Here I am, on Hallowe'en night, choosing my favourite IDM / electronica to accompany your fright-filled evening of... oh you've got the idea by now. This is the final one of the series. See the other posts here. See the introduction to the whole thing here.
Artist: Orbital
Track: The Box
Album: In Sides
Year: 1996
I got the idea for ten Hallowe'en posts while watching Mark Gatiss' excellent History Of Horror TV series, which featured Orbital's The Box as background music.
Orbital's Satan may have been more appropriate - that track even samples a line from, I think, the Twilight episode Nightmare At 20,000 Feet.
But The Box was a sublime moment in which both sides of the vinyl release told an epic story in sound pictures: a horror film with no script. The creaking, the wooden chords, the chilling insistence of the clattering beats. Superb.
As a fan of everything from The Stand to Sam Raimi, from Dracula to Dark Water, I've always reserved a warm, soft place in my bloody heart for Hallowe'en. I like the nights drawing in, a creeping shroud to chill your bones. Thank you for joining me on my Hallowe'en quest. It's the ideal time for some dark electronica tunes - I hope you've discovered some good ones tonight.
Don't have nightmares.
Showing posts with label halloween10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label halloween10. Show all posts
Oct 31, 2010
The devil has all the best IDM: Moderat
Here I am, on Hallowe'en night, choosing my favourite IDM / electronica to accompany your fright-filled evening of pumpkin soup, bad clothes and legal doorstep extortion. See the other posts in this series here. See the introduction to the whole thing here.
Artist: Moderat
Tracks: 3 Minutes Of / Nasty Silence
Album: Moderat
Year: 2009
A Berlin commuter uploaded a video that's enough to kill any Hallowe'en mood, but anyhoo, here's a slice of ambient electronica that's all rather Sigur Ros until the sound funnels into a grumpy piece of downplayed techno full of snappy bass kicks (note how the video changes too... clever commuter).
These are actually two tracks that run together on Moderat's eponymous EP, the first, 3 Minutes Of, being the moody Hyde while the second, Nasty Silence, being the more clinical and ordered Jekyll (and no less sinister for it).
There's no overt horror here, just some unsettling suggestion. In the same way that some of the most unnerving scenes in the Shining are the scenes of normality (driving in a car, eating breakfast together, getting knifey on your wifey... wait, not that last one...)
Artist: Moderat
Tracks: 3 Minutes Of / Nasty Silence
Album: Moderat
Year: 2009
A Berlin commuter uploaded a video that's enough to kill any Hallowe'en mood, but anyhoo, here's a slice of ambient electronica that's all rather Sigur Ros until the sound funnels into a grumpy piece of downplayed techno full of snappy bass kicks (note how the video changes too... clever commuter).
These are actually two tracks that run together on Moderat's eponymous EP, the first, 3 Minutes Of, being the moody Hyde while the second, Nasty Silence, being the more clinical and ordered Jekyll (and no less sinister for it).
There's no overt horror here, just some unsettling suggestion. In the same way that some of the most unnerving scenes in the Shining are the scenes of normality (driving in a car, eating breakfast together, getting knifey on your wifey... wait, not that last one...)
The devil has all the best IDM: Front 242 and The Prodigy
Here I am, on Hallowe'en night, choosing my favourite IDM / electronica to accompany your fright-filled evening of pumpkin soup, bad clothes and legal doorstep extortion. See the other posts in this series here. See the introduction to the whole thing here.
Artists: Front 242 / The Prodigy
Track: Religion (Prodigy Bass Under Siege Mix)
Single: Religion
Year: 1993
Front 242 are ideal for Hallowe'en, but I remember getting this 12" and realising it showed the ghostly grandfathers of EDM returning from the grave to subvert the rave aesthetic only to be confronted by a bunch of fire-startin' punk upstarts wielding sticks and chanting "you think you're hard? Try THIS!" For its time, it was an astonishing remix.
Oh, that and the track's called Religion and it has someone screaming "burn you down". Aaah, Hallowe'en for all the family! Seriously, though. Don't burn me down. I wouldn't like it and I've just had me nails done.
