The Quietus - Features - in Extremis - in A Birmingham Tongue - An Interview With Regis

7/14/2016
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InExtremis
InABirminghamTongue:AnInterviewWithRegis
FilipKalinowski,October10th,201305:48
http://thequietus.com/articles/13564regiskarloconnorinterview
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AheadofhisNecklaceOfBitesshowsatBlackestEverBlackandUnsoundthis
comingweek,FilipKalinowskispeakstotheDownwardsbossandUKtechno
figureheadaboutritual,soundpressure,DIYasnecessityandbeinghalfof"Britain's
bestlovedabsurdistspacerockduo"
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KarlO'Connorhasbeenbludgeoningthesenseswithhisasceticandpinpointfocused
technobatteryforovertwodecadesnow,yettheforceofbothhismusicandhisvision
remainundiminished.EmergingfromBirminghamintheearly90saspartofawaveof
artistsexploringintenselyheavyandpunishingelectronicmusicincludingSurgeon,
ScornandFemale,O'Connor'smusicasRegisoccupiedanoverwhelmingyeteuphoric
middlegroundbetweenthehighvelocityassaultofearlyDetroitminimaltechno(Jeff
Mills,RobertHood)andtheUK'snoiselacedandprovocativeindustrialmusic
lineage.TypicallyaRegistrackwillboundalongatbracingtempoandmomentum,
frequentlyeschewingmelodyinfavourofwaveuponwaveofdrums,percussive
clutterandbackgroundgrit,draggingyourbodyalong,whetherwillinglyornot,inits
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wake.
In1993O'ConnorestablishedtheDownwardslabel,aplatformforhismusicandthat
ofhisclosecontemporariesthatoveritstwodecadesofexistencehasencompassed
variousstrainsoftechno,noise,postpunkandDIYelectronics,presentedundera
stronglyunifiedaesthetic.AndlastdecadehehookedupwithSilentServantand
FunctiontoformtheSandwellDistricttriumvirate,alabel,productionandDJ
collectivewhosesensuousyethardedgedtakesontechnowereasdistinctiveand
iconicastheartworktheywerepresentedwithin.SandwellDistrictshutdownlabel
operationsattheendof2011,althoughremainedoperativeasaDJunituntilearlier
thisyear.MorerecentlyO'ConnorhasalsoreleasedmusicthroughtheBlackestEver
BlacklabelsomethingofaspiritualdescendentofDownwardsandhasjustreleased
hisfirstcollaborativeConcreteFence12"withRussellHaswellonPAN.
AsDownwardsentersitsthirddecade,thelabelisinrudehealth,withitsrecent
activitycoincidingwithabroaderflourishingofinterestindarkandphysically
powerfulelectronicmusic.O'Connorcelebrateshislabel's20thanniversarythis
autumnwithanewcompilationgatheringbotholdandnewmaterialfromhimself,
Surgeon,SamuelKerridge,OAKE,Antonym,Sleeparchiveandmoreaswellasa
seriesofshowsundertheNecklaceOfBitesheadingthathedescribesas"a
celebration"ofhisworktodate.AheadofhisperformancesatLondon'sBlackestEver
Blackshowcasethisweekend,andKrakow'sUnsoundFestivalon18thOctober,he
speakstotheQuietus'FilipKalinowski(inanintervieworiginallypublishedinPolish
atAktivist)aboutbeinginspiredbyhispast,aloveofoverwhelmingsound,ritual,and
whymistakesareimportant.
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TheNecklaceofBitesshow,whichyou'llpresentatBlackestEverBlackandthis
year'sUnsound,isatwentyyearretrospectiveofyourwork.Inrecentyearsyou
alsoreleasedyourearlytracksthroughDownwards.Whatkindoffeelingsdoyou
haveforthematerialyoumadeyearsago?Manypeopleareabitembarrassed
withtheirpast...
