Recorded and mixed by Andrew Schneider (Cave In, Unsane), NULL is KEN mode's eighth full-length album. The follow up to 2018's acclaimed Loved, it is the band's first release for Artoffact.
Frontman Jesse Matthewson proclaims NULL to be "a direct psychological reaction to the collective experience of the last two and a half years... a documentation of trying to not fall apart." In Matthewson's words, "the album exposes the emotional core of combating mental illness when one’s fine-tuned coping mechanisms have been involuntarily stripped away."
As the COVID pandemic threatened the essential, stabilizing forces in his life – including the ability to create, tour, and connect with the world, via KEN mode – Matthewson says he sunk to new depths. "I've built my adult life around communities and activities that have both given it meaning and helped me manage my own mental health," he states. "In 1999 I didn't know why I needed to create, I just wanted to. In 2022, it's one of the only acts I have left that keeps away crippling depression. I need this act to concentrate and neutralize the poison in my brain."
From the pitch black of the pandemic came a sliver of light. With his means of fulfillment and survival in jeopardy, Matthewson was instilled with a newfound urgency to make the most authentic and courageous art possible. New album NULL is the result. "We tried to experiment more with our sound than we ever have before. We felt like there was really no reason to do anything at all unless we were trying to push this into something new."
NULL is the first KEN mode release to feature collaborator Kathryn Kerr as a full-fledged member of the band. With Kerr on saxophone, synth, piano, percussion and backing vocals, the album features a new palette of No Wave and industrial tinged sounds, infiltrating some of its tracks. The band's well honed attack – "defined by the Venn diagram of adventurous hardcore (Converge, Deadguy) and noise rock (Today Is the Day, Brainbombs)," as a Revolver write up once put it – is strengthened now by shades of Swans and Einsturzende Neubauten.
First single "A Love Letter" bursts out of the gate with Kerr's discordant sax wailing over the machine like walloping of Matthewson, his brother Shane Matthewson on drums and longtime bassist Skot Hamilton. Not unlike John Zorn collaborating with Napalm Death, the sour synergy of the contrasting elements results in a song that writhes and screams with wild-eyed desperation. "Something is broken, something is fucked," goes the refrain.
More than 20 years deep now, founded in 1999 by the Matthewson brothers, KEN mode has come to define the intensity and dedication inherent in its name – an acronym for "Kill Everyone Now," coined by Henry Rollins to describe Black Flag's approach to performance. Past KEN mode tourmates include Russian Circles, Torche, Deafheaven, Full of Hell and many more. Past releases include seven full length albums and one EP, produced by the likes of Steve Albini, Kurt Ballou, and Matt Bayles. NULL sees this warhorse of a band emerge from the darkest of times with new energy, ready to carry on into its next chapter, ready to evolve into its next form.
NULL is the first part of what Matthewson describes as a two album arc, with the second part coming soon, also on Artoffact: "The two album arc was written with the intention of being two separate works that could be coupled together to make one full album with a cohesive flow and feeling, with every song holding a specific place and feeling within the overarching theme."
KEN mode is scheduled to headline No Coast Fest in Dallas, TX in October 2022, alongside Metz and Young Widows. Stand by for news of more live shows.

artoffact.com

On this day, 31 years ago, Kraftwerk released their remix album The Mix. It was released on 11 June 1991 and featured re-recorded and, in some cases, re-arranged versions of a selection of songs which were released on their previous albums.

Ralf Hütter stated in interviews that he regarded The Mix as a type of live album, as it captured the results of the band's continual digital improvisations in their Kling Klang studio. The band had made a return to the stage in 1990, after a nine-year hiatus from touring, and since then the band's live setlist has used arrangements drawn from The Mix rather than the original recordings. As the band didn't want to release a traditional "Greatest Hits" or "Best of" collection they opted for 'The Mix'.

At the time, the band were in the process of reconfiguring their Kling Klang studio from analog to digital recording technology; integrating MIDI into their setup and creating sound archives from their original master tapes that were stored onto computers. This proved to be an ongoing task, as new upgrades and equipment were continually made available in the years following the album project. Despite no new, original recorded material or live tours outside of Europe, Ralf Hütter did not want Kraftwerk to appear defunct to the public.

The album's production is credited to Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, and Fritz Hilpert, the latter of whom had replaced percussionist and stage set designer Wolfgang Flür after Flür left the group in 1987. Karl Bartos also left the band in 1991 and was replaced by Fernando Abrantes. Bartos claimed in later interviews that much of his programming work was still featured on The Mix, uncredited.

