| Joomla |
[24 Sep 2008|10:36am] |
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A lazyweb post.....Does anyone out there have any knowledge, experience or opinions on Joomla! CMS? I've installed a local copy and am playing about with it, but I want to poll for opinion before I start work on terminateshere.co.uk. First impression are that it can achieve exactly what I want it to with enough tweaking, and that I really should have run EOL-Audio on a similar system.
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[21 Sep 2008|11:54am] |
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music |
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Stawbs - The Hangman and the Papist |
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Last night went to see Dope Stars Inc at Slimelight. I've seen them a couple of times on the German festival circuit, but on both occasions everyone else I knew was watching EBM bands on another stage. I also know they played InFest one of the years I didn't go - an odd decision given they don't usually book guitar-heavy bands. Their label and number of remixes they do for bleep bands indicate a political, rather than musicial allegiance to the electronic side of the scene - a confusing situation!
All this meant that I arrive to find a very long queue and no-one I knew in the queue, or in the venue. Got speaking to a couple of girls in the line (another thing - this was a very female-heavy gig). The discussion seemed to highlight typical male-female differences in music taste. The pair of them obviously fancied the band as they went straight down the front and I didn't see them again. Since I'm off alcohol for medical reasons right now (and also not feeling that outgoing as a result) I was largely left staring into space waiting for some music.
Richard Christ came on as support - OK for the first half, but I got bored and wandered off to the back towards the end. Then came Dope Stars Inc. - with all the girlie screaming it sounded like there was a boy band in the venue. Not an inaccurate assessment - four hot Italian boys with guitars obviously have that knicker-wetting potential for many alt-rock girlies.
Sadly, they'd chosen Slimelight for their London debut, a venue which is inconsistent at best for sound quality, and tonight it was particularly poor, like listening to a cheap hi-fi turned up too loud. By the time they'd got to covering 'Ace Of Spades', it was just a blur of noise. They didn't play 'Rebel Riot' - my personal favourite. One of the things about discovering bands on your own is you develop a taste for songs that are regarded by others as album fillers and then wonder why you never hear them live!
And despite not drinking alcohol, I STILL woke up with a hangover. Slimelight obviously has that effect. Let's not mince words - that was a SHIT night out!
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| New |
[28 Aug 2008|11:06pm] |
And 24 hours later, I realise I've got NO IDEA what is going to replace EOL-Audio. The URL expires in September.
I feel I should write something, because I know I've got a way with words. But I don't want to go back to rowing the boat alone (many people volunteered to help, few if any ever delivered more than token assistance). A topical comment-heavy weblog is tempting, but everyone's doing it. How would I get noticed?
A site for Terminates Here, this fictional musical project of mine that must become fact? Despite learning a lot about analog synthesis and theory behind sequencing, I'm getting nowhere after 4 years - any I do achieve will be so forced that it's not going to be worth playing outside my bedroom.
A personal website? Those died off with the advent of MySpace and Facebook.
I learnt a lot about web design, PHP, MySQL, etc when putting together the later versions of EOL Audio, and now I find myself desparate to find a creative outlet of some description, and sod-all idea about exactly what to do.
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| Audio |
[27 Aug 2008|09:15pm] |
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music |
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Spetsnaz - Totalitär |
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Am currently planning the successor to EOL-Audio. Not sure what it's going to be yet, but suffice to say eraseronline.com will not be renewed at the end of this month and I'll be moving to a new webhost and new e-mail address.
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| Olympic |
[18 Aug 2008|07:29pm] |
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music |
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KMFDM - Sucks |
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Am feeling oddly tired and confused at the moment and am not sure why. Certainly resulted in me running one of my weaker RPG sessions this weekend. Hopefully will be sparked into action come Friday, and InFest. Which will be a lot of fun no matter how good the bands are. And 242 are headlining....
Did get a bit of chance to watch Team GB in action at the Olympics. As regular readers will know, my allegiances in F1 are not nationally-tied and most of the football games I've watched in recent times haven't featured England or Scotland (the only two teams I've got any business supporting), so it's good to be able to back my home nation 100% for a change.
( But.....Does This Silver Lining Conceal A Cloud? )
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[02 Aug 2008|03:11pm] |
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music |
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Killing Joke - Darkness Before Dawn |
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Next Sunday, I'll be running a CD stall here:
There's going to be quite a variety of stalls, by the sounds of things (the first one back in 2006 was mainly clothes, and female ones at that, the second last made was much more varied - this one should be better still).
