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Guest Giles Walker

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Guest Giles Walker

I had a thought the other night, that I don’t really know what a lot of you guys on here actually like, apart from moaning about my posts in the picture thread. I figured that since this is actually a music forum, it might be a good idea to have a rolling thread where we post about the music we like in list form. All music fans love lists. It also gives us a chance to articulate our feelings on kinds of music that others might not be aware of, or have misconceptions about, with a focus on showing what we regard to be the best examples of these.

I for example would like to have a potted history of the hardcore scene of the 80s, as my knowledge of rock music has a rather large hardcore shaped hole around that particular genre. Likewise with rockabilly and underground 50s rock music.

Rules are simple, pick a genre, artist, label, band, b-sides... give a brief explanation of who or what they are and post a top ten of them.

I’ll kick it off with the techno music collective and record label I really like, Underground Resistance. It’s worth noting that I am not a particularly big fan of techno music, but there is something about this label I just like. All the mysticism surrounding them, the fact you often don’t know who produced certain records, the anonymity and fiercly anti mainstream business model are all well and good, but I think the records are simply head and shoulders above any other 90s/00s techno label.

In no particular order, this is my top ten. It is also worth noting that this isn't really even reflective of the back catalogue of their label, it is just the records i have enjoyed playing out over the years.

The Aztec Mystic - Knights Of The Jaguar

UR presents Galaxy To Galaxy - Hi Tech Jazz

Davina - Don't You Want It

Drexciya - Water Walker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTRvCnq5atM

UR presents World To World - Amazon

Since you are only allowed to post five pieces of media, this will have to be split over two posts.

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Guest Giles Walker

Continued

UR presents Millenium To Millenium - Timeline

Los Hermanos - Quetzal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWbC0HR21GE

Underground Resistance - Inspiration

UR presents Galaxy To Galaxy - Jupiter Jazz

UR presents Aquanauts - Bubble Beats

Hopefully someone will actually post something in here and this won't be me just shouting down a well.

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Powerviolence

An off-shoot from the hardcore scene of the mid 80s that continued into the early 90s and seems to have gained more popularity in the last 5-7 years or so.

Main characteristics are short, fast songs, often with sudden tempo changes throughout. However, some seminal hardcore bands show little similarity between the 2 but are considered pioneers/flag bearers of the genre. Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powerviolence

Neanderthal

Neanderthal went on to become...

Man Is The Bastard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flOCOAps_zM

who coined the term 'powerviolence' which later spawned a whole heaps of bands; some of the most notable ones being...

Crossed Out

No Comment

Infest

continued...

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Yep, just a 2 piece. Fucking brutal. All their songs are about medical conditions as well.

Glad you liked that, I had trouble keeping it to just 10 to be honest. Also, I left out Siege, cos they completely pre-dated the term powerviolence ('84) but they are definitely considered to be amongst the greats. Fucking awesome stuff.

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Definitely do fastcore. I'd like to know the difference between fastcore, grindcore and powerviolence. (Too lazy to google.)

I'll probably do one later today as I've decided today is a day when little to no work will be done. I just need to convince myself that making a list is not work.

xx

EDIT:

Also, anyone else thinking a Top 5 format may be handier, since there's a limit on media that can be added to each post meaning a top 10 must always be across 2 posts?

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Definitely do fastcore. I'd like to know the difference between fastcore, grindcore and powerviolence. (Too lazy to google.)

As Teabags has said, very little. If I was to pigeonhole the three of them, I would consider Grindcore to be the more more metal orientated approach, sometimes very technical, but not always. It used to mostly have that death metal grunty vocal, but that has diversified quite a bit. Fastcore is often more straightforward, hardcore punk, but with blast beats, nasty scratchy guitars and more of a yelped vocal, though it does vary. Powerviolence is sort of in the middle I guess, and can overlap either. Apart from a few, like Iron Lung, I find alot of Powerviolence to have quite a sludgey, bass heavy production. Probably stemming from Man Is The Bastard having two bassists. Also Powerviolence, as Teabags said, seems to have more tempo changes, going from blasts to grooves and chugs quite alot.

I'm going to try and do a Top 10 today, but I haven't decided on what yet!

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Fastcore. Basically an evolution of the crossover scene (while it could be said it started before it as well) from the 80s. Bands that were mixing hardcore punk and thrash metal to give an amalgamation of them both, referred to commonly as crossover or simply "thrash". Fastcore is sometimes referred to as "thrashcore" or in some cases (mainly in Japan I believe) "speedcore". I'll try and show some different cases of it.

Many bands could be considered a cross between powerviolence, fastcore and grindcore but as explained by Soda Jerk above: the prominent thing about fastcore is relentless, constant use of blastbeats throughout short songs while still sounding more like a hardcore punk band rather than a metal band akin to grindcore, and with far fewer tempo changes than powerviolence. That's about as simple as I can put it.

Unsurprisingly the prominent labels for the genre are the same as powerviolence bands: 625 Thrash, Slap-A-Ham Records, Havok Records, Ebullition

DRI - considered the pioneer crossover band, but before that, as far back as '84, they played fast as fuck hardcore or "thrashcore/fastcore". It was the later material that was considered the crossover stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vwZKFyFRJ4

Across the pond there was Jeff Walker (Carcass)'s band Electro Hippies

Skip forward a bunch of years and you have the un-fucking-relentless fastcore from bands like

Hellnation

Yacopsae

Widespread Bloodshed

...continued...

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As Teabags has said, very little. If I was to pigeonhole the three of them, I would consider Grindcore to be the more more metal orientated approach, sometimes very technical, but not always. It used to mostly have that death metal grunty vocal, but that has diversified quite a bit. Fastcore is often more straightforward, hardcore punk, but with blast beats, nasty scratchy guitars and more of a yelped vocal, though it does vary. Powerviolence is sort of in the middle I guess, and can overlap either. Apart from a few, like Iron Lung, I find alot of Powerviolence to have quite a sludgey, bass heavy production. Probably stemming from Man Is The Bastard having two bassists. Also Powerviolence, as Teabags said, seems to have more tempo changes, going from blasts to grooves and chugs quite alot.

I'm going to try and do a Top 10 today, but I haven't decided on what yet!

Sandwiches.

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Post Hardcore.

The first wave of hardcore punk was essentially brief, before alot of bands burned out and took vehemently opposed changes in direction. Two of the most widely renowned 'breakaways' from hardcore punk were Rites of Spring, and Embrace, fronted by Guy Picciotto and Ian MacKaye respectively.

Both bands were shortlived, played few shows, put out minimal recordings and disbanded, though left behind quite a legacy. Not long after, Guy and Ian joined allegiances and formed the widely acclaimed Fugazi.

Post Hardcore was born. A separation from the violence and suppression enclosed in hardcore, playing music equally as passionate and energetic, but which appeared more expansive, diverse, experimental, and most importantly - melodic.

The initial explosion of Rites of Spring and Fugazi caused many bands to emerge in and around the DC area, as well as already existing hardcore bands ditching the 1 and a half minute thrashers and began expanding on melody and 'emotion' for want of a better word.

Here are a few great bands from that era:

Nation Of Ulysses

Three

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKFG0jDmO8U

Cont...

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