
Tag: dais records

Dangerously Artsy: Geneva Jacuzzi at the Lodge Room
Geneva Jacuzzi‘s “Art is Dangerous” isn’t just the banger single from her most recent Dais Records full length album, Triple Fire, “Art is Dangerous” is both an affirmation of the intention to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable (a sentiment lost among more and more corporatized and bubble-wrapped, cookie cutter artists) and it’s also a reference to a timeless debate that transcends culture. Is art dangerous? Were Tipper Gore and the PMRC right all along? Can you ingest as much devil worship, pornographic, sinful material as possible without having your soul tarnished one iota? Can you play endless hours of GTA, shooting up civilians without feeding a subliminal bloodlust, can you listen to Radiohead without feeling lonely or binge-stream Slayer without losing faith? Far too many people in the current state of the world are beginning to veer toward answering “yes”. That art, is in fact, dangerous. Even though Geneva Jacuzzi is affirming that danger, I have to wonder if she sees it dangerous in the same way as a certain sector of extreme believers who’s rhetoric makes you think they desire a modern bonfire of the vanities. I say this because Geneva Jacuzzi’s performance for her album release

DAIS Records Celebrates 15 Years Of Seminal Releases At The Belasco
In the last 15 years, DAIS Records has had an output of quality music that should be the envy of any independent record label. From alumni such as Psychic TV, Cold Cave, Youth Code and Pink Turns Blue to current artists such as Drab Majesty, Adult., Choir Boy and Riki– DAIS records is a veritable cornucopia of post punk, experimental music and a great soundtrack to any Samhain celebration. On this night 2 of 2 of the anniversary celebration at The Belasco Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, it was the aforementioned list of current artists that headlined the night. I missed almost everyone else including Death Bells, which I hate but was overcome with dark, sad vibes that made me happy with what I did witness. We missed Night 1 of 2 at Zebulon that featured VR Sex, Tempers, Cold Showers and more. I missed a lot but we’ll fill you in on what we did see. related: DAIS Records 10 Year Anniversary Party: The Dark Fruits of Persistence Choir Boy- Honeysuckle sweetened notes wrung out of the body of Adam Klopp with each twist and ache; his muscles contracted and his stomach wrenched violently as glossolalia possessed the Choir

Dais Party: Drab Majesty’s Modern Mirror Record Release at the Fonda
Since 2007, Dais Records has illuminated artists that challenge the audiophile’s idea of post-punk, and the sold-out Fonda theatre’s guests on July 26 were no exception. Los Angeles’ own rising goth-gaze stars Drab Majesty launched their expansive tour of Modern Mirror, their third studio album, accompanied by the dynamic synth-pop brothers in Body of Light and the imposing industrial phenomenon, HIDE. related content: Deb Demure’s Modern Mirror: Drab Majesty Interview July 26 must have been a pivotal evening for Andrew and Alex Jarson of Body of Light, as it not only marked this performance, but also the release of their second album, Time to Kill. When synth player Andrew emerged alone, diving into an artificial and otherworldly-sounding interlude fit for an early ‘80s sci-fi movie, no one could have expected what would come. Suddenly, Alex emerged from a blood red fog while a synth-pop beat began to take form. Although initially reminiscent of Depeche Mode or Soft Cell, the duo has something that is distinctly their own: Alex’s bursting energy. Going into the album’s third track, “Don’t Pretend,” they were contained to the stage, but by the time they reached the chorus, Alex had jumped from the stage, into the

Deb Demure’s Modern Mirror: Drab Majesty Interview
David Hume once said, “Beauty is no quality in things themselves: it exists merely in the mind which contemplates them.” For Deb Demure, founder of the impeccably designed duo Drab Majesty, beauty exists primarily in the complicated, nuanced and precious relationships between individuals. On the first night of their North American tour, Deb took some time to muse about the individuals whose beauty he and Mona D. channeled into their third full-length album, Modern Mirror, which was released on Dais records on July 12, and some will surely come as a surprise, whether it be the unrequited love between Echo and Narcissus, their community of unfaltering friends and fans, or even Deb’s influentially bodacious grandmother. Audrey: It’s July 24th. You’re kick-starting your North American tour tonight in San Diego and you’ve just found out your third full-length album, Modern Mirror, is currently ranking number 6 on Billboard. How does it feel? Deb: In theory, it’s cool. Has my life been drastically changed? Probably not. I’ve never really been one to look at the Billboards or anything like that. I know, I kind of live under a rock, but I understand historically what that means. For me, reception is important on an emotional level but as

Take This: Win Two Tickets to Drab Majesty at the Fonda
Dais Records keeps releasing material and raising up bands that set trends and perhaps the landmark band of the label, Drab Majesty is headlining the Fonda Theater for their Modern Mirror record release. Along with this incredible post-punk duo, label mates Body of Light and Hide will also be performing. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE OR: ENTER TO WIN 2 TICKETS TO DRAB MAJESTY JULY 26TH AT THE FONDA Step 1- Join Our Newsletter (look for pop up every time you arrive at jankysmooth.com) Step 2 – Tag a Friend in the comment section of our INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, or FACEBOOK Drab Majesty Ticket Giveaway Post WINNER WILL BE SELECTED ON JULY 22ND AT 11AM PST VIA EMAIL CONFIRMATION

