This techno-minded industrial duo seem bent on the marriage of creepy, mechanised atmospherics with a furious dance sensibility that sounds like a shoe-in soundtrack for a robot fight-sequence. Pumping beats, machine-like samples and howling guitars combine to create an angry sound that's both infectious and ever so slightly scary - in a good way.
Short of a riot, it's doubtful you'll hear a more manic or angry sound this year.
Not content with the division of punk rock, electronica and industrial dance music, Mainstream Distortion are clearly convinced that the three go together. Some Bizarre Records agreed, and signed them in mid 2005. Their recently released debut album "Bully", dedicated to 'the bullied and those who torture them', comes with a bonus video for 'Insect'. Shot by none other than Alex Chandon - a cult direcotr responsible for cult screamplay 'Cradle Of Fear' - it's clear this genre-bending duo come from a very dark place indeed.
BBC WALES
For an adrenaline-pumping, muscular techno rock album, it's hard to imagine a more satisfying listen than Bully. It's an astonishing collision between melody and crunching beats.
While some of the thrills are cheap (the Prodigy-esque Thrust for instance), there's a razor-sharp intelligence to the song construction that will come as no surprise to those familiar with Craig's previous outfit, Janiero. Glutton is mired in babbling keyboard tinkling before it takes a breakneck joyride into hyperspeed metal. Golden Stars takes a huge riff that sounds like Cameo's Word Up and distorts it into a highly-digitised whirl of overlaid guitars and board stabs.
She's Gone, by contrast, is a slow, acoustic-based song with a disturbing minor-key slant to the vocals. As an album-closer it provides the perfect opposite to the growling bass and keyboard swamp of the single and first track Insect.
What Mainstream Distortion do is not new, but they do it incredibly well. There are flavours of Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Lionrock, The Prodigy, Tool and KMFDM here, but they're no cap-doffers - they do it their way.
ROCKSOUND - Sarah Cosgrove
Mainstream Distortion are the sound of rebellion and rage and someone has seriously pissed them off.
From it's menace-laced opener to its thundering title track, this debut is dedicated to the bullied and those who torture them. Taking a lead from NIN without nicking their cadence, they take us on an immaculately constituted trek through their world of anger and angst, with distorted guitar-laden industrial sounds matched by vociferous vocals and bare-as-balls lyrics.
"This is not 'A Pretty Hate Machine', more an 'engine of desire'".SG.
BUZZ
Emotions have sound, then meet paranoia. Borrowing heavily the industrial clangs of Nine Inch Nails and Ministry, Mainstream Distortion (aka Welsh duo Stitch and Craig Michael Orchard) add techno and demonic vocals to a sparse landscape of chugging guitars and synth bleeps to an awesome effect that saw them sell out TJ's on their debut gig. The video for single 'Insect' was directed by Alex 'Cradle Of Fear' Chandon and is available here as bonus material.
Chicks dig scars, everyone knows that, right? Meet Severence DeSnappio, a man who creates ‘fake’ injuries for desperate clients. He’ll get you a stab wound, shot gun blast, snowboarding injury - but a bite from a great white shark?
Set in Miami, Chicks Dig scars is a lyrical, Lynchian mix of dream logic and hard boiled detection.
Hey Hey - just dropping in to spread about some festive greetings...
Hope you're good...sorry to have been quiet at this end - busy keeping our heads down writing new material and general shennanagans.
Been a pretty mad year for us...although things are likely to get madder next year...still - looking forward to it.
Anyway - Just wishing you an excellent time of it...enjoy the holidays...don't overdo it on the drink - and have a great year in 2009!
All the very best
Sarah, Simon, Leigh, JB & James
The Dark Poets
The Album 'Gary Lucas Vs The Dark Poets' is on sale....also it's on iTunes as well as a host of other reputable download sites...
if you get a chance - also check out the new some bizzare double album "The only failure is to cease to try" (also on itunes) - a compilation album by the legendary electronic label.
This meaning “Beyond the Pale” outside the bounds of acceptable behaviour came much later, as did good manners (the absence continues,) now with the etiquette - the one aspect (don’t bend over in a chicken run) decorum , the expectations of social behaviour on the side walk of entrapment, pavement face to face as opposed to safeguarding to shield - some bizarre protection. There is no avoiding the dirt of cart wheels. For the Mothboy who’s windows are bricked up, was it just that he placed himself beyond the pale of society ? So, the only failure is to cease to try - as if he could not please himself, how was he to please his soul ? To be 'beyond the pale' was to be outside the area accepted as 'home', Step to the curb hand reached out, to only stand and deliver, with one for the road, as disgraceful as was day light robbery. Sip slow through the thru lips, as to ease the strain of execution.
Gary Lucas Vs Dark Poets contribution "Some Bizzare Double Album" SBZ 099 CD
Featuring 34 Some Bizzare Artists - The Compilation album.
An excellent companion to the original "Some Bizzare Album" - SBZ 101 CD OUT NOW (re-released).
Out now are 2 exclusive additional remixes of this classic tune from 2007 including Grid System's excellent reworking and Faskil’s new “Intro Mix”, taking the original and giving it a breaks and bass overhaul. This release is also a taster for Faskil’s Composure follow up release “Lava Bow” to be released in early 2008.
Faskil's productions have caught the ear of DJs such as Taucher, Paul Oakenfold, Jimmy Van M, Deepsky, Sultan and charted consistently in the Release and Balance Promo Pools.
Sasha, Jimmy Van M, Steve Lawler, Spooky, Hybrid, Deepsky, Sandra Collins, Graham Gold, Slacker, Armin Van Buurin, Taucher, Rowan Blades, Inkfish, Micah, Noel Sanger, Quivver, Steffano Greppi, Chris Fortier, Anthony Pappa, Jondi & Spesh, Jon Sinclair, Sultan, Onirika, Steve Porter, Guy Ornadel, Chris Cargo, Flash Brothers, Serge Devant, Villo, Flash Brothers and more....
Composure Records info@composurerecords.co.uk www.composurerecords.co.uk www.myspace.com/composurerecords www.myspace.com/composuremusic