KarlO'Connor:I'veneverhadaproblemwiththat.I'veconstantlyhadaconnection
withitthroughDJingforthelast20years.AlotofmusicthatImadealongtimeagoI
stillplaynow,peoplestillplayit,ithasn'treallydated.Itoccupiesitsownspace,asit
didn'tsoundlikeanythinginparticularatthattime.Itwasalwaysmorethanmusic
anyway.NecklaceofBitesisacelebrationof...mygloriouspast,thatwasn'tso
glorious.Iknowmanypeopledon'tignoretheirpastbutmoveonfromit,butIdon't
feelweigheddownbyit.Itinspiresme,'causeIthink,'HowthehelldidIdothat,how
didImakeithappenwithverylimitedresources?'FrequentlyI'mquitesurprised.But
itwon'tbeallaboutme,Iwilladdotherelementsfromthelabel.Itwon'tbeatechno
set,itwillbequitevaried.Therewillbemanyotherthingstocontemplateon.Itwillbe
constant,butitwon'tbeaconstantmix.Hopefullyitwillberemotelyinteresting.It
willbeacelebration.
Wouldyousomehow,duringyourset,touchonthetopicofthisyear'sUnsound,
whichis"interference"?
KO'C:AsIsaid,itwasalwaysmorethanmusic.Interferenceanddisturbanceis
exactlywhatI'minto.Ilikedisruption.It'snotjustaboutinterferenceintermsofwhite
noiseorglitches,thatwouldbeareallystraightandobviousconnectiontomakenotes
about.It'saboutdisruption.Ifmysetdisruptssomething,ifitstopstheflowora
patternoftheprogramming,it'sgreat.Ifitsticksoutlikeasorethumb,ifit'sonits
own,ifitoccupiesitsownspacethat'stheinterferencethatIlike.We'llseewhat
happeninthecontextoftheshow.Mymusicisveryvisceral,it'saconfrontationin
itself,it'snotverypalatable,itcertainlyisn'teasylistening,itfitsuncomfortablywithin
techno.That'sthekindofdisturbancethatIbring.Idon'thavetodoanythingspecialto
makeinterferencehappen.It'snatural.
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Regis - A Necklace Of Bites
Disturbancealsoseemedtobethethemeofalotofthemusiccomingoutin1993.
Strippingthesoundtotheboneandputtingitintothisdarkcontextwassomehow
aparadigmofthistime.Ononehandwegottherough,ruggedandrawwaveof
NewYorkhiphop,ontheother,atthesametimeyouestablishedDownwards.Did
youfeelanykindofzeitgeistatthattime,ormaybeyouseeonetoday?
KO'C:Ithinkitwasafalloutfromthe80s.Youfeltthattherewassomethingthat
wouldcontinuegoingon,andsuddenlythe90scameandwebecamerefugees.Idon't
thinkithappenedsomuchinthelastdecadeandIdon'tseeitinthisdecade,butI
certainlyfeel,inmyexperienceofthe80sand90s,wefeltlikerefugeesfromthe
previousdecades.Thissenseoftryingtofindyourplace,whatyourinfluenceswere
beforethat.Ithinkitalsoisaquestionofage.Itwascompletelynaturaltome.It'sgot
nothingtodowithmysurroundings,Iwasn'tmakingmusicbecauseofmy
surroundingsorthepositionIwasin,itwasjustthewayitwas,itwaswhatappealed
tomesonically.NotthatIcan'tappreciatesomethingthat'snotlikethat.Thatwasjust
whatIwantedtoproduce,thatwaswhatIwantedtomakeatthatparticulartime,andit
happenedtocomeacrossdark.
ButIdon'tthinkitisparticularlydarkit'sapowerfulforce,Ithinkit'spositive.The
connotationsofdarkmeanit'sverynegative,butIthinkitwasthatpowerfulforceI
wasinto,Iwasintosoundpressure.Idon'tthinkitwasadarktime.Theearly90swere
veryprosperous,nothingwasaproblem,therewasnorealrecession.Atthattime
thingswereverytimid,sowecouldbringtheopposite.Wasitazeitgeist?Idon'tknow.
