You may not know it, but even though I’m a man’s man, and that I’ve only met him in the flesh once,I love that guy known as Jonny Mugwump.
I love him for many reasons. I love him for his taste in music. I love him for his lovely bald, round head (That looks a bit like a fuzzy gooseberry). I love the fact that he runs Exotic Pylon, his many headed hydra of a cultural entity that seems to have the right kind of prescience on picking and championing the right kind of music. I love the fact that he had the foresight to give Blackest Ever Black their first run out into the public through his radio show. I love that he also gave me a chance to showcase some of those 2nd rate mixing skills for his radio show on Resonance FM (A mix that i spent a fair bit of time on only for Resonance FM to fuck it up by overloading the bass on the mixing desk).
But it’s the record label of the same name that i love most of all. As a small independent label, Jonny definitely has an uncanny ear for the weird and wonderful stuff that’s happening out on the fringes of the music scene, and the last couple of months has seen one hell of a flurry of activity going on over there. There has been the organic post step of Shape Worship, the lyrical and bleak ’80s cabaret post-punk of Band Of Holy Joy, and the joyous charming Danish psychedelic pop of Friskt Frugt.
But it’s the mental rural power electronics of HACKER FARM that has got my udders throbbing. I received my copy of their latest album, “UHF” just after the New Year and it’s certainly a noisy little belter that’s accompanied my dreary work days. I also slipped a copy to my friend Aðalsteinn, who commented that this was an album that certainly pushed all his power electronic pleasure buttons. No wonder – there’s something just so decidedly British about “UHF,” with its mix of DIY industrial electronics (They have a nice little home-made instrument called the Atari Synth Bucket!), old school acid rave noises, rural self-reliance, and agitprop awkwardness that ensures that while “UHF” is not always an easy listen, it’s definitely a rewarding one. This is a picture of pastoral Britain that more piles of burning tires, diseased livestock, and early deaths from overwork, than summer fetes, cream teas, and upper class Chumney-Warner fuckwits playing twee-folk.
For your listening, i more than recommend the following tracks from the album. then I recommend you go to their site and buy the thing. Trust me on this one, all right?
For all of those who noticed, there has been a small flurry of activity at the Farm this evening.
Well there’s a simple reason for that. I’m trying to clear my desks as I’m heading off tomorrow to the grand old city of London, where’s i’ll be attending the All Tomorrows Parties event i’ll be your mirror, which has the utmost of heaviness, including… SLAAAAAYER performing “Reign In Blood” and other assorted tunes we hope. Dude it will be sweaty and delirious!
So while I’m having lots of fun, there will be minimal activity going on here over the next few days. But as a small parting shot, i’m leaving you with this frankly cranked up to the hilt headrush from an act on my mate Jonny’s label, MARIA AND THE MIRRORS.
I don’t have enough time or energy to go into too much detail why this record is great (but thankfully this man Has done that for us all). But needless to say that this record packs dirt. The type of dirt you get from just sheer wanton Ego-abandonment and flailing yourself at the mercy of the rush, the dance, the sheer ecstasy of it all. I may be getting on a bit, but too often you feel let down by what’s called the aesthetic style of partying. Looking good, being seen, projecting coolness, mingling with “the beautiful people”. It’s a global scourge i tell you.
Fuck that. I have NEVER been cool. and i’m too fucked to start now. Just give me the bacchic tinged infusion of grime, degradation and no regrets any day.
Some very important news you all need to know. Several weeks ago i was asked by my Good friend and Exotic Pylon records impresario, Jonny Mugwump, to create a mix for his record show on Resonance FM. I duly created said mix and got so excited that i told a lot of people, even my Brother who thinks that Resonance FM are “all over the shop”.
How prophetic my brother’s words turned out to be for on the night when it was supposed to be aired the slack arsed amateurs who were managing the station that night DID EVEN PLAY THE RIGHT PROGRAMME! Jonny was apologetic and stuff, but it was definitely emos all round.
But now it’s back and tonight on Resonance 104.4 at 8pm GMT (9pm British time), Nordic Interstitial Thresholds will take over the Exotic Pylon Radio Show and play sill buggers with your mindz!
You can listen online RIGHT HERE. I think you should do it. My ferrets of death know where you live….
So people may (or probably may not) have noticed that there hasn’t been a recent NITcast polluting the airwaves. Well there is a good reason that, which i can now share with you.
So there i was a few weeks ago, lying at home, covered in my own filth and watching YouTube videos “Robin Of Sherwood” (The ones with Jason Connery), when I received an e-mail from none other than Mr Jonny Mugwump, impressario extraordinaire and runner of EXOTIC PYLON - Record label, club night, and chaotic radio show.
His e-mail said “i like you mixes a lot. Do a mix for me so i can put it on my radio show. And i better like it or I’ll break your legs. Grrrr!” Now it’s a well known fact that Mr Mugwump is a ruthless, ruthless man, so who was i to argue with him?
So after i picked up my dropped bollocks, i began sourcing, splicing, mixing and mashing, and the end result I came up with THE ATEMPORAL DEATHLINE. A heady mix of transient songs and sounds designed to take you to places yo may not really want to go to.
And the best bit? You can hear it LIVE tonight on London’s Resonance FM at 8pm GMT (9pm BST). the mix and the show will get uploaded in the coming days, but i think you should actually listen to it cos it be a WELL wicked mix and stuff. Plus my ego could do with the boost.
So the farm has been a little bit quiet of late. This was mainly due to the fact that i was busy trying to to get away from Iceland and enjoy myself in London and for a few days. So what the hell did I get up to while i was there? Not a lot actually, but if you REALLY want to know, then, read on…
- I spent most of it drinking. Not the usual Icelandic “Hey it’s 10pm! Let skull 15 beers in 30 minutes!” type of binging. This was more like the slow burn of meeting a friend, or family and having a beer, then realising 3 hours later that you were absolutely smashed…. and it was only 4pm!
