Blank Dogs on Disordered Records

Mike Sniper's Blank Dogs hasn't been active as far as I can tell since Feb 2011 when he posted about a possible new full length in the works. This single only came about because Rocco at the Italian label Disordered had been talking with Mike for literally years about doing a single and it was delayed for one reason or another but it looks like they finally connected. The B-Side remix from Mike Simonetti of former Troubleman Unlimited Records has, according to Billboard actually teamed up with Mike to release his own project Pale Blue under their new label, 2MR (2 Mike's Records). The It's been too long and any release is really a surprise at this point.

A-Side's "Pieces" is from their first release On Two Sides and what's to say really? It's still great, Mike managed to capture a really unique sound and his live setup was insane. I don't blame the guy for not wanting to lug analog boards around with patch wires when he's got a massive label now to run in Captured Tracks. I think the influence of Blank Dogs can't be understated though. They were everywhere at one time, on every label, the singles routinely went for ridiculous prices on ebay - it was exciting trying to piece together where this was even coming from. Every release was a scramble to track down before it was immediately gone. It might have been inevitably too much at once to live up to whatever he had in store next, but a track like this is a perfect example of his catchy, mysterious sound. Punk and electronic, I don't think there's anyone that could put those two things together quite like this. The Soft Moon seem to be almost hitting that same balance of creepy and punk as this but time will tell.
The B-Side is a remix from 2MR co-founder Mike Simonetti of the Pieces track and seems to have no direct obvious relation as far as I can tell. A subtle tom rhythm loops in under a sharp high hat click and sits on that repetition letting the tension pile on. A bubbly synth sound starts gradually fading in over this mechanical harsh dance track while some other emulated percussion sound slides in over the top of this. It's just slowly assembling itself over the course of track. Connected only by maybe the equipment used or base sounds from the original track but otherwise unrecognizable as having anything to do with the original.

Get this from Disordered Records. No idea who's carrying this here in the states, check discogs or Co-op 87 they might have a few.

Pink Reason - Negative Guest list on Disordered records

Just got word via The Hussy's facebook that this single (coincidentally on Disordered Records...I've been talking to Rocco here and there and an interview is in the works....probably about this very single) just hit the town...I heard Disordered was putting out a Pink Reason single but this Hussy remix is completely unexpected and awesome. Oh yea and a GNR cover! What a piece of work.
I'm going to go listen to both of Kevin's records tonight.

From Termbo:

Pink Reason - Negative Guest List Jukebox Single
Disordered Records - .5
300 copies


Side A:
Wrong/Right (The Hussy)
Dancehallocaust Remix




Side B:
Knockin' On Heaven's Door (G 'n' R)


A side is a remix of The Hussy's Wrong/Right. Why did we (Kevin Failure/Matt Horseshit) remix a song by The Hussy? Because Bazooka Joe asked us too, and they're nice kids from WI. Unfortunately the man was disappointed by the results and refused to include it on their single as planned. Sounds like if Brian Eno was trying to make Breakcore on an iPhone using only The Hussy samples.


B side is a studio recording featuring Jack Mannix (Circle Pit) on lead guitar and vocals, John Eastridge (Great Escape) on drums and vocals, and a dude named Carl that none of you know on Cello. The song featured extra editing and production by Matt Horseshit.


This record is limited to 300 copies. Each record comes in a hand made screen printed sleeve. Not hand screen printed, but a hand made sleeve that was then photocopies and finally screen printed.


This record will only be available directly through Pink Reason or in some select brick and mortar record stores. No online distros, eBay or Discogs. Please limit only one per customer.


