in Barcelona areound that time. Touring foreign countries again – that hopefully wouldn’t be a “fucking problems tour” – could be a thought for next year, we’re eager for it.
How do you see the new wave of Catalonian bands that are coming out lately? Is it similar to the one that came about years ago or is it different? And what about the rest of Spain? How do you see the scene in general?
A few but good bands have come out; they don’t play live too often but they are there. ‘Budellam’ [HC from Barcelona] have done very well as they have produced their own EP and they have played live several times. ‘Carpe Diem’ [thrash from Barcelona] have recorded a demo, it’s being sold very well and they’ve planned some gigs. With ‘Tropel Nat’ we keep doing what we want, some people like us, some don’t, but we will record an LP in a Swiss studio in December. ‘Ktulu’ [thrash/metal from Barcelona] have also recorded a decent LP and they’ve been playing live lately. The new ‘Anarkotiks’ [HC/punk from Barcelona] repertoire is quite good and they’ll play live soon. ‘Corn Flakes’ will release their second LP soon and they’ve improved a lot, but if you don’t like their old style I doubt you’ll enjoy their new style: much more technical and improved. ‘Subterranean Kids’ will be recording a maxi-single in one or two weeks’ time. ‘Acció Directa’ [HC crossover from Barcelona], I guess will rip soon with their second LP. There’s also other bands recording soon and Tralla recs [record-label from Barcelona] is helping many bands such as ‘Alambique’ [punk from Barcelona], ‘Drogas Guais’ [HC/punk from Zaragoza], ‘Mardita Sea’ [HC/punk from Sant Andreu] I think a very good network is being formed. If you ask me if the bands that came out years ago are similar to the bands that come out nowadays: I don’t think so. The bands that played rock are still playing it and the bands that played punk/HC/metal are improving in search of an own style. In the rest of Spain there’s some new bands as ‘Nocivo’ [punk from Valencia], ‘Trip Inside’ [indie rock from Zaragoza] and many more. We’ld like to listen to new bands that appear in your zine, that come out from your area. Anyway, we think it’s good, in some places better than in other places.
If you want to add something…
Good luck with the zine, it’s really good! Thanks for your support and stay tuned for the new record!
Kyousantou - "Communist" Demo 1984 & "Ujimushi" Demo 1984 (With Scans)
Recently bootlegged L.S.D.-ish/Typhus-ish/metal-free hardcore from Japan. "Comrades" like 4th International, and orders of magnitude more normal about it than the nauseatingly deformed mutants who riot in gay-bondage-furry cosplay over here. "MAKE AMERICA GAPE AGAIN!!!"
Death In June - "Nada!" LP 1985
"Compulsion Zine" interview with Douglas P. (focusing on "Nada!")...
I've always been curious about the photographs on the sleeve of NADA! (and subsequently 93 Dead Sunwheels), where were they taken? What was the significance, if any, of the skull and daggers?
I've always been curious about the photographs on the sleeve of NADA! (and subsequently 93 Dead Sunwheels), where were they taken? What was the significance, if any, of the skull and daggers?
All the photographs for these albums were taken in Brookwood Cemetary which is an old Victorian cemetary situated just outside of London. In fact, it used to have its very own railway station when it was known as the London Necropolis whose entrance was situated almost opposite to where we recorded all of this material near Waterloo Station. It's a place I've frequented since the late 1960s when my parents used to take walks in it.
Two of the bayonets belonged to Patrick Leagas and the dagger belonged to me. Just the look of them in the photographs is great but they do also have significance. They are both aesthetic and meaningful. The skull belonged to David Tibet and I believe it is Chinese in origin. But, I may be wrong about that as there seemed to be skulls popping up from everyone in those days so it could belong to someone else. Anyway, there are different ones in different photo sessions from that period.
Two of the bayonets belonged to Patrick Leagas and the dagger belonged to me. Just the look of them in the photographs is great but they do also have significance. They are both aesthetic and meaningful. The skull belonged to David Tibet and I believe it is Chinese in origin. But, I may be wrong about that as there seemed to be skulls popping up from everyone in those days so it could belong to someone else. Anyway, there are different ones in different photo sessions from that period.
NADA! is unique in Death In June's history as it forged the talents of Patrick Leagas, Richard Butler, David Tibet and yourself. How did you approach compositions in those days? Was their a collaborative aspect or were songs written in isolation?
Patrick and Richard tended to work together at home and bring into the studio the basic backing tracks of some of the more electronically oriented songs and then we would work on the lyrics or I'd add guitar or another keyboard line etc. Tibet's contribution was really providing me/Death In June with a lot of writings that I/we could use in anyway I pleased. With the exception of 'She Said Destroy' nothing he provided was complete. I or, once Pat with 'The Torture Garden', would take a title from here or a word or sentence from there. Whatever fitted was used. Tibet came down to Alaska Studios a few times to see how things were going and shouted or growled a bit here or played a thigh bone there but wasn't involved in any of the production/mixing process. That was really Iain O'Higgins our sound engineer for many years, Pat and myself. All of my material, both acoustic and electronic, was written at home with things being added in the studio as they developed. It wasn't until we started recording all of these things that we realised that we had something pretty unique on our hands albeit a lot of the writing process for me, at least, was littered with 'peculiar' events that were pointing in the right direction.
The entire NADA!, From Torture To Conscience and Born Again period must have been quite exciting. Do you have any recurring memories / pivotal moments of the recording process or related time?
The "NADA!" period for me really began on Christmas Day, 1983 when I deliberately didn't go to dinner with Jack, my partner of the time but instead stayed at home to write a song using the lyrics Tibet had given me over the previous few months. That turned out to be 'She Said Destroy'. It was a special moment to start many special moments for the "NADA!" period. Those Yuletide holidays were put to good use by Patrick and myself who I think was writing 'The Calling' at about the same time. After we did what turned out to be our final performances with Tony Wakeford in France in early January, 1984 Patrick, Richard, Tibet and I came together for rehearsals and basically compared notes. Hearing 'The Calling', 'She Said Destroy' and 'The Torture Garden' all for the first time was very reassuring and memorable. The photo sessions were always very inspiring and special.
