This is how it is always supposed to work. spf5Ø’s Joe Royster postedvthat he was finally getting around to watching Sion Sono’s Suicide Circle.  Like most people, he was awed by the opening train sequence, but I warned him that it got even better and better as it went along, and mentioned the musical number in the Bowling Alley. Shortly after viewing Joe contacted me, letting me know that I was right about the whole musical sequence.  It was obviously so inspiring that he went ahead and made a dark and demonic dance remix out of it.

I’m pretty much at the point in my life where I can positively say that Miike and Sono are my two favorite directors.  I love film in general, but there is just the right combination of experimentalism and attention to tradition and craft that makes the films of these two Outlaws irresistible to my eyes.  The same can be said for this spf5Ø remix of Rolly’s “Rocky Horror Picture Show” inspired number. Joe does it right… by just effecting and adding a minimal beat he creates a slow creeper that fits right into the heart of the new dark and cosmic sound that is growing amidst the underground.

Since the film itself is actually a commentary on trend vs. tradition, it seems apt material to utilize in today’s climate of media warfare. For those not aware of the film, Japanese pop star Rolly plays a Manson-esque figure named Genesis who attempts to take credit for mass suicide pact that is plaguing the teenagers of Japan. The orders are delivered via internet and symbolism displayed in the seemingly innocuous J-Pop promotions of a girl group named DESSERT. How does it all turn out? Watch the film, if you haven’t; it’s pretty much a staple of avant cinema by now.

What sings to me, however, is how the plot of the film is mimicked in this little movement [formerly?] called Witch House.  As tired as I always try to get, I continue to be pulled in by the sheer poetic terrorism of using mass marketed material to destroy the evil hold that big media has over youth culture.

spf5Ø is also cofounder of the new label Aural Sects. They have been extremely diligent in creating a diverse and experimental roster that includes Texture, Tash Willmore and I Am Water.

There are so many artists reveling in their love of chaos, but few actually possess the mojo to back up their petty symbology. Fear not, because FauxMusica’s Yorba Zergot has enough Eris for the whole damn lot. His music is his personality. Grating, off kilter, humorous and oddly infectious. As he develops as an artist, his madness has been  sharpening to a focused point. A laser of lunacy. A divined dementia.

Yorba actually solicited a spot in this installment of Heretic Hymns. He picked Gary Numan, but left the song up to me. When I told him “Me I Disconnect From You,” he sent me a track within ninety minutes.  This isn’t a drag remix, mind you – but a full blown cover featuring Yorba’s addled and altered vocals. It’s damn good. Good enough to make one wonder whether Zergot has a Portal, because it is almost unbelievable that this took less than a half an hour to make. Part Shaggs, all Genesis P, Zergot’s take on the Colder Whiter Duke is drenched in irony and bile. It’s idolatry through deicide.

So why Tubeway Army? The answer is evident as soon as its asked. Hammersmith born, Numan trumped the entire British Synth movement by coming out first, and coming out hard. Distant and xenophobic, early Gary Numan was as difficult to pin down as his futuristic sound. FauxMusica sees this as a mirror. It is almost impossible to figure out just how much of Zergot’s warped autobiography is truth and how much is troll. At times he has claimed to have invented pretty much every microgenre that the current indie music scene is plagued with. In Yorba’s sapience he is 42, and it is up to everyone else to provide the Question. With serious coverage in the blogs now (Not for Resale devoted an entire week to him recently) it is hard for Zergot to play Witch House martyr anymore. His music has gained the recognition and understanding that he wore as a badge of honor for the past year or so. His role play is Generic Universal, however, and he is sure to create another scenerio to fit into his twisted concepts of reality.

The enormity of Yorba’s output is as overwhelming and iconoclastic as his online personality.  Here is some of his latest work featured on his Soundcloud, one of many vehicles he implements to dispense his discord:

ʄ≜uxmuℭica – Geni Astra by ʄ≜uxmuℭica

Shan Beaste’s recent transformation into the Scarlet Woman of Witch House is not enough to betray her rock and roll roots.  Publicly known as Zombelle, her music and musical image are vested in the history of indie and avant garde sounds.  An avid record collector and former rock stocker at Los Angeles’ Amoeba Records, Shan has both the knowledge and cred to cook it all up into powerful potion. When asked to do a cover for Heretic Hymns, she faltered a bit, and I understood completely  As someone with a similar compulsion for art and music, I totally got the fact that it can be nearly impossible to narrow it down to that one influential song. Given time though, she nailed it by choosing Yoko Ono’s “Walking on Thin Ice.”