It'd be great to see some of your there, regardless of whether you want to purchase some of my disused silver discs - especially those of you not usually part of the Goth Meetup/Vampyre Connexion collective (I'm only part of the first one myself, and even then I haven't really been involved much the last year or so). Goth shopping rarely gets cheaper, so why not give it a go?
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| League |
[16 Jul 2008|09:29pm] |
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mood |
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 bouncy |
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music |
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The Human League - Don't You Want Me (Special Extended Dance Mix) |
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Picked up a CD in Fopp with The Human League 12" mixes and B-sides on. Turns out it was released in 2005, but I never knew (I've been after something like this for years). This makes me very happy.
Now all I need is a copy of 'Love and Dancing' and my League collection could be called 'complete'......
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| Discriminate |
[26 Jun 2008|06:00pm] |
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music |
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Portion Control - DBA04 |
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This is something I've been thinking about lately but can't come to any conclusion on. It's a number of related moral dilemmas. Some people say 'There is never any excuse for discrimination'. As one who doesn't comprehend the concept of an absolute 'right or wrong', I need to question the strength of such statements. And I came up with the following situations. Two of which are people I've met in real life, the other two examples I know to exist.
1) A woman who is a victim of multiple rape attacks and is understanably traumatized for life. Can she justifiably hate all men as a result?
2) A white South African who was attacked by a black gang in his come country, still bearing the knife mark to this day, having friends who have been murdered by the same means. He is then forced to search overseas for work as his countries 'Affirmative Action' policies means blacks are favoured in every post he's skiled to apply for. Can he be justifiably racist?
3) A person who lost a close family member in the 2005 tube bomb attacks. Is their resultant Islamophobia understandable?
4) Is it OK for a Palestinian to hate an Isralei?
And finally: Does this form of 'circumstantial discrimination' have a name?
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| Goals |
[25 Jun 2008|09:56pm] |
I finally got round to watching a Euro 2008 game.
I think I picked the right one.
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| Anything |
[25 Jun 2008|06:21pm] |
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mood |
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 bored |
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music |
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King Crimson - Formentera Lady |
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As expected, June is proving to be something of a 'nothing' month (so before anyone comments about my current music, yes, it does mean I have time to listen to 10minute+ prog-rock tracks). Apart from a pretty good RPG on Sunday (finally getting to grips with running 3.5Ed D&D, just as 4th Ed come out!), I'm finding everything a bit dead right now.
Am I missing something? Or is everyone as bored as I am?
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[17 Jun 2008|07:47am] |
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music |
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Front 242 - U-Men (Live Free Download Thing That Just Came Out) |
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Not posted much of late. As expected, June has proven to be a bit of a 'dead month' with no notable gigs or big social events. Saturday was good - braai in the back garden whilst the weather still held firm, then out to Club Reptile in the evening.
Club Reptile is another in the line of not-EBM nights springing up around London. This one was different in that whilst it actually had a music policy (unlike Antilight) it wasn't strictly defined to some subgenre favoured by the organisers (unlike Dead & Buried) - thus avoid both 'the bleeding obvious' and 'DJ self-indulgence' (a chronic problem in our scene, but one few people dare to discuss as they know too many of the people involved). The venue was good - closest I found in London to the look and feel of the Mortizbastei in Leipzig.
The music policy kind of went from metal, through 90s alternative, old industrial & goth, to 80s synthpop and new wave, though it was the latter two styles that featured the most. Both ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) faticeira and rubberwench turned up during the night - a welcome surprise as I hadn't expected to meet anyone there. Quite enjoyed the whole thing in the end. Will probably go back next month.
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[11 Jun 2008|07:49pm] |
Here's the rules. You comment here, I'll pick 5 interests from you LJ info page. You then do a post explaining those 5 interests in more detail.
missy_k8 picked.....
braai
A South African custom (nay, religion) introduced to me by supergoth and then expanded upon by my current housemate Grant. A sort of BBQ but with a higher degree of quality control than we Brits could ever dream of, plus lots of quirky customs, like the appointment of a 'tongmeister' as the equivalent of Head Chef. Some may object to the strictly defined gender roles and the lack of vegetarian options, but I'm not here to be politically correct. I'm here to eat grilled meat, drink beer and sit in the Garden chatting until long after sunset.
mornington crescent
A round from a certain Radio 4 panel game - unlikely to continue on radio following the death of Chairman Humph but with a cult following around the world. I play under my other webname over here and have occasionally played in pubs around the station itself. If you want to know the rules, I'm Sorry, I Haven't A Clue.
