Negative Energy

zhao

there are no accidents
saw Christophe Debabylon do a BLISTERING live set last night. much the same dynamic as "if you're into it i'm out of it": bleak brooding drones give way to ferocious and unrelenting Teutonic industrial drum'n'bass, (with some black metal-ish vocals added which was not there before). poised at the cusp before becoming irrelevant and masterbatory drill'n'bass or formulaic and impotent break-core, none of the formal elements of the music feels arbitrary or only for effect, but in service of the larger vision. his music is just as i remembered it: a purity of emotional expression, and a zero compromise headlong dive into nihilist abyss. in a day and age of anger being so commonly and cheaply packaged, it's still a bit shocking and indeed terrifying to witness real maniacal, feral rage.

so many ways to read the impulses within this music:

as an extension of adolescent angst/sexual frustration, or in terms of emotional trauma.

as depoliticized extension of punk.

as expression of an end-game, apocalyptic "zeitgeist", the subconscious collective premonition of doom of a civilization on the brink of self destruction.

or as a part of a tradition of Negative Energy works ultimately spawned by the mass horrors of the 20th century, a tradition which perhaps includes Otto Dix, Hermann Nitsch, etc., etc.

how do people "read" hardcore drum'n'bass? or should it even be read?

(i didn't really want to mention this, but would not be right to leave out: more than a few people at the show (including my German friend) mentioned that Christophe's look, demeanor and gestures resemble hitler youth -- neatly cropped blonde hair, several times raising both his arms in salutation to some dark force... and the feeling of the music absolutely, 100% reminds me of this ... but to me it is nihilism... an aesthetic, maybe a deeper elemental force even, and i am NOT insinuating that any of this is related to National Socialism.
__________________________________

but with both personal appreciation as well as cultural relevance stated, i must admit that i am at a point in my life where i simply don't want to immerse myself in this territory anymore. it is ground WELL covered, and i no longer need to beat the horse (decomposition of its corpse is complete, the bones sticking out of the ground like the remains of some ancient effigy).
 
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polystyle

Well-known member
'Negative' or is it 'power' ?
A personalized extension of punk power /noise / soft -loud dynamic ?
A conscious personal zeitgeist and / or 'endgame' ?
Part of that tradition you mentioned -Dix and other hard core German satirists from decades , war times past .
A 'real hardcore' - yes, it probably meets and rocks most people's conception.
 

zhao

there are no accidents
'Negative' or is it 'power' ?


well there are different kinds of power music can have, and different kinds of powerful effects it can have on the audience... no?

mind that i do not mean "negative" in a negative way... :D

but for sure Debabylon's work is not exactly uplifting. the opposite. in fact there was some bullshit disco on before, and i was thankful that at last he swiftly brought utter and total destruction to the cheesy bubblegum atmosphere. the fear instinct is for sure an effective path to power...
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Fact is, incredibly dark, oppressive, apocalyptic music can be supremely exhilarating, sublime - even bizarrely euphoric. Like watching footage of nuclear tests...
 

polystyle

Well-known member
'Power' came to mind while listening to his Christoph's recent release ,
After the soundscapes have drawn you in , with him you know at some point the drums are going to come jagging and pummelling in.
While I find i can listen to the ambience and sound stuff much more often then the drum attack passages - those dynamic spaces between his atmosphere and beats are exactly where he likes to play.

How long was his set Zhao ?
30 m - 60m - 90m must be hard to take if too long i would imagine

Here's hoping he makes it over here this time ,
like to hear some new stuff after this last one
:)
 

wonk_vitesse

radio eros
you need to have a beer when you go out man.

^^^^^ this

this stuff exists coz of the other place people go to when drunk / stoned/ speeding

OK if you wanna read other stuff into. The turning point many people think was Beltram's 'Energy Flash.' I think there's a definite link there with other dark d'n'b, dubstep, breakcore (example mix ) / spaz-step et al.
 
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Beltram's 'Energy Flash'


I was just thinking the other day that this is probably the darkest tune there is for me, there's other headfuck, mental, wrong tunes but Energy Flash is sinister and seductive and relentless, it darkens a room when its played, there's tension in it.
 

zhao

there are no accidents
you need to have a beer when you go out man.

this stuff exists coz of the other place people go to when drunk / stoned/ speeding

so what you are saying is that i need to relax, have fun, and not think about this stuff too much: because it's just entertainment.

1. music like Christophe's is PRECISELY against frivolous "fun". in fact it effectively crushes all the light hearted chatter, and wipes smiles off the face of everyone in the room (except the evil grins of those thoroughly engrossed in the music).

more than merely "rocking" drum'n'bass with run of the mill scary movie sounds, there is an unmistakable, incredibly pointed and purposefully designed emotional dimension: the oscillation between suicidal dread and maniacal rage. (and indeed, like Polystyle said, a sense of a rise to power)

2. you are welcome to disagree and just go have a laugh about it, but when confronted with something so powerful, and having such a powerful effect on me, i choose to give it the mental space it deserves, and i choose to think about what it might mean.

so unless you've something relevant to add, kindly fuck off to the cheesy dance anthems thread.

now, while i believe it worthwhile, whether attempts at articulating "what it might mean" can be fruitful or not, or maybe is even antithetical to the nature of projects like this, is up for debate.

How long was his set Zhao ?
30 m - 60m - 90m must be hard to take if too long i would imagine

around 1 hour. there was enough variation and intrigue with the interplay of elements to last this long, and i was pretty much loving every last drop, but yeah, much longer and it would have become grating (floor was indeed thinner by the end)

Here's hoping he makes it over here this time ,
like to hear some new stuff after this last one
:)

he wanted me to tell you sorry for not getting back to you on the US tour, and said he will soon.
 
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shaolinsoul

Well-known member
I get that really tense/violent feeling in a lot of dark berlin industrial techno. Particularly the mid 90's e-com or seico corp (mainly the guys behind obscurum) ouput.

One that instantly comes to mind is mugon-untitled on e-com.


obscurum - is stagnation (from fierce defence)

Iesope Drift - Tuljähn (seico corp)
 

polystyle

Well-known member
Modes

Yea, entertainment is one thing.
Going out to hear music one can dive into , get lost in or be barraged by is a bit of another thing.
Having a beer at a Christoph DB wouldn't help the experience for myself ,
it slows me down and makes me sleepy.
If Zhao wants to be there and absorb what he can 'to the last drop' ,
can dig that.

From what I can tell Christoph has a humor about his work too.
By now, he's standing as a somewhat singular artist ,
in alliance with - but not on Digital Hardcore now.
His profile wasn't hurt when Radiohead put one of his older tune on one of their playlists.
This music is never going to be 'popular' , but Christoph is making a go of it and probably throwing all he has into doing his last release and keeping things going.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Mmm, bring on the nastiness...not so much 'brooding' as straight-up apocalyptic, though:
 

zhao

there are no accidents
a little taste of christoph's new album... not as adrenaline pumping as the show... huge bass bins help.

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