Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
EIC'S10Q'S w/Android Lust
"..the female equivalent of Trent Reznor.."
(Photo credit: Christopher Jon)
Android Lust
Automated Somber Empress
Android Lust Bio:
Struggle is a natural part of the creative process for many artists. For Shikhee, the one-woman army behind industrial act Android Lust, struggle became downright essential to the production of the fourth Android Lust album, "The Human Animal". Not by choice, of course: Nearly a decade after debuting as the first one-woman industrial act, the Bangladeshi-born New Yorker found herself burnt out from balancing a music career with what some might call “real life.”
The process of making 2006’s "Devour, Rise and Take Flight" was “a very trying period,” says Shikhee. “I was coming home from my job around 9 or 10, and then mixing till 2 or 3, only to get back up and get to work at 9 again. I was barely sleeping and losing weight.” Problems with her record label compounded her frustration; the heavy touring season that followed, prolonged it.
When the album cycle finally wrapped, Shikhee returned home to face some familiar fears. “It’s always a bit scary. I start to doubt myself, reacquaint myself with my studio . . . and wonder if I can still do it,” she says. “It took until late 2007 to get back to writing.”
"The Human Animal" is undeniable proof that she can, indeed, still “do it.” After two albums on preeminent electronic-music label Projekt Records, Shikhee released Animal in August 2010 on her own Synthellec Music. In production for more than two years, this is the work of an artist reinvigorated by the creative process, adding a new set of colors to her signature sonic palette. “It just happened one day after we came back from our tour,” Shikhee recalls. “Songs just started flooding.”
The flood was triggered in part by Shikhee’s decision to work with her live band in the studio for the first time. “In the past I played all the guitars and some bass [in addition to electronic instruments], but now I had access to these really talented musicians and I wanted to bring that touch in the studio. So I wrote parts for them, parts that were beyond my playing ability.”
The mix of live instruments and processed sounds isn’t new for an Android Lust recording - 2003’s breakthrough "The Dividing" featured live drums, string and wind instruments but never have those sounds figured so prominently as they do on "The Human Animal". The slippery undertones of “A New Heaven” are revealed to be an upright bass; pockets of classical guitar propel “Into the Sun”; the over driven guitars on “Saint Over” surge forth with the spark of vintage Nine Inch Nails. It’s the most organic-sounding Android Lust record while losing none of the unrelenting sonic edge of prior releases.
It’s not just the live instrumentation that brings the album uncharacteristic warmth. Shikhee took to the streets of New York City with a portable recorder, collecting noises that would be used to form rhythms and ambiance throughout the record. The sounds of a screeching subway, a crowded restaurant, geese, pigeons, and a Barnes & Noble escalator all found their way into the mix.
And Shikhee has never sounded better, her whisper-to-a-scream vocals on a par with Polly Jean Harvey (“It’s On You”) and Ruby’s Leslie Rankine (“God in the Hole”).
For an artist whose overarching aesthetic has sought to blur the line between human and machine, Shikhee here sets her sights on the battle between the physical and the spiritual. Much of "The Human Animal" is about tapping into the deeper well of universal energy within to find true meaning, freeing oneself (the human) from the imprisonment of ego (the animal). “A New Heaven” sums up the central query: “Are we the ones we are seeking under the sun?”
But despite the sometimes reflective tone this is not music for meditation. "The Human Animal"’s 10 songs, plus a Jerome Dillon remix of “God in the Hole” to close the disc, pulse and pound, posing both an invitation and a challenge to the listener. Welcome to the age of enlightenment for Android Lust.
Hello, how are you?
Recovering from a 20-hour flight, but otherwise OK.
What are you currently listening to?
Silence. The hum of the space heater. Birds outside.
I’ve always wondered, what do you do for a day job when you‘re not creating some of the best Industrial sounds currently known to man?
I used to work as a web designer/front end developer, but Android Lust is my day job for the last couple of years. I hope it continues to be so.
