Free Music Alert SPECIAL: The Joy Of Aural Sects!

I can’t believe it’s been ages since I did one of these posts!

But thankfully things have quietened down just a little on this front, I thought that now would be a good time to get you all filled in on some rather joyful music that’s out there, in the wild, fresh and free as the morning dew.

But in a change from the usual posts, I’ve decided to up the ante with a special spotlight focused on a particular netlabel that’s been producing some rather brilliant music for a long time now. Created in 2011, AURAL SECTS has been a label and collective that has been nibbling and picking away at the edges of the so-called “Post-Internet” with some relish for a while now. Rising in the middle of the primordial sound soup that was Witch House (Mental note to self – I must get a follow up post on Witch House v2.0 done these days) and other associated genres, they’ve grown and blossomed into one of the hottest burning netlabels online with releases that span from twisted trap rap and booming witch house, to some of the most melancholic trance music you’ve heard in years.

So in the interested of quality music writing, I got drunk and sent an expletive message to one of the label’s many hydra heads, Bunny Intonamorous, about the label and what drives them in this brave new world…

 

Tell us about yourself Bunny in excruciating detail. The who/hows/whats/whys of your life…

Hello, I am Bunny, I was born with a different name, but I like this one better. It was given to me by friends because I tend to just sit down and do very little, but then I was looking after a family pet that tried to suffocate me in the night with its arse so now I keep this name for the same reason that Batman calls himself that. To strike that same fear into the hearts and minds of my enemies. I’m 26 years young, and I am a music and info-addict. I live to ingest new information and music. I have a day job, but that’s not important, but I am also a musician (used to make avant-garde neoclassical music, traded the score for Ableton about a year and a half ago and… well put it this way, I’m getting better), labelhead, writer, DJ (HA! Everyone is a DJ these days), and now, an editor of a small philosophy and music blog.

How did you get started in this music lark in the first place?

I’ve always been an audio obsessive – an avid listener of EVERYTHING I can get my hands on. I decided on a whim to try to get into the practical side of things when I was 14, through education, and had a passion for writing avant-garde classical music, which I then studied, together with analysis throughout university… After that I got a bit bored with that and just went back to listening only until I found witch house, and got inspired by what seemed to be the punk DIY ethic of it all – use what you can to make something. It really inspired me to try to my hand at something relatively poppy (i.e. not alternating time signatures every bar and using 5-6 non-tonal scales in half-hour long works… 5 minute, 4 chord drag songs).

Aural Sects the label – Give us an overview/ ORG chart. Why did it start in the first place? what were the gaps that you wanted to fill with your ideas/desires?

We started it in the first place because it seemed like a lot of artists we thought were really, really good (like, the future of music good) weren’t getting the attention they deserved, and some of these people were our friends. We were all musicians ourselves, and we thought it’d just make sense if we all got together and focused on trying to get all this music out to a wider audience.

Since then, we’ve grown up a bit, and used/abused (depending on your outlook) our tiny, but growing position in a cultural scene, to push certain agendas that we stand for. We’ve started self-referring as “net-positive” since we try to actively encourage all the things that internet culture is built on – which can be traced back to the original hackers at MIT in the late 60s. Roughly this translates to: transparency (we always explain what we’re doing and why to people), virality (playing to the feed culture that the major social sites play to – we try to be a semi-constant feature in feeds, whilst avoiding repeating ourselves, which is what the graphical representations of tracks and EPs is on our page – it’s not just photosharing, it’s playing to the strengths of the feed), sharing our content as freely as possible, only charging for physical products (or things associated with physical products), a distaste for authority (which is why we try to have a fluid structure as a label – there are “labelheads” but anyone can be one, so long as they put the work in), AND, we cannot forget teh lulz.

How does aural sects decide on what music to publish on the label? Is there an overriding philosophy to what you guys so?

