THE PORG INTERVIEW

 Ben Whight aka THEPORG 

Interview By Null+Void

null+void has been taken over this banner art cycle with comic style scenes of sound system and machine mutants thanks to Bristol based illustrator Ben Whight. Known as The Porg his work has been adopted for use by the underground music community of Bristol on record artwork as well as flyer designs. What you have is Manga inspirations mixed with rave culture imagery and a nightmarish dystopian vision of the world. That’s what why we like him.

Thank you Ben for allowing use your art and for taking the time to speak to us.

Who are you, what do you do and where are you from?
My name's Ben Whight, I'm a freelance illustrator and I grew up in Dorest and The Forest of Dean.

What do you think's special about Bristol as a creative hub?
There's lots of opportunities here for people to express their talents with art trails, events and exhibitions. These take place in local shops, clubs, restaurants, abandoned buildings and on the street. It's dedicated and inspirational people that put these on and this draws in other creative types too. There's a constant supply of influence and inspiration which breeds new creations and this keeps the creativity going.

Who or what are your inspirations?
Manga would be my biggest influence as it will always be the foundation of my drawing, even though I never meant it to be. I'm discovering new artists that inspire me every day, but the main ones are Paul Bonner, Arnold Tsang, Frank Frazetta, Alvin Lee, Brom and Gigar. I've always loved the look of machines and the human form, so combining their construction seemed like a natural progression. However this will more than likely take a pornographic twist.

What are you currently working on?
Presently I'm working on an interactive background for a website. It's for a festival installation called The Body Shop where, based in the far future, punters can get bioupgrades like replacement arms and brain implants. I’m also creating designs for clothing for a guitar shop / chain and finding time to do a few paintings.

Have you ever been in a fight? If so, what happened?
I remember having a few scuffles at school but nothing serious, I've always backed away from fights. There have been a few times where I've been ready to kick off due to being fuelled up on Red Stripe or Stella, but managed to hold myself back. I don't touch the stuff anymore.
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To see more of Ben’s work go to his website.

THE PORG POST

Embryo with record

By the porg

PIC OF THE DAY

By Vinca Petersen

FRESH IEMZA POST

By IEMZA

SERVER DOWN

Hi all,

the server were we used to host all our sets/movies/books seems to be down. Hope we can recover it all, working on restoring everything as we speak. It will take some time though..



GOOD NEWS all our content should be back online by next weekend :)

FRESH ROA POST

'The Four Horses Of The Apocalypse'

This is the first time Roa has incorporated color into one of his walls. It took three days to complete.

It's at Unit44, a gallery and creative hub in Newcastle; it was done as part of the 'White Walls' project that is gradually creating the biggest outdoor gallery group show in the UK.

WORLD TRAVELLER ADVENTURES

EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE TECHNO-NOMAD ADVENTURE

Film Documents The European and Middle Eastern Techno-Traveler Movement

New York, NY September 13 — This October, Uncivilized World documents the amazing story of the most underground social revolution with the DVD release, World Traveller Adventures. From the 1990’s to present, several devoted artists of raving and free partying take to the roads through Bosnia, India and even Africa, as they cross geographical borders to export their music through political protest and/or cultural exchange.

Consisting of four exclusive films, World Traveller Adventures marks the first time this movement has been illustrated in images. The historic documents were compiled and filmed by the tribe members of this new genre. The films are: 23 Minute Warning — Spiral Tribe; Storming Sarajevo – Desert Storm; Mission To India – Sound Conspiracy; and African Expedisound – Tomahawk, IOT.

History
The world traveler adventure was born as a result of the U.K.’s illegalization of any gathering of more than 100 people accompanied by amplified music, which “includes sounds wholly or predominantly characterized by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats.” New Age travelers (an alternative movement of nomads), squatters encouraged by Thatcher’s repression to leave the cities, along with clubbers frustrated by the closure of clubs and early raves were driven to leave England. They traveled to the South American continent, Africa, Eastern Europe, the United States, Australia, Asia, among other countries, to spread their spirit of freedom and music, inspiring others to follow.

World Traveller Adventures Synopsis

23 Minute Warning
The interviews in this documentary illustrate each person’s opposition within a militant movement using parties and music as a way to communicate a philosophical message. In the same way as the mythical label Underground Resistance, who saw music as a weapon to fight against the barriers between races, Spiral Tribe concentrates its creative energies around the rhythms of nature, music and dance, in reaction to society’s prevailing attitude. Also included are two unique Spiral Tribe video clips: “Forward the Revolution” and “Breach the Peace” in addition to archive images of the Teknival at Tarnos (’95) and Carcassonne (July ’93).

Running time: 23 minutes

Storming Sarajevo – Desert Storm
Desert Storm could be defined as a peace-protest sound-system concerned initially with the Gulf War, and later the war in Bosnia. In 1994 (as a result of the Criminal Justice Act and Desert Storm’s difficulty to throw parties in the UK), they head in the direction of Sarajevo. Relentless snow and bitter cold delays them by three weeks and gets the better of their engines and gearboxes. Storming Sarajevo documents Desert Storm’s adventure as they carry foodstuffs, pens, books, medicine and condoms while they organize a New Year’s Eve party in Tusla and a party in a disco in Sarajevo. Desert Storm organizes a Street Parade, despite 70 cm of snow and temperatures hitting –10 degrees C. A policeman asks the organizers to turn the music up, but to dim the lights please –as the frontline is only 10 kilometers away!
Running time: 30 minutes

Mission To India – Sound Conspiracy
Mission to India is the most epic, the furthest-reaching and the longest mission of a European tribe. Filmed in 2001, this documentary tells the story of Sound Conspiracy, the reunion of three sound-systems: OQP, Total Resistance and Facom Unit who decide to set off the mythical Goa. Filmed by Paula of Sound Conspiracy, the documentary follows a travel log where the collective survived a fast, while crossing Iran, imposed armed escort through Pakistan where brutal robbers lurk, and heavy-handed checks by the omnipresent Turkish army in Kurdistan. They arrive exhausted in Goa at the end of November to organize several parties despite the undreamt-of local mafia implanted in this paradise of electronic music.
Running time: 45 Minutes

African Expedisound – Teknokrates, Tomahawk, IOT
African Expedisound follows three French sound-systems (Tomahawk, Teknokrates, and In/Out/True) as they set off for Africa in 5 converted French army lorries. A dozen people between the ages of 25 and 30 hit the road, with no institutional support, 15,000 km across Morocco, the Sahara desert, Senegal and Mali. Their mission is to find the initial rhythm, to understand the African myth, to live what they consider to be the ultimate quest for the ‘free’ generation brought up on BPM (?) The documentary begins in Senegal and the African Expedisound head toward Mali. Their experience take them through ramshackle routes, towering baobabs, and traditional villages under the baking sun. Local children announce the arrival of the “Whites” who have come to put on these “extraordinary, free parties.
Running time: 52 minutes

Bonus Features – Reclaim The Streets
Bonus features include a 4 minute musical documentary featuring images taken from the ’97 parties organized by Desert Storm in Sheffield, Bristol and Oxford. Musical and ecological activists, Reclaim The Streets (RTS) take the philosophy of the reappropriation of public space through cultural resistance to another level. They swept across the UK with street parties in Manchester, York and Oxford, and also appeared in cities like Tel-Aviv, Sydney, and Helsinki, among others.

About Uncivilized World
After being at the heart of the European cultural scene for 6 years, Uncivilized World became a record label with its finger well and truly on the pulse of quality cultural creativity. Its eclectic catalogue of artists includes the Nigerian Femi Kuti (afrobeat), the pioneering American DJ Jeff Mills (techno), the inimitable ‘French touch’ of The Hacker and Vitalic (electro), the DJing world champions of Birdy Nam Nam (hip hop), and the German big band Mardi Gras (jazz). The label has also joined forces with mk2, the biggest name in the French independent film industry, to create the Electronic Cinema collection of film soundtracks. Uncivilized World has also produced a series of music documentaries that have met with much acclaim at International film festivals: ‘Live At The Shrine’, shown at the Sundance festival and filmed at Fela Kuti’s celebrated Shrine venue, ‘World Traveller Adventures’, revealing the nomadic aspect of the techno adventure, ‘Biomechanik’, about the encounter between two different artistic universes when the sculptor HR Giger (the creator of Ridley Scott’s Alien) meets a hardcore DJ, and ‘Blue Potential’, a philharmonic concert filmed at the UNESCO world heritage listed Pont du Gard site.
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“A fascinating DVD”–Mojo
“You couldn’t ask for a more entertaining and informative look”– Undercover

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DOWNLOAD PAGE
(updated 08/07/2013)

NOT JUST ANOTHER

By meersau | salzburg | austria |

IN THE AREA

By Spiral Tribe

Click on pic for bigger size!

