12 Apostles News

Saturday, August 31, 2002

Background reading

The Theremin has come a long way since its patent by Lev Sergeivitch Termen in 1921. Apparently Lenin was much taken with it and police had to control the crowds when its inventor toured Europe with it in 1927. Termen - who westernised his name to Theremin - moved to the US in 1928 but was later spirited back to the USSR by the KGB and was widely presumed to be dead until he re-surfaced some 50 years later. He finally left the Soviet Union in 1989 at the age of 93, having spent the intervening years in a gulag and working on covert listening devices for the KGB.

Although the instrument still has many devotees in the worlds of film, avant garde and classical music it is bands like Led Zeppelin, Cornelius, Add N to (X), Captain Beefheart and a whole host of others who have introduced it to mass audiences.

[posted in Bow :: London at 09:01]

Thursday, August 29, 2002

I am born again - the twelve stages of the Polyphonic Spree

One: The Polyphonic Spree and the Union Chapel a divine coupling with muddy sound.
Two: Embrace cassocks and facial hair.
Three: Why have one backing singing when ten blissed out choristers have stowed away on your Tour Bus?

Missed Woodstock? Never mind the Polyphonic Spree are here to bring you that sun drenched loved up era without recourse to hallucinogenic drugs, VW Camper Vans or military interventions in SE Asia. With only twenty-four members they create a wall of sound that stretches all the way from Bacharach to, erm, Free.

Four: Stroke that theremin.
Five: Shake that French horn.
Six: Strum that trombone.

The funny thing is that once you get past the general hippy-dawning-of-the-age-of-Aquarius vibe the Spree rock. And when they rock you stay rocked. It was one spiritually uplifting song after another. Imagine if Primal Scream had written a whole album of "Movin' On up's" and you get an idea of the genre. And let's be honest kids, wouldn't the world be a happier place if Bobby did do that rather than going on about Swastika Eyes, or some such nonsense?

Seven: Smile.
Eight: Laugh.
Nine: Sing.

The Spree can be accused of only having one-trick. But if you want transcendent choruses belted out by a bunch that appear to be having the time of their lives it's a pretty magnificent trick. That said they could do with a little editing at the margins. For an ensemble that has only released a single in the UK they managed a two-hour set and there is a line to be crossed when joyous jam can turn to dirge. But, hell, let's indulge them, there will be plenty of bleak winters yet when the warm glow of the summer-time Spree will be the only thing that keeps us going through the mundane trudge of post-Rock.

Ten: Embrace your enemies.
Eleven: Love your neighbours.
Twelve: Open your heart to the coming of the Spree.

[posted in Lancashire :: UK at 12:42]

Wednesday, August 28, 2002

Byron Bay�s Pacha In the Making ?

Things are hotting up in Northern NSW for the madness that has become summer in Byron Bay.

If anywhere in the world can become the new Ibiza it�s going to be what was once this sleepy coastal town with a few hippies that used to come down from the hills on the weekend to stock up on tofu and papers, hardcore surfers and the RSL crowd.

Things have changed over the past 5 years as travellers from around the world have descended on the place to soak up the final remanents of the vibe that once was.

The resturants are smarter, the pubs bigger and the backpacker hostels are dotted throughout town.

Now stage two seems to be descending upon the town with the arrival of nightclub night C-Moog co-owned by Simon Page, ex- Sublime on Pitt St, ex- Home Sydney partner and Tim Waugh, ex Club Manager Sublime, and ex General Manager Home Sydney.Promoter will be Jeremy Hale, ex promoter Sublime and Home Sydney. The press release reads as follows.

"Moving to the funkiest beach location in Australia, c-moog is taking clubbing back underground with a fresh club and the best sound system anywhere round. Running for a 30 week season every summer, October to April, the club is yet to announce its weekly events but has several international DJ's already confirmed. With a commitment to 100% pure music (including live music), healthy minds and a healthy environment, get mooged at c-moog Byron Bay." The season opens October 3rd.

This apostle remembers the days of goa trance in the hills and not a house record in sight� the times they are a changing!

