Fenomena Studio

[fenomenastudio]

          Footwork as a mode of musical expression has been bubbling up from Chicago's South and West sides for decades. It was only until 2010 many of us were even exposed to the now legendary staples of the scene through Mike Paradinas's stellar Bangs and Works compilations.  In those five years we have seen an arc of excellent and seemingly endless productions finally surfacing into release form.  Two of those notable legends of the Planet Mu roster have since released new material this month, RP Boo and DJ Roc.  This increased interest in physical editions has risen evidenced by the increased presence of Chicago footwork in many a budding dj's vinyl collection.  Both releases successfully present themselves as building blocks in the puzzle that has become Chicago Footwork as a genre and more importantly as a worldwide underground movement. 

          Fingers, Bank Pads and Shoe Prints is an apropos title for a music built entirely by the total symbiosis between machine, human being and the varied floors they battle on.   RP Boo aka Arpebu has already graced the runways of Paris scoring with fellow label mate Jlin the transgressive fashion of Rick Owens.  And while these types of pairings and venues may shock many when listening to the sounds of one Kavain Wayne, it's multiple listens of FBPSP that reveal the self assured and space age swagger inherent in this music.  At the heart of this sound fans have come to love is the dynamic of low end and distorted harmonization equally matched with bu’s signature choppy vocal flow.  Bu's voice is the key to his command over the floor, the speaker and the rhythms produced for both.  At once never quite narration and never just a chorus, Bu's cadence melds with his own production much like expert footworkers naturally click into place with his insanely complex rhythms.  It's no wonder Kavain is also a dancer in the legendary House-O-Matics, a crew founded by Dancemania pioneer DJ Deeon.   

          “Banging on king drive” might as well be cruising a virtual soundscape of Chicago's south side Englewood.  The very same King Drive where Daft Punk descended in the nineties on a roller rink upon it’s intersection at 66th Street.  It was also at the rink I would first see Dancemania pioneers like Deeon, Funk, Slugo and others play side by side.  Kavain’s landmark production is at once a nod to the nostalgic with tunes  like “Your Choice” which mutilates a Loggins and McDonald riff across sonic gravel with shakers in tow.  But as future and as experimental as the sound can seem in the confines of the genre of footwork, tunes like “Freezaburn” are a return to the future on the floor.  In fact Boo's message and impact are much more close to home than the outer space or ghost imagery laden in his mythology and the dance lexicon.  Beyond the upfront decree "Motherfuck your favourite DJ" to the simmering heat of “Daddy’s home, "Let's Dance Again is a hypnotic almost more cursory accusation at the state of dance music.  “I’m Laughing” is the record’s most abrasive taunt with it’s point blank delivery.  The release sounds confident and raw dripped in percussion, style and bravado brought to life on the cover photography by Wills Glasspiegel. 

          DJ Roc, also an alumni of Planet Mu, shifts his attention to Switzerland’s Duck N Cover established back in 2011.   The imprint has already released vinyl from the likes of Teklife, Tekk DJ’z and Geto Dj’z Inc. own Traxman, EQ Why, and the low end legend DJ Clent.   Roc’s release comes in the form of a mini LP with eight heavily battle ladened tracks.  “Low End Unity” acts as the album’s call to action tucked away in a stripped down floor burner.  Deliberate in it's rhythm, it calls to mind the pattern on the iconic floor tile that Roc tends to every Sunday in Chicago's far south neighborhood of Chatham.  “It takes two” and it’s juke percolation is the closest footwork approximation of early uk jungle on the release in it's execution but clearly Chicago by design.  “Practice What U Preach” switches from V103 dusty grooves to pure dirt fairly quick with it’s competitive mantras and title acting as a promise to burn all competition.  “Ready or Not” marches onto the battlefield with backmasked horns and a juke swing and is easily a stand out with it’s clean drum programming breaks for irregular flow.  “Destruction” is as gutter as you get in terms of footwork battle tracks.  And if "I Make Gutta" isn't any indication that this is the message behind the Crack Capone's production, the LP’s stark, confrontational and unexpectedly smooth agenda reveals itself after multiple listens.  Roc’s production is a close imagining of drill on acid with tunes like “Ain't Got No Crack” where space and sub pair perfectly with vocal pitch to let the snares do most of the work.   

          With the growing amount of flagship releases for dj’s, producer, and fans to collect, both Bu and Roc create material that sits at the top of the genre if not electronic music as a whole.  The immediacy of both releases can be already felt on the speakers at battles and competitions all over the world.  Chicago Footwork’s influence has already been felt in the most unlikely places from Al Pacino movies to the busy streets of Tokyo.  It's quietly crept it's way into club consciousness with crossovers and hybrids.   DJ Rashad's presence even lives on in the seat back of your Virgin airline commuter flight.  But what does the world actually know about Chicago footwork in 2015?  Planet Mu and Duck N Cover Records deliver two solid vinyl collections from two of Chicago’s legends to act as a roadmap to the future of this now global Chicago dance movement.

Article by: Violet Systems

[fenomenastudio]

Muslimgauze’s Legacy: Radical Politics, Post-Orientalism, and Electronic Music

          If you were to hear a Muslimgauze track for the first time without context, the political message of the music would not likely to be clear to you. Muslimgauze, real name Bryn Jones, was a one-man instrumental electronic music project in the 1980s and 1990s. Jones, who passed away in 1999, released over 90 albums on various labels. His music is diverse, but generally stands at an intersection of hip-hop, dub, garage, house, and heavy influence from Southwest Asian and South Asian music. Yet perhaps most prolific about Muslimgauze was his political views and the ways they affected his art: his very moniker was chosen as a protest of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.

