MEZZANIN.ES

Miki McLay is a criminology PhD-in-training at Monash University, and a former freelance music writer.

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Hey! It's been awhile. 

I coauthored a policy analysis with my PhD supervisors and mentors Jarrett Blaustein and Jude McCulloch for the International Journal of Drug Policy. Abstract below:

This article introduces the concept of ‘secondary harm mitigation’ as a framework for improving the humanitarian credentials of international drug law enforcement agencies. The concept is rooted in a critical analysis of the compatibility of the harm reduction philosophy with Australia’s international drug law enforcement practices. On a utilitarian level, the net benefits of international drug law enforcement are determined to be, at best inconclusive, arguably counterproductive and in most cases, incalculable. On a humanitarian level, international drug law enforcement is also determined to be problematic from a criminological standpoint because it generates secondary harms and it is indifferent to the vulnerability of individuals who participate in illicit drug trafficking. Accordingly, the article concludes that a philosophy of harm reduction grounded in the public health perspective is inadequate for mitigating secondary harms arising from Australia’s efforts to combat international illicit drug trafficking. A tentative list of secondary harm mitigation principles is presented and the article argues that secondary harm mitigation should replace supply reduction as a core tenet of Australia’s National Drug Strategy. The article also concludes that secondary harm mitigation may provide a viable framework for stimulating a productive dialogue between those who advocate prohibition and those who call for decriminalisation at the global level.

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Drug checking faqs

Drug checking is pill testing, but for more kinds of drugs. Got any more questions? You'll find them answered here.

Experts and workers across public health, criminal justice and the electronic music industries have lent their support to proposals for a drug-checking service in Australia, but significant resistance from major political parties of both persuasions has impeded progress. The debate has been an emotive and heated one. To help you find your way through the madness, here's a no-bullshit FAQ on the basics of drug-checking.

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Peaches is back in business. Rejoice. On the remix compilation for last year’s effort Rub that came out like, yesterday:

Without even realising it, I had only asked women to produce remixes. I’m glad that they all said yes and I love every mix.

No need to wax lyrical about the importance of women’s representation in music (particularly in my little corner on the dancefloor) when tracks this fierce are more than capable of speaking for themselves. It’s a diverse and eclectic mix of contributions that really do justice to Peaches’ irreverent, cheeky wordplay and celebratory representations of queer sexuality.

I love Paula Temple’s furious industrial techno rework of ‘Rub’ and J.D. Samson’s bouncy, vibrant remix of ‘I Mean Something’ (but duh). Highlight, though - the bassline on Maya Jane Coles’ UK bass take on Close Up (featuring Kim Gordon) under her Nocturnal Sunshine alias, above. Lethal. 

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While the wait between records for Underworld has been a lengthy one, the music community could hardly accuse the duo that is Rick Smith and Karl Hyde of slacking off since their last album. Consider all that has happened since its release back in 2010 - the artistic endeavours that Hyde and Smith have earnestly devoted the intervening years to have spoken to a more expansive, adventurous sonic palette for both.

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Meet the sensible countries that allow pill-testing

It's not difficult.

The recent tragic overdoses at festivals around Australia have brought pill-testing back into the headlines, as health experts argue its benefits while police and politicians staunchly declare it will never happen. But Australia is no stranger to harm reduction policies for drugs like heroin (with safe injecting rooms now the norm), and there are many other countries around the world saving lives at festivals every day with pill-testing programs. I looked into how pill-testing works in The Netherlands, Austria and Portugal.

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Holeandcorner felt like an ambitious venture from the start. A boat party and a warehouse bash rolled into one, the event unfurled over the course of 12 hours on Saturday, December 19th in Melbourne, featuring the likes of Petar Dundov, Scuba, Moodymann and some well-loved locals.

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This is what democracy looks like! This is what democracy sounds like!

Strangely enough, out of all of the heartfelt and beautiful music that Le Tigre put out over the course of their successful stint at the forefront of riot-grrl and feminist activism more generally, this is the track that makes me cry almost every time I listen to it? Strange, I know. I rinsed this album so, so many times over the course of this year, and if there’s one lesson I learned from all of the things that happened, it is that resistance to injustice of all kinds is necessary and valuable, even when you can’t immediately identify the impact of your actions in the short term, and the relationships we build through doing so can be a powerful reason to keep us going. 