prison movies
The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Scum, Alien 3 - all favourite movies of mine, all set in prisons of some description. Other favourites, such as V For Vendetta and 1984, have very prominent prison scenes in them. It's a film genre I like.
robert kubica
A poker-faced, poker-playing Polish F1 driver, driving for my favourite F1 team - BMW Sauber, now Grand Prix winners both (Woo Hoo!). Produced two of the most YouTube worth moments of the 2007 season (below), now leading the 2008 championship and likely to prove the biggest pain in Lewis Hamiltons side during his career.
universal theories
It's my belief that one days we'll be able to explain those 6 fundamental constants that stand between us and a complete understand of why the universe is able to exist. Grand theories that actually go someway to explain the meaning of life have appeal to me. I just wish I fully understood them.
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| R |
[07 Jun 2008|07:27am] |
1. Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter.
2. List (and upload, if you feel like it) 5 songs that start with that letter.
3. Post them to your journal with these instructions.
Second one of these I've done. amworld provided an 'R'.
Resurrection by Fear Factory
Remember that 1998 post from yesterday? The Fear Factory gig part? When I'd fought to the front of the mosh-pit, it was during the end of 'Pisschrist'. Then they played this. No song could sum up my feelings at the time better than this.
Revenga by System Of A Down
I like songs about Revenge. No secret there. But this one is something different - it carries a certain tension, an almost controlled anger. The bridge offers the line 'I Saw Her Laugh - And She Said 'Go Away''. I happen to think this is one of the most profound lines in any SOAD song, and I don't know why.
Radioactivity by Kraftwerk
A song which you have to hear both versions of to understand the relevance of. The original 1975 version was a cold, neutral commentary on radioactivity. Post-Chernobyl, the 1990 version on 'The Mix' gave it a real dance rhythm and a blatant anti-nuclear tone. Few songs actually move with the times like this (ironically, nuclear power might yet be back in favour now - our baseload current has to come from somewhere regardless of oil and gas supplies).
Right Where It Belongs by NIN
'With Teeth' wasn't a brilliant NIN album, but it had some good songs on it. And this one endured longer than the rest. This is really one for self-reflection - insightful rather than inciteful, if you like.
Return by Deine Lakaien
I think this one sums up what I like most about Deine Lakaien. Musically and lyrically, it's actually quite a simple affair, but put Veljanov behind the mic and his soft, deep tones will give it a meaning you couldn't tell just from reading the lyrics. Several versions of this song exist (the live version is played on piano, the album version on synths and they've recorded it with an orchestra too) - I like them all.
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| Jarred |
[27 May 2008|10:28pm] |
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 nostalgic |
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Jonny EOL - Equinoxe 7 |
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Whilst trying to remember how to put tracks together, I uncovered (in a long-disused corner of my harddrive), a collection of MIDI files that I assembled many, many years ago on my Atari 1040STE. They've survived transfer over at least 5 different formats to make it this far. There's a couple of (very weak) originals, they're virtually all JM Jarre cover versions (oh, and also one excerpt from Side 2 of Tubular Bells, if there's any Mike Oldfield fans out there). Pulled this one out to run though some softsynths and relive old times (though I usually use this piece to check out minor-key string pads that use 2-part harmony).
Oh happy days! Only 128 patches to choose from. Quantisation was your friend, not a dirty word. You didn't have to plug the keyboard into anything in order to hear it. The computer only ran your sequencer, so no other distractions. MIDI sockets were on the side of the computer and you didn't have to tell the computer which ones to use.
Here's to progress, eh?
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| Infest |
[21 May 2008|09:13pm] |
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music |
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Faderhead - Burning/Dancing |
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The lure of Front 242 up-close was the clincher. But many things conspired to form tonight's latest decision. With one sizable PayPal payment (how much easier than in previous years?) I've decided 'to hell with M'era Luna, Amphi and Summer Darkness - I'm off to InFest 2008'.
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[17 May 2008|09:35am] |
I've sort of got it in my head that I should go to Infest this year. You have to go 15 bands down the Amphi line-up to find a band I've never seen (and I don't like Eisbrecher so much that I'd go to a festival just to see them) and M'era Luna only offers them plus Delain on the 'hit-list'. Simply put, I'm running out of bands to see. Also, the next year or so seems like a good time to steer clear of the Eurozone. I've gone to Germany enough times at the expense of other countries, anyway.
