We Have a Technical

We're catching up with a whole slew of news and live show business off the top of this episode as your regularly scheduled ID:UD programming resumes, and we're returning to the ever-popular Pick Five format. From powernoise to goth rock we're each picking some especially long tracks and talking about how that length has shaped our impressions of them.

The passing of legendary Nitzer Ebb frontman Douglas J. McCarthy is the only thing we could talk about on this week's podcast. Forgive us if this episode is a bit more scattered than usual; news of McCarthy's passing came out less than an hour before our recording, but we wanted to at least get some of our thoughts about his work and legacy out, as well as personal remembrances. 

On this week's episode of We Have a Technical, Alex is joined by Chris Hewitt of Terminus Festival to discuss the history of our favourite annual gathering of bands and fans of Our Thing, as well as the logistics of putting on a big event, the finer points of arranging a line-up, and what acts we're most excited for in this year's fest! It's a great convo with a long time friend of the site, and one that has us excited to pack our bags for Calgary seven weeks out! 

This month's We Have a Commentary takes on a special form as Alex welcomes Jason Pettigrew to the podcast, where the longtime Ministry chronicler fills us in on his new 33 1/3 on Ministry's immortal industrial classic The Land of Rape and Honey. Join us as the former Alt. Press Editor in Chief and alternative music writer extraordinaire outlines how the book came together, who he spoke to (and he didn't) and his personal feelings on the legacy of one of Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker's most enduring contributions to our shared musical history. 

On this week's episode of the official I Die: You Die podcast, we welcome Barrett and Panther from Bootblacks, who gave us the skinny on their excellent forthcoming LP Paradise on a windy but very scenic day in Vancouver a few weeks back. Details on their recent lineup changes, the genesis of the record and their goals in making it, as well as their philosophy on performance and what they want to get across on stage and on record are all touched on during what we think was an insightful and entertaining chat. Also, Alex gives his scorching hot review of the Ministry show he attended this week (it was good).

On this week's episode, we're taking some time to talk with Canadian synthpop legend Darrin Huss of Psyche, in an interview recorded a few hours before his set at Veboden festival here in Vancouver just a few short weeks ago. It's a wide-ranging discussion of the band's origins, legacy, Darrin's own relationship with his catalogue, Psyche's fans, and how he approaches addressing the different generations that come to see them in how he performs live.

With Bruce off to the highlands and Alex recovering under a pile of coats in a hall closet somewhere, this week's episode is a hastily recorded recap of this year's Verboden Festival from right here in Vancouver. You can hear the strain in the quality of our voices at the time of this recording, as we did plenty of chatting with artists, attendees and assorted friends and well-wishers while taking in an excellent lineup of artists across two venues, representing for the past, present and future of darkwave, EBM, industrial and several related genres.

We're talking about records by electronic pioneers who need little introduction in Gary Numan and Uwe Schmidt's Lassigue Bendthaus, but while the latter's Matter is an undisputed, hugely influential masterpiece, Numan's Berserker has a more mixed legacy, hinting at the rough sledding ahead. We're also chatting loads of festival news (real and hypothetical) on this week's episode.

We love two things here at ID:UD - dark music festivals, and arbitrary competition. We're combining those two passions with a mock draft of our own non-existent music fests, drawing from the line-ups of a handful of this year's real-world parties. Which of our two line-ups seems the most tempting to you? Let us know here or on socials, or give us your own line-up from the same pool.

A landmark for minimal, aggressive EBM for decades to come, the debut LP from Swedish legends Pouppée Fabrikk is the subject of this month's commentary podcast. A deceptively varied listen, Rage infused EBM with a unique punk ethos, and as we discuss here, hinted at the voluminous discography frontman Henrik Nordvargr Björkk was to embark upon. 

We're getting into the weeds of US industrial this week, discussing a record that captures a very specific early 90s moment, along with some formal experimentation in D.D.T.'s Discomedia, and one which consolidates the strength and range of cyberpunk stalwarts Cyanotic, The Trigger Effect. We're also looking over the solid lineup and new location for this year's Subtance Festival.

How does community lead to the discovery of new music? How do changes in the circles we run in or means through which we communicate lead to changes in our musical diets? How do modern algorithms interrupt or aid those musical flows? These are questions probably best left to serious sociological researchers, but instead you've got us two chuckleheads talking about the subject on this week's We Have a Technical! 