Your latest offering “The Human Animal” just came out*, care to explain the themes and sounds within?
"The Human Animal" is my 4th proper album. When the writing started, I realized things were sounding more live in my head. I was playing with talented musicians in my live band and I wanted to bring some of that energy back into the record. I started writing parts that were better played than programmed and started recording with them. The album is very much electronic, but there's a warm backbone that is clearly organic, and I love the merging of the two. It also works on a thematic level as this album, on a broad level, is about an inner quest to find one's center, or spiritual core. I realized it was developing into a concept album after I had written 3 or 4 songs. So I explored it more and went with the flow.
I wanted it to have a more fluid feel. Bass takes on very a prominent role, and other fluid, stretchy sounds. I also wanted to work with found sounds for a very long time, but it wasn't until I listened to Amon Tobin's "Foley Room" that I was driven to do it. This album is my homage to New York which has been my home for the last 11 years. It's layered with sounds I recorded during my walks around the city. I kept a portable recorder with me and anytime I heard something that caught my attention I tried to capture it.
What is your favorite track off of the album?
I really couldn't pick one. It varies from day to day.
Are you still involved with Projekt Records?
This record is out on my own label Synthellec. It's 100% funded and promoted by me. The last couple of records were with Project and will remain there until the term ends.
Have you ever considered doing score work for movies?
Yes, it's something I'm interested in getting involved. My foray into it so far only involved a book commercial.
What are your thoughts on “today’s Industrial scene”?
I feel as if it has gone a little stale.. I don't really keep on top of it. But coming off the Animalia tour and having played with some bands that are not following any set trends gives me hope and a sense of camaraderie. Namely our touring partner Mankind is Obsolete, and also Austin's Art vs. Industry who are more of a throwback to 90s Industrial Rock. It's refreshing to hear bands doing on stage what DJs are not necessarily pushing.
You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
A highly unfair question and one that has no right answer, but right here right now PJ Harvey's "Is this Desire".
Are you living your dream?
Some days I am.
Thanks Shikhee!
Android Lust is hard at work on her follow up to "The Human Animal", if all goes well look for that in 2012...
(Photo credit: Christopher Jon)Android Lust
Automated Somber Empress
Android Lust Bio:
Struggle is a natural part of the creative process for many artists. For Shikhee, the one-woman army behind industrial act Android Lust, struggle became downright essential to the production of the fourth Android Lust album, "The Human Animal". Not by choice, of course: Nearly a decade after debuting as the first one-woman industrial act, the Bangladeshi-born New Yorker found herself burnt out from balancing a music career with what some might call “real life.”
The process of making 2006’s "Devour, Rise and Take Flight" was “a very trying period,” says Shikhee. “I was coming home from my job around 9 or 10, and then mixing till 2 or 3, only to get back up and get to work at 9 again. I was barely sleeping and losing weight.” Problems with her record label compounded her frustration; the heavy touring season that followed, prolonged it.
When the album cycle finally wrapped, Shikhee returned home to face some familiar fears. “It’s always a bit scary. I start to doubt myself, reacquaint myself with my studio . . . and wonder if I can still do it,” she says. “It took until late 2007 to get back to writing.”
"The Human Animal" is undeniable proof that she can, indeed, still “do it.” After two albums on preeminent electronic-music label Projekt Records, Shikhee released Animal in August 2010 on her own Synthellec Music. In production for more than two years, this is the work of an artist reinvigorated by the creative process, adding a new set of colors to her signature sonic palette. “It just happened one day after we came back from our tour,” Shikhee recalls. “Songs just started flooding.”
The flood was triggered in part by Shikhee’s decision to work with her live band in the studio for the first time. “In the past I played all the guitars and some bass [in addition to electronic instruments], but now I had access to these really talented musicians and I wanted to bring that touch in the studio. So I wrote parts for them, parts that were beyond my playing ability.”
