When we started the Drop Dead magazine we quickly got to know a French musician Manu (Sleeping Children, The Cemetary Girlz, Camp Z) he was one of the first writers to come on board with the Drop Dead Magazine. He contributed reviews of new French releases, wrote an excellent article on the current French music scene. Not only was this awesome for the our brand new magazine but also it was clear from day one, this guy is serious about promoting music and he is going to do something about it.

Fast forward to 2008 and Manu starts an online Label Zorch Factory Records. A completely digital record label with full free albums to download was something unique and revolutionary for the Dark music scene. Just like the first wave of self released records pioneered by punk bands and the tape culture, technology and organization have finally caught up to make something like this possible. The idea is simple release records online, bypass traditional record industry and the expense of physically self releasing, and what’s more label and all the bands promote each other.

Now two years later Zorch Factory Records digitally released seventy three records from fifty bands and scored more then thirty thousand downloads. Below is a small excerpt from a full interview to appear in the next issue of the Drop Dead Magazine. Enjoy and after reading don’t delay go through the Zorch catalog, download like crazy and join us in celebrating the new evolution of underground music.

DDM: how do you select bands for your label?

Manu: well they contact me or I contact them Manu now it’s more like 70% contact me

DDM: what are your guidelines for excepting or rejecting the new submissions?

Manu: they must fit the styles of the site, they must have a sufficient production level, and finally I must like what they do. if I like something a lot and is a little different than the trad genres it’s OK If they are in a classical genre and OK even if I do not adore it is OK too

DDM: what genres are the target ones ?

Manu: post punk in general from trad goth rock, batcave, Deathrock to more alternative stuff. Currently i am really in the widest definition of post punk: industrial, experimental, experimental electro, dark electro (minimalist one)

DDM: ebm?

Manu yes why not i am open

DDM: what kind of sound turns you off immediately, what genres you absolutely will not accept?

Manu Sound quality of the recording is really important

DDM: so if some one submits something you absolutely love but recoding quality is poor.. then ?

Manu if recording quality is poor I would maybe say OK for a demo otherwise I say, let’s wait next record

Manu Also everything that sounds too commercial. Example of too commercial things

there are dozen of editors like bands today everywhere in Europethey are good, good sound, but i find this boring I prefer more weird stuff: electro punk, electro post punk Things that are too mainstream goth, too metal goth, too rock without nothing weird are usually out

To listen and download all the Zorch Factory bands go to zorchfactoryrecords.com

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WFMU is one of the best college radio stations around. they play cut up stuff, obscure bands , noisy experimentation and a lot of other stuff you (sadly) don’t generally expect from proper radio. So every time they do a festival, its a must to be there.They outdid themselves wit h the upcoming event. just look at the line up. No question we will be there covering this event, so if you live too far to be there in person check back here for the full story.

WFMU Music Festival
October 1,2,3
Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North 6th St., Brooklyn, NY  11211

We are super excited that the end of the summer festival season doesn’t mean the end to good shows. Highly recommended Part Time Punks Festival  in Los Angele’s comes back on October 11for a second installment. With may bands to be excited about we are especially  looking forward to Jazz Butcher. Another installment from Milan Decays Festival Bats over Milan October 23, 24 also shines with a post punk line up with likes of the Fall and the Lorrys.  And last but not least first ever show (and what a great one! ) for one of our sister companies Vienna Decay (November 7) with Artery, Savage Republic and Squishy Squid. See you at the show kids!

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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

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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Review and Photography By Polina Y

You know how sometimes you see  a guy and you think, damn if only you were mine, I know I could make you happy, damn you’rE so fine, so so fine. Well Bowery Ballroom is one of those clubs. i walk in and fantasize what kind of shows I can put on here, if only you were mine Bowery Ballroom aahh you’re so so sexy. Anyway it’s Sunday December 7th and I am here to see Swedish girl fronted punk group Love Is All. Opening the night is another band I am curious to see Cold Cave, and in the middle is the much hyped about Crystal Stilts.

I discovered Cold Cave through their label Dais Records which in turn I discovered because they are my friends bands (Cult Of Youth) label. Since I didn’t have anything by these guys and their Myspace tracks are quiet varied (from french sounding cold wave electronics, to glitch drone experimental,  to Joy Division influenced gray post punk)i had no idea what to expect. The crowd is filling in which a bit of a surprise on a Sunday and for the opening band but I guess the word is out about these guys and you can see that quite a few people crowding up front are here just for them. Cold Cave comes on stage; three guys in dark coats, all lined up. Each with a synth, the one on the right with what looks like an electronic drum combo.  Before the first note is played the mood is set, a gray, dreary, heavy feeling; and as the music begins it just gets heavier, more dense. When the music has taken you so low you cant picture going much further it explodes with drums and samples.  The sound is repetitive, dreary oppressive post punk that takes you to the brink of desperation and then rips you apart with a battery of explosive noise. The set is interesting and consistent throughout and I am sure to see Cold Cave next time they play.