Possibly.Thingsareconnected.Butit'salsoprobablyromanticisingitabit,'causeI
thinkIwoulddothesamethingnow.
Technoalwayswasdeeplyrootedinthecitiesthatitcomesfrom.Thescenesmost
ofthetimeweresomehowconnectedtourbancontextsofDetroit,Berlinor...
Birmingham.Theindustrialrootsofyourcityobviouslyfitreallywellintothe
stereotypeofafertilegroundforelectronicmusic.Howdoyouseeitfromthe
inside?Didyourmusicreflecttheambienceofthecity?
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KO'C:I'malwaysverycautiousaboutansweringquestionslikethatyouknow,'Did
yourenvironmentinfluencethewaythatyoumakemusic?'Isupposeitdid,butmy
influencesweren'tnecessarilyinBirmingham.Ialwaysimaginedaboutbeingcloned
inNewYorkinthe70sinorintheearly80sinBerlin,it'swheremyinfluenceslay.I'm
agypsy,Iliketraveling,Igetinspiredandinfluencedbymanythingsandlotsof
differentplaces.Ifeelequallyathomeinvariousdifferentspots.Ijustappliedmy
soundtotheplacewhereIcamefrom.I'veneverbeenrootedinonecity.Itbecameto
bethe"Birminghamsound",butultimatelywe'retalkingaboutwhatmyselfandTony
[Child,akaSurgeon]weredoingatthattime.Birminghamisveryimportantfortechno
ingeneral.NeilRushtonfromNetworkRecords,hediscoveredalltheDetroitguysat
thetimethatChicagowasstillonboard.DetroitwouldbeaverydifferentplaceifNeil
hadn'tpublishedthiscompilationin1988andbroughtthemalltoEurope.Birmingham
maybeaplacewhichisreallyunderplayed,butwedon'tshoutaboutitlike
Manchesterdo.
SoIdon'tknowifthisenvironmentshapedme,butI'msurelyaproductofthis
particularcitytoagreatextent.Ofcourseit'saveryindustrialarea,butitdoesn't
necessarilymakemedothishardmusic.IwasreallyinfluencedbyMickHarris,whoI
actuallysharedastudiowithatthattime.Icouldhearwhathewasdoingwithhis
bands,'causehejustcamefromNapalmDeath,andhewasdoinghisheavydub
projectScorn,whichwasthisthunderous,darkthing.Howeveratthenextdoortoour
studio,thisbandBroadcastweredoingtheirreallymelodicmusic,andatthenextone
aguywhoactuallydiedofAIDSfewyearsago,TonyDeVitwhowasmuchthecore
ofhardhousewasmakingthisveryuplifting,poppyhousemusic.Sotherewasareal
crosssectionofpeoplemakingtheirownmusic,thatwastheirthing.It'sgotnothingto
dowiththeenvironmentofBirmingham.It'sallaboutthekids.That'swhatmakesthe
mostinterestingmusicthisyouthkick.
Yourworkcametobemostlyinstrumental,butatthesametimeasyousaidit
wasalwaysmorethanmusic.Howdoyouapproachthetransferralofideas,
reflectionsortopicsintothesoundthatpeoplecansensewithoutwords?
KO'C:Musicisalwaystheendproduct,buttheideasarecoinedbeforehand.Ofcourse
youwanttocreateanatmosphere,likeeverybodydoes.Becausethereisnonarrative
intechno,lotsofpeopleblindlycoupleitwithspaceships,scienceorshitlikethat.It's
gotabsolutelynointerestformeormylife.Iwantimmediacy.Ilikehereandnow.
Thesearethethingsthatinterestmeaboutmusic.Sex,ritual,that'swhatI'minto.It's
verynaturalistic,I'mnotdoingitbecauseofanyreason,it'saprogressionofwhoIam.
