Kill the Head

Here's the playlist for 03.05.2010.

I opened the show with a foray into minimal electronics, a mixture of minimal techno (Daniel Bell), neo-Pan Sonic groove research (Empyset) and modern underground noise (Forcefield). Using a track off the Susan Lawly-released compilation Extreme Music From African, I then transitioned into vintage field recordings from Africa and beyond. Fun stuff.

Later on I showcased one of my favorite modern industrial artists, Hum of the Druid (born Eric Stonefelt). Most noise dudes seem to classify H.o.t.D. as "harsh noise." But what I hear is a musician working in a tradition -- the fusion of acoustic-based sonic experimentation and mechanical grind -- that can be traced all the way back to Throbbing Gristle's Heathen Earth LP. Then again, genre tags mean very little in the larger scheme of things.

I'd like to mention just one other highlight, and it came in the middle of the show. I played two killer guitar jams: Kousokuya's 16-minute opus "The Omen" and To Live and Shave in L.A.'s "Nor Swollen-Bellied Comet Blown." The former is a prime example of psychedelic noise-rock from Japan, while the latter boats one of the coolests guitar licks -- courtesy of Mr. Velocity Hopkins -- that I've ever heard. Hopkins totally shreds, but what pushes his fancy fretwork over the top is how Shave maestro Tom Smith loops it, thus creating this vicious cyclical beast that becomes the anchor of the song. Whenever I hear To Live and Shave in L.A. I feel like I'm listening to a rock band from 40 years into the future. Smith and company are true visionaries.

That's about it for now. Don't forget: Kill the Head is taking a break for the next two weeks (Friday, March 12 and 19). I'm heading to the U.K. with my wife for a much-needed vacation. I return on Friday, March 26, and I will have a stack of new jams in tow. Be on the lookout.

Playlist: check it.

I opened the show with vicious, hard techno from one of my new faves, Ancient Methods. I played all four sides of the Berlin duo's last two twelve-inches: Third Method and Fourth Method. From there I slid into a long stretch of hypno-ambient cool: dubstep (Scuba), crystalline drone (Sam Goldberg), Midwest noise (The Dog Lady) and post-Skaters analog goo (Ancestral Diet). I can't say enough good things about Sam Goldberg in particular. Current, his newish album on the Weird Forest imprint, is just a gorgeous chunk of music, really well crafted and focused. It's like watching an afternoon sun creep across black sand. Plus, the cover art (up above) is pretty darn sweet. In fact, I'm re-listening right now. And yes, this Goldberg guy makes beautiful music.

This week's program (03.05) will be my last before the wife andI head to the United Kingodom for a two-week vacation. I will no doubt buy a plenty of jams to share with listeners upon my return. Kill the Head returns on 03.27. But do listen to the upcoming show. I have two new releases I can't wait to spin: Ganglians' Monster Head Room LP on Weird Forest (again) and Thomas Brinkmann's Walk With Me twelve-inch. Brinkmann could release a record with no grooves, and it would be a major event. The man is a living legend. So yeah, don't miss the show.

Until then...

Here's the playlist for 02.19.2010.

A good portion of last week's show consisted of a single epic set, one which began with the heady jazz-rock fusion of Soft Machine's III album and ended with Keith Hudson’s intensely murky Playling It Cool album, a dub classic. I filled the space between these two killer bookends with watery, often gooey, electronics: krautrock, dubstep, minimal techno and even more fair-out fusion. This sprawling set came to me in bits and pieces throughout the previous week. Each day a new segue popped into my head, so I started taking notes, fine-tuning, revising, etc. It wasn’t long before I had something special, something that seemed to flow like warm blood through the arteries. So yeah, it was a fun and utterly hypnotic show, if I do say so myself. Definitely check out the archives.

For this week’s program (02.25.2010) I’ve put together another set of hypnotic wonder. I won’t tip my hand too much but expect to hear a little Sam Goldberg, Scuba and those masters of Finnish psychedelia Avarus. I also plan to spin all four sides of Ancient Methods’ Third Method and Fourth Method twelve inches. For the uninitiated Ancient Methods is crafting some of the very best hard techno out there, and I feel like fans of pulsating fuzz, regardless of form or genre, really need to hear these records. They are phenomenal: heavy, funky and aggressive in an totally urban way.

One other thing: from now until June Kill the Head’s new hours are 5 to 7:30 p.m. That’s right -- an extra half hour tacked on to the end. That means more freaky jams for sure.