For those with adventure still in them � you don�t have to look very hard to find towns with some of the old Byron vibe, you�ll find this apostle in one of them over the new year period when Bondi gets too crazy.

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 08:06]

Too Many Boring Men In Electronic Music � At Long Last a Counterpoint

Men or should we say boys as with everything else in this world dominate the music scene, electronic music is no different from the rest of the industry.

Kick out the swaggering testosterone types with this wonderful website Pink Noises which highlights women musicians and DJ�s working around the world. The recorded music resource needs a bit of beefing up but otherwise full marks to them.

In Australia we have DJ Bexta she rocks the house.

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 06:53]

Tuesday, August 27, 2002

I'd like to teach the world to mix...

Those out there interested in the world of internet broadcasting might want to go check out the Streaps tool that the guys at Radiostudio have just unleashed which allows users to do real-time RadioMatic audio stream mixing. Basically this means that anyone with the free Streaps client on their machine can connect up to the server and mix what they are playing live with what other people are playing and thus possibly create a whole new global harmony. Sounds good to me.

RadioMatic is a collaboration between the Villa Arson (France) and Bauhaus (Germany) art schools that describes itself as "an open space for modular and generative audio practices and a no-wall studio." Here at the Apostles we haven't had a chance to give it a whirl yet so if anyone else is using it then let us know what you think.

[posted in Bow :: London at 16:19]

Monday, August 26, 2002

Name that tune

12 Apostles favourite Icelandic band Sigor Ros appear to be taking minimalism to new heights with the release of their new album which will be known only by the sign '( )'. The sleeve will be "largely featureless", and punters will have to check out the website for credits - where they will also be invited to post their interpretations of the vocals (which are sung in "Hopelandish"). Once these interpretations have been posted on-line a computer will work out the most often suggested ones and they will "become the lyrics" for the album.

[posted in Bow :: London at 21:30]

Sunday, August 25, 2002

We wool rock you

Amongst the ever fertile world of inter-disciplinary collaboration that has always been a mainstay of the avant garde, comes news of Hat - a performance of music, words and knitting. Whilst veteran recording artist and founder member of the Voice of God Collective Billy Jenkins and ex-James cornet player and Spaceheads member Andy Diagram, along with poet/writer Ian McMillan and Hall� Orchestra member Angie Harrison, do their thing the audience are invited to knit. Luckily for those not experienced in the ways of the needle there is a free pre-gig knitting class.

Honestly - you couldn't make it up...

[posted in Bow :: London at 14:08]

Saturday, August 24, 2002

Reading notes

Every year The Reading Festival provides an opportunity to catch up with some of the big names around and a smattering of new and emerging talent. Here are some notes on Friday's proceedings:-

The White Stripes put on a great show and even threw in a Gun Club cover for good measure. The Strokes played through the album with plenty of panache but not much in the way of excitement, while next-generation NYC hipsters Interpol were alltogether more interesting. New Zealand's The Datsuns let rip with some fiery garage punk which sounded great - unlike The Vines who lacked any discernable edge.

Mercury Rev played a great set as the sun shone and master showman Perry Farrell did his bit to remind the crowd that Jane's Addiction forged a path that many others have followed. The Breeders played a classic set to a packed tent of happy punters and Guided by Voices were cool, calm and brilliant though, sadly, to a much smaller crowd. The fresh-faced Bobby Conn showed off his impressive vocal range and talent for off-beat tunes whilst The Polyphonic Spree (plus a couple of guesting Dandy Warhols) got the crowd all moving to their orchestrated revivalist mayhem.

Over at the Dance Tent a well received Ladytron did on their retro electro show despite battling with a shoddy sound system and Peaches laid it on the line in a pair of pink y-fronts and a generous helping of fake blood.

Finally over at the late night cabaret The Bastard Son of Tommy Cooper turned out to be a great find and a worthy heir to the great man himself.

