A few months ago, I was asked by a friend of mine if I'd be interested in directing a music video for a local band on STOMP Records. I, of course, jumped on the opportunity. Ever since wrapping Conversion, my directing "oeuvre" had been limited to little experiments with my iPhone, or tinkering with public-domain footage. To do something more or less legitimate was something that was definitely music to my ears (pun intended).
When I heard the song, "Get Alright" by Ska•Soul•Rock'n'Roll sensation The Fundamentals, I was immediately hooked (as was every single person within earshot). Along with the song, I was forwarded the band's concept notes, in the form of crude storyboards. These, while ambitious, were not the most interesting I'd seen (it reminded me of the plethora of SoCal Ska-Punk videos produced in the past 20 years). The song was begging for something different. All I knew is that the band were dead-set on featuring their van in the video. Good. Something to start from. I decided to contact the band's sole XX chromosome carrier: Julia Gellman - trumpet player/second vocalist.
I shared my apprehension towards the storyboards they had given me. She, thankfully, told me that these weren't to be taken all that seriously and that I was free to let the song inspire me and come up with something completely new. Good, because I already had. The song is all about having a good time. Julia reiterated that they wanted the video to feature their van, a clunker of sorts that still managed to make it all the way across the Great (not so) White North. That's when I told her about my concept:
"The van breaks down in a bad part of town. They try everything but it just won't turn over. Deciding to make the best of a bad situation, they set up a makeshift campsite and "Get Alright". After a few days of frisbee, BBQ, and awkward sleeping arrangements, they decide to plug their instruments into the van's battery and revive their infamous carriage through the power of their rocking..." They were an absolute dream to work with and I'm happy to report that you will soon be able to see our second video together! In the meantime, GET ALRIGHT!
Official video for "Get Alright" by The Fundamentals. From the album Get Alright, available NOW from Stomp Records!
Works in the public domain are those whose intellectual property rights have expired, been forfeited, or are inapplicable. The term is not normally applied to situations when the creator of a work retains residual rights, in which case use of the work is referred to as "under license" or with permission.
In informal usage, the public domain consists of works that are publicly available; while according to the formal definition it consists of works that are unavailable for private ownership or are available for public use.
Once placed in the public domain, the Work may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, used, modified, built upon, or otherwise exploited by anyone for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, and in any way, including by methods that have not yet been invented or conceived...
(These works were all created between May and September 2012 and are the propriety of Original Author and Copyright Owner F Squared Media / Dominic F. Marceau.)
Synchropath develops a method of composing based on the synchronism from video and audio files. SCHNITT selects 678 audio files and 234 video files which will be processed, assembled and synchronized between them to build up the basic structure of the performance. SCHNITT questions the status of the image through an exploration of communications systems and activate a process of addition/subtraction which takes position from beyond the image itself. During the interaction between sound and light, the captured images reveal only in some parts their own figurative origin, the track continues along between balance and abstraction, harmony and obsession.
Elektra, a high-calibre Montreal-based cultural initiative, presents artists and works of art that align the latest electronic music and visual creations derived from new technologies (animation, installation and robotics). Elektra unites creative media like music, video, cinema, design, gaming and audio or interactive installation with the latest digital technologies. Artists from all disciplines – composition, performance, dance, visual arts, etc. – all with a common interest in artistic applications of new technologies, uniting visual and sound. Elektra not only welcomes artists from all over the world, the festival also features local talents, helping make Montreal the North American meeting place for digital arts.
Today Haus Arafna is numbered among the protagonists of the
so-called "Post Industrial" genre. The long creative period from the
youthful years till today, has resulted in a multi-layered and
extraordinarily varied sound. It would take more than just
one or two songs to convey the full extent of Haus Arafna's output.
While the beginnings were stamped with energetic
Noise-Eruptions Mr. and Mrs. Arafna rapidly developed their own unique mix,
combining different streams of dark electronic music in an inimitable fashion,
resulting in Haus Arafna's outstanding status.
To reinforce this Galakthorrö reanimated the genre-phantom
"Angst-Pop", at the same time distinguishing it from the the already
belaboured "Industrial" tag. However, there is no denying the roots of
Haus Arafna: The raw Lo-Fi sound image, analogue synthesiser sounds, noise
rhythms, and tape footage point to the "Industrial Music" of the
1970s.
In contrast to how things were done back then, Haus Arafna
now strives continually to cultivate more and more new experimentation and
improvisation, with text and vocals to be developed into innovative inspiring
Songs. Over and again, certain pieces produce such levels of energy, that DJs
try them out on the dance-floor. That is why Haus Arafna has become known
beyond the borders of the Industrial scene, with such club hits as "The
Last Dream of Jesus", or "Für Immer".
Haus Arafna do not however make dance music, neither does
their work serve as mere entertainment. Haus Arafna considers Art as the
battlefield of the soul, and steer with their music through the deep morass of
the human mind. The inability of people to conquer the negative aspects of life
in the community is demonstrated through Haus Arafna's manifold use of symbols,
metaphors, and double-entendre. In this way the Duo has been able to construct,
with the help of their omni-present musical characteristics, a frame for the
whole of their Artwork, which is also not lacking in graphical identity.
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[New York Rhapsody] LP/CD
Limited vinyl edition of 913 copies and unlimited CD.
