Post-punk legends The Membranes team up with Goth DJ Kitty Lectro in the form of a new set of remixes named ‘Nocturnal‘. What makes this an epic set of interpretations is the simple fact that The Membranes have long-established their sound. To tamper with that could be either an epic failure in the eyes of their fans or a triumphant collaboration. What we have here is not only the latter but an absolute reinterpretation. I fully realized this when I heard the transition from the ‘Kitty Lectro’ mix straight into the ‘Meow Meow Money Mix’. This is literal genre-hopping done in the respect it deserves. And with that, I can say from the heart that these are three separate tracks with hints and variations of what ‘Nocturnal’ is at its heart.
The original version was a monster in and of itself, but with the new additions to the family, what was once a sonic punch to the gut is now an audio bullet to the head with a kick to the corpse for good measure. I love it when creativity collides. The #indie scene is alive and well.
The ‘Nocturnal’ EP is available via Bandcamp and digitally everywhere, including iTunes and Spotify. ‘What Nature Gives … Nature Takes Away‘ is also out on vinyl and CD. The band is currently on tour with Mark Lanegan, for which tickets can be found HERE (dates below).
About ‘Nocturnal’
For the ‘Kitty Lectro Remix’, Kitty Lectro adds an addictive dance floor spin to this already-dark delight, while her ‘Meow Meow Money Mix’ takes a harsher Meat Beat Manifesto-esque direction.
Kitty’s remix credits include Kommunity FK, Andi Sex Gang, The March Violets, Still Patient, Lestat, ANKST, Strap On Halo, Angels Of Liberty, Das Projekt and Dilemma, among others. Most recently, she collaborated with Beauty In Chaos (Michael Ciravolo) on several tracks, including the single ‘Darknesses’, also involving Wayne Hussey (The Mission) and Simon Gallup (The Cure).
The song ‘Nocturnal’ was originally on The Membranes’ new album ‘What Nature Gives… Nature Takes Away’, released this summer and acclaimed as one of the best albums of 2019. The band’s new opus is the brainchild of frontman, music journalist, author, and media pundit John Robb, who has led Membranes in one form or another for close to 40 years. This set of psychedelic post-punk soundscapes comprises their eighth studio album and the second since reforming in 2010.
“Nocturnal is our death disco dance with Pan, or our dark Dionysian dislocation of the senses that have been remixed to shadowy dance floor brilliance by Kitty Lectro,” says frontman John Robb.
“It is from our new double album “What Nature Gives…Nature Takes Away” and examines the beauty and violence of nature, in which we took our bass-driven post-punk and added choirs to it to create an epic brooding soundtrack to the theme of nature itself and its desperate struggle to survive the human race’s hell-bent determination to destroy it.”
Formed in 1978 in Blackpool, The Membranes played classic bass-driven northern post-punk and were part of the same world as bands like The Fall, Sisters Of Mercy, Echo and The Bunnymen and Cabaret Voltaire, all inspired by 1977 to launch their own idiosyncratic journeys. The band released a remarkable series of records that combined their small-town frustration with a love of heavy bass and distortion. This ultimately became a prime influence and the precursors to such American noiseniks as Steve Albini, Swans and Sonic Youth.
John Peel and music press favorites, a continual frenzy of releases, public acclaim and touring worldwide with national TV appearances, the band went on hiatus in 1990 until finally reforming in 2010 when former support band My Bloody Valentine convinced them to return to the stage for the ATP festival.
Definitive Gaze is a boutique record label and marketing consultancy formed in 2014 by former Rough Trade/Astralwerks/PIAS alumnus Nick Clift to re-issue the works of ‘80s post-punk artists Ski Patrol, Folk Devils, Ian Lowery, as well as newer output from legacy artists of this era.
John Robb photo by Gary M. Hough.
The Membranes photos by John Middleham.
Kitty Lectro photos by Kitty Lectro.
The Membranes LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/themembranes
https://www.twitter.com/membranes1
https://www.instagram/themembranes
https://membranes.bandcamp.com
https://louderthanwar.com/shop/product-category/the-membranes/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3rb9AT0JrNegeXk7s6CoZb?si=tgk0_GhJTAqXsVKjuINXvQ
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/the-membranes/48627663
Kitty Lectro LINKS:
https://www.kittylectro.com
https://www.facebook.com/KittyLectro
https://twitter.com/KittyLectro
https://soundcloud.com/KittyLectro
https://www.mixcloud.com/KittyLectro
https://www.instagram.com/KittyLectro
https://www.youtube.com/user/kittylectro
