Andy Weatherall

[zhao]

about 5 years ago I would have been a lot more enthusiastic about this thread... but by now that brand of bass heavy techy-breaks is rather cliche and has gone the way of D'n'B - banging in a dead end alley.

the Double Gone Chapel was inneresting but wore out pretty fast... the best thing by this dude I've ever heard is the "Gotta Keep it Tight" track on one of the Clicks and Cuts compilations from the late M. Plateaux. sickness.

 

[labrat]

smokebelch was a fine record (heard it on an advert recently)-was it sampling an LTJ Bukem record?
the first Inky Blacknuss (sabrettes?) record was fabulous...
the rest of his records I could live without.
but for my money early-mid 90's he was the greatest.
(was his DJing that psychedelic or did other factors contribute?)



the 'tash sounds wonderful.

 

[polystyle]

1 AM brain drops

Well , 5 years ago may have been a bit early for a Dissensus thread !
Do agree tho' on 'Chapel' which got hyped here by Warp to the point where it sounded like it was going to be the end all Weatherall new thing , and it was ... ok .
The many layered thing he was doing when DJing was something to be *ucked with
, followed up on and that sonic is what inspired the thread.
Multi layers of different but sympatico music overlapping , seems one place to go in making music
(some of the early better mashups had some of these elements before they got too Studio slick )
On the Klub floor it could make one stop moving cold if one thought about it , but I like it alot as experiment.

Weatherall seemed to be just enjoying himself while throwing these mind bombs to the crowd
and that made his 'live' really something to be inside of

 

[michael]

I was inspired to pull out what I've got from 2 Lone Swordsmen and it's all sounding pretty ace still. I didn't like the 'Chapel' stuff at all - seemed like a sound that was old before it began? - and was a bit baffled by that rockish remix of Villalobos's 'Dexter' (t)he(y?) did. I mean, props for doing something other than a slight tweak of the original track, but it was pretty.. crazy.

The Sabres' 'Wilmot' will never cease being fucking great, IMO.

I saw Weatherall DJ once in London in 1999 and found his set really generic. I'm sure the mixing was great, I remember having no idea where tracks started and finished, but it was nothing like the mix albums I've heard from him. Mind you, he plays all over the map, doesn't he? Just seemed to hit him on the straight techno night, which isn't particularly my thing.

 

[bassnation]

about 5 years ago I would have been a lot more enthusiastic about this thread... but by now that brand of bass heavy techy-breaks is rather cliche and has gone the way of D'n'B - banging in a dead end alley.

i don't agree with this - theres some wicked electro around, same as ever. it never really goes away but comes in and out of fashion regularly.

i love all of it whether its european like manayst, uk stuff like weatherall or even low down ghetto tracks on databass and twilight.

its as heavy on the sub as any dubstep, you can play it mixed up with practically anything. can't ask for more than that. besides, i'd imagine weatherall has moved on several times since that phase, hes not someone who stays still for long.

and as for haywire, those parties were wicked. i have to admit, i'm not as much into acts like adult as some people but i remember it being slamming. the times i've been they'd be dropping hardcore tunes like "music so wonderful" next to dj scud and bassy electro.

 

[droid]

Anyone rate his/tenniswoods 'Rotters Golf Club' label? They released some great stuff back in the early 00's - before I stopped buying electro...

 

[IdleRich]

Stuff I heard was pretty good. Also Control Tower but I think that's stopped now.

 

[bassnation]

bass heavy techy-breaks

oh, and its not breaks either - at least not in the terminally naff nu skool sense. like i said, its been around forever as a sound - predates house and techno. can't be messed with.

 

[OldRottenhat]

I like his house tracks more than anything - "Rico's Helly" off The Fifth Mission and the two doublepacks that followed: Swimming Not Skimming and Stockwell Steppas. I would buy anything that had a Two Lone Swordsmen remix in those days and they were all cracking - I was hoping that Peppered With Spastic Magic would collect some of them but I didn't recognise any of the track titles so I passed on it. I remember seeing him in the Kitchen one time and after two hours of really stiff, dry electro he unloaded an hour of absolutely blinding house with layer upon layer of percussion breaks that absolutely wrecked me (and probably disgusted plenty of others). I'm not a big house fan except when it's Weatherall and I find everything Two Lone Swordsmen have done since increasingly disappointing.