New Kicks is the result of Kathleen Hanna painstakingly recording each of these vocal samples at various American anti-war protests in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq. It’s a decade later and despite the events that comprised the war on terror, from Iraq to Guantanamo Bay, the reminder that elements of the community have always and will continue to stand in solidarity against injustice everywhere is powerful.

I interviewed fellow Le Tigre member J.D. Samson a few years ago about her work with Le Tigre and her new musical outfit MEN, and I remember her mentioning how surprised she was that her music had managed to touch so many young people and she had never gone into music thinking about the sheer significance of what she was doing - and how grateful she was even to that day that fans would contact her with stories about themselves and how her work touched them, inspired them, saved their lives. Literally, in many cases. And for me - god, how many of my friends have I danced to Le Tigre to and shared so many conversations about how we can make the world a better place?

Because old habits die hard, I’ll leave you with a quote from one of my academic idols Jude McCulloch, in conjunction with Elizabeth Stanley, who’ve worded this sentiment in far better words than I ever could, in the introduction to their book State Crime and Resistance:

“…resistance is not a win or lose activity; losses can be just as important as wins. Progress can be achieved in the face of apparent failure. Resistance is sometimes (re)invigorated through adversity. Even where resistance is thought to have failed, it may succeed “to influence, mitigate or even constrain state policies and actions related to state crime (Friedrichs 2010:9). While changes may often not meet aspirations, they can still challenge state policies and actions. In addition, the lessons learnt through ‘unsuccessful’ campaigns may form the foundation for future ‘success’. The timeframe for assessing the effectiveness of resistance is impossible to set. Changes can occur incrementally over decades. Resistance to state crime therefore requires a long-term strategy. Time and time again, people have shown great resilience in these endeavours.”

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I’ve spent most of this year in various libraries around Melbourne knee-deep in research papers and draft thesis sections, listening to these records compulsively. It’s a particularly disparate mix of genres and tempos, which I like but suspect says volumes about my state of mind at the moment. I miss writing about music! Research and academia has been fantastic though. It’s going to be a long few months but I can’t wait to get baby’s first research project out into the world.

1. Jlin - Dark Energy 2. OAKE - Auferstehung 3. Kuedo - Assertion of a Surrounding Presence 4. ASC - Imagine the Future 5. Kerridge - Always Offended Never Ashamed

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If you consider yourself a part of Melbourne's techno community, you have Adrian Bell to thank for his tireless work keeping it alive and kicking as both one of it's premier DJs as well as the mastermind behind one of it's most beloved brands Bunker.

Bunker is undoubtedly one of Melbourne's most successful techno collectives - with a dual focus on quality internationals alongside the fair city's burgeoning underground has seen Bell's mission of keeping the beating kick drum of Melbourne's heart at a healthy pulse. If you've ever borne witness to a Bunker party you'll know to leave your expectations with the door - think moody, brooding, forward-thinking sounds in a wide variety of esoteric and original contexts with a stellar CV of internationals comprising of Xhin, Mary Velo and Developer, with more to come.

Bell's reputation as one of Melbourne's most well-established DJs is not one to sniff at, either. Years of experience keeping dance floors moving at Melbourne hotspots such as The Liberty Social, The Mercat, New Guernica,Lounge and plenty more alongside recent journeys abroad playing in Berlin and Japan are a testament to his well-developed instinct for thrilling crowds with the best in deep, dark techno. This has also seen him claim support slots for the likes of Peter Van Hoesen, Robert Hood, Shed, Marcel Dettmann, Rebekah, Jeff Mills, Pfirter, Clouds, Dave Clarke, Rrose and Ben Sims.

Those Open Air parties are one of my favourite fixtures on the Melbourne electronic music circuit over the summertime - their last for this season goes down on Saturday March 28th. Beers, beats, and smiles all around.

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Heart Drive is dBridge and Jon Convex's collaborative project exploring the heartfelt, affective possibilities of 170BPM - their joined moniker as well as the name of the periodic mixes they release together. Since its inception in 2014 as a means of continuing their work together from the halcyon days of Autonomic they've also set up Pleasure District - an Exit Records subsidiary label which houses some of the releases featured in the mix series. A little bit sci-fi, a little bit sexy: cold, windswept, alluringly beautiful. Mix four features new cuts from Kid Drama, dBridge and a host of up-and-comers. And ugh, that Fracture bootleg of the Weeknd’s King of the Fall? Oh baby. Get a little closer.

