[AUTRE PLAYLIST] An Ode to Amphetamine Reptile Records

When Nirvana blew up, the door was wide open for loud rock bands to be signed to lucrative major label deals, and of course, many bands did just that. It's still a testament to how crazy a time the early '90s was for the music industry that a band as bizarre as Royal Trux was signed to Virgin Records. Even then, there were still plenty of rock bands that wanted to be as weird as possible and wanted nothing to do with the majors. For them, record labels like the Washington State-based Amphetamine Reptile were blessings. 

Amphetamine Reptile was founded by a then-US Marine named Tom Hazelmyer. Hazelmyer needed a label to release the albums by his noisy garage rock band, Halo of Flies. The label has become known as something of a haven for Noise Rock, but that description is reductive. It was more or less a rock n' roll label, a really weird rock label, but rock nonetheless. A band like Cows that mixed aggressive punk with blues found a welcome home on AmRep. As did completely unrelated bands like the Space Rock-leaning Cosmic Psychos. In 1992, the label released the New York band Hemet's mega successful 'Meantime' record. Helmet was fairly conventional for AmRep, but the success of the album is credited by Hazelmyer as keeping the label afloat through the '90s, allowing completely uncommercial bands freedom to not worry about selling, sort of like how AMC uses 'Fear of the Walking Dead' to keep the brilliant but ratings averse 'Halt and Catch Fire'  going.

Hazelmyer was able to tap influential musicians from yore to put records out on AmRep. The Australian sludge punk band Feedtime and the former Chrome psych-punk guitarist Helios Creed both put out full-lengths on AmRep. Even the relatively big Olympia-based sludge band the Melvins have an AmRep credit. When you count in singles, bands as diverse as New York noise metal band Today is the Day, Japanese abstract noise weirdos Boredoms, and grunge gods Mudhoney all have put music out on the haven of creative freedom that was Amphetamine Reptile. 

[AUTRE PLAYLIST] Second Wave of Black Metal

Text by Adam Lehrer

Before I continue, I should mention that I really don’t listen to extreme music with the same regularity that I once did. When I was about 20 to 22 years old (2009 to 2011 or so) I was living in Tucson, studying creative writing, and carrying a major chip on my shoulder. I was wearing black exclusively (even in punishing Arizona heat), watching horror films, reading Anton Lavey, using hard drugs, and listening to the most extreme forms of music that I could find: harsh noise, death metal, power electronics, power violence, dark ambient, and lots and lots of black metal. It was fun for a while, but I lacked the pervasive sense of unhappiness to really commit to that lifestyle. So I moved on, or back, to other forms of music that I loved: hip-hop, dance music, psychedelic rock, jazz, punk, etc.. But an appreciation for the explorers of extreme sound has persisted.

So, while introducing this new playlist, “Second Wave of Black Metal,” I would like to talk about neo black metal band Deafheaven and their new record, ‘New Bermuda.’ Metal traditionalists have called this band a slew of ugly names largely consisting of barbs aimed at their hipsterdom or perceived upper middle class backgrounds. Not only is the assertion that these guys are rich kids false, it’s also ridiculous. To say that only certain types of people can make certain types of music is classist and beneath us. I despise when people tell me that they hate Drake because he isn’t “hard enough.” What does his hardness have to do with his music? To say only people that grew up poor and in gangs can make hip-hop is beyond reductive and would have robbed us of a great pop music talent. Drake is a monumental talent, and I am glad he makes music. Good music is good music, regardless of who is making it and where they are from.

That being said, I don’t think Deafheaven is that solid of a band, period. Black metal in 2015 feels boring regardless of its creators. The world has moved past double bass kicking drums and agonized screams. These guys may love the music, but it’s just not as powerful as it once was when black metal was new. The second wave of Norwegian black metal was a fiercely experimental and exciting wave of new music. My belief in this fact has nothing to do with the makes of this music actually burning churches. It is that the music excites me. That is what we judge artists by: their art. Not their backgrounds or their authenticity as perceived by you.