          Muslimgauze’s releases were typically titled with references to conflicts, liberation struggles, and indeed the “Middle East” in general. Jones was known to obsessively research the histories of imperialism throughout the region. He named his releases titles like “Zulm,” “Hebron Massacre,” “Iran,” and “Vote Hezbollah.” In the 1990s, as today, in many circles the very mention of Southwest Asia let alone shows of solidarity with its oppressed peoples was particularly controversial. Even more so in the 1990s, the entire Muslimgauze project is fascinating to consider as the brainchild of someone who was not only British, but born and raised in the U.K.

          In recent years, interest in his work has resurged, particularly as interest in the “Middle East” and perhaps any country with a vaguely Islamic history has reached an all-time high. A book was recently penned about him, and his music continues to be released, re-released, and compiled. However, evaluating his legacy and his work is complicated, maybe in a different way from the original controversy. How do we evaluate Jones’s corpus of work? In what ways was it important, and in what way was it misguided?

          It is perhaps easy to consider Jones and the Muslimgauze project as visionary or ahead of its time in a certain realm. While he had academic and activist contemporaries who were engaged in a similar political project to Muslimgauze, in the realm of music Jones’s project was undoubtedly unique. While recent music history has had its share of half-baked overtures towards “peace in the Middle East,” Muslimgauze went beyond such simple politics espoused a complex and principled anti-imperialist ideology. While he generally noted in interviews that he was hoping to change people’s perspective on the region, the way he responded to criticisms that he never visited the countries he covers reveals a particularly revolutionary perspective:

          “I would never go to an occupied land, others shouldn't. Zionists living off Arab land and water is not a tourist attraction. To have been in a place is not important. So you can't be against apartheid unless you have been in South Africa? You cannot be against the Serbs killing Muslims in Bosnia unless you have been there? I think not.”

          In many ways, Muslimgauze had engaged in solidarity with oppressed peoples in a principled way that many are still struggling to do, decades later. While his support for oppressed people occasionally angered some people as he occasionally seemed to condone violence against civilians, it is almost astonishing that an electronic musician first and foremost could exhibit that kind of fearless and principled support for justice in the Middle East.

          At the same time, Muslimgauze’s work is not without its problems. In particular the visual aesthetic has not necessarily aged well. While the idea of naming songs after regions or conflicts as a way to counter stigma or raise awareness is perhaps admirable in some sense, this practice is sometimes hard to distinguish from a boring post-orientalism at this point in time. Naming an album “Iran,” as Jones did, perhaps does more to reproduce notions that Iran as a concept is scary or edgy, rather than actually unpacking that issue or moving past it. Similarly, the artwork often utilized orientalist art without clearly presenting criticism or a sense of satire, and similarly falls back on the common misstep of meaninglessly mixing and matching symbols and ideologies from different cultures: an album with an Arab title is almost randomly adorned with Ottoman calligraphy. Even his live performances now seem comical and nearly disrespectful as macabre performance art: his shows often involved him performing live and seemingly amateurish percussion over his tracks.

          Yet on a sonic level, the music holds up on its own as a spectacular moment in experimental electronic music. While generally quite avant garde, at times it even seems like a darker, deeper, and more honest precursor to acts like Thievery Corporation. While less glossy than electronic music that has tried to create similar mixes of music, Muslimgauze as a sonic project is still something to be treasured. Whereas some artistic projects seek to critique orientalist and essentializing views of Islamic and Southwest Asian cultures struggle to produce something new beyond critique, in many ways Muslimgauze created something new. Samples of darbukas and zurnas come together over bass music and experimental percussion in a sound that cannot fit into any one box. It is not simply recycled “exotic” samples with an electronic makeover, nor is the Middle Eastern influence simply a musical adornment.

          In a recent conversation with artist Michael Tolmachev about Muslimgauze’s legacy, he advised me to understand the musical project by “evaluating Muslimgauze in his own time, in his own era.” In such an approach, it still remains that activists and artists (particularly who actually hail from the region in question) also created important works with political projects similar to Muslimgauze. He was not so unique as to deserve a free pass for his artistic missteps. Yet particularly for his era, Jones and his project are a fascinating miracle of international solidarity and consciousness, especially considering the limited means of technological connection in the 80s and 90s when this music was being produced This is not to say that it was impossible to meaningfully connect across borders at this time, but it was considerably more difficult to intimately acquaint yourself with the nuances of a region where outsiders’ perceptions are political capital. For his ability to do this and translate it into a new sound, Jones was quite special in his ability to avoid musical and political cliches.

          Perhaps the best way to make sense of Muslimgauze is to approach his music and his legacy with the artist’s own dreams of global justice in mind. It would be a disservice to his memory to praise his music without continuing his project of radical political and anti-imperial change in the Middle East. When Jones was interviewed by Elephant Weekly in the mid 1990s, after a short discussion about future Muslimgauze various releases, he was asked about his “future ideas, ambitions” for the future. Rather than give a typical response about touring, gear, or even future collaborations, his first answers were political, not musical: “freedom to Afghanistan from Soviet oppression, and unity of the two German lands.” In that same spirit, if we could somehow ask him about the future of Muslimgauze’s legacy, what would he have answered today?

Article by: Kamyar Jarahzadeh

[fenomenastudio]

Nausicaa Sound (A Footwork Comp for #Ferguson)

          Forgotten in the media frenzy and far ahead of the curve, St Louis resident Derek Yeager had devised a plan far back in August as the news first broke about the death of eighteen year old Ferguson resident Mike Brown. The footwork community had drawn closer already since the passing of Teklife's international ambassador DJ Rashad, joining together on numerous fronts of social media displayed daily by coordinated avatars and underground promotion. This back alley communication resembled closely the strategies the protest itself would eventually adopt with its usage of new media mixed with peaceful protest. Reaching out to the internet at the time, Derek had assembled a robust collection of fifty tracks from thirty producers in support of Ferguson while donating the proceeds to St Louis's Organization for Black Struggle. Daunting for those outside the familiarities of the genre, these sorts of large archives were typically common in the form of zips widely circulated by underground footwork producers. This preferred method of transport and distribution for many famous Chicago mainstays would soon after shift towards this same mode of content delivery via sites like Bandcamp. Still relatively fresh by contemporary standards, footwork tracks replicate at a feverish rate caught here just before surfacing as a tome full of very pressing musical responses to the tragedy at hand.

