Coming soon Also included videos, mp3,s Legendary Pink Dots Interview, New Bands, Show reviews, in love with the gadget, remembering Cramps, style watch, Festival coverage

The first entry in our new column featuring the best in breaking, cutting-edge music!

By Daniel J

2008 was an amazing year for new music. The releases were massive, but one album has been repeatedly driving my brain into schizophrenics. That album is the self-titled first full-length by ex-San Franciscans Lemonade. A mind-melting mixture of post-punk, world music, and psychedelic hi-NRG dance, the album and subsequent remixes (available to download free here) established Lemonade as a cross-genre force to be reckoned with. They’ve opened for a range of diverse acts including Diplo, Les Georges Leningrad, and Holy Fuck.

MP3s:

Big Weekend

Sunchips

The infamous, despised, stalked, adored, banned, naked, cacophonous Din Glorious have sang their last song. or have they? Allegedly their last show ever, these art-fucked punk electron monsters will be at the Mutant Transmissions Festival II April 3,4,5. To make their departure that more bitter and contested they have also just released a brand new song, its a mash up actually: Din Glorious VS Neros Day at Disneyland. Will the break up be the final nail on the Din grave? Honestly we don’t know but missing their last show at MT@ would be an unforgivable offense against art and, lets be honest, your own better judgment. So see you there. Dress to impress and undress.

Unfortunately it is true and Lux did pass away. Both official website and the publicist confirm it. With last hope lost that this is not true we are at a loss for words.

Ether  this is an elaborate hoax or a really damn tragic day for rock n roll. Various blogs and websites reporting today that Lux Interior, aka Erick Lee Purkhiser (62) of the legendary The Cramps passed away due to an existing heart condition at 4:30am  in Glendale, CA hospital, more colorfully earlier in the day Lux Wiki reported cause of death to be auto erotic asphyxiation (now changed). Most places site a press release from Girlie Action, The Cramps’ media representatives as a source for this information. Girlie Action and The Cramps official website contain no information about this what so ever and could not be reached for comment, so until we know better we chose to hope, to believe that this is just a publicity stunt, or a prank of some sort. How can Lux so full of energy and life and amazing talent pass away at only 62? What the hell is this? We wait for more news.

Admittedly I have been a bit silent about the past Drop Dead, no full review, not as many photos as there should have been. Honestly this year was daunting. Between crazy logistics and sound problems, there never the less was magic in the air. Festival officially was 5 days beginning with concerts on the beach under the moonlight but people came early and stayed late so it really was more like a week to two week extravaganza. The bands were amazing, and Portugal was a special place to visit. Simply the whole thing was daunting work to put together and run with a tiny crew but an experience of a lifetime never the less.

There has been copious amounts of videos from the festival on youtube some of questionable quality, some pretty damn good. this will give you some idea of inspiration , madness and silliness that went on last October in Portugal, Drop Dead Festival 6. Kicking things off with a funny segment from a major Portuguese TV station featuring an interview with yours truly and bemused 13th moon.

Please follow me behind the Cut to see UK Decay, Kitchen and the Plastic Spoons, Lene Lovich , Cinema Strange, Phantom Vision, †13th MOON†, and Tchiki Boum playing at the festival.

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Feb 510 pm Fan Death @ Le Royale
Feb 7 11pm LEIF Tubway @ Mr.Blacks

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Today we have a very special edition of the Love affair with the Gadget. This time instead of buying something incredibly cool we will show you a way to make it. Well we actually wont but I-Hacked will. Ever wanted to know how to make a home made stungun or a laser? Want to warn drivers that there are zombies ahead or desperately need to sneak lockpicks on your carry on luggage? For those who are a bit more hard core about hacking there is a file suppository for hacker software. Shit , want every light to turn green for you? For under 20$ you can build a devise, yes ladies and gentlemen a a DIY Mirt and they will show you how.  If the rest failed to catch your atention there is always guides to making fireworks or an explosive pen!And if you just plain don’t want to build a damn thing you can just learn how to get free cokes or free photocopies.

I-Hacked is a bit of a mixed bag between building cool stuff andjust plaing geting free stuf but you cant  beat it for shear amount of fantastic new ideas and projects, and who wouldnt want their very own home made hovercraft!

We live in the age when you can find videos of even the most obscure bands on Youtube or any number of other video hosting services. The catch is that most of them are low quality and you do have to know what you’re looking for. If you’re interested in French obscure music you’re in luck. Recently Delphine Sanchez of Darklight released Under Ground DVD, a collection of French underground music concert footage and interviews. The whole thing is in French including the subtitles and interviews but this video is an especially cool find for those outside. It’s not always easy to discover French underground music, which is a shame because France consistently produces brilliant bands and musicians. Even if you know many French bands odds are you have never seen most of them. For example I saw Frustration and Norma Loy at Drop Dead the past few years (both in this collection)but I have been dying to see Von Magnet, Gaë Bolg or Jad Wio in concert.

The UnderGround menu divides twenty-one bands into five categories:
Les Rockers ( Rockers) : Jad Wio , Jacquy Bitch , Wallenberg and Frustration
Les Elfes (Elves) Onel’k, Gaë Bolg, Breath of Life, Stathis and Hide and Seek
Les Bioniques (Bbionics) Blue Cat, Dolls of Pain, Suiside Commando, Jabbertwock, Violet Stigmata and Ex-Tenssion
Les Hargneux (Aggressive): Tamtrum, Dexy Corp and Collapse
Les Electrons Libres ( Free Electrons): La Federation, Von Magnet, Die Puppe and Norma Loy

In addition to concert footage the following interviews are included: Tamtrum, Norma Loy, Frustration, Von Magnet, Jad Wio, Jabberwock, Jacquy Bitch, Wallenberg, Violent Stigmata

Being of a more art music bent my favorite categories were rockers, elves and free electrons that covered quirky, dark, experimental, cold wave, deathrock, art rock and world influenced music. Aggressive and bionics feature EBM and hard rock bands which I will skip next time. Particular standouts were Jad Wio with three very different videos, the quirky and dark Gaë Bolg , flamenco-influenced Von Magnet, world music La Federation , Edith Piaf influenced Onel’k of course Frustration and Norma Loy were as expected top notch performances.

Some noted absences were Clair Obscure, Charles De Goal, Joy Disaster but really you cant cover every one in one video and their is always the next one (we can hope).

Jad Wio: Performance DVD UNDERGROUND

All in all the video quality of this DVD is very good, with some editing making me dizzy and some confusing audience shots of yawning and leaving the room, and just plain semi empty rooms in few cases. This is probably me being use to the American somewhat fictitious way of making every show looking full and only shots of incredibly enthused fans. It was amusing to see all my French friends in various audience shots. Although I have to wonder about proliferation of almost identical bold men, not only in bands but also in the audience, is that part of some kind of conspiracy?

You most definitely do need this DVD and you can buy it from Darklight, now what are you waiting for?