Venetian Snares eh guys, is that still cool?

[alan nagsworth]

Next month, he has a collaborative album coming out with guitarist/producer Daniel Lanois, who has worked on albums for Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel and Neil Young, to name a few.

Check out the teaser track here.

I have been very disinterested in Snares' work for some years now, since he seems to have ham-fisted his way down a predictable hole of repeating former glories and succumbing to very easy formulas across his last five or six albums. The last two decent albums under the VS name for me were Cavalcade of Glee And Dadaist Happy Hardcore Pom Poms, and the breakcore-generic-but-ultimately-tons-of-fun Detrimentalist. However, the teaser track for this Lanois collaboration seems to see him return to the abstract, fragmented style of stuff like Huge Chrome Cylinder Box Unfolding, which is very promising if that holds up across the album. It's a great tune, I'm thoroughly looking forward to this.



Elsewhere, I don't listen to breakcore at all these days but I do find myself very infrequently revisiting some of Snares' more experimental work and finding myself completely fucking awed by it. The aforementioned Huge Chrome Cylinder Box Unfolding is masterful, beautiful, completely unique and the off-kilter melodies are oddly moving and serene despite the sputtering minimalist metallic beats pin-pricking the whole thing. I'm listening to it right now and I find it totally captivating. Quite easily one of the greatest things he's ever done.

Bonivital

Vida

Contrasting with the above, my other favourite of his is Doll Doll Doll, which is up there with Zu's Carboniferous album as one of the most dark, brutal and unforgiving albums I've ever heard. Something that exists wholly in its own dark realm, from which there feels like there's no escape, no light at the end of the tunnel, just sheer unpleasantness from beginning to end. The time signatures are off the fucking wall, and from every nuanced, quiet shadowy chasm to every pummelling, strobing aural assault, it's just pure evil. I absolutely adore it.

Dollmaker

Befriend a Childkiller - This one takes a while to get going but the wait is worth it. That fuckin' sample, "spirit creature not wearing the shape of a man", jeeesus.

[Twed]

Aphex Morissette
Alanis Twin

[BlodwynPig]

Thanks Nags

[alan nagsworth]

FOR WHAT

[jobotic]

The last one I bought was Winnipeg is a Frozen Shithole which as it's brutal moments.

I do have (a copy) of Huge Chrome Cylinder Box but it didn't grab me at all. It may be that I was just moving on to other stuff. I'll give it another listen.

I agree about Doll Doll Doll.

On the occasions I listen to breakcore now it'll be VS, DJ Scud and the odd bit of Kid606. And one track by Karl Marx Stadt that I can't find anywhere to post.

[Better Midlands]

Aphex Morissette
Alanis Twin

Irondow Licker

https://rave.dj/senerxkiXsSaVA

[alan nagsworth]

On the occasions I listen to breakcore now it'll be VS, DJ Scud and the odd bit of Kid606. And one track by Karl Marx Stadt that I can't find anywhere to post.

Man, I am fairly convinced that across his stupidly extensive and varied career, Kid606 has produced a grand total of about five good songs. He's always come across as such a jack of all trades, master of none. What're your go-to Miguel jams, out of interest?

[kngen]

What's the Kid606 track where he samples CB4 ('cos I'm black y'all!')? - wanted to listen to it the other day, but couldn't be arsed wading through a million youtube tracks. It's probably on Don't Sweat the Technics, as I didn't really stay engaged with him after that.

[imitationleather]

Woah. Venetian Snares is still alive?

Mandela Effect ahoy!

[jobotic]

Man, I am fairly convinced that across his stupidly extensive and varied career, Kid606 has produced a grand total of about five good songs. He's always come across as such a jack of all trades, master of none. What're your go-to Miguel jams, out of interest?

Blimey, can't remember without having a look. Obvious ones are with other people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LieZVD4fDbA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x03yMu-qTVE (this one's great)


And even though i could probably do it with a free app on my phone now, I still love his Straight Outta Compton.

[alan nagsworth]

Blimey, can't remember without having a look. Obvious ones are with other people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LieZVD4fDbA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x03yMu-qTVE (this one's great)


And even though i could probably do it with a free app on my phone now, I still love his Straight Outta Compton.

Haha, yeah that Hrvatski remix is solid actually. Down With The Scene is one of his actually halfway decent albums, I love GQ on the EQ, too.

I have also always had a soft spot for The Illness, forgiving Kid's rough around the edges production and even still really digging the dated but hugely fun flash video. It's great.

[itsfredtitmus]

Thanks nags

[alan nagsworth]

[itsfredtitmus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC0cvwnG0Ik

[Cuntbeaks]

Snares can do things to a brain no other musician can, when you are in a position to accept his medicine, he is in a class of his own.

The Lanois stuff sounds interesting, especially after the aural abortion of his most recent album, great track titles aside. There is a nice video on YT of him and Lanois in a studio jamming. Nice flow to the track.

I took the kids up the cemetry one night, pitch black, put all the windows down and the lights out and played Befriend a Childkiller, gunning the car when the breakbeats started. (It was a straight road and my eyes had adjusted to the dark, plus the moon was out).

Caught him live a few times, first time was in the basement of The 13th Note in Glasgow. A tiny venue, tight and sweaty and he absolutely killed it, amazing show, complete with Doll Doll Doll section.

10/10 would flail again.

[Ferris]

...Winnipeg is a Frozen Shithole...

lol

[Astronaut Omens]

He was never as finessed as Aphex, his tunes always had an overwrought, emotionally damaged atmosphere to them. It was inevitable he'd one day want to start making terrible singer-songwriter type music: the balladeer was always there even on the comedy breakcore numbers. His best two tunes are Hajnal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbJ63spk48s and Epidermis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xFoEluBVOU

[jobotic]

Yeah, i saw hime three times. Twice at Electrowerkz all-nighter things. He was fantastic, brutal as you like.

I also saw him at the John Peel night after he (JP) died. I went and gave it all that at the front by myself, until one other bloke joined in. Everyone else sat there or went to the bar. Later on (or maybe before), I cried during Laura Cantrell. I'd had a nice drink. Can't decide if I'm proud or ashamed of all that.

[alan nagsworth]

Yeah, i saw hime three times. Twice at Electrowerkz all-nighter things. He was fantastic, brutal as you like.

I also saw him at the John Peel night after he (JP) died. I went and gave it all that at the front by myself, until one other bloke joined in. Everyone else sat there or went to the bar. Later on (or maybe before), I cried during Laura Cantrell. I'd had a nice drink. Can't decide if I'm proud or ashamed of all that.

Bang Face?

I believe I've seen him at least three times myself and he's always been fairly great in a "this starts off fun and then descends into total chaos" way.

I had completely forgotten about Chocolate Wheelchair, funnily enough. Hand Throw is a pretty fantastic song, the total gabber meltdown in the second half used to absolutely blow my head off.

I'm also partial to his modular synth stuff under the Last Step name. The album Sleep (which he recorded solely at night when he was at the point of literally nodding off) is particularly interesting.

[BlodwynPig]

thanks again, Nags.

[a duncandisorderly]

thanks again, Nags.

I'll stick with tom j, I reckon.

[manticore]

Hajnal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbJ63spk48s

Oooh that's good. I haven't listened to his new stuff since Peel died, but I'll try that album now.