And of course "Smokebelch II" is a classic (David Holmes remix likewise) and Haunted Dancehall is one of the few albums coming out of club music to really work as an album and the only remotely bearable music Primal Scream ever made was with Weatherall as producer and he's the only dj I ever saw drop "Lyot" so, all in all, definite thumbs up for Andy even if he hasn't made a record I like in quite a while.

 

[Freakaholic]

Stuff I heard was pretty good. Also Control Tower but I think that's stopped now.

What do you know about Control Tower? Somehow, a couple of years ago, I ended up buying about 5 or 6 records of theirs, and am now on their mailing list. A group of guys now going under the name Deadsilence Syndicate are doing live DnB, ion band format, and it seems doign pretty well.

How this came from their dark electro records is a mystery to me. But Ive always dug that sound, and wondered if anyone was doing anything the same: dark, fast, evil sounding electrobreaks that make you scared more than want to dance.


Is there a "scene" for that? Other artists? Are they doing something under another name?

 

[Gabba Flamenco Crossover]

What do you know about Control Tower? Somehow, a couple of years ago, I ended up buying about 5 or 6 records of theirs, and am now on their mailing list. A group of guys now going under the name Deadsilence Syndicate are doing live DnB, ion band format, and it seems doign pretty well.

How this came from their dark electro records is a mystery to me. But Ive always dug that sound, and wondered if anyone was doing anything the same: dark, fast, evil sounding electrobreaks that make you scared more than want to dance.


Is there a "scene" for that? Other artists? Are they doing something under another name?

It was tenniswood's label. He A&Red it, and ran it with someone else.

Detroit producers like Shake, Yanu & UR used to release stuff like this pretty regularly in the 90s. Control tower & tenniswood's radioactive man stuff always struck me as a british take on this sound, borrowing a little from techstep (which doesnt figure at all on american radars).

Tenniswood was the focal point of the UK electro scene when i was into it about 5 years ago - haywire was the main night for that sort of thing. A few other people tried to set it off but it was pretty small scale, some good parties though. It seems much bigger in the states, particularly through the south.

I drifted away from that scene so i dont know much about what's happening now - try the electro alliance forum - most hedz posted on there and, having just glanced again at it for the first time in 3 years, it seems to still be in fairly rude health.

I agree this genre could do with it's own name - 'electro' means so many different things to different people. Tenniswood did seem to be consciously pushing a sound away from retro electro, away from downtempo IDM and from the techno scene although obviously there was major crossover from those areas.

I dont know if it ever crossed majorly into the D&B scene here. Although more recently I've heard interesting reports about a free party sound system playing this sound. Havent come across them yet though.

 

[bassnation]

I agree this genre could do with it's own name - 'electro' means so many different things to different people. Tenniswood did seem to be consciously pushing a sound away from retro electro, away from downtempo IDM and from the techno scene although obviously there was major crossover from those areas.

there is some confusion around the name (probably like most genres). but i'd argue tenniswood was doing a uk slant on contemporary electro. you listen to a lot of drexyia (and other related ur and detroit artists) - a lot of that is fast and dark, production is ruff as fuck. you can mix up with the uk stuff no problem.

 

[polystyle]

electro - now then after

Good points about electro ...
Many kinds , some has been quite great , inspiring
From Mantronik or C- Bank style early Electro as cannonized by now as what - Old Old School Electro ' ?
'Freestyle' another slight offshoot
(not that i really care about the labels they were given , electro borders pretty fluid and meld - y).
Thinking back on how tracks had to be made then ,
home Studios ? - yeah if you were a big Producer elite
Multi track ? - sure 16 /24/ with label budget 48 tracks but often still one had to play live your last kyboard line while the track played through and you hoped you didn't screw up.
This was the John Robie method and he did it so well ,
Robie being the sonic partner to the more known 'Arthur Baker' (who I never saw actually DO much in the Studio )

rolling past er, 'electro clash' (no comment) into the tracks talked about above -
the more dark 'evil' thrashy stuff that R Man and Weatherall could lay out for the crowd.
Wouldn't bet against electro having a nice long life this century ...
Mallable , changeable

 

[IdleRich]

"What do you know about Control Tower? Somehow, a couple of years ago, I ended up buying about 5 or 6 records of theirs, and am now on their mailing list. A group of guys now going under the name Deadsilence Syndicate are doing live DnB, ion band format, and it seems doign pretty well."

