All posts by edwardo

Nemesis Online (Pitchfork Media)

Legendary Pink Dots: Nemesis Online
[Soleilmoon; 1998]
Rating: 7.5

Since their first recordings dating back to 1982, the Legendary Pink Dots have been making introspective and experimental music questioning the concepts of religion, science fiction, nature, politics, thought, emotion, and self. Utilizing glacial rhythms, concentrating on keyboard sounds that other musicians discard as unusable, and topping it all off with the eerily haunting voice of Edward Ka-Spel (credited here as Prophet Qa’Sepel) the Legendary Pink Dots have managed to worm themselves into a niche solely their own. Listening to their music is more a long, insane, hallucinogenic acid trip through a demented carnival funhouse than it is a “relaxing” musical experience, but all the same, there’s something seductive and alluring about it all. Which leaves to question why it’s so popular amongst industrial music fans.

Perhaps it’s Ka-Spel’s past collaboration with Cevin Cey of Skinny Puppy for the Teargarden project; perhaps it’s the continuing rumors of a nationwide tour with Download. Whatever the case, the band seems to attract a rather unlikely audience, and a rather dedicated one at that. Something that’s absolutely true about the band’s music is that you either get it or you don’t. The inexperienced listener may write the music off as pretentious and overdone, but once you fall into its power, the music will take control. Having been one of the inexperienced myself, I actually walked out of the last Legendary Pink Dots show I attended after only four songs, rather than risk falling asleep.

The Legendary Pink Dots’ latest hypnosis device, Nemesis Online, continues the Holland-based outfit’s musical tradition of toying with the untraditional. Jangly, jazzy, reverbed guitars float over a slow cabaret swing of various unidentifiable percussive noises, aptly sung and narrated by Ka-Spel as if he were telling a mystery story in “Dissonance”, which kicks off the record with what would be the perfect background music for a Mike Hammer film set in 2034. “As Long As It’s Purple and Green” later moves the listener into that aforementioned acid trip, creating a modern electronic version of psych-rock.

Each song is a different experience. Of course, some are more compelling than others, but each is distinct. One bit of warning is that unless you’re already a dedicated fan, this isn’t the sort of album that you’ll put into your player and immediately start dancing around to. But once you’re baited, the genius of the exotic structures will unfold in your brain like the most powerful of narcotics, and the hypnosis will settle in.

– Skaht Hansen, December 1, 1998

 

 

Daily Bruin- Edward Ka-Spel

Pink Dots aims sound at younger audiences

By Sam Toussi, Daily Bruin Contributor

The Legendary Pink Dots is quite possibly the only band in history to guarantee brain damage to their listeners.

Currently, the Pink Dots is on a grueling tour of the states. The band members have already traveled for a long time in their RV across the country. On Friday, the Pink Dots will appear at the Roxy in an all-ages show.  Actually, it will only seem like it.

“It’s just a humorous reference to what may happen if you listen to our music,” says Edward Ka-Spel, the frontman for the band. “It might turn your head inside out.”

It’s an unusual claim, but the Legendary Pink Dots (affectionately known as the Pink Dots) is not like the usual band. Its music defies a genre. The best way to describe the Pink Dots is to compare its music to a mind trip. The music is like a cross between the sereneness of Enya, storytelling of Pink Floyd and the lyrical mischief of Beck. It’s not surprising that the band lists the German psychedelic band Can as one of their many influences.

Though the Pink Dots have been around for over 18 years, things have been looking up for the British band in the last three years. First of all, the band started a relationship with Soleilmoon, its new label, just three years ago. Ka-Spel practically lights up when discussing the new label.

“It’s a great relationship,” he says. “They let us do what we want to do. They try very hard to get us known, and they get behind each new record.”

But Ka-Spel also feels compelled to retell the horror story they last experienced with a label.

“We were practically beaten to death,” he says. “They still have some of our songs that we can’t release.”

Soleilmoon is also happy with the new relationship. Charles Pound, a representative at the record label says, “They’re just the nicest people to represent. They’re just nice folk. We do whatever we can to accommodate them.”

Another reason the band has been having happy days of late is its consistent line-up. The group’s personnel has been so transient over the years that Ka-Spel and Silverman are the only two band members to appear on every album. The stability that the band has experienced in the last three years has been beneficial in several ways.

“You can’t be in a bus for two months without being friends,” Ka-Spel says. “We have our ups and downs, that’s inevitable, but we always get along.”

Any band’s style will change over 18 years, especially when band members change frequently. Yet despite the coming and going of band members, the Pink Dots have been able to retain its unique sound.

“It’s still Pink Dots, you know,” Ka-Spel says. “You can see the lines pretty clearly. We changed, of course, but I think the way we play has changed because we play a lot better these days.”

Though the sound has remained the same, The Legendary Pink Dots realizes a need to reach a younger audience – and for that reason, the band is excited to play the all ages show at the Roxy this Friday.

“How can any band survive if new people don’t keep discovering them?” Ka-Spel asks. “What we’re doing is relevant to these times. It’s utterly modern.”

Pound also sees the future in a younger audience and finds that that is one of the best things about the band.