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Cast the Die is typical serious pressure from Sam Shackleton, one of bass music’s longest-looming, most fearsome figures. Deliverance Series No. 2 was one of my favourite 12”s from the last few months - unsurprising, as Shackleton’s work has always exemplified perfectly what I adored about the emergence of dubstep. His tracks always manage to unwind themselves so beautifully over those long expanses of Eastern drums and chest-crushing, weighty basslines that hold you down in place for what feels like forever. Blood On My Hands still retains the ability to completely paralyse me and I know I’m not alone. 

a colourful storm, who are also responsible for bringing to Melbourne the likes of Powell, Peter Van Hoesen and Samuel Kerridge in recent times, is delivering Shackleton to the Mercat on March 14: Apocalypso Now, indeed.

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Got on that HTRK tip six months late but better that than never. It’s been a good summer for late-night listening - finding out they’re playing the National Gallery of Victoria Great Hall this Friday night was perfect timing. Feels like love? Could be.

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ASC - Sonic Assault

Halocyan’s 2014 compilation Universal Quantifier was where I initially caught the lead tracks from Sonic Assault amongst other stellar contributions from Halocyan’s back catalogue - strong influences from classic house and techno reworked by an impressive roster of artists featuring the likes of Paul Woolford, Xxxy, Extrawelt, and Joey Beltram.

ASC is a singularly prolific and versatile producer - his ridiculous back catalogue spans years of work as a drum and bass, ambient and techno producer who manages to absolutely nail everything that takes his fancy. Seriously, go look through that Discogs page and maybe experience a vague, disettling feeling of incompetency. His role in keeping 170BPM relevant, credible and forward-thinking to this day is what I adore him most for - labels like Autonomic, NonPlus, Exit, not to mention his own imprint Auxiliary. (Incidentally: his wife Vaccine's EP for the label was another personal highlight from the year. BAD HABIT.)

But back to that EP - that Kangding Ray remix, Jesus. David Letellier has in recent times has delivered sparse, austere techno that's caught the fancy of labels like Raster-Notion, my beloved Stroboscopic Artefacts and Halocyan and his 2014 LP Solens Arc was one of the most captivating things to emerge from the year. There's a piece of me that feels like this rework was written for me, almost - the stark, relentless beats of the original juxtaposed against those pulled-apart, filtered-down splashes of bass, yes. Take me under.

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Mala B2B Loefah, ft. Sgt Pokes live at FWD» 1st June, 2006.

Ten years ago today I started a blog only because I wanted to see how easy it was to start a blog. Five years ago to the day I shared a seminal Hatcha CD – and wished to still feel this strongly about music as I did then. Five years on and many life obstacles since, I still do so to celebrate, I want to share with you something that’s been privately sat on my iPod for quite some time. 

I’ve had access to this set ever since I did some archive work for Ammunition around the time of the “Roots of…” compilations. Thank you to FWD» and DMZ for letting me share this previously unheard live recording from FWD» at Plastic People, east London. 

Now, I was there in the flesh for this set… I remember it well and wanted to share some memories to accompany the audio. Happy Birthday y’all. 

I guess that’s what makes this such a special thing - moreso than any thinkpiece even the most razor-sharp of writers could hope to conjure in chronicling the rise of dubstep. Blackdown was fucking there, you know? Like, man, I coulda sunk weeks into digging through every single last post on dubstepforum and obsessively reading thinkpieces on FACT and RA theorising and wanking on endlessly, and it would have all been for shit because I will never, ever, ever have that fully-formed experience of participation. And even with those hours of detached, rigorous research, I still wouldn’t be able to answer the question - why the hell should you care what I have to say, anyway?

Let me try to explain it from the sociologist’s perspective. In social research, quantitative methods deal strictly with that which can be defined, measured, interpreted and tested - numbers, scales, hypotheses. The qualitative approach, alternatively, demands that we as researchers examine the lived experience, immerse ourselves in the worlds which we wish to understand. The insider perspective, babes. It's useful for understanding social patterns and phenomena which are often quite complex – particularly for exploratory research within emerging and often-inaccessible subcultures and groups. And Blackdown, of course, has this on lock. The depth of knowledge, the oblique references, that deeply visceral conjuring of self is everything I love about electronic music - the space it draws into existence for us to recall experience, form memory and meaning in ways that are entirely our own. Take me into your world and tell me about what you love.