Adam Lehrer is a writer, journalist, and art and fashion critic based in New York City. On top of being Autre’s fashion and art correspondent, he is also a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine. His unique interests in punk, hip hop, skateboarding and subculture have given him a distinctive, discerning eye and voice in the world of culture, et al. Oh, and he also loves The Sopranos. Follow him on Instagram: @adam102287. FOLLOW AUTRE ON INSTAGRAM TO STAY  IN TOUCH: @AUTREMAGAZINE

[AUTRE PLAYLIST] Praise Jah: The Best of Dub and Reggae

Once in a while I find myself pulling out my dub and reggae records: Lee “Scratch” Perry’s ‘Ape-ology,’ The Congos’ ‘Heart of the Congo,’ Augustus Pablo’s ‘King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown,’ and even that glory hogging egomaniac Bob Marley, who just couldn’t live without the toe (I’ll quantify soon). I don’t listen to these records for the same reasons that hippie stoner burnouts do, which is primarily for the sake of wearing Birkenstocks and drug rugs to more occasions. I have always loved the music’s textures: the melodies swirling into one another all tied together through one very simple and elegant beat. It is very heady music, indeed, but it’s also very musical music.

Some people don’t understand the difference between dub and reggae music so I’m going to put it down for you. Reggae was a music that combined traditional Jamaican elements with the pop and rock music coming from the States. Dub borrows its name from the practice of dubbing instrumental, rhythmic versions of reggae songs to the B sides of 45 rpm singles. Basically, reggae requires a band and dub needs studio wizards. Reggae mostly has singing dub mostly doesn’t. That process of dubbing over reggae bands led to some of 1970s Jamaica’s best releases like ‘King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown’ and Keith Hudson’s ‘Rebel Dub.’

Dub is experimental music at heart. It requires the producer to sit in the studio for days on end searching for new sounds and precious rhythms. That sonic joie de vivre can be felt in every aspect of the sound if you really let yourself dive into this music. On the flip side, there was nothing experimental about Bob Marley. In fact, I had grown disdainful of Bob Marley; he had been ruined by the legions of frat boys playing “No Woman, No Cry” at keg parties when all of a sudden the white guy with dreadlocks deciphering Marley’s lyrics pukes all over your Nikes (True story). But last year I read a brilliant and violent book, Jamaican American novelist Marlon James’s ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings.’ The book follows Bob Marley’s attempted murderers in the days leading up to their assassination attempt on his life. It got me thinking about Marley again. Here was a guy who just loved having fun, loved soccer, loved women, and loved playing music being elevated to the status of a deity, certainly in his home country and even in the U.S. in some respects. But he was up to the task, and when you hear some of his songs you realize why he was the musical ambassador of Jamaica to the U.S. The man had the gift of connecting. There is concert footage of Bob on Youttube that will still make you feel like he’s singing right to you.  Few have ever been able to command a stage and elicit that kind of joy from an audience. But the pressure that man felt must have been intense. It would be like if Kanye West was born in a third world country and was tasked with not just being a symbol of hope for his people, but immediately being forced to become a political figure. Bob Marley literally woke up one day to find that the weight all of Jamaica was sitting on his shoulders, and he just wanted to play.

Adam Lehrer is a writer, journalist, and art and fashion critic based in New York City. On top of being Autre’s fashion and art correspondent, he is also a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine. His unique interests in punk, hip hop, skateboarding and subculture have given him a distinctive, discerning eye and voice in the world of culture, et al. Oh, and he also loves The Sopranos. Follow him on Instagram: @adam102287

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[AUTRE PLAYLIST] The History of Rock N' Roll

Traveling this week with limited access to WiFi, so I have decided to upload a pre-existing playlist, the Best Rock Playlist Ever, in accordance with my world view anyways. To me, everything about these bands capture the attitude that has made rock music a major part of my life since I was a kid. Everything from obvious rock n' roll gods like The Stones and Hendrix to '80s British stuff like Joy Division and yup, the Smiths, to farther out stuff like Columbus, OH-based freak rock band Vertical Slit and the sadly overlooked Pink Reason (whose 2007 Siltbreeze release "Clean the Mirror" got me through some tough and druggy times). A lot of this stuff has pretty much soundtracked my life. Rock n' roll has a way of accenting the high points and combating the low points. Have a nice weekend.