US - 9$ PPD
Canada - 10$ PPD
World - 14$ PPD


20% of sales will be used to buy books for friends of the band currently serving time in prison, and to help fund Harm Reduction in Central Ohio.


paypal your address and the record title to:
pinkreason(at)gmail.com

Viva L'American Death Ray on Lo-Fi / Disordered Records

This one came in the other day from Rocco over at Disordered Records, looks like he teamed up with Lo-Fi Records also out of Italy for this single from Viva L'American Death Ray, a band I've been seeing a lot of releases out on Mexican Summer and I've been meaning to check out. Or it's that I've checked them out before and they keep turning out different every time? They aren't ever going in an easily definable or easily pigeonhole-able direction, so let's see where these two tracks are going.
"Wrong ways" on the A Side is a couple of layers of direct, slightly distorted electric melody playing in and around each other, a dense weave of brief single picked notes. A complex nervous melody for the see-saw bass groove to keep a hold of. A goofy story song about shoes, in an almost JSBX crazy screaming blues man style but more restrained. The shoes don't fit and chaos ensues, albeit within this ultra brief 2 minute punk structure.
The AA side with "Nothing" then sounds like an '80s era Lou Reed 4 track demo, right up to the mic, unemotional monotone vocals under a direct line in reverb guitar played to it's own rhythm despite an echo'd shaker. It's got the same kind of nihilism as Lou, he doesn't need anything either, and it's doing everything it shouldn't: making this really clear, direct statement about this choice to be a complete loner...in other hands this would be unlistenable, but they sem to have that disease where everything they touch turns to melody. That's not so bad now is it.
I also like the sleeve where every part of this guy is a middle finger, he really needs a friend.

The tough part is going to be in tracking this one down, try Disordered's blog or Psycheout's crazy wallpaper website.

P.S. God damn great interview, (well great because it's Captured Tracks anyway) at Clash Music, glad to hear their great attitude towards the single, and how it's played a role in their development...just how they treat their artists, making a ral go at a sustainable label of truly challenging contemporary music. One of the best.

Black Sunday on Disordered/RedLounge records

Rocco contacted me about a new Disordered Records single co-released with Red Lounge records and I was glad to hear his Italian label still had a few tricks up it's sleeve since it's untimely demise (?) a while back.
With a resume like Lost Sounds, River City Tanlines, Mouserocket, Ultracats, I have to say I wasn't expecting this kind of pop electronic slant on the A Side 'Can't keep my hands off u'. It's almost sounding like that Stephin Merritt side project, Future Bible Heroes. That same ultra pop, completely catchy sweet melody. Listen to the vocals and she's describing these scenes with 'dripping dirt and smelling sweat', there's something else a little sinister going on. I think that's where I get that Future Bible Heroes reference from. There's something a little rotten just under the surface. Black Sunday draws you in with this machine dance beat, layers of jumpy synth melody, all with those electronic piano type presets....but the whole 'can't keep my hands off u' chorus becomes something a little stalkery. This person might be up to no good actually, instead of a declaration of love. She might have to have her hands on you whether you like it or not.

The B-Side 'Lights' is more of a rock and roll jam, with a real crunchy guitar sound, a little dirtier. With plenty of hammond organ chords banged along with with the kick drum. Again, it could be enjoyed as catchy and fun, but these 'lights' she's talking about are 'making her sick' and 'feel dead' meanwhile sung in bubbly layered harmonies, with a different tone than the A-Side, they're a little Breeders, kind of breathy, falsetto...true to the name it's going to be a Black Sunday.

By the way she's also busy running her own label Contaminated records, where strangely this single isn't listed, but it might be worth dropping her a line over there, as it seems to have sold out from Goner and most other places.

7inch slam incidentally also had Alicja Trout over to make coconut ginger curry soup. Check it out.

black bug - on AVANT

Talking to Rocco from Disordered, this was originally going to be released there but has ended up on AVANT! records, and thank god because this is the kind of seven inch that I love to find out about lately. That gets me excited about music again, Black Bug is pushing the limits of technology and sound, using it in new ways that makes it so new again and then transferring to such an obsolete delivery device? Exactly what they're all about. It makes the transition into a sound artifact perfectly. It's more than just sounding analoge, it's bringing the DIY, hands on punk element into a genre that's gone overboard lately with processing and perfection. That's where this shines, the humans are back running the machine. Lily's delivery is dark and distorted, kind of yelling through the great, truly messed up electronics and original sounds. This is the translation of punk in the digital age, it's better than you thought it could be. Excellent release to be tracked down immediately. Uncategorizable, genius.
Based on this review of the A-side from Aquarius I'm headed over there immediately to pick this up.
Everything on their myspace will convince you.