          As compilations go, Ferguson represents a collective meditation from all over the world in the gathering of underground producers under the banner of futuristic Chicago inspired urban style music. Easily the smoothest tunes come from Poland with Comoc's "This way" and the duo Bennelux's "Hold on To Ya" which points to the diverse cultures represented in footwork as it converges on the moment that was Mike Brown. "Requiem" by DJ Innes is a somber procession of horns, toms and dripping swells that culminate towards its midway vocal sample "it's not fair to the kids" alluding to an uncertainty about the future even from as far off as Australia. Freezaburn conversely shifts the mood in "Drink Occasionally" with a dirge of psychedelic battle works from the Duck n Cover mainstay all the way from Switzerland. Filmmaker/Musician Michelange Quay's project Haiti Ground Zero features the spectre of Billie Holiday's scathing "Black Bodies Swinging in the Southern Breeze" over Haitian rhythms and archived news footage. While Japan's CRZKNY also known for his sense of politics loosens a bit to offer a cavernous hispeed drift filled with zero gravity pirouettes in "HLYGHST"

          Representing closer to home, LA speaker maker and noise artist Tobias Renfro rounds off an old school breakbeat indictment with "Straight Fuckn Underground" that's serve as a stiff warning to the powers that be with Ice Cube shifting in between time signatures. Other standouts include DJ Earl's ever percolating "Scratch Live" along with DJ Rome's "Do it" which takes takes a brave, weird spiral into a James Brown footwork run off. But very much fresh in its feelings and emotions towards the community's collective rage, there are particular tracks that demonstrate the message painfully clear. The Chicago footwork community at its roots in the South and West sides have figured out their own method of conflict resolution and brotherhood in the midst of struggle. One of the most energetic and prolific footwork producers to date, Traxman represents the very core of Tekk Dj'z founded by himself and the late Dj Rashad with the call to arms "Save the World." DJ Elmoe's "Ferguson Rip Mike Brown" straight forward title is incredibly cinematic in its composition while still remaining hard enough for the toughest of dancefloors.. And Crossfire even in name alludes to the very heart of the matter channeling Syl Johnson's melancholy rhetoric with "Because i'm Black."  A difficult compilation to digest after months passed, Ferguson is a testament to the spirit of community that still exists at the heart of the footwork movement now some twenty years strong.

Stream & Support

Article by: Violet Systems

[fenomenastudio]

Trouble - Eye Of The Circle (Cult Trax)

          Trouble first appeared most notably as "DJ Trouble" on the Mike Paradinas curated compilation Bangs and Works back in 2010. Alongside a slew of Chicago staples like Traxman and RP Boo, Trouble though actually not a DJ had schooled foot workers worldwide with the title track "Bangs & Works." Somewhere in the rise of footwork globally, Trouble had resigned from the movement to make hip hop at the time as Spacey Onit much like fellow producer DJ Nate. But still the muse of the Paradinas comp was resurrected by Melbourne based DJ, blogger, and owner of Gaming Cult Podcast Jake Innes.

          Jake's digital imprint Cult Trax on Bandcamp has already successfully released a number of internet compilations with participants from both the footwork and the underground hip hop scene including Josip On Deck, Lil B, DJ Tre and DJ Manny from Teklife. Jake's investigations led him to a year of internet exploration yielding the lost Trouble record with the help of fellow Tekk DJ'z Chicago footwork mainstay Crossfire. In some ways it is a refreshing return to the era that brought many of attentions to Chicago footwork in the first place aside from the late DJ Rashad.

          Rollerskating rinks have been long cited as one of the founding formations of the footwork movement. The same roller rinks most notably included are Englewood's famous Route 66 at the corner of 66th and Martin Luther King Drive in Chicago. It was same roller rink that inspired Kanye West indirectly with the first sighting of Daft Punk in the city of Chicago. Ironically it takes tracks like "Mosh Pit" to invoke this type of revolutionary and transformative imagery. 'Eye of the Circle' in some ways reflects back to a time in the Chicago Rave scene was firmly nestled in the cradle of Chicago's South and West Sides. If the title suggests anything, it's that Trouble's namesake lurks within the very eye of the circle. That's a very ominous perspective to overlook judging by such standout tracks as "Crack" and "The Element".

          But if this apocalypse is full of crisp 808 toms then the message is loud and clear. That is regardless if the echoes aren't actually coming from Pompei.

Listen & Buy

Article by: Violet Systems

[fenomenastudio]

Sinistarr - Halloween @ Hidden Dog

          Metalheadz Detroit operative SINISTARR touches down tonight alongside Teklife's HEAVEE in Chicago for an intimate gallery showcase of footwork and jungle in the West Pilsen neighborhood.  

          Additional support from Virtual Drum and Bass's Romance, DnBiD's Subverb, Tekk DJ'z renegade Violet Systems, as well as Sincerious and Euphorix.  Live visuals provided by Yung Pharoah.  Early arrival strongly suggested.  Vibes unlimited.  Limited capacity.

http://soundcloud.com/sinistarr

http://soundcloud.com/heavee773

http://soundcloud.com/romancednb

https://soundcloud.com/derek-douglas

http://violetsystems.tumblr.com/

https://soundcloud.com/yung_pharaoh

[fenomenastudio]

Copeland - Because I'm Worth It

          It is with great fortune that I still had a physical copy of Inga Copeland’s solo debut on vinyl to review. I had returned to my apartment after a three-week stay in Asia and the record arrived somewhere in between. I had found it separated from its mailer, orphaned in a sheet of gauzelike packing. Glaring underneath from a submerged puddle of rainwater was the face of Inga Copeland staring back accusingly. After a second full listen through I can’t understand what would convince whatever neighbour rifling through my mail to leave it let alone in such a sorry state.