Adam Lehrer is a writer, journalist, and art and fashion critic based in New York City. On top of being Autre’s fashion and art correspondent, he is also a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine. His unique interests in punk, hip hop, skateboarding and subculture have given him a distinctive, discerning eye and voice in the world of culture, et al. Oh, and he also loves The Sopranos. Follow him on Instagram: @adam102287

FOLLOW AUTRE ON INSTAGRAM TO STAY  IN TOUCH: @AUTREMAGAZINE

Hear the First Track From John Malkovich's Plato-Inspired New Album In Collaboration with Yoko Ono and More

John Malkovich is releasing a concept album entitled Like A Puppet Show in collaboration with producer Sandro Miller, famous for the series of photographs featuring Malkovich in recreations of the some of the most iconic photographs. The album features Malkovich reading Plato’s Allegory Of The Cave over a score composed by Eric Alexandrakis. Musicians including Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, Dolores O’Riordan, Ric Ocasek, and Zappa, Dweezil, were invited to collaborate on a track. (Like A Puppet Show will also feature exclusive photos of Malkovich performing the reading to really flesh out the experience.) The album will premiere exclusively on vinyl for Record Day on November 27th – it will also be available for download by Christmas

[AUTRE PLAYLIST] Ambient, Drone, and Chilled Out IDM

The last two weeks have been madness for those of us amongst the art and fashion media. Who ever decided that New York Fashion Week and Art Gallery Back to School should fall on the same week is a terrible person. Perhaps there wasn't as much overlap in the art and fashion worlds when this was decided?

In any case, I'm fucking exhausted. I've written over 10 pieces for Autre and Forbes in the last week. Considering I live in South Brooklyn, that's a lot of running around. I need to get some sleep. And I have the perfect playlist to catch some Zs.

Once in a while, I'll pop in some ambient, drone, and chilled out '90s IDM to let the Ambien take hold and lull myself into blissful unconsciousness. Brian Eno's ambient work is unfuckwithablle, his ear for tone is as strong as his ear for melody. Aphex Twin is massively important to me, as much as Lou Reed or Hendrix. '#1' off of his 'Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2' has the most beautiful dripping tones that kick it off. I also included some choice William Basinski, an artist that I don't listen to much of but very much appreciate. There is  from the underrated drone duo Stars of the Lid, a group so dreamy they could send an epileptic on a speed binge into a restful 10 hour snooze.

Adam Lehrer is a writer, journalist, and art and fashion critic based in New York City. On top of being Autre’s fashion and art correspondent, he is also a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine. His unique interests in punk, hip hop, skateboarding and subculture have given him a distinctive, discerning eye and voice in the world of culture, et al. Oh, and he also loves The Sopranos. Follow him on Instagram: @adam102287

FOLLOW AUTRE ON INSTAGRAM TO STAY  IN TOUCH: @AUTREMAGAZINE

[AUTRE PLAYLIST] Japanese Psych Noise Rock

No one seems to do psychedelic rock as joyously blistering as the Japanese. In this playlist, you'll find some of the most ear scorching psychonaut rock n' roll out there. Within this list is the progenitors of this whole thing, Les Rallizes Denudes, with their vampiric doo-wop stomper 'Night of the Assasins.' The immortal Kawabata Makoto is well-represented on this list, with his band Mainliner's 'M' and longstanding project Acid Mother Temple's 'Starless and Bible Black Sabbath." Kawabata's sound philosophies are a strong stand in for the philosophy of this blissful form of music. Equally influenced by Stockhausen as he is Hendrix, Makoto marries the most mind-altering textures from rock, noise, drone, and jazz to bring an aural onslaught that pummels as much as it enlightens. 