I don't know that much about Control Tower but it was run by Keith Tenniswood (and I've got a feeling that Dexorcist was involved as well). I think I've got a record by Dead Silence Syndicate on CT too but I don't know anything about them doing drum & bass.
I think that Lula who runs the Wang party (in my opinion the best night in London for ages) used to work for Control Tower, they certainly used to put on Radioactive Man and other CT things like Kansas City Prophets.
The Wang residents included Ed Chamberlain from Norwich/Brighton and I think that they put out stuff on their own label Baselogic (http://www.baselogic.co.uk) so that might be a place to check.
Scand is another infrequent night pushing a similar sound (the guy makes records under the name Cultek on Touchin' Bass) and so is Delta9 although I don't know if they are still doing their stuff.
Satomile was another label putting out similar stuff, again not sure if they still are or what.
Seed records also put on parties in interesting places round London and release their own records though maybe they're a bit different (http://www.seedrecords.co.uk/)

 

[viktorvaughn]

I went to a Wang party in Feb sometime, in a kind of squatted pub covered in graffiti near Hackney Wick trian station. Pretty good, real slamming techno in the main room and a nice selection of reggae in the small one.

 

[polystyle]

Yeah, Satomile (Satamile ?) , small label run by Andrew had a run of good club nights here over in the meatpacking area on the West side , banging bass bins and a place for Haywire friendly parties,
just memories now
What WAS a meatpacking area , now boutiqued out by Stella McC and ilk and filled to overflowing with yups,
the mugwups now long gone ...

 

[mms]

Yeah, Satomile (Satamile ?) , small label run by Andrew had a run of good club nights here over in the meatpacking area on the West side , banging bass bins and a place for Haywire friendly parties,
just memories now
What WAS a meatpacking area , now boutiqued out by Stella McC and ilk and filled to overflowing with yups,
the mugwups now long gone ...

satamille wasn't run by andrew - it's an nyc label
control tower is run by keith and rotters golf club is run by andrew.lou used to help run control tower yes.

there are a few good labels on this tip - mad plastikay post electro - main players are decksorcist, bass junkie etc ed dmx, si begg etc
they are noodles institute / discoteque dead silence, breakin, mosquito, rag and bone, lingo, s.m.b. , touchin bass etc .
also stuff from pureplastic distribution which is closely linked to the wang parties is good, but a bit too old school for me sometimes

get em ere innit http://www.warpmart.com

 

[mms]

I went to a Wang party in Feb sometime, in a kind of squatted pub covered in graffiti near Hackney Wick trian station. Pretty good, real slamming techno in the main room and a nice selection of reggae in the small one.

nother guys who do these man parties in london are the minimal lot sud electric - portables label who do gigs in funny places all over north and east london .

 

[Gabba Flamenco Crossover]

I went to a Wang party in Feb sometime, in a kind of squatted pub covered in graffiti near Hackney Wick trian station. Pretty good, real slamming techno in the main room and a nice selection of reggae in the small one.

Ha ha, I know that place! I spent last NYE in there.

 

[[b]racket]

I don't know that much about Control Tower but it was run by Keith Tenniswood (and I've got a feeling that Dexorcist was involved as well). I think I've got a record by Dead Silence Syndicate on CT too but I don't know anything about them doing drum & bass.

Si Brown/Dexorcist is a mate of mine. Control Tower is his and Tenniswoods label.

There is a Dead Silence Syndicate live drum & bass band - well more punk & bass. They are well rowdy.

http://www.deadsilence.co.uk/