BLACK BUG "I Don't Like You / You A Grave" (Avant!) 7" 8.98
Most female fronted, angry rock bands probably get tired of getting tagged Riot Grrl, especially since for all intents and purposes, Riot Grrl ceased to be relevant years ago, maybe even ceased to exist entirely. BUT, if anyone was hoping to spawn a revival, Black Bug would be the band to make it happen. The A side of this 7”, “I Don’t Like You” is a mother fucking ANTHEM. The main riff totally distorted and so in-the-red it threatens to just fall to pieces, but then the chorus kicks in, and another guitar, EVEN MORE distorted and heavy and high in the mix, lurches into action, and lays waste to EVERYTHING. The drums are a mere pitter pat when faced with such blown out riffage, but it doesn’t even matter. The vocals, though, seal the deal, distorted, wrapped in effects, howled with haughty pissed intensity, as loud and corrosive as the guitars it snarls around. And the hook, shit, if you gussied it up and got rid of some of the guitars and re-recorded it in a real studio we’re talking something like the Breeders’ “Cannonball”, but instead, as is, it’s a fierce fucked up, filthy fucking ANTHEM!
Like the Raveonettes if they were 13 years old, obsessed with Turbonegro, and SO pissed at their shit for brains boyfriend. Or maybe Daisy Chainsaw, but with a singer who is less waifish and sexy, and more bad ass and scary as shit. Reminds us a bit of Monarch punk rock alter ego Rainbow Of Death.
The flipside is not quite the ANTHEM as the A side, but it still slays, processed synthy buzz, tons of effects, this one more groovy and almost dance-y, in a sort of robotic way, more sassy pissed girl vocals. It’s not hard to imagine Black Bug waiting outside some dance club and then kicking the living shit out of Uffie. Hellz Yeah!!
Cool thick black and blue sleeve, pressed on coke bottle clear vinyl.

Episode11 of the podcast:
Codes in the clouds - fractures, be your own pet - blow your mind, the beast within (battle tape sessions), ACRE - a sheild of air
I do a black flag impression, talk shit. (17:41)

Disordered Records Interview

I came across Disordered records a while back looking for an Intelligence 7", and Rocco, from disordered emailed me back a few distro places to try in the US. They happened to be sold out, but months later our paths crossed again after I got into Digital Leather and saw Disordered had just released the 'Closed my eyes'7". Being based in Italy, I never really tried to order direct, I figured I would just have to track them down through the usual domestic places.
Well I must have been added to the Disordered mailing list after those exchanges, and thanks to g-chat we started randomly talking one day and I had to ask about his new label, I loved where every single was going, it was shaping up to be the greatest start to documenting a particular sound, a new dischord or rough trade or siltbreeze.
I know sometimes I might come off a little too strong in my insane love for 7"'s so I try to tone it down a bit when talking to people at the labels, but Rocco is more excited about 7"'s than possibly even me. I may have started a blog...but Rocco started Disorder, purely to curate a vision for this new sound, and in the format that made the most sense, that historically has been the medium for the new sound, it's cheap, but more formidable than a burned CD, and 7"'s continue to be relevant in the music landscape.

But then as soon as it started, it was over, I read a message on the myspace page about the label being finished. I had to ask Rocco about his experience as an up and coming European label, and what the future holds for Disorder.

In the short history of Disordered records your releases seem really focused on synth punk, lots of mutated electronics, distorted vocals, high energy. What is for you personally about this sound?

Well, I started listening to punk music about 8 years ago and I got a kind of "evolution"into my musical taste. At the beginning I listened to oi! and punk 77 because I searched into this the energy you are talking about. Then I started to see this music in a different way, so I deleted the "social meaning" that media use to put next to the punk and I saw them in a continous research of a new approach to play music and to interpretate the sound, usually keeping on its basis the r'n'r...and this how i actually see the punk..a kind of exploration of new sound that is based on aproximation and in energy,without any care about playing an instrument in a good way. I started buying a lot of LP's and 7"s about several indie labels like 'In the red records', 'Crypt' , Goner ,'S-S', and many many more. I just feel very lucky to listen to this music so I wanted to give my little contribution with a label that looked forward about the punk sound..and my personal thought was that in the 1977 synth punk bands as Units, Screamers, Nervous Gender, The Normal had that approach about punk music that I explained, so for me it was obvious starting from their sound to continue the search of a "new sound" that they found in 1977 with their music. One step beyond with every issue.

