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Imprint :: Electric Voice

admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:30:47 +0000

Electric Voice
Truro, NS
::web/sounds::

Matt Samways is a young upstart from Truro, the so-called ‘hub’ of Nova Scotia. Before touching the age of 20 he led the pitiless doom punk of Pig, started the Electric Voice imprint, and played sideman to Scribbler and the Friendly Dimension. He has once again departed on another musical continuum with his latest project, Transfixed, a more sinister and contemplative vision of the futuristic isolation and robotic vocals of Kraftwerk and Gary Numan.

Electric Voice is not exclusive to the regional talent of the 902, but has entertained releases from across Canada, with ambitions to release music from around the globe. Up next is a 12” from Jeff & Jane Hudson, who were part of the New York No Wave movement during the late ’70s and early ’80s, arguably one of the greatest incubators for creative music of all genres, ever. Matt kindly took the time to answer some questions.

Zachary Fairbrother
Contributor
Weird Canada // Lantern
http://weirdcanada.com // http://lantern.bandcamp.com

Transfixed – Coaxial Mirage

What inspired you to start a label?

It was conceived as a vanity label in 2008 with a partner I was collaborating with at the time, who actually titled the label. It was suggested by a peer that we began documenting our releases to enhance professionalism. We had no intentions of channeling anything other than our own material. As our group was disbanding a personal desire to continue the archive still existed. My friends are all making extremely good music and I can’t suppress supporting it materialize.

Since Pig split, you’ve devoted much of your attention to Electric Voice. Are you taking a break from music or do you prefer running label?

I wasn’t really interested in performing or releasing my own music at the time, but I wanted to keep contributing to the physical production of it. I hold a strong value in the aesthetic of sound and its presentation, and the idea of being able to manipulate it is appealing to me. About a year ago I started receiving funding from the Government of Nova Scotia via the Emerging Business Music Program on behalf of Electric Voice. That defiantly provided me with a lot of motivation to get the label off the ground and start working outside the current community in Halifax and Montreal. Though I am becoming passionate about the label, I am a musician first and still focus on writing and recording with aspirations of touring the material. Putting a lot of energy into the label in turn benefits my musical endeavors.

Transfixed is quite a departure from your previous musical adventures. How is it related/un-related to other projects?

The formation of Transfixed was completely organic. It is a collaborative project between myself, Ian Phillips and a number of rotating musicians. We had no intentions of forming a group when we first started playing together, but when we discovered that the house we had been jamming in was previously owned by Ian’s grandparents in the early ’60s, and that his grandfather grew up in the house, we decided to channel our time spent there with Transfixed. It has become an interesting and rapidly progressing project that there’s no reason to stop. Our ideas are constantly abstracting themselves and moving faster than we create the music. It’s exciting and with the lack of expectation we have become more prolific than any other project I’ve been involved with.

With my other projects/collaborations there has been a lot more premeditation on the sounds and how they should be presented. It becomes tough when a collective of people share the same visions without matching the logistics. The extrasensory parts of music can be difficult to communicate. I also work with Troy Richter and the Friendly Dimension in molding his sounds.

Synthesizers or guitars?

Guitars that sound like synthesizers. I think the combination can be a masterful force when properly conducted. I am ultimately a guitar player, but I’ve been spending a lot of time learning the keyboard. For the last few months I’ve hardly touched my guitar.

You hitchhike between Truro and Halifax. It seems like hitchhiking is a fading activity. Do you enjoy it, and do you have any good stories? Have you met some interesting people? Where is the farthest you’ve hitched?

It’s never really been something I enjoyed, but it’s done out of necessity. When I cannot afford to be bussing back and forth, it’s usually my only means to get to practices/gatherings, as all of the bands I play in are based in Halifax. I live back and forth from Halifax and Truro, which are about an hour’s drive apart. Truro is very isolated and is a great environment to work in, though can be compromising with my schedule.

I’ve only been hitching through Nova Scotia and Newfoundland for the last five years. I’ve been consistently traveling this way and have never encountered any trouble. Dress nice with a clean appearance. A lot of mothers have picked me up, also on- and off-duty police officers. The only questionable encounter was a lady who spoke in a thick rural Nova Scotian tongue. She picked my friend and I up in the dark and was drinking Faxe 10 (strong beer). She had what looked like 3-4 empty cans on the floor of her side of the car. It was a little unsetting but she was considerably collected and coherent. She had a bizarre way of twisting her words together that was oddly poetic.