          If the stoic gaze is any indication, this outing is a far cry from a YouTube encoded descended punk angel spinning around in a tinfoil hat. A fierce work of cinematic composition is echoes some of the very tones of another beloved favourite female producer Mica Levi and her amazing soundtrack to Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin.” It’s a work that nods even further back to great composers like Wendy Carlos and Karlheinz Stockhausen.

          Opening with the growing fade of cellphone static, it evokes very early some of the same meditations on technology and rave-kraut aesthetics. But it is easily a challenging record to be made not only for a female but also for a musician. In an age where women particularly are in a constant battle between expressing individuality beyond gender or orientation in the industry, this record makes no mistake in aligned itself with a cause. If the standout duo with underground insurgent Actress is any indicator, “Advice to Young Girls” is more than a bit of an anthem. “The City is yours” being presumably a dancehall futurism fuelled tagline for gender empowerment.

          But as much as those trappings can overshadow just how good a record is, it is one that nods to some very eccentric rave ideologies. The drifting on this record is in almost maxinquaye precision provided by the subtle footwork elements distorted through some sort of post techstep hallucination. It’s probably more akin to that voice in the mirror at some four am rave dungeon questioning your own very sorry existence. There is a bit of indictment on multiple listening’s that might just be perceived guilt.

          Then again every good record out there isn’t always the easiest listen. Copeland’s outing however does a very good job of staying in the shadows just out of the reach of vandals. Which is to say whatever kind of idiot tries to steal an Inga Copeland record from me and decides to leave it on my porch in the rain, I thank you for at least letting me get to hear it in however shitty condition its in. It is truly a revelation.

Article by: Violet Systems

[fenomenastudio]

Traxman - Da Mind Of Traxman (Vol.2)

          "It has only been some three odd weeks since the footwork community faced the loss of its international ambassador in Teklife's DJ Rashad. A close personal friend and frequent collaborator, Traxman probably felt the blow deeper than most. Seeking comfort from his west side neighbourhood of Chicago and extended family on the Internet, Corky was already back in his studio just one day after. Throughout the barrage of press that followed, striking similarities began to surface about the spirit and ethic of both producers. "Da Mind of a Traxman Volume 2" had already been signed, sealed and delivered and yet all agreed that Rashad's passing from a blood clot had brought everything to a sobering halt.

          So to think of "Da Mind" series in context of the history of footwork at this point, it had already existed as a blueprint for a rank and file of experimental and hardcore producers. If we had learned anything from Volume One it was that Traxman's voice was a very eclectic one. The weight of current events certainly could cast a shadow on Volume Two but in a very different light in hindsight. If anything it’s a triumph and a celebration of the life of one of the most genuine, hard working and diverse voices in Chicago dance music. At the same time it stands as a signpost towards the future of the genre and the long line of unlikely crossovers it will spawn in reaction.

          If you look closely at the work of both Corky and Rashad beyond being musicians they are also at their very heart community organizers. Footwork exists as a scene and a movement in the hands of crews like Teklife and their subdivisions are an exercise in activism and empowerment. With an ever-rising murder rate, the Chicago police department and Mayor have struggled for years unsuccessfully to service the needs of west and far south communities. In the wake of almost constant tragedy, there is a long list of records dedicated to friends of the community that passed. These names are far less notable to the press and public than Rashad. And yet their names are championed on in the music most notably with Traxman with acid legends like Armando along with his brother in arms DJ Rashad.

          Traxman will tell you point blank that he is first and foremost an educator and historian. His knowledge of music is so vast that it seems only fitting that the records he gives nods to on "Da Mind" help to create an incredibly complex journey. At first listen Volume two is a dense soundscape teetering on the edge of experimental sound art. Yet for Chicagoans at home with the movement it sounds authentic, raw and timely. Arguably this is a hip-hop record in the same vein as the fearless productions of Shocklee's Bomb Squad. And at the same time it works on so many different levels with different audiences that its odd crossover appeal is infectious. This is future music coming some fifteen minutes west of my cozy apartment bottled up by the politics of the Chicago machine.

          Both Traxman and Rashad broke through with a visceral mix of dance mutations but their sounds are miles away from each other. Footwork is a music that didn't break itself free. It’s a diverse and dense genre of producers who put their neighborhoods on the map. Neighborhoods that are easy enough to visit by train but few bother to make the trek. And so to listen to "Da Mind" in this context its incredibly fascinating to hear music so fresh and daringly psychedelic coming from within the walls of your own city.

          Amongst the seemingly endless stand out cuts, "Nothing Stays the Same" hits home skittering in and out with Diana Ross's scathing proclamation "Its my turn." Whereas volume one was a perfect introduction to the man, volume two plants you directly inside the head of a man lost in the music. Drifting back and forth from the hazy rhythmic drone of "Mic" to the stark autobahn sped up techno of "Computer Getto" it’s a record that reaches out to every edge of the genre. It has something for everyone and at the same time offers it under Traxman's rules. Considering the wealth of material sitting in folders on Corky’s personal computer, we may have lost a legend but we gained a friend. "Da Mind of a Traxman Volume Two" carries on the torch driving us relentlessly into the future with a true Chicago legend at the wheel.

Article by: Violet Systems

[fenomenastudio]

HATE - Bad History (80 min Cassette, Limited Edition)

          We have arrived at a time where early UK hardcore jungle sounds strikingly at home in context to the current 160 bpm revival. There are seemingly endless projects flirting with the sound. A number of stalwarts in the field tend to balk painfully when hearing an amen break paraded out from a dusty cdr or usb stick. Personally I've had a number of arguments about rave nostalgia with younger producers. At worst its a generation that is quick to reject their old school compatriots. All the while as they noodle away on some of the same breaks the real champions of hardcore had pioneered.

