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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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!

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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9.8 out of 10 New York music fiends and club owners know NYC is total shit for all ages shows. Be it because city officials are consistently waging a war against under 21 venues or because clubs make money from alcohol proceeds and they don’t really fight for the under 21 crowd, NYC 18+ let alone all ages clubs are overwhelmingly a hard gig to find.

But as the old saying goes where there is a will there is a way. There is a thriving DIY all ages scene in New Your City. In the vacuum of proper all ages venues, shows are being booked in everything from music studios, to wear house spaces, even into living rooms. These clubs not being exactly legal it’s a bit tricky to advertise so everything is done mostly through word of mouth, social networks like myspace and free pamphlets and publications like Showpaper.

Last Friday at a benefit for Showpaper at Brooklyn’s Vanishing Point, of course a DIY all ages event, a 6 bands picked up a flag of the original NYC no wavers and raised a banner of New New Sound. The cool thing about the show was the variety of sound, from punk, to tribal world music, to post punk, to 8 bit, to no wave and art punk. Kids at this show stayed for the whole concert, getting into each band, dancing, going generally going crazy being proficient at a serious business of having a good time.

You be the judge bellow: full evidence complete with show videos!

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