You seem like an ambitious young man. What are your dreams for the Electric Voice Label?

I don’t class my visions with the label as dreams, because I don’t think they are anything we can’t achieve. The people I surround myself with are individually gifted at what they do. Thankfully all of the resources are presented, making it simple to have a pragmatic sense of work. I certainly am young; therefore I am not looking to execute the foundation process in short time. I will keep experimenting with formats and presentation, and try not to exhaust our resources. In time I will spend time refining the label and as expected with any small business or hobby, sustainability is key.

What other labels do you find inspiring and/or really dig and why?: To those who know me this may sound biased because Brett is a good friend, but I really like what he has done with Campaign For Infinity. He has released some of my favourite cassettes in the last few years (notable: Teenage Panzerkorps, Horrid Red, Grand Trine, Rape Faction). I also have a lot of respect for Darcy Spidle and Divorce Records, as it was a prominent influence of my origins in the community of Halifax. He is really passionate about what he does and it shows in his work. OBEY Convention is a festival he puts on every year or so and is the highlight of the year in Halifax, in my opinion. I am happy to be helping him with the festival in 2012.

I have some collaborative release coming out with Danish label Skrot Up as well as works with Montreal’s Hobo Cult. Some other notable active labels: Bruised Tongue, Captured Tracks, Dark Entries Records, FLA Tapes & Records and Arbutus Records. I also really dig the consistency in the aesthetic of labels like Sacred Bones and Night People.

Electric Voice Discography (to date)

EV001
::
Albino Slug II
–
EP
(Cassette, 2008)

EV002
::
Pig
–
Everything Isn’t EP
(CD-R, 2009)

EV003
::
Vacuum
–
Tormented Bear EP
(Cassette, 2009)

EV004
::
Pig
–
Elbow Witch
(Cassette, 2009)

EV005
::
Church Hammer
–
Vol. I
(Cassette, 2010)

EV006
::
Church Hammer
–
Vol. II
(Cassette, 2010)

EV007
::
Church Hammer/Vacuum
–
Split
(Cassette, 2010)

EV008
::
Pig
–
I’ve seen the future and it’s no place for me Compilation
(Cassette, 2010)

EV009
::
Various Artists
Electric Voice Compilation Vol I
(Cassette, 2010)

EV010
::
Milksnake
–
EP
(Cassette, 2010)

EV011
::
Friendly Dimension
–
Live: In the Pleasant Horrors of Space EP
(Cass., 2010)

EV012
::
Lantern
–
Deliver me from Nowhere
(Cassette, 2010)

EV013
::
Gigas
–
Tied Down to the Ones You Love LP
(Cassette, 2010)

EV014
::
Friendly Dimension
–
Bath Tub EP
(Cassette, 2011)

EV015
::
Duzheknew
–
LOL HELL EP
(Cancelled)

EV016
::
Wicked Crafts
–
“No Cure” EP
(Cass. (split w/ Campaign for Infinity, 2011)

EV017
::
U.S. Girls
–
EP
(7″, 2011)

EV018
::
The Friendly Dimension // 30 Year Old City Hex
–
“Poltergeist City”
(Cass., 2011)

EV019
::
Babysitter
–
“Paul’s Cab” Single
(Cassette, 2011)

EV020
::
Monroeville Music Center
–
Les Defauts des Fabrication EP
(Cassette, 2011)

EV021
::
Milksnake
–
Lenny Bruce EP
(Cassette, 2011)

EV022
::
Membrain
–
EP
(Cassette, 2011)

EV023
::
Lantern // The Ether
–
Split
(Cassette, 2011)

EV024
::
Play Guitar
–
Single
(Cassette, split release w/ Craft Singles, 2011)

EV025
::
Grand Trine
–
Single
(Cassette, split release w/ Craft Singles, 2011)

EV026
::
Bad Vibrations
–
Single
(Cassette, split release w/ Craft Singles, 2011)

