Dec24
Join us tonight on Dark Mother Radio at 10pm EST for for an eclectic mix of goth, industrial, electronica, and synthpop from DJ Kantrip (Seattle, WA)!.
Goth Industrial Coldwave Darkwave New Wave Deathrock Doom Experimental Noise Punk Electronica Aggrotech Psychobilly EBM
Members: Andrew Sega, Brian Pearson, Reagan Jones
Bio: Iris is an American synthpop band, formed by Reagan Jones and Mat Morris in 1993. After releasing their first album Disconnect, Matthew Morris was replaced with Andrew Sega who pushed the band’s sound into a more experimental electronic direction.. - Wiki
Release Date: 09/03/10
Label: Diffusion Records
Review: Iris returns with their 4th studio album, Blacklight, two years after the release of the acclaimed Hydra EP. On Hydra, fans were treated to some new songs that had more of the rock driven direction that Iris explored on Wrath. Many hoped that the following full-length album would feature the tracks Nobody Wins or New Invaders along with more of the instrumentation that Iris experimented with on Wrath.
While there is more use of instrumentation and musical evolution of the band’s sound, Blacklight feels emotionally more like their 2nd album Awakening than Wrath. More mellow and introspective, and not as angry. There are some good club tracks like Closer to Real, or Panic Rev, but the rest of the album lacks any club play power.
Lyrically the band has evolved from prior releases with the songs being more philosophical and emotionally centered. The undercurrents of unresolved heartbreak are gone for the most part. This is a trend I’ve noticed with most Synthpop acts after a few albums though. At some point hurt and loss evolve into thoughtfulness and hopeful sentiments. This is not a bad thing at all, in fact its a motivating factor as it allows the fans to witness the emotional growth and evolution of the songwriter, and maybe get some closure on feelings of their own.
While I’m disappointed that Blacklight failed to live up to the energy and power that Hydra teased at, it is a worthwhile listen. Calm but still emotionally lost and finding answers to those questions that we all have in life’s grand scheme.
Buy it here: A Different Drum
—Kantrip
Members: Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulber, Chris Peterson
Bio: Delerium is a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act, Front Line Assembly. Throughout the band’s history, their musical style has encompassed a broad range, including dark ethereal ambient trance, voiceless industrial soundscapes, and electronic pop music. - Wiki
Release Date: 07/04/10
Label: Delerium and Nasty Byte
Review: Delerium’s first DVD, “Epiphany”, by producer/director Nasty Byte, primarily takes footage from the band’s 2008 performance at Washington D.C.’s 9:30 nightclub. Using a variety of camera angles, and creative editing, Nasty Byte creates a piece of art that turns this into more than just a concert DVD.
Its hard to think of Delerium as a live band. Listening to their albums, one would think that to recreate the atmosphere and sound of the albums there would have to be a ton of vocalists, and a stadium sized stage to handle all the instruments involved. With most electronic acts, a live performance consists of 2 guys with Synthesizers and a female singer which is hard to build a strong on-stage presence with. Epiphany surprised me however using a modest amount of instrumentation, and 2 of Delerium’s more versatile vocalists. Kristy Thirsk and Leigh Nash take on some of Delerium’s more popular songs, by lending their own interpretations to them. While showing this DVD to some friends, that is one criticism that I got. While Thirsk and Nash are amazing in tandem, some songs like After All or Silence, lose the power they originally had since its not Jael or McLachlan singing. But this is a minor issue as rest of the Delerium experience was spot on. Instrumentation is simplified with Bill Leeb on synths accompanied by live guitar, drums and bass, which he uses to flesh out a very rich and warm sound. I barely noticed any difference from some of the recorded songs to the live performances when I compared the two.
