WTF // Your Demise Held at Gunpoint at US-Canadian Border...Jack Bauer Style

UK hardcore outfit Your Demise have been playing a string of dates along the Canadian-American border, and all was going fine until this past weekend. Not 15 kilometers (that's about 10 miles, Yanks) from the US border, the band decided to visit a Tim Horton's and feast on bagels and coffee. Slowly slipping into a food coma, the band was pulled over and individually held at gunpoint after being told to get out of their vehicle. "So we get out in the freezing snow, on the ground, and the cop starts to search the van," the band said on their Tumblr page. "I mean it was like 24/Jack Bauer shit."

It turns out that the driver in the car in front of Your Demise had just shot someone. "The Police where responding to [the incident] and thought it was us, when in theory they got the wrong car/van," the band added. "So...an eventful last night in Canada."

Your Demise will continue their run of US tour dates (they have a fucking lot), and before they begin touring with Unearth on the Atticus Metal Tour II or the variety of shows they have lined up through early June, you can catch them at SXSW or even right here in New York.

Feb 24 Santos Party House New York, New York
Feb 25 Heirloom Arts Theater Danbury, Connecticut
Feb 26 The Classroom Middletown, New York
Feb 27 Hangar 84 Vineland, New Jersey
Mar 1 Club Octane Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Mar 2 The Lighthouse Frankfort, Illinois
Mar 17 House Of Rock Corpus Christi, Texas
Mar 18 Emo's- Day Show Austin, Texas
Mar 18 White Rabbit- Night show San Antonio, Texas
Mar 19 The Village Little Rock, Arkansas
Mar 21 Gallery 13 Columbus, Georgia
Mar 22 The Warehouse East Ridge, Tennessee

Terre Thaemlitz's Deep Thoughts with Resident Advisor's Editor

This particular interview is so interesting and in-depth that I haven't even had the chance to finish watching it. Terre Thaemlitz has been better known, recently, as DJ Sprinkles - the artist who produced the #1 electronic music album of 2009, according to Resident Advisor. I'm not alone in admitting that this album completely passed across my radar until it was dubbed the king of last year, and I immediately fell in love with it. Twenty-ten is the year of deep house as far as I'm concerned, and no matter how prevalent house has been in both New York and electronic music's rich history I regard its currently coined "renaissance" as truth.



The few things I knew about Terre is that he'd been a long-time house producer/DJ in New York for years, and is currently living in Japan. Not Tokyo, but outside in the country in a gorgeous atmosphere that breeds his unique creativity. He's also a transvestite. Or maybe transgendered, but I've not dug that deep. He is highly opinionated and has perspectives on house and music in general that are obscure, different and thought-provoking. Interviewing him here is Todd Burns, the editor of Resident Advisor, whom I believe to be a major reason behind the increased (increasing) quality of RA's content over the last few years.

Basically, if you are a fan of music in any way, shape or form, this video is worth watching.

Metal Essentials: At The Gates 'The Flames of the End' DVD Box Set

The entirety of this past weekend was filled with Unsound moments, but before the mayhem began on Friday evening I attended a screening for what will be part of the forthcoming At The Gates box set. The first disc is comprised of 'Under a Serpent Sun: The Story of At the Gates,' which was filmed and directed by founding member Anders Björler, who was in attendance that afternoon. With a band lifespan that only existed from 1990 to 1996, the documentary was rich with information of the growth of metal in and around Gothenburg in the late 80s. Dropping names like Grotesque (which would later evolve into At the Gates) and Dark Tranquility, members of the band talked about Cascade fanzine and the bus route surrounding Billdal that united all of these factors and formed their underground community.



A great deal of attention is given to Alf Svensson, who left the band in 1993 to open his own tattoo shop. He went on to form Oxiplegatz, which is a music project I'm now in the process of hunting down. There was also mention, towards the end, of twin brothers Anders and Jonas Björler's involvement with The Haunted, which is definitely one of the best bands to come out of the Swedish metal scene. Overall, the screening was just a taste of the box set's entirety, and it looks to be an impressive collector's item for any fan. Though Anders lived through the entire experience, making a documentary years after his band's existence is no small feat and it was well executed because of its constant flow of history and portrayals of each member's down to earth personalities.

From Noisecreep: "The set will be limited to just 300 copies, and will include the forthcoming three-DVD set, 'The Flames of the End,' which boasts a new two-hour documentary and a live DVD of At the Gates' iconic performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in 2008. The set will also feature a collection of rare and archive footage of the band playing around the world from 1991 to 2008."

Definitely worth pre-ordering, which you can do here.

The Exotic Appetizer: Unsound With Vladislav Delay & Sebastian Meissner

Sebastian Meissner

It'd be no surprise to say, two weeks from now, that the New York installment of Poland's Unsound Festival blew my mind. But the fact is that it already did so tonight, and in such an unconventional manner, comes as a shock. Month after month, the Bunker parties as well as my few but favorably attended Wordless Music events have consistently impressed and enlightened me. Unsound's opening reception - featuring Vladislav Delay + visual artist Lillevan as well as Sebastian Meissner leading the Kwartludium quartet - was a deconstruction of established ideas, and left my American mindset feeling completely mindfucked. While it was happening, I couldn't understand, but as both performances came to an end and a few discussions were had, the mission to blow apart expectation, regimentation and perception was coming in to focus.