[posted in Bow :: London at 20:02]

Friday, August 23, 2002

Listen 4 ever - not

Interesting end (for the time being anyway) to the RIAAs precedent setting action against four of the biggest US service providers (AT&T Broadband, Cable and Wireless, Sprint and UUNet) -as the case has now been dropped. The RIAA had sought to make them deny access to Chinese music site listen4ever.com which, they claimed was offering pirated MP3s. Having initially failed to get the site taken down they had tried to get access to it blocked (an action that would have affected both the four service providers involved and a whole host of small providers sub-leasing bandwidth off them) which was effectively forcing the service providers to act as RIAAs henchmen. The case has been dropped as the site has been taken down - though for what reason is presently unclear.

[posted in Bow :: London at 08:05]

Does The Middle East Hold Some Sort of Fascination For The Hardcore Scene

After our story about Melbourne band YidCore this apostle does a little more research and discovers that outta Chicago come Walls of Jericho.
Who, we are told are, a bit different than your typical hardcore band. they incorporate metal, old school hardcore, youth crew, thrash, melodic metal, and e-chug hardcore into a style that definetely stands out� yeah whatever , we say.
What we really want to know is are there other bands out there with a biblical, middle eastern bent from the hardcore scene. Sodom & Gommorah is too obvious , how about burning bush or The Road To Damascus. Let us know.

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 06:51]

Thursday, August 22, 2002

Fins to make and do

Mikko from Finland is planning to construct an experimental piece about 'distances / communication / language' and is looking for contributors to supply raw material in the form of sounds, music or visuals. If you have anything you'd like to contribute or want more details then email him.

[posted in Bow :: London at 12:58]

Look Out Beastie Boys � Nice Jewish Boys From Melbourne Rock the States

Whilst all those Christian boys and girls take themselves ever so seriously as per yesterday�s 12 article we like to sing praise and glory to Melbourne�s YidCore who are no more than they say.
Hardcore Jewish sounds with humour.
They�ve just finished a tour of the states, gigging in venues as varied as the NYC Bowery Poetry Club, CBGBs, Phyliss' Music Inn, Chicago, and our favourite, Ira's Dining Room wherever that is.
Their single is called, The Great Chicken Soup Caper EP and is out on Swell Records.
You can buy their stuff here at Interpunk

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 08:50]

Wednesday, August 21, 2002

"The Music you are about to hear is true... The words have been changed to protect the innocent"

News reaches the Apostles of the imminent arrival of Grace Period the new long player from purveyors of rock 'n roll biblical parodies ApologetiX. Obviously the ApologetiX guys have had to reconcile themselves with the fact that for some of the flock rock music is the devil's tool - luckily the scriptures have come to their rescue:-

"God made human beings, and God made music. Human beings become sinful by the things they say and do. Music becomes "sinful" by the things it says (lyrics) and does (the feelings and actions those lyrics stir up in the audience) But God can change a human being and make him a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) filled with righteousness."

If you can't wait for the album there are a bunch of MP3 over on their website, including The Real Sin Saviour - their take on Eminem, Smooth Grandmama - their take on Alien Ant Farm and Cheap Birds - their take on Lynard Skynrd.

However the 12 Apostles personal favourite has got to be their re-working of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts classic I Love Rock and Roll - now transformed into 'I Love Apostle Paul' - the lyrics are below so you can sing along.

Truly these guys have too much time on their hands...

[posted in Bow :: London at 13:33]

White Boys Love Gang Culture Because They Don�t Have to Live It

Here�s a site for all you part time hip hoppers out there. Stop checking out your latest trainers and log on to Street Gangs.com

All the latest from LA�s underbelly with news stories of missing teenagers and conspiracy theories like this, Formally to the world I am known as Ronald Chatman, but in the Hood I am known as O/G Mad Ronald from Westside Rollin' 20's Neighborhood Blood Gang. I speak as a 27-year veteran of the Los Angeles gang war. I was here before the L.A. riots, I was here before there was crack, and I was here before rap music. So when I speak I don't tell fairytales or war stories, I tell the truth. There's one question that I must raise here, as an O/G/Blood I have seen government issued (automatic) weapons in the hands of young gang members. Some one must fund all wars. If that's true, isn't the United States government (covertly) financing the gang wars in the U.S.A. by providing automatic weapons and drugs.