IDEOLOGIE

Het leek of de tegenstelling links-rechts was verdampt. Elk discours herleid tot vlag & wimpel in los zand. Wat zou dan links kunnen zijn aan de bankencrisis? Iedereen bont & blauw, toch?
Globalisering ook zo'n veelkoppig monster zonder plattegrond. Islam? Met aftrek van schunnig populisme, zelfs voor weldenkenden kieren van irrationeel ongemak. Melkkoe van het platte onbehagen: het eindeloze communautaire kluwen, natuurlijk.

Symboolpolitiek. Maar ineens zei bart de wever dat hij een rechtse coalitie voorstaat. Ineens ook blijkt de rechtse Didier Reynders betrouwbaarder dan de linkse Di Rupo, terwijl ze in francofone razernij niet voor elkaar onderdoen. Hallo: links-rechts! Anders dan economisme lijkt het gespletenheid die het hart raakt. In Nederland waar populistisch rechts regeert, schrijnen berichten over ontmanteling van kunsten, zorg, onderwijs... Mark Rutte noemt zijn 'asfaltkabinet' een eretitel. Daar zou een beetje charismatische linkse leider wel raad mee weten. Maar die is er dus niet. Niet in de benelux, niet in Italië, niet in Vlaanderen.
Miterrand had makkelijk praten: "L'europe sera socialiste ou ne sera pas." Dalida coifeerde zijn parades met swing en nostalgie.

Wij hebben Caroline Gennez.

Niets is nog sexy aan links, weinig intellectueel vervuld? Gemakzucht is de duivel. Laat Renaat Landuyt effe hysterisch inhakken op roomse pedofielen, en we zijn weer lekker links. Of hoor hoempapapoeter Van der Maelen galmen tegen fiscale fraude en nestwarmte van rechtvaardigheid lacht ons toe.
Respectabele euforie in de ideologische kinderboerderij, maar de uier blijft wel leeg.
Rechts is gezelliger, zie je ook in de media. Het heeft minder uit te leggen: trek De Wever een zwembroek aan, en Vlaanderen gaat plat. Ik ken er die voor minder zelfmoord plegen, maar alla: waar is het blijmoedige elan van links dat die onzin barricadeert? Waar de galm die het status-quo van ellende verbreekt?

Oorverdovende stilte.

Bron: De morgen, HUGO CAMPS

IEMZA

By IEMZA

BREACH THE PEACE

Old spiral tribe pamflet, click on pic for bigger size!

ADBUSTING

By Eyesaw

PIC OF THE DAY

By Vinca Petersen

TEKNO PIC OF THE DAY

ILLEGAL SOUND RESISTANCE

FREE KIT

By Elfo

THE HUSH BOY

By Spiral Mark

ROA VS SANER

ROA vs SANER - MEXICO

CASTLEMORTON

UK, 1992

CURLEY - ESOTERIC

CURLEY SCHOOP AKA ESOTERIC

Born in Leidschendam Holland 16 April 1973 Curley Schoop spent his childhood years in Curacao (Netherlands Antilles). After moving back to Holland with the family in his teenage years his love for music came into true fruition. At the age of sixteen he released his first record on the DJAX label (D.I.C.E. - rubba dice stylin).

In 1994 he was to travel to Berlin with R.A.F. who were his friends Joep, Katja, and Chiel as well as with his friends Sazz and Ratski where they played on a party of Acid Orange.

By now the entire Spiral Circus had descended on invitation to stay at the 'Blauwe Aanslag' squat in Den Haag, Holland. This is where the infamous Acid Planet parties from Jan, Unit Moebius, Siuli and Guy where happening and where Sebastian (69db) and Simon (Crystal Distortion) from Spiral Tribe together with Unit Moebius were beginning to inspire a whole generation. These happenings were to change everything for Curley as they did for so many from this period.

After returning to Holland the 'Hardcore Peace Generation' was formed. Holland was by now in full party flow, parties and sound systems were springing up all over the place. Curley moved to Den Haag from the south to be in the midst of it all. Time was filled squatting and organizing parties and tekno café’s big and small all over the place. It was in this period Curley was making music together with Jan, Sebastian and Simon. Together a sound was made: that sound would become legendary: 'the Spiral Sound'.

It was somewhere around this time Curley met Barbara who he was to be with for the rest of his life. Holland had much to offer for a young inspiring musician and DJ with its full flow party mayhem from the likes of his friends from Cyb-X and Mononom Soundsytems for whom he would play his legendary mental mix of acid, hardcore and tekno many times.

