Audi tenebras inter cortices
Artist Monographs
One band at a time: the breaks, the turns, its place in the lineage.
All 7
BATUSHKAThe Owner of a Folder“The Norwegian scene of the nineties had burned churches; rather than burning the church, Batushka goes inside it.”
PERTURBATORIf Watain Played Justice“A video game turned Perturbator from a bedroom project into a profession.”
KINOFrom the Boiler Room to Luzhniki“Soviet rock musicians lived two lives: stoker or watchman on the official record, musician the rest of the time.”
WHITE WARD“The band's horizon is a port city built by human hands, wearing down as it goes on working.”
GY!BEAs a Mode of Production...“Every copy was assembled by hand. Inside were original photographs and coins the band members had left on railway tracks for trains to flatten.”
ULVERThe Wolf That Changes Its Coat“The night city took the place of the forest. Trip-hop drums and a saxophone drifting into jazz stage the scenes of a film that was never shot.”Undercurrents
How a scene works as a society, not just a sound: clothes, tapes, rules, doors.
All 7
Bovver BootsFrom Pain to Rebellion, from Rebellion to the Shop Window“The boot once barred from the terraces was now sold in shopping centres all over the world.”
MagnitizdatA Copy of a Copy of a Copy“Listeners at the time had a saying that you could tell how loved a song was by how bad its recording sounded.”
RoentgenizdatJazz on the Ribs“The image was pure chance: a foxtrot spun over a lung, a love song over a broken hand.”
Steppe UndergroundMetal in Central Asia“There was no need for a ban: the licence fee was enough to wipe young bands off the stage.”
Battle JacketArmour Built Stitch by Stitch“Here is a sleeveless vest, worn over armour and carrying an emblem of belonging on its back, centuries before the metal fan's vest.”
Eastern PunkBehind the Iron Curtain“The state radio's studio had recorded a sound the state did not want.”Record Notes
One record, start to finish.
All 2
Sound & Material
The material side of listening: turntable, stylus, amplifier, speaker.
All 1
Archives
The rooms that are not writing: a family tree, a record collection, ten records.
LineageRoots & EchoesA genealogy of black metal, from the heavy metal, punk and occult rock it grew out of to the scenes still burning today.Enter the treeArchiveNoise ArchiveThe whole record collection, floating in the dark. Around three hundred records.Open the archiveSelectionRecords That Shaped the DarkTen records, and why each one mattered.See the ten
