The Mekano Set

KICKING OFF THE JAMS

2012-02-14T13:13:00.000Z

An excellent all-nighter in Brighton followed by an entire day of duvets and Black Books / The IT Crowd / Father Ted back at Hotel Mekano.

Great to get the crowd moving again - a few people obviously got a bit carried away so we figured it would be best to stop before we started having to use our instruments as riot control devices. Machismo dressed as alt. culture is never an attractive site. Especially when falling flat on its face.

"You gonna be a good boy? You gonna be a good boy? Cause we wanna do another song, and you wanna dance." The look of shame on the guy's face was priceless.

For those of you at the back who didn't get to enjoy the view: one over-excited dancer careered across the full width of the dance floor and landed head first into our laptop. It didn't stop the drums so we just carried on. Although when it was clear that a small number of over-sized egos were giving the organizer (who worked very, very hard to keep the night together) grief, the mood was tainted and we pulled the plug.

Deb took a few snaps during the sound-check, before helping us out by Gaffa-Taping down make-shift speaker cables: Lee and Justine looking down-trodden when we were told there was no one around to set the PA up, so we wouldn't actually be able to play + Milk looking smug after plugging everything into anything until we got sound pumping through speakers):

The Mekano Set

A NEW IMERCIA

2012-02-06T13:22:00.000Z

Eeeeeep! Today, our new EP has appeared on The Spotifyings: http://open.spotify.com/album/3fQttVXsO2qm0yCoYgRaJz

We had, and still have, no plans to produce a second album. We're much more interested in EP's.

This is the strongest set of mixes we've produced to date. At least to our ears. Over the last 12 months we reached a point where we had a number of new ideas, and some mixes of existing tracks that came about through playing them live. So a compilation of sorts came about quite naturally.

So this is an extended EP. At least to our brains.

These songs are available to download via iTunes Store and our Bandcamp page (which has extra songs not available anywhere else).

Thank you for listening. I think if you weren't, we wouldn't be motivated quite enough to make the effort.

"Emotional electronic music made with blood, spit, tears and seminal fluid. The most f**kable record of the 21st century." Elementary Records.

The Mekano Set

FADES

2012-01-29T14:29:00.003Z

Well now. How we doing?

I've just been reliably informed that Fades - a sort of accidental compilation of new songs and fresh mixes - has just gone up via iTunes store:Fades - The Mekano SetOur bandcamp page has 4 additional songs - and also has more format options: http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/fadesIt should also be up on Spotify within the next few days.

The Mekano Set

ANARCHY + BIKES + DIY

2012-01-23T14:33:00.007Z

Top night out @ Cowley Club Friday night. Good to get the people moving.

Lyth-print by BeatnikSoup + camera-phone snaps by Nigel and Deb

The Mekano Set

NEW ERROR'S EVE

2011-12-31T17:25:00.000Z

Just for tonight (while you put on your best outifts) it's free / name your price: 3 of our newest efforts in noise / beat / bass / swirly guitars. All proceeds go towards my drinks bill and Lee's hopeless addiction to cream cakes:

BETWEEN by The Mekano Set

The Mekano Set

BETWEEN

2011-12-25T13:17:00.007Z

Season's great things to you and yours. Especially those of you that are working over this magic weekend. Some of us know you are out there, making a difference and we put you in our thoughts. Laughing bealing.

Here's to slipping between the meaningless rituals and Cargo Cult places.
Freedom regardless of circumstance.

This is my tiny ChristMoose tree (I will be planting him somewhere after New Error's Eve):

For grimy trip-hop with the lights off, shoegaze gone wrong, a brand new video from us for I'm Thinking About It:

For movement, Underworld seem to know where they are going:

For vibe, Leftfield + Toni Haliday (Curve)

For Thought-Food, an interview with John and Keith Pil, when they were still full of ideas and ideals:

For stillness: snow-drift smothered voices for the Chrimbo vibe. Don't play it too loud or your speakers will ill:

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/track/vague-too"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Vague Too by The Mekano Set&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

I've never been very good at saying anything positive. I don't know. Thanks for sticking with us.

See you between.

The Mekano Set

---

I don't think it's about taking sides. I think it's about showing support, representing.Currently on repeat:

Curve: Horror Head.

King Midas Sound: Documentary.

Blindness: interview / collage.

Mutate: Vangelish

The Bug: Catch a Fire

Comsat Angels - Independence Day

The Mekano Set xxx

WHAT YOU INTO?

2011-12-21T17:53:00.004Z

I don't think it's about taking sides. I think it's about showing support, representing.Currently on repeat:

Curve: Horror Head.

King Midas Sound: Documentary.

Blindness: interview / collage.

Mutate: Vangelish

The Bug: Catch a Fire

Comsat Angels - Independence Day

The Mekano Set xxx

CHRISTMAS KUNDALINI

2011-12-20T12:57:00.000Z

Why not treat yourself, and us: seeing as it's Christmoose, we're offering a top-quality download of Fades - a compilation of 13 lucky tracks - for only £5: http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/fadesMeanwhile, the website is now back up and running. We'll be polishing it up over the next few weeks so be sure to check in for some new images, texts and hidden treasures: http://www.mekanoset.net/

2011-12-06T19:27:00.001Z

Hello folks. How are we?

Some new bits and bobs for your eyes and ears. For youtube linkage, there is now a bit of a fun video for Sweets:

http://youtu.be/FpmaydpqrQg

The Mekano Set

NEVEMBER

2011-11-21T14:36:00.010Z

Cheers, ahoy and shut up! to everyone who joined us in Brighton on Saturday. It was a blast. We only planned to DJ, but ended up dusting off our guitars and beats and even tried out a couple of new tunes for the first time in a while.

And look at Lee in his fitting tribute to those of you that were at Carter USM instead:

(Lee + Les Paul Special by MsDee)

More photographic evidence coming soon.

From what I can remember we played...

Even Stevens (Uneven Stevens mix)
Speak in Riddles
AndWantMore (a new song)
Tide House (a new song)
Eat the Sweets

Oh, and here's a link to the 'intro' to our live set (minus Lee's improvized drum-machine-through-a-marshall-amp-beat): http://themekanoset.tumblr.com/post/13112772097/this-was-the-intro-we-used-for-saturdays-gig

Special thanks to Mr Hoof, Allan from Little Specks of Blood Lust Blood, and BeatnikSoup and MsDee for taking some snaps.

Right, off for a rant on http://twitter.com/mekanoset

The Mekano Set

THE MEKANO SET: NUGAZE / SHOEGAZE / NOIZE

2011-11-10T14:45:00.003Z

If you would like to book The Mekano Set for a gig, contact info@mekanoset.net

To contact The Mekano Set / Milk regarding releases / songs: mysteriouspackages@mekanoset.net

For press / social activities / other info: mekanoset@gmail.com

themekanoset.tumblr.com

themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/fades

soundcloud.com/mekanoset

TIDES TURN [Updated]

2011-10-07T10:50:00.008+01:00

Hello Mekanoids!

