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).
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).
Last edited: