HELL – NY Muscle (2003)
All the animals come out at night – whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets.
-Travis Bickle
The New York of Travis Bickle, Stanley Kubrick and Roman Polanski is real- Byzanz 2.0, a modern Moloch/Metropolis literally build on mudd and ruled by evil bankers and secret grandmasters of the world, its streets reigned by sin and corruption of all kinds. It’s astonishing that this New York never got a full, proper musical hommage- the city’s hymns are either beautiful and glamorous odes that are temporally set before the protagonist’s inevitable bad awakening (Frank Sinatra- New York, New York), or more often they are the usual modern assaults on your soul and intellect, like the pathetic “9/11“ hymns by Enya (Only Time) or Jay-Z (Empire State of Mind).
But wait, did I say that an hommage to sinister New York doesn’t exist? Fear not, the Munich machine DJ Hell (or simply HELL) took care of this matter with his overlooked masterpiece that is geniously titled NY Muscle (2003), a wild and sinister electronic nightmare that sounds like the unmasking outtakes of Eyes Wide Shut that we have never seen. An album that is a deep dive into the filthy underground and functions as counterbalance to the romanticization of the modern day gomorrha.
In history there has been especially one band that has provided us with a sinister sound from New York: the urban cowboys Martin Rev and Alan Vega from Suicide. Therefore it was almost a law that Alan Vega helped refine Hell’s NY Muscle, and that on two tracks. But first the album starts with the wonderfully painful anti-climax that is ‘Keep on Waiting‘, with Erlend Oye (Kings of Convinience) monotonously repeating his words to the rattling, tinny beats „Keep on waiting… I find patience“. Club-wise, we’re already at the coke-fueled, icicled afterhour party here, but the sound is so wavering and tenacious, that the listener also finds himself in the waiting hall of Hell’s central station. And may I add that it is the perfect Corona quarantine hymn.
Alan Vega alarmingly comes in immediately after with ‘Listen to the Hiss‘, a paranoid meltdown to tribal beats that ends in demonic improvisations by the dreamless protagonist, improvisations that culminate in a snakelike whisper and then the mental outcry of the word ‘Escape!’ None of this is pleasant, all of this a pull further into the mirrored and mascara-smeread reality depicted on the album’s cover. It’s a ‘Tragic Picture Show‘ indeed- the title of the next track where James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem / DFA) comes in to let out his male, cosmopolitan disintegration in an erruptous electro banger with garage flair „I’m losing my fucking mind / Black suit, black tie / feeling like I wanna die… Acting young, feeling old… My head hurts / My heart is dead“.
The journey through sinister New York continues: Now imagine the Shining-twins with an Asian touch and finished with a jet-set lifestyle-lobotomy following you in the best, persistent stalker manner you can imagine- et voilà, you have the track ‘Follow You‘. We’re four tracks into the album and already have lost control during this unpredictable Tour de force. With its darkness and aggressiveness, NY Muscle is at times more of an industrial, EBM and even avantgarde album sprinkled with pure, screaming techno aggression (Let No Man Jack) or slow grandezza like on Billy Ray Martin‘s ‘Je Regrette Everything‘. A cleansing negativism and beautiful cancellation of Edith Piaf and all sentimental optimism , windowdressing, and ‘growing from mistakes’- philosophy. No, let’s face the sinful grand malheurs: they were bad, horrible, regrettable; and cleansing negativity is the accompanying survival tactique of the mercilessly moving, hell-dipping NY muscle.
And so Alan Vega’s second appearance is the heart of the album, set up like an electric chair in this menacing carnival of atrocities. While ‘Listen to the Hiss‘ marked the emotional introduction of this killing machine, it’s in full force now, set to music absolutely perfectly. Meet the Heat, meet, meat, heat… you can smell the burned flesh under the death-touch and whip of the lunatic torturer Vega, who carries the calm of the true psychopath in his voice, complete with sedate outbreaks. Vega gives you and Lady Liberty only one advise: „Forget about freedom…yeah, miracles flip-flop, and you wonder why.“
by Saliha Enzenauer
[…] than a DJ- HELL is an international producer and publisher of electronic music as well as founder and owner of the […]
Read this today and had two listens – awesome album, something very different. Thanks for pointing me at this, stunning review! Crazy stuff.
Je Regrette Everything is unexpectedly beautiful!
It’s my favorite record!
Saliha,
Never thought about the collision and coexistence of those three universes into one specific kind of New York. The brilliant worldview of Travis, the masked orgy of an unnamed secret society, and the gothic atmosphere of Bramford. That´s a perverse combination, “the filthy underground” arises on VW.
HELL is a new discovery for me, never heard about him before. I´m aware of the existence of Suicide, but I really never gave them a try. LCD Soundsystem is one of my favorite bands of all time (saw them live 2 years ago here in Mexico).
You captured meticulously the mood and essence of this album. You start with solid and potent roots- your final house is a very sinister place. As soon as you enter, you can hear NY Muscle sounding at the background, there are multiple windows, each one of them has an specific view of NY´s inferno.
Thank you. Now it´s the perfect time to start with “Suicide” and climb to “HELL”.
Thank you for reading and commenting, wow, I wish I could discover the entire Suicide universe like I heard it for the first time. It’s not just their sublime albums, but also the astonishing solo records by both, Alan Vega and Martin Rev. All great in my opinion. But as much great collaborations this albums has, the credit here really goes to DJ Hell, an outstanding artist with grear records such as this, Munich Machine or Future Music… Enjoy the ride!
Saliha,
The album artwork, your inclusion of the Travis Bickle quote from Taxi Driver (perhaps the quintessential cinematic portrait of New York City as a hellscape), the participation of Alan Vega (Suicide), and your grimy, gritty descriptions all make this record intriguing. (I’m not a fan of LCD Soundsystem, but otherwise this seems like, as you said, a fitting coronavirus quarantine soundtrack.)
Thank you for reading and commenting, New York as a hellscape indeed… James Murphy is just singing on one track. This album has a lot of great collaborations, but the credit really goes to DJ Hell, a great artist in his own league
The review here is no less scary than the album (I’m listening to it since it came out) . Glorious!
Such an incredible overview of an album. This is more than just an album review. You have captured the album, a sound and and a period for an entire city. Not just a city but NY. Reading your article while listening to this album is transforming. “The journey through NY continues….”. Nobody has captured the city in this way. It’s incredible that Alan Vega is part of this defining moment. He just had to be. Thank you for exposing this gem to so many. Vega, HELL and Vinylwriters.
Thank you so much, wanted to reply more, but I’m very saddened by the sudden news of Schneider-Esleben’s death. Damn
I started digging my own grave while reading this. Sounds so great!
Rest in peace
Completely terrifying track !
Apparently a hidden gem, have never heard about it. Was hooked after the first, hypnotic track. Wonderfully painful as you said! 👌🔥
A hell of an album, enjoy
Alan Vega! 2003! Shockingly enough, I have never heard of this. Thanks for the recommendation, great writing!
Thank you, enjoy the record!
GREAT review! I’m checking out the album right now, it sounds fantastic! Although I’m sure it sounds better at night…
Definetely not a sunshine record!