Features, essays and columns, for those looking for a bit of extra substance.
FOCUS
ARCTANGENT 2014 // THE BANDS WE ARE FECKING EXCITED ABOUT…
ArcTanGent 2014 is the talk of the town amongst post- and math- fans of the United Kingdom. Featuring an array of amazing bands across niche genres such as math rock, post rock, instrumental rock, post-metal and the like, this festival is going to reign. Here, we pick our favourites of the festival.
AHLEUCHATISTAS ON IMPROVISATION
Improvisation requires one to execute a swift decision on how to progress during a performance, certainly not an easy task. Improvising as a group must be an even more complicated feat, as there must be a mutual connection shared between the performers that helps them collectively register not only when it is the right time to progress, but also the preferred way to steer the performance. In this Focus article we talk to Ahleuchatistas about how important improvisation is to their sound...
HOW TO WRITE SONGS… IF YOU’RE TERA MELOS
We are back with the second instalment in our Tera Melos chronicles. In this part, Kat talks with the lads about the song-writing process in their recent album X'd Out. Tera Melos give us an insight into writing music, generating song titles, surf, and the intricacies of X'd Out.
TE_RI’S SEARCH FOR THE ‘FORBIDDEN RHYTHM’
Kyoju Murakami of te_ri has devoted his music career to finding the 'forbidden rhythm', a rhythm that lies at the border between repetitive pulses and chaos. In this feature, we gain an insight into Murakami's unique approach to creating complex rhythms. Featuring exclusive unreleased music from te_ri!
CLEFT AND CROWDFUNDING
In the last few years, crowdfunding has seriously taken off as an avenue for independent bands to release their music without label support. But that doesn't mean it's easy. One band who has spectacularly pulled off this feat is Cleft, an instrumental math band from Manchester UK, in support of their debut full-length. We caught up with them to see how they did it.
CLASSIC ‘MATH’ BANDS WE THINK YOU SHOULD PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, KNOW
In this feature we present 15 classic 'mathematical' bands that we think are deserving of your humble attention. We travel back as far as the late 1980's to dig out some of the hidden gems, and the bleedingly obvious ones. Also be sure to check out the accompanying playlist on our Youtube channel.
A JAPANESE MATH ROCK ODYSSEY
An exclusive feature documenting one of math rock's best kept secrets: the contemporary Japanese scene. Call it math rock, post rock, 'j-math' or whatever, there is something special happening here. We explore the sound, the structure, the history, and the present. Featuring interviews with Uchu Conbini, MOMA and te_ri.
HOW TO COLLECT PEDALS… IF YOU’RE TERA MELOS
When Tera Melos played in Leeds recently, we caught up with Nick Reinhart and Nathan Latona, and had some long, deep, meaningful and fascinating chats. Not really. Well kind of. Here's Part I of the interview, all about pedals. Part II coming soon!
LONE RANGERS Pt 1: THE RISE OF ‘BEDROOM MUSICIANS’
An insight into solo artists recording and distributing their music entirely from home. Featuring Plini, Sithu Aye, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya and Zefs Chasing Cara.