Artists: Front 242 / The Prodigy
Track: Religion (Prodigy Bass Under Siege Mix)
Single: Religion
Year: 1993
Front 242 are ideal for Hallowe'en, but I remember getting this 12" and realising it showed the ghostly grandfathers of EDM returning from the grave to subvert the rave aesthetic only to be confronted by a bunch of fire-startin' punk upstarts wielding sticks and chanting "you think you're hard? Try THIS!" For its time, it was an astonishing remix.
Oh, that and the track's called Religion and it has someone screaming "burn you down". Aaah, Hallowe'en for all the family! Seriously, though. Don't burn me down. I wouldn't like it and I've just had me nails done.
The devil has all the best IDM: NOISIA
Here I am, on Hallowe'en night, choosing my favourite IDM / electronica to accompany your fright-filled evening of pumpkin soup, bad clothes and legal doorstep extortion. See the other posts in this series here. See the introduction to the whole thing here.
Artist: NOISIA
Track: Stigma
Album: Split The Atom
Year: 2010
I shouldn't really include a track that's been on Gran Turismo - if I'm just doing loud drum and bass, then the Prodigy would be on here - but the first time I heard Stigma a year ago, I pooed into my socks.
It's fierce, chaotic, claustrophobic, and like being attacked by those fast zombies you get in 28 Days Later. Also, the production's a bit rubbish and everything's too loud - a bit like a stabby scene in a Hammer film.
If I was cornered by this track in an alleyway, I'd run. That sound of brown-coloured squelching? That's me, that is.
Artist: NOISIA
Track: Stigma
Album: Split The Atom
Year: 2010
I shouldn't really include a track that's been on Gran Turismo - if I'm just doing loud drum and bass, then the Prodigy would be on here - but the first time I heard Stigma a year ago, I pooed into my socks.
It's fierce, chaotic, claustrophobic, and like being attacked by those fast zombies you get in 28 Days Later. Also, the production's a bit rubbish and everything's too loud - a bit like a stabby scene in a Hammer film.
If I was cornered by this track in an alleyway, I'd run. That sound of brown-coloured squelching? That's me, that is.
The devil has all the best IDM: Jon Hopkins
Here I am, on Hallowe'en night, choosing my favourite IDM / electronica to accompany your fright-filled evening of pumpkin soup, bad clothes and legal doorstep extortion. See the other posts in this series here. See the introduction to the whole thing here.
Artist: Jon Hopkins
Track: Insides
Album: Insides
Year: 2009
We're half way through our audio frightfest. Thanks for following this so far.
I was introduced to Jon Hopkins by a DJ I did a radio programme with earlier this year. This is glitchy and menacing, like a spectre looming out of a Japanese TV screen.
Hopkins succeeds in bottling the Autechre sound and spray-blasting it on filmic proportions until we are all drenched with the seeping red chords and that dismembered voice lurking within the beats.
And get that drop at 2.27 - before the nastiest chainsaw of a bassline you've ever heard...
Artist: Jon Hopkins
Track: Insides
Album: Insides
Year: 2009
We're half way through our audio frightfest. Thanks for following this so far.
I was introduced to Jon Hopkins by a DJ I did a radio programme with earlier this year. This is glitchy and menacing, like a spectre looming out of a Japanese TV screen.
Hopkins succeeds in bottling the Autechre sound and spray-blasting it on filmic proportions until we are all drenched with the seeping red chords and that dismembered voice lurking within the beats.
And get that drop at 2.27 - before the nastiest chainsaw of a bassline you've ever heard...
The devil has all the best IDM: Venetian Snares
Here I am, on Hallowe'en night, choosing my favourite IDM / electronica to accompany your fright-filled evening of pumpkin soup, bad clothes and legal doorstep extortion. See the other posts in this series here. See the introduction to the whole thing here.
Artist: Venetian Snares
Track: Szerencsétlen
Album: Rossz Csillag Alatt Született
Year: 2005
The pizzicato strings at the start of the track are deliberately mimicking a horror soundtrack, so I nearly didn't include this for being too overt. But Venetian Snares' Szerencsétlen gives me the cold willies every time I listen to it.