The Champagne breakfast by the banks of the River Thames as dawn came up over London on the morning that we completed the original album recordings was memorable. Touring "NADA!" in Italy in April 1985 was literally magical. There are many special times from those days. But, there have always been in Death In June so I don't find myself overly preoccupied with what happened nearly 20 years ago. So much has happened since.
NADA! features a formidable mixture of acoustic and electronic tracks. What were the prime influences at the time: musically philosophically, and culturally? Do you ever wonder where Death In June might have gone if the group had continued in this direction?
I think those "influences" have always been the same. The only difference is the way they are used to articulate whatever it is to be communicated/exorcised/whatever at any particular time between 1981 up to the present day in 2003. That said I have to say that I was reading a lot of stuff by The Marquis De Sade and Crowley that Tibet had given me and my first real ventures into the occult were beginning and instantly proved successful. I used to wonder what Death In June would have developed into if Pat had stuck with it but that was not to be and in retrospect probably just as well. So much was yet to come that there are definitely no regrets. Shoulda, woulda, coulda are all irrelevant aren't they!
The careers pursued by Patrick, David and yourself have been widely documented but whatever happened to Richard Butler? And wherever did he come from?
He was in Pat's original group called The Runners From '84. During the period between the actual breakup of Crisis, my first group, and the founding of Death In June with Patrick, Tony had worked with this group. So he knew Richard and as DIJ developed into something that became difficult to represent in the live arena as a 3 piece both he and Pat thought it was a good idea to rope Richard in to help with live performances. He was never an actual member of Death In June and by his own admission didn't really know what we were on about. However, he was willing to work during this period and when his time came to an end he was asked to leave. During the recording of the 'Born Again' 12-inch I was feeling uneasy about certain things so as I departed the studio I asked Pat to deal with it. Afterall, I had 'dealt' with Tony which wasn't exactly easy. I think all he has done musically since is help out with Pat during photo sessions for 6th Comm or Mother Destruction. I'm not exactly sure but, he was always good at those things. Richard had a good sensibility regarding striking the right pose.
In the intervening years Patrick has continued to record (and release) a number of these songs. Any comments you care to make?
Pat was always a perfectionist and even in DIJ he would want to do his vocal lines over and over again until he got what he thought was the very best take. I have to admit he always did so I'm not surprised he wants to re-do his songs from the Death In June days. He is probably still searching for the perfect version. I don't mind in the least!
It's been mentioned previously that NADA! is NER's biggest seller. Can you relate any reviews from the time? How did Death In June fans react to the change in musical style at the time? In retrospect how do you feel about it today?
DIJ fans obviously bought it in droves which showed what they thought of it. The Burial album had incredulously been the best selling LP up until then but NADA! zoomed off into the distance - probably never to be caught by anything else sales-figures wise again. It has time and quality on its side. And, still has! The remastering of it last year before World Serpent came up with their out of Court settlement in my case against them was an illuminating experience. I heard the album anew and it reinforced how much of it is perrenial and now even more pertinent to the Zeitgeist. When the now defunct British music paper Sounds gave it 5 question marks rather than 5 stars in their review of the record, little did they know how spot on they would be.
Anything else you care to add?
Yes, well we mustn't forget that the reason behind this interview is the recent reissue of Death In June's NADA! CD (along with Boyd Rice And Friends' Music, Martinis & Misanthropy CD/Picture disc LP) which was forced upon me after 4 years of not being able to get my hands on what was rightly mine. So, a big "thankyou" to the 3 Piggies for inadvertantly giving me the chance to reinvent the best of Death In June's/NER back catalogue during the years that they tried to destroy me/Death In June. Such business acumen is hard to find these days. And, as I write this I have just heard that NADA! has reached #7 in the South Australian album charts during our present tour of Australia and New Zealand. Being up there with the likes of Regurgitator and Pacifier makes me feel so young and contemporary!
Prenatal Lust - Demo #1 1982
"Prenatal Lust were a Hardcore punk band from Austin, Texas I believe. This is their first demo/studio recording allegedly from 1982, but I reckon it's from 1983. One of these tracks ('Entertainment Tonight') appears on the 1983 cult compilation LP 'Cottage Cheese From The Lips Of Death' & this entire session (7 tracks) appeared on the 1984 compilation tape "Texacore". This is pretty rowdy & boisterous stuff for 82/83 actually. Some of it is superfast, whilst mostly upbeat/midtempo HC, but always very tight & well-played. 7 tracks in 8 minutes. Restored & mastered by Mahler Haze, October 2019." 
Anus Cunt - "Glumph" Fake Demo 1991
Impaled Nazarene do a two+ minute live tribute to Anal Cunt.
Way.
Death Sentence U.K. - 1981 Demo & "Death And Pure Distruction" 7" 1982
THRASHMOSH!!!...(all three Death Sentences are a thrashmosh!!!)...Kinda short, razor sharp shocks of chaotic and disorderly hardcore from Northampton. The band was a kiloton heavier, snottier, A-N-G-R-I-E-R, and tunelessly tighter than the Bristolites, as well as being historical in extreme punk for having been founded by afro-caribbean twins (I bring that up in the humanistic way, not the SJW fucked up shithead way). "Criminally underrated, why isn't there an authorized discography blah blah blah"... http://www.mediafire.com/file/wofr86x0jj8e16k/Death_Sentence_UK_81-82.zip/file
Screaming Corpses (Pre Maeror Tri) – "A Different State Of Consciousness" Tape 1987
"Maeror Tri was an ambient, noise, and drone music band from Germany founded by 3 members of 'Screaming Corpses' in 1988. Similar to Zoviet France, they used only analog instruments* with an enormous amount of effects applied. Very little is known about the group except for spokesperson Stefan Knappe, who is also the owner of the label 'Drone Records'. Nevertheless, it is for sure that all three came from the city of Leer in northern Germany, and knew each other since their time in school."*As "Screaming Corpses" the band seemed to exercise live capture of percussion, musique concrete, and patched synth.