This Wednesday (8pm in Britain) the appropriately named DJ Candy will be playing an exclusive extra-bitter-sweet mix of our song Eat The Sweets on her excellent Crossover show: http://www.koolrockradio.com/krrshows.html

Also - we've just said yes to playing an infamous Matinée Soirée at The Albert in Brighton on Saturday 19th November. We love doing these things. Join us for a liquid lunch beside real coal fires. We'll do a live set plus we'll spin some choice eclectic sounds (Two Tone, TV Theme Tunes, Post Punk, Punk and Electrickery). Then drinks and banter: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=265892466789550

So I've been more antisocial than ever recently. Working hard on the book, and some new mixes, setting up a new computer [all our old Macs aren't capable of handling recent songs without slowing to a crawl, crawling into a corner and setting fire to themselves). Possibly the most painful experience I've endured since a trip to the dentist in January when I was convinced my wisdom teeth were trying to crawl up into my head to get to my brain.

The Mekano Movie is becoming a thing beauty.

Hopefully back in London for a few days next week, and maybe even a trip to Brighton. It's certainly been a while.

Possibility of a gig in Brighton in November.

Coffee.

The Mekano Set

TIDE HOUSE

2011-09-09T16:15:00.008+01:00

A new song, Tide House, with a psychedelic collage video c/o Elementary Productions. Check out the live footage bits before we cut off our fringe crimes.

In otherness, we've spent the last week working on the books. Oh yes.

Bandcamp link for Tide House: http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/track/tide-house

Grooveshark (free Spotify style streaming without the car adverts): http://grooveshark.com/#/s/Tide+House/49qcjZ?src=5

The Mekano Set

STOOD IN THE SHALLOWS

2011-09-04T18:34:00.003+01:00

I've put up a demo of a new song we've been working on. I wanted to do something with a blatant swirly 12 string part. Cocteau Twins. Cure. Banshees. Obviously it got away from me, and then went down the familiar Mekano Set road... Give it a blast: Tide House (Demo)

Meeeeelk
xxx

SWEET

2011-08-04T07:42:00.002+01:00

Eat The Sweets by mekanoset

Putting together a batch made up of our favourite songs: http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/steel-comb

And if you have a minute: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mekano-Set/152503218109798

THE DANCE OF THE DEAD LAPTOPS

2011-07-27T10:36:00.013+01:00

So what is occurring?

I've given up dairy. I've also gone back to having long walks for exercise and to listen to mixes without staring at screens. Also started getting up at dawn again.

I've added a mix of a brand new Mekano Set song to the Hahaharem page: http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/hahaharem

We dug out the fretless (b)ass and the syn-drums for this one. The song is called The Problem is, There's Always Someone in Charge.

You can also stream the song for free via Grooveshark.

I've also been collaborating with a new live electronics / soundscape / witch house / drone act called ActivPassiv and really enjoying their beautiful noises: http://soundcloud.com/activpassiv

In other news, Stray Dog City (me and live electronic / drone artist Ade B / Mutate) appear on a compilation of witch house, drag, dubstep, industrial, darkwave artists on WitchStep Records. The song is the other-side / outside mix of Routser: http://sites.google.com/site/witchsteprecords/releases

http://soundcloud.com/straydogcity

http://soundcloud.com/activpassiv

http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset

Be seeing you,

Milk
xxx

3 MONTHS OFF

2011-07-14T18:26:00.020+01:00

IT SERIOUS: HE GOT HIS SCHOOL SHOES ON

This is about where I've been and what I've been doing there. Also, this is a way of reminding myself that I haven't exactly been lazy lately: a list of the things I've been up to since leaving Brighton:

Glass Keys EP (February 2011) We had such a positive reaction to the first ep (Maastricht Circle) I got all excited and finished off another batch of tunes: http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/glass-keys (I'm sticking to bandcamp and youtube links because Spotify, iTunes, amazon etc. are annoyingly slow to update).

Hahaharem (April 2011) Inspired by someone I had thought was a friend suggesting I'm some kind of man-whore with a collection of groupies. They haven't got a name for what we are yet: http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/hahaharem

Hand in Hand (July 2011) Because I realized hands is an ongoing theme of ours (more songs will be added, when we feel like it): http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/hand-in-hand

---

3 EP's by Stray Dog City (a free-form mix of bass, beats, drones and jams by me and my childhood fiend Ade B)

Spitemask (July 2011) http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/spitemask

Ziff (May 2011) http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/ziff

Dabeno (April 2011) http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/dabeno

--

Finally getting around to Finishing off a few of my favourite songs

Steel Comb (one of the very first Mekano Set songs) http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/track/steel-comb-2

Another favourite; A song we usually warm-up with but we've never released or played live: http://themekanoset.tumblr.com/post/6936060445/cant-work-you-out-something-good-by-the-mekano

Simm (finally getting a guitar to sound how we want it to sound: like it's been liquidized and added to a fruit smoothie)http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/track/simm

Trying out fresh collaborations http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/track/offender

A brief return to the land of Imercia with Sahara Ezzi in the form of I'mFine. Possibly the first song I ever sat down and wrote with someone else, words and everything: http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/imfine + accompanying video filmed by Sahara and Russ in Brighton on a very cold and windy morning in Brighton: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHXWkGjFmiE

---

I've also been working on a trailer for the DVD. And dashing off some fun over at youtube:

A Ladytron / Run Lola Run mashup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VULyGBjjnI

Colourbleed / Stray Dog City http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xYddkUFIf0

WotNow / Psychedlic 60's Bond Spoof http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JvjII_ogNI

Allitis by Stray Dog City http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvndd-8uDEc

---

And watching videos for the Maastricht Circle and Glass Keys EPs:

Even Stevens http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFz6xPHA_iA

Speak in Riddles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tQFRBUF6cI

Throwing Shapes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak526RMO0Qg

Hypnotized East London with performances of Revolutions with Abstinence and Sensibility http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVnMr6mdgpA + you can view a clip from the Hackney gig here:

---

Remixes

Even Stevens is one of my favourite songs. Me and Lee always get a thrill out of doing it live. It's a challenge for me cause it's got fiddly bits, and actual lyrics. It's a challenge for Lee because he has to stand there and strangle the same two strings for 4 minutes. So we offered up a free download of how we do it live: http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/glass-keys

Little Specks of Blood Lust Blood are a band we love. They're from Brighton, but they are really nice people. They're kindred spirits in that they don't make things easy for themselves (why dress up in shite outfits and mime to a CD when you can invent frightening methods of doing it live, and smolder, whilst making it all look like you don't give a fuck). We jumped at the chance to do a remix of Come Closer: http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset/come-closer-by-little-specks-of-blood-the-mekano-set-mix

Andy from Medium Death Kick gigged with us when first started out. Another top person who happens to make lovely filthy noise. So it was pleasure to get my paws on Mermaids: http://soundcloud.com/medium-death-kick/mermaids-themekanoset

---

And not forgetting:

Crystal Castles / Mekano Set / broken iPhone mashup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4WU1mo73jY

Ongoing remasters of the album: http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/and-now-and-then

---

I've gone with bandcamp and youtube links because they are live. We still have material available in the form of CD's and via Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, eMusic etc. but the delay between mastering and availability is a pain!

I do recommend Grooveshark though. There's an interesting mix of our stuff on there. It's basically like Spotify, but without the annoying ads. And you don't have to download anything, it all runs in your browser: http://listen.grooveshark.com/artist/name/1899837

I know I've left a few things out, but I think this is more than enough yes?

