Skrillex - Bangarang [A Musical Revolution Might Be Well Underway...].

Hello, friends. I have noticed that Sonny Moore (known more commonly nowadays as the infamous Skrillex) has been getting some rotten ratings and reviews on some well-known review sites, which surprised me, considering how many people I know that are absolutely in love with his music, and not in that obnoxious “OMG Skrillex is the god of dupstep!!1!” kind of way either. Although I will admit, I’ve seen plenty of those kind of people around lately, too, and that might be why so many are looking for reasons to hate him.

In any case, I feel the need to go further in depth with his latest album, Bangarang, and give a review that contains as little bias as possible, and maybe figure out what all the hype is about.

Album: Bangarang

Artist: Skrillex

Released: December 23, 2011

Genres: Dubstep, electro

Obtained: 6 months ago, purchased at Walmart

I don’t need to go into who Skrillex is, or what he does – chances are you already know. How he managed to infiltrate the music industry with his orchestrated trainwreck music, however, is anyone’s guess. Since the release of Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, I wasn’t expecting it to be topped by Bangarang. I watched Skrillex post the entire Bangarang tracklist on his YouTube channel the day it was released, and it received only a moderate response – that is until the title track’s music video dropped. It made #1 on the MuchMusic, MuchMoreMusic and MTV countdowns for awhile, and by summer, the single was being played everywhere – I mean, EVERY-F**KING-WHERE. Bars, clubs, school dances, amusement parks, shopping malls – I even heard it blaring out of a lone middle-aged man’s minivan at one time. I’m starting to think if that’s not a sign of musical apocalypse, I don’t know what is.

The trademark synth growls and ear-piercing chip-shrieks are ever prevalent in this 7-track EP, and so are his famous voice sample molestation solos, although those seem to have been put more into moderation here. The first track jumps “Right In” to the high-energy moshpit-friendly style of dubstep that was made famous by Skrillex to begin with, but it’s important to know that Skrillex does not specialize in just dubstep. This mini album is a testament to that fact, as each track seems to be of some different branch stemming from the electro subgenre (This variety is sometimes referred to as a genre all on its own, known as “complextro”).

Two tracks, including the single, “Bangarang,” and “Kyoto,” another remix to Skrill’s unreleased 2009 track, “Ruffneck Bass,” both feature the vocal “talents” of a white female “rapper” who goes by the name Sirah (SIGH-rah). Just gonna put this out there: I’m not a fan of Sirah. At all. Her flow is awkward, her lyrics are wacked, and she sounds like a 15-year-old boy when she’s flapping her gums around. It didn’t help that I could her chewing her food loud and clear at the end of “Bangarang.” It is apparent to me that her only role in these tracks is to act as a voice that drunk kids can sing along to at parties and dance clubs. There, that was my hater moment for the day.

All 5 other tracks feature cameos of legitimate artists of all kinds, from pop singer Ellie Goulding, to house producer Wolfgang Gartner, to fellow dubstep magician, 12^th Planet and Kill The Noise, to rock-and-roll legends The Doors.

Anyone that can get enough attention from these guys to have them volunteer to play in his/her songs, especially when their musical styles are not related in the slightest, and then take those two styles, fuse them together and make something listenable out of it, has my immediate respect.

“The Devil’s Den” took a while for me to get used to. The dance part was nice, easy to jam to and such – your basic hyped up electro house music. The “dubstep” break, however, would have been exponentially more ear-friendly if not for the screeching whistle sounds that droned on for seven lifetimes before switching back to the dance part again. After that whole ordeal, I found myself wondering why most people, especially those who always used to complain about my “psychotic” taste in music, would be so willing to embrace this particular brand of noise…

“Right On Time” is, for lack of better words, confusing. It may take a few listens to warp your head around the fact that while the melody seems to be constantly building up, without ever actually coming to a climax, the beat, with its consistently changing velocity and tempo, seems to be going off in a completely different direction. Only when you can embrace the deviant nature of this track will you realize just how well everything fits together.

By track 7, the noisy parts are over, and it’s time to relax. Lush, flowing pads, light-hearted melodies, and soft vocals reminiscent of the old days of From First To Last, are what you can expect from Summit, the conclusion of the CD version of the EP. Those who have bought the iTunes version will be greeted afterward with a classical medley by Varien, in tribute to the works of the past, from Scary Monsters to More Monsters.

By now, I was hoping to have figured out why Skrillex has managed to turn the current techno-pop-infested music industry on its head and reach out and make fans out of even the most unlikely listeners. I suppose it could be the way he can take almost any type of music and manipulate it to not only create a sound that is brand new and uniquely his own, but also use that sound to take the energy on any dance floor and amplify it ten-fold. Or he could be a member of the Illuminati. That is always an option as well.

I hope this review has given you a new perspective. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend. =)

Favorite tracks: Kyoto, Breakin' a Sweat

Video: Mindless Self Indulgence - Making Pedophilia Cool Since 1997.

