Monday, May 29, 2017

Insufferable: Northern Noisecore


Scotland. The Nation that gave us (amongst other things) the Steam Engine, Television, but in more recent years the deliciously dark humour of Frankie Boyle and the music of Snow Patrol and Calvin Harris.

But beneath the country's more widely known musical exports lurks a darkened underbelly of audio butchers, hellbent on screaming their faces off while producing a din so wrathful that it could turn Proclaimers fans to stone.

Insufferable are one such entity, starting life as the solo noise project of Nick Waller before joining forces with drummer Matthew Ian (of Scottish noise outfit Deathwank) in favour of a more straight up grinding noisecore assault. 

The chaps have wasted no time in pushing out a seemingly never ending stream of releases and the last few months saw a retrospective compilation ‘The First 2 Years’ which documents the group’s evolution from solo project to fearsome duo, as well as ‘Survival’ (which you can listen to below) released on the Florida based imprint Fermented Bile Vomit Productions alongside God Pussy, Gets Worse and Pure Noise.

I caught up with Insufferable’s balaclava wearing guitarist, noise maker and vocalist Nick to find out more about the man behind the mask...




DMD: Growing up, what music were you into? 

Nick Waller: I listened to a lot of hard rock and heavy metal growing up, some punk and hip hop as well. Video games had a strong influence on my early music taste. 
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 introduced me to a lot of music I hadn't heard about before and opened my ears to a whole new world. Motörhead became my favourite band after I heard Ace of Spades for the first time.


DMD: How did you first discover harsh noise / experimental music? 

NW: I watched the 2007 remake of Funny Games and heard Naked City for the first time and was fascinated. This was around the time I had started listening to The Dillinger Escape Plan and other weird avant-garde stuff so it was right up my street. 
A couple of years later my best friend introduced me to the project Limbs Bin and my interest in harsh noise/experimental music grew further from there.



DMD: Tell us the epic tale of Insufferable!

NW: Well, my best friend and I were in a half-arsed powerviolence band called ‘Worst of It’ a few years ago and we had dabbled with some noise tracks after he introduced me to Limbs Bin's chaotic madness.

After some correspondence with Limbs Bin I felt inspired to have a go myself and using my friend's synth, Audacity and some other stuff I recorded a demo of the track that would end up becoming Fractured. 

Once I got the hang of it I spent time recording the Harsh Noise Violence EP and then went on to do a bunch of splits and some solo releases.

I didn't play a gig until nearly a year after I started the project, which wasn't just my first Insufferable gig it was my first gig ever. I played a few shows, organised a few more and continued to record but after hitting the two year mark I was starting to get fed up. 

After 120 something tracks I was getting tired of using a drum machine, synths, recordings and other electronic equipment but I didn't feel as though I had done everything I wanted to do with the project.

I knew Matty from shows we'd played together and I'd done some guest spots for Deathwank and he and I had practiced and written tracks together before for another project (which may or may not happen someday) so I asked him if he was interested in drumming for Insufferable. 

I dusted off my old guitar I bought when I was 16, we went to the practice space and recorded "Survival". At that point it was the most fun I'd ever had making music. Since then, we've done a few splits and put out some live recordings.



DMD: Who are your current favourite noisecore acts?

NW: My current favourite noisecore acts are Holy Grinder and pretty much any other project Andrew Cleveland is involved with, Goth Girl and Fake Flesh. Goth Girl recently released a collaboration that blew my mind actually! 

So good. Limbs Bin of course. Shitnoise Bastards as well. Matty's a big fan of Hazree, who has been really supportive of our releases as a duo. 

He recently released another version of "Survival" on his label Flyingkick Records. Penis Geyser. I've recently gotten into Developer, Skin Graft, No Dreams, and Plague Mother as well.



DMD: What gear did you use before and after Insufferable became a duo? 

NW: For most of the shows I played solo my accompaniment was backing tracks from my laptop that I screamed over, any shows I've played solo since becoming a duo I play noise tracks from my phone and manipulate them through my old Zoom G2.1u guitar pedal.

It's pretty punishing listening. I only occasionally use Matty's guitar pedal live or when we're recording, most times it's just my guitar through an amp.