          If "Pretty Boys Don't Survive Up North" is anything other than an indictment towards that mentality it doesn't mask much in regards to the project's moniker. Hate is a trio of such stalwarts consisting of G.H., Andy Stott and Miles Whittaker. Most of which have released love letters to uk jungle before on their own imprints. But none have been particularly interested in taking the argument directly to the dance floor as effectively as their collective work. Now compiled on cassette tape and as of print completely sold out of their limited release, Bad History acts as a retrospective of a modernity that sounds deceptively old school.

          Produced from collected floppies from an undisclosed source, the breaks sound beefy and rich. Their native eq'ing has been tailored for the massive sound systems they were played on back in the day. The main complaint with drum and bass nostalgia at this point for those who fought the breakbeat wars of the late nineties always is authenticity. Borrowing heavily from the noise and black metal scene's aesthetic in terms of design and distribution, Hate makes no mistake of declaring license. Its a sound system in the most proper and historical sense of the word harkening back to the days when self ascribed "bad boy producers" had more dangerous things to say.

          Collecting a total of eighty minutes of material including an exclusive session in Sweden, this is no doubt only for the headstrong. For those of us who would complain that this is more of the same yet continue to replay selected bits from the Source Direct back catalog, Hate is something of a revelation. Its dark and foreboding and yet tirelessly aggressive and cranky at the same time. During an era where everyone wants to be seen in the dance music industry, its refreshing to see a crew of hardcore Junglists hiding in the shadows actively ready to subvert it.

Article by: Violet Systems

[fenomenastudio]

Allison Chanic - Painlessly In Love

          Forthwith threnodial dreamlike instances of a sound garbed in lamentation and introspection; ‘Painlessly In Love’, by Allison Chanic, embodies these qualities in its avant-garde vocals, its fixed tempo of kick drums beating like mallets of temporality in the atemporal cosmos of suppressed hi-hats, dreary pads, and pitched effects. Lakker’s remix treads on similar ground, retaining the vocal hum and complementing it with a heavier kick pattern and hi-hats resonating like smitten anvils, while introducing a rich sci-fi synth line that lingers in the mind pleasantly after listening. ‘Realm’ is as engaging as it is enigmatic, swishing about in a cauldron of disparate sonic ingredients; the constant siren-like sound begets an underlying dread; the various glitching and bursting effects embroider the track with an impressive artificial sheen, which is contrasted by the stereo whispers and spells of organic drumming.

Article by: Jason Nikolaidis

[fenomenastudio]

Podcast 19: Morkebla

          Morkebla derives his moniker from Norwegian for ‘‘dark blue’’, and like a gestalt of Nordic estuaries crisscrossed with vermillion sea creatures, invites us to peer into his imaginative biosphere, treating us with an organic mix of selections drawn from his mind’s reclusive outpost. Based in Italy, with an EP out on the Spanish label - ‘Fracaso’, and a forthcoming release on Milan’s ‘Haunter Records’, Morkebla gives credence to his name, gliding into view with his own tracks drawn from a reservoir of past influences, encompassing Krautrock, Ambient, and Noise.

          A mariner voyages through crescent waves and dodges blows of vindictive winds, embittered by the encroachment of the lone sailor into aquatic backdrops not meant to meet the discernment of the human eye. Pushing the groaning scaffolding of his ship further through the reaches of this damned place, the resistance only gains fervour, until, with a snap, the ship breaks in two, siphoning his body into the lambent maelstrom of foaming waters, made luminescent by the harvest moon.

          The soundtrack of his struggle to stay alive begins with Popol Vuh, a fitting starting point, as he vigorously stacks himself above the currents, contemplating past deeds and pondering on creation and destruction, much like the Guatemalan mythical narrative did. Through the thin walls of life and death, cries of high and low voices leak out, in the form of ‘Forest Sword’s’ – ‘Gathering’, while the tranquility of Hobo Cubes’ – ‘Water Body’ mirrors his letting go into the prescience of the tide. Inundated lungs expand as consciousness retracts, finding shelter in discorporate territories demarcated by the sounds of ‘OOBE’ and ‘Offthesky’, their astral notes offering some temporary repose. Tunneling out of murky planes, ‘These Hidden Hands’ pick him up with duplicitous chords of hope, and throw him into the strange void. John Carpenter’s ‘Orientation’, paired with Deep Space Network’s ‘Psyphonic’, perfectly conjures and conveys those emotions of bewilderment and vacuity, as the mariner aimlessly moves like solar driftwood. A ‘Veiled Hermit’ appears to be drifting alongside him, whispering scrambled riddles in tongues not meant to be heard by sane beings, as time flickers like a paradoxical zoetrope in a ‘Slow Motion Time-Lapse’. In the final moments that he can recollect, he recalls a great jolt and the regaining of consciousness, awoken by a travelling ship’s lifebuoy, ‘Plucked From The Ground, Towards The Sun’. From those winded hours spent battling for his life he vows to never set sail to those dark blue waters ever again.

Fill in the blanks....

If there was one change I could make in the world, it would be let it breathe by making more silence.

A track I almost always love to include in my sets is Salem - "Redlights" (even if I do not make many dj sets but I play live most of the time).

One of my favourite hobbies is going for a walk into the woods.

Tracklist:

Popol Vuh - Aguirre III

Forest Swords - Gathering

Hobo Cubes - Water Body

Barn Owl - Against the Night

Offthesky - Meditae I

OOBE - SFTCR V

These Hidden Hands - Ivy

Deep Space Network - Psyphonic

John Carpenter - Orientation

Morkebla - The Veiled Hermit (Forthcoming on Haunter Records)

Wanda Group - O A (SRS 13)

XIII - Slow-Motion_Time-Lapse 

Huerco S. - Plucked From The Ground, Towards The Sun

LINKS:

SOUNDCLOUD

FACEBOOK

[fenomenastudio]

DJ Taye - All Night VIP

          It’s with great pleasure that we feature a track of Chicago’s DJ Taye, a militant member of the Teklife crew, pioneers and propagators of the footwork sound, sowing its seeds worldwide. From the outset we are treated with a soothing layered voice and the lead synth setting the scene for the shuddering bass sauntering around our ears, left to right, spliced with rowdy hi-hats and jaunty snares. Pharrell’s  vocal samples throughout the track add to the overall lively vibe and juice up your legs for the dance.  Overall, it feels like a celebration with good friends condensed into one track, so be sure to check it out, and the rest of the work from Taye & Teklife.

