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LOCKWELD: Industrial Requiem Release year: 2001 Format: CD Tracklist: 1: Black Resin 05:00 Total length: 59:12 min General Facts: Lockweld is the project of Karen and Steve Makita, a couple in holy matrimony from Cleveland, Ohio who have the unusual habit of creating Power Electronics by destroying electronic euipment on their spare-time. Review: Well, what can I say after hearing Industrial Requiem, the fourth full-lenght album by the duo whose working methods would surely make the face of any electronic safety inspector turn white. Lockweld's way of creating their music is surely original; sand-blasters, burning microphones and electric saws as well as various other devices are the very fundament of their music - not too seldom in connection with these machines being destroyed and thus giving up their last wails of death. All are cleverly sampled by Steven and later moulded by Karen into a dark, rhythmic Power Electronics formula in the band's own homestudio. This album has already won a lot of recognition by the time this review is being written and I think I see why - though I doubt I would have found it equally interesting if I knew not; the origin of the sounds used. This harsh mixture has even appealed to me though I can count the Power Electronics projects I find interesting on my hands. I think it's the harshness of the sound that I like most, it's no crystal clear mastering but still it is pure in another, perhaps more destructive way. The vocal side of this album is also quite interesting. It is sometimes a bit more held-back/devious than the usual "in-the-face" screamings of many Power Electronics projects though not losing any power. If you are tired of faery-music, harmonious Neo-Classical music or simply want to get evicted from your apartment. I think Lockweld's stirring and disturbing music is what you ought to check out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Five questions to Lockweld ECTONAUT: Please introduce Lockweld to the Ortus Obscurum readers. What is Lockweld all about? For how long have you been doing this and for what reason? LOCKWELD: Lockweld is Karen and Steve Makita,and we have been doing this for about 6 years. ECTONAUT: Tell us something about the tracks on Industrial Requiem. Did you work with specific methods when you composed them? Is there a concept behind this release or anything else interesting that you think we should know about Industrial Requiem? LOCKWELD: Pretty much all of our releases are based on a concept of some kind. Industrial Requiem has a subtle concept but it is there. In Cleveland, Ohio the city we live in there is an old steel mill and to see it gives you chills its amazing. The sounds coming from that steel mill haunted us for a long time and we wanted to capture them, they are foreboding, cold and old sounds. So basically that's what Industrial Requiem is all about. ECTONAUT: How would you describe the music of Lockweld to completely LOCKWELD: We have been told by others and have read it in previous reviews that we sound like a true Industrial band and whatever that is exactly we aren`t sure but what we get out of it is that because we use actual machines and power tools in our recordings and live shows we have been given the Industrial references . So that's our answer to your question. For us this is one of the hardest questions to answer, we do what we do and that's about all we can say. ECTONAUT: What is most important in music according to you? How do you define quality music and what are your musical sources of inspiration? LOCKWELD: Emotion and feeling. Quality music has to have both emotion and feeling regardless as to what genre of music it is and if you get that out of what your listening to then your listening to quality. We take sources from just about anywhere and anything. From old steel mills to stories off the news. ECTONAUT: What plans do you have for the future? Are there any new Lockweld releases planned? Anything else you would like to add? LOCKWELD: We just want to move forward,continue to record,release records and play live. We really want to tour,the US and overseas. We have several new releases coming out in the next few months if interested please feel free to check out our website. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Click here to visit the Lockweld webpage - Click here to contact Lockweld |
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