Of course there is the fact that Delerium’s music is an experience and its hard to bring a fan out of the inner worlds they create in their mind, to a stage with 6 people. One of my major gripes with most concert videos that there is a level of disconnect. Its hard to get that suspension of disbelief that you get with live theater or concerts, when you can play/pause a DVD. Also most concert videos are shot from a set of fixed angles, and are edited in such a way that you can almost predict what camera will be cut to next. Yes its a recorded performance of a good band, but what’s to make me feel like I’m at the show. This is something that NastyByte obviously took into consideration. Creative use of special effects, along with with fluid movement between the different camera angles, make the viewer feel like they are experiencing the performance in its entirety, if not in a slightly “altered state”. There is even a grounding moment between each of the songs when the viewer is returned to reality but never in the same spot or from the same camera angle. Sometimes its from the audience, sometimes its on stage in the wings, sometimes above the stage. I think this is what made me get into Epiphany the most. The fact that this wasn’t just a concert DVD, it’s art. It was a “painting in motion” as the DVD box states.
The DVD also features interviews and footage of the band backstage not only as extras but incorporated into the performance of Twilight. This leads to my other criticism of the DVD. I know the song is an instrumental, and watching a montage of shenanigans and set up was nice, but since there was an actual band on stage and not just some guys behind a wall of keyboards and computers, it would have been nice to see more of that particular song on stage being performed. Again, this is just a minor complaint when the DVD is taken as a whole.
For their first DVD, Delerium could not have done better. Epiphany is a beautiful collection of the songs that made the project famous, and proof that the magic they create on CD/MP3 can be recreated live. If you are a fan of Delerium, or know fans, this DVD would make an excellent gift for the holiday season. The DVD can be found at either Amazon.com or purchased directly at the link below.
Buy Here: Nasty Byte
—Kantrip
Kantrip
Dark Mother Radio, Dark Bohemia Radio, Radio Blacklight
DJ Kantrip resides in the Pacific Northwest area and focuses his work primarily in the genres of Goth, Industrial, and EBM. He plays new, local and regional acts along side crowd faves.
Kantrip can also be heard on Radio Blacklight Sunday Nights from 8pm to 10pm PST and on his own station, Dark Bohemia Radio.
Kali
General Manager, Head Reviewer, and Resident DJ
Current DJ Residencies: Dark Mother Radio, The Wilmington Asylum
n. A DJ who currently resides in Raleigh, NC with a host of dysfunctional pets. Spins Goth, Industrial, EBM, Noise, Aggrotech, New Wave, Darkwave, Gothabilly, Psychobilly, 80′s, Ethereal, Electroclash, Punk, Doom, Trip-Hop, and anything else that pops into her head.
Past residencies include Dracula’s Daughter, Immersion, and The Destruction of Kulture.
Most recently seen mixing at the Electronic Showcase at Shakedown Street.
Also sighted opening for goth and industrial bands at The Ringside, as well as spinning at Dirge Factory,Temptation, and Legends Nightclub.
Eternal Darkness
Assistant General Manager, Reviewer, and Resident DJ
Current DJ Residencies: Dark Mother Radio, Club Vogue, Radio Blacklight
DJ Eternal Darkness is a Seattle regular DJ for the goth/industrial
scene. He plays an eclectic mix of goth, industrial, violindustrial,
steam punk, 80s, and what else happens to catch his attention.
He sucks at writing bios. If you can think of something you’d say
about him, please put it in the contact box.
The Alchemist
Contributing DJ
Alchemist is the alter ego of Kevin Sonney. Kevin is a podcaster, linux admin, and tattooed freak. You can find more of Kevin on Kevin and Ursula Eat Cheap, where Kevin and his partner in crime author/illustrator Ursula Vernon review cheap-to-moderately priced pre-packaged food. Don’t tell him he looks like a cartoon…he’ll cut ya!
DJ Wolfman
Contributing DJ
Current residencies: Nightbreed Radio
As a child in the UK, DJ Wolfman grew up with all the old Universal Monster Movies and loved nothing more than sitting down and watching the classic monsters, such as The Wolfman and Creature From The Black Lagoon wreck havock. This hasn’t changed much, outside of his being older and hairier.
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