This is the hardest part to describe of what we do, really. Partly it’s logical – we don’t want our overall sound to be too clean, or too dirty (we like both the hi-fi dance stuff like VS//YOUTHCLUB and Rachel Haircut, and the dirtier hip-hop stuff like Thoed Myndez and Blam Lord). We do tend to pick up on artists that have a certain mindset though – nothing too backwards-looking, something unique and firmly based in one of several potential futures. I mean, all of our artists are aware of their roots. That’s important for any kind of artist. But I like to think we pick artists that aren’t afraid to gaze into the crystal ball and look towards what might happen in the future, too. Overall, we can kinda tell if an artist “belongs” with us or not. Some of our artists passionately get what we do, they chip in and help any way they can, and we love that. If I were a businessman I’d call it “synergy” but I’m not, so I’ll call it “us being on the same page”.

How have the label’s releases/ attitude changed since the early days. Do you think you are reflecting or helping to drive the changes going on the future-pop world?

We’re a lot more knowledgeable and critical about what we do now. We’ve had a few minor disasters in the past that we’ve definitely learned from, and we’ve learned that no matter how awesome we think we might be, no-one is going to come up and do you a favour or give you a leg up. I was discussing our current position with my friend and fellow labelhead, Joe, the other day, and he pointed out that unlike a lot of labels, we tend not to get overlooked on major platforms, and we’ve never been given a leg up, really, unlike some of our peers.
We’d like to think we’re making changes in the wider arena… but at the moment all we can do is support the general zeitgeist of “free music/art”. Our peculiarities don’t seem to be, so far, reaching a very wide audience, or affecting the way people experience musical culture.

Netlabels – Some say they help to cheapen music and the work of a musician by giving it away for nothing. What do you feel a netlabel such as Aural Sects provides to the role of music in general?

I can understand that point of view, although blaming netlabels is a bit much. Let’s not forget that it was listeners downloading shit for free that caused the collapse of the ’90s model. Let’s also take into account that this particular format has been dominant for the past 40 years ONLY and before that, throughout history, there’s been a variety of money/music/musician models. For me, our label is getting artists out there – we’re a platform to get musicians to the bread and butter of musicians’ paychecks these days, merchandise and touring. Also, the intention is to eventually (really far down the line!) to get all the artists who want to be on a physical, making money that way, onto physical media. There’s no sense in putting new music by relatively unknown artists behind a pay-wall that will ultimately only get pirated in a non-trackable way. At least this way, we can gauge an artists’ popularity and put them in touch with promoters relative to their size for gigs and the like, or in some cases, even organise a tour ourselves. We are actually in the process of organizing a full USA tour for five of our US artists, with assistance in each area, from local artists we’re friends with.

What’s so great about running a witch house netlabel?
Getting to hear new tracks by your favourite artists before release, getting to give advice to people on demos, the lulz to be had, and the weird and interesting ideas you encounter every day.

What’s not so great about running a witch house netlabel?
Comments sections, the “RPG Funk” factor, people giving you their stuff an hour before the release date – or giving it to you and saying they want it released that moment.

2013 – Already some interesting releases, but what’s the main object for Aural Sects?
The main object is just to grow, see how far we can take this, and see how far we can spread this music. I don’t think we’ll really think we’re a success until we have to have IRL offices.

Primer Time! – Tell us of 3 releases on the label and why people should download/listen to them.
AH SO DIFFICULT!Okay, I’m going to give my totally biased opinion, although in reality EVERY release has something for someone…

1) VS//YOUTHCLUB – WAVES EP. These are the gems of the UK side of AS (although one of the members is now Berlin based). Imagine the coolest, sleekest dance music you can, and then combine that with indie songwriting, and slick hi-fi sound. You have the unique futurist vision that is VS// right there.

2) Thoed Myndez – Candy Kisses EP: 5 solid tracks of production collaboration between the estimable veterans of the witch scene, Party Trash and Nattymari (who is one of the basic reasons that AS exists in the first place). They get some of the most interesting rappers around the scene to spit some hooks and verses on each track, creating perfect lo-fi, dirty southern, avant-garde hip-hop. Glorious stuff.