EV027
::
Transfixed
–
Single
(Cassette, split release w/ Craft Singles, 2011)

EV028
::
Crosss
–
Single
(Cassette, split release w/ Craft Singles, 2011)

EV029
::
Bloodhouse
–
Single
(Cassette, split release w/ Craft Singles, 2011)

EV030
::
Hand Cream // Crosss
–
Split
(Cassette, 2011)

EV031
::
Passion Party
–
EP
(Cassette, 2011)

EV032
::
Cat Bag // Transfixed
–
Bunker // Body Language
(12″ w/ Claire Dragon, 2011)

EV033
::
Rape Faction // Chevalier Avant Garde
–
Split
(Cassette, 2011)

EV034
::
Various Artists
Electric Voice Compilation Vol. II
(12″ Cassette, 2011)

EV035
::
Jeff & Jane Hudson
–
In My Car // Computer Jungle (+ Club mixes)
(12″, 2011)

EV036
::
Visual works by Jacqueline Lachance
(VHS, 2012)

(Editor’s Note: Certain titles from this discography were not released by Electric Voice proper. As history’s nature is to continually re-write itself, so, too, shall we gaze pastward at Matt’s creative efforts and understand his temporal stream within the vision of Electric Voice.)

Inferred Views :: Al Bjornaa of Scotch Tapes

admin — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:00:57 +0000

Interview with: Al Bjornaa
From: Scotch Tapes
(conducted by: Zachary Fairbrother)
Batchawana Bay, ON
::web/sounds::

Scotch Tapes has quickly become Canada’s premier cassette label, pumping out thousands of tapes to brilliant minds all around the world. In addition to the plethora of magnetic strips crafted in the ghettos of rural Ontario, Scotch Tapes has been capturing Toronto’s burgeoning underground punk scene via plastic lathe-cut brilliance in a collaborative series with Young Guv‘s Ben Cook. In 2011, they embarked on yet-another lathe-series with Montreal’s No Vacation. As 2011 began with the redesign of Scotch Tapes’ rather hilarious website and their subsequent world domination, we decided to link Zacharay Fairbrother with Scotch Tapes founder and sole-proprietor Al Bjornaa for a featured chat about his rural adventuring.

Aaron Levin
Weird Canada
www.weirdcanada.com

/////////////// AL BJORNAA INFERRED VIEWS ///////////////

Zachary

I’m into how landscapes and environment influence people’s creativity. Why do you base your label where you do [Batchawana Bay]? How do the often cosmopolitan sounds play out in your environment?

I base Scotch out of Batchawana Bay because it’s close to my family. I have lived all over the country but this has always been home. There have been some health issues in the Bjornaa family the past few years and its been nice to be able to help out. We run a family fishing business and I have had to take a larger role in that. Plus it’s a beautiful area. I live on the beach! The north shore of Lake Superior is my favourite place on Earth.

I have always been a huge music fan. Both of my parents love music. Although their tastes may differ from mine, they passed on a passion for good music. Most of the people who live in my area think the music I release sounds like a “badger caught in a wood chipper” but most people from the area think its cool that I run a record label in such a small place. Whenever I go for coffee or breakfast at the local diner, everyone always asks how the label is doing.

Zachary

I have heard of your beach shows. I hope you will you be doing more of this. Who has played? What was your favorite?

I haven’t done an actual beach show in ages but I have had a lot of bands pass through here and hang out for a day or two. Its a tough area to get a decent show. I mean I could likely set up a show in Sault Ste. Marie (which is notorious for TERRIBLE shows) or they can hang out here for a night, have some drinks, go swimming and get a good meal. I am hoping that this year with a new space, I can host more bands and maybe do some recordings and send them back on the road with a new tape or lathe. Some of the best times I’ve had drinking/ hanging out/ recording have been with Play Guitar, The Famines, Dirty Beaches, Grown-Ups, Gobble Gobble, Nobunny… There are tons. I am hoping to make Batchawana Bay a “must-stop” for bands touring Canada. Not to play shows but to have a great day off mid-tour where they can do laundry, relax, jump in the lake, maybe practice some new stuff they have been working on. 2011 is already getting booked up at Casa de Al with Bucketseat stopping here in March.