[fenomenastudio]

Podcast 16: Mace.

          There’s a tempest brewing in Northern Italy, gathering impetus amidst dreary cityscapes and classical architecture. The result is Padua based producer Mace, dipping his brush into a palette of cinematic, ambient, and mystifying vistas of sound. With two thoroughly impressive releases on Further Records (‘The Metamorphosis Through Dream’) & Eclipse Music (‘The Wealth of Nations’ EP), Mace has established a stellar signature sound of composite influences, the common denominator being experimentation.

          For this podcast, Mace goes spelunking into coastal caverns echoing with sounds of seagulls and the bashing of metal. What follows is a trip to sedation; a chanting voice backed by shoe gazing highs and lows that slowly wither away to introduce the darker segment of the arrangement. Emptyset’s ‘Awake’ lurches into view, but it is Mace’s two unreleased tracks that really steal the show – both enjoyably dissonant, and very well produced. In the penultimate moments of the mix a voice is heard exclaiming, ‘‘sisters, I don't know what this world is coming to’’, a fitting ending reflecting the turbulent era that we languidly inhabit.

Fill in the blanks....

When I look up at the night sky I think of the future of humanity.

If my music was a state of mind, it would be awareness, realisation.

My earliest memory involving music is journey, traveling by car.

Tracklist:

Hanna Hartman - Platmas

Mace. - Remote Control (unreleased) 

Mecanica Popular - Siempre Tu 

Jerusalem in my heart - 3anzah jarbanah (sick diseased goat) 

Simon Fisher Turner - The Great White Silence OST (excerpt) 

Lee Gamble - DTI 

EAR - Untitled 

Emptyset - Awake 

Mace. - Velocidad Mecanica (unreleased) 

Mace. - Exploitation (unreleased) 

EAR - as the n 

Dj Sprinkles - Sisters, I don't know what this world is coming to

LINKS:

SOUNDCLOUD

FACEBOOK

[fenomenastudio]

Podcast 15: KSTS

          A luminary in the Greek underground scene, KSTS calls a spade a spade and puts together a boisterous, no frills mix, sealed absolutely airtight with scathing selections of acid house/techno, leaving you cauterized from the unyielding firestorm. With his release on Lower Parts (‘Sometimes More’ EP), also available on a lucrative limited 12’’ transparent vinyl format, KSTS trundles along like a seismic force, spreading shockwaves that quake your chest and jab your mind.

          We find ourselves in Jaffa, under the Sun’s sundering beam, in the company of Perseus & Ammon, encircled by an amphitheatre’s arching walls. Beyond the theatre surreal music can be heard and in a syncretistic moment, antiquity intermingles with modernity. KSTS puts us under this spell, lasting for almost one and a half hours through noxious acid laden mists, maze dwelling gorgons, dilapidated warehouses, and asymmetrical corridors adorned with illusive melodies.

Tracklist:

Perseus Traxx - Amphitheatre of Joppa (The Land)

DADUB - Unlawful Assenbly (KILLEKILL)

Crotaphytus - Cymbospondylus (The Land)

Svengalisghost - Deep Into Memory (L.I.E.S.)

Answer Code Request - Untitled (MDR)

Mondkopf - Ruins (Perc Trax)

Jared Wilson - Next New (7777)

The Analogue Cops - Light Reduction (featuring Blawan) (Restoration Records)

Cassegrain Feat Tin Man - Athletic (KILLEKILL)

Cosmin TRG - Izolat (50Weapons)

Levon Vincent - 1000 miles away from home (Novel Sound)

Sawf - Menete (Perc Trax)

The Exaltics - Nichts aber auch nichts (Solar One Music)

Farley Jackmaster Funk - The Acid Life

Sawf - Know The System (Code Is Law)

Radioactive Man - Addict (KILLEKILL)

Hayworth - Anxiety (The Land)

Blawan - Peaches (Freestone) (Clone Basement Series)

The Analogue Cops - Fraudulent Advisors (Restoration Records)

Summerian Fleet - The Emperor's New Groove (Biorhythm)

Fingers Inc. - 326 Donnie (Gene Hunt's Box Rework) (Rush Hour)

LINKS:

SOUNDCLOUD

FACEBOOK

[fenomenastudio]

Aethra - υπνωση

          Aethra, of Cane Corso records,  graciously provided a free download of her track ‘‘υπνωση’’ – when translated – meaning hypnosis. As the title denotes, there is an aura of mysticism; a clandestine gathering of sighing high notes and a hoarse low-end, ideal for late night headphone listening sessions. Sounds of frothing waves are channeled, crushing into massive cliffs, the incorporated drums and hissing cymbals adding to this effect. A harmonic pad concludes the track, lingering for a while and fading slowly into a peaceful slumber.  

[fenomenastudio]

Podcast 13: Yüth

          Our 13th podcast features talented producer/dj, Yüth, also known as Deji, who is based in the UK. His productions as Deji represent anything from grime, to groovy melodic beats, showcased by his work on Ciara’s Body Party, a great bootleg available for free download on his facebook page (with a hook that will leave you humming along for the rest of the day!) As Yüth, he lays out an experimental downtempo sound comprised of fuzzy pads and lingering voices swimming through the tracks, perfect for the winter nights, huddled under a sweater, warm beverage in hand. With this mix, Yüth plunges into various sounds, exploring classics like Ramadanman’s, pummeling ‘‘Bass Drums’’, and Mala’s ‘‘Alicia’’, as well as an array of more downtempo tracks, including four of his own. Be sure to keep an eye out for Yüth and his arsenal of sentimental music.

