DEAD BRAIN

Subcity Radio: Stay Fresh 2010 // Illustrations

2010-10-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

Lunch

The Dancin

Takeaways

Parks

Lunch

Shows

Parks

Shows

Shows

Cry Parrot Compilation 3

2010-09-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

The promotions collective Cry Parrot is a labor of love and one I've been happy to help out with more and more since meeting main parrot and big dog Fielding Hope a few years ago. We put together a new compilation which was launched last Sunday, thanks to all those that came down, big ups to all those that danced to Divine's Alphabet Rap and all that Carimba Funk. Shame I didn't have TLC's No Scrubs...next time.

The compilation is available via Winning Sperm Party. The pant wetting tracklist is below:

1) Shot Down You Summer Wannebees - Adam Stafford -
2) A Ritual - Prayer Rug
3) Gumbo - Gummy Stumps
4) Goodbye To All That - Small Scale Collisions
5) Know The Letter Know The Language - Fur Hood
6) Sprayed with Blood - Galoshins
7) Avocado Dream Triangle - Ben Butler & Mousepad
8) Contact High - Blue Sabbath Black Fiji
9) Ladyfingers - Ultimate Thrush
10) Oatcakes Oatcakes - Wounded Knee
11) Paris - Streets of Rage
12) Sunday (afternoon) - Tangles
13) Memory Circle - Cheer
14) Street Juice - Eternal Fags

Mixtape // Ice Cream Anchor

2010-07-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

For anyone staying indoors listening to records this summer, you make my heart beat, but I've spent a few days inside picking out some sweet jams so you can put it on your system and spend at least 35mins outside. If it rains, I hope you don't get sprung by a double arc rainbow and ball it like a daft hippie.

Ice Cream Anchor
beats // crunk // dub // disco

1) Today - Jefferson Airplane
2) Anchor Records - Paul White
3) Konotakosu Yaro - Dizz1
4) You Don't Know Michelle - OMG Michelle
5) Flight Delay - The Afrikan Space Program
6) Hard Boiled Babe - Lizzy Mercier Delcloix
7) Your Words Matter - Midland & Ramadanman
8) Perfussion - Lil Silva
9) Dem a Pree - Mr Lexx
10) Crazy (Cryptical Remix) - Arrogance
11) Invert (Parce que Edit) - Discodiene
12) Life of a Scholar - 3 Titans
13) Pressure - Pursuit Grooves
14) She's Acid - Funkineven
15) How Does It Make You Feel - Africa Hitech
16) Let Me Drive Now - Helixir
17) Actual Pain - Greena
18) El Presedente - Headhunter & Djunya
19) Shallow Tears (Teengirl Fantasy Big Room Mix) - Light Asylum
20) Starfox - Kuedo

http://subcity.org/josh/Ice_Cream_Anchor.mp3

Subcity Soundclash #2

2010-04-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

Second time round for Subcity Soundclash, and our latest batch of noise-weirdos aim to do things a little differently. Whereas 'Clash of the Bawbags' brought you the station's premium dance instigators and a visual display to match, 'Clash of the Freaks' promises a sensory assault as these spot-lit sonic bastards push the limits of your human ear drums and eyeballs with individual aural fits and a six-way improvised noise jam.

Performing in an open circle lay-out in the neo-gothic surroundings of the University of Glasgow's Concert Hall, Subcity invites anyone stupid (or brave) enough to come along to wander in-between banks of effects, loops, hypnotic metal, audience interaction, synthesizer manipulation, vinyl experimentation and guitar shredding from

Vickie McDonald
Lewis Scarecrow
Concrete Broner
Robinson Dadson
Splashy The Blame-Shifter
Harry Parlane

The recording is up on the Subcity Soundclash page.

Bob Gnarley

2010-04-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

Bob Gnarley is my compiled mixtapes of all things heavy and dirty, the embryonic ambient, black metal, beats and curiousity. The distorted and serene mixture cuts any inane chatter with interviews. There are people are more interesting than Bob.

Episode 1 // Streets of Rage
Episode 2 // Hudson Mohawke
Episode 3 // Wounded Knee & RM Hubbert

Wounded Knee & RM Hubbert

2010-04-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

Now that the Subcity bass bunker is operational, we headed out to our garden and turned the leccie off (well most of it), we invited...

Wounded Knee // RM Hubbert

Wounded Knee is a vocal artist from Edinburgh, he incorporates a postmodern Hebridean waulking song ethic with one of the most accomplished dramatic tenors in contemporary music, forming a unique hypnotic sound that is without cliché or match. His live style mediates toward improvised journeys into vocal realisation with performances reaching an almost primal level. Song, spoken word and sound effects drawing influences from as far afield as Gaelic psalm, improvisation and throat techniques à la Bobby McFerrin and even scat. At the heart, a modern symbiosis of folk and mantra, culminating in an artist who is unique, playful and captivating.