We're offering up one of classic, easy going Pick Five episodes this week folks, as we each look back at some underrated singles. Which tunes came out too early or too late to hit the spotlight? Which hinted at roads less travelled by established bands? And which tickled the fancies of the Senior Staff just because? 

We're going hard in the powernoise paint this week, as we look back on records from very different periods in the history of the subgenre, Tarmvred's Subfusc and Iszoloscope's The Edge Of Certainty. There's a lot of lateral discussion about the genre on the whole, in addition to consideration of what stands out about these records so many years on from their release. We're also breaking down the recently announced line-up for the thirteenth instalment of the Cold Waves Fest. 

On this month's commentary we look at a nearly 40 year old classic which feels as though it could have been released in response to the world at large today: Test Dept.'s The Unacceptable Face Of Freedom. In addition to the record's searing indictment of the intertwining of capitalism and fascism at the expense of the working class, it marks a turning point for the band, with their classic industrial percussive sound now being tempered with an increased focus on sampling and programming, pointing the way forward for post-industrial music.

We're reaching just across some borders this week, talking about a pair of records which abut upon the industrial and goth worlds but aren't entirely part and parcel of them. First up is the latest and very cyperpunk-themed record from the industrial-tinged hip-hop trio Clipping. Next, we're talking about Chicago experimentalist Circuit Des Yeux's new dark art rock opus, which lifts from the same ur-sources as goth.

It's our sesexacentennial anniversary here at We Have A Technical, and no, that's not a mispronunciation of some oddly named aggrotech album, but cod-Latin for our 550th episode. We like to do something special every fifty episodes, and this is no different, with the Senior Staff casting their eyes and ears back to some club hits which didn't exactly curry favour with them upon release, and reappraising them. Has the music changed, or have we? We're also giving some immediate reactions to the newly rerecorded "Every Day Is Halloween" (just be thankful we're not really on Youtube with soyjak reaction faces).

We're joined by a pair of Patreon backers, Gustav of Sturm Café and Eric of Everything Goes Cold, to talk about a pair of records: the throwback, funk-inflected synthpop of Berndsen's Planet Earth and Babyland's electronic junk punk swan song Cavecraft, respectively. We're also chatting about a recent show by Vancouver's own Devours.

On this week's podcast, we're talking about an everything and the kitchen sink industrial crossover record reflective of its late 90s era in Pail's Epidemic, and the now decade-old statement of arrival from Finland's Vancouver-school electro-industrial act Cardinal Noire. We're also running through the just announced line-up of this year's Terminus Festival.

Ottawa's Encephalon join the podcast for the first time in nearly a decade to discuss the Ottawa act's latest high-concept, high-def electro-industrial LP, Automaton All Along. Alis and Matt chat with us about process, influences, and all of the various post-human and philosophical threads to be found in the record. We're also discussing the news of Mentallo & The Fixer returning to live touring. 

We're breaking from the usual LP format of our commentary episodes to bring you a discussion of a label compilation, specifically the first volume of Nightbreed's infamous "Gothic Sounds" samplers. We're using tunes from the likes of Suspiria, Nekromantik, and Faithful Dawn as an opportunity to discuss the ins and outs of mid 90s UK goth, and specifically the tantalizing electrogoth sound which has always been closely tied to Nightbreed.

It's a two albums formatted podcast this week folks, and one of a decidedly industrial cast. Up first, we're talking about X-Marks The Pedwalk side-project PAX's second LP, the hi-def and ambient/techno inflected High Speed Digital Spirit Processing. Next, it's the acidic, 90s throwback dark electro of Qual's Cyber Care EP. 

It's time for a Pick Five episode, dear listener, and as luck would have it it's also time for a particular time, or at least records suited specifically to 3am (eternal). What is a 3am record? We have a few different reads on that as you'll find out, as well as some comments on Ministry and And One tour news.

It's a classic two records formatted episode of the podcast this week, folks. The first full length record from Informatik and the sole release from electro-punk supergroup Error don't have a whole lot in common sonically or aesthetically, but as we explore on this episode they're each the product of a very precise and specific set of sounds, influences, and trends which would have only been accessible or pertinent precisely at the time they were released. 

Hot on the heels of a fantastic retirement concert from Front 242, the Senior Staff are discussing the ins and outs of legacy bands' retirements. When's the right time to pack it in, and who's to say? How does a band's aesthetic or style affect their longevity? We're taking up these and other questions, as well as talking about this week's Nine Inch Nails ticket sales.