“We don’t shape them in that respect or in any respect, “Pound says. “We’re totally aware that they have a younger following. It’s one huge reason why they’re so successful. They have a following in the 16-21 age group.”

© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board

 

Oct 21 1998 Philadelphia Show Blurb (Philadelphia City Paper)

Legendary Pink Dots

Since moody goth is all the rage again, may we suggest you check out an act that’s not getting back together just to cash in on the retro flavor of the month. The Legendary Pink Dots, an Amsterdam-based synth outfit (members of whom have been associated with ex-members of Skinny Puppy) concoct electronic music much more dank than their happy moniker would suggest. Nemesis Online (on the delightfully named Soleilmoon label), rumored to be like the band’s 40th release over the course of 15 years and 30-odd members, is an odd combination of dark synth and ritualistic pagan chanting.

– Brian Howard

Wed., Oct. 21, with Twilight Circus and Dub Sound System, Upstairs at Nick’s, 16 S. Second St., 928-0665.

 

Curse (Satan Stole My Teddybear)

Another fine reissue of an early Dots LP, Curse contains much the same mood and psychedelic style that marked most of the early days of the band. Though limited somewhat by fairly cheap technology, the Dots have always been remarkable in their ability to craft entrancing songs no matter what instruments were at their disposal. Creativity has long been their calling card. Much of Curse is in the same field as 80’s new wave, as “Wall Purges Night” or “Aarzhklahh olgevezh” demonstrate. But as with much of their early material, the certain innocence to the music entails a lot of simple catchiness. “Doll’s House” and “Lisa’s Party” both are very memorable pieces. As with many of the early Dots albums, Curse is great for historical purposes and the occasional fun listen.

Source: http://www.ssmt-reviews.com/artist/legend.html

 

 

ARTeFACT Magazine- Edward Ka-Spel

Hi all. Here is a little interview of EKS I realeased for a french zine whose name is ARTeFACT. I ‘ve thought that the CZ list could be interested in it. And sorry for my English which must be far to be good… 

– Fabrice Le Sceller

 

“I thank you very much for agreeing answering to my questions, Edward. There is really little number of bands acting so ‘friendly’ with their fans… ARTeFACT zine french readers are really fond of The Dots, and so do I! Your solo gig in Nantes last month was absolutely fabulous, and we wrote about it in our latest issue.

Well, here are some questions I’d like to ask you:

1) You’ve just finished to record the ‘Hallway of God’ successor, whose name might be ‘Nemesis On-line’.  Can you tell us more about this new album? Which are the points in common he would have with ‘Hallway…’? And the main differences?

EKS: Strangely it’s taken a different direction to “H’way”.  Faster, heavier, though still dense in it’s sound. Why the twist ….I don’t know. It was recorded right after the US tour in ’97 with the band on a high.

2) Being myself connected to the cloud-zero e-mail mailing list, I know that you’ve got many fans in the USA (perhaps due to your American label). Do you think you’re now more famous than during the last 80’s?  For example, can we know (in average) how many copies of a new album you usually sell around the world?

EKS: Hard to say exactly how many albums we sell.  Just enough to stay alive – but we had much more success in the early 90’s around the time of “Maria Dimension”.  At the moment we have no distribution in Europe and it’s hurting us quite badly- although things have never been better in the States.

3) I think the Triple Moon Tribute is now about to be realeased… Was it one of your idea? Have you still listened to some of these covers? What is your opinion about it?

EKS: Not my idea- but I think it’s really OK. Haven’t heard any of the covers yet.

4)Do you admit THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS can have a positive influence on people’s lives? When writing a song, are you conscious that one particular song can play a part in someone’s life? Are you feeling responsible of it in some extent?

EKS:Sure. I met one guy who told me he was considering suicide until he heard “Methods” which made him laugh.  Don’t know if that’s true…but it made me feel good…

5) Although your music is quite often made with dark tunes, I do believe that ‘happiness’ is one of the main important themes in your music? Do you agree ? What represents the concept of ‘happiness’ specially for you, Edward?

EKS: Happiness? Doing what I want how i want it when I want, while harming no-one in the process.

6) I heard about a project album with David Tibet (C93). Will it be soon realeased? What kind of music is it?

EKS: It’s a project not yet realised, but I’d love it if it happens…

7) You of course had known about Rozz William’s suicide… What did you think about this particular man and his music?

EKS: Don’t know his music.  But a sad story, nonetheless.

8) One last word to say to ARTeFACT’s french readers? I hope you will be soon in Paris after this poorly cancelled show…

EKS: We want to come to Paris later this year.  We were angry that the show didn’t happen.

 

The Tower (Satan Stole My Teddybear)

By far one of the all time best unknown bands, the Legendary Pink Dots’ The Tower is a dark and exceptional trip into their warped and bizarre musical psyche. Compared to other Dots records, this one doesn’t quite have a whimsical feel that marks quite a bit of their style. As always, there is tons of musical inventiveness in their use of exceptionally low-tech drum machines matched with dissonant guitars (such as they use in “Break Day”) and the ever-present violin of their earlier years. “A Lust for Powder” and “Poppy Day” are the catchiest of the lot, while all the Tower tracks tend to move into ethereal territory. Soleilmoon has done quite a favor for the underground world by rereleasing these gems.