Features

Kieren Hebden is an interesting figure for electronic music lovers.  His background in indie/post rock (with Fridge) and his positioning by the media at the head of the spurious 'folktronica' genre make people suspicious, though he has never accepted the categories which people put him in.  He is oft-derided by hardcore electronicists for what is perceived as 'coffee table' tendencies - yet anyone who has witnessed his live shows knows that he's as capable of as extreme and often as uncomfortable passages of freeform micro-edits and screaming noise as the most hardcore left-fielders.  [read more]

Di'jital, aka Lamont Norwood is the prototype for a DJ. Starting out, he was heavily influenced by Hip-Hop, Soul, Funk - not overtly surprising if you consider he is a native of Detroit, and as many of his contemporary's sounds and starting point were much the same.  [read more]

A. Guy. Called. Gerald. Simple, eh?? Well, not really.

He may be called Gerald, but he's certainly not just "A Guy." He's one of  the fathers of the UK Dance scene, a figure who is still remembered and  respected for his epic contributions in the 80's aswell as everything that he does today.

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When you played Tribal Gathering in Manchester in the summer, were you aware of just how much love was in the room for you that night? Cos everyone who went -- whether they made it through to your show or not -- all noticed just how excited people were about you, and how much affection there was for you?  [read more]

DJ and producer who is hot property on the European techno circuit after making his debut release with Holland's DJax label in 2001. With a list of gigs as long as your arm across Holland, France, Germany and Eastern  [read more]

Fact: A Detroit native, Dan Sicko has been writing about techno music for over ten years. His articles have appeared in such publications as Rolling Stone, Wired, Urb, Res, Raygun and Alternative Press. From 1993 to 2001, Sicko has also published Reverb, one of the Internet's first techno music magazines. Dan lives with his wife and daughter just outside Detroit.  [read more]

Rolling through a fluid series of line-ups, Coil have formed a vital nexus in global underground music over the past 2 decades.  Initially comprising just 'angry young visionary' John Balance, the band quickly expanded to include ex-Throbbing Gristle tech-wizard and member of the Psygnosis psychedelic design and video collective Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson.  They transfigured the early 80's industrial scene with the vicious blasts of the Scatology and Horse Rotovator LPs, and provided vital links between many groupings with interests in magick, ritual and mental exploration.  [read more]

Scandinavia's Scottish Prince has been doing the techno business for some time now. From the early days at Pure and Sativa Neil has helped to shape Scotland's techno scene into the healthy beast it is today.  [read more]

Surgeon - Brutal, hard and minimal are often words used to describe his music and style but we'd like to add a few more - professional, attention to detail and a deep understand and love of what he does. Nothing is ever forced, nothing is rushed, Surgeon always lets the music speak. He's always pushed harder than most, not only with his "remakes" but also with his use of technology - not just because it's there but because it offers better options for showcasing exactly what he's about.

LD pulls up a chair, grabs a cup of tea and fires random questions at the master of darkside techno...

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I've never met Dave Clarke, or even seen him at work behind the decks. I know that he's highly respected in his field (techno) and has an international following. I'm also aware that he's known for his strong and sometimes controversial opinions. He's definitely someone who provokes a reaction in people one way or the other and I'm sure that this is part of the reason for his success as a DJ, for those who are into him are clearly really into him, whilst I'd imagine that he'd tell those who are critical of him to go fuck themselves.  [read more]

Electro-Funk is undoubtedly the most misunderstood of all UK Dance genres, yet probably the most vital with regards to its overall influence. Central to the confusion is the term itself, which during 82/83 (before it was shortened to Electro) was specific to the UK.  [read more]

"The 'soul' of the machines has always been a part of our music. Trance always belongs to repetition, and everybody is looking for trance in life... in sex, in the emotional, in pleasure, in anything... so, the machines produce an absolutely perfect trance."  [read more]

Dubbed 'wreckers of civilisation' by tabloid hacks, Throbbing Gristle advocated total musical and personal freedom. Between 1975 and 1981 they troubled eardrums, shattered preconceptions and changed lives, and the repercussions of their sonic, ideological and industrial experiments are still being felt today.  [read more]

