Necro Deathmort - This Beat is Necro Deathmort

Necro Deathmort release their debut album on Distraction Records on 31st August.

Necro Deathmort is Matthew Rozeik and AJ Cookson and their amusingly titled album This Beat Is Necrotronic is a real cacophony of sounds and genres.  Yes its noisy but there is more to it than that. Multi-layered soundscapes conjour up contemporary visions of 1980s industrial metal bashers Test Department and SPK and the classic DJ Shadow debut album Entroducing, while I can also hear echoes of Krautrock, death metal, drone metal, and the electronica experimentalism of Aphex Twin.

Necro Deathmort create a twenty-first century mushroom-chewing trip for the offspring of Hawkwind and Gong fans, erring more towards synthetic noise and metallic chaos rather than freeform love and jazz.

From the album intro white noise and funky drone beat of Woburn Place Corner it is clear this isn’t going to be a commercial trip.  This assault spills over to Splith (Spill Your Filth) but the third track, Hurt Me I’m Bored,  drops the onslaught and offers a calm, gentle moment in which to gather your senses.   This track is closer to prog rock and krautrock than the opening gust of noise.  Hurt Me I’m Bored builds slowly with drone metal distorted guitars; and as the drums rise, at one point I thought the whole thing was going to switch to a speed metal onslaught of Napalm Death proportions. But in true prog rock tradition the epic sound continues to build for a full six minutes without going anyway.

I like the way tracks merge into each other giving the album a concept that becomes one long trip rather than individual tracks that can be plucked from the album and heard in the same sense as a single iTunes downloadable song.  Albums should sometimes be heard as albums, not a collection of tracks that can be randomly chosen to play in any order.

The album includes some great titles too. How can you not want to hear tracks like Origami Werewolf and I Fought The Law But The Law Won (Because Fighting Is Against The Law)?

Necro Deathmort’s This Beat is Necrotronic is a wonderful album.  But not to be played on Sunday mornings or at house-warming parties thrown to impress your new neighbours.  This music is as hard as nails and as deep as it is loud.

Listen to and buy This Beat is Necrotronic direct from Distraction Records.

d_rradio remixed

d_rradio remixed – album review (Distraction Records)
Release Date: 6th October

Earlier this year d_rradio followed their 2007 mini album release, the brilliant Underscore, with the truly sumptuous and delightful self-titled debut album. It remains one of my favourite albums of the year; so imagine my delight when I became aware that Distraction Records were to release d_rradio remixed!

All ten tracks from the original album are given the remix treatment here, and each one broadens the beautiful charm and sublime electronica sounds that set d_rradio apart from many of today’s minimal electronica experimentalism.

The album opens with Cathode’s crackling glitch remix of my favourite track from the debut album, Paper Soul.

The remixes  stretch d_rradio far and wide from the twitchy glitches of Cathode’s Paper Soul remix and Juxta Phona’s reworking of So Long to the more uptempo beat-driven Twisted by Populous, a remix of Rest Of Your Life and minimal dub electronica of Depth Affect’s remix of Bag Of Lovely.

Along with Paper Soul, The Matinee Orchestra remix of Wish For More Wishes is a favourite.  They have managed to take the mangled beauty of the original and enhance it with a more uptempo skipping beat along the way.

Though the tracks have not been remixed by d_rradio, Remixed manages to keep the essence and beauty that is ever present in all d_rradio releases.

The album is a limited edition of only 500 copies, so don’t hesitate to buy this one.

d_rradio will be featuring twice in my end of year – favourite albums of 2008 – list.  But can there not be a law that states d_rradio have to release more records than they do?

The limited edition album is due out on 8th September will include remixes from Manual, Depth Affect, The Matinee Orchestra, Cathode, OffTheSky, Piano Magic, Matthew Rozeik, Populous, Juxta Phona, and Port-Royal.

This digipaked bundle of joy will be limited to 500 copies only, and will be on sale soon.

d_rradio’s MySpace page succinctly sums up their beautiful electronica music by say, d_rradio make music with a graceful, timeless sound and a joyously mesmerizing feel. Warm, vibrant and widescreen in production, the melodies and rhythms have a subtle lightness of touch and a melancholic sense of hope. Difficult to pin down and easy to fall in love with, this music has a clear intention; to make you feel alive.

I totally agree and couldn’t have written it better myself.

You can listen to d_rradio on MySpace.

There’s not been much noise from Distraction Records lately, and that’s because they’ve been busy beavering away on getting things sorted for what promises to be, the biggest and best Distraction Records Weekender yet.

Remember! August 8th, 9th and 10th sees the Distraction Weekender hit Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s Cluny again for yet more aural innovation, future players, and diverse sonic excursions. As always, accept no imitations, this one’s going to be a cracker.

The line-up includes:

Friday 8th August

School of Language, Milky Wimpshake, The Matinee Orchestra, Pale Man Made, and St. James Infirmary with the Cuckoo’s Nest DJs bringing the tunes!

Saturday 9th August

The Week That Was, Moira Stewart, Wroooaar!, Warm Digits, BluntWoundTrauma, B>E>A>K, The Black Static Of Summer, The Big Oaks, and Nathalie Stern; plus d_rradio and DJ Search Warrant on the wheels of steel.

Sunday 10th August

Unicorn Love, Kylie Minoise, Seppuku, Mutant Ape, Goathanger, Eye Shaking Kingdom, BONG, Rough Sex Quartet, Joe Pesci, Mariposa, and Michael Flatley Knifefight. DJ Search Warrant and the Jazzfinger Sound System plug the gaps with more joyous noise-on-wax. There’s also going to be a very special guest.

d_rradio (pronounced D R Radio) have created a wonderful self-titled debut album on Distraction Records that spans a wide spectrum of electronica genres. Apparently three years in the making, the result is a beautifully crafted album that will hopefully gain the group the recognition they deserve.

Ten self-penned songs offer an eclectic mix which opens with a psychedelic ambience. Paper Soul, with its lethargic, hazy summer-fresh electronica sounds, is a gentle introduction that makes way for a more uptempo second track – A Life Alive, with its harder beat and analogue sounds.

Rest Of Your Life offers a slice of synth pop with a rhythm reminiscent of Pete Wylie’s classic eighties pop song – It’s Sinful.

Long Way Home closes the album as it began, with a more gentle drift through the electronica ambience of Melodic artists such as Pedro and Minotaur Shock. A favourite track is the electronica doodling of Bag Of Lovely, mellow rambling rhythms laced with soft easy listening innovation.

Prior to this album, the three-piece have released three singles on Distraction Records and a well received mini album entitled U_nderscore on Static Caravan but this is my introduction to the wide and diverse sounds of d_rradio, and I am now looking out for more.