3) Psychic Rites – Psychic Rites EP. This explores the pop side of AS. Proper witchy dance-pop is probably the best way I can describe it. Impassioned and catchy-as-fuck choruses, and that cover art? DAYUM. They’re going on tour as part of the Aural Sects USA tour this summer. I so wish I could be there for what I’ve heard is a tour-de-force performance.

If you like the sound of the these three release, then AURAL SECTS have a metric ton of music that’s freely available at their BANDCAMP PAGE. Also check them out on Facebook as well. You will not regret this. Money back guarantee! etc, etc…

 

Music Moment: Feuerbahn, “The Fire Dance”

Evening all!

Well I have been bad at doing this over the last few days haven’t I? Well I have a good reason for that…

Um….

Well OK, I haven’t. Mostly was drunk and lazy over the whole weekend. But what I can say is the latest club night that was held last Thursday was  really good. Quite a lot fo people turned up (Even when many Icelanders where struggling to try and get their head around the whole “Having to pay to enter a bar holding an event” thing). I think I may have stumbled onto something here! Certainly will be having this again!

The next one will be  barely but a few weeks from now. Dayum, I may even have to talk about trying to get some kind of sponsorship or something (Hiss – But alas a necessity in this day and age)..

But as for tonight, some nice happy tunes… OF DESPAIR AND MURDER!! MUAHAHAHA!!! Specifically a rather haunting, heathen infested sound of the rotting forest that is ‘The Fire Dance,’ by FEUERBAHN. Saw this on a music blog a week ago and thought I’d give it a spin. Maaaan it’s cold, cold stuff. You’d think they were German, or Finnish or something, even though one of the tags says this comes from Italy. Make sense I suppose. This drips with a sulphurous stench of death and the macabre. You pick up a lot of things in this EP – Some drone, power electronics, black metal, coldwave, etc. Very bleak stuff, VERY European, and for you if you’re into the likes of Circle Of Ouroborus…

Goodnight….

 

 

Music Moment: Blessure Grave, “The Flashing”

Busy, Busy, Busy…

Well OK, not THAT busy, but am trying to get a few finishing touches down on some reviews so I can concentrate on the serious business of annoying the shit out of everyone and stuff. When you live a lifelike mine, it’s pretty much the only pleasure you can get.

But one of the records I´m reviewing has brought up that now common issue of bands that wear certain wel worn influences on their sleeve. And their legs and their hats. As my friend Birkir Fjalar commented on a review once – “I do not demand 100% originality or wild surprises at every turn of a new album.” And neither do I so much, although if you do trade in heavily in such sounds without a flash of charm or something a little extra, then why bother? Just be a covers band. It pays more…

I was thinking of this when I found myself hearing ‘The Flashing,’ the new EP from BLESSURE GRAVE. These are also a bunch of guys where their influences are clearly signposted. Like fellow doom slingers Cult Of Youth, there’s a heady bent of goth and post-punk folk. But unlike the band I’ve reviewing, there isn’t a defining band that you could point to and go “That’s Blessure Grave!” Death In June? Hmm… maybe, but they’re much more romantic in their sound. The Cure? Play Dead? Maybe, with the vocals, but they’re much more of the sod and earth. Even though you can’t pin them down, they still have that undeniable sound of the old though.

Despite this, there is something about this EP, a tangible feel that they’ve attained the darkness, the dread of the cold and dark of the past. Especially a track like “Water” that rumbles with doom and bother, with high tones that sheer of the speakers like the slashing rain.

Yes – I like this a lot.

Goodnight….

