Djevara (Redux), Bleak, She Makes War, This Is Radio Silence and a host of other artists play at guerrilla festival WAR IN THE PARK in Burgess Park on Sunday afternoon. There is quite a stunning range of acts who’ve decided to leave the mics and amps behind and bring along acoustics to make war.
It shall take place here http://bit.ly/daPVl5
Come rock your bones under the tress…
What a weekend! Tonight (sat 28th August) sees Djevara return to one of the best small venues in South London, The Fox & Firkin (Lewisham), with an astonishing line-up which includes our absolute favourite band Thumpermonkey Lives! (new record out on GENIN on Mon 6th Sept! It’s awesome!) and Poino who feature Chuckles (of The Display Team, who also have a fantabulous record out through the Genin stables!). Could be too awesome for words.
September is rolling up to be one heck of a musical month with two more exciting, underground releases promised: Thumpermonkey Lives! new record “We Bake Our Bread Beneath Her Holy Fire” be up on 6th September through Genin Records. The album is not anything but phenomenal, without question the best underground release this writer has ever heard – ingenius and witty songwriting, beautiful production, astonishing execution and utterly rocks. It’s hard to describe, but imagine Frank Zappa, David Bowie and Queen were asked to collaborate to do a B-movie soundtrack for metalheads and you’ll be in the ball-park area, but with only a fractional idea of how good it is. Honestly a loss to anyone who doesn’t hear this.
Order from : www.genin.co.uk / Band Website : www.thumpermonkey.com
On 1st September solo female DIY artist She Makes War releases her long-awaited debut “Disarm” after an impressive online video series of singles. Excitement has beeen buzzing all over the net, and little wonder – with its own unique style and character, this is fantastically earthy, grungey alternative pop straight from the underground, like a crossbreed between the sounds of Nine Inch Nails, Carina Round and with a hint of the spirit of Riot girl, but with a feisty, independent London edge. The London DIY scene is desperately under-representative of female artistry and this is a record which will deservedly assert to redress the balance!
Order from : www.shemakeswar.com (Also check out for: videos, previews, etc.)
GENIN is proud to present THE NEW BEAT No1 at The Cross Kings this coming Friday 5th February 2010. The first GENIN night of the year will be showcasing an eclectic bill of the weird and wonderful, an alternative to the alternative, a shot across the bows of ‘rock’ music as we know and have become comfortable with. The night will feature performances from Solar Flares, Arficeden, Tessellators and Djevara.
In support of the humanitarian relief work being done in the highly topical case of HAITI, but also in the out-of-fashion yet equally disastrous tragedy continuing in Darfur, GENIN RECORDS are pledging 25% of all sales from records, and 100% of profits on T-shirts, from all online orders made within the first week of February 2010.
CDs include new releases from The Display Team, Thumpermonkey Lives! and Djevara, as well as back catalogue goldies from Elephant vs Leopard, Pigshackle, The Super Nashwan Kids, Claypigeon and more. Fill your boots.
Orders can be made directly online from www.genin.co.uk
Once more at 333 Basement, an astonishing array of artists for your delectation:
Musical artists:
Elephant vs Leopard
Babar Luck with East End Trinity
Armed Response Unit
Art Of Burning Water
Visual artists:
Chris Getliffe
LFD
www.genin.co.uk
The future of music, for artists who have crafted their art, is definitely live. The CD is becoming a collector’s item, and the internet has and is redefining the spread of music. With this in mind, where does a record label go? Well, in Genin’s case, the answer is: to the stage! And we want you to join us. After a long rest from promoting live shows, I’ve decided to jump back in with both feet and so GENIN RECORDS is proud to launch “GENIN LIVES!”, a continuing series of seasons of shows and events which will hopefully stretch your mind and your ears… but not your wallet. To make sure that in these hard times lack of cash is never a barrier to supporting the best of our alternative rockers, GENIN RECORDS has developed the “THREE STRIKES AND YOU’RE IN!” system. A GENIN LIVES! ticket, £5 advance / £6 on the door, can be used for any show in a season, but what’s great about it is that with the ticket you can get in to the next show for £3, and then every subsequent one for just £2. (Members of GENIN-related artists can get in for £2 to all shows). Prepare for some serious rockin’, and look out for updates on this season’s events soon.
GENIN LIVES!
CONFIRMED SO FAR FOR SEASON 1:
9TH JULY LET OUR ENEMIES BEWARE, DJEVARA, ROLL CALL FOR THE SECOND SITE + 1 MORE TBC @333 Basement, 333 Old Street, Shoreditch, LONDON
30TH JULY ARMED RESPONSE UNIT, ART OF BURNING WATER + 2 MORE TBC @333 Basement, 333 Old Street, Shoreditch, LONDON
??? MORE TBC MORE TBC
Visit www.genin.co.uk for more info. Tickets are also available to order online from the Genin website.
(Originally written for and published in GRAVITY No3, Spring 2008)
The music industry as we knew it – an aging and embarrassing anachronism from the 20th century which is nothing but a a blip in the wider context of human musical history – is dying. Good riddance. In ever greater numbers, people are cutting out the middleman as the previously mutually exclusive ideals of Do-It-Yourself originally espoused only in the punk scene have combined with entrepreneurial opportunism of the “go for it” generation. Technology has finally evolved to bring everything together and with it the potential, like never before, to democratize music for artists and listeners alike. This has enabled those artists who live to create and express themselves freely to move towards a more meritocratic musical culture and take control of their own destinies.
When we started Genin Records / Djevara Music, it was originally simply a pragmatic solution to the problem of releasing one band’s debut album in the face of conservative and patronizing market gatekeepers (labels, radio, etc). When these elements offered deals with the price of changing band and album names, line-ups, and other unacceptable compromises, Djevara decided to go their own way. We soon realized that with the infrastructure we had created we could help other artists who were as independent minded as ourselves, and the Genin imprint was born.
The label was built on principles of independence and self-belief, and an underlying commitment to document the scene – one band, one record at a time. The blueprint and inspiration came from Washington DC’s Fugazi with their Dischord label (still the most successful local independent labels the Western world has ever known). Over time, Genin has grown organically, seeing the release of ten records from eight artists, as well as singles. The artists are only very loosely associated through that vague and intangible idea of a ‘scene’, being diverse in sound, style and aesthetic but with one important unifying attribute: attitude. Whether it is the schizophrenic angry punk-metal of Djevara or the upbeat party ska-punk of Claypigeon, or the clever catchy rock of The Super Nashwan Kids, or the gargantuan, dark and angular progressive metal of Pigshackle, there is a certain tenacious, upstart vibe and flair that cuts through each.
Perhaps more of an ‘anti-label’ really, in practice Genin acts as a kind of umbrella or hub, assisting a selected group of still-independent bands to release their own records. Each record is a project in its own right, owned and completely run by the artist, using the infrastructure of Genin for support, and to co-ordinate promotion and distribution. In this new world, under this new model, “Unsigned” is no longer a handicap – it is empowerment. This is clearly the future, and DIY is the new “new way”, which even artists as commercially successful as Radiohead have realized.
So far Genin has released (or is about to release) records by Djevara, Silent Front, Red Nettle, Frowser, Susan Acid, Pigshackle, Sour Grape Project, Claypigeon and The Super Nashwan Kids – all of which are available from all good record outlets. New projects on the horizon for the label include a Genin Club (to offer news, discounts and offers), blog-style webzine and several exciting new release projects in the pipeline for 2008. Perhaps most exciting, however, is just seeing the independent sector become an ever more vital and respected part of the wider musical culture in society, and artists taking more and more control of their own creative destinies. And the music’s fucking great too.