The site will also give you all of the following, Blood Gangs in Los Angeles, Crip Gangs in Los Angeles, Bibliography, Homicides , Migration, Graffiti, Gang Maps, 18th Street, Gang Injunctions, California Prisons and an online store !

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 08:27]

Tuesday, August 20, 2002

Feeling the lack

Here at the 12 Apostles we are always attracted by a interesting sounding album title and one such has come to our attention in the form of the new release by Greg Kelley, which is called If I never meet you in this life, let me feel the lack. Brilliant. No idea what it sounds like but here are a few of plaudits that greeted his last release, Trumpet:-

�This solo recording by trumpeter Greg Kelley is a bit like the black canvas with a white spot in the middle: One might question its value as art.�
-Steven Loewy [All Music Guide]

�...at the very least represents a challenging test of any listener's patience.�
- Scott Hreha [one final note]

�...this disc isn't for everyone.�
- Ken Waxman [Jazz Weekly.com]

[posted in Bow :: London at 20:20]

German Genius

Sometimes you come across a couple of 12"s that you just can't stop playing. A rare thing in this world where a track that sounds good at the beginning of the month sounds dated by the 30th.

Bondi apostle purchased Kissogram's 12" on the Blau label late last year , If I Had Known Before , a monster of a tune that builds and builds and rounds up with the best vocal line of 2001.

This year whilst in New York another Kissogram 12" jumps out of the racks of a lower eastside record shop. This time they are on the buback label and the track I'm Absolute moves us away from the dancefloor and sounds to this apostle like .... well... like Kissogram and just refuses to leave the turntable.

Seek out these guys and buy their music. Don't bother looking for a website because they don't have one at the moment.

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 09:28]

Monday, August 19, 2002

Ace of (data)base?

The folks over at Staffordshire University's Sound Research Group are establishing a database of practitioners, educators, students and researchers who are concerned with the use of sound for communication and creativity. If you want to be part of the database there is a form to fill in.

[posted in Bow :: London at 13:03]

Sunday, August 18, 2002

Dance, dance, dance to the radio

Bored with your current listening options? Run out of frequency to explore? If so give internet radio a go. Good starting points are these two directories: radio-locator and brs web radio. If you wanna know what everyone else is listening to then head over to Measurecast, who publish a weekly top 25 chart.

Sadly not everything is rosy in the internet radio garden as the passing of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in the USA in October 1988, established a new "sound recordings performance royalty" that webcasters must pay to record labels. The royalty rate that has been set is out of proportion to the revenues being made by most webcasters and will force many of the smaller US based ones to hang up their network cables. (If broadcast radio stations had to pay the same royalty rate, it would cost them billions of dollars and wipe out the entire profits of the industry.) Find out more at Save Internet Radio.

[posted in Bow :: London at 19:05]

Saturday, August 17, 2002

In case you haven't spotted it our merchandising partner has decided to hold a summer sale. So our very own 12 Apostles - be the envy of all your friends baseball shirt - is now only $16.99. Offer ends on 31st of this month. More details here.

[posted in Bow :: London at 22:23]

Auteur action

Last night saw the first public screening of Christy Malry's Own Double Entry at the ICA. The film is based on the novel of the same name by cult experimental writer BS Johnson (1933 - 1973) and features a soundtrack by Luke Haines - who performed a short live set prior to the film. The material he played was all taken from the film and was a great way to set the scene for the blackly comic and - for the most part - stylishly inventive film. Worth going to see for the music alone.

[posted in Bow :: London at 15:13]

Friday, August 16, 2002

Teen Spirit - Alpine Style

Enthusiasts of the history youth culture and its sartorial manifestations who find themselves in London over the next month or so should head over to the Photographers Gallery for the exhibition by octogenarian Swiss photographer Karlheinz Weinberger. In the late 1950's Weinberger first became aware that along side the increasingly prosperous and consumerist societies in Basel and Z�rich a teenage rebel culture was being born. Taking their lead from the fledgling youth culture in the US but giving it a peculiar Alpine twist the rebels (or Die Verlausten - The lice-invested ones - as they were known to the shocked locals) created their own take on what it meant to be young in Switzerland at the birth of the Rock 'n Roll era.