Idon'twanttotalkaboutSandwellDistrictbecauseitwasn'tsomethingthatwas
completelymine.DownwardsishowIdefinemyself.Thetitlesworkcompletelywith
themusic.Inoticemanypeopletryingtodosimilarthings,anditdoesn'tworkfor
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them.Inourcaseyoucanheartheauthenticityinthemusicthatwemake,youcantell
thelinkbetweenthetitlesandthemusic,it'sobvious.It'snotathingthatweslapon,
it'snotanafterthought.
Yourworkalwaysbalancedwellatthebrinkofseriousnessandirony.Howyou
managetodoit?
KO'C:Itakealotofthingsseriously,butatthesametimethereisheavyirony,the
tongueincheekwithotherthingsaswell.Itisabsurd.Especiallywithmyselfand
Tony.Weusedtocallourselves'Britain'sbestlovedabsurdistspacerockduo'.It'sthe
questionofthingsthatcomeintoourpersonalitiesaswellwelovetheBonzos
[BonzoDogDooDahBand]andMontyPython.We'rewellawareofourshortcomings
withinmusic,ourabilities.Weknowwe'renotlikeTonyVisconti,we'renotlikePhil...
oh,thankGodwe'renotlikePhilSpector.Weknowwe'remakingmusicinavery
smallniche,it'sveryinstant,veryimmediate,it'sveryDIY,anditstillremainsthis
way.Weknowourshortcomings,sowetakeitseriouslytoadegree.We'resortof
musicians,sortofproducers,sortofDJs.It'sabitnebulous.Butifwedidn'ttakeit
seriously,wewouldn'tstillbedoingituntilnowadays.Icouldtellfromareallyearly
agethepeopleIsuspectedofbeingartisticallybankrupt.IlikedtheartistsIliked,
becauseIknewtherewassomekindofauthenticityaboutthem.Ithinkmostpeople
can.But,yessomethingchangedinrecentyears.Ican'tunderstandhowallofa
suddenRobbieWilliamscouldbecomesoacceptedinthemainstream,andeveryone
islike'Oh,he'ssogreat'.Nohe'snot,he'sfuckingawful.Peoplelikethisshouldbe
crucified,theyshouldn'tbehangingwithpeoplelikeOasis.That'swhyIfeltthe90s
wereprettyshitformusic.[Thatirony's]gotnothingtodowiththeironywe'reinto.
Regis - Get On Your Knees
Youoncecalledyourwork'playfulartterrorism'.Asterroristsalwayshave
specificaimsfortheiractions,whatareyourgoals?
K'OC:Youwantmymanifesto?
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Yes!
KO'C:Haveagoodtime,allthetime.
K'OC:Youwantedsomethingelse?
Iwantedsincerity.Thisdoesn'treallyfitintoyour'legend',andbecauseofthis
it'sbetter...
KO'C:That'sfromSpinalTap.ButtogiveyouadefiniteanswerIdoittobeglobally
adored,formyworktobelovedforeternity.I'mactuallyseriousaboutthat,and...I'm
joking.
Nowadays,whentechnoismostlymadeonsoftware,thefactoroftheunknown
andtheappearanceofmistakesisalmostcompletelysupplantedevenglitches
mostoftenhappenwhentheproducerwantsthemtohappen.Comingfroma
postpunk/industrialbackground,howdoyouapproachthemachine,anddoyou
consideranythingamistake?
KO'C:I'mveryunorthodox.Iactuallystilldon'tknowhowmanyofthesemachines
work.I'mkindofadilettantewhenitcomestoit.QuiteoftenI'mworkingonapiece
ofsoftwareonwhichI'vedonemuchofmystuff,andpeoplecomeusuallykidscome
andtheytellmethatI'mnotdoingitproperly.ButthisiswhoIam,itworksforme.I
don'treadmanuals,whilemanypeopledo,theygothroughforumsorchatstoknow
whysomethingisn'tworking.Idon't.Ifitdoesn'tworkandIdon'tunderstandit,Ifuck
itoff.I'mnotreallyintomachines,I'mnotintotechnology.Theonlythinggoodabout
itisthatitallowsme,asasoloartist,tomakealotofnoise.OtherwiseImayneedto
haveaband.I'mnotintoitbecauseIlovetechnologyorelectronicmusic,that'snotthe
case.ItallowsmetobewhoIam.