Megaptera - "Near Death" Tape 1991, "Nightmares" Tape 1995 (Limited To 6, With Scans), "You Will Never Survive This Nightmare" Tape 1995, "The Curse Of The Scarecrow" CD 1998 (Original Master)
Interview with Peter Nyström By Per Najbjerg Odderskov
First of all, I understand the founding and first member of Megaptera was Mikael Svensson (Deaf Machine). You then joined the project later on. How did you become involved in Megaptera?
It was Mikael and Magnus Åslund (Pettersson) who started Megaptera together. I was making music with Magnus Sundström as Fiskebåtarna and First Aid at that time Mikael and Magnus recorded the first Megaptera tracks. These later became the first homemade release. You Will Recover. I think I started to listen to CMI related music at that time, like BDN, MZ412 and Raison d'etre. I heard that they had started to experiment with some old gear that Magnus mother's new boyfriend had, like a 4 channel portastudio and an analog delay. I borrowed a drum machine from my friends in the synthpop band Cell Division, and then I joined them. We were friends already.
What was the idea of Megaptera in the early days? You managed to create something which was quite unique back then.
I'd say no idea at all. We got very influenced by the CMI sound and we were already big fans of The Klinik, Test Department and Cabaret Voltaire. We didn't know much about instruments so we just took what we had: scenes from various films, TV, radio, whatever we could hear fit in. The reason why we ended up making this kind of music was that it was quite easy. We didn't need expensive gear or a computer to record the atmospheres that we liked. And it was also very funny to just search for crazy sounds and movies and just push record. Very unpretentious.
It seems to me that the cult of Megaptera expanded with your friendship/involvement with Slaughter Productions. You had lots of side projects released there, and you appeared on many of the cult compilations. Do you miss the days of Slaughter Productions?
Of course I miss some of it, and Marco of course. He was such a nice guy. Very polite, gentle and everything went very smooth with him. The best part was that we wrote REAL letters back then, and it was amazingly fun to both receive and send letters, records and tapes. The most important releases were those on Slaughter, otherwise I don't think Megaptera would have reached the status we did. I remember being very proud of having two tracks on Death Odors and also as number 1 and 2 on the disc. Shadowland is still one of Megaptera's strongest pieces of music.
You finally had a bigger "commercial" release on Release Entertainment (also like Brighter Death Now). How did Curse Of The Scarecrow come to be? I'll also point that that a lot people got to know Megaptera through this album.
It really became a hit for us. Magnus Åslund left the band already in 1991 and Mikael and I recorded this album together with Magnus Sundström on his Amiga 500 and EPS sampler if I remember correctly. We felt that we were doing some really good tracks. We did not think, just recorded track after track. It went very easily. I had some contact with VUZ Records and somehow the record came out on Release Entertainment THROUGH VUZ Records and then the guy ripped us on the money. I was very blue eyed, and thought everybody was as polite as Marco Corbelli, but that wasn't the case. I'm still very proud of that album, and it was very important that we got Don't Desecrate the Dead released on Absolute Supper. It really promoted Megaptera well.
Which Megaptera album are you most proud of doing?
I must say Songs from the Massive Darkness back in 1992. Me and Mikael was heavily influenced by Great Death by BDN, so we connected the gear we had in my boy's room and recorded those 6 tracks in 4 hours. I still enjoy listening to that album from start to the end. I love the metallic sound of that BOSS RRV-10 reverb, the sounds we pulled out from the SH-101, and the voices in the background from The Thing. A perfect and funny recording session. I remember that I was down eating a quick dinner while we recorded one of the tracks, and Mikael were sitting on my bed playing a Casio VZ-1 with his feet in the meantime, haha! Great memories!
What does the future hold for Megaptera? Is there still unreleased material hidden in the vaults?
All tracks have been released, so no more old surprises. I get some ideas sometimes, but we'll see. Maybe a CD version of Nailed on vinyl later on. Only Satan knows (*Winking face)."
Hecatomb - "Deep Sleep Therapy" Demo Tape 1992
TUPPA-TUPPA-TUPTUPTUPTUP-CHUGGLE-CHUG-BUH-REAAAKDOOOOOOWN...with a throat-cancer-ravaged werewolf on vocals. ILL!!! http://www.mediafire.com/file/cnesp32qxzljaeb/Hecatomb_-_Deep_Sleep_Therapy_Demo_1992.zip/file
Intestinal Infestation - 1988 Rehearsal
Unseen Terror and E.N.T. (when Mick Harris was still in the group) basically fucking around playing the same song over and over again (and the track isn't even memorable, it's...kinda pedestrian). I don't think this was a serious effort for some future project, but more of a hangout session just for the sheer fuck of it. Not at all an internet debut, but for those who live under rocks... http://www.mediafire.com/file/msugc5cyka14d11/Intestinal_Infestation_-_1988_Reh.zip/file
Hellpreacher - "Ressurection" Demo 1986
Throw the long-horns bro! I dunno why these Texan death-thrashers never received label attention, as they had the "Three S's" (earliest Slayer/Sodom/Sepultura) nailed down tighter than Christ on his handsome cross! Talented, sometimes exceptional performance, riotous pacing (there's not a single chug-slam breakdown to be had), LP-grade studio recording, and their drummer later joined fellow unsigned demigods Necrovore. This one goes out to Splatter Sal and Alex Spawn, fellow old fucks who LIVED the power of their state's totally nutso-as-fuck scene!!!