 

 

Music Moment: LadyBoy Records 001

Agg Agg Agg…

Why does everything have to happen at once around here? After a couple of weeks gently lolling around watching oducmentary about the illuminati and Justin Bieber, now it is all coming down around my ears. SONAR is in a few days time which means that once again my brain, ears, liver, and soul will be smashed against the nearest concrete wall in the name of quality music journalism, while there’s all the other things that are slowly backing up such as interviews, album reviews, prep work, etc, etc

And that’s even before we even get to the BEST FUCKING CLUB NIGHT IN THE UNIVERSE* on Thursday. One or two hiccups in planning, but so far everything has been going swimmingly and fingers crossed the DJ doesn’t set himself on fire..  like last time.

So for tonight’s little music morsel… Well here is something that has been threatening to bubble over for a while now. Those who are part of the jackal fuckpit that is better known as the Reyk 101 scene will likely be aware of Frimann Frímannsson (Or “FREEEMANN!!!” as he is better known), former full-time hipster, gadfly about town and all round ne’er-do-well. Well he decided to go and do better things, such as create the lovely art/rant zine SKELETON HORSE, as well as fool around with some power electronics and harsh noise.

Now he’s gone one further and along with fellow collaborator Nicolas Kunysz, they’ve gone and started their own DIY label, titled LADYBOY RECORDS. Looking to fill in the gaping hole that is the underground DIY electronics scene here, they’ve already got their first release lined up, a compilation of tune and tracks from a wide range of artists, including some rather big hitters such as GHOSTIGITAL, RAFSTEINN, ÚLFUR, and BIX, as well as other artists such as Krummi, Quadruplos, and Stilluppsteypa honcho Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson. Such tones on offer range from Merzbow like noise, to gauzy, glooopy electro pop. with avant-garde screams and EBM beats in-between.

LadyBoy Records 001 is currently on sale in DIY book and record shops in Reykjavik in a very limited cassette run of 50, but each one is laser engraved with the compilation information on it, which is pretty cool when you think about it. And if you miss that, then it’s available on Bandcamp right now.

Goodnight…

(* – In my own head at least…)

 

Music moment: Samantha Glass, “Midnight Arrival”

zzZZZZzzZZZzzzZZzZZZZ….

Right now so tired that my head is pretty much bobbing up and down like those nodding dogs. MY fault for staying up late drinking last night, when i should have been a sensible chap and gotten to bed early. So now I’m reaping the sleepy whirlwind.

But as per usual things are picking up before Xmas at a pace where I’m finding it hard to keep track of things and events. I need to start some reviews, sort out a load of lists, write my final musings on someone who I think is my man of the year. Also have to finish the present shopping, be a normal person, and at the end of it all try to keep it al together.

but on the plus side, I have been listening to these mesmerizing pieces of music from the enigmatic SAMANTHA GLASS (aka Beau Deveraux). Released on the Not Not Fun label i hearing a rather trippy blend of electronic growling bass guitar, drum machines, and slightly radiophonic keyboard sounds and effects. Hauntological Krautrock. It’s messing with my waking dreams this one.

Goodnight…

 

Music Moment: Jodis, “Black Curtain”

With any luck there should be a couple of posts on what I’ve been up to sometime tomorrow. All good reading material and stuff I can guarantee!

In the meantime, here is the something that plopped in my inbox that I’ve been waiting for a LONG time. the latest release from JODIS, the Hydra Head super group of Aaron Turner, James Plotkin and Tim Wyskida. Widescreen guitars, haunted vocals and the creeping feeling of dread and unease. It’s such a shame this has been released at the very moment they’ve decided to wind up the label. But we’ll always still have this.

Goodnight….

 

 

Hey! I’m Still Alive! (and other things…)

Um hi there….

So as you will have realised, I’ve not been doing many posts down on the farm. Well actually none at all for a week!

There is a good reason for this. And it’s called work. I’m going to be very busy/rammed doing some rather important writing jobs over the next several weeks, and as a result blogging on here will be at a bit of a minimum alas, and this will include no proper mixes. Boo!

I will endeavour to make small posts when i can, to ensure that my fair weathered followers don’t fuck off to I LOVE ICELAND AND ELVES AND SHIT style tumblr accounts.