Zachary

I see that your label is doing some collaborative splits how did this come about?

Yeah. I wanted to work with a few cool labels. I have a lathe series coming out with No Vacation Records (Brett Wagg from Pink Noise/ Campaign For Infinity) Brett basically just asked if I would be interested and since I love the music he puts out, I was totally in. I also put out a 7″ with No Clear Records from Florida. I imagine if any label contacted me and I liked the band, I would probably be interested. I know that Ben Cook (Fucked Up, Young Guv, etc) and I have a few co-releases lined up for his new label, Marvelous Music, as well. We will be co-releasing the Roommates LP this summer/ fall.

Zachary

I see you have a vast list of upcoming releases. Are all these going to happen??!

You bet your sweet buttocks! In the first two years of Scotch, I released almost 200 tapes. I take the label very seriously. Its become more than a hobby. It’s basically a second full-time job. I plan on putting out about 70 tapes, 30 lathes and 10 vinyl releases in 2011. There are times when I get tired and need a break… and those are the times where I just take like 2-3 weeks off, don’t check emails and basically disappear. But when I do that, I normally come back with 4-5 releases at once.

Zachary

What is up with the lathe series? Does the type of Lathe reflect the artist?

Well… I have two series going. There is the Scotch/ Young Guv series. Ben Cook [of Young Guv] records all the bands that share his jam space and then we release a song or two from them. So far, I have put flexis out for Huckleberry Friends, Tropics, Bruised Knees & Lonely Wholesome with Actual Water, Dentata, Wyrd Visions and I think 2 more to come. The other series is the aforementioned series with No Vacation. There are some pretty killer bands scheduled for that like FNU Ronnies and Factums (who I LOVE!) The type of lathe really doesn’t come into play. I mean the one I did for We All Inherit The Moon HAD to be a square plexiglass lathe because of the ideas they had for the art but most bands don’t really care that much. They just think lathes are fun.

Zachary

Do you think there is a Canadian Sound? And what from your perspective are the sounds of the different scenes within Canada?

I don’t think there is a specific Canadian sound. It’s such a vast area geographically that it’s tough to narrow down one sound. I think Vancouver has a great weirdo punk scene with bands like Shearing Pinx, Nu Sensae, Twin Crystals, etc. who really have their own genre that isn’t like anything else in the country. When you move into the prairies you have bands like Myelin Sheaths, Fist City, Grown-Ups, Moby Dicks… sort of that heavy garage punk stuff. They all totally feed off of each other. Ontario is sort of weird. Toronto is just starting to get a good scene again. I think the bands that Ben and I are releasing on the lathe series are going to get big really fast this year. That jam space is oooozing talent. Montreal always has a great scene. I think that city spawns some of the most creative and unique artists. And the whole Halifax scene… that city reminds me of Portland, Oregon. EVERYONE is in a band and creates visual art and silkscreens t-shirts and makes zines and drinks good beer if they can afford it but will drink shit if that’s all they have and dresses cool without thinking they dress cool. One of my absolute favourite cities on the planet!

Zachary

What has got you most excited about 2011?

SUMMER! I hate winter more than anything! That and doing this interview for Weird Canada! Thanks, Zach…

New Canadiana :: Dirty Beaches + Hobo Cubes + Street Gnar // GENERIC SHIT – Decadent // GENERIC SHIT

admin — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:00:55 +0000

Dirty Beaches + Hobo Cubes + Street Gnar // GENERIC SHIT
Decadent // GENERIC SHIT
(Campaign for Infinity)
Montreal, PQ // Sydney, NS
::web/sounds:: + ::web/sounds:: + ::web/sounds:: // ~~::web/sounds::~~

Des quelques neurones restantes de Gabriel Jasmin:
Un véritable rêve léthargique de claviers brumeux et de quelques percussions minimales, difficile de douter de la qualité d’une cassette où la face A est une collaboration de deux poids lourds de l’underground montréalais, Dirty Beaches et Hobo Cubes. Les leads de synthétiseur ou de flute plongent dans les profondeurs du néant hypnotique. Le rythme accélère dans la seconde pièce, Stye Eye, un morceau mémorable avec une performance vocale digne d’Alan Vega. Du bon stock. Rien d’affectueux au menu de la face B, qui fera plutôt fondre quelques neurones avant de tout anéantir sur son passage. Philip Tarr (membre de Mess Folk) gueule et rugit à travers la première pièce Songs About Shooting Up Prescription Pills. Tout est consommé dans cette unique parution solo sous le nom Generic Shit. La terreur! La violence! La saleté! La destruction! Le vomi! Du death-noise-grind-punk, disons ? Oui, peut-être.