Juventud Podrida - "1989" 7" 2012 (With Scans)
"Juventud Podrida (Spanish for 'Rotten Youth') is a Panamanian crust punk band formed in 2007, they are the first band of its genre in their country. The members are Rodolfo Alem•n (vocals), Jose Arosemena (guitar), Sean McNally (drums), and Joshua Rodin (bass). The band marked a milestone in the history of Panamanian punk for its 'eccentricity', they embrace the idea to work under the DIY ethics and to release their music on vinyl, in a country where doing that is considered a financial disaster for any music group.'1989' is the very first self-released punk record in Panama. It was recorded and engineered by David Colindres at 'Estudios Insomnio' in 2011 and released in 2012 by 'Lugica Ciega Records'. It was produced by David Colindres and Rodolfo Alem•n, the artwork was done by Jose Arosemena and Rodolfo Alem•n. The sampling on 'Los Demonios Del Norte' was extracted from the documentary 'The Panama Deception', the artwork was inspired by the United States invasion of Panama that occurred in 1989, never forget..."
The Fifth Path - Issues 1-5 (1991-1994)
Neo-gothic, post-pagan, industrial-folk, part-time-aryan, desktop-published legend (the layouts are seriously great, not mind-blowing, but noticeably administered with the same professionalism as the writing). Informative reads that sometimes outweigh the musical misanthropy with social/pop-historical commentary (without being histrionic or cringey). Lops on eBay are trying to sell pissed-on-yellow copies for 300 bucks, so it goes without saying I NEEDED TO PUNISH THEM...
Godflesh - Live Soundboard April 30th 1989 (Mahler's Rip), Live Soundboard May 8th 1989, Audience Recording Final Show Pre-Hiatus December 10th 2001
Extra special mentions to Mahler's rip, a S-O-U-L P-U-N-I-S-H-I-N-G set where the band...waaaaaaaaaaaay more than usual...cranked the knobs on literally everything just to see what would explode and what would merely catch fire (the audience and themselves included). One of the filthiest, rageful, and outright psychedelic performances the duo has ever given!!! "Crazier than Streetcleaner"...
Jonathan Briley - "The Will To Power" Tape 1985, "Darker Profits" Tape 1985, "Loss Of Innocence" Tape 1986
"Industrial soloist also known for his collaborations with Sleep Chamber/Inner-X-Musick and
connections to Broken Flag. An enigmatic figure, Briley seemingly quit all musical activity after 1989."
http://www.mediafire.com/file/p3fnhalikydu6oh/Jonathan_Briley.zip
http://www.mediafire.com/file/p3fnhalikydu6oh/Jonathan_Briley.zip
Browning Mummery - "Evidence Of Ritual" Tape 1983, "Oracles And Prescriptions" Tape 1983, "Obiter Scripta" Tape 1984 (FLACS)
"Pioneering 'pure' industrial project founded in 1983 by Andrew Lonsdale of Australia, as both a collaborative and solo entity for experimental aural constructs. Lonsdale began producing electronic music in Rockhampton in 1980, and after relocating to Sydney in 1981, became a vital part of that area's legendary early experimental/electronic scene. The Browning Mummery style is distinct and genre-defying, drawing on techniques from dub, improvisation, musique concrete, cut-up/collage, and dark ambient."
Blood - Demos '86-'88
Never go full grind-retard...I'd posted Blood's 5th demo in Selfish Few's first month of life, and insisted that I'd never heard the preceding recordings...only to find the lot of them nonchalantly sitting in my archives (I gotta digi-dust more often!). Anyway, more middle school metal than grinding death, and the rips aren't nearly as bad as the placement of the boomboxes that initially captured the...the, uh..."music". http://www.mediafire.com/file/66qeqkwunn5sddn/Blood_-_Demos_86-88.zip/file
Insect Warfare - "Noise Grind Power Death" 53 Track One Sided 12" 2009
AARRGGHH!!! GRANDSON OF ALL
ARSE-DESTROYING NOISECORE!!!
Disposer - 1999 Demo 1
Formerly hoarded lone release from this truly obscure noise-punk group (from Japan of course). They remind me of later Screaming Noise quite a bit, even sharing similar (though not as thin) production touches as that band's 2nd EP. Disposer is still wannabe Swankys-core, but smartly arranged for the style without any of the show-offy "look at how cooooool we are" easter eggs. Handsome schtuff that I'd enjoy far less pyrrhically if fucking tossers didn't treat it all like nuclear launch codes...http://www.mediafire.com/file/kh3sqsr31vh1qx1/Disposer_-_Demo_1_1999.zip/file
Inu - "Meshi Kuuna" LP 1981 & Live (Year? Alchemy LP?)
"Kō Machida (born 1962) is a Japanese author, punk rock singer, poet and actor. Machida formed a punk rock band called 'Inu' (dog) in 1978, for which he used the stage name 'Machida Machizō'. Inu released their first album, 'Meshi Kuuna!' in 1981. The band split shortly after the album was released. He went on to form a number of other bands, and though these subsequent projects earned reasonable critical acclaim, commercial success was limited."The band was somewhere between a sort of frantic wave and anxious pop, with a few segues into Fear's type of art student experimental territory (a trait Aburadako shared). Very catchy tunes, though I'm hard pressed to label any of it "punk". My fave track still remains "Uncle And Aunt" (track three on the studio LP).
Annihilator - "Welcome To Your Death" Demo 1985 & "Phantasmagoria" Demo 1986
"Along with Sacrifice, Voivod and Razor, Annihilator is credited as one of the 'Big 4' of Canadian thrash metal. Formed in Ottawa by Jeff Waters and John Bates in 1984, they named the band after the tank that Eddie Murphy's character rode on in the 1984 film 'Best Defense'. Waters and Bates then recruited drummer Paul Malek and bassist Dave Scott. This lineup lasted a year, producing a demo titled "Welcome To Your Death" during their time together. The demo received worldwide recognition and became highly sought after.After John Bates and Dave Scott left the band before its release, citing artistic differences and personality conflicts, Jeff Waters and drummer Paul Malek recorded another successful demo titled Phantasmagoria in 1986. This was said to be the third most traded metal cassette tape in the 1980s, behind Metallica and Megadeth's demo tapes. Waters relocated to Vancouver in 1987, where he assembled a new line-up, including drummer Ray Hartmann and former D.O.A. bassist Randy Rampage on vocals. They went on to become the highest-selling thrash metal group in Canadian history, selling more than three million albums worldwide. Waters is the only remaining original member left, and usually assembles session musicians to perform and tour with him."