Sebastian Meissner's conduction of a four musicians set against a handful of SST classics was far from a cover band. In all honestly, I went into the event believing I had no preconceived notions about how this "modern classical interpretation" was going to unravel. I was wrong...I think. I had expected, perhaps, to hear as much as one riff or one famous vocal line translated through the violin or piano atop a dubby whirl of live samples and loops, but it wasn't the case. This was not an ambient filtering of punk, but a complete deconstruction (there's that word again) of some of the simplest sonic structures. It was best commented on after the event by a friend, who acknowledged the difference between a city of, say, New York and those that make up the cultural backgrounds of Unsound's Eastern European lineup. Poland. Romania. Belarus. Ukraine... These countries are vast and far more ancient than most of North America's development, and their cities and roads were developed on anything but a grid system.

One other amazing comparison made by such friend was that of going to a fine restaurant and trying something new. The chef takes one exotic element and piles one or two other exotic elements on top, but it's so small and you taste it and in an instant it's over and you say, "Well, what the hell was that?!" After about seven or eight courses, though, you begin to understand the purpose of that first course in the big picture, and it all ties together and harmonizes the palette somehow. Ultimately, this could be the genius that lies ahead at the close of the Unsound Festival...let's see.

Unsound Festival Debuts In New York TODAY

My anticipation for the Unsound Festival's premiere in New York has been relatively short, but more intense than any Christmas morning I have ever looked forward to. During the next 10 days, areas of New York City will be saturated with some of the most experimental music in the truest sense of the word. Both Ronin of Wordless Music and Bryan Beyond/The Bunker are two of the handful of talented, significant promoters in America, and they've all paired up with festival founder Mat Schulz, whose been in town planning this massive feat.

"After seven editions in its native Kraków, Poland, Unsound Festival comes to New York for its USA debut. Stationing itself across several venues throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, this bold, uniquely modern program of music will take in everything from classical music to post-rock, electronica to noise and beyond.

Eastern Promise a cornerstone of the festival will expose a broad range of artists from Poland, Romania, Ukraine and Belarus. The Unsound Warhol series features events dedicated to and inspired by Andy Warhol. Additionally the festival includes a kids-only workshop in electronic music, two "Silence & Noise" nights devoted to post-rock, noise and drone, a Brooklyn electronic music showcase, two Bunker nights featuring the very best in contemporary techno/house and a special Bass Mutations showcase dedicated to dubstep & its variations. Both Festival weekends will also include panels and workshops."

For the most comprehensive breakdown of the festival, please visit its press page at Backspin Promotions.

Artists include: 2562 (Netherlands), ACME (USA), Pavel Ambiont (Belarus), Vince Aletti (USA), Borne (USA), Blondes (USA), Kabir Carter (USA), Eric Cloutier (USA), Carl Craig (USA), Marcin Czubala (Poland), David Daniell (USA), Vladislav Delay (Finland), Ensemble LPR (USA), Falty DL (USA), Groupshow (Jan Jelinek, Andrew Pekler, Hanno Leichtmann) (Germany), Tim Hecker (Canada), Luke Hess (USA), Ezekiel Honig (USA), Mike Huckaby (USA), Petre Inspirescu (Romania), Jacaszek (Poland), Jan Jelinek (Germany), Kadebostan (Germany), Alexander Kaline (USA), Konque (USA), Kwartludium (Poland), Legowelt (Netherlands), Hanno Leichtmann (Germany), Alan Licht (USA), Lillevan (Germany), Sebastian Meissner (Germany), Moritz Von Oswald Trio (Germany), Mountains (USA), Nadja (Canada), Neurotic Drum Band (USA), Newworldaquarium (Netherlands), nsi. (Germany), Joshua Ott (USA), Andrew Pekler (Germany), Tristian Perich (USA), Derek Plaslaiko (USA), Pole (Germany), Barbara Preisinger (Germany), Dave Q (USA), DJ Qu (USA), Radian (Austria), Lee Renaldo (USA), Simon Reynolds (USA), Patrick Russell (USA), Sawako (USA / Japan), Anthony “Shake” Shakir (USA), Sepalcure (USA), Michael J. Schumacher (USA), Mike Servito (USA), Jacek Sienkiewicz (Poland), Spinoza (USA), Asa Stjerna (Sweden), Morton Subotnick (USA), Tape (Sweden), Tobias. (Germany), TRG (Romania), Untold (UK), Levon Vincent (USA), Xavier Van Wersch (Netherlands), Bora Yoon (USA), Zavoloka (Ukraine) and Zenial (Poland)

Head over to Halcyon's digital shop, to download a free compilation featuring artists performing at Unsound from February 4th - February 14th.