The repetitive orchestral refrain, terrified by all the biting beats, reaches a frenzy of violence.
Whoever matched all of this up with a Tom and Jerry cartoon for this video deserves a knighthood (wherupon the Queen lets the sword drop a little too heavily... cue evil laugh).
Artist: Venetian Snares
Track: Szerencsétlen
Album: Rossz Csillag Alatt Született
Year: 2005
The pizzicato strings at the start of the track are deliberately mimicking a horror soundtrack, so I nearly didn't include this for being too overt. But Venetian Snares' Szerencsétlen gives me the cold willies every time I listen to it.
The repetitive orchestral refrain, terrified by all the biting beats, reaches a frenzy of violence.
Whoever matched all of this up with a Tom and Jerry cartoon for this video deserves a knighthood (wherupon the Queen lets the sword drop a little too heavily... cue evil laugh).
The devil has all the best IDM: Lorn
Here I am, on Hallowe'en night, choosing my favourite IDM / electronica to accompany your fright-filled evening of pumpkin soup, bad clothes and legal doorstep extortion. See the other posts in this series here. See the introduction to the whole thing here.
Artist: Lorn
Track: Tomorrow
Album: Nothing Else
Year: 2010
The previous posts were video-focussed. Now we're back to the music.
I could have chosen several Lorn tracks, but his testosterone retro is balanced neatly on Tomorrow with a scraping iciness. It's a short track, but it quickly flies in from an eerie distance until it's slobbering right in your face.
It's choc full of slow, loping chords from the very (non-)mind of a zombie itself. It's flesh turned robotic, a beast sparked alive with an electric energy.
And it helps that the video, which I suspect is a fan video, is exactly what's happening in Chez Fats tonight. But really, it's the music that makes this a Hallowe'en special.
Artist: Lorn
Track: Tomorrow
Album: Nothing Else
Year: 2010
The previous posts were video-focussed. Now we're back to the music.
I could have chosen several Lorn tracks, but his testosterone retro is balanced neatly on Tomorrow with a scraping iciness. It's a short track, but it quickly flies in from an eerie distance until it's slobbering right in your face.
It's choc full of slow, loping chords from the very (non-)mind of a zombie itself. It's flesh turned robotic, a beast sparked alive with an electric energy.
And it helps that the video, which I suspect is a fan video, is exactly what's happening in Chez Fats tonight. But really, it's the music that makes this a Hallowe'en special.
The devil has all the best IDM: Murcof
Here I am, on Hallowe'en night, choosing my favourite IDM / electronica to accompany your fright-filled evening of pumpkin soup, bad clothes and legal doorstep extortion. See the other posts in this series here. See the introduction to the whole thing here.
Artist: Murcof
Track: Rostro
Album: Remeberanza
Year: 2005
Sometimes, the spookiest material is seemingly innocuous. In this video, a bloke wakes up to glorious sunshine, puts on his favourite jumper and spends a day with his rollerskatingduck chicken girlfriend.
It has some lovely touches (the writhing duvet, the hands creeping around the torso, the blurry glass face) and, like a great horror movie, it doesn't end well.
But more importantly, Murcof's music is so delicate, so dark and so downbeat, no Hallowe'en would be complete without it.
Artist: Murcof
Track: Rostro
Album: Remeberanza
Year: 2005
Sometimes, the spookiest material is seemingly innocuous. In this video, a bloke wakes up to glorious sunshine, puts on his favourite jumper and spends a day with his rollerskating
It has some lovely touches (the writhing duvet, the hands creeping around the torso, the blurry glass face) and, like a great horror movie, it doesn't end well.
But more importantly, Murcof's music is so delicate, so dark and so downbeat, no Hallowe'en would be complete without it.
The devil has all the best IDM: Aphex Twin
Here I am, on Hallowe'en night, choosing my favourite IDM / electronica to accompany your fright-filled evening of pumpkin soup, bad clothes and legal doorstep extortion. See the other posts in this series here. See the introduction to the whole thing here.
