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.
SAT 19th JUNE 2010
Djevara (Redux), the alternative semi-acoustic manifestation of Djevara, are playing one of the first in a series of ArtIsland events which host both art exhibitions and live music in the small venue of The Butcher’s Corner in New Cross.
Address is 302 New Cross Road (2mins from station). The art is all day and the gigs start in the evening.
Check out the blog site for details:
http://www.artislandblog.blogspot.com/
This coming Sat 24 April sees an unbelievably awesome live bill at The Unicorn courtesy of Genin Records: Elephant vs Leopard, Djevara, Pigshackle and Let Our Enemies Beware. Truly fantastic, and what’s more – totally FREE. So come down to The Unicorn, 226 Camden ROad at 7.15pm for a night of awesome, progressive noise… bliss!
FB event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106643496026521&ref=ts
Our last show/party of the year at our wonderful warehouse, The Low Fidelity Disconnect. Expect the usual eye-and-mouth-watering spread of music, arts and creative people. This time round we have sets from Djevara, Let Our Enemies Beware and Thumpermonkey Lives! 
Facebook event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=210716197745
(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.