Right. Now what?

Milk / mekanoset@gmail.com

IMERCIA: IT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MAP

2011-07-05T19:16:00.005+01:00

When I was a kid I always wanted to know what countries were on the other side of the map. As a grown-up, I want to know what the other side of a song would sound / look like.

Ever wondered what a song looks like? This is what the other side of Routser by Stray Dog City looks like.

Today I finished mixing Spitemask, the 3rd EP by Stray Dog City. It's got some really nourishing noises on it. The full EP contains an additional track: a recording of 'the outside' or 'the other side' of the song Routser. You can listen to the track via tumblr: http://themekanoset.tumblr.com/post/7265552106/when-i-was-a-kid-i-always-wanted-to-know-what

The link is to an actual recording of the outside or ‘the other side’ of Routser by Stray Dog City. Thanks to Steve Armitage for photographic analysis.

http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/spitemask

http://straydogcity.tumblr.com/

You can also stream the EP for free via Grooveshark: http://grooveshark.com/album/Spitemask/6530147

All our bandcamp songs are £1 each. You can get them cheaper elsewhere (and you know we always give mp3's away if you follow our facebook groupings) but we always encourage listening to high quality files because the devil and the joys are in the details.

Anyway, hope you're having fun,

Milk
x

MAGIC LANTERN TIME

2011-05-23T22:37:00.002+01:00

Stray Dog City: Allitis
[Milk + Ade B]

---

The Mekano Set + Sahara Ezzi: I'mFine
[Sahara + Milk + Lee]

---

The Mekano Set

ZiFF

2011-05-21T09:38:00.006+01:00

I'm going to talk about the gig but first, there's a few things going on:

You can now get hold of a 3-track ep by me and Ade B (Stray Dog City) called Ziff. It's more stripped back and groovy than Mekano stuff, with plenty of room for Ade's sub-bass-heavy bass; so it's a lot denser sounding as a consequence.

You can listen to it via Grooveshark (it's like Spotify but without the restrictions and ads, and it runs in your browser so you don't have to download an app).

http://listen.grooveshark.com/artist/name/1909371

http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/ziff

http://straydogcity.bandcamp.com/album/ziff

You can also hear some curiously obscure songs and remixes by The Mekano Set on Grooveshark too. One of my favourite tunes, The Hand by me and Beth Blindness is up and it's a much better mix than the official release (Dead Famous Records put it out on a compilation CD a couple of years ago): http://grooveshark.com/s/The+Hand+widescreen+Mix+/3MkRfK?src=5

They also have two weird and wonderful mixes of Beth's Probably Not song, one by us and one by Al Neilson from Elementary Recordings: http://grooveshark.com/s/Probably+Not+marmalade+Soup+Mix+/3MYy1k?src=5

What their criteria is for finding these gems is beyond me. They won't let me upload any tunes which is a bit annoying, but I can approve things that other people upload (hint hint).

So we played Cowley Club along with Blindness and Lazer Horse and a cracking night it was too. Top! A large quantity of Gin was consumed. Each act brought with them a different distinctive smell apparently. Blindness got everyone grooving and it was great to hang out with Nigel and Lisa. Also a pleasure to see Kev, and Ridder, and Mark and Tom from Pope Joan made an appearance even though they had a gig elsewhere on the same day. Ace.

In other news, BeatnikSoup are currently restoring and digitizing the obscure Zoviet era Monochrome film footage of our exploits with CrackerDog Productions in Eastbourne last year. So we are well on our way to seeing the completion of The Mekano Set DVD. It's going to be... well, let's say it's going to be much more cinematic than the plain old compilation of videos it could have been. Definitely worth the wait.

The Mekano Set

NEW NOISES / LIVE AND RECORDED

2011-05-07T10:55:00.003+01:00

We're very over-excited and full of pop and crisps today. The new EP has just gone live and is now available at iTunes Store: Glass Keys - The Mekano Set

We've added an additional free download to the bandcamp version: the incredibly mangled remix of Throwing Shapes by Medium Death Kick (the current project of our fiend Andy Gibson from the wonderfully seedy Engine Room Club days ): http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/glass-keys

We'll post links to Spotify etc. as and when they go live. WoooO!!!!!

Also, this time next week we'll be getting ourselves ready for a Saturday night at Cowley Club in Brighton where we'll be playing alongside the brilliant industrial-strength electro-rawk of Blindness and the acoustic-grunge-anthems of the mighty Lazer Horse. https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=211278272222023

The Mekano Set

HAHAHA

2011-04-23T22:34:00.002+01:00

Hello Mekheads,

How are we then?

There is a propper Blog on its way. In the meantime why not come on over to our tumbly page where's there's a load of tunes and musings up for grabs: http://themekanoset.tumblr.com/

Also must say thanks to Lyle from A Terrible Splendor and also to BeatnikSoup, Ade B, Mike and Rory Poppins for their amusing words of wisdom and silliness.

More soon,

Milk
xxx

HOPE Not Hate | BNP to launch manifesto this weekend

2011-04-14T17:28:00.000+01:00

HOPE not hate | BNP to launch manifesto this weekend

The Mekano Set

NoiseLetter Spring 2011

2011-03-18T20:02:00.022Z

The Mekano Set would like to thank the people of Imercia for their generous co-operation and insight into their un-cultural practices.

Hello you,

Well you know, like, we tried to call you but couldn't get a signal, yeah? Look right, we know it's like 4 in the morning yeah, but want to hang? But... Etc.

The end of 2010 / beginning of 2011 we celebrate the release of our first ever EP. Yay. This is the first release from us that doesn't feature guest vocalists or (guest) musicians. It's 100% us.

Thanks to everyone who has bought / listened / commented so far. You can read the full story here:

http://www.mekanoset.net/circle.html

And listen to the songs via Spotify here.

"This cider tastes funny."
"That's not cider, it's bleach."

"The Mekano Set... pall-bearers to the the aftershocks of neo-electro-goth industrial-pop. I'm all up for more darkness this year, especially when it comes dressed as beguilingly as these tracks." Meatbreak's review of the ep: http://nfrblog.blogspot.com/

We think it's fair to say that our web presence is something of an adventure in itself. At almost every site you'll find a different treasure.

A page from The Single

We're steadily working our way through a batch of new mixes. You can find an increasing collection of material exclusively via our bandcamp store: http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/

Our Facebook page offers regularly updated random nonsense and some amusing spam too: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=87903390807

And we also use our tumblr page to host exclusive free downloads, images and random ramblings: http://themekanoset.tumblr.com/

Also - we're delighted to say that we've just been informed we'll be gigging with Blindness - http://weareblindness.tumblr.com/ - on Saturday 14th March as a fundraiser for the excellent Anarchist venue Cowley Club in Brighton: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=211278272222023

And why not drop on by Lee's blog where you will find colourful details of his own adventures in Imercia http://psdarcy.blogspot.com/

And seeing as we're being charitable, how about you meet us half way and check out the equally amusing Elite Panther Dash - the Official Imercian Running Team for the 2012 Olympics - and all their good charity work.

Dan and Lee, doing it for the kids. Fuck you Bono.