So, InFest. How late in the day can I safely leave it and still get there with a ticket in my pocket, easily-arranged transport (preferably not via Leeds) and an affordable room near the festival site? I've been to Infest 3 times before and it's been a varied experience. 2002 occurred before I knew that many people in the UK scene and felt rather B-listed by what were hastily-made friends, whilst in 2003 I knew more people but not that many turned up (and the line-up that year was pretty weak - Cut.rate.box and GodMod headlining on the first two nights?).
But then there was 2005.....one of the best 3 festivals I've ever been to, along with M'era Luna 2006 and WGT 2007 (admittedly I was on a personal 'high' in May 07 and would have enjoyed Leipzig regardless of what went on there). And it looks like a lot of the same people who really 'made' those festivals will be in Bradford again this year.
And Front 242 are on.
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| WGT08 |
[13 May 2008|07:23pm] |
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mood |
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 tired |
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OK, I'm back from Leipzig. A full write-up probably won't happen until tommorow. Until then, this is a little summary......
Bands Seen: Beati Mortui, Ashbury Heights, Santa Hates You, Solar Fake, Portion Control, 32Crash, Blutengel, Paradise Lost, Reaper, Spectra*Paris, Signal Aout 42, Persephone, Star Industry, Suicidal Romance, CD1334, Samsas Traum, London After Midnight, Fields of the Nephilim, Deviant UK, Gothika, Miltant Cheerleaders On The Move, Miss Construction, Saltatio Mortis, Faun, Corvus Corax
Best Band: Saltatio Mortis
Worst Band: Blutengel (again....why do I bring this upon myself. Only 'Lucifer' was any good on this occasion)
Better Than Expected: Fields Of The Nephilim
Worse Than Expected: Spectra*Paris
Bands Not Seen That I Wanted To See: Many, but Covenant, Unheilig, Xotox, Welle:Erdball and Psychic TV all spring to mind.
Bands Left After Hearing One Song: Cyborg Attack, Flihende Strume (the first were plain awful, the second just not-to-my-tastes)
Euros Spent: 410, not counting hotel, WGT ticket, train or flight. All paid for in advance.
Taxis Used: 0
Money spent getting to and from airports: £1.90 in UK, €4.20 in Berlin.
CDs Purchased: 25
DVDs Purchased: 2
Wurst Consumed: 5
Mysterious Medieval Cookery Type Things Consumed: 2
Biers Drunk: Averaged about 1 per band, plus a few extras.
Weight of Baggage at Start of Festival: 10.1kg
Weight of Baggage at End of Festival: 17.4kg
People Seen: psychokatuk, steve_a23, dj_steve_rbn, vile_servitude, Paul Bell, theslayer6, mizz_sparrow, faticeira, thegriefqueen, Karl, Toby, Emb, Stella, rubberwench, snoww_wwhite, mr_731, tearsxintherain, Steph, long_knife, skinfitz, grufthexe, caveynik, purpledonna, sent1ment, Alan, Uncle Nemesis, various random English speakers whose names escape me (if any of the unlinked above have LJ, could someone send me a link)
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| Fool |
[01 Apr 2008|11:08pm] |
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music |
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Led Zeppelin - Moby Dick |
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I just need to confirm that my earlier post about forming a band called 'Terminates Here' and doing an EBM cover of Sham 69 contained a number of errors and mistakes. This is because I made the whole thing up.
Happy April Fools Day!
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| Terminates Here |
[01 Apr 2008|10:17am] |
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mood |
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 excited |
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music |
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Fictional - Hangman |
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Apologies for my recent 'radio silence'. I've been quite busy the last few weeks. Anyway, I thought I'd let you know what's going on. After many years of writing about other peoples music, I've finally found time to write some of my own. And it's almost time for the world to hear the fruit of my efforts. System:FX be warned! EBM with London Accents (aka 'Cockney Body Music') will shortly have another new name - Terminates Here!
Taking the ever-related styles of punk and industrial to their logical conclusion, early demos essentially indicate a crude marriage of the throbbing minimalistic electronics of Nitzer Ebb with the lo-fi guitar and rabble-rousing chants of Sham 69. Alongside original tracks such as 'Integrate/Desecrate' and '(A)Pathetic Nation', we've also thrown together (literally) a version of 'If The Kids Are United', with the sole intention of starting mosh pits right from our very first gig. The MySpace page will be ready by the end of the week, if you want an idea of what we're like.
Via the old-fashioned method of 'sticking notes up in music stores', I've managed to recruit a guitarist and e-drummer for live performances. We've sorted a couple of pub gigs in Ilford, with the intention of getting some dates in Central London over the summer. We're still looking for a live keyboard player, if anyone's interested.
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