Outlaws of Goth: VR SEX “Human Traffic Jam” Record Release at Echoplex
The common misconception of goths is that they’re sad, poetic, and wear black. And though the second two descriptors might be dead on, there’s nothing sad about a band of outlaws, ransacking stages and breaking the post punk mold with undisputed attitude and badass style. Great things come in threes and VR SEX sure are great. Riding black horses, these three gents carry the Dais records flag for yet another incredible record, “Human Traffic Jam”, the release of which we celebrated at the Echoplex with a performance no one in attendance is ever going to forget. This was the last show I saw at Echoplex before the venue was sold to Live Nation, so one could make the case that where these ghostriders go, death follows. related content: Drab Majesty Return To Los Angeles After Taking Europe By Storm Opening the show was fellow Dais record-mate and one-woman noise conjurer, Pod Blotz who created digitized thunder that shook the Echoplex and made every heart in the audience beat faster and more anxiously. The mind wanders strange places as Pod Blotz displaces the air molecules around you with sonic stabs. Incorporating a long, winding metal sheet to make sounds machines simply

Is This Dungeons and Dragons? No, Cloak and Dagger, Actually
You go to a goth fest expecting 90’s Blade as a theme, but the black light shone the crowd for what they were. The weekend crowd from Halloween Horror Nights. The music was right, the expanded line up serviced all shades of goth. The venue was straight out of Miss Murder. Alas the crowd was 6 feet under aside from a few spurts of life during Boy Harsher and Health. related content: The Sound Of Sex: Boy Harsher Seduces The Echoplex I have a theory that the venue makes the show more so than the crowd, possibly even the band. Cloak and Dagger moving the show from the State to the Los Angeles Theatre was a mistake. I think they should have applied their strict code to the venue. Damn the crowd and damn the theatre. I wanted darkness, I wanted to feel like it was a privilege and not a purchase, smaller room, a darker room, a strict dress code. related content: Cloak And Dagger Fest: The Heart Of Los Angeles Bled From Dusk Till Dawn Beside wanting more ruffled Victorian shirts and latex the music and entertainment outstanding. The Jarson family known as Body of Light brought everyone

Adult. Interview: Warriors for Weird
I remember the first time I saw Adult. live at Echoplex for their Detroit House Guests tour. It was one of the most insane and exciting shows I’ve ever seen. With various guest performers, obscure stage antics, and the hardest off-beats, they were truly avant-garde. It was weird to its core but I danced so hard, the weirdness absorbed into me and I didn’t puzzle over it. I fell in love with the duo’s music that night and getting the chance to interview Adam Lee Miller and Nicola Kuperus before their Zebulon show with Plack Blague only intensified my admiration. They were well spoken, intelligent, and unlike many artists with more direct and obvious messaging, they showed a deep understanding of what they stand for and who they are. related content: Different Shades of Black: Adult. And Plack Blague At Soda Bar RS: The latest album is This Behavior. A few of the songs seem to reference human sexuality. What is the album’s title symbolic of? NK: I dunno if I would say it’s symbolic of human sexuality. I think it’s poignant for the moment we’re in with how insane the world is. The process for writing this record was very

Different Shades of Black: Adult. and Plack Blague at Soda Bar
Words and Photos by: Rebecca DiGiglio What’s this? A San Diego show being covered by Janky Smooth, you say? No. It couldn’t be.But it is. The reaches of this esteemed publication are expanding— manifest destiny and shit. Allow me to be your photographic and lexical liaison, starting first with an electronic show featuring the impossibly-cool-looking-in-a-European-way ADULT., leather daddy duo Plack Blague, and the fog-drenched, one-man San Diego act, O/X. Opening act O/X started the night with trigger finger on the fog machine and a trance-like demeanor: all dreamy swaying and eyes-shut synth stroking. O/X is the solo project of Chris Oxendine, and the music is self-described as cold wave. Oxendine seemed to intentionally lull the crowd into a false sense of calm for the more beat-heavy, dance-centered night to come, eventually growing a little more rapid towards the end of the set, as if to briefly warn of sounds to come. The show was a release party for his latest cassette, “NEW LIFE”, released through record label Dream. Shortly after, the night turned naughty with the shock to the system that was Plack Blague: two leather-clad daddies bringing heavy, industrial beats and vocals that vacillate between sensual and aggressive singing.

Dais Records’ 10 Year Anniversary Party: The Dark Fruits Of Persistence
Persistence is All. Those were the words projected over Drew Mcdowall, former member of Coil, as he wrapped up Dais Records‘ 10 year anniversary at the Regent. Prior to this, the night had been filled with dancing, disaffected swaying, and sweating buckets from the sub-tropic-humidity-zone hovering over Downtown Los Angeles like a specter. Ten years in the making, this night celebrated a fever dream that came into fruition. It was only until 2017 that the local success of Drab Majesty and High-Functioning Flesh and the global success of Youth Code made Dais Records’ sound and name instantly recognizable in L.A. With Drew McDowall, Drab Majesty, High-Functioning Flesh, Body of Light, and Cold Showers performing, Dais planned on celebrating this milestone of a decade by bringing in the next one with a bang. Hot weather is best remedied with cold music and no music sounds colder than goth and industrial. When I stepped into the Regent, Youth Code were standing behind the turntables DJ’ing all sorts of glitchy, dark, German sounding industrial music, shit like Laibach. The first band to offer their musical relief was Highland Park’s Cold Showers, a crisp sounding goth band, thick with 80’s and Depeche Mode feels.