Voodeux - "The Paranormal" for Resident Advisor

This was an exceptionally challenging review for me. While I've been writing about music for a long time, I can't say that writing about techno is one of my older trades. Facing any genre is difficult, but while I've spent many years as a lover of electronic music I've only been personally invested - and fairly dedicated - to techno for about two years. There's so much more at risk, much like a romantic relationship you truly stand behind because you believe in it.

Mothership is one of my favorite record labels. Resident Advisor is one of my favorite sources of music journalism. Tanner Ross, who comprises one half of Voodeux, is a producer and DJ from the Boston scene, and I've had the pleasure to watch this particular project cook slowly. The end result is the forthcoming release of The Paranormal and Voo's debut live performance, which just kicked off my DEMF experience at the C-Pop Gallery in Detroit. You can imagine there was a lot riding on this - it only helped that after several sit-down meals of ingesting the entirety of the album I found a copious amount of positive reflections to put in order.

I'd only be repeating myself to say more, but I'm particularly proud of this, so I hope you enjoy it. Purchasing the Voodeux album is highly recommended, and they have a pretty sweet deal going on.

You can read the review, posted here: Voodeux - The Paranormal

Headbanger Favorites for NoiseCreep

After coming across the "Headbanging while making a fire" video on YouTube, I showed it to my editor and we were inspired to create a 10 Favorite WTF Headbanger Video list. I scrounged up some serious gems...be sure to check out grandma loving Toxic Bonkers and the Opeth bang-a-long.

You can see the glory here: Our 10 Favorite WTF Headbanger Videos

Blue October for NoiseCreep

I'm genuinely pleased with this video and song. When I worked as a publicist at Planetary, the radio department did a great deal of work with Blue October. There, I was first exposed to them, but something didn't exactly click. Two things this song reminded me of were slam poetry and Placebo, and yet this band isn't directly associated with either. Something about these two bits, which are near and dear to my heart, were prevalent throughout the whole video, which goes just under four minutes. While Rolling Stone gave their album two stars, I have to say this particular single is really goddamn good.

You can read the review, posted here: Blue October 'Say It' -- Video

Saving Abel for NoiseCreep

I really mean it about NASCAR becoming a big part of alternative culture. At first it was ironic when my most hipster of Williamsburg-residing friends got into it for the sheer "redneck chic" factor. It was also a great reason to have a BBQ! The fanaticism has magnetized a small handful of them, and it's safe to say that I officially have friends that are into NASCAR. It's bold enough that I love the Red Sox and might watch a Celtics or Knicks game or two, but there are some sports that I haven't had much exposure to. Or at all. I couldn't even begin to fathom if I would make a good NASCAR fan. First off, I'm vegan - how would I fair with the concession stand?

You can read the review, posted here: Saving Abel 'Drowning (Face Down)' -- Video

Slipknot Video for NoiseCreep

When I was in high school, my town (Deer Park, Long Island) didn't have a record store, book store or really anything outside a plethora of fast food chains. While I can't recall the name I remember the small, strip mall-embedded record shop that opened for a solid year or two near my house. I spent more allowance and work money there than any other Tower or Sam Goody to keep that place afloat, and I remember the day my friend Paul pulled out the Slipknot self-titled album and said, "Vicki, you have to buy this. Trust me. Just do it."

I listened, and I'm glad to have done so because the record was a jigsaw puzzle in the growing relationship between metal and mainstream, but Slipknot stayed on the outskirts of the nu-metal phenomenon (thank god). Slipknot's metal sound is so far from what I listen to on a daily basis that I was hoping a write-up for their latest efforts would plunge me back into the memory pool of the late 90s. Also notable was the art installation in Des Moines, Iowa - their hometown - from where they got the inspiration for the "Sulfur" video. Good for them for still being around - even if they're not your cup of tea, their tracks are a cut above most of what is out there today, seeing as they've been at it for so long.