The great philosopher Homer Simpson said it best when he proclaimed “John Lennon? He ruined the Plastic Ono Band!”  Sure the squares and str8s laughed at the seemingly ironic statement, but those in the know knew that he spoke the truth.  From her involvement with Joseph Hanson and the Fluxus movement, to her performance art and all the way back to her importance as an art noise diva, Yoko has always eclipsed Lennon and the Beatles by virtue of her sheer dedication to experimentation.  Throughout their marriage, Ono brought out the best in her husband; as his muse she took him to artistic realms that he might never have achieved without her.  To some, she may continue to be the punch line of a silly joke, but by now most people are fully aware of the immense effect that this woman has had on art and culture.

Photo by Valerisings

As an artist, Zombelle recognizes Yoko Ono as the hero of all heroines. An independent thinker in a culture of female sidekicks with pretty faces. Yoko Ono never allowed herself to be Mrs. John Lennon, and that spirit of empowerment lives on in the work of Shan Beaste. Already a fixture in the tight knit scene of the new Dark Wave, this sonic siren is putting the finishing touches on her next album, which will be released on Black Bvs Records this year, along with az digital EP on Tundra Dubs.  To add to that, she and her friends give new meaning to the concept of “Real LifeSecondLife” with their frequent virtual raves (including tonight’s 4/20 party); where clandestine otaku from around the globe gather to perform and enjoy live feeds and dj sets whilst trolling away their weekends with inside jokes and inane banter.  Later this summer she plans on taking these cyber parties into the real world with the help of Robert Disaro, visual artist Pepper DreamTeamer (ScannerJammer), Teams, Jono MiLo (Worthless Waste, Daytime Television,) graphic artist NVR MND and a cast of fellow miscreants yet to be named.

Zombelle recorded this dragged out remix with a little help from fellow artist and friend Myrrh Ka Ba.  For the video, it was decided to use images from Ono’s definitive “Cut Piece,” which dealt with the issue of feminine submissiveness.  Although Ono was apparently helpless in her 1965 performance, as an artist she was completely in control of the space she created.  Shan Beaste embodies this spirit today, a modern day Minerva.

There is a mother of the universe, and her name is Babalon.

Not much needs to be said. Broadcast showed an entire generation that their grandparents’ music could be cool.  Almost single-handedly, the Birmingham quartet, led by singer Trish Keenan and keyboardist Roj Stevens, reintroduced youth culture to the freakbeat sounds of artists like Delia Derbyshire and The United States of America. In short, they once again made it hip to make music with a variety of repetitive bleeps and blorps. Quite frankly, they made the world a better, better place.

OS OVNI know this all too well. The Austin, Texas duo make the kind of music that would make the late Trish Keenan proud.  This isn’t your usual Chris and Cosey clone-age. Logan Owlbeemoth and Omebi Velouria owe more to fringe artists like Mort Garson than Miss Kittin. For their tribute, they decided to cover Broadcast’s “You Can Fall” with metallic talons. Where the original revels in its own Space Age bachelor pad, this one lies somewhere on the corner of Tinnitus Pan Alley. C’mon, anything too faithful would hardly be a tribute to a band that took pride in sounding exactly unlike their musical peers.  Retro has always been the new Futurism, and analog synths have always sounded more modern than their digital counterparts.

If you like the way this sounds, and I am sure you will, you can find their limited output on their Tumblr (linked above) and also look for their track on the new Twin Peaks tribute released on Phantasma Disques.  Hopefully, they signal the coming of a new breed of artists that take themselves a little less seriously and make music that retains its density without being heavy to the point of fatigue.

This track, and an OS OVNI cover of Kraftwerk’s “Radioactivity” are both currently available for download as the latest Beko digital single.