MT-2 > HM-2...
DJ Cachexic - "Crazy Orange Nukes" EP 2008
"All tracks written, produced & mastered by Thomas Ponder (DJ Cachexic a.k.a. Goth Von Core). Tracks 1 and 2 are mega-experimental Industrial-Hardcore, track 3 is hard IDM made with kicks alone, and track 4 is Ambient/IDM. Track 2 was made as a 'diss-track', the lyrics were copied and pasted directly from a message sent to a friend of the producer. The sender's name will not be mentioned as Cachexic considers himself a nice guy. ^-^ " --Zeta 1 Records
Intentionally 192-kilobyte cheapcore that's...pretty sophomorish...but if we share the same mindset that even Bloody Fist wasn't built in a day, I think you'll enjoy this charming lil' digi-ep's squandered potential (Thomas 3:P.M.-Eternalled his projects in 2010 😞 ).
Graeme Revell - "The Insect Musicians" LP 1986
"Graeme Revell (born 1955) is a New Zealand musician and composer. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the leader of the industrial group SPK. Since the 1990s he has worked primarily as a film score composer. Some of his best known scores include The Crow (1994), Street Fighter (1994), Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie (1995), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), The Craft (1996), The Saint (1997), The Negotiator (1998), Bride of Chucky (1998), Titan A.E. (2000), Tomb Raider (2001), Daredevil (2003), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), and Sin City (2005). He is also known for his frequent collaborations with director David Twohy, having scored Below (2002) and the Riddick franchise. Revell has been assisted in sound design by Brian Williams, who creates dark ambient music under the name Lustmord."http://www.mediafire.com/file/h9ao2y6hfzt5z9p/Graeme_Revell_-_The_Insect_Musicians_LP_1986.zip/file
O.Y.M. / Infest - 85-86 Demos, 1987 Demo & "Slave" 12" 1988
Fat cokeheads playing H-A-R-D-C-O-R-E!!!
(O.Y.M. was Infest's drummer's first band, he then played in Deathdose with Matt Domino, which obviously morphed into the E-cogs deity we all know and blow. The rips/scans of O.Y.M.'s demos have been bobbing around for well over a decade, and came courtesy of Justin Relics. A short "bio" of his discovering the group, as well as line-ups and track titles are also included.)
Headcleaners/Huvudtvatt - Discography 81-84
Interview with Mats Nilsson 2011/2013...
Musically there is a big difference between Massmedia and Huvudtvätt, how come? Was it something to do with the move to the city of Linköping, and the discovery of new brutal bands?
Massmedia was a real band, but Huvudtvätt was initially supposed to be just my own solo project. I would call Massmedia a “raw punk” band, but over the years we mixed between styles quite a lot. Ever since I heard the Ramones in 1976, I have always been more fond of the extreme and raw side of punk, perhaps more so than some other punks. For example there was “musical differences” that lead me to quit my first band The Same, as early as January 1978, after we had played together for less than 4 months. Standard punk had already become too wimpy for my tastes. It was Per Kraft, my classmate at school in 1976, who got me into his band in the spring 1977, he was a divinely gifted musician. It was just two guys who played guitar in Per’s garage. He taught me how to play the bass. But nothing ever happened with that band, but it was the embryo of The Absolute Swine, which would form in late September 1977. Two quick name changes in its first month and finally the band settled for The Same, which is usually described as Sundsvall’s first punk band. My other band, Massmedia, broke up partly because of the same reasons. Brodde, our first singer, quit in the summer of 1979. He was too wimpy in his musical tastes, and probably already on his way into post-punk. I did not like that, and the band was “not big enough for both of us” (as Brodde once said in an interview). Massmedia ended in the autumn of 1980, when Torulf and I moved to Linköping for university. I studied the “Y-line”, i.e. Physics and Electrical Engineering, majoring in Computer Engineering, 1980-84. Massmedia had a reunion during Christmas 1980 when we (me, Torulf and Patrick) recorded two new songs for the compilation record “Andra Bränder”. Already in the early spring of 1981, I was eager to do something new in punk rock. I knew I wanted to do even more extreme punk (than the type that Massmedia played). I had heard a lot of Discharge, but also American bands like Minor Threat, Teen Idles, State of Alert and Black Flag etc. Torulf had bought some records with him from a study trip to the USA in the spring of 1981. When it was time to start “my” band, I did not know any other “studio musicians” (joke!) than Torulf (editors note: Mats’ brother) and Patrick from Massmedia. I knew what they could do so it was just natural to ask them first. We hooked up our singer Huw through our mate Janne Andersson from Uppsala. As a note by the way: In the summer of 1980 I went around Europe by train with Janne (who was an old Massmedia fan). We got to know each other pretty well and visited punks and record stores on the way, including in Germany and Holland. In England, we met Janne’s mate Andy who had started Xcentic Noise Records And Tapes in Hull, who mostly released compilation tapes.
How come you had the name Headcleaners for the foreign market and the name Huvudtvätt for the domestic Swedish market? And why this obsession with cleaning?
I had a cleaning cassette cartridge in my dorm room in Ryd (Linköping), called Head Cleaner, so when we were brainstorming band names it just happened to come up. But, we were supposed to sing in Swedish, and translated it became Huvudtvätt, which sounded cool. I’m a humorous guy who likes to joke about most things to most people. I think the theme (which was first “washing”, but then became a broader concept of “cleaning”) just happened when the music for the first record required lyrics. It came of course from the band name (and from the very first song we wrote). After that it was just too hard not to run with it…Janne in Uppsala asked us already back in 1981 if he could release us for foreign markets (in English). Sure, of course, we gladly told him. His label was to be called Malignant Massacre. And of course we had already invented the “English” band “Headcleaners” (indeed before Huvudtvätt). My brother and me are very resourceful and market-oriented people. We decided early on that we would record 8 instrumental songs in Sunsdvall. Then we laid vocals on each song in two different sessions, six Swedish and seven in English. We also had Janne (to freely) produce the English version, while “Mono Toni”, which was our producer’s alias (Moses Zero’s son, from my old stage name and Nill=Noll, and Torulf Nilsson), mixed the Swedish version in another studio (“Bastun” in Stockholm). The very first mix, in Swedish, from the Sundsvall studio is on the Xcentric Noise-cassette “Beating The Meat”. It is not the same mix later released on the EP.
