ARCHIVE

AND MEG, SHE CREATED - April 2006 Meg Lee Chin stormed onto the scene like a tornado with the now-classic song Nutopia and her Piece and Love album. Then, after releasing the popular follow-up Junkies and Snakes, she all but disappeared. We tracked her down, and sure enough, she's still in the UK, writing material for a new album. Between that and a few other projects, she's been keeping herself quietly busy. One thing's for certain, industrial music has been a bit too tranquil (if that's possible) without her incredible voice to shake things up. She spoke to us briefly about what she's been up to and what we will hopefully be hearing in the near future. ...MORE

ANTIGEN SHIFT'S FROZEN SOUND - March 2006 Despite the name of his new album, Nick from Antigen Shift is anything but cold. He's a very sincere, open individual, who's always willing to lend an ear to a friend. He recently released The Way of the North, which has a bit of a stripped down feel to it, with less distortion and more focus on emotional evocativeness and precision percussion. It's a foreboding piece, definately inspired by the harshness of the arctic, and it's a great way for Nick to thaw a two-year freeze on new material. Nick talked to us about his album, and a bit about the dangerously beautiful North that inspired it. ...MORE

ATTACK OF THE KILLER LEE - February 2006 Ottawa. A million people innocently going about their lives, most unaware of the legend that lives in their midst. He lurks on the fringes, or at least at The Dominion Tavern, coming up with the most outlandish schemes he can. By schemes, I mean scripts. Lee Demarbre is a film director with a mission to add a flare of the bizarre and outlandish in our monotonous lives. From vampires who wear lesbian skins to bionic bigfoots powered by radioactive necklaces, Lee's ideas never cease to amaze and amuse. Lee treats us to a huge interview which we've packed with extras. ...MORE

THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN NOISE - January 2006 Ben from Terrorfakt works like a man posessed. Since completing his last album, he has toured almost non-stop, and still managed to come up with enough new material to be able to release another album sometime in the spring. I was able to interview him before a great show in Ottawa in December, the second time he'd visited within about six months. It is extremely rare in Ottawa to have someone come twice in so short a period, except for a few bands who live within easy driving distance. Ben treated us to a great interview covering everything from the insane Mexican crowds to the politics behind why he started Terrorfakt. ...MORE

THE REAL PRICE OF OIL - January 2006 It was a bit ironic to be conducting an interview about oil politics in the shadow of the monolithic U.S. embassy on Sussex street in Ottawa. But there I was, right across the street, in a little cafe with Nadja Drost, talking about oil exploitation in Ecuador. Nadja, a soft spoken, yet confident lady, has recently completed a documentary entitled Between Midnight and the Rooster's Crow. It is a documentary about Nadja's experiences as she tried to uncover more about EnCana, a Canadian oil company's extraction activities in Ecuador. What she found was a trail of social and environmental destruction in the Amazon. ...MORE

THE CUTTING EDGE - January 2006 Adam X has got to be one of the most intense people I've ever met. He's one of those rare individuals that's truly passionate about everything he does. His passion and intensity go a long way to explaining how this icon of techno music has stayed on electronica's cutting edge since the early nineties. The most recent album from Adam X, Fate Unknown, showcases his newfound interest in a harder, more industrial style. I was lucky enough to score an interview with him just before he played an incredible live show at Zaphod Beeblebrox in Ottawa. I learned a lot I didn't know about him, like his former days as a graffitti artist. ...MORE

LOOKING WITH EYES UNCLOUDED - January 2006 There are a lot of electronic musicians out there. For the most part, they need more practice (note the diplomacy). There are a few acts kicking around, however, that really stand out. One of these is Vancouver's Urusai. With a style that reminds one of a slightly noisier Gridlock, Gregg McGillivray weaves soundscapes and textures together like he was born doing it. It's hard to believe, listening to his debut CD, Microbial, that he's only been at this since 2002. Now, armed with a more powerful studio, he looks forward to being able to do more live dates and completing his second release. It will certainly be a highlight when it's ready. ...MORE

FROM HOLLOW: ISZOLOSCOPE - December 2005 Yann Faussurier of Iszoloscope presents an interesting psychological dichotomy. One one hand, he writes heavy, anguished power noise music, with haunting soundscapes that can chill your bones. On the other hand, he is one of the most personable, funny, crazy goofballs I've ever met. His latest album, The Audient Void, is proof positive that Yann isn't slowing down at all; rather, he's advanced a level and is now a noise ninja weilding a +10 Katana Of The Bleeding Eardrums. Seriously though, TAV is one hell of an album and Yann has really stepped up his skills on it. Yann took some time out of his busy school schedule to share his wisdom and wit. ...MORE

LET THERE BE LIGHT - November 2005 There are some great jobs out there, but not many compare to lighting rock shows for a living. Imagine being a part of thousands of live shows, working with stars to get the look they want to achieve, and touring the world. It beats any desk job, hands down. One lucky Ottawa resident has embarked on this carreer path; Alastair Bramall-Watson is currently on tour with Nine Inch Nails as a lighting director. He's been on the road as a lighting technician, director, and guitar tech for innumerable tours over the years. Recently, Alastair was good enough to take a few minutes to answer some of our questions, and shed a bit of light on his trade. ...MORE

THE AURAL NATURALIST - November 2005 Ambient orchestral music is a very niche genre, but one that Mike Carss of Altus has mastered. Starting with techno in the 90s, his music evolved into a more refined, relaxed mode, inspired by nature. Mike's soundscapes are relaxing, the vistas they conjure in the mind vast and breathtaking. And yet there is often a darker, sombre quality to the melodies, as if lamenting the damage the natural world is sustaining at the hands of the human species. It's the perfect music to unwind to, and makes excellent backgound music when playing Sid Meier's Civilization games. ...MORE

ZEN BASS - November 2005 Ottawa-area bassist Adam Tanner has been around. Currently, he's the bassist for Jacko, as well as jamming with a few other projects. As well, he's about to release a solo ambient-bass project under the name Zen Beer. Adam was good enough to talk to us about Zen Beer and what he loves about playing bass. ...MORE

ART
Art galleries are sorted by date beginning with the most recent ones.

MASKS - April 2006 We wear masks to hide our true selves. We may be ugly inside, or simply incomplete, but masks are the easiest things to use to get by day by day. We know it isn't right, but we do it anyway. Jef Harris of Chaos Academy is a photographer and videographer that captures with stunning emotion the masks we wear and what we're like beneath them. Most industrial fans will know of Jef's work through his Velvet Acid Christ videos. Jef shares with us a few of his darker photographs, which are intensely emotional and feature highly creative uses of body paint and photoshop techniques. Please note that some of the photographs contain nudity and are not intended for people under 18 years of age. ...MORE

REVIEWS
Reviews are sorted alphabetically by name.

ALTUS - 24 Hours - Ambient-orchestral CD Mike Carss has completely reworked a classic Altus album, set for release January 1, 2006. Armed with new recording techniques he makes an already great album absolutely stunning. Ambient orchestral fans would do well not to miss this free release. ...MORE

SKINNY PUPPY - The Greater Wrong of the Right Live - Music DVD The concert is awesome, the documentary is very well done, but there are mastering issues which can distract you from enjoying it to it's fullest. ...MORE

Ong Bak The Thai Warrior - Movie DVD A fun action movie from Thailand, and a great debut for star Tony Jaa. ...MORE