This month's commentary podcast has Bruce and Alex ripping through Cubanate's unrelenting "Cyberia", a combination of industrial guitars and contemporary electronic production that's just as furious and engaging as it was in 1994. We're talking Phil Barry's guitar technique, the holy terror of Marc Heal's voice, and how the record manages to deliver a constant stream of tight club tracks while never falling prey to the chaos it rides the edge of.

The thorny issue of requests and how they do and don't fit into goth-industrial club formats is the subject of this week's podcast, with Alex and Bruce talking about the issues that come with ‘big tent' club formats, how patrons expectations have shifted in the streaming era, and do their level best (but occasionally fail) to avoid turning into bitter middle-aged DJs griping about their lots.

The first classic, two albums formatted episode of the new year has us looking at the finely balanced ethereal darkwave of Double Echo, and the immediate and genre-hopping techno-EBM work of Alen Skanner. We're also talking Terminus, the passing of Manufacture's Brian Bothwell, and the prospect of a new NIN tour.

We're jumping into the new year with a podcast previewing forthcoming releases we expect to come in 2025 from a slew of our favourite artists: Encephalon, Spark!, Devours, and more. We're also talking about the passing of Chemlab's Dylan Thomas More, news regarding Ghost Twin and Kindest Cuts, and this year's iteration of Cold Waves. 

Our still recently minted annual tradition of the off-topic commentary is back! After records by Little Boots and GZA in previous years, we're once again wandering away from Our Thing for our final We Have A Commentary of the year. As voted on by our patrons, we're discussing an Iron Maiden record, 1986's Somewhere In Time in particular! From the band's emerging structural experimentation to its classic galloping metal to the increasingly adventurous themes and topics they were taking on, we have a blast discussing one of our mutual favourite metal bands of all time.

As an addendum to our main roster Year End coverage, we're poking out of our Tofurkey comas to each pick five tracks from the past year which stuck with us. Separate from our records of the year and honorable mentions, these are club-joints, one-offs, or just damn catchy ditties we wanted to throw some roses at before the the ghost of Dick Clark does the countdown. We're also discussing the lineup of next year's Verboden festival.

Wrapping up our week of Year End coverage we have an episode of the podcast discussing some common trends and notable factors in our Top 25 records of the year, some statistical number crunching looking back at previous years' lists, and each of the Senior Staff choosing five honourable mention records from the year which didn't quite make the list. Thanks so much for checking the podcast out, whether you're jumping in to get a crash course in the year's best music or you've stuck with us all year.

Just ahead of next week's year end coverage, we're playing catch-up on this week's podcast. Four records from Black Nail Cabaret, Orange Sector, Vision Video, and Kite released over the past year which we did not formally write up or discuss but wanted to be on record about before releasing our Top 25 records of the year are taken up here.

The criteria and membership of a (entirely hypothetical) industrial hall of fame is the subject of this week's podcast. What sort of criteria would be used to evaluate a band's legacy? Who's a shoo-in? Which artists' candidacies might inspire screaming matches and bare-knuckle brawls? How might we ensure that the rivethead equivalent of Harold Baines would not end up enshrined within these (again, entirely hypothetical) hallowed halls? We're talking about all that plus the Sick New World cancellation.

It's a down the pipe two albums episode of the podcast this week, as we discuss the cinematic body disco of Molasar and the late period dark electro/electro-industrial hybrid of Novakill's first record. We're also discussing the Cleopatra Records AI music controversy, plus announcing the Vancouver spot on the Lana Del Rabies/God Is War tour which we're co-presenting.

The debut LP of Wax Trax sleaze peddlers extraordinaire, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, is the subject of this month's commentary podcast. Between the duo of Buzz McCoy and Groovie Mann getting in on the ‘darkened 60s psychedelia' angle years before it went mainstream, to their placement within Wax Trax and industrial music overall in the late 80s, to the more restrained (and dare we say tasteful?) sounds which crop up in the band's early work, there's plenty to discuss. 

In an episode dedicated to splitting the finest of hairs and analyzing the specific dance steps of angels on pinheads, we're each picking five micro-genres for discussion. Do they exist? Are they distinct from neighbouring styles? What can be learn or take from them? We're also discussing Metropolis Records' recently announced charity initiative and corresponding compilation series

It's a pretty diverse two albums formatted episode this week; we're talking about the freeform, hip-hop and rock tinged EBM chaos of Scapa Flow's final LP Heads Off To Freedom and Marhseaux's big and direct 2013 electro-pop LP Inhale. 