[posted in Bow :: London at 08:30]

Thursday, August 15, 2002

Haiku�s From The Mean Streets of Urban America

One of our favourite web sites is Gangsta Haiku Daily Haiku�s written by fake or real homeboys. Does it matter? They are very entertaining.
Plenty of AK47�s, bitches, blunts and the like.

Haiku instructer
you buster, crop duster, your
last stand like custer

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 09:40]

Guess what?

US research agency Forrester has just published some interesting research that has found that, despite the recent 15% slump in US record sales, there is no evidence of decreased CD buying among frequent consumers of digital music. Of course this confirms what most of us knew anyway - that the rise of Napster, Audiogalaxy, Gnutella et al was actually providing a fantastic opportunity for people to:-
a) get some music for free so they could spend their cash on other music,
b) provide an opportunity to explore and learn about a wealth of new music and then - having discovered new stuff - go buy it.

The real thing that worries the old style record companies right now is not lack of sales but loss of influence. This is why the old off-line lables are (by and large) so desperate to fight for the status quo of high prices and non-digital delivery - except the odd bit of tokenism in the form of Pressplay (Sony/Universal), MusicNet (BMG, EMI, Warner) and Rhapsody (EMI, BMG, Sony, Universal, Warner) - and the new on-line lables are (by and large) happy to foster a culture of download and burn.

Twelve Apostles know that the people who buy the music are the custodians of the futures' of the recording artists they like and buy - not the record companies.

[posted in Bow :: London at 09:17]

Wednesday, August 14, 2002

Fight for your right to...

An interesting decision has recently been arrived at in some long running litigation between Beastie Boys and jazz flutist James Newton. The case was bought by Newton after Beasie Boys sampled a six second clip of Choir from his
1982 ECM album Axum and repetitively used it in their track Pass the Mic. Although the Beasties licensed the Choir sound recording from Newton's label and credited him in the album notes the did not ask his permission to use the sample.

The decision went against Newton because the judge ruled that it is only necessary to licence a sound recording and not the underlying composition. The three notes (C,Db ,C - along with a held flute harmonic C2) that make up the sample were ruled to be non copyright.

Unfortunately the costs of bringing the case have left Newton with a bill for $492,000. Read the full story here.

Further proof - if any were needed - that the laws governing copyright are completely out of step with the current technological and musical environment and the sooner they are replaced the better.

[posted in Bow :: London at 10:51]

Tuesday, August 13, 2002

c e n t i b e l

Are you producing work that explores concepts of 'minimalism, quiets, silences and listenings'? If so then newly launched on-line MP3 / OGG (Ogg Vorbis - a open source audio compression format) label c e n t i b e l could be worth checking out as they are looking for material to release.

Submission guidelines are as follows:
1) Via postal mail to #206A - 611 E. 7th Ave. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5T 1N9. Acceptable formats are CD-R, mini-disc, floppy diskette, cassette, phonograph, wax cylinder, paper tape, punch cards, raw binary handwritten on a sheet of clean white paper, etc. No DAT's please.
2) email the c e n t i b e l curator providing a *link* to a site where your work can be downloaded. If you wish to email sound files directly to the curator, please send a warning email first stating the total size of the file(s) to be sent and wait for a response.

[posted in Bow :: London at 10:20]

DSP Debate

Wanna join (or just follow) the debate about what constitutes the 'digital aesthetic'? Then get yourself on the .microsound list. As they themselves put it: ".microsound is an unmediated mailing list oriented toward discussion of the styles of digital and post-digital music promulgated by the proliferation and widespread adoption of digital signal processing (dsp) tools."

[posted in Bow :: London at 09:56]

Middle Aged Spread

A fearless Brighton Apostle decided to re-live those far off days of the seventies... here's what happened at the Sex pistols at Crystal Palace.

Being a mere hour away from Crystal Palace (alright then 6 hours after you take various pubs into consideration) and having no reasonable expectation of a more enjoyable way to spend a saturday night, myself and half a dozen or so of the local cognicenti chose to take in this pistular offering.