How did you come in contact with Really Fast, and what do you think they did for the Swedish punk scene?
During the time in Linköping we came in contact with Patrik Jonsson who together with Staffan of Kurt I Kuvös ran Really Fast. We got along with Patrik and bought / sold / traded records with each other. Really Fast asked us if we wanted to be on the compilation (1983), which we thought sounded like fun. Some people apparently had some “problems” with the Really Fast’s hard-line unit price (“Pay More Than”), but we were also into the low budget / self-cost price. We would much rather sell more copies of a record than become rich. The Really Fast guys were also just the type of enthusiastic do-it-yourselfers who were driving Swedish punk. Admittedly, the split LP with Kurt I Kuvös (KIK) that Really Fast released in late winter 1984 was mostly made for the money, which however was only a couple thousand crowns split between us. Of course we had the urge to release more records by ourselves, but our drummer Patrik Tanner had already immigrated to the United States at that time. Patrik Jonsson arranged so that Staffan from Kurt I Kuvös helped us. Staffan was a different kind of drummer, which you can tell because there is a different sound on the LP. Overall, we think that our side on this LP is a bit like a rushed job. I definitely think that Really Fast did a lot for Swedish raw punk, but at the same time they did not have a unique role. Nor do I think that there was anyone in Sweden who was dominant in the scene, instead there were one or more persons / organizations in every Swedish medium-sized town that were driving local punkscenes and helping to make larger regional punk scenes.
Tell us a little about Janne’s label Malignant Massacre! Do you know if the label released more than the Huvudtvätt Disinfection EP, the Skitslickers EP and Anti-Cimex’s Victims of a Bomb Raid EP? Is it true that he (Janne) wrote most of the lyrics to both Huvudtvätt and Headcleaners?
Janne wrote all the lyrics for Headcleaners (in English), but I mainly (with the help of Torulf and later singers) wrote the Swedish lyrics. Janne was a serious guy, so it was more classical/anarchist punk lyrics. Malignant Massacre released just the three records. Janne paid for the first two. He did the same with Skitslickers, as Headcleaners, in other words released the record for the ‘English’ market, under the name “Shitllickers. The third record on MM, Anti Cimex’s Victims of a Bombraid, was however done by me, financed by me with Mats Bodenmalm (from Nässjö, but now living in Gothenburg) as principal. Mats was our contact with Anti Cimex. I released the record on Malignant Massacre because we did not have our own “hardcore” label. Janne was a punk rocker that I don’t think played in any band. He bought records (as a collector) and was in contact with bands, record labels and other collectors. These days I have no contact with Janne, who left punk early, but I know he still lives in Uppsala.
You released your last EP “The Infection-Grows” on Xcentric Noise Records in 1983 and the artwork was made by Pushead. However who made the artwork for the Disinfection EP?
It was one of the Janne (Malign Massacre Records) friends, Fredde from Uppsala.
How many copies were there of the split EP with Picnic Boys? There are conflicting information regarding the record.
610 copies were pressed, of which 310 had Huvudtvätt on the cover and 300 had Picnic Boys on the cover.
Did Headcleaners really have four different singers? Please would you name each of them and explain who was on what record etc.
In this case, I have not looked up the exact months and so on, but yes, we had four singers. Huw, Hasse, Lasse, and Janne. Firstly, it was Huw The Horrible in 1981. Then secondly Janne Andersson in 1982. Thirdly Hans Nilsson from Skövde in 1982-83. And finally Lars Persson in 1984. (Hans and Lars were Torulf classmates at University). Janne actually sang for Huvudtvätt / Headcleaners on our only live performance in September 1982 at Woodstock, the club in the basement of Skönsbergs Folkets Hus, in Sundsvall. It was not a successful show. Janne “who had not been in the band previously “forgot” some of the lyrics and Patrick had drunk a whole bag full of beer. We had trouble with the sound and the guitars were out of tune...but it was hilarious nonetheless. This concert is documented on video, which unfortunately has really poor sound. Therefore we mixed the film picture with the sound recorded on tape by the sound engineer Göran Tungström. This new version of the video has sadly gone missing, as well has the audio tape. A copy of the original video is still around, now transferred to a digital format. Hans sang on the three songs we did for the Really Fast compilation (and the Xcentic record. I think). Lars (and I) sang on the split with KIK.
When did you first hear d-beat, both as a drum beat and as a concept?
I have never heard of d-beat. I had to Google it and found the Wikipedia page on D-beat, which gave me a good laugh. I think this kind of genre creation just confuses (for example see all the varieties of metal these days). But I understand that the people involved want to be able to describe more precisely the style of music they play. That said I’d guess it’s “hacks” who invented terms like this. (Note on my musical background: Played the flute for many years, including in the Kommunala Musikskolans Youth Orchestra in Sundsvall, but I quit towards the end of high school. Then I started playing electrical bass guitar in the spring of my first year at college, at the age of 16.5. Self-taught with the help of Per Kraft)
What would you classify as the first Swedish rå-punk band (raw punk), and why? How do you define rå-punk (raw punk) at all? Was it a term that you used early?
