Atari Teenage Riot - Live

Atari Teenage Riot are nothing short of legendary. Having changed the face of both electronic and rock music in their intense career, and given the world a vast number of collaborators, apprentices and bastard permutations, they've left a legacy that will last for decades. I saw them perform last night at the Arches (current line-up of Alec Empire, Nic Endo and MC CX Kidtronix) and holy fuck did they rip it up! I used to love Ministry, Fear Factory and Red Harvest, who I thought were heavy, but to paraphrase Dalai Dahmer, discovering Atari Teenage Riot is like thinking Maiden are heavy, then seeing Slayer in full effect. This was a near-unrelenting blast of amen breaks, d'n'b tempos and shouty punk sloganeering that never lost itself in the white noise that often smothers black or speed metal. Classics like ATR, Revolution Action and Destroy 2000 Years of Culture rattle past in a blaze of call and response, with MC CX Kidtronix and Empire taking it in turns to whip the crowd up with a mixture of fierce anti-capitalist rhetoric and mindless fuck-punk nihilism.

Managing to be more brutal than death-industrial like the Berzerker whilst retaining a groove, ATR's mechanical battery never lapses into simple crush-kill-destroy techno - it's intense, mad-mental fun, and peppered with subtle melodies. Nic Endo, who handles most of the backing tracks from an MPC, is possessed of a delicate but powerful voice that cuts through the noise with amazing clarity - her solo performance when Empire retreats behind his drum machines was one of the many highlights.

Some people have seen fit to write Atari Teenage Riot's reformation off as a cash-cow, or a vanity project, and truthfully, this is not the same band that terrorised Glasgow back in 1993, but neither is it the same world, musically or politically. This is still a band at the height of their talents; invigorated, enthused and unafraid to experiment or take risks. The break-up of Rage Against The Machine put one of the many nails in the coffin of political music, and a backlash carried through the early 21st century which saw a socially-conscious agenda as a hindrance to performance. Atari Teenage Riot in 2010 is a reminder that performance is protest, that music can be inspiring, intelligent and remain as vitalistic as chewing on fresh adrenal glands.

With economic collapse, illegal wars and students actually motivated and angry enough to march on the government and physically break their security, it feels like we once again need bands like Atari Teenage Riot. We need million-selling artists whose new single is free on soundcloud. We need albums controversial enough to be censored and banned by the German government, and artists wild enough to play the tracks from it every time they perform. We need music that screams rebellion, white-hot anger, and the glorious freedom of creativity.

Atari Teenage Riot; FUCK YEAH.
Atari Teenage Riot - "Activate!" by Alec Empire

Raymond Scott: Music, Machines & Mystery

I went to a great event here on Sunday evening - the Manchester premiere of a new documentary on the American composer/inventor Raymond Scott, directed by his son Stan Warnow. On the bill, along with the film itself, were special Scott-themed live sets by local acts Demdike Stare, Illum Sphere v Kidkanevil and the one-off supergroup The Manhattan Research Transfer Project.



Raymond Scott held down many different jobs during his long and varied career. In the 1930s his Quintette made a series of popular jazz recordings that led to them appearing in some major motion pictures. The best known of these is "Powerhouse", which in the 1940s was used by Warner Bros to soundtrack some of the most popular and best loved Looney Tunes cartoons.

In the 1950s Scott was the orchestra leader on the hit television show "Your Hit Parade". He used the money he earned from the show to fund his growing obsession with electronic music, and focused on building what would essentially become synthesizers as we know them. A pioneering visionary, Scott was the man who invented the concept and execution of sequencing, without which most modern music would not exist. His own electronic compostions of the time, used mostly as sound beds for adverts, are hauntingly beautiful, and still sound fresh.



Each of the acts that performed either directly acknowledged Scott's music, or came from a similarly out-there electronic background. First up were Demdike Stare, of the Pendel Coven/Modern Love family, who delivered an intense and hypnotic set of white noise infused ambience, backed up by some excellent cult movie visuals.



Next was a collaborative set by local beat-freakers Illum Sphere and Kidkanevil (from the Hoya Hoya club night), which tended to the more boom-bap side of things, yet managed to incorporate lots of samples and references to Raymond Scott's music. Again, there were excellent visuals on display, this time by artist EMN.



The final live act, and the highlight, was the Manhattan Research Transfer Project (named in part after Scott's own electronic "orchestra" of the 50s & 60s). A supergroup composed of 808 State's Graham Massey, Silverclub's Henrietta Smith-Rolla, and Dennis Jones, they played a set of Raymond Scott compositions on fully analogue synthesisers (so analogue that some didn't do as they were told). It's a rare treat to see such a full-on synth set-up in action live these days, and the sounds were phenomenal. Unfortunately no recordings of this gig exist (though there is talk of possibly some studio recordings in the future) but here is what it looked like:



After a short intermission we were back in to see the film "Deconstructing Dad", directed by Stan Warnow, who was also in attendance to introduce the film and field questions afterwards. It's an excellent documentary on a fascinating subject (featuring contributions from Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo and DJ Spooky, among others, and of course with an awesome soundtrack), and it deserves to get some wider distribution. The film is available to buy on DVD, and there is more information on Raymond Scott and Stan Warnow at http://scottdoc.com/. Watch the trailer for a glimpse into the life of this extraordinary man:



And if you are interested in hearing more of Scott's music, check out "Manhattan Research Inc", a 60-odd track compilation which is available to listen and buy from Boomkat.