Next up, we've set up a play-list where you can listen to 3 tracks from our forthcoming EP, Glass Keys:

http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset/sets

For those of you in the know, we can confirm that we've booked a very appropriate venue for the launch party of The Single. Invitations will be in the post presently.

The Single has been delivered. How to describe it? It's certainly unique.

In the wider world, synth-pop duo This Mono Galaxy have a brand new album out: http://thismonogalaxy.bandcamp.com/album/the-envy-scratch

If you're feeling frisky, you can hear preview tracks from the forthcoming Anarchistwood album: http://garagepunk.ning.com/profile/funkcutter

And Little Specks of Blood Lust Blood have a new teaser for their forthcoming debut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTTc3iGf3HQ

They also have a new drummer.

Enough for now. Hope this finds you well,

The Mekano Set
XXX

The Mekano Set

Spring. Feels good. Not just for the pretend-pagans.

Beneath the beach, the pavement.

WHAT HAVE YOU BECOME?

2011-03-18T14:25:00.003Z

Remastered / Remixed song: http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset/i-m-thinking-about-it

The Mekano Set

BLISSORROW

2011-03-11T22:37:00.003Z

There is a new sound set up at http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset/sets/glass-keys/

And there's a new song up on our Tumbly page: http://themekanoset.tumblr.com/post/3790692398/fuck-it-at-least-ive-started

Alrighty then?

MEK HAS HISTORY

2011-03-02T21:33:00.006Z

Baritone (and the guitar is too)

Purely for the sake of nostalgia. This is a really early demo of Don't Eat The Sweets. http://themekanoset.tumblr.com/post/3602964253/down-tempo-and-smoky-a-very-different-sounding

It's not even in concert pitch. Same bass and guitar as I use to this day. Natural reverb, acoustic drum kit. Probably recorded at my parent's house under the influence of Lucozade Solstice, very early in the morning while no one was in. No EQ, no compression. I remember people hearing the proper version of this and being disappointed!

You have a history. Don't bury it, celebrate it.

CALL IT A DAY

2011-02-15T20:46:00.001Z

Bands want to be seen, not heard.

Oi!

We're back home bruised, humbled and shocked after the gig.

• You guessed it. We like pop music.

• The next big thing, they want to sound like their favourite band - and that's it. They don't want to take their favourite sounds any further.

• We say imitation is not enough.

• We are bored. We want to dance. We want to hear something new. While dancing.

• Nobody else is going to do that for us.

• Your average band couldn't care less what they sound like. It's low on the list, if it's on the list at all.

There are some people that travel their own path. Regardless. And fill us full of joy and hope as a consequence.

Little Specks of Blood Lust Blood

This Mono Galaxy

Fall of Efrafa

Anarchistwood

Belle Phoenix

Al Neilson

Blindness

People like Meatbreak, DJ Sara Proxy, Elementary Productions, Martin Oldgoth, DJ Cavey Nick and DJ Bill Buttock. Two fingers up to what 'you should do'.

So excuse us, if we bow out, while still listening to Wiley, Magazine, Beyonce, Ivor Cutler, Autechre, The Clash, Kate Bush - and whatever else takes our fancy.

None of their rules. Don't call it a day. Make a night of it.

(Lee celebrates a job well done)

And if you actually believe that we are giving up, you can piss off and leave us alone.

Lee / Milk.

The Mekano Set

Bye Bye Brighton

2011-02-09T16:36:00.008Z

Hey, have you done something different with your hair? We're playing an afternoon session at The Albert this Saturday - 12th February. It looks like this will be our last gig for a while. The perfect crime?

You want something on your feet. You'll catch your death. Bye Bye Brighton will be another sweet Matineé Mashup. These things have been so much fun we couldn't refuse. You get the playing live bit out of the way nice and early, then it be party time! So it'll be a groovy opportunity to say our goodbyes. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=192784037415381

We'll be selling and giving away what we have left of an assortment of ep's, posters and books, and there might even be a pre-release version of the DVD in amongst the goodies.

So, due to circumstances beyond my control it looks like I'm leaving Brighton in a couple of weeks. The owner of the building we've recorded, rehearsed and kipped in for the last 2 / 3 years is selling the place. I'm gutted, and not looking forward to the prospect of shifting the shocking amount of gear we've accumulated over the last couple of years. But I think it will do me good to take a break from life down south for a bit.

My plan is to spend March re-reading Julian Cope biographies, drinking Guinness and Vimto and seeing what happens next. No pressure.

I tell you, seriously, we've done some really ace gigs over the last few months, and the latest batch of songs are the best we've done to date, but as we get better at doing what we do, I feel less and less pressure to prove anything.

So, if you're thirsty, have a look at our last.fm page for some fresh mixes.

Here's an interview with me, Lee and Sahara that I have absolutely no memory of doing: http://www.iranrock.com/index.php?option=com_portfolio&id=103&view=item&Itemid=95

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Mekano+Set

Bye Bye Brighton: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=192784037415381

Live bands and DJ's from 2 pm - 5 pm. Then drinks and debate until the wee hours!

Need any more info you can drop us a line via mekanosetatgmail.com

Computers. Some times I get so sick of having to press everything TWICE.

Milk
xxx

Not For Resale: REVIEW: The Mekano Set - Maastricht EP

2011-01-31T12:08:00.000Z

Not For Resale: REVIEW: The Mekano Set - Maastricht EP: "The Mekano Set and me go way back, to the dawn of NFR (Check out this t-shirt in the photo below!...if you can make it out....), but Milk ha..."

The Mekano Set

THROWING SHAPES

2011-01-26T18:33:00.002Z

Massive Attack meets Iron Maiden.

2011-01-15T18:03:00.006Z

The plan was to follow up the filthy angst-riddled industrial-strenght fuzz fest of Maastricht Circle EP with a more down-tempo, loved up affair. Sort of Barry White on Ketamine. Even though we think K is for vacuous middle class de-voids, and Barry White is for sexual predators with moustaches and slip-on shoes. Stick around, it gets funnier.

But sticking to a plan is a rarity amongst all but the most human. And there's been such a really great response to the demos of songs we were working on in December (more angst-riddled filth). That gave us the impetus to get them finished rather than spend weeks performing exploratory surgery on the frequencies of each drum in turn.

The fact that people actually paid for downloads (rather than waiting for some clammy Czechoslovakian charmer with a moustache and slip-on shoes to host short-wave radio quality text files of them on a Celeron PC tower wired up to a car battery in the back of a van).

So while you're waiting for the Vass Man to siphon off enough diesel from a nearby Renault to fire up his Server, there are now 3 new songs up on bandcamp.

This is a real point though. Mainstream bands have the luxury of corporate funding. They also have to deal with the leveling effect of file-sharing. File-sharing is nothing new. Genuinely independant acts and labels haven't been effected in the same way.

The problem is that the industry has always been behind the times in terms of what is actually going on in the world, particularly in youth culture and the innovations of adults who haven't given up to money-greed.

Before mp3's and file sharing, people had access to blank CD's. Before that, it was cassettes. Hell, people were copying vinyl back in the day.

I've always compared music to food. It doesn't grow on trees.