In 1995 he made the move to London. Barbara was English and Curley was always up for new adventures. Although a far cry from what he knew from the free party scene in Europe Curley would flourish in the diversity of the music in London. New influences were creeping into his Dj sets, breakbeats, drum and bass, the London style. I don't think there are too many recordings from his DJ sets from these times, in fact I don't think you could capture it on a tape, you just had to be there, those that were there know exactly what I am talking about, some things you just can’t capture in a recording.
Curley had the utter ability to ignite a dead party, to whip up a dance floor into free flow mayhem. He never looked the part, a black guy in a predominately white hardcore scene in a funny hat and flared trousers, but he was still somehow the coolest geezer in the building, everybody wanted to talk to him, everybody wanted him on the decks, to hang out with him. Probably some of his finest moments DJ'ing was in those warehouses in London, there he would create his voodoo magic on the wheels of steel.

A lot of people who had not been out to Europe could not understand what he was playing but they loved it. It was a combination of the Spiral sound, the Dutch sound and the London sound all mixed in and mashed up, it was truly unique.
It was in London he would meet Ben and Brett from the Fear Teachers: he would play a lot at their parties together with the Mainline Soundsystem. The Fear Teachers and the surrounding people would be a big influence on Curley. They had been to Europe, they did know what was going on but they had their own sound, their influences were also from electro and more distorted and messed up beats. Curley thrived of these new ways and sounds; he would revel in the London ways of music. Drum and bass were to seriously influence his DJ sets where he would play out together with his friend Beven (Dj Terroreyes) with their three deck mash ups. At this time he releases on Ben and Brett’s Audio Illusion label and made his other classic releases on the Club Craft, Utmostfear and Crowd Control labels.

In 1997, Curley now just twenty four years of age was a proud father happily in love and with his music seriously taking off. By now his DJ gigs were constant, playing out in London and back home in Holland as well as Italy, Germany and France; his records were also now starting to come out in a steady stream. After always releasing on other peoples labels and as he was always wanting to push forwards he decided together with Barbara to start their own label Kibra Hacha. The first release on this label was to be his final one in his lifetime.

After spending Christmas together in London with his new family, Curley & Barbara set off to drive to a big party in Rome Italy for the New Year of 1998. This was to be Curley's final set. In the early hours of the third of January whilst still out in Rome Italy Curley died suddenly in bed of a heart condition he never knew he had. It shocked us all and sent tremors throughout the party scene in Europe. Many tributes were made and several huge memorial parties were made in his honor, in Holland, England and Italy. One of the finest had been taken away in the prime of his life with everything to live for.

Some stars light up the night sky brighter than others, they give off more energy, sometimes those stars will burn out quicker because of this, but those are the stars you remember. In the end it's not how many years you have lived that are important but what you did in those years and Curley lived every minute of his life to the full. I think the following written by his friend Brett after Curley's death says it all:

"Within our creative dance culture there are few people with the active energy and dedicated commitment necessary to keep the scene fresh, vibrant and at the cutting edge. Curley possessed all these powers and spread them like a virus, infecting all who crossed his path with a positive feeling and uniting us all in confidence for the future" (Brett Youngs R.I.P)

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original article here

FESTIVAL BRITTANIA

PART 1

"This documentary tells the story of the emergence and evolution of the British music festival through the mavericks, dreamers and dropouts who have produced, enjoyed and sometimes fought for them over the last 50 years.

The film traces the ebb and flow of British festival culture from jazz beginnings at Beaulieu in the late 50s through to the Isle of Wight festivals at the end of the 60s, early Glastonbury and one-off commercial festivals like 1972's Bickershaw, the free festivals of the 70s and 80s and on through the extended rave at Castlemorton in 1992 to the contemporary resurgence in festivals like Glastonbury, Isle of Wight and Reading in the last decade.

Sam Bridger's film explores the central tension between the people's desire to come together, dance to the music and build temporary communities and the desire of the state, the councils and the locals to police these often unruly gatherings.

At the heart of the documentary is an ongoing argument about British freedom and shifts in the political, musical and cultural landscape set to a wonderful soundtrack of 50 years of great popular music which takes in trad jazz, Traffic, Roy Harper, the Grateful Dead, Hawkwind, Orbital and much more.

Featuring rare archive and interviews with Michael Eavis, Richard Thompson, Acker Bilk, Terry Reid, the Levellers, Billy Bragg, John Giddings, Melvin Benn, Roy Harper, Nik Turner, Peter Jenner, Orbital, amongst others."

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Full BBC version right here 

(can only be viewed by residents of the UK it seems..)

SPEEDY (IT) @ 013&KIEREWIET NYE PARTY

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SPEEDY (it) LIVE - [MACHINE SQUAD]

@ O13&KIEREWIET NYE

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! Download here !

(Rightclick, save as)

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QUOTE OF THE DAY