TBT: Caustic Window - Joyrex J9ii [EAR-RAPE, The Sequel].

Hello friends =) I’m back with a new review, and this one’s for the final volume in the classic Joyrex series, Joyrex J9ii.

Album: Joyrex J9ii

Artist: Caustic Window

Released: 1993

Genres: Hardcore techno, acid house

Obtained: 2 years ago, ripped off the Rephlex website via Freecorder

PREVIEW

If only I had been there to see some of the things Richard had done to toy with his fans’ emotions. Richard David James had been well known back in the day to release many of his albums in a rather unusual fashion, such as distributing the first CD pressings of Analogue Bubblebath vol. 3 sealed in nothing but bubble wrap. This EP was no exception.

There was no cover art; but what it lacked in packaging, it made up for with fancy gifts and prizes for the first 1000 buyers, from little candy packets to exclusive Rephlex t-shirts. Nowadays, you’re lucky if you can come across the regular copies that were printed afterward, which had the basic appearance of a blank vinyl disc, besides the small label information printed on the disc itself. This has been an ongoing trend for Rich and his colleagues, and is perhaps a statement in favour of proper music as opposed to fancy, deceptive packaging. In light of that, let’s get to the actual music.

This set contains some powerful tracks, the most popular being Track A1, a.k.a. “Fantasia,” the sex-riddled mess of madness previously released on Joyrex J9i; and Track B1, which has been known by many names and featured on various compilations and European TV ads, including one for a certain brand of tires. The general mood here is one of passionate noise and violent energy, which mainstream dance artists would tend to avoid, but was not uncommon in underground raves. All 4 tracks were released without official titles until the 1998 Joyrex Compilation.

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FANTASIA

This track I have already covered, and can be summarized in 3 words: Speed, noise, and porn.

CLAYHILL DUB

This could be considered the “soft” track on the set, being that it consists solely of scattered reggae percussion samples and a pulsating bass loop that carries on for about 3 minutes. Unfortunately, there is not much else to this one.

THE GARDEN OF LINMIRI

Before its was released on the 1998 Joyrex Compilation with the above title, this track had been released on other compilations by names like “cat 009 iii” and Industro Garbage Beats.” A super fast beat layered by distorted, industrial noise, this track remains one of the heaviest tracks Rich has ever done. What’s even more interesting is that technically, this track is 2-in-1, as the eerie ambience that can be heard beneath the chaos is in fact a separate track taken from the Analogue Bubblebath 3 CD.

WE ARE THE MUSIC MAKERS (HARDCORE MIX)

This is allegedly a remix of an Aphex Twin piece from the ever-famous Selected Ambient Works 85-92. However, instead of creating an actual remix of the original version, Richard decided to trash everything but the Willy Wonka sample (“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams”) and threw in another batch of mental distortion, so as to follow suit with the rest of the collection, and set it to loop for 4 minutes. This did not really compliment the original at all, but perhaps that wasn’t his goal in making this mix either.

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OVERVIEW

Few albums show the true nature of the wild experimentalist that is Richard D. James quite the way this album does. That goes for everything from the wacky packaging methods, to the ridiculous way the tracks are composed (I mean that in the best of ways), and even the warning on the label (which was only half in jest). Albums like this one were what made buying physical copies of music from Richard and his associates worth the money and the experience.

Favorite track: Fantasia

Video: Introducing...AMZ

Infected Mushroom - Intelligate / Small Moves [Presented by Shiva Space Technology].

Hello again =) It’s time for another Infected Mushroom review; this time, however, I’m covering a much lesser-known 2-track EP called Intelligate, released only on vinyl.

Album: Intelligate / Small Moves EP

Artists: Infected Mushroom

Released: March 1999

Genre: Goa trance

Obtained: 10 months ago, ripped off YouTube via youtube-mp3.org

PREVIEW

This album was released back in the days of old, when goa trance was just beginning to surface, and their music mainly consisted of guttural acid trance synths and dark, heavy basslines. This was also back in the days when the only vocal contributions Duvdev made to the music were his creepy modulated noises that appeared sporadically within the music itself (sometimes I wish he’d kept it that way). That’s not to say those were the only voice samples; most of the voices they did use were taken from old sci-fi movies. Such is the case in both of the following tracks, and it is from those samples that we get not only the titles, but the foundations that give the music its meaning.

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INTELLIGATE

This track jumps immediately into a clip from the movie Contact in which Ellie Arroway delivers a speech about making contact with alien civilizations. In response, the music fades in with a maelstrom of futuristic sound effects and synth melodies. Even in the first days of Infected Mushroom, they’ve made a name for themselves with their distinct sound, and the fact that their version of psychedelic trance delivers more than just random spacey loops and effects. Their intricate compositions feature layers and layers of harmonies, baslines, soundscapes, samples, crescendos and decrescendos, build-ups and drops (not speaking in the dubstep sense, don’t get it confused).