Contrary to, or more accurately in the absence of any expectation whatsoever, it was bleedin' fantastic.....

An abundance of beatific bonhomie meant that the crush down the front was painless and kicking off rather surprisingly with Silver Machine meant that you had a full three minutes to get down there before the real stuff started. Being knocked over and picked up more times than I could count (even if sober)was at least half the fun.

All your favorites lined up for a relentless hour plus set which meant that there were plenty of late 30's/early 40's barristers, middle managers, bankers and analysts in a state of sweaty euphoria as they searched for any tube station that wasn't rammed more tightly than the front of the stage.

OK... so I was a ton lighter than at the start of the day, but there is very little to complain about when you can marvel at the irony of all that monied middle-age shouting along to the closing chorus of the second encore - god save the queen. Let's hear that again.....

No future, No future, No future for meeeee ah

Our thanks to Brighton Apostle for this missive from the barricades.

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 00:03]

Monday, August 12, 2002

Timeline Tokyo

Bow Apostle found himself in Tokyo for a few days recently and even had a few hours spare to check out a couple of new releases.

The biggest marketing splash in town was being created by SMAP (which apparently stands for Sport Music Assemble People) a longstanding Japanese pop outfit who's new album Drink Smap! was being pushed on a plethora of billboards, giant screens and even their own line of soft drink vending machines (shades of Rupert Thomson's novel Soft). The album kicks off with a great Cornelius-esque slice of syncopated sampling that comes on like some crazed sales pitch for a miracle cure for bored teenagers the world over. Despite this promising start the rest of the album does rather trail off into more formulaic and commercial pop territory. Shame.

Also doing a brisk trade was Tokyo Classic - the latest release from jazz/funk/hip-hop outfit Rip Slyme - which was also getting a sophisticated sales push via free cardboard fans (much appreciated given the all pervading heat) and stickers. The record is slick and easy on the ear but not offering anything too much outside the previously mapped limits of the genre.

[posted in Bow :: London at 09:55]

Radio Absorb.com Airing on Demand

Radio Absorb.com have told us that Radio Absorb Transmission Three will be airing on demand as of now, and will be available for the next fortnight. You can access the mix from : Radio Absorb The tracks are recorded as a high-quality realaudio stream and they tel us to stay tuned for more mixes from Sheikh plus some special guest mixes in the coming months.

Here's the tracklisting......

Radio Absorb Transmission Three - Mixed by Phil Raffaele
00. Introduction
01. Boom Bip - Roads Must Roll - "Seed to Sun" - Track 01 (Lex)
02. Teflon Tape - Medium Nas intro
03. Blackalicious - Sky is Falling - "Blazing Arrow" - Track 3 (MCA)
04. Dabrye - So Scientific - "One/Three" - Track 9 (Ghostly International)
05. Squarepusher - Anstromm-Feck 4 - "Do You Know Squarepusher" - Track 4
(Warp)
06. Midwest Product - Clicks and Crackers - "Specifics" - Track 02 (Ghostly
International)
07. Push Button Objects - Fly (You Ain't) - A1 - (Chocolate Industries)
08. Thievery Corporation - Facing East - "The Richest Man in Babylon" -
Track 02 (ESL)
09. String Theory - The Peel - "Anhedonia EP" - Track 2 (The Consumers
Research and Development Label)
10. DJ Shadow - Walkie Talkie - "The Private Press" - Track 03 (MCA)
11. Machine Drum - Half the Battle - "Half the Battle EP" - Track 01 (Merck)
12. Willus Drummond - It's a Stickup - "Evacuate the Planet 12" (Entaprisez)
13. Tool - The Grudge - "Lateralus" - Track 1 (Volcano)
14. AntiPop Consortium - Dystopian Disco Force - "The Ends Against the
Middle EP" - Track 3 (Warp)
15. Frank Zappa - Wedding Dress Song - "The Lost Episodes" - Track 16 (Ryko)
16. Modest Mouse - Point A to B - "Sad Sappy Sucker" - Track 4 (K)
17. Will Smith vs. Trick - Nod Ya Head (Mr. Trick Lust for Aliens mix)
18. Caural - Retrospect - "Stars on my Ceiling" - Track 4 (Chocolate
Industries)
19. Kevin Blechdom - Mr. Miguel - "I Heart Presets EP" - Track 3
(Tigerbeat6)
20. The Rapture - Modern Romance - "Out of the Races and on to the Tracks
EP" - Track 2 (Sub Pop)
21. RJD2 - Ghostwriter - "Dead Ringer" - Track 8 (Definitive Jux)
22. Boards of Canada - From One Source All Things Depend (Japanese Bonus
Track) - "Geogaddi" (Warp)