DMD: What inspires you to write the music that you make?

NW: Insufferable has been a very cathartic experience for me, it's helped me come to terms with a lot of things that have plagued me mentally, kept me sane and stopped me from killing people haha! 

To be honest there not much of a filter on what can influence an Insufferable track. Generally it tends to be whatever or whoever is pissing me off at the time, but anything from an article or book to a good film I watched or video game I played can inspire a track. 

I feel like I'm constantly influenced, perhaps more than I realise, when I look back over the tracks they're kind of like an audio journal of where I've been and everything I was feeling during those times. I hear the track and it takes me right back to where I was in my head.



DMD: What is the scene like up in Scotland? Are you mates with the guys in Gendo Ikari?

NW: Very diverse and interesting if you look in the right places. There are a lot of really cool bands and projects all over Scotland. 

I only really know Chris (bassist) from Gendo Ikari, we've hung out a couple of times, but the rest of them I met for the first time when we played Leith Depot with them in April. They are awesome live.



DMD: What is the general feeling in Scotland post Brexit and post referendum?

NW: Most people I know voted Yes and also voted to remain in the EU. The feeling I get is that people are frustrated and very concerned about what lies ahead. I could be wrong.



DMD: What are your 15 favourite albums?

NW: In no particular order:
1. Cro-Mags - The Age of Quarrel 
2. Iron Lung - Sexless // No Sex
3. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Miss Machine
4. Crossed Out / Dropdead - Crossed Out / Dropdead split 5"
5. Metallica - ...And Justice for All
6. Converge - Jane Doe
7. Limb Bin - Primitive Response
8. Trash Talk - S/T
9. Black Flag - The First Four Years
10. Infest - No Man's Slave
11. Fuck On The Beach - Power Violence Forever
12. Charles Bronson -Youth Attack!
13. Punch - Push Pull
14. Witch Cult - South Coast Powerviolence
15. Man Is The Bastard - Mancruel


DMD: Here’s a question for your skinsman Matthew…who are your top 5 favourite drummers of all time?

Matthew Ian: Booze Joogler Smith, Shit Noise Hazree, Biffy Ben, Big Phil, Animal



DMD: What do you do when you’re not making music?

NW: University takes up a lot of my time, I'm currently in my honours year of a criminology and psychological studies degree and I'm doing it through the Open University so I'm responsible for managing everything. 

I try to catch local gigs or gigs relatively close by when I can, I work weekends so it's usually shows on Thursdays and Sundays. I draw or paint when I can. 

I've recently been rewarding myself after revision is done for the day by chilling and playing video games. Something I've kind of had to force myself to do believe it or not haha. It used to be I couldn't wait to play my Xbox but now a lot of the time I have to force myself to sit down and play and shut off my brain for a while. 

I don't really know what Matty gets up to besides working and buying soundtrack vinyls haha!



DMD: Why do you guys wear balaclavas when performing live?

NW: Matty doesn't wear a balaclava when we play, I just got him to do it for that one photo haha. I think he got sick of wearing them due to playing in Deathwank. 

For me, the balaclava helps me get fully in to the performative side of Insufferable. I feel more at home in that mask screaming like a lunatic than I do when I'm not wearing it, being a socially awkward/anxious weirdo.

All the horrible, ugly, thoughts and feelings get let out and none of the other bullshit going on matters. 

The only focus is what's going on in that moment. I chose red because it's my favourite colour but also because back in the solo days of Insufferable I was inspired visually and somewhat sound wise by the video game Manhunt.

I really liked the uncomfortable vibe of it. As much as I love the Smileys, the Hoods had a more practical look so I went for the red balaclava.



DMD: How did you end up on Fermented Bile Vomit Productions?

NW: They had previously put out physical copies of a split that I had done with NoiseMasochist that I was happy with, and I also saw the quality of their subsequent releases and knew I had to work with them again. 

"Survival" means a lot to me and it was important to me that we release it physically in the best quality we could get. 

Arron and I have a good rapport and he's very understanding and did everything he could to make the release look how I wanted it to. I can't recommend this label enough. The CDs are great and the upcoming tapes look awesome as well.