So for tonight here are some links/roundups and stuff. First of all some album reviews from the past couple of weeks.

The latest album from GHOSTIGITAL. Very good, still rather mentalist music.

The debut album from CONTALGEN FUNERAL. Cack in a sack I’m afraid…

The debut EP from a lad called RAFSTEINN. also rather good. And here is the EP for you to download… FOR FREE!

 

 

SOME READING MATERIAL…

A feature from Quietus writer Luke Turner about Factory FLoor, Swans, and the start of modern music culture. Wha i posted this on FB, some friends came back and healthily tore into it as one of those “modern culture was better in the past/Today is shit/Bloody iPods/Kids, eh?” They had a very good point, but i found the piece rather illuminating on the current felling i have with the local scene here. Anyway, have a ganders…

RECOMMENDED MUSIC!

Our wonderful friends over at EXOTIC PYLON records have been busy over the last couple of months, with some nice releases. I’ll probably be posting some in the future, but for now, here is Tournaments from TIME ATTENDANT. Truly British gargling electronica of the wonky radiophonic kind. Think Coil doing a soundtrack to an episode of Doctor Who from the ’70s. Enjoy and buy!

Goodnight….

 

Music Moment: NYIÞ, “Hati Þá Guð Og Helgir Englar Allir”

Evening all!

Not much time on my hands tonight, so I’m going to go straight into it. Everyone’s favourite merchants of wail and doom are back. NYIÞ had a storming set at this year’s Mayhemisphere, where they amazed and freaked out audiences in equal measure. And with this in mind, they’ve released their latest aural virus, a track titled “Hati þá guð og helgir englar allir” or “I Hate you god and all the heavenly angels”. At least i think that’s what it means.

Droning violins and pitiless chanting in the mould of “Tabula Rasa” Einstürzende Neubauten and a whole host of Death/apocalyptic folk acolytes, but still with a sulphurous whiff of black metal virtuosity to it. you can feel the occult energies swirl around your feet and flow under the doors while this plays . And dig those chains!

These guys and The Heavy Experience in a double-header gig. Something i would happily pay a lot of money to watch and listen.

Goodnight…

 

Free Music Dump: Wandering Sounds, Available Now To A Loving Home…..

Well hello there pop pickers!

As I’m busy watching YouTube videos of corgi puppies (because i have no dignity or self-respect left, I’m not going to get bogged down in flowery prose right now.

Are you skint? Are you stealing money from your wife/girlfriend/family to pay for you disgusting snuff habit? do you also like music but get that strange feeling they call “Guilt” every time you log onto the Pirate Bay? Well then this post is for you!

OK, first up is some deeply psych’d out electronic tape sounds from a nice couple of dudes from Brooklyn who go under the name of ANTIQUE SHADE. Their EP, “Homeward Bounds” blends a nice mix of woozy new age synths with found beats and Sci Fi aesthetics, as cracked dialogue drifts in and out of the music. Ver melodic. If you like the work for Pye Corner Audio, then this is a definite must to listen to!

 

For our next choice, we’re going decidedly darker, into our favourite pagan wooded world of Witchery Housey sounds. The self titled EP from VEILS, has all the Witch House hall marks, thick, bitumen walls of bass synth, DIY B-Boy beat-box rhythms and emaciated fem-ghouls whispering in the background. But the production on this is actually really good. you can definitely hear the quality of production rise in the last year as people have learned to master their production software and work a bit on the musicianship. But if you love your nu-goth gravewave sounds particularly desolate, then Veils are for you!

 

Well after all that heaviness, it’s time for something a little softer and soothing to the ears and the soul. And what better way to lift you off to the sun than this, the self titled EP from NOVA DRONES.  The solo project of a San Francisco man named Michael Grellman, the EP contains 5 tracks full of dream pop with shimmering guitars, and drifting vocal over songs that are minimal but tuneful and melodic. Even though it´s soothing, it does have the occasional melancholic aspect to it. Classic US indie music.