Sociologists also speak of reflexivity: the means by which the characteristics and behaviours of researchers and participants have the effect of acting upon themselves, affecting that which is seen and how it is experienced, transforming experience in its own new ways. I love the fragmented narrative of Blackdown here, and the way in which his presence is so crucial to the retelling of this scene narrativised in this single moment but also in the context of dubstep scene at large. Smoking bans, dubplates, shoutouts, cultural theory. The musings and philosophising, the sense of familial adoration and respect, the zeitgeist of time and place it represents. This is the space I too feel most comfortable occupying, as both researcher and participant in electronic music culture. I am no expert. Nobody is liking my posts in When off chops, link toonz. I don’t have my finger on the pulse of the underground. It’s likely I’ve never heard of your favourite record label. 

Here’s the thing: I’m not sure how important that is to me when it comes to writing and reading about electronic music. What I love most about electronic music in particular is that it is so conducive to the subjective construction and recollection of experience: the stark and clean rhythms, the lack of definitive meaning in its wordless, hazy soundscapes. Song titles function as clues, maybe, if you’re lucky, but ultimately dance music is about forcing something out of you, too. No words between us - or just cut-up and reconstructed in half-indecipherable ways like the brief exchanges between us when we come up for air. Club culture and that alluring hypnosis of going in deep on the dancefloor at 4AM - the pulse of a kick drum so full it reverberates in your chest, the way a bassline can draw you right in like a lover’s eyes. There’s an erotic hypnosis to the sensation of bodies in motion, caught in the same beat and manifested in that chaotic, arresting electricity of limbs and fast-beating hearts. It invites you in and lets you and I take whatever we want from it. I love the blacked-out hyperconsciousness of the dancefloor and the aftermath, the space to piece these endless prismatic fragments of light and experience together in a way that is irreproducible and entirely your own.

That old Simon Reynolds quote: “this is my story: tell me yours.”

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When RÜFÜS’ debut album Atlas first arrived on Sweat it Out I wrote about how much I appreciate that lush, sun-streaked aesthetic that seems the defining characteristic of all the Australian dance music acts I am particularly fond of for inthemix - think Cut Copy, the Presets, Modularcore. In the wake of its release and looking back on the creation of their first album and the threads that tie an album like Atlas together in such an all-encompassing manner vocalist Tyrone Lindqvist mentions this - and the burnout of day to night.

I guess a pretty big aim with the writing process for us was to have a balance of dark and light, in crafting the little worlds that became each track from the album. It was about sun-drenched brightness versus submerged deepness. Stylistically we were referencing some of our favourite artists including Claude Vonstroke, Booka Shade, Royksöpp, Trentemøller, Foals, and Justin Martin.

Incidentally, with a list of influences like that, it’s little wonder I adore RÜFÜS to the maddening extent I do. This year’s reissue of Atlas features a flip side with a tidy collection of remixes from other Australian acts, my pick being Touch Sensitive’s take on Sarah - but it’s the night-time reworks of their older, pre-Atlas material by RÜFÜS themselves that really glow. The references Linqvist cites are apt - I hear the relaxed, vibrant basslines of Booka Shade in with the meticulous use of sounds, space and atmospheric romance of Trentemoller particularly in Talk to Me. Lushness.

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How to even begin to describe the legacy of Detroit techno collective Underground Resistance in a way that does justice to the influence the group has had over the course of 25 years? Read through the names associated with the ever-changing collective – Jeff Mills, Mike Banks, Robert Hood, Drexciya – and you could be forgiven for assuming this was some kind of techno hall-of-fame list, rather than a collection of subversive, politically incisive artists. Most notorious and well-loved for their anti-mainstream business ethos, radical politics and dedication to bringing Detroit’s vibrant musical spirit to the rest of the world, anything Underground Resistance is going to be defiantly uncategorisable – exploratory adventures through the worlds of jazz, experimental, techno and beyond, both on record and across the world’s stages. Australia will be lucky enough to bear witness to Underground Resistance’s Timeline show in November, and keyboardist Jon Dixon takes us through what to expect.

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Stream Token Records compilation Aphelion featuring Surgeon, Lucy and more

Spanning releases from some of techno's premier purveyors of heavy-hitting bruisers including Ancient Methods, Xhin, Surgeon and plenty more, Belgian imprint Token's reputation as a label for serious connoisseurs of high-impact sounds is undeniable.

A sneaky preview of upcoming compilation Aphelion (dropping November 3) is available to stream via SoundCloud - my picks? Insectoid by Ø [Phase] will definitely do well on dancefloors, and the contribution that comes care of Pariah and Blawan's collaborative project Karenn? Phwoar.