Fill in the blanks.... 

The story behind my alias was when I decided to create a side project for all my lofi/leftfield projects. I wanted to change the whole aesthetic. Plus I was coming across issues surrounding Deji because they're a few artists using that name. Anyway I came across a video by the brand Stray Rats with a tshirt with Yüth printed on it. I thought the visuals were nice and it all seemed to click with the direction I was going in at the time.

My first introduction to electronic music was when I was really young I would listen to the Pete Tong show on a Friday night in the car with my mum and I didn't understand the music at all. I still don't really. But then I got a little older and my big brother got into Basement Jaxx and stuff like that. Then when I was around eleven or twelve a couple of Chemical Brothers singles came out at the same time which changed my whole opinion on electronic music. It still wasn't my favourite type of music but I did enjoy the singles. Then when I was 15 or 16  Living like I do by Sbtrkt/ CMYK by James Blake/ You've Got The Love by Jamie XX and a few tunes by Jack Steadman came out really close together and they were the ones that really inspired me to start producing.

If my music was a skate brand it would be maybe Polar, just because theyre small, niche and European. But really I'm gonna have to say Shake Junt or Baker just because they go super hard and do ignorant shit.

Tracklist:

Evian Christ - SnapBack Back

Ramadanman - Bass Drums

MJ Cole - Hawaii 

Ifan Dafydd - Miranda 

Lianne la Havas - Lost and Found (Ifan Dafydd Remix)

Mount Kimbie - You Took Your Time (feat. King Krule)

James Blake - Everday I Ran 

Zomby - Mozaic 

Medium - Human 

Mala - Changes (Harmonimix Remix)

Mala - Alicia 

Synkro - Look At Yourself

Daphni - Jaio

DJ Koze - Marilyn Whirland 

Muzik Soulchild - So Beautiful (Lapalux Remix)

Truss - Osbasten (Tessela Remix)

Yüth - Scarlet (Demo)

Yüth - Under My Skin (Demo)

Yüth - Come and Take Me (Demo)

Yüth - Like To Know

Mount Kimbie - Baves Chords 

Four Tet - Love Cry

LINKS:

SOUNDCLOUD

FACEBOOK

[fenomenastudio]

Podcast 12: Allison Chanic

          We bring you an exclusive podcast from Allison Chanic, also known as the Queen of Heartache, who is an avante-garde electronic musician based in Sweden. Allison has a background in classic instruments, such as the piano and violin, and in 1996 switched to the means of computerised music, which allowed her to blend in her sound of classic instruments with electronic sounds. She has also been the front figure and lead singer of Swedish/French electronic band "Amphex" since their debut in 2007 and today for the underground electronic experimental band Sam Darko and Klim Roos.

          In this podcast, Allison has granted us with a tracklist which includes her original music, as well as features from independent musicians that she personally knows. This mix is a deep emotional journey through a multitude of sounds, which just takes you high and higher. It is a podcast with a range  of sounds and diversity in instruments, as well as her own original vocals. We at Fenomena Studio feel very privileged to have this mix exclusively for us and we continue to work with Allison Chanic as we appreciate her depth in experience and the many years she has spent building her own original sound.

Fill in the blanks...

If I could live in one era it would be the time around the Romantic Era, which would fit me like a glove, since I was born in the Romanticism. 

My current favourite record labels are SonouS, Freitag Limited, Subwax Bcn, Kompakt, Echocord, Kontra-MusiK, Borft Records, Bedouin Records and Fenomena Studio.

If my music was a precious stone, it would be a diamond shimmering in the dark.

Tracklist:

Tom Green - Quiet Land

Allison Chanic - aF1 (Instrumental) 

Swin Deorin - Colouring Walls Bright

Allison Chanic - Tori 

D.Burke Mahoney - A Place I Forgot To Mention

Allison Chanic - Approche a la caverne les plus secrets

Stenbit - Different

Allison Chanic & our hands - Kissing You (Chanic Rmx 2011)

Allison Chanic - Emotional Fear

Allison Chanic - The Wind

Allison Chanic - Love Me Like You Love Her

Allison Chanic - Piano Session 1 

Allison Chanic - Untied

Allison Chanic - Spark Something

Allison Chanic - Mute (I'll Get Along)

Allison Chanic - Words Of Tears (And Full Of Weep)

Allison Chanic - Your Launch System

Allison Chanic - Sober

ppm - AUEdub

Allison Chanic - Void

QRG - Out of Cold Water

LINKS:

SOUNDCLOUD

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

[fenomenastudio]

Nicholas Ballesteros

          We introduce to you visual artist Nicholas Ballesteros, based out of Chicago, Illinois. His technique is unconventional yet very current and has an evident flair in surrealism. He uses terms such as war, death, life and beauty, then represents those ideas into a surreal collage of visuals. One might identify his work as an over-exaggerated thought, almost psychedelic. His play with colours is remarkable to the eye and it seems he carefully chooses his visuals to portray a specific notion. There is also a clear concept to each of his collages, as an experienced Fine Art student, who recently graduated with a BA in Arts and a Design minor, from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. We see a bit of retrospective in his collages as well and the guy already has an immense amount of artwork for such a young artist, using all forms of mixed media. Below is an interview by Jon Major as he approaches artist Nicholas with in-depth questions. 

Jon Major: First off i'd like you to introduce yourself to our family, state your name, your occupation and were you live. 

My name is Nicholas Ballesteros. I'm a self-employed visual artist and I'm currently based out of Chicago.

To begin, lets talk a bit about the power of images in our modern society and their importance for you. 

Images are little conduits of information that are transferred over the vast range of information technologies. So they hold quite a bit of power. I think at some point in the development of modern life, our society was overcome by its technology in other words our immersion in it is complete. Images are important to me because of our immersion in information/digital technologies. While at the same time image is used to control (in hollywood and mass media etc) we are also given a little piece of the control (things like instagram or other such platforms); it becomes a banal thing. But hidden under the innocent banality of image are the regimes of marketing and control. So art must react to this form of control. Its important to me for these reasons.