How has your experience been working with these bands? Did you approach it as a fan of this scene first or do you know them or were in contact with them in some other way?

I was just a fan of the bands I put out...I started this experience as a passion and I try to maintain a low profile because I didn't care about notoriety or business. I see culture (music,cinema,painting,etc) as a way of elevating the human being (as Schopenauer says), so money does not figure into this vision. Intelligence was the 1st band that accepted. I started co-releasing this issue with a friend of mine, the boss of Lo-Fi records at the beginning of 2007 and I countinued for 1 year until now from January 2007 - February 2008. A french dude called Mikael did the artwork and cover sleeves of the records on my label.

Did Disordered go beyond releasing records? Did you organize shows, etc?

Yes. I booked a spare of gigs into my town as feelers/clorox girls and I was into the organization (with Chiara, a florence girl and Massimino, a guy from naples of the 1st european tour of Digital Leather that was in October 2007. I had the luck to see Human Eye and Digital Leather playing the same night in madrid! Amazing show.

What's your experience with the music scene in Italy when it comes to synth-punk?

Well,about synth-punk, personally I don't know any synth punk band of italy.. but I saw recently a gig of a band of Turin called Movie Star Junkies that played an amazing show. I guess they are the best live Italian band. About their studio recordings, they are too much blues for my musical taste, but they are however great to play blues punk genre. There is also another band that never played live yet, but I like a lot their 7"s. They are called His Electro Blue Voice and they play an original post punk with the drummer's label 'Avant!' records,and we are co-releasing the Black Bug 7".

All your releases are in the 7" format. Was there something special about the seven inch in particular?

I just like 7" format. According to me is the best format for punk music. Moreover there are few good LPs into punk history.

Did you have plans for anything other than seven inches, were longer format releases a possibility in the future?

I guess no more. I think I already touched the top with the records I put out, so actually I don't see any other interesting band around the world.

What pressing plant did you use? How was your experience with them?

I used a pressing plant from Milan, but the upcoming release will be pressed in Verona. I hope they will work well as Milan dudes did!

Do you have any advice for anyone about pressing seven inches?

Hmmmmm. The only thing that I learned thanx to Scott Soriano (S-S Records boss,Sacto label) is that if you are going to put out a 45 rpm, each side must be no more than 4:30/5 minutes in order to have a good sound! About the 33 rpm, the right size would be of 6 minutes. (I did this mistake with human eye 7" because I didn't want to put as the b-side an instrumental song!)

I hope you have plans to continue the label, what's the future hold for disordered records?

This label has started as a projection of my mind, as a personal vision of music, and every issue should represent what was my vision of punk in the period it has been put out. I feel very proud that Scott Ryser, the Units singer, loves my label because I consider him a genius for his contribution to the world music through synth punk.
It's a shame that the media has stopped with the Sex Pistols, The Clash and Ramones because they have to retreive about 30 years of punk music. in 1977 the "No Future" slogan had a meaning but in the following years it evolved since nowdays and it will also in the future. It was born from nothing and it can transform in everything as a kind of energy.

Disordered will evolve in something else. It can be a short movie, a book or everything my mind wants. Surely it will be no more a music label. At least actually I think so. But I am pretty sure it won't.

Moreover i'd like to say that I am not a vinyl collector...i just have about 20 lps and 20 7"'s that are the result of several years of researching music that allowed me to build new thoughts and new scenes into my mind in order to find a dynamic equilibrium and new large horizons about vision of life...the chance of touching the endless through the ears.

---------- Rocco, Disordered records 2007 - 2008 ------------

Thanks Rocco, it's been really inspiring to talk to someone halfway around the world who is thinking about the same stuff musically and doing something about it, I hope a couple people follow your example and start a few labels of their own, I know I am going to.