DMD: What does 2017 hold for you guys?

NW: For me, 2017 has been the year to just go for it, write and record as much as we can, play as many shows as we can, play outside of Scotland, do splits with some of our favourite projects/bands. We have another release in the works which is sounding pretty banging! 

It's funny because I was incredibly unwell when we recorded it, I felt like dog shit and I honestly thought the recordings were going to suck but it's probably some of the best stuff we've written so far. We also have a couple of splits in the works as well.



You can listen to ‘One Bad Day’ from the upcoming Insufferable release ‘Endless Affliction' here:






Sunday, May 7, 2017

GOD PUSSY: RUÍDO IN RIO

Starting a new series of interviews for 2017, grab your sunglasses and let’s jet off to Rio de Janeiro, home of 28 year old sonic desecrator Jhones Silva, a man who’s been in the Noise business for almost 10 years. 

Whether he’s playing ear-shattering live shows with God Pussy, putting out formidable releases through his side projects Natural Nihilismo and Jhones Junkie, or documenting extreme music online at Dissonance From Hell, his unbreakable work ethic has cemented his status as a fearsome figurehead in the region.

I briefly caught up with Silva to find out more including his beginnings in noise, the current state of the Brazilian scene and the origin of the name God Pussy…



DMD: Growing up, what music did you listen to?

Jhones Silva: Hello! I grew up listening to a lot of different things, but mainly punk, grindcore and rap. 

I only started listening to noise in my adolescence, due to my taste for grindcore I was sinking through several different strands until I finally reached the harsh noise level.



DMD: How did you discover noise / experimental music?

JS: Through grindcore and noisecore webpages and blogs, it had quite an impact on me, I started listening to try to understand it.

I didn’t really begin with experimental music, after finding harsh noise I was completely confused and fissured with the brutality and insanity of it all.



DMD: How is the music scene in Rio de Janiero and who are your favourite bands / projects from the scene?

JS: The scene...? I often say that the scene is dead!! Lately it has gained plenty of space in other distinct corners and places, events, festivals and anywhere else. 

The cool thing is to see things happen, of course! 

A lot of it will disappear in a few years, but for now the flame is still on, so we will continue to produce and walk into the chaos of noise every day.

The list of projects I like listening to is immense, there is so much good stuff and I believe I still haven’t heard everything…



DMD: Are there many places to hold noise events? Or is it difficult to organise regular Live Noise Shows in Brazil?

JS: As previously mentioned, there are specific places to host live noise and organise events...more lately going well beyond that, Brazil has some great festivals and other places that showcase extreme music.



DMD: Which God Pussy / Natural Nihilismo / Jhones Junkie albums are your favourites and why?

JS: I'm usually pretty wary about things like that, but I was able to list a few favourite albums of mine so that surprised me a lot:

Jhones Junkie - Outro 
Released by Antena netlabel

Natural Nihilismo - Opróbrio (Opprobrium)
It's quite a complete and touching album that I worked on for a few months…

With God Pussy I have a vast discography
Each record has a differentiated feeling, I will mention some recent ones that I enjoyed making.

Desaparecidos (Missing)
Launched by two international labels ‘Malware’ and ‘Al Revés’ it is a gripping album, I used real facts about missing persons and have two tracks with statements from mothers whose children have gone missing, it is a record that draws attention to a subject that often goes unnoticed... 

Governocidio
This had it's first edition released by the American label 'Darker Days Ahead' soon after came the Brazilian version 'Tercerio Mundo Chaos Discos' and this year I'm preparing a DIY cassette version.
There are 59 tracks at less than 1 minute each and one track which is 8 minutes, totalling 60 tracks.

Retratando A Realidade Bélica (Portraying the Reality of War)
I launched it DIY on cassette and zine with images representative of each track’s source material… 

Anyway, I do not have a favourite album. I try to find or identify with a theme or something, I hope to please the listener and make them aware of it in some way.



DMD: What musical instruments do you play and do you play in a band?

JS: I do not know how to play anything, I try to just do a lot of Noisy stuff. I’ve never played in any bands…only Noise Projects!