Of course, food actually does grow on trees. Amazing isn't it? But 99% of the time somebody owns the tree. Some people even earn a living by tending to the trees, nurturing and supporting them. Gathering what are known as 'crop'. Crazy yeah?!

When I was a kid, I started to get interested in the idea of making music. I wasn't interested in being in a band. The people in bands (almost exclusively male, overly macho in one way or another, not quite middle class but with a bit more money than the rest of us) made no sense to me. They weren't artists. It wasn't creative it was just about posturing, copying, getting attention. I wasn't interested in getting attention but I seriously felt the need to make.

I was only vaguely aware of the way that a certain song could put you in a very specific mood.

We're holding on to the final mixes of the more brighter, less spite-fuelled songs like Hahaharem and Simm for the moment. Not to say that this current batch is entirely about treading water via people's faces:

In one song, there's even a guitar part that actually bares more than a passing resemblance to the sound of a real-life electric guitar. Lead-guitar even. It's our Massive Attack meets Iron Maiden song. And no, I'm not being at all ironic when I say that.

The truth is, all along what I've been trying to do is combine the 'Tripple Lead Attack' blues-metal of late 80's 'Maiden, with the melody-free, 3 am valium groove of recent Massive Attack albums.

We previously posted demos of these songs on soundcloud (Glass Keys, Throwing Shapes and I Hate Your Band / SlowTime). If they do alright on bandcamp we'll see about getting them on Spotify etc. If not, we'll deny everything and claim that we spent the whole time secretly finishing off the less nasty songs.

Looking at video footage this weekend. Wanted to go see Blindness playing in Brixton but I'd been up til dawn the previous night working on a new idea (since I was reminded it's been a long time since we did any slow beats, or any fast beats for that matter). So time to play with some different tempos don't you know. Also my hair looks stupid.

This post is dedicated to Milan Vasilev. My Czech fiend who passed away in December. One of the few genuine people I've met since living down here. I won't fowgedaboudit, Milo

Turkish.

THERE'S NO NAME FOR IT YET

2011-01-03T14:34:00.030Z

The inevitable end of year roundup, complete with the inevitable random images!

So, we survived. It's been a tough year, but we are well aware that 2010 was the most productive time we've ever had. We've never gigged so consistently (we managed to do at least one event every month - no mean feat for an unconventional band with no manager, no publicist, no booking agent, no street team...).

"My whole life flashed before my eyes. I realized that I'd spent way too much time dying my hair red, with a slice of cold pizza in one hand and a San Miguel in the other. I thought it would be all about kick drums and girls with Louise Brooks haircuts."

It also feels like we've made real progress in terms of production and arrangement and being more able to create the sounds we want to hear (a band doesn't have to worry about the details usually, but our thing is so much about the sound it would not be fun or helpful to involve a real producer). The EP was ready just in time for the end of the year.

We've increasingly operated smoothly without the aid of guest musicians. So it seemed natural to keep the EP in-house. There are a couple of unreleased tracks with Sahara vocals that we're all really pleased with, but we're hanging on to them for the time being.

Somebody emailed me last week to say they'd bought a version of a Reel to Real CD in a shop that had about 9 tracks on it (the 'missing first album' by me and Beth - check with us before you purchase anything like that as some are only demo versions and not as good as later mixes - at least to our ears).

"Black Swan = Fight Club without the laughs."

Certain people assumed that we would continue to work with guest vocalists for the majority of songs. Sahara travels a lot and isn't available for as many sessions as we'd like. There was pressure to find "another fit female singer" that I found really pretty offensive. And nobody involved backed me up on that.

"Sometimes it feels like there's been a return to the 'Carry On' / saucy postcard sexism mentality to Britain - minus the gags. And without Kenneth Williams. Or Charles Hawtrey."

Anyway, we did a couple of gigs. Just me and Lee and a smoke machine. It was make or break time as far as I was concerned.

So we took our time to get into the groove. And people that have seen us in all our guises got to hear what we are really capable of. It's true that I've been hiding for a long time. I guess people didn't expect that I could, or would even want to, hold down a bassline, or sing, rather than bellow and noodle away in the background.

So while we're always open to collaborations, there's no intention to get a full-time vocalist in. It was always my intention to not replace Beth with another female vocalist.

Sahara was a friend who offered real moral support when I didn't want to carry on, and didn't know where to go. She contributed so much to the last album, but she is fundamentally a bass player not a vocalist, and neither of us was happy with the pressure she was placed under to become a front-person.

We're not a rock band. This is about sound, not theatrics (not that we have a problem with the visual / antics / theatrics of bands - we just don't have the time and energy to embellish on that level).

As Abstinence & Sensibility, working with Jo has given me the chance to explore live-looping and improvizing again. It also gave me the confidence to stop hiding behind guest singers all the time and deploy the secret weapon (tiny guy, big voice).

It was a real thrill to play with some really great bands too.

Anarchistwood transcend the conventions of punk rock, bypass the macho bullshit closeted attitude and turn it into a celebration.

Blindness have taken the grit and grind of NIN and given it more energy and urgency than the Les Paul wielding jocks ever did. Deb Smith's pared-down guitar chops and a spitefully lo-fi drum machine provide the perfect foil for Beth to stomp around in.

Little Specks of Blood have taken the rotting guts of electronic music and welded it to metal guitars, quirky loopage and wiley feline energy, making it seem both complex and effortless at the same time.

In 2011 we'll be working on some more unusual projects: physical copies of Maastricht Circle EP will come in a book.

We'll also be seeing how much footage we can cram onto a single DVD. The book Letters From Imercia will hopefully see the light of day.

And I suppose you've got to have at least one list haven't you?

5 songs on Repeat this year:

1. Pap Smear - Crystal Castles (still a sucker for a female vocal)
2. Someone Great - LCD Soundsystem (from 2007 but the vibe still works)
3. Wearing My Rolex - Wiley (from a couple of years ago but we dig the self-depreciating humour and well, the kick drum...)
4. Benga / Katy B: Man on a Mission / Katy B on a Mission (not new, and pretty lite, but it reminded me how much Dubstep was free from conventional 60's song structure. Inevitably people are going to start welding songs onto it's shifting grooves: but the 'song' still doesn't have to fit the convention)
5. Hideaway - Playgroup (an old down-tempo groove I heard Gilles Peterson play when I was a kid. Taken me all year to find it).

So, if you weren't around over the holiday, the new EP became available just before Christmoose and is available in high quality formats via Bandcamp, cheap and cheerful mp3's via Emusic and iTunes. The tracks are also available on Spotify.

http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset

http://themekanoset.tumblr.com/

The Mekano Set

Patron Saint of Blasphemy

2010-12-26T17:55:00.004Z

Allo lovelies. Hope you get a holiday and hope you get to enjoy it. Here's a brand spanking new track hot off the desk. Time now for feet up, wine and biscuits.

Cheers everyone. xxx

http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset/throwing-shapes

Oh, and we also tumbl... http://themekanoset.tumblr.com/

P.S. Thanks to DJ Cruel Britannia for reminding us, the Maastricht Circle is also available @ EMUSIC.

CHRISTMOOSE

2010-12-24T17:22:00.000Z

xxx

HEY BUDDY!