Concerningmistakes,therearealotofmistakes,especiallyinmyearlystuff.Iusedto
haveanamplifierwhichobviouslywasn'tpowerfulenoughtoputthingsthroughit,
andfrom1995until1997,thelastthreeminutesofalltheRegisrecordsIdidin
silence,'causethemonitorblew.Sotheremightbecertainlittlemistakesinthelast
minutesofthosetracks,'causeIcouldn'thearasImixedthemonthemixingdesk.
That'swhymostofmyendingssoundlikethat,becauseIusedtopullthingsout
straightaway.Iwasalmostdoingitbyforce.Thesearerealmistakes,butI'venever
beenbotheredbystufflikethat.Ithinktherearestillmanymistakes,orpotentialfor
them,inmymusic.Peoplethatgetthingsabsolutelyperfect,thosetechnicalgeniuses,I
thinkit'ssodull.Ithinkthey'remakingthebiggestmistakeofalltime.Theyshouldbe
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studioengineers,notproducers,stayinthebackgroundandstaydownwiththat.
That'sthethingaboutelectronicmusicingeneralwhathappenedtoallthestarswhen
alltheengineers,theboysfromthebackground,gottheirchancetomakemusic?
Previouslyrock&rollhadthefrontman,thefantasticpersonyouwantedtobe.That's
aproblemofelectronicmusic,thatthestarsaregone.Maybepeopledon'twantthe
stars,butIcertainlydo,Iloveit.Iwanttoseepersonalities,andnowthereveryrarely
areany.You,asajournalist,possiblyknowthat.You'vepossiblydoneawholebunch
ofinterviewswithcompletelydullpeople.It'sthatnowpeoplearesoselfobsessed
withupdatingtheirFacebookprofilesandotherselfcreatingtools.It'sgotnothingto
dowiththatgoodoldegomaniacway.Theyoutharesodull.Theyneedakick.IwishI
couldbethatpersonthat'dgivethemthatkick.ButIdon'tthinkthat'llhappenthrough
music.Idon'tthinkmusichasthatkindofpoweranymore.
Regis - Blood Witness
Frequentlyit'snoteventhequestionofstars,butevenpeopleinthismost
obvious,daytodaymeaning.It'swhyJamaicandubmastersmadesuch
interestingmusic,causetheywerepeoplesearchingforasound,makingmistakes,
andthenjustacknowledgingthemintheirnextphases.
KO'C:Exactly.They'reabsolutesonicpioneers.That'ssofunnythatyouspokeabout
that,becauseIwastalkingaboutittoday.Thereweresomanycharactersinvolvedwith
that.Andthesonicsfromsomanydubrecordsaresocompletelyamazing,they're
madeoninstinct,somuchofthismusicismadeoninstinct,it'ssofabulous,youcan't
recreatethatinabigstudio.It'simpossible.Andbecauseofthatit'sprettymuch
incorruptible,unlesstheycorrupteditthemselves.That'sprettymuchaboutwhatwe
domakingmusicthatyoucan'tcorrupt.Wecanonlyfuckitupourselves.Which
we'vedoneonafewoccasions,butwe'reprettyuncorruptableinthatway.Thesound
iswhatitis.
I'mcurrentlyreadingKraftwerk:PublikationbyDavidBuckley,andthere'sa
quotefromRalfHtterwherehestatesthattheyplaythemachinesandatthe
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sametimethemachinesplaythemtheydon'ttreatthemasslaves,astheythink
thesynthesiseristhebestinstrumenttoshowthehuman'sinside,thepsyche.
Wouldyouagree?