DMD: What are your 15 favourite albums ever?

JS: I think 15 is too few for this list, I will quote some here that I listen to frequently:

ABesta ‎- Tosco

Animal Machine ‎- The Third World In Perspective

Napalmed - Up To The Ears In Tinnitus

KalvaryBass 666 - Revelations of Noise

VICTIM! ‎- Pupila

T.E.F. / Sickness / Facialmess - Schizoid 

T.E.F - Corrugation

Kazumoto Endo - While You Were Out

Noise Machine - Return To Chaos

Incapacitants - Box Is Stupid

Verjault - Brainflesh

Gengivas Negras - Confronto

Yersiniose - 1911

Guilty Connector - First Noise Attack

Thiago Miazzo - Volume 1

Shallow Waters - Equal Eyes

Superalma Project - You- The Living

I was making a list of the number you asked for, but I ended up quoting  a few more, leave it as a bonus because they’re all very good!



DMD: What pedals / gear do you own and what software do you use for recording?

JS: Various, I have a fetish for Pedals-DOD, I like to use distortion, overdrive, equalizer, oscillators (many of them homemade), synthesizers, microphones and amplified objects...I use audacity to record all the sounds.



DMD: You say you have made your own oscillators, would you ever consider starting your own pedal company? (Maybe you could call it God Pussy pedals?!)

JS: No No! They are for home use, but I do not make them, I get them from friends and acquaintances, I do not have the patience to build that kind of stuff, hahaha!



DMD: What inspires you to make music?

JS: I do not make music, I try to carry a positive message and awareness in the form of NOISE.



DMD: What does 2017 hold for you and your music?

JS: I am planning to release physical materials inside and outside of Bra$il. 

This year has been very productive, I already have several splits with countless projects and several full-length releases inside and outside the country: 

God Pussy - negerplastik [No Yearning] 

God Pussy - Abnegação Filantrópica [Human Cross Records] 

God Pussy - CRIME [Fermented Bile Vomit Productions] 

God Pussy - Ato Criminal, Ascensão ao Terrorismo [L.White Records] 

and one cassette release for Ruido Horrible coming soon.



DMD: What can you tell us about your Dissonance from hell blog?

JS: The blog has been active since 2010, formed with the intention of divulging some of the artists / projects from Brazil and Latin America. 

There are not many blogs or pages writing about this kind of extreme sound, so I thought It would be nice to have a focused online location to spread the ear disease. The blog has already held some events and released a compilation.



DMD: How did you get the name God Pussy?

JS: I just wanted to use it in a striking way, so I chose it, but it's just the name of my noise project, it goes beyond the interpretation that some see…God Pussy is not sexism nor blasphemy. 

It is not even music, just a manifestation...But see it as you want.



DMD: What do you do when you are not making noise?

JS: Work, hanging out with my family, I live a normal life like any other citizen.



DMD: What are some of your favourite live shows you have played?

JS: I enjoyed it very much when I played with Pharmakon (NYC based Industrial Noise outfit) the place was packed, I was playing really close to the audience and they didn’t stop crowding the place. It was something beautiful and surprising…

I love to play live, no matter how much I need to work to travel to play a show I enjoy this mess.

God Pussy - Live @ Campos de Experimentação Sonora



DMD: If you could play live in any country in the world, which one would it be?

JS: That would be wonderful. I do not have a specific country, but I would like to go out and tour different places...who knows, possibly at some point.


DMD: Is there anybody you would like to give a shout out to?

JS: Thank you for wanting to know more about God Pussy and all those who follow me thanks to the people who attend the events and who acquire the materials for download or physical, thanks to you this noise project can continue at full steam ahead... 

Thank you to those who already collaborate with me (events, splits, compilations and label friends)

Thank you all!! 

A big hug and thank you for getting to the end of this interview.

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Read a review of 'Retratando A Realidade Bélica (Portraying The Reality Of War) here
and a review of Natural Nihilismo - Opróbrio (Opprobrium) plus reviews of fellow Brazilians Verjault (Experimental / Noise) and Hari Maia (Power Electronics / Death Industrial / Noise) in the final DMD 2016 highlights list here