Witch House is dead.  Well, not really, but 2011 should be a make it or break it year for the morbid movement. Already, the core is showing signs of fracture, as artists seem to be eager to divide the sound into even smaller containers. The “Gucci Goth” faction have taken a fashionable stance against older drag and chop aesthetics and Fuck Aktion remixes. Those serious about their industrial and EBM seem to be less enthused about being lumped in with the ghetto producers that make Footwork seem complex.  Everyone knows that a little inner struggle and animosity is irresistible as a marketing ploy. Lately it seems #whichsideareyouon? Is the most popular trend.

M△S▴C△RA remixing Necro?!?  True, at face value it seems an odd choice.  In the world of thee Wish Haus, M△S▴C△RA’s painstakingly clean tracks have pretty much made the delusive duo the pinnacle of popular, and perhaps the next band to crossover to Pitchforkian heights.  Don’t call John Edwards yet though, because the band’s front man S▇▇▇▇ S▆▆▅▅▅▆ disproves all this and more with an insipid little remix of “My Sweet Dreams.”

Oddly enough, in retrospect, it makes perfect sense.  As far as underground hip hop goes, Necro’s beats are almost always flawless, he’s earned his reputation from his grimy rhymestyle and subject matter.  In a similar fashion, there is always an underlying filth beneath a M△S▴C△RA track.  Even though a track like “Clochi” off AMDISCS’ Strobe Cramp split with Ʌ borders on IDM, one can hear the influence of decadence that cradles it. For this remix, M△S▴C△RA builds a sinister synth line on top of the original track, and then slows the whole affair up. This is a dirty affair, filled with clips and pops.  It is made with an intense love for the original artist.  Although I am unsure of the actual intentions, I’d like to think of it as a calculated sign of allegiance with the minions that will never forget that this is post-Screw music.

While his classmates are practicing their headshots to beef up their gamerscores, John Sanchez is involved in another type of game. A junior in high school, Sanchez has already recorded a fair amount of music and posted it up to Soundcloud.  Plays, Favoritings and Comments are the only achievements he’s concerned with as he logs in nightly to play in the internet’s strangest new MMORPG.  The Remix Generation has become a sort of quasi arcade frequented by many teenagers grown tired of their Zynga Farms and Mafia Wars. Very few, however, have dared to walk down the shadowy path that leads to the Witch’s Candy Cottage.

Sanchez began making music in 2010.  He got his start mashing up pop and indie tracks, under the moniker Aubrey and Friends, before quickly becoming attracted to the DIY spirit of artists like GuMMy†Be▲R!, White Ring and LAKE R▲DIO. Not just satisfied with mere fandom, he ditched his imaginary friends and decided to take the gender ambiguous ÅÜßRÊÿ on a dark ride. It all started getting really good about the time he released “Xenia, Ohio,” a sluggishly blissful journey through warped bass and dragged “Gummo” samples.  Oddly enough, he chose to tag his track “Witch Made,” and pretty much forced his way into the micro Coven that Herr GuMMy and I were forming.

†XeÑia, Θhio† by ¤¥¤ÅÜßRÊÿ¤¥¤

What is most impressive about ÅÜßRÊÿ though is his knowledge and love for music.  When remixing tracks, he often opts for a rare Nena track over something as obvious as Depeche Mode.  Recently he decided to return to the practice of mash up in order to transform Q Lazzarus’ classic “Goodbye Horses” into a fuzzy trance monster.  This is true mash up, with emphasis on the mash.  Nothing really matches, and the result is a beautiful disaster of loose ends and frayed edges.  Sanchez took great care washing the track out to create a dull cassette feel, his way of personally “doing justice to such a great track.”

Preconceived notions can be a bitch.  When starting the Heretic Hymns column, the expectation was countless remixes of Joy Division and Throbbing Gristle.  It came as a huge surprise when Love Cultist High Park sent me his remix of Rhianna and Drake’s “What’s My Name.” As confused as I was, I just had to know why such a deviant artist would choose such a current and poppy tune.  Sure, a huge part of our sound revolves around dark remixes of Top 40 choon-age, but does anyone really consider it influential?!?

I had to know more. I shot Mr. Park an email, eagerly awaiting a reply. Oddly enough, his justification made perfect sense. Hailing from the same city as Drake, High Park (real name: Roman Kov) finds genuine inspiration in the success of hip hop’s favorite teen idol.  He credits his entry into music production to remixing Drake songs in his bedroom.  Even more meaningful,  this duet with the reigning princess of pop proves that Kov’s hometown hero has found his Golden ticket.