SMALL MOVES

The samples from this track are also taken from the movie Contact, only the voice is coming from Ellie’s dad, Ted. This track is significantly less heavy than the first, but still that dark, extraterrestrial tone prevails. Another thing to note is that at one point there lies a subtle melody very similar to a certain track from the album B.P. Empire (Here’s a hint: the track on BPM is actually a remix).

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OVERVIEW

The very first release by Amit and Erez as a duo, this EP is a notable album in its own right, if only for that reason. For all the old-school trancers and ravers out there, this is one album you must listen to at least once or twice. However, it’s over a decade old by now, and the days of vinyl are dwindling away, so you might just want to get your hands on a copy before it’s gone forever.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day =)

Favorite track: Intelligate

Video: System of a Down - So Much For That New Album... [ft. Galen Kenney]

Hello, friends =)

Here is a quick re-up of an old video I made with my brother to salute one of our all-time favourite bands, System of a Down.

It's mighty sad they won't be making any new albums together in the next EVER, but here's to everything they have done so far, and the millions they've inspired over the years. And hey, if you're lucky, you might catch them on tour this year! Just keep your eyes and ears open!

Artists: System of a Down

Albums:

System of a Down

Released: June 30, 1998

Genres: Alternative metal, art rock

Obtained: 4 years ago, purchased at CD plus

Favorite Tracks:

Sugar, War?, Spiders, Suite-Pee, Mind

Toxicity

Released: September 4, 2001

Genre: Alternative Metal

Obtained: 4 years ago, purchased at CD Plus

Favorite Tracks:

Chop Suey!, Deer Dance, Prison Song, ATWA, Shimmy

Steal This Album!

Released: November 26, 2002

Genres: Alternative metal, hard rock

Obtained: 4 years ago, purchased at CD Plus

Favorite Tracks:

Mr. Jack, Roulette, Chic 'n Stu, Innervision, F*** The System

Mezmerize

Released: May 17, 2005 (my 13th birthday!)

Genres: Alternative metal, Hard rock

Obtained: 3 years ago, purchased at HMV

Favorite Tracks:

B.Y.O.B., Violent Pornography, Question!, Sad Statue, Cigaro

Hypnotize

Released: November 22, 2005

Genres: Alternative metal, hard rock

Obtained: 4 years ago, purchased at CD Plus

Favorite Tracks:

Soldier Side, Attack, Dreaming, Stealing Society, Vicinity of Obscenity

Caustic Window - Joyrex J9i [EAR-RAPE].

Hello friends =) It’s time for part 3 of the Joyrex series.

In this segment, things start to get really heavy and distorted. Not only that, but there is a prevalent use of obscure and obscene sound clips from old movies.

These tracks remained untitled until the release of the Joyrex Compilation in 1998.

Some other fun facts, courtesy of Wikipedia:

            “Joyrex J9i is a limited edition picture disc, featuring a picture of a Roland TB-303 synthesizer on Side A, and a picture of a Roland TR-606 drum machine on Side B. Hand-etched just inside the run-out groove on Side A are the words ‘THE ACID THAT FELL TO EARTH.’”

Album: Joyrex J9i

Artist: Caustic Window

Released: 1993

Genre: Hardcore acid house

Obtained: 2 years ago, ripped off rephlex.com via Freecorder

OVERVIEW

The melodies in the following two tracks are extremely bizarre, along with pretty much everything else on the tracks. Richard was right to name it “the acid that fell to earth,” as it does indeed sound like something left behind by malevolent Martians, or something similar.

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HUMANOID MUST NOT ESCAPE

While the title of this track only serves to re-inforce that “alien invasion” mood, it is actually derived from a sample from an old Atari game called Berzerk. The track also samples clips from the 1976 film The Man Who Fell To Earth. I think that’s really the main thing that makes the piece interesting – the way Rich managed to find such a variant selection of samples that fit the outlandish sound of the music so perfectly.

FANTASIA

Fantasia, my favourite track in the series, is even crazier than the last track, and is best listened to when you’re in the mood to raise hell.  But what makes this track so unique is that it features a sample from a very old porn film called – you guessed it – Fantasia (not to be confused with the Disney musical). If you’re like me, fascinated with strange music that is laced with eroticism, this is the track for you – you can dance to it, rave to it, f**k to it, commit random acts of vandalism, etc. (Not recommended though).

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The only thing that disheartens me about this EP is that there are not more tracks on it like these. They are probably my top 2 for the whole series. I love the filthy beats, grimey synths, and just the complete and total analog mind-rape that’s going on here. But then again, I am about 1/10000 as far as my musical taste. All of you who share this love for ear-shattering brain-f**k tunes, would you please raise your glasses up high, and throw them down on the ground.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day! =)

Favorite track: Fantasia