RM Hubbert makes a rich and emotive sounds through a subtle yet intense guitar technique. Collecting styles from around the world, such as flamenco and taiko - and fusing them with his Glaswegian post-rock roots (he was formerly a member of El Hombre Trajeado), his debut album 'First & Last' is available in physical or pay-what-you-want download. After recently supporting Silver Mt. Zion and playing a series of play-for-food gigs, Hubby will be coming round our bit.

The event was in association with Cry Parrot's birthday, celebrating three years of collective non-profit promotions.

Cheesy & Zambo

2010-03-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

This louche duo will provide your party with the lot: bass bins, Technics stuff, Martin Audio stuff, Klark Technik, Raine, Midas, EAW, JBL, BSS etc.

Although, some of us require 8 bass-bins, they can provide a smaller party pack, CDJs, a single speaker, Cheesy has even stomped through Kelvin Park with a mixer on his back because a punter was wanting. Some of their loyal clients include Glasgow clubs and club-nights, Mixed Bizness, Sub Club, The Arches, Thunder Disco Club, Itch and Onemoretune.

They also have a video wall for hire.

Mixtape // Deb

2010-03-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

A mix of saw-tooth skwee, vogue-crunk, smatteredd with some hazey disco:

Deb

Nurse With Wound - The Six Buttons Of Sex Appeal
Captain Credible - Golden Spaceship vs. Zombie Aliens
Randy Barracuda - Skwee Like a Pig
Time Zone - World Destruction
Dimlite - Quiz Tears
NightWaves - She’s Electric (Vega Dub)
ESG - The Beat
Limonious - Swedish Pommack
Starkey - Gutter Music
House of Ladosha - Burning Like Paris
Jib Kidder - Murdergong
Zomby - Godzilla
South Rakkas Crew - Choo Choo Beep (+81)
Gatto Viola - Backstabbin Angie For A Ten Bag Dub
Gold Panda - Heaps
Aida - Number One
Canyons - Dancing On Silk
Robert Logan - Sanza
Anata Wa Sukkari Tsukarete Shimai - Bearskins
TSu Bo ft. Anbuley - Ku Bo Blood Shake RMX
DJ Spin Laden - Whip That
Pill Wonder - What We Know
J'Envoi - Miami Stud

Mixtape // Apollo Cake

2010-02-25T05:47:00.000-08:00

Side A: Williamsburg Egg Man

Apollo Ghosts - Bad Apple
Consolidated - There is a Mountain of Blood
ESG - Your No Good
Duchess Says - Black Flag
Neon Indian - Mind Drips
Becoming Real - Let the Right One In
All Night Radio - Oh, When?
Hawnay Troof - Body Armageddon
Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love
Rexy - Perfect Day
The Fresh and Onlys - Peacock and Whig

Side B: Supervisor Lounge

Intro
J Dilla - Wild
Paul White - Ultra Violet
Vinonaamaskiso - Ridarholmen
Constrobuz - Fecal Vomiting
Hymnal - Farmer John (live)
Friends - Summer Sunday Blues

Glasgow Film Festival

2010-02-25T05:15:00.001-08:00

Visual AIDS is a VJ and designer, with a gauche, crass and dick infested style, Shaun Fae Solar (aka Visual AIDS) has been nothing but a treat to work with, sharing a taste for the bold and illustrated side of design, we have worked on a couple of things together. The latest bit is a flyer for the Glasgow Film Festival.

John Maus

2009-10-14T17:53:00.001-07:00

John Maus’s songs are intense and emotional, existing beyond the restrictions of pallid genre policing --this policing has resigned to tag it “nostalgic”. His music follows a tradition, a tradition that toils with a truth that he has outlined in his thesis on punk rock. Whereas some of his early work explored a more experimental discipline, recent albums Songs and Love is Real have explored those 11 maxims, the 'truth of vagueness and the vagueness of truth' and priviledge a raw and penetrating pop.

Prior to his performance in Glasgow, at a Cry Parrot fundraiser, I interviewed John Maus about his recent teaching work in Hawaii, his new album, moving back to Minnesota and how his theses relates to the distribution of art and politics. John Maus is for real.

The interview is availble via the Subcity website.

Art Brut

2009-08-25T00:12:00.000-07:00

This is what Eddie Argos had to say about the event:

"Now that all the outdoor festivals are done though. I feel I should write about my favourite. My favourite festival we played this year was the Anonymous Festival in Dorchester.

The Anonymous festival was held at an old Roman Amphitheater in Dorchester and was organised by Dorchester Youth Extra. They are kids improving the area they live in. They got a skate park built recently too. It was a pretty surreal thing to play. All the other bands were from the local area. I was impressed with the quality of them. Local bands in Poole, which is where I grew up and just down the road, were all terrible when I lived there. Apparently the high quality now is due to a local studio all the kids get to use for free (or cheap) in Bridport. Of all the acts I saw the person I was most impressed with was a guy in the acoustic tent called Aiden Smith. He had loads of songs about stealing cars, drinking and all the women he has loved. Pretty impressive for a 15 year old boy."