Cold Cave MP3s
Sex Ads
Our Tears Help The Flowers Grow

Crystal Stilts are on next. This is one of the more talked about NY bands and hypothetically should be a perfect transition between the dreary post punk of Cold Cave and the more upbeat Sixties-influenced Love Is All. In theory that is. The band is combination of Sixties garage sound and Joy Division. They sound really together, the stage show is a bit stoic and for the life of me I don’t understand why they didn’t put the most visually compelling member of the band, the girl garage drummer, up front. But this is not the problem, the problem is this just simply doesn’t work for me. Yes, if some one told me let’s combine Cramps and Joy Division and some Sixties garage I would have probably been really intrigued, but live……let me put it this way: the music is happy but I am ashamed to dance because of the funeral singing, and I cant really grieve or be depressed because of the upbeat soundtrack. I am really confused by this, okay? What should I do? Too depressing to be happy and too happy to be depressing. That said, the singer reminded me of Jim Morrison which is never a bad thing, and their recorded material does works better.

Crystal Stilts MP3
Crippled Croon

Love Is All have been getting pretty big; since the release of their second, much anticipated album A Hun­dred Things Keep Me Up At Night they are not playing small venues, it seems it’s all uphill from here on.  Although this band is heralded as a rising star in the Indie scene, and at this show attracts an overwhelmingly non-alternative looking crowd, I came to see them precisely because they have an amazing early punk spirit and remind me of X-ray Spex and other early in-your-face girl fronted bands. Yet they are good musicians with a polished, sound, and though there is an undeniable Sixties fetish to their music, somehow they manage to still sound raw and new. Love Is All set lasts a bit over 40 minutes  and luckily you can hear it now via a really good audio recording of the whole show on NYCTaper. The set is a mix of old and new songs, with the quirky choice of a Flock of Seagulls cover, it’s upbeat and full of energy and the gray kids finally start to dance. I try to video record the set for the blog but Bowery security actually pull me out and inform me that yes even if it is just for the blog you have to pay to video record at Bowery. Shame that there is not more video because the set is great, but I did get something pretty good and almost complete. Then the show is over, and I walk away completely happy and satisfied and still more in love with their live sets then their (also good) recordings.

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Love is All MP3s
Used Goods (First Album)

Give it Back (New Album)

Love is all Set list:

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01 Wishing Well
02 Give it Back
03 Talk Talk Talk Talk
04 Aging Had Never Been His Friend
05 Last Choice
06 Seasick
07 NYA
08 Busy Doing Nothing
09 I Ran (Flock of Seagulls)
10 Make Out Fall Out Make Up
11 Felt Tip
12 [encore break]
13 New Beginnings

Drop Dead Magazine has been invited by the worlds oldest Horror magazine Fangoria to do a horror music blog.  We are bloody delighted to bring you the Drop Dead Chronicles , The Cutting Edge. You can find this blog on the Fangoria official website . As our first order of business we have uploaded the full first album by our favorite Spanish horror fiends Los Carniceros Del Norte and did an interview with Thorsten of the Fiendforce Records. Presented for your ghoulish pleasure are 3 songs from the Fiendforce Records. We would love to hear what you think about our Horror Music  blog and what you would like up to cover. Please go to directly to Fangoria and make your comments there. Happy Ghoulidays every one!

Fiendforce MP3
Rezurex - Die De Los Muerto
The Other - Lovers Lane
Blitzkid - Terror In The Haunted House

Next weekends NY Eye and Ear Festival is totally non genre specific, with the only unifying factor being proximity to NYC and the Do It Your Self attitude. Much like me you might be looking at this line up and not recognize most of the bands or labels so why should you care enough to attend? I’ll give you 4 easy  reasons: discovering new music, supporting independent music and labels, there is surely quality underground darker stuff on the bill you will like, and its a damn cheap ticket (15$ for 2 day festival, am I right?). It’s really a kind of noon brainier but let me illustrate the point about darker or weirder bands of immediate interest to the Drop Dead audience. .On Friday Magick Report, Hells Hills and Realax are experimental electronics,  each interesting its own way, Taigaa! are girl synth wave. Wierd Label and Tesco are both participating with a DJ set from both 1:30 till you fall asleep , so you know that’s going to be good. Saturday is a crazy day with over 20 bands. There is more experimental electronics from  Ben Miller/Degeneration, minimal from Silk Flowers and Xeno & Oaklander, punk Michael Jordan, experimental weirdness of Necking and Zs ambient Infinity Window,  cool laid back  Excepter, and of course post apocalyptic folk Cult of Youth (think Death in June). All these bands and a wholle lota new music you never heard before. See you there punks!

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Great news for art punks and weird wave fiends it has just been announced that the second annual Mutant Transmissions Festival will take place in NYC on April 5th and 6th, 2009.

Last years MTF took place in LA and spotlighted a slew of excellent west coast bands as well as some interlopers. This year mutant Transmissions hits NYC which will give a an opportunity for the east coast weirdos to join in the fun. MT is a DIY event and invites local art and music community to get involved in planning and production. The younger crowd is also not excluded since the festival is traditionally an all ages event and every one is embraced with equal id not all together sane enthusiasm. Watch for the line up and updates on Mutant Transmissions Myspace. To join in the fun email mutanttransmissions at gmail dot com.