KO'C:That'sabsolutebollocks,biggestloadofshitI'veeverheard.That'sprobably
trueforRalfHtter,butKraftwerkwerethemostsexlessbandever,andthat'swhy
theywerefantastic.Butatthesametime,Ialwaysfelttheyweremucholder,likea
generationawayfromme.Formetheywerelikethosebigelectronicmusicianslocked
awayintheirbigstudiosinthecountryside.That'sgotnothingtodowiththecity,there
wasnothinginitforkids.ItwasthesamewithPinkFloydandthiswholeprogrock
thing,everyonebecomesbig,bloatedandpompous.There'snothingaboutgettingout
there,noneofthaturgethatyouneedtodoit.D.A.F.weremystars,'causetheyhad
thisrealpowerfulenergyintheirstuff.Ithinkforanybodywhowasakidatmyage,it
wasveryprovocativetobeintoanythingthatwasGerman.Becauseourgrandfathers
foughtinthewar,andthescarsafteritwerestillreallydeep.TheGermansbrokethe
AngloAmericanrockthing,itwasn'trockistatall.That'swhatIreallylovedabout
them,andthat'swhatIstilllove.
IstillrememberwhenIheardD.A.F.forthefirsttime,itwasinFebruary1980,my
friendboughtarecordandhetoldme:listentothis,thisisfuckingace,thisiswhat
theyaredoinginGermanyrightnow,therearenochoruses,thayaremakingawhole
loadofrecordswithnochorusesand...IthoughtitwasthebiggestfuckyoutoAnglo
Americanrock&roll.Ithoughtitwasbrilliant,itwasfantastic.ThosemadGerman
bastards.Thatwaspuresex,themusicthattheymadewaspureadrenaline,that'swhat
Iwanted,itwasprimal.There'snothingprimalaboutKraftwerk,theirstructuresare
basedinclassicalmusicandit'snotthatthey'renotamazing,theyare,Ilove
Kraftwerk.Butthat'sjustmythologisingmachines,youcan'tdothat,it'scrap,bollocks.
It'sthesamethingpeoplehavedoneaboutguitars.MaybeHendrixhadapoint,
becausehetreateditasapartofhisbody,youcouldunderstandifhe'dsaysomething
likethatabouthisFender.Butotherwise,Ireallydon'tbuyanythinglikethat.
Duringallyearsofyouractivityyou'vestayedfaithfultoDIYethics.Iremember
thisfamousUndergroundResistanceposter:'NoHope,NoDreams,NoLove.My
OnlyEscapeIsUnderground'.Howwasitwithyouwasitamatterofchoice?
Orwastherenochoice,itwasamust?
KO'C:Theundergrounddoesn'texist,that'snonsense,invertedcommasalonedecide
what'underground'is.Ifyou'resuccessfulyou'renotunderground,ifyou'renot
successfulyou'reunderground.It'sanabstraction,itdoesn'texist.Thiskindof
sloganeering...Weneverdidslogans,neverdidthiskindofcrap,becauseithappened
before.McLarendiditwellwiththePistols.Thiskindoftalkabouthopeordreams
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it'smassivelylimiting.Wewerealwayscompletelyambitious,I'mstillmassively
ambitious,Istillwanttogettonumberone.Ihatepeoplewhoaren'tambitious,Ihate
defeatists.I'mtheoppositeofallthat.
DIYwastheonlywaywecouldmakeit.DIYistheonlywayifyoudon'thaveany
money,andwedidn'thaveanymoney.ButI'veneverpraisedit.Ifwehadagreat
studiowe'duseit.Wedidn'thavemoneyforadrummachine.Ihadonesynthesiser
andoneeffectsunitbackthanthat'swhatIhad.Andmanyofthosepeoplethatwere
talkingaboutnohopeandstuffhadwholebanksof909sanddrummachines,whileI
couldn'taffordabusfarehomeafteragig.Ididn'tdoitforDIYitself.Ididitbecause
itwasarealityofmylife,andthat'sfuckingreal.Ifyoufeelyouhavetodosomething,
youjustdoit,nomatterthelackofmoneyordepression.Ifyoufeelthenecessityofit,
then,youknow.Ithastobecomeeverythingforyou.Forus,themethodsweredictated
byeconomicreasons,butIunderstandperfectlywellhowitworkedforURinDetroit.