Be sure to check out these distro places for Disordered records releases, they will be legendary.

USA

PUKENVOMIT

FLORIDA'S DYING

CONTAMINATED

BISTRO DISTRO

GONER

EUROPE

ITALY: HATE

GERMANY:GREENHELL,PTRASH,INCOGNITO

UK:HO DISTRO

FRANCE:YAKISAKANA

SWEDEN:KENROCK

Digital leather on florida's dying

I came across this label, Floridas dying, which actually is based in Florida and they have a million seven inches I have to research from some of the usual suspects, but I did stumble across this digital leather single.
I noticed disordered (from yesterday) put out one of his singles as well, but I think it's out of print.
I've been following this guy who's in my digital apocalypse future. What is it about this sound that I like so much? It's dark, anti-human, low-fi electronics, but still quick enough to get into. I don't think it's something I enjoy in the traditional sense, I'm more interested in this foreign world full of drunk robots and lasers.
Not that Shawn Foree isn't putting together great epic pop amidst the carnage, like 'My baby's dead' is huge, complete with dying guitar solos and planetarium soundtrack synths...it's the music that would be playing in some bmx movie in the early 90's.
I think it's a more successful version of what the Liars were trying to do with their latest self titles album, it's what I was hoping it would be...their demented interpretation of traditional structure etc...they went too literal. He's pushing this sound to it's meltdown. It's like a coherent Ariel pink.
There's all the mysterious sound you could hope for, but more than anything it has a sense of humor, thanks to a close up picture of some guys balls jammed into spandex shorts on the cover of his LP and lyrics and instrument choices. That LP has been repressed on trash colored vinyl for 10 bucks.
'I am a hologram', is great, he repeats this phrase over and over it trails out to silence and then this huge wave of static works it's way back into a chorus and the yelling is more frantic.
Go get this full length and the 7" on floridas dying.


DIGITAL LEATHER- Closed My Eyes 7"

(Disordered) $8.00
4 songs limited to 250 copies.

Disordered records - The end?

Just saw this today. I've been kind of putting Rocco's emails from Disordered records in a folder and waiting to check them like a jackass. I finally got around to them this morning and it turns out he's taking final orders for his last 2 7"'s.
There's also kind of a farewell blog post on the Disordered records myspace. Damn he was putting together really cool synth-punk stuff, a lot of 7"'s some full length stuff. I wonder what happened... future seven inches were cancelled...no one is making any money off seven inches except the people putting all this hard work on ebay and not giving a shit about the music.
Fuck.

So coincidentally enough Rocco IM'd me sometime yesterday and we briefly talked about NY, and how he's finishing university in Italy and was thinking of moving so the label needed to come to an end. Expect an interview in the near future...but in the meantime contact Rocco to get in on these last 2 7", which sound amazing, check out the label myspace, it's a great collection of punk bands playing electronics...that's what the future/present sounds like to me. Either your playing a suitcase full of effects and twisting sound into some kind of nightmare/dance party, or you are bashing them into submission in the tradition of punk. I like them both.

From Rocco:

so next releases should be in print this month and they will be the last ones.

they are:

BLACK BUG 7"(i don't like you/you a grave) 200 copies coreleased with AVANT! Records,the label run by HIS ELECTRO BLUE VOICE drummer.

DESTRUCTION UNIT 7"(250 copies),the band run by ryan wong of reatards,wongs,tokyo electron etc. with the help of Shawn Foree,leader of DIGITAL LEATHER.

and maybe a lathe 7" of 30 copies by TWIN CRYSTALS if the stuff is ready in these days.

thanx to all the bands i worked with:

INTELLIGENCE

DAN MELCHIOR

DIGITAL LEATHER

HUMAN EYE

all these people are great persons,thank you so much for having let me put some release of yours on vinyl.

and to all the distros and people that i meet in this wonderful experience.i grow up trought this label and i always thought that it should be a kind of proiection of my mind..of my musical tastes..it represents a kind of way of my musical knowledge.

and thanx to you that supported my label and bought my records..or that just listened to them on a shitty ipod!

peace

Rocco