 

Of course, no edition of the Free Music Dump would be complete without some righteous brutal noise. And luckily for us all, I have something lovely from Iceland, in particular Crust metal bangers NORN. I actually reviewed them live a couple of weeks ago at a metal festival. This is what i had to say about them (And this hasn’t even been published yet, so this is an EXCLUSIVE!)

OK, we’ve had some hard rock and stoner sludge. But now we want METAL! In particular some crusty, gnarly shit that can only come from the backwoods of Sweden and practiced by Teutonic types weaned on bark moonshine and virgin’s tears. And our prayers were answered with NORN. They upped the stage antics by coming on sporting not the usual corpsepaint, but some really well done zombie makeup. Their set combined blastbeats with hard riffage and some classic black metal snarls. It was rough and they certainly weren’t pretty (the bass strings on the intro to “10,000 Years” sounded really loose and thwacky), but their eyeballing frontman managed to shake loose the clagging hangover in our heads. I AM AWAKE NOW, YES!

Yes Indeed. This EP is a little rough (hence the word Demo in the title), but if you want proper no frills crusty black metal, then this is the one for you!!

 

Hmmm… i think I’ve given you more than enough for you all to be going on with. If you want more, then the internet is out there for you to explore it. I’m not your dad you know.

 

Free Music Dump: Amateur stuff? Who gives a shit! It’s free isn’t it??…..

Happy May Day Comrades!

Well today has been a hive of activity down here at the fa… no, wait a minute. Actually fuck all has happened. Mostly because i went out last night and pretty much obliterated my senses with that nasty alcohol stuff. So today has been a complete write off as I’ve tried to crawl headfirst into my own shoe.

Add to this, i have been a little negligent on here of late. Damn i hate it when i slack off like this. So i need to get things cracking back into shape. And what better way to do that is by proving you hearty fans with some wonder free music and stuff. Because as we all know, amateurs are killing it for the professionals and stuff, what with making music on their own terms and… just giving it away!

So let’s get started with some rather sinister stuff straight from Poland, the place that all god fear Icelanders fear to tread. Named after a brand of esoteric Jewish mysticism, MERKABAH are a 3 piece who’Ve been making some incredibly left-field space rock since 2007. Moments of free improv sax thrusts, mixed with heavy rock riffing and spacious space air. it’s the sort fo shit you want to play when you need to scare the neighbours into thinking that you’Re into some kind of death sex cult or something. For fans of the band Shining. Niiiiice!

 

OK, time for a slight shift in tempo and mood, with some sprightly avant pop in the form of “EP” from MARY OF EGYPT.  Lots of piano with soft airy harmonies that betrays a slight folkish element. Even though they’re from Brooklyn, I could imagine a track like “For Zina” being played on a Kids TV show from the BBC in the ’70s. For fans of Icelandic krútt pop.

 

Next up is some wibbly psychedelic music that was recently premiered on the excellent blog 20 Jazz Funk Greats. the artist MOTION STUDIES has release his debut EP “Hearts Will Beat” and it’s a 3-track  smash and grab of creepy electro pop stuff that is a little chillwave-y but with a real infusion of house, is far too danceable for that. Clicking rhythms and minimalist synth sounds with some decent vocals. A good result methinks.

 

Last, but not least, is some proper old school dance music to get your juices flowing. MOODYMAN is the alias for Detroit musician Kenny Dixon Jr. Well known for his strident views about dance music and the lack of black talent that is breaking through the genre today, he cuts an imposing, sometimes controversial figure in the scene. And recently he released a free EP titled “Picture This.” A mix of funked up techno, chunky electro and some blissed out jazzy soul beats, it certain puts its money on the table, musically speaking. For something this high quality being given to you for free, you’d be a complete idiot to pass it up. If you like what you hear, you can download it HERE.

 

Right I’m off back to bed. See you all in a couple of days…