Month: March 2012

The gig was a funny one two – whoever was playing the instructions about elk hunting, or the experiences of the Hawaiian girl, succeeded in making most of the audience laugh. It was bucolic, slightly dreamy stuff – like watching some strange radio show where the receivers were picking up some very strange broadcasts…
Continue reading “WOTNXT ism DE X: Kleefstra/Kleefstra/Bakker + Celer/Machinefabriek – Meet and Greet, Leiden 23/03/12”

There’s also quite a lineup of bands in the audience too, a veritable roll call of Subroutine bands and ULTRA-Nieuwe acts. An indication of the growing power and popularity of this label? Or just a collection of like-minded souls who suddenly realize that yes, they all know each other & are happy in each others’ company?
Continue reading “Subroutine and Katzwijm Presents – Space Siren LP Release Party – OT301, Amsterdam 22/03/12”

Part the second of Stephen James’s home taping odyssey… “although I’d like to say that I married her and we lived happily ever after, that would be untrue. Instead we spent a few wonderful months together, then I, rather predictably started acting like a colossal arse, which precipitated a couple of turbulent weeks, after which she left me for a plumber. Story of my life.”
Continue reading “Side Two: ‘Try this at home’”

I don’t wanna be a member of a club that wants me as a member. I never had the feeling that I wanna be part of something. I wanna be part of my band and I love my band members and that’s a scene on its own.
Continue reading “Incendiary chew the cud with Space Siren”

Anyway, you would be wrong to think of Youth Lagoon’s debut as just another gaggle of slightly anaemic-sounding, melodically inoffensive pop tunes. It’s far more interesting than that.
Continue reading “Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation”

Covering yourself in a litre bottle of olive oil and standing stock still as this oil courses down your face and torso in front of your audience is not everyone’s way of celebrating a closure of a triumphant gig, but at the time it seemed wholly appropriate.
Continue reading “ULTRA2012 NORTH – Amsterdam – Dansmakers – 12/03/2012”

The prism that is ULTRA issued another, as yet undiscovered shaft of colour forth from its complex form. Wild dancing ensued – the Roodkapje lot turned up in bridal wear and Incendiary, Subroutine and ULTRA deejays were told to stop making people so happy by playing tunes they wanted to dance to.
Continue reading “ULTRA2012 WEST – Rotterdam – Worm – 11/03/2012”

Euphoria gripped the room – people young and old cut some rug, ran round in circles, talked incessantly about the meaning of art, stole posters and hugged and made up. An absolute triumph and TAC should be proud as punch they pulled this off, this was near legendary.
Continue reading “ULTRA2012 SOUTH – Eindhoven – TAC – 10/03/2012”

Indeed, what strikes you about a lot of the work on show is that, though known as an artist primarily concerned with exploring some of the most modernist aspects of making music (right through from The Future to today, by way of Human League, alliances with Throbbing Gristle and Clock DVA and TAG), his visual ideas are incredibly arcane, strikingly so.
Continue reading “Adi Newton Presents – A Chronology of Dvation in the Melkweg Mediaroom”

Out of all the nights this was the one that felt closest in spirit to what went on – and this was probably due to the fact that the programmers were original ULTRAs themselves and demanded  high standards to do their movement justice.

Continue reading “ULTRA2012 EAST – Nijmegen – Extrapool and Onderbroek – 09/03/2012”