Artist: Aphex Twin
Track: Come To Daddy
EP: Come To Daddy
Year: 1997
Yes, yes, I know it's obvious, and I did say I would post this in the small print under my introduction, but at no point in the history of electronic music video has there been a better mix of IDM and horror. The scary soul-eater! The screaming monster! Aphex Twin in a dress!
Even now, "come to daddy" continues to fail as my number one chat-up-line, but I'm still going to keep using it, dammit.
The playful skipping at 3.15 is a beautiful moment and a testament to director Chris Cunningham's genius attention to detail. And if you want to fast-forward to the screaming bit, it's after the 4.00 mark. You sick sausage, you.
Artist: Aphex Twin
Track: Come To Daddy
EP: Come To Daddy
Year: 1997
Yes, yes, I know it's obvious, and I did say I would post this in the small print under my introduction, but at no point in the history of electronic music video has there been a better mix of IDM and horror. The scary soul-eater! The screaming monster! Aphex Twin in a dress!
Even now, "come to daddy" continues to fail as my number one chat-up-line, but I'm still going to keep using it, dammit.
The playful skipping at 3.15 is a beautiful moment and a testament to director Chris Cunningham's genius attention to detail. And if you want to fast-forward to the screaming bit, it's after the 4.00 mark. You sick sausage, you.
The devil has all the best IDM: Autechre
Here I am, on Hallowe'en night, choosing my favourite IDM / electronica to accompany your fright-filled evening of pumpkin soup, bad clothes and legal doorstep extortion. See the other posts in this series here. See the introduction to the whole thing here.
Artist: Autechre
Track: Second Bad Vilbel
EP: Anvil Vapre
Year: 1995
Autechre's Second Bad Vibel was from back in the day when Ae put a beat to their music, or at least, something resembling a repetitive rhythm.
Chris Cunningham's video, haunted throughout by amorphous, fleshy shapes, was a perfect monster to the band's Frankenstein. That crying synth that comes in at 1.30? Gets me every time.
As claustrophobic as Alien - and as, um, alien too.
Edit: Reader Tom Davenport has suggested Autechre's Iera as the band's most spooky track. The tune sounds it's hiding alone in an abandoned shack when suddenly the trees come knocking at the door...
Artist: Autechre
Track: Second Bad Vilbel
EP: Anvil Vapre
Year: 1995
Autechre's Second Bad Vibel was from back in the day when Ae put a beat to their music, or at least, something resembling a repetitive rhythm.
Chris Cunningham's video, haunted throughout by amorphous, fleshy shapes, was a perfect monster to the band's Frankenstein. That crying synth that comes in at 1.30? Gets me every time.
As claustrophobic as Alien - and as, um, alien too.
Edit: Reader Tom Davenport has suggested Autechre's Iera as the band's most spooky track. The tune sounds it's hiding alone in an abandoned shack when suddenly the trees come knocking at the door...
The devil has all the best IDM: introduction
It's Hallowe'en night, an evening dedicated to ghouls and blood and shrieks and sticking cereal on your face because you think it makes you look like a zombie.
IDM, or "intelligent dance music", is the contentious term for the kind of music to which I have dedicated this blog. Its history is littered with monster beats, blood-sucking synth lines and drop-dead cool. Okay, I'm pushing the metaphor, but the darkness of Hallowe'en has a lot in common with the weirder nature of electronica.
Tonight, do join me as I choose ten IDM / electronica tracks to accompany your fright-filled evening. I'll post ten tracks in ten separate (and quite short) blog posts, all of which you can group together by searching for the Halloween10 tag. I'll try to be done before you have to get off to your Timewarp disco.
Although my list has been completed in advance, do make suggestions in the comments and I will include them in some way. Just keep it IDM or thereabouts (here is a list of musicians to keep you going).
The only thing you have to fear are your ears themselves. Happy listening and watch the Halloween10 tag.
Picture: an edited screen grab of Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy. And yes, this track will be included in the final ten.
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