Photo by Tracey Roberts
MXDWN is currently streaming Zola Jesus’ haunting rendition of LUSTMORD’s “Prime.” The track comes by way of The Others [Lustmord Deconstructed, a compilation commemorating the work of electronic music pioneer LUSTMORD and part of a special box set scheduled to drop on April 1st via Pelagic Records.
Titled The Other, the box set is based around LUSTMORD’s tenth studio album [ O T H E R ], originally released in 2008. Next to this seminal mid-career opus, the box set contains the two remix albums Beyond and The Dark Places Of The Earth, as well as the aforementioned The Others [Lustmord Deconstructed], a new 3xLP album of LUSTMORD tracks reinterpreted by some of the spearheads of the contemporary heavy music scene – and beyond: Ulver, Enslaved, Godflesh, Zola Jesus, Bohren & Der Club Of Gore, Steve Von Till, Ihsahn, Jaye Jayle, Jo Quail, Spotlights, Katatonia’s Jonas Renkse, Alexander Hacke’s [Einstürzende Neubauten] new band hackedepiciotto, as well as fellow Pelagic artists Mono, The Ocean, Årabrot, and Crown.
With latest track, “Prime,” what was originally an industrial sound is swept into an organic, breathing rendition by Zola Jesus. In a deep, swampy jungle slippery voices whisper behind the rapid heartbeat of the darkness, incantations call out like lost souls, the sounds weave in and out of each other and disorientate. One feels shadows flickering on temple walls, the sense of a mysterious séance practiced in the depths.
Notes Nika Roza Danilova (Zola Jesus), “As a longtime fan of LUSTMORD’s work, the opportunity to combine landscapes was like a dream. I’m so inspired by the space and stillness within his music. I wanted to experiment with his way of keeping music on a slow boil, mostly to challenge my own propensity for maximalism.”
Adds MXDWN, “Both song and video showcase very well how welcoming the dark can be. The imagery throughout the video might be uncomfortable from time to time, but it has a strange and haunting magic surrounding it that makes you want to watch more of it. The song matches the video perfectly in the sort of creepiness that is so inspiring and fascinating at the same time…”
Zola Jesus
Stream Zola Jesus’ reimagining of “Prime,” now playing at MXDWN, at THIS LOCATION.
Stream Godflesh’s interpretation of “Ashen” HERE, Bohren & Der Club Of Gore’s rendition of “Plateau” HERE, Ihsahn’s version of “Dark Awakening” HERE, and Steve Von Till’s recreation of “Testament” HERE.
The Others [Lustmord Deconstructed] will see release on CD, LP, vinyl, and digital formats on April 1st. Find preorders at THIS LOCATION.
The Others [Lustmord Deconstructed] is a celebration of the fearless attitude of being different and the expression of unique ideas which have never existed before. LUSTMORD is the artistic moniker of Brian Williams. Born in North Wales, he started his musical career in 1980 and soon became a pioneer in the early industrial music scene in the UK. He was a former member of SPK during arguably their most crucial era and went on to work with Throbbing Gristle members Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti as well as appearing on early albums by Current 93, Nurse With Wound and others. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1993, Williams worked on dozens of motion picture soundtracks including The Crow, Underworld, and Paul Schrader’s First Reformed. Additionally, he created several video game soundtracks, television scores, and solo albums. To this day, LUSTMORD is actively recording and releasing music and is considered to be the founding father of the dark ambient music genre.
[ O T H E R ] was originally released by independent record label Hydra Head Records, founded by Isis frontman Aaron Turner. This album shows LUSTMORD at his most characteristic, and the icy, ominous guitar playing of Adam Jones (Tool), King Buzzo (The Melvins), and Aaron Turner (Isis) resonates perfectly within the deep soundscapes that make up this frightening yet inspiring journey. Over thirteen years after the release of [ O T H E R ], Pelagic Records has gathered sixteen bands and solo artists to record their own unique takes on tracks from the [ O T H E R ] sessions. The result is an album that is more than a compilation, and more than the sum of its parts; covering a wide range of musical niches and directions, but sharing the same underlying mood and vibe defined by LUSTMORD’s timeless soundscapes: from the ambient solo performances provided by Ihsahn, Enslaved, or Jonas Renkse to the subdued voice of Zola Jesus woven into LUSTMORD’s somber fabric to the industrial carnage that is Godflesh’s version of “Ashen.
What demonstrates the profound influence of LUSTMORD on this contemporary music underground showcased here is that artists from disparate ends of the sonic spectrum all feel inspired to explore the essence of his idiosyncratic sounds within their own realm: experimental electronica icons Ulver excel on a stunning, hazy rendition of “Godeater,” while Japanese post-rock act Mono delivers a crushing version of “Er Eb Os,” and The Ocean takes us on a cathartically heavy mind trip back to our “Primal [State Of Being].” In the end, each of these sixteen artists delivers an interpretation that pays the deepest respect to this pivotal artist, while also standing out as a new track of its own.
The Others [Lustmord Deconstructed] Track Listing:
- Enslaved – Eon
- Mono – Er Eb Os
- Ihsahn – Dark Awakening
- Jo Quail – Prime
- Bohren & Der Club of Gore – Plateau
- hackedpiciotto – Trinity Past
- Ulver – Godeater
- Jonas Renkse – Er Eb Os
- Zola Jesus – Prime
- Spotlights – Of Eons
- The Ocean – Primal [State of Being]
- Crown – Element
- Jaye Jayle – Er Eb Os
- Godflesh – Ashen
- Steve Von Till a.k.a. Harvestman – Testament
- Årabrot – The Last Days
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