According to your opinion, what seperates a picture worth using and all others? Is there a specific pattern you follow when picking out your raw material? 

While information technologies are killing the analog traditions, which itself has now evolved into simulacra (instagram for example) or into the avant-garde (Who these days is actually working in film? Very few), I’m attracted to the analog because its materiality possesses such vitality. Even the rattiness of the acid based paper; its exciting how palpably artistic found images are in comparison to clean digital cell phone pictures. So an image must first possess that material vitality. Secondly, I’m exploring iconographies, looking for ways to “update” past iconographies or perhaps “remix” them, as some crude individuals like to call it. Consider my Rembrandt series. I relied on baroque iconographies and then connected those iconographies to more modern ones -associated with science and technology for example.

I realise that you are a collector of photo-books, can you tell us a bit about this passion of yours? Do you think that the originality in yours works comes as a result of this rare database you have available? 

Part of my collecting of these anthologies and periodicals etc comes from my need to have that material vitality in my work. The more I collect the more potential I have to find really striking images and more chances to form connections/disconnections with them.

Can you give us a quick tour inside your world of images, from the moment you chose what you are going to work on until it's ready to present itself as an independent work of art to the public, what is the procedure you follow? 

I keep the material in drawers. I’m in the process of organizing images into a classification system. I will go through the material and tear pages out. I’ll find an extraordinary or outrageous image, which I then fall in love with and box myself into using. A trial and error process of superimposing other elements, determines if and when the collage looks satisfactory. I just know it when I know it.

I noticed on your site you categorise your works as distortion / collages / mixed media. 

Apart from the obvious differences I’m now categorizing my work thematically; linked to the iconographies. I still have the distortions and mixed media pieces separated only by the distinctions in their formation rather than by theme. A lot of my past collages are singular so that is one bunching itself. But like I said I’m really getting into creating themed series.

Speaking of techniques can you tell us something about the ones you use on your works? What is the equipment you prefer to use? Do you plan on using different techniques and means in the future? 

When I collage I use an xacto knife, a cutting mat and various forms of heavy duty glue. For mixed media I use a palette knife, a small brush and water-based oil or acrylic paint. For my distortions I use an old HP scanner (I like it because it scans really slowly) and Photoshop. In the future I want to return to drawing and painting. For an example of the incorporation of drawing and painting into my practice, go to Youtube and search “self portrait of the artists Nicholas Ballesteros”. I’ve uploaded a video feed in which I draw a to-life self-portrait only to cover it in collage. The end result you can see for yourself. But I like this idea of art covering up other art. The idea is to blur the art’s finishing point: re-painting and re-collaging. These are techniques I’d like to explore further.

One question about the collages. Regarding the choices you make on the pictures you use, is it just an aesthetic thing or you deliberately chose to compare in a way the worlds on each part of the collage? 

The choices I’m making are aesthetic ones and conceptual ones. The connections and disconnections formed in the work directly embody abstract concepts of multiplicites flows and arrangements. But do they mean one thing in particular? Not precisely. They could potentially stand in for any one interpretation. I’m a firm advocate in the belief that there is no one right interpretation. The destination of the art is an indeterminate one. The destination certainly does not act concordantly with the artists’ vision even when the art is didactic. Varying and multiplying interpretations of the art can open up spaces for new possibilities of collective enunciation.

What else is there for you as an artist? What are your plans? 

Some upcoming events: In December I have a show at Coffman Gallery in Minneapolis titled “No Apologies: Narcissus’s pool”. I’ve had a few friends invite me to participate in shows, one in Oakland and one in New Orleans. The names of the shows were Forget What You Know, New Orleans Salon, New Orleans, LA. And Moving Images, Turpentine Art Space, Oakland, CA.

Apart from your website I see that you also choose to use social media to present your works and I personally think that is a good thing. I believe you would agree when i say that art in general is still considered to be a privilege of a certain bourgeois class. What do you believe is the importance of social media in modern day art? Do they play a major role in an artist's hype or not? 

Hey were back to the information technologies! I totally endorse social media. I wouldn’t have an audience if it weren’t for tumblr, flickr and youtube. I hope that continual expansion of my reach in these spheres will continually help me build my career. As far as the role of social media into increasing ones hype, this is relevant. But I've also met artists who are distrustful of social media and feel more honest by staying away from it. The whole esoteric vs exoteric dimension of social media is a strawman argument. No one really cares whether or not you are showing fidelity to esotericism. We are all subject to market forces and desires. We can’t all wear the Van Gogh mask (which is ironic when people do!)

I do agree with you that art is for a certain privileged bourgeoisie. The trajectory of contemporary art is mostly represented by ultra-reductive work that can only stand in for theory or by endless motifs on art’s inseparability from the technical, promotional, media and digital operations (the post-Warhol trend). Further to the point of knowledge and power, artists with the most power are those who have gone through the MFA and paid the most tribute to “theory”. I may sound cynical but I’m trying to be honest at the same time. An artist needs to have an MFA at the least (and now its also the phd) to meet commercial/professional success. At the same time I think the success of art, or an artist, is rather contingent upon the role that spectators play. Jacques Ranciere, in “The Emancipated Spectator” defines the process of art coming full circle as “a matter of shaping a new body and a new sensorium for oneself.” In my opinion this definition fits the genuine movement of art. Ranciere’s description elucidates that there is potential for art to overstep its privileged status.

Last but not least I will go for the clichee question on your influences. Anyone you want to mention that we need to check out asap? 

There are too many artists! Right now I’m spending a lot of time exploring the film and video works of Japanse avant-garde bad ass Shuji Terayama. Youtube his name and watch!

LINKS:

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

Review by: Essy

Interview by: Jon Major