Yes, of course Headcleaners were rå-punks (raw punks), but we used the expression ‘rå-punk’ (raw punk) long before 1981. Rå-punk is fast punk rock with a lot of distortion, in my opinion. Can’t remember when the term “hardcore punk” came to Sweden but we did not use it ourselves anyway. As the term ‘rå punk’ was already used during the first wave of punk, I would say that Kriminella Gitarrer must be one of the best Swedish bands of all time. In the second wave Anti-cimex was early, and of course us in Huvudtvätt. There were probably many more around the country at the same time, and a lot of bands came just after us, which means it should have been in 1982, but these other bands could easily have formed as early as 1981. We were quick to release our first record, because we were very experienced (as punk musicians) and we did not need to rehearse that much. Huvudtvätt was indeed solely formed to make records. We did not have any concerts (except the one in September 1982) or anything else to prepare for. The songs were written by me over the course of a few months, then the lyrics were later written in two days. First Torulf and I rehearsed, then we played with Tanner in Sundsvall, Sweden (during the summer break). A while before our allocated studio time we recorded our music on cassette tape and sent it down to Janne & Huw in Uppsala. The two of them with Huw’s girlfriend came up to Sundsvall in early August 1981, and then we recorded everything in two days at the KFUM-studio on 16-channels.
Why do you think that Sweden produced so many high-quality raw punk bands in the early 80’s? When the neighbouring countries to Sweden, with the exception of Finland, did not come up with many comparable classic bands?
Sweden had a big punk rock boom in 1979, following the first wave in 1977-78, with lots of new bands. The following year (1980), a lot of these bands broke-up due to different musical tastes. Some new bands then went to the extreme side, others to the so-called post-punk. Influences came mainly from American bands, and not the tough English punk bands. English punk quickly became “too fat and lazy” (as did the “Oi”-style). There was however some exceptions, of which I have to mention Discharge. Finland also had many good bands. I often made trades and bought records from Voitto “Vote” Vasko. Because I had a mailorder distro during my years in Linköping. Sweden is also more Americanised than the neighboring Nordic countries. Most in a bad way I think, but maybe this had a role in creating a second wave of punk in Sweden.
Please give some comments about the following bands and what you think they have done for the Swedish punk scene: Moderat Likvidation, Anti Cimex, Mob 47, Skitslickers and Disarm.
Anti Cimex were important to us. Not as role models, more because they were one of my favourite bands. We saw them in Linköping, Sweden (1982/1983?). Also I think they were important for Swedish Punk, which for some years spread around the world, and for other Swedish bands. That was more raw than anything we did. I think Mob 47 started a bit later, but I understand that they were important role models for many. They did not enter my world until several years later. The other bands that you mentioned I also liked even though I can’t say either of them were my favourites. I’d rather name Asta kask, because they were really funny when they came out (Note: my older sister was in charge of the Rockdepartementet radio show on Swedish Radio SRP3 with Mikael Nilsson, for some years in the early 80’s. They brought a variety of rock and punk bands, although I don’t think they ever played Huvudtvätt. Asta Kask stayed with my sister during a visit to Skara, where she lived in the 80s). Already in 1981 we felt like “punk rock veterans”, and weren’t so active because of our studies. Huvudtvätt was therefore mostly a “studio band”, which only formed (and with members only meeting) to record the records. Of course we did it because we thought it was fun, but also because we thought we knew how to do punk rock and wanted to create something of our own. We did in principle always everything ourselves (in other words truly “DIY”). Our own records were often used to trade for other records. Bands often used to trade a 7” record box (25 copies) with others. Us provincial bands could hardly expect to get a record deal (even if we want it) or we were simply too poor musicians. And I would like to point out that punk was a movement that allowed everyone the right to do whatever they wanted.
What is your reflection on the high prices on “vintage” punk records? Some of the rare releases go for several hundred dollars on eBay in the recent years!
I understand that there are collectors that are prepared to pay a lot of money for punk records. It is possible a type abuse. I guess some want to flash with their rare records. Luckily I have kept most of my hardcore records, some I have sold or rather given away to people I like. Over the years there have been some scavenger trying to get stuff out of my collection, without success. As I mentioned earlier I used to trade and sell records back in the early 80’s so I got access to a lot of records.
What happened after you stopped playing in Headcleaners? Do you still listen to punk?
I moved to Stockholm. At that time, around 1984, I went to a lot of punk concerts at that time but did not play in any bands. Today I listen to a different style of music but the DIY is still attractive. I still listen to punk and still really enjoy the early US hardcore bands.
Have there been any thoughts about a Headcleaners reunion? What are you opinion about punk bands that play reunion shows nowadays?
Headcleaners have no plans to reunite. Unfortunately it is very unlikely that it could ever happen as I live in Stockholm, Torulf in Oslo and Patrik Tanner in the United States. But I still occasionally get offers to reissue our old records, re-start the band with new members, make new songs for other bands, or even be involved in various punk bands currently active. It is an honour, but it is unlikely that anything like this will ever happen. What is more likely is a Headcleaners discography record which has been under discussion for many years now “All of Headcleaners/Huvudtvätt” or whatever it may be called. Unfortunately, I am often disappointed by reunited bands. Old and slow. Mob 47 still sounded good, or even better, when I looked them up at MySpace and their website.
You have not revealed any scandals or mayhem from your hardcore years! Anything on that?
I took Huvudtvätt quite serious and did not engage in any “mayhem”. My brother however was in Washington DC in 1981 the first time. That’s how we got all the early US hardcore records. At some time he met Jeff Nelson (the drummer of Minor Threat) or Henry Rollins ( S.O.A.), I can’t remember now. Talking about Swedish hardcore they said they liked Headcleaners but not Huvudtvätt, haha!
Illusion Of Safety - "Violence And Geography" Tape 1987
"Since 1983 Illusion Of Safety has been the ongoing project of Daniel Burke, working alone or with various collaborators. He has released over 20 recordings on labels such as Soleilmoon, Staalplaat, and Tesco (amongst many others) and played over three hundred concerts in Europe and North America. IOS's work has been called ambient, post-industrial, electro-acoustic, noise, sound collage, improvisation, and power electronics, but Burke is unwilling to limit the band to any given style or method. The sonic character and affective substance of the music will often shift abruptly within each recording and live performance, all to facilitate the listener's direct access to their psyche, emotions, and 'the infinite' so as to address the necessity of balance and the nature of dichotomy."