From the street gnar of Gabriel Jasmin:
Soaked in foggy layers of synths and minimal percussion, Side A’s bound-to-greatness collaboration of Montreal’s underground champions Dirty Beaches and Hobo Cubes is deeply hypnotic. The flute and synth leads hit the spot and take you far into exotic dreams, while the Suicide-inspired “Stye Eye” pick up the pace, a true highlight on the tape. Nothing too affectionate to be found on Side B. Philip Tarr (from Mess Folk fame) growls his way through the merciless opener “Songs About Shooting Up Prescription Pills”. The brain-melting, grueling material from his solo moniker Generic Shit doesn’t stop there. Terror! Violence! Dirt! Destruction! Vomit! Death-noise-grind-punk? Yeah, something like that.

Dirty Beaches + Hobo Cubes + Street Gnar – Stye Eye
Dirty Beaches + Hobo Cubes – Folding Landscapes
GENERIC SHIT – Songs About Shooting Up Prescription Pills
GENERIC SHIT – Garbage World

New Canadiana :: PiG – Tragic Venus b/w Immanent Deity

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:54:00 +0000

PiG
Tragic Venus b/w Immanent Deity
(Campaign for Infinity)
Truro, NS
::web/sounds::

From the diocese of Aaron Levin:
On (possibly) their last release, PiG drill into a heady mix of miscreant-skiddery and Lorca-era Tim Buckley. It’s sundown at the crest of oblivion and PiG remain defiant, twisting the threads of their home-brewed, basement psychedelia for your voyeuristic pleasure. Their spastic death-punk has fermented into an outerworld sonomoly; a dialectic entombed by Matt Samways’ fearless mantra. “Tragic Venus”‘ piercing bass and shimmering clamour populate your neural pathways with the lysergic elements required to process the droning “Imminent Deity.” This new, indivisible sound is surrounded with “Outro”‘s industrial racket and solidifies their shrine within Canada’s fringe vortex. PiG remain a huge inspiration for Weird Canada. For that, and so much more, we will miss them dearly. XOXOGRIPXOXO.
PiG – Tragic Venus
PiG – Immanent Deity
PiG – Outro

Review :: Futensil – Futensil

admin — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:16:35 +0000

Futensil
Futensil
(Campaign For Infinity)
Montreal, QC
::web/sounds::

From the swampy high-life of Aaron Levin:
Between the legs of a warped B-52s / Cramps hybranoid exists the maligned and twisted vibrations of Montreal’s Futensil. Their atonal jungle of mystic wyrdabilly shivers beneath Emily’s shrieks while Psychic Handshake CIO Graeme Langdon chants his way through a distant spell of psychedelic conjure. The overall emotional damage is an addicting aural experience for any futurotic voodoo voyeur.
Futensil – AWOL a Go Go
Futensil – Black Mold

Review :: Omon Ra II / Dirty Beaches – Omon Ra II / Dirty Beaches

admin — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 04:41:45 +0000

Omon Ra II / Dirty Beaches
Omon Ra II / Dirty Beaches
(Campaign For Infinity)
Montreal, QC // Vancouver, BC
::web/sounds::

From the staff of (omon) Ra, as wielded by Aaron Levin:
Omon Ra II lands in Montreal and immediately unleashes a seething explosion of post-hyperbole psych-punk: relentless equalizer rejection and blazing guitar shreddery battling for every magnetic millimeter. Meanwhile, Dirty Beaches departs Montreal for sunny Vancouver and metamorphoses into wild nullophonic mystic rockisms; wasted, minimally-greased rockabilly for deadbeat cowboys and vintage thuggery. An odd paring, but this isn’t the first time the Omon moniker sat beside something equally disparate. Mind = blown.
Dirty Beaches – Black Horses Take 1
Omon Ra II – Jimmy