This might have been titled: 'We Come To Bury Electronic Music, Not Praise It'. A meeting of the grandiose and grotesque from different areas of electronics, brought together to poke, pry and, maybe, present some explanation for electronic rock.  [read more]

"'We will not allow any dancing...' In the brief respite after punk's first rush wore off and before Saturday Night Disco Fever properly set in, a number of groups, among them Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, The Pop Group, and 23 Skidoo, emerged from the shadows to occupy the middle ground.  [read more]

Techno is very individual by its nature and with that individuality comes the double-edged sword of freedom, all you can ever be is yourself. Dave Clarke needs no introduction here, we all know how he divides the community. He really is the Devil's Advocate but rather that than faceless techno bollocks, right?  [read more]

"I first went live back in the late 90's when Tribal Gathering was Tribal Gathering, and my then A&R guy said I should do it, I was shitting bricks 3 months before, I mean there was UR, Carl Craig, Kraftwerk all at the same gig in Luton Hoo, but a lot of those cats came over to see me and wish me luck and it was an amazing gig, afterwards I didn't have a record career due to not receiving any royalties or statements and  I concentrated on my DJ career, but when I had an album deal working again (Skint) and loads of new material it seemed to make sense (although I did have to be talked into it)."  [read more]

Dark and twisted have become "catch alls" for anyone describing Reeko's work, many have already started criticising his work and comparing him to Regis and Surgeon - While he accepts that he is heavily influenced by both he's only just starting out on his path and we feel that he has a lot more to offer, he's young, sharp as a knife and has his whole career ahead of him.  [read more]

Pinning down the individuals involved in Aux isn't easy, trying to figure out who's who on each project is equally just as difficult. But you have to respect what they've brought to the table, always pushing new ideas and sounds, always on tour and living what they do. The way they take care of and execute there business is an inspiration, LD lands in Aux Quadrant and prepares to question those who care.  [read more]

It is certainly a very modern activity to conceive, realise and fantasise forms of post-utopia (in the community, in exchange and transmission) or post-dystopia (cloning, the disappearance of the subject, the loss of referents), all predicated on technological developments. But to argue that what is happening constitutes a real aesthetico-social revolution is to underestimate both the issue of access to technology (dominated, of course by the elite, even if this domination is relative) and the power of the anthropological rules governing different forms of art and the way in which their representations are communicated and geographically sited.  [read more]

I first met Fred on a rainy Sunday afternoon in Sheffield, he was playing that night at the Leadmill with Psychic TV, he didn't say much, but it kinda hard to stand out in a room with the three ring circus that is Genesis P. Orridge present. I'd already checked out his early recordings with The Turning Shrines and his work on the new PTV albums, you could tell he'd made a difference, his guitar playing perfectly puncutated the beats, I wondered how long he'd stay!  [read more]

Detroit, Chicago, Berlin, Sheffield, London these are cities synonymous with  the new sounds of the past. Bradford? It doesn't quite have the same cache, yet it is Bradford that will forever be linked with the next generation of sound. Paula Temple puts Bradford and herself into in the future...  [read more]

Detroit's Alan Oldham receives much acclaim for the material released on his Pure Sonik label and for his worldwide DJ exploits, but he was also an important player in the growth of the Detroit electronic music scene.  [read more]

Many people have stated that Black Dog can't work alone, that he's difficult to work with and he's a mad man, the thing is, Ken is one of those rare things these days, he's honest, and if the critics are honest they have to admit to not want to be a critic when they first saw their careers officer, failed musician exit left please...  [read more]

The Designers  Republic founded by Ian Anderson in 1986 as a "declaration of independence from what we perceive to be the existing design community."  [read more]

"I had been away from Iceland for over a year and when I returned for New Year I stayed on top of a mountain. I went for a walk on my own and I saw the ice was thawing in the lava fields...  [read more]

One of the big differences between this year's festival and past DEMFs (as it was called) was the conceptual focus of the various stages. Whereas previous festivals were comprised of four major stages or tent areas that were earmarked for specific sponsors (i.e. Bacardi Underground, CPOP Stage, Genuine Draft Ministry of Sound Tower, etc.) this year's delineation was conceptually based (though still corporately sponsored).  [read more]