Divorce / Breaking Colts @ Fight Club

Divorce SLAYED on Sunday night at the Tiger Lounge in Manchester. But then, I always knew they would! Though the current hectic tour schedule may be taking its toll on the members' minds (and ears), it's making their sonic assault tight as fuck. If you have a chance to check out any of their remaining dates, do, you will not be disappointed. There are lots of lovely tour photos over on the Divorce blog.



All the bands on the bill rocked, but I particularly liked Breaking Colts, a female duo wading their way through a sea of sonic sludge armed with only a bass and a drum kit. It's heavy. I was stoned. Result! Fans of Holy Mountain should check them out - here's their Myspaz: http://www.myspace.com/breakingcolts

and here's a clip of them playing live:

Wolves fest Manchester

I went to a gig last night as part of the "Wolves" festival put on by Hairy Wolf Records in various towns across the north. There were a bunch of bands on the bill, but we skipped in late and only caught the last two.



The first band we saw were called Brontide. Their skinny jeans-and-quiff atire betrayed their fondness for a crashing doom power chord, and a looper pedal was used artfully to build up finger-tapped riffs. Somewhere between the technical chops of math and the brute force of metal (but with no vocals), I enjoyed their set a lot, and was surprised to learn the drummer is also in La Roux.



But the main attraction was Kong, who came recommended by various people on the Manchester music scene. Dressed all in red and wearing those creepy see-through plastic masks that are most suited to bank robbery or twisted sex, there's more than a whiff of peak-90s Sub Pop about them. Guitars squall like Tad, vocals roar like a pre-success Cobain, and the drums get a merciless pounding by the ridiculously awesome drummer. A bit like the Jesus Lizard if they were fronted by Peter Kaye on bad acid, Kong aren't shy of showing off their Chorley roots. even if it leads to audience misunderstandings and a generally unhinged atmosphere. But it's worth it, these guys are very good live.

They are coming to Glasgow in a few weeks (August 12th at the Captain's Rest) - I recommend folk go and check 'em out.

The Scheme on the BBC

There's a new reality show on BBC Scotland that is causing quite a stir - it's called "The Scheme" and details life on a housing estate in East Kilbride. By "quite a stir" I mean it's getting a lot of people tweeting, blogging, kicking up a fuss and most of all laughing.



Is this a good thing? I don't know for sure but I don't think so. I have only watched the first episode (which was very hard to watch actually, even more so than some so called horror films) and the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. Yes, it WAS funny, but also the worst kind of schadenfreude. I don't think I will be going back for more, and I don't think this is an honest or accurate depiction of life on a housing estate. Of course, we know now that "reality TV" is pretty far from actual reality, but The Scheme shows just how low editors and producers have stooped for the sake of getting ratings.

Our friend the writer Kerry Ryan has reviewed the show on her blog, and put into words what it was that I felt while watching the show. "Poverty porn" indeed. Read Kerry's review of the Scheme here.

Ben Butler and Mousepad Helsinki 08/05

I went to see Ben Butler and Mousepad last night at Myymala2 gallery in Helsinki. Also playing were Samuel Meri and Yön Syke, backed up by DJ Amön Dude.

The space itself is small and homely art gallery with adjoining comic and record store, and proved to be an excellent gig venue: something akin to a living room gig and all the DIY intimacy that encompasses.


Armed only with his voice and an acoustic guitar Samuel Meri provided an engaging opening set. His voice struggled in the higher ranges, but otherwise possessed a soft baritone warmth. His ragged and simple guitar playing betrayed a fairly sophisticated approach to songwriting. My rather basic grasp of Finnish didn't allow great appreciation of his lyrics but my girlfriend Sari assures me that they were beautiful.

Next on the bill, Yön Syke served up some sparse 80's electronica. Rocking an austere vintage Russian electronic drum kit, drummer Jaakko kept the crowd moving (well me at least- I've yet to see a Finn moved enough to dance, even by the almighty Kraftwerk or Grace Jones) with his crisp analog beats, whilst bassist Ukko augmented the rhythm with simple, syncopated lines. Synthesist and vocalist Sami dutifully completed the sparse sound with delay-assisted pads, vocoder and melody lines. They also deserve a medal for the worst, completely un-ironic 7" packaging ever!


Ben Butler and Mousepad played an intricate and energetic set, with Joe's virtuosic synth noodling supported by Bastian's block-rocking, dynamic beats. Supported by some Ableton backing tracks, Joe leapt between three small synths, his glasses strapped firmly to his head (this proved to be a good move - boy that kid can rock a synth). I'm now convinced he's Bernie Worrell's lovechild. Bastian navigated the music's fruity approach to meter and song structure with gusto and fine grimaces. It's always refreshing to hear a band with such an engaging and original voice, and I'm eagerly anticipating their forthcoming EP on Norwegian Skwee label Dødpop and LP on Lo Recordings.

Ben Butler and Mousepad Myspace
Joe's Blog
Joe Howe website