High Park’s “What’s My Name” is remix at its most magickal. Somehow, his metallurgy manages to turn Rhianna’s Barbados bird calls into Elizabeth fucking Fraser. Sprawling and ethereal, the tune would not seem out of place on a 1985 4AD compilation.  Drake’s vocals are obscured to the point of incoherence, adding a subliminal effect – that pulls the listener inside of the tune.  This is not casual ambiance here, it is integrated circuitry at its finest.

Rihanna Feat. Drake – What’s My Name (High Park Remix) by High Park

This song is a lesson to all those that think that Witch House’s obsession with popular culture is purely for shock value.  The mainstream can be appalling and wretched at times, but there is a reason these songs stick in your brain.  They are both stimulus and product in today’s consumer culture. They have power.

The power of imprint.

“I suppose it’s more an aesthetic, than a sound,” is the simple answer that Caden Moore gives when asked why someone with his talent would choose to identify LAKE R▲DIO with the world’s most unwelcome genre.  Once the kid that Witch House didn‘t want, he started up his own netlabel (with fellow outcast necromancers GuMMyBE▲R! and H△UNT3D HOUS3) to distribute his music.  His first EP Blair, made the ▲rchim▲ges on the Bo▲rd of Direc†ors scratch their heads in bewilderment.  Why was it they didn’t want him in the first place?!?

Perhaps Witch House is the right fit though.  Anyone who has taken the time to check out the bedroom IDM blogs knows full well that Babel Fish must have some serious issues regarding the translation of both intelligent and dance. Blair is both, as well as an early sign that Witch House was about to switch styles as it sought to find its own true voice.  Still slow and dark, LAKE R▲DIO’s glitchy drag would not sound out of place on a 1999 Warp compilation, a far cry from the Flexipop facsimile of other artists at the time.

With two EPs and a full-length already under his baneful belt, it is no surprise that Moore chose to send a remix of Scottish pioneers Boards of Canada‘s “Julie and Candy” (off their seminal masterwork Geogaddi)  Almost proto-drag itself, Moore’s take on it actually speeds things up a little, yet manages to morph the vocal samples into a creepy creepy crawl.

Instead of trying to understand [their] music I began making my own collection of drones, sounds, and clanks. In my music I try to cast the same spell on others that Geogaddi cast on me the first time I listened to it. Satan did not help make Geogaddi, but if he did, I doubt it would sound much different.

Take the above from his accompanying email with the remix, our own IDM trickster stresses the importance that Boards’ music has had on his own development.

In today’s media currency, copy is the ultimate value. Bitrate and resolution are the deciding factor in the worth of any given object. Duplication has become ritual.

Our remix culture was birthed from the blogs.  An endless swamp of snapshots containing the audio/visual stimulation that shapes and defines us.  As we click and download, it is too easy to shift from the rare dark obscurities of Mutant Sounds to the highlife grooves of Afro Slabs in mere moments.  As a result, our music is fractured with influence.  This invasion of stimulus wreaks synaptical chaos.  This is probably why, as a genre, this Grave Wave fails to find a voice.

What we do have is common ground. Regardless of any artists particular style it is there. Early industrial and old Italo disco fused with the tape aesthetics of  DJ Screw and the Memphis Underground.  We delight in the joysongs of Charlie and his Girls as we dream about what is was like to dance at the Batcave.

Everything lies in how we arrange these tangrams. The power lies in translation. Our sounds are neuro-tarot, the deck designed by our collective’s hive mind.

I was considering a running feature wherein artists remix songs that have moved them when I stumbled across Felis Demens’ drag mix of Joy Division. Devilishly simple, the song seems to emit dread at this leaden tempo. Nearly single channel (there are a few added drum sounds) everything you hear is extracted from the original recording. This is the essence of Screw. But wait, coincidentally (?)… Mater Suspiria Vision side project twYlY▲ght ►ZoNe then goes and drops their own take on the Joy Division classic just a few days ago!  Taking the original track to Paul Stretch dimensions, their ghost drone borders on demon drag.

It all seems to fit. As demos of Warsaw reveal, JD’s cold, hollow sound comes from Martin Hannett’s production.  Live they were almost just another punk band.  Essentially, it is about the copy.

It is always about the copy.