DECEMBER 21 / 9:00PM
All Ages / Bar w/ID / $15 Advance

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Nectar & Sensory Effect Present:

Venetian Snares

• Otto Von Schirach
• Cyrusrex
• NAHA

VENETIAN SNARES

Venetian Snares is the moniker of Canadian electronic musician Aaron Funk, one of the auteurs of drum'n'bass, who debuted with a series of limited-edition cassettes, singles and the CD-Rom Greg Hates Car Culture (1999). He established his trademark "breakcore" style of complex, brutal, distorted, skittering, whirling drum programming (with a manic passion for the 7/4 time signature and often only consisting of "clicks and cuts") on Printf("shiver in eternal darkness/n") (2000), containing the lengthy Stuck and Mouth, and especially Doll Doll Doll (Hymen, 2001), an intimidating sequence of longer visceral pieces (Befriend A Childkiller, Pressure Torture, All The Children Are Dead). After the mediocre Making Orange Things (2001), Songs About My Cats (2001) and Higgins Ultra Low Track Glue Funk Hits 1972-2006" (2002), Aaron Funk delivered two more specimen of his innovative breakcore: the ten-minute Twisting Ligneous, off 2370894 (2002), and the 15-minute A Giant Alien Force More Violent & Sick Than Anything You Can Imagine (2002). Winter In the Belly of a Snake (Planet Mu, 2003) was a song-oriented effort that tried to channel Venetian Snares' chaotic energy into more conventional and moody structures. The EP Venetian Snares (Planet Mu, 2003) contains the reggae-tinged Hand Throw and Too Young (that plunders Motley Crue's Too Young To Fall In Love). Find Candace (2003) finally resurrected the ambitions of Doll Doll Doll. If Mercy Funk managed to inject grace and elegance into Aaron Funk's frantically percussive method, Befriend a Childkiller Remix was the quintessential digital pastiche of glitchy videogame-like drill'n'bass. The other pieces mostly attempted to coin a dynamic language out of the noise. Find Candace displayed the man's skills at programming with sequences of power-drilling alternating with almost ambient tranquillity. The nine-minute Children's Limbo even plunged into a drum-less depression reminiscent of expressionist chamber music. Dolleater feels like it is switching between water games and fireworks. The Chocolate Wheelchair Album (2003) contained the catchy Einstein-Rosen Bridge and the nine-minute Marty's Tardis. The singles Badminton (2003) and Moonglow (2004) experimented with jazz. The EP Horse and Goat (Sublight, 2004) repeated the usual drill'n'bass routine. Huge Chrome Cylinder Box Unfolding (Planet Mu, 2004) and the "Hungarian" album Rossz Csillag Allat Szuletett (Planet Mu, 2005) introduced strings, horns and piano (sometimes omitting the rhythm altogether) in order to structure the chaos into emotional and melodic "songs". The discovery of melodrama signaled a complete change in psychology, from punk terrorist to nostalgic dreamer and existential philosopher. The ebullient atmosphere of Szerencsetlen is a misleading manifesto, blending drum'n'bass and classical music in the form of frantic breakbeats coupled with snippets of orchestra. The decadent atmosphere of ™ngyilkos Vasarnap, created by slower beats and a female lounge singer, is a better introduction to the mood of the album. A sense of angst and tension exudes from the rhythm-less electro-acoustic intermezzo Felbomlasztott Ment”kocsi. A haunting string melody traverses the turbulent rhythmic carpet of Szamar Madar. The symphonic Hajnal picks up speed, fueled by beats and gypsy violin, but projects a gloomy outlook that is fulfilled by M sodik Galamb, a sophisticated interplay of cacophonous and pompous elements, approaching the sonic chaos of a videogame. Both the intricacy of the beats and the emotion of the orchestra culminate with the nine-minute Ketsarku Mozgalom, that includes an intermezzo with samples of natural sounds and of human voices. However, it was merely a parenthesis, an intellectual divertissment. The mini-album Winnipeg is a Frozen Shithole (2005) returned to his ferocious non-stop drill'n'bass rhythm, and with a vengeange. What makes Winnipeg Is A Frozen Shithole sound so angry is not only the bombardment of beats but the whipping waves of electronic glissandoes. Winnipeg Is A Dogshit Dildo bounces like a ping-pong ball and accelerates to epileptic speed. Winnipeg Is Fucking Over sounds like an army of panzers advancing through thick fog. Rarely has a piece of music radiated so much hate like Die Winnipeg Die Die Die Fuckers Die does, virtually coining the sonic equivalent of spits and middle fingers. After five minutes it hints at a music-hall parody of life in the industrial town. Winnipeg As Mandatory Scat Feed closes the album with a pure display of acrobatic (percussive) skills, the ultimate contorsion. Despite being drum'n'bass and not punk-rock, Winnipeg is a Frozen Shithole harkens back to Steve Albini's early hyper-punk bands. The album Meathole (Planet Mu, 2005), seasoned with samples from horror film sountracks, increased the degree of frenzy (Des Plaines, Sinthasomphone, Szycag). Cavalcade Of Glee And Dadaist Happy Hardcore Pom Poms (2006) sounded like a confused attempt at introducing new elements (11/4 time signatures, ambient music). The existential crisis was also evident in the catchy EPs Hospitality (2006) and Pink + Green (2007), containing the spastic Husikam Rave Dojo. The 10" EP Sabbath Dubs (Kriss, 2007) contains dubstep versions of Black Sabbath classics. Aaron Funk de facto continued the Rossz Csillag Allat Szuletett epic on the mostly rhythm-less orchestral instrumentals of My Downfall (Planet Mu, 2007), credited to the Venetian Snares, a much more interesting avenue than the traditional Venetian Snares sound.