Adam Lehrer is a writer, journalist, and art and fashion critic based in New York City. On top of being Autre’s fashion and art correspondent, he is also a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine. His unique interests in punk, hip hop, skateboarding and subculture have given him a distinctive, discerning eye and voice in the world of culture, et al. Oh, and he also loves The Sopranos. Follow him on Instagram: @adam102287

FOLLOW AUTRE ON INSTAGRAM TO STAY  IN TOUCH: @AUTREMAGAZINE

[AUTRE PLAYLIST] Mid-90s Proto-Arena Techno

text by Adam Lehrer

Back in the mid-‘90s, when in the wake of Nirvana, major labels would literally sign anything that appeared remotely “alternative,” electronic music had a powerful but brief explosion in the mainstream. This is way before Skrillex ditched his emo band after frying at a Daft Punk show and almost a decade before EDC would congregate to try and avoid teen deaths. 

The summer of ’97 was an important one for me. I was OBSESSED with music. I was glued to MTV and would go with my mom to the grocery store so I could stay in the car and listen to alternative rock video. I was only nine, but I was getting exposed to the music that would shape me as a music fan: Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream, Nirvana Nevermind, Radiohead OK Computer, Wu Tang Enter the 36 Chambers. I’d log into a dial-in modem and wait for 10 minutes to get to the Spin Magazine website. My first issue of Rolling Stone had Marilyn Manson on the cover. Pop music was all I thought about.

One morning while watching MTV I came across what I correctly thought was a terrifying video of what I incorrectly defined as some sort of horrific agro metal band. The video was for The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe,’ the first single from their 1997 breakthrough The Fat of the Land. I didn’t know what to think at first, it was a little intense for me.

Later, Kurt Loder (AKA GOD) delivered an MTV news brief that The Prodigy was in fact an electronic dance music group from the UK and that they were part of a movement of electronic dance groups that were breaking through to the mainstream. Other groups and DJs included in this segment were actually already quite successful in the underground Orbital, the white trash meth tweakers Crystal Method, and the Chemical Brothers who were about to release their landmark record Dig Your Own Hole. I was immediately drawn to the Chemical Brothers’ release ‘Block Rockin Beats,’ it had a similar physical effect on me to the first time that I heard my favorite Wu Tang songs. The grooves just pulsate. I went to the mall with my grandmother who would often let me shop at Hot Topic. She spoiled me with copies of Dig Your Own Hole, Fat of the Land, and a navy blue Chemical Brothers t-shirt (really wish I still had that thing).

Within a year, this electronic music craze died down. The Chemical Brothers followed up with the successful Surrender, but they found themselves relegated to cult success. The Prodigy was never able to top Fat of the Land. Alternative rock radio moved on to nu-metal, and MTV moved on to to Britney and boy bands. But my love of electronic music endured and grew more far out. Soon enough, I was devouring Sonic Youth at the same rate that I was Aphex Twin and Autechre.

Now dance music is a multi-billion dollar business, and much of the music has dumbed down because of it. I don’t hold much resentment towards Skrillex and his ilk, but I do hold a little bit of resentment towards the culture that surrounds his music. At any rate, it took groups like The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers, and later Daft Punk of course, to show that electronic music could be amped up to exist within a stadium context. They broke down the barriers.

Today I am going to see The Chemical Brothers headline the first night of EDC. I fear that I will be one of the oldest people there, but also that I might be one of the few Chemical Brothers fans in the audience. There is still so much amazing electronic music being made, but these festivals cater to the lowest common denominator of the genre. I’ll try and not care, fry my face off, and try and tap into that nine-year-old kid who wondered what getting, “lost in a K-Hole meant.”

