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.
The festival will screen over 33 films from all over the world: Czech Republic, Germany, Bulgaria,England, Serbia, Italy, Hungary, Netherlands, Romania, Canada and Turkey, including many world premiers and American debuts. Q&A’s and panel discussions featuring the filmmakers, invited artists, lecturers and musicians offer you the opportunity to engage face to face. Oct.1-Oct.9 To see the schedule go to www.gypsyfilms.org Also watch it live at www.justin.tv/mehanata. Opening night Party - DJ Hutz from Gogol Bordello spinning gypsy punk all night.
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!
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
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.
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 Darklightreleased 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).
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?
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!
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.
It’s been a little over a month since the finish of the Drop Dead Festival 6. Looking back now it almost seems impossible that we shared five days of perfect madness and music overdose in Portugal. We came from all over the world and we celebrated like there is no tomorrow. As after the festival blues sets in and I begin to miss the hell out of friends who live way to far for me too visit, here is a bit of a pick me up. Please enjoy a first installment of out Drop Dead Family Album. ! Please send us your photos, videos and experiences from the DDF to dropdeadmagazine at gmail.com!
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13th moon photo by Pedro Polonio httpclub-silencio.blogspot.com,
Also included videos, mp3,s Legendary Pink Dots Interview, New Bands, Show reviews, in love with the gadget, remembering Cramps, style watch, Festival coverage