You can read the review, posted here: Joey Jordison Comments on Slipknot 'Sulfur' Video

A New England Recharge + Upcoming Projects

I'm happy to announce that since the review of DJ Hell in Brooklyn went live on Resident Advisor, Hell himself released Teufelswerk on his own International Deejay Gigolos label as of this week. Furthermore, his website got a complete makeover, and the overall design moved away from the N. Y. Muscle theme to something more suited for the new record. The RA review is featured on the front page, and you can imagine the audible gasp of joy when I saw my own name in large font on his website. No matter how long I do this, that sort of recognition never gets old. The man is a legend, and this album just happens to be contending for my favorite of the year. Succinctly put, it's an honor.

In other news, I traveled to Boston last weekend for the first time in quite a while. I saw sQuare Production's Speaking In Code documentary in a proper theater, heard some of my favorite local DJs at Make It New, Solid!, Circus, Bassic and the Basstown monthly residency, which featured Lazer Sword. On the dubstep front, Clouds' DJ Tommy did a beautiful set on Sunday, but I was most impressed by Moldy - a Portland DJ I'd heard about in my time living with Pandai'a as one of the best East coast producers of the genre. It's absolutely true. His presence and his mixing and some of the original tracks he dropped were just perfect. All of the elements were in place, and with the Good Life's soundsystem I left with proper cerebral vibrations.

Being back in my old haunts encouraged all of us at Basstown to light a mighty flame under our collective asses with the website. For weeks, we've been doing a great job of keeping it up to date, but my personal goal is to have more community involvement, more mp3's & album reviews and more news that would be useful to both DJs and intrigued techno lovers. In three weeks, I'll be headed to Detroit with Volvox for our first foray into DEMF and all that Detroit - the closest I can get to Berlin - has to offer, and Resident Advisor will be the outlet for all of my reactions and musings.

Lastly, the wheels are picking up at NoiseCreep, where I'm thrilled to have joined on. You can expect to see more of my words there in the coming weeks, and I hope that everyone enjoys my rambles on metal as much as they do techno. Cheers!

Kode 9 Interview For Boston's Weekly Dig

Continuing my recent words on dubstep, I also had the pleasure of speaking with Steve Goodman, who is better known as Kode 9 in the music world. His credits include: DJ, producer, college professor, academic writer and record label owner. In most of these fields, he is renowned for his ability to carve a unique niche, and establishing himself as a creative artist whose art - be it music or the written word - stands out on its own.

Bassic, the dubstep night in Boston, which I've seen grow and grow over the last year, celebrates another month of projected success by booking Kode 9 at the Good Life this Wednesday. One of its resident DJs, Pandai'a - the first female to play Dub War (NYC) and a fierce personality for the burgeoning presence of women in dubstep - also commented on the healthy community in New England, and reflects on how the subculture has rapidly expanded over the last year or so.

Last but not least is the Weekly Dig, an independently owned alternative weekly newspaper for which I still have a very great affinity. I've had the pleasure of working there, and can vouch for the passionate staff that run the operation. Perhaps one of my most missed facets of being a former Bostonian, I'm happy to remain a contributor to their weekly pages.

You can read the interview in this week's issue, or posted here: Kode 9 Interview For Boston's Weekly Dig

Square Pegs In A Round Hole Kind Of World

I had a recent discussion with one of my editors about the amount of personal insertion one should have in their pieces. Depending on the format and subject, the acceptable etiquette may vary, and often more than not do event reviews contain personal anecdotes and visceral reactions. We're both writers and lovers of electronic music, but agree that there is a lack of discipline in writing about it. Club music culture is not like rock n' roll, who quickly adapted the developing necessity for music criticism and journalism from the classical era. A particular comment I made was that, in my opinion, the real bible of electronic music journalism was Mark Prendergast's The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Trance. It's not world-renown, not every techno disciple owns it, and I don't recall a major fuss being made when it was actually published in 2001. It is, however, the most complete and encyclopedic collection of electronic music in one substantially thick book. It's a thorough introduction to anyone that is new and curious towards EDM in general, but also fills in many of the historical gaps for long-time fans that haven't reflected on its many minor details.