The mix of live instruments and processed sounds isn’t new for an Android Lust recording - 2003’s breakthrough "The Dividing" featured live drums, string and wind instruments but never have those sounds figured so prominently as they do on "The Human Animal". The slippery undertones of “A New Heaven” are revealed to be an upright bass; pockets of classical guitar propel “Into the Sun”; the over driven guitars on “Saint Over” surge forth with the spark of vintage Nine Inch Nails. It’s the most organic-sounding Android Lust record while losing none of the unrelenting sonic edge of prior releases.
It’s not just the live instrumentation that brings the album uncharacteristic warmth. Shikhee took to the streets of New York City with a portable recorder, collecting noises that would be used to form rhythms and ambiance throughout the record. The sounds of a screeching subway, a crowded restaurant, geese, pigeons, and a Barnes & Noble escalator all found their way into the mix.
And Shikhee has never sounded better, her whisper-to-a-scream vocals on a par with Polly Jean Harvey (“It’s On You”) and Ruby’s Leslie Rankine (“God in the Hole”).
For an artist whose overarching aesthetic has sought to blur the line between human and machine, Shikhee here sets her sights on the battle between the physical and the spiritual. Much of "The Human Animal" is about tapping into the deeper well of universal energy within to find true meaning, freeing oneself (the human) from the imprisonment of ego (the animal). “A New Heaven” sums up the central query: “Are we the ones we are seeking under the sun?”
But despite the sometimes reflective tone this is not music for meditation. "The Human Animal"’s 10 songs, plus a Jerome Dillon remix of “God in the Hole” to close the disc, pulse and pound, posing both an invitation and a challenge to the listener. Welcome to the age of enlightenment for Android Lust.
Hello, how are you?
Recovering from a 20-hour flight, but otherwise OK.
What are you currently listening to?
Silence. The hum of the space heater. Birds outside.
I’ve always wondered, what do you do for a day job when you‘re not creating some of the best Industrial sounds currently known to man?
I used to work as a web designer/front end developer, but Android Lust is my day job for the last couple of years. I hope it continues to be so.
Your latest offering “The Human Animal” just came out*, care to explain the themes and sounds within?
"The Human Animal" is my 4th proper album. When the writing started, I realized things were sounding more live in my head. I was playing with talented musicians in my live band and I wanted to bring some of that energy back into the record. I started writing parts that were better played than programmed and started recording with them. The album is very much electronic, but there's a warm backbone that is clearly organic, and I love the merging of the two. It also works on a thematic level as this album, on a broad level, is about an inner quest to find one's center, or spiritual core. I realized it was developing into a concept album after I had written 3 or 4 songs. So I explored it more and went with the flow.
I wanted it to have a more fluid feel. Bass takes on very a prominent role, and other fluid, stretchy sounds. I also wanted to work with found sounds for a very long time, but it wasn't until I listened to Amon Tobin's "Foley Room" that I was driven to do it. This album is my homage to New York which has been my home for the last 11 years. It's layered with sounds I recorded during my walks around the city. I kept a portable recorder with me and anytime I heard something that caught my attention I tried to capture it.
What is your favorite track off of the album?
I really couldn't pick one. It varies from day to day.
Are you still involved with Projekt Records?
This record is out on my own label Synthellec. It's 100% funded and promoted by me. The last couple of records were with Project and will remain there until the term ends.
Have you ever considered doing score work for movies?
Yes, it's something I'm interested in getting involved. My foray into it so far only involved a book commercial.
What are your thoughts on “today’s Industrial scene”?
I feel as if it has gone a little stale.. I don't really keep on top of it. But coming off the Animalia tour and having played with some bands that are not following any set trends gives me hope and a sense of camaraderie. Namely our touring partner Mankind is Obsolete, and also Austin's Art vs. Industry who are more of a throwback to 90s Industrial Rock. It's refreshing to hear bands doing on stage what DJs are not necessarily pushing.