Captain Credible

2009-07-02T00:56:00.000-07:00

If computers did try to take over the world, one man who couldn’t stop them is gravel-throat John Connor --that charmless ass kicking is not the way to get it done. Technology is our friend...John, stop blowing up computers! Well, who could placate a furious horde of machines? Apple are almost as ubiquitous as Skynet, so maybe Stephen Jobs, but it might end like Franz “The Flying Tailor” Reichelt who jumped from the Eiffel Tower in his very own “parachute” invention, disrupted his bowels in bespoke tailoring and then promptly hit the ground. Dead. We need a softer touch to have our machines wagging their tails in delight, squealing in digital rapture, and cooing binary. We need Captain Credible.

The English born, Norwegian based artist has a bevy of handcrafted noise machines, which he commands into a bombastic 8-bit sound that is noise and chiptune at its weirdest and most furious. Although, Jessica Rylan has created her own batch of synths that share some similar mechanics, what she has used to make an intimate, conversational music; Captain Credible has made into something more akin to DJ Scotch Egg than Can’t. His home-spun future-shock is filled with absurdities, lyrics about zombie aliens, cakes, and elephants. It twitches and eeks and jumps down your earholes like some post cyber bacteria of videogame-gabba.

The Captain’s “robots’’ can be got on his website, their retrofuturistic design combines painted recycled elements with contemporary electronics. The Flaming Robox is part recycled lighter fluid tin, part self oscillating noise generator --according to the Captain its equipped with “a control for the frequency of sillyness.” Ace! So what else is in his troop? The Epileptic Bird Synth which has a wee Bluebird on it and has some hand knitted wiring --ahhwww. Then it gets turned on and jitters like Woody Allen and Ray Cummings trying out their A game after espresso two pinters.

Captain Credible's latest invention is a Programmable Midi Kalimba which was created with a vinyl, a drum-stick, a midi-controller, a hairclip plus a Captain Credible sticker. It has exicited me so much i might just start Instrument of the Week on Dead Brain.

Behold the website from the man who created Darth Fader.

If your geek is still not satisfied, get tuned to ASCII --the first ever videogames based radio show in the UK-- that’s been broadcasting chiptune and videogame remixes since 2005 from the Subcity studio. Hosted by gamers Tim and Euan , the music is as varied as the videogames discussed. Expect a core of chiptune both original and remixed with a healthy amount of gabba, jpop, original soundtracks and intense Mario Kart battles. Get there up holding L1, R2, X, X, Y then press start. Or for a heavy dose of dystopia in picutres/words format you could read/re-read the darkly hilarious and quite wonderful Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson.

Winning Sperm Party

2009-03-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

I dont care if your socks are wet, or you forgot to dry your hair before you left the house, suck up your sniffles (like the two ghouls in the poster) and head to the lastest Winning Sperm Party show.

Due to their Winning Sperm Part Radio session being soo loud they set-off an alarm in a cash-machine --the set was cut short by security. Now, Stomachs return with a full, unhindered set of thrashy riffs and bass violence.

Fordamage's les hommes et la femme, journey from Nantes to blister our hides with a sharp dose of noise rock.

C

2009-03-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Get eating, get well.

Mjørk Princesse

2009-02-28T06:47:00.000-08:00

Lotte Åas-Hansen has just moved into a new home, its an old milk factory by the railway tracks in Årnes. This is a celebration of the occasion in print.

Wrapping Paper

2008-12-22T10:17:00.001-08:00

Also here is the new bavarian Liberty Belle, say "Hallo!"

Dead Brain - Ink, paint and paper

Santa had a long night and just wanted to say hello! This is my wrapping paper fo Christmas 2008

Dead Brain - Ink, paint and paper

Popolo

2008-10-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

The poster for Popolo was made after their show at the Captain's Rest.

Monday night was carbonated with the pop pump that is Popolo. This isn't some Italians on motorcycles saying “ciao” but a taut four-piece from Dundee that overflow with jagged instrumentals. This isn't the same austere epic instrumentals of Fuck Buttons, but bite-size songs. The melodies are sharp like a meat cleaver stamping down hard on the listener. One squeal from the guitar did evoke a small wave of tinnitus that recoiled some in the audience to the walls, but all expectations were continually torn up as jarring guitar loops flooded with an accelerating rhythm section that created bursts of sound that were swiftly lead by harmonious guitar lines akin to Deerhoof. Its quite strange watching an exuberant band play instrumentals, you half expect a troop of dancers to arrive but are meet with the bassists back. So create your own dance troop and go watch Popolo!