Adam Lehrer is a writer, journalist, and art and fashion critic based in New York City. On top of being Autre’s fashion and art correspondent, he is also a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine. His unique interests in punk, hip hop, skateboarding and subculture have given him a distinctive, discerning eye and voice in the world of culture, et al. Oh, and he also loves The Sopranos. Follow him on Instagram: @adam102287

FOLLOW AUTRE ON INSTAGRAM TO STAY  IN TOUCH: @AUTREMAGAZINE

[AUTRE PLAYLIST] Late 70s (and Some 80s) Art Damaged Punk Rock From Los Angeles

text by Adam Lehrer

For the first of Friday Autre playlists, I thought it most appropriate to highlight the quintessential Los Angeles-based punk rock bands of the late 1970s (and some '80s). Perhaps this is a cliché move, but Autre is of course a Los Angeles art magazine. The Hollywood punk bands were decidedly art leaning without exactly aspiring towards art. That is the Los Angeles art attitude; a sort of nonchalance that allows for the word to spin out of control and occasionally achieve the transcendental. In another cliché move, X's 'Los Angeles' kicks off the playlist, but c'mon, it''s X. Los Angeles's closeted junkie punk hero, Darby Crash, comes in next with the Germs' 'Communist Eyes.' Many people argue that the LA punk scene was way weirder and more punk than that of New York, and it's easy to see why. Prior to Lydia Lunch, James Chance, and the noise freaks of Brian Eno's No New York compilation, the earliest New York punk bands all had a musicality and professionalism running through the music that the LA bands largely did not (save for X, maybe). The Ramones mastered the few chords they were using, Television was downright groovy at times, and David Byrne is a musical genius. The LA bands devolve to art noise all the time. Take the Germs, who had as much influence on hardcore punk as they would noise rock bands of the 1990s like Harry Pussy and Sightings.

I purposefully left hardcore bands, save for the Middle Class who were on the edge, as they are for another playlist. Also, I love the Screamers and Angry Samoans but there are no good tracks of theirs on Spotify. Musically, there isn't a lot holding the LA bands together other than that they all listened to their own particular favorite types of music and filtered them through lack of musicianship and chaos. Enjoy!

Adam Lehrer is a writer, journalist, and art and fashion critic based in New York City. On top of being Autre’s fashion and art correspondent, he is also a regular contributor to Forbes Magazine. His unique interests in punk, hip hop, skateboarding and subculture have given him a distinctive, discerning eye and voice in the world of culture, et al. Oh, and he also loves The Sopranos. Follow him on Instagram: @adam102287

FOLLOW AUTRE ON INSTAGRAM TO STAY  IN TOUCH: @AUTREMAGAZINE

Ten Things You Need To Know About the Incendiary and Prodigious Poet, Painter, and Musician Lizzy Mercier Descloux

To some, she was France’s answer to Patti Smith, or perhaps a 20th century reincarnation of Arthur Rimbaud – or maybe both. To others, she is virtually unknown. But listen to her track “Fire” off her seminal album Press Color, which is seeing a rerelease this summer, and you’ll wonder why you’ve never heard of her. Instead of being France’s answer to Patti Smith, though, Lizzy Mercier Descloux was more of a soul sister; she was also more punk than no wave – punk in the sense of her rebelliousness. You can find Descloux donning a suit next to Smith, who is barefoot and wearing a tattered dress, in a poetry art book that the duo released together – with contributions from Richard Hell. Born Martine-Elisabeth Mercier Descloux in Paris, Lizzy was a bit of a creative anomaly – she introduced world music into her music before there was such a thing. If it wasn’t for her explorations with world music, there is a chance Paul Simon may not have made Graceland. Whatever the case is, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, who died in the early naughts, is still a force to be reckoned with. Here are ten things you need to know about Lizzy Mercier Descloux.

1. She Grew Up in Paris and Taught Herself How To Play Guitar

Born in 1956, Lizzie Mercier Descloux grew up in Les Halles – the center of Paris. She attended art school at the École des Beaux-Arts and taught herself how to play guitar. By this point – the beginning of the 70s – early examples of punk and no wave music was flowing out of New York and London and making its way to France.

