What is CIRCUITS OF STEEL?
It's a double CD on SSS Records featuring 30 electronic/experimental
artists from the Pittsburgh region. Catalog #SSS-57.
The comp covers all the subgenres of leftfield electronica including IDM,
breakcore, ambient, electro, alt hip-hop,
minimalist techno, abstract
drum 'n bass, harsh noise and sound collage.
What the comp does NOT include is any overly obvious club music
(no thumping club techno, house, jungle, or EBM/industrial dance)
or anything that could be easily classified as within the range of indie
rock instrumentation, such as postrock or spacerock.
What is SSS Records?
Since 1986, the Pittsburgh-based label SSS has been releasing experimental
music on vinyl and cassette
from both local and international artists,
sometimes in conjunction with Boston's RRRecords.
Releases include Pittsburgh cassette comps, vinyl by locals Powder
French, P. Children and Macronympha,
LPs by Japan's CCCC and Holland's Kapotte Muziek, cassettes
by The Haters, F/i, UFO or Die, Arcane Device and Sudden Infant,
and 7-inches from Kaffe Matthews, Beequeen, and MSBR, among many more.
Also affiliated with SSS is PopBus, a Pittsburgh indie rock/jazz label
which has released records for Don Caballero, Meisha, Hurl, Weird Paul
and others.
After CIRCUITS OF STEEL, the next SSS releases are 7"s from Reynols,
KK Null, Francisco Lopez, and Zbigniew Karkowski.
For a complete SSS/Pop Bus catalog, write to manny@telerama.com.
Where can I purchase CIRCUITS OF STEEL?
The compilation is available for no more than $10
in Pittsburgh-area independent music stores such as:
Paul's (Bloomfield), Future Sounds (Squirrel Hill), Eide's (Downtown),
Record Exchange (Squirrel Hill, South Side, Dormont, North Hills),
Dave's (South Side), Premiere Discs (South Side), Hypervinyl
(Oakland),
Milk Records (Strip District), Brave New World (Oakland)
Record Village (Shadyside), Rock Shop (Bethel Park), Mandala (Oakland)
More local outlets will be listed soon.
Distributors include Strange
Fortune and Middle Pillar
.
Other worldwide distributors and mailorders will be posted soon.
You can also order the comp direct from SSS by filling out the order
form below and sending it in. We promise to respond promptly.
Where can I hear CIRCUITS OF STEEL?
Pittsburgh radio: WRCT 88.3 FM, WPTS 92.1 FM.
Pittsburgh in-store play: select locations such as Heads Together and
Backward on Forward (Squirrel Hill), Kiva Han (Oakland), Sweet Baby Octane
(Bloomfield) and Slacker (South Side).
Also in all the independent record stores where it's on sale.
National stations:
WZBC, WERS, (Boston). WJUL (Lowell). WMBR, WHRB (Cambridge). WMFO
Medford).
WMUC (Washington DC). WREK, WRAS (Atlanta). WLUW, WHPK, WNUR, WZRD
(Chicago)
. KRUI (Iowa City), KUNI (Cedar Falls). WAIF (Cincinnati).
WCBN (Ann Arbor).
WDET (Detroit), CJAM (Windsor). WPRB (Princeton).
WKDU (Philadelphia).
WFMU (Hoboken). WNYU, WKCR (New York City).
WITR, WRUR (Rochester). WCDB, WRPI (Albany).
WJCU, WCSB, WRUW
(Cleveland). WBSR, WRIU (Rhode Island). WUTK (Knoxville).
WRVU
(Nashville). WMSE (Milwaukee).
Where can I see CIRCUITS OF STEEL artists live in Pittsburgh?
Vampire Nation, July 18 at the 31st Street Pub.
Where can I see CIRCUITS OF STEEL artists live on tour?
SOUTH: Girl Talk, Requiem, Michael Johnsen, Clockworm, My Boyfriend
The Pilot, Automatic Matty P.
6/22 - Red Room , Baltimore
6/23 - DCAC , Washington DC
6/24 - Chopstix, Richmond
6/25 - Vincent's Ear, Asheville
6/26 - Eyedrum , Atlanta
6/27 - Pilot Light ,
Knoxville
6/28 - Ruby Green Gallery , Nashville
6/29 - Aslans How , Louisville
6/30 - Empty Glass , Charleston WV
NORTHEAST: Xanopticon, Colongib, Girl Talk, Clockworm, My Boyfriend The
Pilot, Manherringbone
7/6 - Big Orbit Gallery ,
Buffalo
7/7 - Analog Shock , Rochester
7/8 - The Fuze Box (formerly QE2) ,
Albany
7/9 - Berwick Institute ,
Boston
7/10 - AS220 , Providence
7/11 - Subtonic (under Tonic),
Manhattan
7/12 - The Local (349 Kent at S. 5th), Brooklyn
7/13 - The Rotunda ,
Philadelphia
MIDWEST: Grand Buffet, Holocaust, Syne Lapse Variate, Climax Street,
Manherringbone
7/20 - Buzz Gallery, Cleveland
7/21 - Labyrinth ,
Detroit
7/22 - Fireside Bowl , Chicago
7/23 - Cactus Club, Milwaukee
7/24 - Gabe's , Iowa City
7/25 - Subterranean Music, Fort Wayne IN
7/26 - Mad Lab , Columbus
7/27 - Southgate Parlor ,
Cincinnati
7/28 - Nyabinghi , Youngstown OH
Is there more information about the artists on CIRCUITS OF STEEL?