Now that the book is nearly 10 years old, there are certain missing elements that have developed over the last decade. The first thing that comes to mind is dubstep, a genre that claims to be anything but that. It's a conglomerate of so many previous club subcultures, such as grime and dancehall in the UK and rave, jungle and even hip-hop in the US. Every dubstep DJ I've ever met has undeniably vast tastes in music, and while everything they spin might be sub-bass heavy and 140bpm, they are drawing from a wide spectrum; from the revolutionary music culture of Jamaica's ragga movement to top40 pop. A respected music writer, Philip Sherburne, recently interviewed Steve Goodman a.k.a. Kode 9, and their conversation touched upon all of this and more.

This sounds unavoidably condescending, but I feel sorry for people who are unable to appreciate electronic music. Growing up in the hardcore/punk culture of Long Island, I honestly don't see a great amount of distance between A and B. The modern techno scenes that I know and love in both Boston and New York are comprised of hard-working, passionate DJs, promoters and music lovers that have really found that niche for themselves. They are often smart, eclectic and have a very strong sense of individuality. Hardcore punk was a home for the lost, changing dramatically over the course over the last 30 years, but at the core it has always been centered around getting to some state of nirvana - be it a mosh pit or a crowded dance floor - and being a square peg in a round hole kind of world.

With all that said, I've been literally between Boston and New York, transitioning slowly as I try to rebuild my life in Brooklyn without enough income to afford an apartment there. It's been easy to long for the family I left behind when Ben Klock comes to town and there aren't thirty close friends coming along. This weekend, I took a chance and went in blind; alone and curious to see how an all-night party would turn out with my own company. I found the same sort of solace that one would find in any alternative culture, and ended up having one of my most memorable New York nights to date. Much of good music is about taking chances, as are investing in promotional/booking collectives for a variety of non-mainstream crews. It's a faithful reminder that life, very similarly, is much about taking chances.

Hell & Heaven @ a secret location for Resident Advisor

Everything that I could possibly say about Hell & Heaven was published in Resident Advisor this week. Rarely do I not enjoy the large variety of live music events that I attend, but this was an exceptionally brilliant night. ReSolute and the promoters with whom they teamed up with ran this warehouse gig so smoothly that I can bravely assume on everyone's behalf that no one noticed any operational issues that might have come up. Also, I was in heels for about 9 hours and am fairly certain I did not sit down at any point. For that, some of my toes are still numb, but I would never complain. Journalist or not, there have been so much monumental live music I've experienced, and this night was definitely one of them. Accompanied by such a great set, I've also praised DJ Hell's forthcoming album, Teufelswerk, which redeems any qualms I had with N Y Muscle and the fashionable electroclash front that Helmut had on for years.

You can read the review, posted here: Hell & Heaven @ a secret location for Resident Advisor

Bpitch Control 10th Anniversary @ Studio B for Self-Titled Magazine

It's incredible how New York continues to book high quality acts on a Friday night. So many, in fact, that I often find myself wanting to attend at least 4 or 5 events in one night. Such was the case this past Friday. Converge was at Europa, Henrick Schwarz was playing live with Ame at Le Poisson Rouge, Obits were having their CD Release party and The Gaslight Anthem were at Webster Hall. Ultimately, a friend flew in from Boston and we went to go see Gui Boratto - the Brazilian producer who was performing live, sandwiched on the bill between Bpitch Control DJs Thomas Muller and Ellen Allien.

Last year, I was a major part of booking Gui Boratto for his first Boston performance at Great Scott as part of Basstown. It was a Monday night and 18+, but it sold out and made us many new friends. Tagged on to his lineup that night was his friend Drika, the club flyer designer in high demand who also DJ'd under the moniker DRI.K, opening with her own style of what goes down in Sao Paulo. To this day, Boratto is hands down the most charming booking we'd ever had at Basstown events so it was no surprise that, paired with his endearing new album, it would be a good show.

It turned out that Converge, just down the street, was so damn good (no surprise) that Self-Titled magazine's editors never made it out of the venue. In later conversation, I was asked to review the gig that S-T had never actually made it to, and accompanied with a few shots from a friend's digital camera. It was a good night...good enough to dispel any regrets of not spending more than $600 (that I don't actually have) on a last minute flight to Miami for the Winter Music Conference. The week is already half over, and I already see the forthcoming weekend - with all of its endless choices - fast approaching.

You can read the review, posted here: Bpitch Control 10th Anniversary @ Studio B for Self-Titled Magazine

VGS