A quick dispatch from beyond the fringes of unpopular culture, via our pal Chester Hawkins:
It may be one old fart’s opinion, but “indie” ain’t “indie” no more: Much of it has that corrupted gloss of mass-marketing, and now even “lo-fi” is old-hat these days. And so those of us looking for more dangerous audio adventures have to go deeper underground to get our thrills.
On the bright side, truly “independent” music is thriving around town. Much of this is due to the work of the DC Sonic Circuits collective and their annual festival of experimental music. Each September, the fest mixes the best of local noisemakers with international headliners like Faust, Magma, Jandek, Fennesz, Merzbow, etc. But there are also shows throughout the year, at venues like the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring and the new Artisphere space in Arlington. Curious? The gig calendar is here.
The local Zeromoon label is also doing its bit: A crew of ZM artists from DC and Moscow (Astma, Violet, Pilesar, Blue Sausage Infant) recently toured the east coast, spreading the gospel that DC is more than Dischord and go-go. Recent Zeromoon releases include several free download items from DC and across the USA and Europe. I just recommend diving in head-first: the music covers everything from bitter noise to dark ambient, free improv, and technological pranks. Fascinating stuff.
One upcoming release shows a lot of promise (full disclosure: it’s my project). The next release by Blue Sausage Infant will be an attempt to break out of the short-run CD and hand-made CDR rut and produce a truly audiophile-quality vinyl LP. Musically, the influences are a mix of early ’70s krautrock and heavy space/psych (Faust, Ash Ra Tempel, early Hawkwind, Cluster, etc) with more modern experimental techniques. Anybody who caught the BSI show last September with Merzbow & Richard Pinhas got a full dose of this.
But since this is a truly independent project, I’ll need some help to fund the album. Enter Kickstarter:
In brief, it’s a way to support the project by pre-ordering a copy. The base contribution gets you the LP plus digital download and your name in the THANKS credits. Higher amounts get you other swag: CDs, posters, etc. If the $$$ goal isn’t reached by the deadline, no money changes hands; it’s all perfectly safe.
This campaign runs out at midnight, April 1. So time is running short, and as of this writing the funding is just over 60%. So hit the link (below) and check out the video pitch. If it’s your cup of tea, pre-order a copy and help this weirdly unique album get made.
Blue Sausage Infant: “Negative Space” on Kickstarter here.