You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
A highly unfair question and one that has no right answer, but right here right now PJ Harvey's "Is this Desire".
Are you living your dream?
Some days I am.
Thanks Shikhee!
Android Lust is hard at work on her follow up to "The Human Animal", if all goes well look for that in 2012...
REVIEW: Android Lust - The Human Animal
7.75 out of 10 During my middle school/high school years (when dinosaurs roamed) things weren't quite as easy as "a click away"... When it came to discovering new underground bands about the only things you could rely on were word of mouth or a few independent zines here and there. One of the best/my favorite sources for finding some amazing Industrial/Goth/Electronic artists was a catalogue based out of Philadelphia called Digital Underground, which was also (presumably) an amazing retail store that also-also eventually turned into a little known record label known as Metropolis. One day while flipping through said catalogue I stumbled across a review for an "up and coming/new artist" called Android Lust. The review said something like "..the female equivalent of Trent Reznor". If you know me, especially back then, you know the whomever this artist is is now an official "must own" item (NIN is gawd). Once the album finally arrived (not finished downloading, actually shipped), "Resolution", it blew me away. To this day it's still one of the best Industrial albums I own. No one out there sounded quite like Android Lust at the time. Android Lust took the best parts of Dark Wave/Goth and intertwined them with Electronic/Industrial tones. Seriously, if you're at all a fan of the genre consider it a must own, in-fact, it was just re-released as a new/super cool limited edition version:) ..Anyways, here we are, over a decade later and Shikhee (Android Lust) is back offering up (yet again) another amazing album.
"The Human Animal" is Android Lust's fourth proper release, and by all means one of her most polished accomplishments to date. Although a little more "Rocky" than previous efforts, "The Human Animal" has many of the same attributes that made ALL of her other albums so great. Actually, the reason this album may sound a little more heavier/raw than previous efforts is because Shikhee wanted to give the effect of a full band. She wanted to introduce her live sound with her studio sound. Overall an excellent idea, trust me when I say this lady knows how to rock as well as shock you with sounds that sound somewhat "unearthly". Most of the tracks on "The Human Animal" have a strong focus on lingering/low end bass sounds, strung out guitar riffs, and blaring drum beats (some electronic sounding/some (mostly) live sounding). The secondary sounds are what truly standout to me though, if you read up on the album a little bit you might know that some of the sounds within are "found sounds", a lot of which were daily occurrences in Shikhee's life. Those sounds plus the always amazing keyboard work and of course Shikhee's ravishing vocals chalk this one up as another win for Android Lust.
If/when Android Lust gets the right publicity she deserves expect Android Lust to (finally) become a house hold name (hopefully). A must own for Industrial Rock fans. Also recommended for fans of Darker/Edgier music with an experimental electronic "twist" behind the sound. Recommended for sure.
Standout Tracks: Intimate Stranger, God In The Hole, The Return (this song is "instantly" astonishing), One World, Flow (Of Impermanence), God In The Hole (a remix, dare i say it.. "better".. than the original--LOVE this song)
You probably already got this ..right?
Girl Talk - All DayAn unheard Girl Talk album?? All yours! All New! All Free! All in all, not a bad day..
Check into AZZXSSS..
AZZXSSS - TribeBrand new "Dub Step" project out of Japan. AZZXSSS combine some of the darker elements of Burial with deep/brooding kicks + spacey atmospheres combined with Tribalistic back drops.
This song is also awesome, but not a freebie : (..
Friday, November 12, 2010
Good (free) music laying around the interwebs..(expanded edition) Pt. 2
War Paint - Undertow (Blackbird Blackbird Remix)&
Turzi - Baltimore (Turzi Vs Zombie Zombie Alive In Baltimore)&
Total Control - Paranoid Video&
Toro Y Moi - Fax Shadow (Shlohmo Remix)&
Star Slinger - Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins Rework)&
Painted Face - Favorite One&
Oars - Karats&
The New Division - Starfield~njoy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)