They say absorb.org is a non-profit making website primarily dedicated to electronic music. based in london, we are dedicated to bringing you the latest reviews of the releases that matter.

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 01:15]

Wednesday, August 07, 2002

Rotten Really Taking the Piss .. Now

OK, we�ve had a Pistols Reunion tour and now a summer gig at Crystal Palace� but this just announced by Billboard has to be a bigger pisstake than the Ronnie Biggs affair. the Sex Pistols will headline Los Angeles radio station KROQ's second Inland Invasion show, set for Sept. 14 at the Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion in Devore, Calif. Blink-182, the Offspring, and Social Distortion will also be on hand for the show
How can you comment on this �

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 08:32]

Australia Can Now Produce It�s Own Good Quality White Labels

As fans of the analogue sound the 12 are pleased to learn that local outfit BPM have managed to put together a quality vinyl pressing service allowing local musicians and DJ�s to produce short runs of their latest sounds.
Here's their press release which says it all.... For many years the conventional wisdom has been that Australian vinyl was of poor quality. This is no longer the case. The demands of modern production and more importantly of contemporary producers have seen huge improvements in the standard of vinyl being pressed in Australia.' Sure' we hear you cry, 'we've heard this all before, but the proof is in. Australian producer/DJ GT, recently had his Kid Dynamite 12" mastered, cut and pressed right here in Australia and the quality is there on the wax. Should you need proof, we have copies in store for you to hear.
We say good luck to them.. and lets hope this service will bring out some new independent creative talents into the Aus music scene.

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 07:48]

Tuesday, August 06, 2002

Garage Bands Are Back

The The Strokes effect has now gone into overdrive and everybody loves garage bands again.
The latest issue of the Face has documented all the top bands from around the world and it appears flavour of the week in the UK at the moment are the Datsuns. Bondi Apostle saw these guys earlier in the year with a couple of friends and to be honest we had to rack our brains to remember what they were like. Sort of fun and very skinny but we couldn�t really remember any standout tracks.
Here at the 12 our top tip for garage band of 2002 are London�s own The Toes . Produced by Tjinder Singh they retain the feel of a band like the Sonics or the Trashmen but they do it in 21st century style. They recently supported Ten Benson somewhere in Camden town and what a great show it was�. One moment I was watching Cheap Trick , the next the Beastie Boys in their snotty stage. Forget the rest and just look at your feet. The Toes rock.

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 08:36]

Take a Bath With Jesus

So you thought that the only way to get to know Jesus 2002 years after his death and alleged resurrection was through the bible or some inner spiritual understanding�. Think again, Jesus just like anybody else of note these days is on the web and he�s looking for a date.
He even wants to take a bath with you.
If this really offends you Jesus has provided an email address where you can rant at him.

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 07:50]

Sunday, August 04, 2002

Blatant Plug For Friends

ROC & Solah have released their new single, I Want You I Need You I Miss You . Rush your local record store or mp3 site and demand to listen to it right now.

Others say...

"The bomb!" - Les Ryder (Cream)
"Look forward to hearing this on the radio" - SOTO (Botchit and Scarper)
"Wicked little EP, very nice" - www.groovetech.com
"Gorgeous vocals, top tune" - Ann D (Headcharge)
"I'll be lugging this around bars for the rest of the summer" - Easilee (Loose Caboose)

Hear it NOW featured exclusively on the MP3 Europe Homepage

More music and info on www.rocmusic.com

"We can be people and not sheeple"

[posted in Bondi :: Sydney at 02:02]

[news archives]