- There was also shopping. None of that “tourist from an expensive country who stocks up with 35 pairs of cheap underpants” type of buy. It was all books. And comics. Books wise i bought music volumes by Nick Kent (which were going cheap) A Whore Just Like the Rest: The Music Writings of Richard Meltzer and Fear Of Music: Why People Get Rothko But Don’t Get Stockhausen by David Stubbs. The comics were mostly replacements of lost and damaged volumes (The 3rd volume of the Invisibles) to newer releases (2000AD’s Cradlegeave, Warren Ellis’ Supergod). Basically a lot to get my mental teeth into over the coming weeks.
- When you spend a couple of hours in a quiet Soho/Waterloo pub, you tend to spend a fair bit of it reading. I finished re-reading Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground. Still a damn good read considering I have a fair few black metal albums. And there are plenty of local people here who are into black metal in a big way and for the most part, are pretty well-rounded, reasonable people. the guys in these books though. Utter arseholes. As one section noted, when you have full-time Satanists shaking their heads over black metal musicians/fans using the “Do what thou will” tenets of Satanism to legitimise murder, hatred and wanton destruction, then you know that you’re really doing something wrong in life.
Also read Supergods by Grant Morrison. I VERY much recommend that you read it. Part criticism, part history lesson, part autobiography, this is a great companion piece to the recent Morrison documentary Talking With Gods. The meshings of his take on comics critical history really makes you want to go out and check out those early comics books that occurred before your time. thanksfully my local library has an immense comics section, so right now I’m burning my way though Jack Kirby’s New Gods saga. Lovely.
- Tried to fight those ingrained feeling of antipathy towards the human race by actually meeting people. First off was my family. I have a new baby niece named Lily Jo (who my brother and I actually call baby Mango. Don’t ask why), and she’s a sweetie, even when she threw up milk over my shoulder. Big stare-y eyes and restless hands. Awww.
Second were some good friends that helped me put the world to rights. First off was fellow Whitechapelers Mark Jones and Alex Vagenas. This was a bit of an off-the-cuff meeting organised at the last-minute. Basically consisted of an afternoon drinking off Borough market, ranting about all sorts of issues, which was all indeed good fun!
And i spent some time in a disgustingly grubby bar in New Cross with, DJ, label runner and live music mogul, Mr Jonny “Exotic Pylon” Mugwump! It was all a lot of fun, and hopefully with his prodding and suggesting, some really good things may be happening this year. There is actually some really exciting new happening this week that i will be announcing over the next few days. It will be a big one trust me. As For Jonny, go over and listen to his radio programme at the Exotic pylon hub. Do it! You Fucks!
- Also, how and when the fuck did beer in central London pubs get SO EXPENSIVE??? Seriously, when i found myself paying £4.50+ for a beer is surely taking the piss. This is actually more expensive than many Icelandic bars! Along with the rise of Tory fuckwittery and huge social and economic inequality, this could cause the complete dismantling of the UK’s social order!
- Travelodge are a bunch of robbing shits when it comes to Wi-Fi in their hotel rooms. I know it’s a budget place that’s pretty much the Ryanair of hotels, but come on! Avoid.
- I’m also becoming increasing irrational about my fears of flying. It’s mostly the take off part where my brain keeps screaming “This is it! This is probably going to be the flight that bursts into flames and takes us all!!” This could start cramping my travel plans in the future. Hmmm….
- Also spent a little bit of time in my hotel room watching morning TV. Most of it spent watching Jeremy Kyle. Jeremy Kyle seems to have progressed from his standard MO (that of a sleazy human Bear-baiter) to a presenting arsehole of Grand Guignol proportions. Most of the shows, they were spending more time in the studio’s back corridors and car parks than the actual studio itself. Needed to shower after watching 10 minutes of the stuff. I no longer count Jezza as a guilty pleasure.
Also saw the TV only full-time music channel. the Chart Show Channel. It was simply a shine to the current state of Nu-Trance-Pop that you get on Flass FM ALL THE SODDING TIME! In particular there were two videos that actually grabbed my attention in a weird way. the first was Super Bass by Nicki Minaj. This track has been out for a while now and I’ve heard it on the radio many a time, but this was the first time I’ve really seen the video. It looked like some weird trans dimensional ghetto version of Lazy Town. the hyper-plasticity of it all, from the music, to the make up and clothing, to the props (that definitely was a model Ferrari that was being pimped out!) came all across like a Barbie/Brats aesthetic for ghetto tweens. It gave Mrs Sex Farm a blinding headache.
The second was Blackout by a bunch of trolls that call themselves Breathe Carolina. At first i thought it was those crunkcore oxygen thieves, Freaxxx. They all have tattoos, piercings and bad haircuts. But no! this is Breathe Carolina, the new and improved, upgraded model! But as per usual the video is chokka with that forced fun, empty hedonism that typifies the current state of dance pop right now (see LMFAO all those Guetta songs). That kind of “We’re living and partying on the edge of experience apparently, but have absolutely no imagination when it comes to really letting ourselves go” attitude. It actually reminded me a lot of those ’80s hair metal videos that would be wall to wall partying with Jack Daniels and off-duty strippers and porn stars.
Musiktilraunir 2012 winners RetRoBot are mined from this kinds of poisoned source material (albeit a clean, krútt version that’s still too young to start drinking). In fact, this kind of music links brilliantly into the “Djamm Í Kvöld” party culture of Iceland’s beautiful people. If you’ve ever been on a night out around Austurstræti, then you know exactly what i mean. Sigh….
And that’s what happened. Proper blogging will commence soon. I’m off for some breakfast.
