You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave… Once or twice a year, if you are incredibly fortunate, you may discover a piece of music …
Let’s be clear: electronic music didn’t begin in the 1980s. Innovations in electronic noise have been developing since the end of the 19th century. Both Italy and Russia had important Futurism or “Futurismo” movements that greatly advanced modern music. Each subsequent decade adding to the thinking, sounds and instruments musicians have at their disposal. Nevertheless, electronic music did …
ZZ Top have been compared to all sorts of unexpected bands, but I know the one I’d most like to be compared with: Depeche Mode. I’m really fanatical about those cats. I had the pleasure of making their acquaintance in ’85 and we’ve stayed pals ever since. I worked with them on Delta Machine (2013), …
I have always rejected the general notion that music was merely a listening experience or throwaway entertainment. Even at its most superficial, music feeds the intellect and the soul, for the better or worse. It informs us of the world we live in, and makes us part of the community we mentally and physically inhabit. …
Sharing the pure discovery of new music and sound. Can you imagine anything more important? Or have we forgotten our higher purpose? (Honestly… it can’t be a good idea to start a review with a series esoteric questions. What am I to do? Begin again?). There is something intimate, even sensual about sharing new music with …
There is a rule of thumb for music that I like: the simpler it is, the better I like it. John Lee Hooker is the measure of all things in this regard. I admire him for everything he has achieved within blues- a pioneer and visionary of the kind who is born maybe once every …
We have all read the stories of the band’s expansive greatness. Or supposed greatness… Maybe I should be more respectful? Certainly Mr. Julian Cope will clear my head of any misconceptions I may have in his next, soon-to-be-out-of-print book on Krautrock. So let’s not argue the matter here. By 1976, Ash Ra Tempel was less a …
Electronic music has been ridiculously disappointing in recent years- too much repetition and lack of fresh innovative ideas. We’ve seen the cycle happen before when a music scene starts to turn inward, focusing on past glories reproducing sounds with “authenticity“. It’s a prescription for boredom. And electronic music is never more unbearable then when its …
Immediately I’m filled with nervous tension and excitement. The harsh electronic beat stirs something deep. The back of my head burns slightly. By the time the cool and detached vocal starts, I’m both hooked and convinced that I am hearing some renegade military message. It’s as if this harsh but always feminine voice is speaking, …
More than a DJ- HELL is an international producer and publisher of electronic music as well as founder and owner of the renowned International Deejay Gigolos record label. The ‘Munich Machine’ is rooted in the pioneering electronic music tradition of the Bavarian city, which excitingly balances the traditional and cosmopolitan attitude. “I did Kosmische Musik …