2010-12-07T15:51:00.012Z

Maastricht Circle, the new EP, has just gone up on Spotify. http://open.spotify.com/album/2JPrdaYNAOz0cNWjLkPOeF

And at iTunes Store. Why not indulge yourself. And us. It is nearly Christmouse after all.

I should point out that this is the first release that doesn't feature any guest vocals. It's very much a homegrown affair and much more cohesive and coherent as a result. Early on we were hoping that Nigel would be able to contribute some noises but he's been tied up with Uni, and Sahara is in Paris.

What else? So I was saying to a friend again last week about how we never write any lyrics down. It's only when you say these things out loud that you realize how odd they might sound. Which is the opposite of what I think our lyrics are: the important thing is that they sound good - not how they look on paper. This isn't poetry after all.

I don't care if something is pretentious. Being pretendtious (as Jo Staples puts it) saves lives. It's not pretentiousness people have a problem with, it's newness, excess, bravery, originality.

We're braver than any macho rock band. We do our thing, our way, with our sounds. What's rebellious or rock and roll about trying to sound exactly like your heroes? I guess we're just not sexually repressed enough.

We never sit down and try to write a song 'about' something. I've tried, and it just becomes too much like hard work. It's much more fun and rewarding to just let it sort of happen by itself. Like a lot of things in life I guess.

Saturday was a lot of fun by the way. From what I can remember of it. We did a slow, Casio Keyboard drums Christmouse version of Sweets. And a new song that I'm tempted to put up online somewhere, even though it's only a demo recording.

Sorry about the web site being down by the way - we weren't notified it was due to expire. Should be back up in a day or so.

Thanks to Al at Elementary Records for getting the EP up and out into the worlds.

xxx

BRIGHTON GIG

2010-11-22T20:08:00.005Z

Just a quick note to say that we're going to be celebrating what we think has been our most productive year in a long time, with a party at The Albert in Brighton. Saturday 4th December, from midday to midnight.

From 2pm til 5pm there will be bands and DJ's upstairs at The Albert, then we'll see where we end up. Join us!

Merry Christmouse toiletbabies.

Have joy.
xxx

Facebook event page.

PROPAGANDA

2010-11-14T11:51:00.004Z

In a bar near London Bridge. Writing hate-mail. Thinking about love.

A proper weekend. Friday we played East London at the incredible Ice Father Nation. A seemingly endless maze-like collection of crumbling rooms and cellar spaces. Our set was raggedy but I feel good about it.

I forgot just how good Anarchistwood are. Totally special and really amazing people. They even got me up on stage but I bottled it pretty much instantly. Elle Revel did a tasteful dance with a sheet to catch the light of a video projector.

The A Band sneakily managed to take an hour to sound check. We didn't even get a line check. Went on stage to discover all our gear had been unplugged and our cables bastardized. Which lead to the discovery that Anarchistwood's DJ setup hadn't been plugged in properly and they were in mono. Still, a wonderful night.

A quick trip to Brighton and back to deliver a few CD's. Then spent Saturday catching up with the brilliant Rory Poppins in central London. Tube nightmares and tourist attractions. Fell asleep on the night bus. A confused cab journey that ended in the driver giving up and not charging us a penny of the huge amount of dosh he could have. Funny how a couple of pints can so easily turn into a couple of bottles of wine. Fell asleep watching Boys Don't Cry.

"I would totally turn for Hilary Swank. As a boy."

So now it's Sunday. I'm waiting for Jo Staples and a 'business lunch'. I'm over-emotional due to lack of sleep and it feels good. We'll be checking out an art space underneath London Bridge station for a possible Abstinence & Sensibility piece in December.

"FUCK YOUR BAD POETRY YOUR BAD ART AND YOUR TRIBUTE BAND"

I should say that it might be a couple more weeks before the EP is available on Spotify etc. but in the meantime if you don't want to wait you can get really high-quality downloads of the tracks right now at http://themekanoset.bandcamp.com/album/maastricht-circle

XXX

The Mekano Set

NO:ID

2010-11-07T11:42:00.009Z

"The A Band is an experimental music ensemlbe / Anarchistwood - is it queer punk? / The Mekano Set - The Mekano Set's sounds are made almost entirely from sweet-wrappers, mirrors, bird cages and antique machinery." NO:ID / Total Transparency.

Hello all. So next up, on Friday 12th we join Anarchistwood (free-wheeling metro-sexual Art-Punk Pranksters) and The A Band (free-improv with a vengeance) at NO:ID Gallery Vaults aka Ice Father Nation, 33-35 Commercial Road, London, E1 1LD.

Music runs between 9pm - 11.30pm. Exhibition upstairs, music and bands downstairs.

Facebook event page link.

A map - nearest tube station = Aldgate East http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&mid=8100&where1=33+Commercial+Road%2C+London%2C+Greater+London%2C+E1+1LD&mkt=en-GB

anarchistwood @ myspace.

I CAN LEARN

2010-10-31T13:56:00.010Z

Somebody said there were more former members and part-timers in the crowd than there were on stage. The set is a blur. My playing was messy - I got so wrapped up in singing I had no idea what my hands were doing. I think I played Sweets with my eyes closed the entire time. That's got to be a first. But it was so much fun.

"This is not a poem about hating men..."

Really great to see some of the old gang it was very nearly like a family reunion. Nice to see a Mekano Set t-shirt or two in the crowd. We keep saying we're going to make some new ones. Really great to see Pat and Cat and Ruairi. The crazy micks. And Sahara and Nige (who had to introduce himself as Bert Triangle to get on the guest list).

"Boy meets girl. Girl meets girl. Who looks like the boy..."

Thanks again to Ricochet Romance for inviting us along and cheers to Unkindness of Ravens for rounding off things with a blast.

The Mekano Set

SOUNDSPHERE MAGAZINE INTERVIEW

2010-10-28T12:06:00.003+01:00

S] Where does the inspiration come to merge electronic and rock influences now in 2010?

Milk] Willful self indulgence?

A fun, rambling interview with me, Lee and Dom Smith @ Soundsphere Magazine:

www.soundspheremag.com/spotlight/56-artist/1698-spotlight-mekano-set

THE SPIRIT OF 77

2010-10-20T15:10:00.002+01:00

A sneaky peek: The Mekano Set: Maastricht Circle.

MAARS

2010-10-14T20:22:00.008+01:00

We are dangerously close to having an EP on our hands. We have four songs and a remix of a track from the first album.

As an appetizer for the album, to our ears at least it sounds way more consistent and a whole lot fatter. If you're curious, there are some early demos of tracks on soundcloud.

"Whatchoo loohinat?!"

Also, I'm pretty excited about playing Hope & Anchor on Saturday of Halloween weekend! Apparently it's fancy dress and there will be some added theatrics in the shape of fire-eaters, and dancers...

"Cheers!"

Well anyway, I better get back to not adding any more noises to these tracks... see you!