Theyneedslogansoverthere.
KO'C:It'sculturallyAmerican,andtheBritisharedifferent.IntheStatesyouneed
thingsthatpeoplecanunderstandandfeedinto,youhavetodothat.Andwewere
alwaystryingtodothingssubtly.I'drathersubtlyhitsomeoneovertheheadwitha
hammerthantalkaboutblowingthingsup.Ithinkthatkindofhitisfarmore
penetrating.
What'syourpointofviewonthiswaveofpopularityofsocalleddark/industrial
technothatwenowwitness?Doyouseeassomeotherpeopledoitasbeinga
resultoftheeconomicalandsocialsituation?
KO'C:It'sveryconvenient.Ifyoucanaffordacomputer,theelectricityandaccessto
theinternetwhereyouwriteaboutcrisis,you'renotincrisis.Crisisiswhenyou'vegot
yourlast20onyourdolecheckandyoustilltrytobuyarecordandhopeit'sall
gonnawork.Thereisnocrisisanymore.Peoplelovetothinkthereissomecrisis.
Thereissomethinggoingonincertainpartsoftheworld,butmostofthetimepeople
arejustworriedthattheirmassivepensionsarebeingeatenbysomeoneelse.Fuckit,
youshouldhavespentittohaveagoodlife,Idon'tgiveashit.Idon'tseeanycrisisat
themoment.I'veneverbeenhappier,we'reallhappy,andwe'rejustlookingfor
problems.
Doyouthinkthiskindofhypecandoanydamagetothescenethatwasalways
moreundergroundandDIY?
KO'C:Thisword'hype'hasbeenusedsomuchinthelastfivetosixyears.Hype?
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Whatishype?Hypeisgoodoldfashionedexcitement,andwhat'sbadaboutgetting
excited?Itcomesandgoes,it'snatural,it'sprogression.Hypeisanotherthingthat
certainpeoplegetnegativeabout,usuallystudentsintheirdormitoriesoh,it'shype,I
don'tgetintothisanymore,Iwasintothislastweek.Oh,fuckoffthen,don'tget
excited.It'sallaboutexcitement,andcreatingexcitementiswhatitalwayshasbeen
about.Sincethebirthofrock&roll.That'swhatit'sabout.It'shardtoimagine,Christ
knows,withoutPresleyinventingteenage,withoutAmericansinventingteenage,can
youimagineaworldwhereyouwentfrombeingtwelvetobeingamanworkinginthe
coalmine?That'scompletecrap.Whatmakesteenagelifebrilliantisthisexcitement,
createdwiththebirthofrock&roll.Peoplegettingnegativeaboutmusicfuckoff.
Enjoyyourself.Haveagoodtime,allthetime.Yousee,that'sreallymyquote.
RegispresentshisANecklaceOfBitesliveshowatBlackestEverBlack'sLondon
showcasethisSaturday,12thOctober(detailshere),andatUnsoundFestivalin
KrakowonOctober18th(detailshere)
8Comments
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Addacomment...
RobBooth
London,UnitedKingdom
suchagoodread,cheersFilip
LikeReply10October201303:14
MichaPolaski
ModszyTerrorystaFinansowyatDeathOfrave
Verygoodindeed.DzikiFilip
LikeReply
110October201303:33
RobBooth
London,UnitedKingdom
Downwards20thAnniversarymixherebytheway....Mixedby
DBIAPB&MarcelHeesehttp://electronicexplorations.org/...
LikeReply
610October201304:34
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7/14/2016
Filipkubal
Brno,CzechRepublic
*****
LikeReply
110October201304:53
ArturSzatkowski
ProjectManageratDentsuAegisNetworkPolska
QUALITY!