Review :: PIG – Magnetic

admin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:34:13 +0000

PIG
Magnetic
(Campaign For Infinity)
Halifax, NS
::web/sounds::

From the magnetic eyes of Aaron Levin:
Continuing with their general disregard for genre fortification, PIG return with a c26 frothing with ataxic punk and chaotic sludge. After a side of perilous adventures through mires of improvised drones and guitar destruction, the quadro deliver a full blast of 90s doom-punk occultism. Part Altered Beast, part Ghosts and Goblins, Magnetic synthesizes the darkest parts of adjective-punk and coagulates them into an eerie resin of fractured sounds. A rare gift stolen from the hand of Moira. NO CONTINUES. GRIP++
PIG – HEATHERS
PIG – SOUTHERN DROWN
PIG – MAGNETIC

Review :: Play Guitar – Cold Crystal Shield

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:02:48 +0000

Play Guitar
Cold Crystal Shield
(Campaign For Infinity)
Montreal, QC // Halifax, NS // Whitehourse, YK
::web/sounds::

From the Mithril Shields of Aaron Levin:
Living in Alberta, I associate Calgary with the strange angular pop moves found on Cold Crystal Shield. In fact, I’m starting to believe the Calgary sound is just a weird amalgamation of Montreal’s pop experiments, Halifax’s 90s obsession, and Yukon’s cold isolation. It’s all summarized brilliantly by Play Guitar with their combination of incredibly catchy guitar lines and anthemic vocal harmonies, the whole mess being driven down midnight highways and rural avenues. I say rural because I can definitely hear that 90s Halifax honky-tonk pop-rock and it’s awesome. Keep your cold, crystalized eyes out for the Play Guitar LP, coming soon!
Play Guitar – Stay and Haunt
Play Guitar – Different Job

Review :: The Pink Noise – Gilded Flowers

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:38:51 +0000

The Pink Noise
Gilded Flowers
(Campaign for Infinity)
Montreal, QC
::web/sounds::

From the burnt-cadillac remains of Aaron Levin:
Gilded Flowers, The Pink Noise’s first on Montreal’s Campaign for Infinity, is their most realized cabaret of drum-machine bustitude (and probably why the cassette is already on its third printing). Subjecting yourself to every burnt guitar solo and car-wrecked bass-line will give you the succinct impression that The Pink Noise’s front-man slammed a lot of doors, hung out in arcades, and owned a leather jacket at the age of 10. Thus, Gilded Flowers becomes an 80s vision of the future: computer screens as gateways into incomprehensible lo-bit realities, nuclear punk the specter of pop music, alleyways brimming with undiscovered societies, and every kid smoking cigarettes and selling ATM-hacking chips; it’s the slow degeneration of our welfare state into psychedelic-fiction. Freejack punk for a new generation of post-modern wastoids. And it’s all yours for $6.99.
The Pink Noise – Shy Guy Beach
The Pink Noise – Toad
The Pink Noise – Cop Cars

Review :: Holy Cobras – Dead Bodies Float in Space

admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:31:08 +0000

Holy Cobras
Dead Bodies Float in Space
(Campaign For Infinity)
Ottawa, ON
::web/sounds::

Slow-forward to the future. Turn left and you’ll never see Han Solo shoot, having been blasted by the 28 shots of Mos Eisleyian whiskey and bravely translucent pressure waves emanating from a new Cantina band: the Holy Cobras. Dead Bodies Float in Space is Hawkwind re-imagined inside an alternate nowhere, far removed form any human consciousness; pulsing, wasted synth coursing through psychedelic veins feeding life into tired, synthetic limbs grabbing every adjective needed to self-identify. It’s a new sound for new believers and I bet their live show is more cathartic than church could ever dream of being. The cassette sounds like shit in way that further mystifies its origins; Canada Post leasing a Millennium Falcon to bring back treasures from the world of Hollywood magic. Press play, close your eyes and witness Stacia, naked, undulating next to dead, floating bodies. Campaign For Infinity is on to something. A++++++++.
Holy Cobras – Dead Bodies Float in Space
Holy Cobras – Mama Jihad