Milk
x

The Mekano Set

SPOTIFY

2010-10-08T11:32:00.002+01:00

We're now on Spotify! Thanks to Sunny for lettinng us know and thanks to Elementary Recordings for making it happen!

http://elementaryrecordings.co.uk/

http://www.spotify.com/

STRAY DOG CITY

2010-10-05T23:05:00.001+01:00

Heatwave by Stray Dog City by mekanoset

NEW NOISES

2010-09-25T17:42:00.002+01:00

A new song with vocodered guitars and other sweet noises up at Soundcloud:

Simm (Demo) by mekanoset

HACKNEY IS ALSO WELL BUGGY

2010-09-20T15:05:00.007+01:00

Had a fantastic time on Friday in London. Me and Pickles (the class of 2005) subdued a couple of hundred people with Revolutions.

There's something really intense about singing when you have no idea what words or sounds are going to come out until you start. An unmic'd melodika and a voice with no script.

"Sorry if that seemed like I was asking you to knit me a jumper."

Hanging out with Nige and aching all over from lugging all the gear from one bit of London to the next under the added weight of a touch of flu / sleep deprevation.

"Sleight of hand. The art of shop-lifting and card tricks and invisibility. Because too many people fall asleep on their feet."

Bit of a party at our place on Saturday nite so no chance to catch up on sleep. Ho hum. This week = video editing, a bit of work on the book and re-mixing You Make Me Feel Like a Smiths Song for the EP. Also sifting through tracks for some potential collaborations...

This is England '86

2010-09-15T14:21:00.000+01:00

Nostalgia for unpleasant times. Nice to see something not set in London or Manchester for a change though eh?

The Mekano Set

ELEMENTARY

2010-09-13T19:32:00.001+01:00

"Coats are great though aren't they? Always a pocket to keep your portable cassette player and sweets." Inspired. Elementary Recordings

HOW DO YOU SPELL HOLIDAY?

2010-09-11T13:52:00.008+01:00

Next live date = Friday 17th September @ Second Floor Cafe, Netil House, Hackney, E8 3RL. I'll be doing Revolutions with BeatnikSoup:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154120287937872

After a batch of gigs we tend to take a natural breather. We've managed to do at least one live thing a month so far this years (several in some cases, plus Lee's DJ sets and my live-soundtrack sets with BeatnikSoup.

After a gig, the urge to makes noise returns after a day or so. This time it's been about three weeks of avoiding anything to do with music.

It's been good to have a proper break. I've been doing a spot of travelling (and picking up a little video footage along the way). But it's a relief that the creative urges have returned after all. I'm currently toying with a mix of a mirthful song called 'He's No Gigolo.'

We have completed a new E.P. We're just waiting on the artwork. Me and Lee have started working on a couple of new ideas. You can check soundcloud for the latest mixes: http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset/

Next gig: performing Revolutions in Hackney, Friday 17th September @ Second Floor Cafe, Netil House, E8 3RL. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154120287937872

Milk
xxx

AND ERM

2010-08-22T14:06:00.007+01:00

stubble = grown up yeah?

We are emerging into the light on the other side of a fun / suitably contentious batch of gigs. I'm pleased to say that it feels like I 'got my groove back' - which is to say I've started smirking and saying quite offensive things in-between songs. And also really enjoying singing all over again. And we've started doing more than one song per set again.

No confirmed dates at the moment, I'm concentrating on finishing the EP and Lee and Rollo have been discovering hidden depths in the book.

Alright then poppets. More laters.

Milkyway
x

GARY V IGGY

2010-08-16T14:39:00.003+01:00

Gary Glitter and Iggy Pop, fighting to the death on the beach over the site of sunbathing twin girls.

Iggy wins. Digs himself a hole and goes to sleep in it.

My dream life just gets more and more...

Also... you can have a look at an edit of Revolutions:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVnMr6mdgpA

xxx

ENSONIQ

2010-08-14T17:48:00.002+01:00

Hmmm... I reckon I'm going to have to get myself some kind of PC... a software sim of the only synth I've ever liked using. The SQ80 was a hybrid - adigital synth that had real analog filters. I got sounds out of mine that I've never been able to re-create. And I wrote Sweets and Dirty Hand Job on it.

Naturally, it's not available for Mac...

VSTi Ensoniq SQ80.

MMM + HMMM

2010-08-11T21:03:00.009+01:00

My camera made this, it should be a picture of a face.
It's broken but making its own collages?

I've spent the day making an edit of Revolutions (the latest film / live soundtrack by Milk & BeatnikSoup) with audio from the recent performances. There's some SERIOUS bass end going on.

Now that I have less distractions (my top drinking buddy Poppins has escaped the confines of Brighton in favour of London Village, as most of my fiends seem to be doing lately, and DJ Ruse isn't really speaking to me at the moment as I keep referring to him as a fauxscist) I hope that I'll get back to putting the finishing touches on the DVD and me, Rollo and Lee plan to get together soon to go through the book.

Gigwise, it was great to get people dancing on Friday. Hello and thanks again to everyone who saw our set. The place was an absolute sweatbox, coupled with the smoke machine things certainly had an atmosphere... I was obviously enjoying myself and wasn't able to contain my smirk / sarcastic comments (I won't repeat them, if you weren't there, that's another of your losses!).

DJ Sara sporting the Imercian Flag!

Every thing feels and every thing sings.

I got to go. Work to be done.

Milk
xxx

PRIDE

2010-08-08T16:50:00.003+01:00

Friday at The Hope was a lot of fun. Thank you to everyone that saw us play and cheers to Allan and Helen from Little Specks for inviting us. Just about recovered.

We made the set up as we went along. Started with a free-form thing (I can't remember what I was singing about but it was completely spontaneous and felt really good) that eventually turned into Sweets. I was feeling relaxed and comfortable.

You know we're feeling good if we get a bit sarcastic. I even explained what unpleasant things a couple of songs are about. That's a first.

Little Specks of Blood Lust Blood were really intense.

I'll write a bit more once I'm more awake.

xxx

THE MISANTHROPES TEA PARTY

2010-07-25T20:01:00.004+01:00

No posey copy-cat indie bands. No sweaty metal. No Oi bands. No fake sound-art. No posh jungle DJ's. No honky MC's. Just pure ugly beautiful music.

Electro-rock. Drum machines, dirty guitars, bass riffs, boys and girls staring each other out to find out who makes the least sense. You should probably stay at home.

This Friday, at The Hope in Brighton.

If you want to know more:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141054582574971

The Mekano Set

THAT'S A LITTLE TOO CLOSE

2010-07-23T17:37:00.007+01:00

Little Specks of Blood Lust Blood
snapped by MsDee

Having spent most of the week in bed, a remix for smoldering electro-rockers Little Specks of Blood Lust Blood has finally given me reason to get up and get to work. The song is Come Closer and I'm doing a mix I'm calling 'That's A Little Bit Too Close'. Haha.

Ruse recommended them with a smile and as soon as I saw them I got it.

They're a duo. They both loop and sample themselves live. Allan has a 'tarantula-top' style haircut, (my favourite hairstyle) and Helen makes you want to use words like Smolder and Dusky Beauty. But they're not Electro, they're not Trip-Hop and they're not a studied or contrived Synth-Pop duo.

They're actually proper Rock / Metal in terms of their arrangements and rhythms, at least to my ears. Putting a serious twist on that by doing it as a duo, with live-loops and live samples (which I can say from experience is really NOT the easy option). I like what they do because they're not trying to weld it to Trip-Hop or DnB. Nice.