Automatic Matty P - using Sony Playstation, he creates tracks drawing
from breakbeat, early industrial, and Japanese animation
Jeremy Boyle - formerly of Chicago postrockers Joan of Arc, he assembles
devices and does experimental electronics, sometimes for installations
Climax Street - melodic and rhythmic downtempo IDM in a European style
reminiscent of Morr Music and City Centre Offices
Clockworm - clickety
melodic IDM from a Warp Records perspective
Colongib - IDM and sound collage,
he runs the well-known Kracfive label with friend Octopus Inc
/Dev/Null - complex, noisy
and brutal breakcore taken over the edge, he was in grindcore band Fate of
Icarus
8 Cylinder - abstract
drum 'n bass breaks and robotic computer music from Gameboys
Geobot - computer musique concrete assembled by owner of +/- Recording
Studios, ex-member of punkers Anti-Flag and Teddy Duchamp's Army
Girl Talk -
plunderphonics reconstructing current Top 40 hits, he has
a new CD on the Illegal Art label and his CIRCUITS track uses bits and
pieces of Rusted Root, Brownie Mary, The Clarks and Don Caballero
Grand Buffet -
alternative hip-hop duo who have hookups with Anticon
and toured the US with Wesley Willis, Cex and Sage Francis
Holocaust - digital hardcore motivated by political activism and the
DIY ethos of the punk scene
Impercept -
complex rhythmic and melodic IDM forging ahead into
the realm of glitchy microscopic sound collage
Michael Johnsen - a member of the local improvised music ensemble
which changes its name every show,
and an ex-partner in indie film presenters Orgone Cinema, he manipulates
subtle sounds on lo-tech home-built boxes a la Voice Crack
Luxe Robotica - lo-tech experimental electronics, sounds like early
Cabaret Voltaire or Tuxedomoon
Manherringbone -
the region's champion of Japanese-style noise, he
runs a label and network magazine called IBOL Records
Jason Moyer - also known as Raudive Voices, ranging from Cluster and
Eno influenced ambient to crisp electro-funk
My Boyfriend the Pilot -
lo-fi dark and drony electronics on computer with accompanying videos
Operation Re-Information -
creators of Back 2 Basics live sample-triggering performance
software and a distinct laboratory-meets-boardroom visual aesthetic,
this group has toured the U.S. several times with Man or Astroman
and released CDs on Vinyl Communications
Pixelstalin
- minimalistic IDM and techno by Telerama's resident
electronic wizard
Powder French -
- the area's longest running experimental musician since
1986, he creates a melange of dark ambient and churning rhythms
influenced by early industrial such as Throbbing Gristle and Coil
Requiem - dark and ominous ambient-industrial, like Lustmord or the
groups on Malignant and Cold Meat Industry
Shawu Computronix
- the old-school electro-funk alter ego of techno
producer Shawn Rudiman, who has numerous Detroit connections
and a previous history with EBM band THD on Cleopatra Records
Stoic Sex Pro -
experimental sound processing noise, samples, and
guitar through a laptop
Syne Lapse Variate -
- complex and tough-sounding IDM with touches of
robotic funk and influences from the experimental/industrial scene
Telesys - melodic IDM and collage from a former member of indie
pop bands Kisswhistle & Blissful Idiots
tENTATIVELY, a
cONVENIENCE - originally from Baltimore. since the 70s
he has been active in the experimental/improv music and film community and
the cassette culture,
composing intricately collaged and sometimes whimsical-sounding music
in the context of multimedia performances
Torus - harsh lo-tech noise from a former member of technical grindcore
band Creation is Crucifixion
Vampire Nation -
'coven funk' referencing African history and the
occult, crosses over into darkwave, ambient techno and New Age
runs the Hexagon Records label
Xanopticon -
labyrinthine ultra-dense breakcore mashed up in a computer blender,
compared to Venetian Snares
releases on Peaceoff, Hymen/Mirex, and Tigerbeat6
Zombi -
spacey 70s-era electronics meets post-modern synth-rock, referencing
Argento horror films
this duo includes the Microwaves' bassist and ex-drummer of The 1985