How did you come to do music for the “Die Hard Trilogy” video game? BT: “They’d heard a couple of tracks from my album, like ‘Madskillz Mic Checka’ and The Hip Hop Phenomenon’,” and they were like ‘yeah, we want stuff like that, but even more aggro.’ They were looking for really aggressive, new school … Read more
The story goes that in 1966 future members of Devo formed a highly influential surf band called The Wipeouters. So pioneering were they that some people question whether such acts as The Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, and Dick Dale could have possibly accomplished what they did without The Wipeouters paving the way. But as … Read more
Over the years, J.G. Thirlwell has made quite a name for himself as a remixer. Now his own Foetus project has been given the re-mix treatment. “Blow” is a collection of re-interpretations of material from the recent “Flow” cd, featuring such remixers as Amon Tobin, DJ Food and PanSonic. In an email interview, Thirlwell told … Read more
A collaboration between former Sky Cries Mary vocalist Anisa Romero and ‘sound scuplter’ Jeff Greinke, Hana originally formed in 1997 to create music for a performance art piece. Now they are back with a new CD, “Omen,” that shows definite progression for them as band. The haunting vocals and intricate sound textures can still be … Read more
The following is an interview with Ben Chapman, one of the actors who played the title character of ‘The Creature From The Black Lagoon’ (Chapman appeared as the creature in all above water scenes.) I originally did it for the America Movie Classics “AmPop” website, but since that has been taken down I am posting … Read more
Josephine Wiggs talks about Dusty Trails, her collaboration with Vivian Trimble. How did you meet up with Vivian? Josephine: “The very first time I met her was in England because The Breeders were doing a European tour and we invited Luscious Jackson to be the support group. I know that we met Kate and Jill … Read more
The following interview with synthpop legend Gary Numan was conducted in 2000, as he was releasing the album “Pure.” What effect has the evolution of electronic musical technology had on your approach to music? Gary Numan : “I think when it comes to songwriting, I really hasn’t had much of an effect at all. For … Read more
How did you come to self-release “Burner”? “Well I was on Interscope and they had me submitting demos to them for about a year and a half and they wanted me to work with different people. It got to a point where after a year and a half of making demos, we were three days … Read more
Jimmy Somerville was first heard from as part of 80’s synth-pop trio Bronski Beat (“Smalltown Boy”). After leaving that band, he went on to the equally excellent The Communards before launching a solo career. His new CD, “Manage the Damage” is out now on Instinct Records. On “Manage the Damage” you worked with Sally Herbert, … Read more
A decade after their last release, Vancouver-based electronic band MOEV are finally back. While their new ep “Suffer” showcases an updated sound for the band, it still very much keeps to the style of classic MOEV. Fans of dark synth pop with a slightly aggressive edge will not be disappointed by the new cd. The … Read more