OTTO VON SCHIRACH

Take Electro Bass Noise, Gore Grind, IDM Glitch, Calliope, Breakcore Gabber Jungle, Gangsta Rap, mix them all together and what you get? Otto Von Schirach’s Maxipad Detention of course! Otto Von Schirach (half Cuban / half German) was born in 1978 in the swamp infested refugee world of Little Havana Miami. As a child his grandmother practiced Santeria and White Magic, which opened his eyes to the strange and bizarre. Otto grew up listening to Miami Bass, Gore Grind, Gangsta Rap and Afro Cuban Noise. In 1995 Otto bought his first drum machine from a crack-head just 2 blocks from his mom’s house. Right away he recognized his passion for grimy diamond soaked kick drums through distorted fuzz muck. In 1998 Otto released his first demo, which got him signed to a 4 album deal with Miami's electronic gangsters Schematic Records. Later he released another 3 records on Beta Bodega with La Mano Fria under his alias El Santo. In 2003 Otto worked on the Skinny Puppy album "The Greater Wrong of the Right" which scored him a 57 show tour opening for them across the USA. He scared the living shit out of all the Skinny Puppy fans night after night with his 35 minute, 3 costume change, ear punishing dance party. In 2004 Miss Kitten had Otto do a Gangsta Bass Sci-Fi remix of her "Professional Distortion" track, released on Nova Mute UK. Most recently Otto finished a Sound Library for Fixed Noise and Native Instruments entitled “OTTO” which offers over 4 GB of instruments that include construction, loops, sequences, surround, random and much more. In Early 2005 Otto sent Mike Patton (co owner of Ipecac Recordings) a 38 song CDR, Mike hand-picked and sequenced in his own mix, which is now "Maxipad Detention". On July 25th, 2006 Otto and Ipecac will release "Maxipad Detention" an 18 song journey into gore filled Gabber Bass Drums from beyond. After 8 albums, 10,000 shows, a 4 Gigabyte Sound Library and 7 computers, what else do you want? Otto is currently working on a bunch of new collaborations with Venetian Snares, Doormouse, Gut, Ebola, Gouch and is also in the studio working on new ideas for the next Skinny Puppy record.

LINKS

• Venetian Snares on Myspace
• Otto Von Schirach on Myspace
• Cyrus Rex on Myspace
• Naha on Myspace

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