CHEMLAB

Chemlab got their start in the late 80's in Washington D.C. before releasing their first EP and moving to New York City. The band has also been signed to various labels including Metal Blade, Fifth Colvmn and Invisible Records. Their discography includes Ten Ton Pressure (EP), Burn Out At The Hydrogen Bar (LP), East Side Militia (LP), Electric Molecular (KMFDM Remixes), The Machine Age (EP), Oxidizer (LP) and a remix album entitled Rock Whore VS. Dance Floor along with too many other releases to list.
This current incarnation of Chemlab included Jason Bazinet (16Volt, SMP), Mark Plastic (Plastic Heroes), Phil DiSiena (Infocollapse) and of course the always incredible Jared Louche.

Chemlab took over the stage in a pure and unusual psychotropic fashion. An extended electronica prelude set the mood as Jared Louche came from out of nowhere shrieking like a dark angelic banshee. The moment the crowd witnessed this, I knew we were in for some shit because Jared was in extremely rare form. Pulsating heavy drums pounded people into a frenzy on the dance floor. The audience completely joined Jared in singing Suicide Jag, screaming the words “Brainwashing Time” and raging. As Chemlab shifted gears into Oxidizer, the floor in front of the stage became completely impassable. For a brief interlude between songs Jared addressed the audience, stating that as always, he was still “Hysterical and A-Symmetrical” to electrifying applause. Exile On Mainline brought the fucking house down next with its heavy and intense deep industrial nature before melding into Chemical Halo and continuing on with the bands damage plan.

During a brief intermission Jared introduced Mark Plastic, Phil DiSiena, and Jason Bazinet as a backdrop of black box recordings haunted the crowd with pilots saying “Goodbye Mom” before the inevitable silence. Solar Max then ignited the flames of rock bitches and pussy galore rushing the stage reaching to touch Jared and get a good look at Mark Plastic who was adorned in faux fur and a diamond encrusted choker behind Jackie-O type shaded eyes. As the music began to grind down, Jared spoke into the microphone saying: “You get 16Volt for the industrial juggernaut and you get Chemlab for the fucking”. A sea of screaming girls encouraging Jared to give more. The set continued and Jared’s vocals became a powerful strobing of the words “Dark, Dark, Dark” eventually ending to kickstart Codeine, Glue & You. Groove ridden break beats scattered themselves skeletal as Jared chanted “The devil hates it, but I love it” and “Don't hate sex”. At this point the crowd was completely involved.

The heat coming off the bodies piled up in front of the stage was overwhelming. Searching for a spot to catch a fresh breath I walked right into Eric Powell from 16Volt in the bar area who was watching Chemlab as well. As I spoke momentarily to Eric, a quick hush came over the room, almost as if to make it even more climactic when Jared said into the mic “This is for the killers”. It seemed as though the entire crowd took two steps forward as the music once again erupted from Chemlab. From the side of the stage Jared looked even more formidable as he stood on the monitor, towering over the audience that spiraled beneath him. The lights and shadows criss crossed his face making him look like a demigod as he preached the words “Let it be dark” into an enigmatic disenchantment upon the fixated eyes of his acolytes. This was the perfect pretense into what I could only describe as an all out fucking show stopper, Summer Of Hate. Every motherfucker in that room was jumping up and down singing along as Chemlab finished rocking the house to its core.

All things considered, I have no choice but to label Chemlab as “The Sexiest Industrial Rock Band Of 2010”. Any band standing in line to claim that title has their work cut out for them. Chemlab is a tough act to beat.


16VOLT

16Volt is the brainchild of Eric Powell who started the project in 1988. Their first three albums were released by Re-Constriction. After severing ties, 16Volt released a fourth album under the now defunct Slipdisc moniker of Mercury/Polygram. A nine year stretch hijacked the meantime while Eric worked on many other lucrative projects. 16Volt re-invented themselves once more in 2007 and have since released two more albums with Metropolis Records. Along with many other releases, the 16Volt catalogue includes albums such as Wisdom (LP), Skin (LP), Let Down Crush (LP), Super Cool Nothing (LP), Full Black Habit (LP) and American Porn Songs (LP).
Eric Powell was backed to the hilt on this tour with Steve White (KMFDM, Pig) on guitar, Mike Peoples (Skrew) on bass and Jason Bazinet who was pulling double duty on percussion after just finishing a full set with Chemlab.