01 45 Minutes In New York : 02 God Sows Secrets : 03 Veil : 04 I Did It For You : 05 You Know How To Destroy Me : 06 Give The Strength : 07 Heart Beats Blood Flows : 08 Desecrated : 09 Ground Zero : 10 Poison : 11 Kalt Im Bauch : 12 What You Said
June 2011 | Galakthorrö 028
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[You] LP/CD
Limited vinyl edition of 906 copies and unlimited CD.
01 Pain To Love : 02 You Don't Believe Me : 03 Learned Helplessness : 04 You : 05 Judas Kiss : 06 Today You Died : 07 Lucifer : 08 The Woman You Are : 09 Fallen : 10 Alive Through Pain : 11 Colony Collapse : 12 Independent
December 2010 | Galakthorrö 025
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[Blut/Trilogie Des Blutes + Nachblutung] CD
Re-issue of the rare first album with three bonus tracks.
01 Geburt : 02 Blot Out Your Soul : 03 Blood : 04 The Hell Of A World Next Door : 05 And Justice For All : 06 Natural Order : 07 He Colored Me Blind : 08 Maruta : 09 Selection : 10 Satan Organophosphor Shock : 11 Swastika Kommando : 12 Oradour Sur Glane : 13 They Never More Open Their Eyes
Nachblutung: 14 Anämia : 15 Signed With Blood : 16 Learn To Fight
February 2006 | Galakthorrö 006 [Re]
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[The Singles 1993-2000] CD
Re-issue of the early vinyl singles (Sex U Mas, Take One Get Two, The Last Dream Of Jesus, Für Immer) in response to the bootleg-situation and the requests from our younger listeners.
01 New Skin Grafting : 02 Song For A Murder : 03 Maidenly Mortal Dread : 04 Happy Thrill : 05 Seven Murder : 06 You Die : 07 The Last Dream Of Jesus : 08 Die Like A Man : 09 Paranoia : 10 Für Immer : 11 Amputation Cures : 12 No Right To Live : 13 Rebels Have No King
December 2003 | Galakthorrö 014
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[Butterfly] LP/CD
Limited vinyl edition of 1810 copies and unlimited CD.
01 Son Of Cain : 02 I Kill To Survive : 03 Invisible : 04 Für Immer : 05 Schockraum : 06 Must We Burn : 07 Satanas And Friends : 08 Scars : 09 Hingabe : 10 Part Of Fortune : 11 Agitation : 12 Mirror Me : 13 Gravity To The End
May 2003 | Galakthorrö 014
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[Für Immer] 7" Vinyl EP
Limited vinyl edition of 1690 copies. Re-released on "The Singles 1993-2000" CD.
01 Für Immer : 02 Amputaion Cures : 03 No Right To Live 04 Rebels Have No King
November 2000 | Galakthorrö 012
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[The Last Dream Of Jesus] 7" Vinyl EP
Limited vinyl edition of 520 copies. Re-released on "The Singles 1993-2000" CD.
01 The Last Dream Of Jesus : 02 Die Like A Man : 03 Paranoia
December 1998 | Galakthorrö 009
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[Children Of God] CD
01 Children Of God : 02 Last Dream Of Jesus : 03 Mein Leben : 04 Holocaust : 05 Social Automation : 06 Golgatha In Flames : 07 Anatomy Of A Murderer : 08 The Way You Go : 09 Electronic Terrorism : 10 Arafna Simulation : 11 In Heaven
March 1998 | Galakthorrö 008
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[Blut/Trilogie Des Blutes] CD
Limited edition of 884 copies.
01 Geburt : 02 Blot Out Your Soul : 03 Blood : 04 The Hell Of A World Next Door : 05 And Justice For All : 06 Natural Order : 07 He Colored Me Blind : 08 Maruta : 09 Selection : 10 Satan Organophosphor Shock : 11 Swastika Kommando : 12 Oradour Sur Glane : 13 They Never More Open Their Eyes
November 1995 | Galakthorrö 006
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[Sex U Mas] 7" Vinyl EP
Limited edition of 300 copies. Re-released on "The Singles 1993-2000" CD.
01 New Skin Grafting : 02 Song For A Murder : 03 Maidenly Mortal Dread : 04 Happy Thrill
June 1993 | Galakthorrö 001
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SPLIT
::
Haus Arafna and Karl Runau [Take One Get Two] 7" Vinyl EP
Split-Single together with Karl Runau. Limited editon of 500 copies. Re-released on "The Singles 1993-2000" CD.
01 Seven Murder : 02 You Die
May 1995 | Galakthorrö 005
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KOMPILATION
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V.A. [Kosmoloko] LP/CD
Limited vinyl edition of 965 copies and unlimited CD.
Earth Hour is a worldwide event that is organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is held on the last Saturday of March annually, encouraging households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate change. Earth Hour was conceived by WWF and The Sydney Morning Herald in 2007, when 2.2 million residents of Sydney participated by turning off all non-essential lights.Following Sydney's lead, many other cities around the world adopted the event in 2008.Earth Hour 2012 will take place on March 31, 2012 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., at participant's local time.
In case you didn't know, Kate and I have been DJing at Le Cagibi, every first Wednesday of every month for a little over a year now. Le Cagibi is a fantastic place to try out new things, musically that is, and their food and drink menu is top notch!
(Click on the captions for set lists and post-mortem thoughts, courtesy of morelikespace)