Interview with Burke from "Spinal Jaundice" Issue 9 (1989)...
Who is Illusion of Safety?
I began working with a band called 'Dot Dot Dot' in 1984. They were a progressive rock group and we did a few performances together as Illusion Of Safety. They enjoyed the opportunity to ignore musical structures and do something experimental. Dot Dot Dot broke up, but I continued to work with Thyme Jones and Chris Block (from DDD, also members of Cheer-Accident). I also work with Mitch Enderle (he has a solo tape of industrial grind called “Dead Tech”), Spark Lunch (our disco man), Mark D. Clein (our photographer), and our newest member Jim O’Rourke (later in Sonic Youth). IOS is a revolving membership, I work with whoever is available or appropriate. Many of our pieces are individually oriented or collaborations of 2 or 3 members. Of our releases, “In 70 Countries,” “Fifteen” and the two live tapes are good examples of our ‘group’ work. Thymme, Chris and Jim are the only ‘real’ musicians in the band, but that doesn’t stop the rest of us, we all do soundwork, and I am often the one attempting the more musical structures. I do the funding, booking and most of the graphics and correspondence. Jim O’Rourke has taken over the networking thing, he has a few excellent solo tapes out and he was the founding member of the 'Elvis Messiahs'.
Can you describe the kind of music you perform?
They call it ‘industrial’, so do I, even though I can’t really define that term. It has been described as ‘the soundtrack to nightmares you don’t remember in the morning’. We do power electronics, sound collage, decomposition, ambient emotive fields, information drifts, and totalitarian pseudo-rock.
Even amidst the rough sounds of some of your music, I’ve still noticed a sort of sublime element. Would you consider this an intrinsic factor in your material?
Most of our sounds I would not consider rough, and I’m not sure what you mean by sublime. We attempt to make every piece stand out in some way, whether it’s subtle or in your face.
IOS has done a good deal of collaboration. What are some benefits you think can be achieved from by-mail tape collaborations? Or hindrances?
Working by mail allows time and space for adding elements and offers a chance to work with someone who you don’t live near. I’ve taken far too long to finish the only mail collaboration tape of IOS, with PBK, City Of Worms and John Hudak. Jim O’Rourke is also working on collaboration tapes with PBK, City Of Worms, K. Null, and others.
Do you think experimental music has experienced any homogenization in the past few years?
Most music becomes more homogenous as it gets more popular. But there will always be a wide variety of things happening in the underground.
Is IOS a touring outfit?
Yes we’ve done some traveling. We played in Pittsburgh on August 13, 1988 with Algebra Suicide and Research Defense (two Chicago bands). We did four shows in Colorado in July of 1988. We went back out west to Denver and did three shows in the San Francisco area in June 1989. We also played Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin a few times.
What kind of things go into one of your live shows?
Before this year it was us and our equipment. No visual elements, just a serious attempt to manipulate our equipment and produce the kind of sounds we like. Recently we’ve begun using lights/shadows, slides and video. We’ve also gone to strict improvisation over the last year. We used to do interpretations of our pieces, but found that improv is more enjoyable for all concerned. The focus of our performance remains with the kind and quality of sound produced while being able to listen to and react to each other. We have always used tapes, contact mics and synthesizers, but have gotten away from the drum and bass thing (although these will crop up from time to time). Lately we are concentrating on sampling and DX-7 work
Is the live medium an equitable one for you?
I’m not sure what the audience gets out of it, but we enjoy the contact and need to perform at least once every few months.
Is Chicago really the murder capitol of the world?
Yes, Mike. It just so happens to be.
Are there any groups/individuals that you feel influence your recorded work?
My inspiration to do this came from seeing Throbbing Gristle’s final two performances. Most of the members of IOS listen to industrial music, but our tastes are very diverse. I’ve been listening to Slayer, Madonna, Prince, Metallica and Public Enemy lately, but this influence only shows up in the music collages. I would have to say that The Hafler Trio and Nurse With Wound (having done the most interesting post-industrial soundwork) are big influences.
What are your thoughts on the alleged CD revolution wiping out albums?
The big money will try, after all they can make more profit on CDs. But our kind of records will be around for some time. Records in the mainstream stores are being replaced by CDs but who cares about that? I don’t own any CDs, so when I can’t get the new Slayer on CD I’ll just have someone record it on cassette for me.
What types of things do you look for in background material?
It should be disturbing, true or funny in some sick way.
You also manage the 'Complacency' mail order label. What all is happening?
We have some new releases on our label. Two split LPs. The first is Eric Lunde/Hands To. Eric used to be in Boy Dirt Car, these days he’s working on his own, and doing some great stuff. On his side, 'Tape Death Cut', he uses his erosion recording process one step further with the use of Mirage sampling, and ends the side with two beat pieces that could be Wax Trax material. Hands To is Colorado’s Jeph Jerman using sampled sounds from actual events to affect the central nervous system. Hands To’s 'Vinhilation' is quite subtle and has a nice contrast to Eric’s side. The other split is IOS (live)/Holeist. The IOS is from three live shows in July, 1989, and is mostly ambient. Holeist is a project I did with Eric Lunde and Jeph Jerman. We worked in shifts with the sampler to create some very effective and abrasive noise. IOS has just released a box set (limited edition of 150) containing two C-47 cassettes and various laminated graphic inserts. Complacency has just released a new tape, Holeist live on one side and Runzelstirn/IOS/Gurgelstock (R.I.G.) on the other. R.I.G. is a collaboration Jim and I did with R&G of Switzerland, lots of abrasive concrete with samples and DX-7. IOS is finishing up a tape of severe noise for 'Nihilistic Records' of the Netherlands, and 10 minutes of new material for a CD of Chicago experimental music coming out on Franz Liebls’ 'Priapismus Software' label in Germany. And finally we are beginning work on a new 8-track studio LP for summer 1990 release.
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