Hey, folks. As we talk about off the top, it's both the larger global news and a much more personal tragedy that we're both wrestling with this week. We're trying not to let that effect the podcast too much, but given the themes and mood of our subject, the first new album from The Cure in sixteen years, a little bit of real life pain is going to sneak its way in. Listening to music we love and talking about it with the people we love has always helped us both, and if us two goofballs talking about Bobby Smith & His Cures helps you with your day in any manner, we'd be humbled and overjoyed. 

On this week's Halloween-themed episode of the podcast, we're simulating an experience that'll be familiar to all DJs: fielding requests at a Halloween party. What tracks from within and without the boundaries of Our Thing might we be happy to play? Which would be anathema to us? Which might we consider if you greased our palms or plied us with liquor? We're also discussing the passing of Winterkälte's Eric De Vries.

Keeping the momentum going from last week we're sticking with a decidedly industrial pair of records to discuss from Worms Of The Earth and C-Drone Defect. We've also got reactions to the just announced line-ups of next year's Cruel World and Dark Forces festivals. 

The tar-black, mechanically thrashing blast of negativity and angst which is Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's debut LP is the subject of this week's commentary podcast. Talk About The Weather Distilled extant strains of post-punk and goth rock into one of the tightest and noisiest records of its generation, and we're looking at how it fits into the Lorries' own progression as well as the broader musical histories they drew upon and influenced in turn.

We have a slightly industrial metal themed two albums episode of the podcast for you this week, dear listener, as we chat a record needing no introduction in Killing Joke's Pandemonium and the rare modern industrial metal record which gets us excited about the genre again, Black Magnet's debut LP Hallucination Scene. We're also talking about a surprisingly great Sisters of Mercy live show and what can be gleaned from the latest Sick New World lineup.

The return of the Pick Five format has us telling on ourselves, revealing some of our own apathies, and possibly taking some contentious positions as we talk about records which we haven't got around to yet. We're also talking about Ministry reformation news, and a video essay about goth and race making the rounds.

After dalliances with the meaning of goth and post-punk royalty, we're back to what brought us to the dance on this episode: obscure industrial releases scant few people are aware of. We're talking about Jean-Luc De Meyer's science fiction odysseys with 32Crash, and the strange path German collective Ars Moriendi took in linking classic industrial to powernoise. All that, plus some Cure (sorry, more post-punk royalty) and Pixel Grip talk. 

This month's commentary podcast dives into the often overlooked mid-period work of synthpunk pioneers Portion Control. Having an outsized influence on countless EBM and industrial acts, the band's more melodic movements into "post-industrial" with plenty of dalliances with synthpop and post-punk are perfectly captured on ..Step Forward. 

Having just seen Peter Hook & The Light, we're spending this episode discussing not just Hooky's presentation of the Joy Division and New Order catalogs, but also how our thoughts and feelings about those two bands have changed over the past thirty years. By equal measures we'll be getting into the nitty gritty of JD/NO lore and ephemera, but also wrestling with what has and hasn't changed about ourselves since we first came in contact with music which has never lost its gravitational pull upon us. We're also talking about some possible Tear Garden news.

We like to mark every 25th episode of the podcast with some sort of special theme or format, and so on this episode we're taking up the hefty topic of to what degree goth is a subculture tied to music. Grab your snakebite and Aquanet and expect gatekeeping, gateletting, takes spicy and mild, and no small amount of cattiness. We're also talking about the passing of Roli Mossiman, the news of North American And One dates, and a Devours gig.

It's a mixed format episode this week, with Alex giving a rundown of his trip to Edmonton for the Purple City Festival this past weekend, including the I Die: You Die showcase stage. Then, we're switching gears to talk about the era of high technoid via Access To Arasaka's 2009 LP Oppidan. All that, plus some horseshit about mainstream media's annual fixation with "goth" fashion around Hallowe'en. 

We're back to the classic two albums format for the first time in a hot minute, with the grinding industrialized noise rock of Head Of David and The Horror's first kick at the can as a spastic garage band in goth/scene garb on the table. We're also indulging in a bit of wanton speculation about the Nine Inch Nails name being attached to the next Tron film.

Our least favourite records by some of our favourite artists is the subject of this week's Pick Five formatted episode of the podcast. Is it a real Sophie's Choice situation or are we eager to throw some underperforming records under the bus? Find out, along with some talk about the recent Ex-Heir show which passed though Vancouver.