16Volt began hammering the audience with the ultra sick electronica of American Bomb Song that could only be described as spine shattering. From behind flickering shadows, the icy voice of Eric Powell simply stated “American Porn Song” and let the rhythm induce the crowd into a shoving match that quickly turned into a swirling pit of skipping fiends. A somewhat soft interlude appeased the volatility of the motherfuckers in the pit for a few split seconds until Somebody To Hate was dropped them like a ton of bricks. I noted in my journal as Somebody To Hate raged on that Eric's vocals we “Drop Dead Fucking Impeccable” during his performance.

The mood of the room soon shifted as Eric guided the crowd into a state of undivided attention, seeming to look each and every person in the eye one at a time while performing Become Your None. Eric then ghosted himself somewhere out of sight, only to return shredding an axe as Swarm clipped its way into an already furious set. Everyone in the room was bouncing up and down singing along, recognizing the song from Let Down Crush.

Switching it up a bit, Feel It Through from the Full Black Habit album was next on the list, followed with the “Fist Fight Attitude” of Suffering You. An implausible and unexpected calm creeped its way through the room as Therapy showcased Eric's ability to utilize his melodic vocal talent. This trance like state of consciousness soon turned against all those enthralled when A Cloth Like Gauze reminded everybody exactly where the fuck they were. The unmistakable tension and release rhythm of Machine Kit was next to captivate a cult like following who were singing “Machine Kit, In A Graveyard” along with Eric. The Defect People reigned next with it's pounding and trill steeped percussiveness which then carried over into the grind and silence breakbeats of The Useless People. The band then led into the song Cables & Wires from Full Black Habit before once again dragging the crowd into singing “Fuck The Record Industry” as they performed The Enemy. At last, the nostalgic essence and nasty fucking hooks of Cut Collector finished out the evening as every person in the audience sang along with Eric Powell.

Overall, 16Volt delivered a very powerful performance. Within minutes of ending their set, Duffy Laudick and I were standing to the side of the stage conversing about the wicked concert we had just seen. We were soon joined by Eric Powell who caught me off guard when he asked me what I thought of the show. Fabryka Magazine is well known for it's highly objective and selective reputation. That being said, I did not want to let Eric know that I was going to write him a well deserved rave review. Trying to keep a straight look on my face, I told Eric that on a scale of 1-100, I thought it was an 87. Eric looked at me with this indescribable look of “What The Fuck?” on his face, after giving his entire being to the audience just moments before and said “An 87?”. Then I told him to pick a number between 1 and 10. Eric said “6” and I told him, “Okay, I'll score you a 93 for the Fabryka Magazine review”. That shit was hilarious, but all kidding aside, the fact is that 16Volt completely knocked it out of the fucking park.

A few nights after the Midi Ghetto Tour left Denver the bands had a run in with Andy Dick at the Roxy on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The video on this link is sickeningly funny!

The Midi Ghetto Tour of 2010 was an absolute blast of atomic proportions. The star power and talent of the performance artist that comprised the line-ups of these three bands was inconceivable and laced within the confines of a sensual and extreme brutality. I cannot help but believe that a sudden resurgence of industrial music legends now booking tours is in part inspired by the interest and impact driven by the Midi Ghetto Tour. Moreover, this tour noticeably brought out many talented and well known artist from the genre across the continental United States. Many of whom offered their unwaivering support and hopefully were inspired along the way to step back up to the plate in their own right.

The Midi Ghetto Tour has proven that the industrial music genre is still the most formidable, cutting edge force in the entire music industry. Overkilled and underrated, Midi Ghetto provided a stepping stone into the future of industrial music, proving to all who witnessed it that this music is entering a new and phenomenal era.

I want give a quick shout out to Chris DeMarcus of Stiff Valentine. Chatting with Chris a few quick times was totally dope and everyone at Fabryka Magazine is looking forward to hearing new music from him soon.


Video links (if embed videos don't play): Interview with Kaine D3l4y | Show #1 | Show #2