2. With Michel Esteban, She Opens a Punk Boutique in Paris Called Harry Cover

Just like Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren ran their iconic boutique and punk mecca, provocatively called Sex on King’s Road in London – Descloux helped run Harry Cover, which became a “temple” for the punk movement in Paris at the time. It sold books, music, clothing and local bands rehearsed in the basement.  She managed the boutique with her boyfriend Michel Esteban who became her closest creative collaborator and partner.

3. Descloux Goes To New York On Assignment For Rock News – Everything Changes

In 1975, her partner Esteban starts a French music magazine called Rock News, which was covering a lot of the punk and no wave scenes that were quickly spreading throughout the world. Descloux visits New York to do a story on the local scene happening on the Bowery. In doing so, she is introduced to Richard Hell and Patti Smith, which would have a profound affect on the young artist’s trajectory as a musician.

4. She Moves to New York Permanently and Buys a Fender Jazzmaster Guitar

Realizing that if she wanted to make it as an artist and a musician, she needed to make New York her home. In 1976, she makes the move and joins a mass migration of artists looking for a new creative environment. The artistic cognoscenti of Downtown New York welcome Descloux with open arms – including Richard Hell, whom she became romantically involved with. She buys a Fender Jazzmaster guitar and starts to work on music.

5. In Collaboration with Richard Hell and Patti Smith, She Publishes a Book of Poetry

With Patti Smith penning the illustrations and the preface, and Richard Hell adding his own contributions, Descloux publishes a book of poetry called “Desiderata.” The title comes from the Latin word, Desiderata, which can be translated into English as, “desired things.” Some of the photographs in the book include photographs of Patti in a dress and Descloux in a man’s suit.

6. She Releases A Mini LP Under the Name Rosa Yemen

Together with guitarist D.J. Barnes, she releases her first EP – mini-album with six tracks, like all-instrumental Decryptated and the improvisational and performative ode to venereal disease Herpese Simplex, which is a good example of one of Descloux’s rawest and most rebelliously minimal songs in her early catalogue. However, it was her debut record on ZE Records – entitled “Colors” – with the electrifying first song, Fire, which really showed Descloux’s true talents as an artist and collagist of musical genres and sounds.

7. Descloux Was Also An Actress

With her distinct look – androgynous facial features and wild swash of hair – she became a muse of the Blank Generation’s film scene. In fact, she can be seen in Amos Poe's “Blank Generation,” which is largely considered to be one of the most important cinematic documents of that era. She can also be found in a short film directed by Seth Tillett.

8. She Loved Multiple Musical Genres and Sounds From Around The World

Descloux’s second album, Mambo Nassau, mixed no wave sounds with funk, soul and African beats. In fact, Descloux was one of the first musical artists to play with the concept of “World Music,” which was an unheard of term in 1980 when Mambo Nassau was released. After a long trip through the African continent, she released an unexpected hit single called "Mais où Sont Passées les Gazelles?,” which had backing vocals from South African musicians. Shortly after this effort, Paul Simon released Graceland, which had an eerily similar approach and sound. In one of Descloux’s later albums, entitled One For the Soul, she teamed up Brazilian musicians with Chet Baker, who she met at a Jazz Festival in Rio De Janeiro.

9. Descloux Went to Africa On The Trail of Arthur Rimbaud

A lot of young artists have had a fascination with the young and brilliant 19th century poet Arthur Rimbaud who gave up writing and moved to Africa where he later died. Although, most young artists don’t follow the same trail as Rimbaud. But Descloux did – she first traveled to Ethiopia and then made her way down to South Africa, which was then still in the throes of the Apartheid.

10. She Is Diagnosed With Cancer and Dies in Corsica

Toward the end of her life, she started to paint more and decided to settle on the beautiful island of Corsica. After being diagnosed with cancer, it was here that she decided to live out her last days – her ashes were scattered at sea in a beautiful and fitting end to a long and fruitfully creative life.

"Press Color," Lizzy Mercier Descloux's seminal album will be rereleased in August by Light In the Attic Records. You can click here to preorder. Text by Oliver Maxwell Kupper. Photos courtesy of Esteban and ZE Records.