The album received rather mixed reception on its release. Although many music magazines and citric rated the album from good to very good, many fans were disappointed at the lack of new compositions and, moreover, the production values of the re-recorded tracks did not strike many listeners as particularly cutting edge, something which Kraftwerk had previously been renowned for. The Mix was created entirely digitally, albeit during a period when the technology had yet to reach its maturity, and thus featured a sound which many listeners tend to find somewhat "sterile" compared to the analogue electronics employed on most of Kraftwerk's previous recordings of these songs. Nevertheless, The Mix placed first in The Wire's year-end poll, the first time the magazine—previously known for its focus on jazz—opened up an all-genre category.

The album has been released in both an English and German sung version and on various different formats like double 12" vinyl, Cassette and CD and was officially re-released in 2009.

The Mix - Tracklist

1. The Robots / Die Roboter 8:56

2. Computer Love / Computerliebe 6:35

3. Pocket Calculator / Taschenrechner 4:32

4. Dentaku / Calculator 3:27

5. Autobahn 9:27

6. Radioactivity / Radioaktivität 6:53

7. Trans-Europe Express 3:20

8. Abzug 2:18

9. Metal on Metal / Metall auf Metall 4:58

10.Home Computer / Heimcomputer") 8:02

11.Music Non Stop / Musik Non-Stop 6:38

DISCOGS

The Mix is the tenth studio album by legendary band Kraftwerk. It was released on 10 June 1991, today 31 ago!

Reluctant of releasing a “Best Of” or “Greatest hits” the band opted to strip-down, rebuild and re-record brand new and updated versions of some of their classics which had originally appeared on the albums Autobahn (1974) through Electric Café (1986). Some tracks received additional treatment such as new melodies (eg. The Robots) and updated lyrics (eg. Radioactivity).

Despite its somewhat confusing title The Mix is not a ‘remix album’, therefor the band itself never called it a remix album but considered it their 7th (electronic) studio album. Hence the number the album received on all 'Catalogue' releases.

Ralf Hütter stated in interviews that he regarded The Mix as a type of 'live' album, as it captured the results of the band's continual digital improvisations in their Kling Klang studio.

With this release the band had made a return to the stage in 1990, after a nine-year hiatus from touring, and since then the band's live setlist has used arrangements drawn from The Mix rather than the original recordings.

Although the production is credited to Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider and Fritz Hilpert, Karl Bartos, who left the band in 1991, claimed in later interviews that much of his programming work was still featured on The Mix, but remained uncredited.

On this day, 29 years ago, Nitzer Ebb released the 'As Is' EP (10 June 1991), prior to their fourth studio album 'Ebbhead', on 7" vinyl, 12" Vinyl, CD, and cassette through Mute Records (MUTE122).

The EP features four tracks, each mixed by a different artist / producer. The first track, 'Family Man' is the only one which was also featured on Ebbhead album, albeit in a different version. It was mixed by Jaz Coleman, vocalist and frontman of Killing Joke. The second track, 'Lovesick' was mixed by Flood who produced the band's second and third albums, Belief and Showtime as well as the previously mentioned Ebbhead. The third track, 'Come Alive' was mixed by Alan Wilder of Depeche Mode, who would eventually be hired to co-produce the Ebbhead album. The last track, 'Higher' was mixed by Barry Adamson and Paul Kendall (PK). Barry Adamson was the bassist for Howard Devoto's Magazine and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and PK is an engineer/producer who has worked mainly for Mute Records on various Depeche Mode and Flood projects.

As Is (tracklist)

1. Family Man 3:56
2. Lovesick 4:00
3. Come Alive 6:12
4. Higher 5:50

Nitzer Ebb

Bon Harris – programming
Douglas McCarthy – vocals
Julian Beeston – additional drums and percussion

DISCOGS

Today, 44 years ago, Joy Division self-released their very first EP, An Ideal For Living! All four tracks were recorded in just one day at the Pennine Sound studios in Oldham, UK, on 14th December 1977 and released as a 7” on the band’s own Enigma label. The band self-financed this recording on a budget of £400.

The original release was pressed as 1000 copies and sold out by September the same year.

While the band was still known as Warsaw during the recording sessions for this release, they changed their name to Joy Division before the release took place.

The sleeve was printed on a 14' x 14' piece of thin cardstock and then folded into four squares. The front cover has a black-and-white Hitler Youth member beating a drum, which was drawn by guitarist Bernard Sumner and their bandname printed in a German gothic style blackletter font. The cover design, coupled with the nature of the band's name, fuelled controversy over whether the band had Nazi sympathies. When the EP was re-released on 12-inch vinyl, the original cover was replaced by artwork featuring scaffolding.

Numerous counterfeit editions of this release exist. Only the original vinyl has serrated vinyl around the label and different contours on the label.

Today, original copies are being traded between collectors and fans for prices from € 1500 to a stunning almost € 3000!

An Ideal For Living - Tracklist

DISCOGS