AdamJones
NewCollegeTelford
Topman.NeverreadadisappointinginterviewfromKarl.Saysit
exactlyhowheseesit.CanyouimaginesomeonelikeRichie
Hawtindoingduchastraightupinterview.
RobertSchn
WorksatKudosRecords
greatread!
BenLawrence
SanJose,California
Iloveit!Regisisn'tafraidofbeinghonestandisstilla
powerhouseofexcitementformusic.I'llbelisteningtohisstuff
whenI'manoldmaninmyrockingchair,whiskeyinhand.
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autechrejambo
Oct10,201311:17am
VivSavageFTW...
ReplytothisAdmin
TaunAengus
Oct10,20135:43pm
Welldonebyallparties.Thanksforthegreatreadandgoodthoughts.
ReplytothisAdmin
ArtemisEntreri
Oct10,20136:15pm
Meh,Idisagreewithalotofwhathehastosayhere.Justanotherexampleofthe
pretentiousnessofsomanysocalledartists.Don'thavetimetotouchonallofitbutfor
one"musicwasprettyshitinthe90's"?!?...thisguymusthavemissedoutonATON
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ofmusictbh.Electronicandsamplebasedingeneraltookonseeminglyendless
excitingandoriginaldiyforms,Exceptthatitwasmuchmorepure,original,un
contrivedandpowerfulthannow...aswellasthescene/enthusiasmandsheercraziness
surroundingsuchthings.Thisguydoesn'tevenexistifnotforthateraperiod.
ReplytothisAdmin
Mark
Oct10,20138:54pm
NiceoneKarl,keepwindingthemupson.
ReplytothisAdmin
maxlethintent
Oct15,20137:40am
Masterpuppeteerworkingallthepuppets.Niceincreaseinrecordsales,I'mwell
hypedupnow..Regisisasmartmotherfucker
Keepwindingthemupindeed,fuckingblindslaves
ReplytothisAdmin
Observer
Oct15,20137:12pm
OhImalittlebitdissapointed.IvebeenthebiggestRegisfanonearthsince1998,I
followedhimduringthe20022006periodwhenhardtechnowasvirtuallydead(unless
inSpain,Slovakiaandsoon)...Ivewrittenextensivelyontheblogosphereabouthis
Art,theDownwardsspiritandtheRenaissanceofnihilismthroughtheRegis
aesthetics...buthisinsightsaboutthepoliticalsituationlookchildishtome.Joyhas
nothingtodowithstupidityorignorance,Ithinkhecantdistinguishhedonismfrom
blindness.Heshadagreatlife,astheresultofcircumstancesthatlargelyovercome
hisattitude.Thisideaof"behappyandtherellbenoproblem"is,asidefromneocon
slogan,averynaiveobservation.Ithinkhesgrowingoldbutheskidnappedbythe
romanticmythofAdolescence.Sometimesfakenihilismisthevoiceofthemost
ingnorantbourgeoisie.
ReplytothisAdmin
MaxlethIntent
15/25
7/14/2016
Oct16,201311:23am
InreplytoObserver:
iagree,butithinkheisjusttakingthepissandlettingitrollintheinterview,thereis
ironyineverythinghestatesandheisreferringtoapopulationthathastheseideals
(theyouthhewouldliketokickbutmanyarealsotheoneswhowillbuyhisrecords..
irony..theinterviewisallirony..theinterviewistocreatehypeforhiscompilation
afterall)(thatorelseheisasmugdeludedprickwhohasnoideaoftheshitthatis
goingon...whichIdoubt..)..problemisthatmanyofhismassfollowersdojustblindly
agree..andactaccordingly..nocriticalthought,nopoliticalawareness,justyeah,..
wellRegissaidtohaveagoodtimeandweareallhappy..
ReplytothisAdmin
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The Quietus - Features - in Extremis - in A Birmingham Tongue - An Interview With Regis

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7/14/2016

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