It's only when you see them do it live that you really appreciate what they're about. We're playing with them at The Hope in Brighton Friday 6th August. So that means smoke machines AND video projections too. Oh yes...

http://soundcloud.com/littlespecks/

SMOKE MACHINES AND CARNAGE

2010-07-22T20:41:00.008+01:00

"The band got pissed off, turned the smoke machine on full blast until you literally could not see your hand in front of your face and left after one song! Brilliant!"

"Why do the monitors sound like old detuned radios?"

Milkovitch snapped by MsDee

Nice write-up from Fokkawolfe: http://fokkawolfe.blogspot.com/

It's all true - although it was only me that got pissed off (very) at the gig he mentions. I'm proud to say we did completely flood the place with smoke (it looked amazing) and left the building in disgust after one song.

The contentiously titled Dirty Hand Job was one of the first Mekano Set songs. It was written right about the same time as Don't Eat the Sweets.

There is a version with Beth Rettig (from the band Blindness) but we never quite got the mix right and it only ever really worked live (in the sense that we enjoyed playing it and also enjoyed the fact that it always seemed to offend and confound people more than our other songs - and not because of the title, we never told anyone the title).

When our equipment was up to the job, we'd stretch it out and improvize around different sections. It often featured a 'beating up a guitar' solo or a 'Beth goes to the bar for a round of drinks' solo amongst other things.

The song is 90% snipe at the "bad dance music made by people who dance badly" EBM / Techno thing and 10% "we've got more imagination, we make more noise and say more than the snooty 'we're not goths, we're special spooky nazi robots' would ever dare."

Now You Know You Know is from this year. It's obviously about how important it is to make yourself look stupid when you're around someone you're really into.

http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset/dirty-hand-job-original-mix

http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset/now-you-know-you-know

See also FokkaWolfe's Blindness + Little Specks of Blood Lust Blood review: http://fokkawolfe.blogspot.com/2010/06/little-specks-of-blood-lust-blood-and.html

GANGSTERS

2010-07-11T14:15:00.009+01:00

Massive mixing sessions Thursday / Friday. Mastered three or four tracks. Huge leap into the world of 'nicely EQ'd mixes'. EQ nightmares.

Met up with Sahara and Nigel. Ambled about Brick Lane in the blaze. Hung out with Jo and Nigel over the weekend.

We're doing something a bit special next Sunday: me and Jo will be playing at Queen of Hoxton at the 15 Minute Factory festival. It's an all-dayer, our contribution will happen after 7pm, downstairs (video projections + live soundtrack). These things are a lot of fun -

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=133665659978977

We've also bribed Nigel into joining the Meks for the Hope gig in Brighton on Friday 6th August with the wicked Little Specks of Blood Lust Blood! For those of you who don't know - Nigel played guitar and synth on the early recordings (those mental noises on Reel to Real are all Nigel's work).

The Mekano Set

THE HEAT IS LIKE A PERVERT

2010-06-25T20:17:00.000+01:00

The heat. It's like a pervert, staring in through your window, trying to catch a glimpse of you just in your socks and vest and pants.

The Mekano Set

EVEN STEVENS

2010-06-25T19:49:00.004+01:00

We've obtained permission to get the video for You're The One Who Started It back online http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGKGEL5c31s

Also, you can have a listen to a new idea we've been working on, still a work-in-progress, at http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset/ we started it with a view to making some kind of gentle, almost cheerful song but it inevitably went down the road of spiteful electro stomp. We like the fact that the baritone ended up doing the Chameleons style guitar thing.

Had a great time at Cowley Club Wednesday night. Nigel (of John Table / Reel to Real / fame and early Mekano Set instigator) came down and I basically talked his and Jo's ear off until god knows what time. Possibility of working with Nigel again in the near future is a very good thing schedules permitting and I'll hopefully drag him along to the next Wrapped in Plastic (who are now called Blindness) gig in July.

Abstinence and Sensibility did a new piece. A film / video and live soundtrack. That's sort of our 'thing'. We used accordion, melodica, bass guitar, some reverse reverb piano and I even felt brave enough to do some live looping. I did some singing and bass loops which felt really good. We're taking it up to London for the Hoxton gigs.

This week we've also done some more work on the videos for You Make Me Feel Like a Smiths Song and Don't Eat the Sweets. And I'm hopefully meeting up with nomadic troubadour Sahara Ezzi next week.

Enough for now,

Milk
xxx

The Mekano Set

REVOLUTIONS

2010-06-22T10:26:00.004+01:00

What's happening? What's occurring. It's all going on down here in Brighton. Behind the scenes...

Some live dates for the diary:

Wednesday 23rd June @ Cowley Club, Brighton (Milk & Pickles / visuals + live sountrack) with the excellent Crayola Lectern.

Sunday 18th July @ The Queen of Hoxton, London (Milk & Pickles / visuals + live sountrack): an all-dayer with bands, DJ's, performers and art over 3-floors.

Friday 6th August @ The Hope, Brighton (The Mekano Set: lineup tba) with Little Specks of Blood Lust Blood.

Tuesday 10th August @ Underbelly Hoxton, London (Milk & Pickles / visuals + live sountrack).

"That's twice today I've been accosted by drunk old men with frightening teeth."

In other noise, there's no more copies left of the last CD, well there is two left but I'm keeping them in my bag for emergencies. We're putting out some sampler CD's of material from Hahaharem (the much unanticipated second 'album').

If you've already placed an order for the CD / DVD Watershed set we'll probably chuck in a copy of Hahaharem as it seems to fit the overall groove and style of the thing. We still only intend to produce about 20 copies as the packaging will contain high quality, hand-printed lyth photography. And we're not interested in doing a bog-standard boring version, we don't buy that stuff so why would you?

As it stands, because of issues over the filming of a couple of gigs we did with Sahara Ezzi (nobody asked our permission, or hers) we had a major rethink over the contents of the DVD. The good news is, we have more material than we can fit onto the disc.

We definitely plan to include Train of Thought, the short film I put together with Jo (BeatnikSoup), and the Tyre film (actual analog film, no digital electrickery involved) we made in collaboration with CrackerDog Productions / Elementary Productions.

More later, the heat's getting to me.

Milk
xxx

The Mekano Set

I'MFINE

2010-06-18T18:09:00.002+01:00

I'mFine by The Mekano Set featuring Sahara Ezzi.

Video by Elementary Productions. Filmed by Ruse23. Miss Ezzi's wardrobe by SolventBoy. Music and words by Milk & Sahara © 2010 Elementary Recordings / DesertSpoon Discs. With thanks to Lee Christien, BeatnikSoup and Al Neilson. Reproduced with permission.

A NIGHT WITH A SEA VIEW

2010-05-26T09:17:00.002+01:00

Tonight, Wednesday 26th May, we're heading down to the sea for a night that's promising classic Indie / Post-Punk / Electro / Goth / Post-Rock / Shoegaze. DJ's and "some damn fine live bands", and us:

Tugging at your heart-strings:

The Mekano Set (music made from sweet-wrappers and cheap booze)

Little Specks of Blood Lust Blood (angry make-up sex electro-rock)

The English Standard (Gothic / Nu-Gaze / Post-Punk)

Pytron (cinematic, ambient post-rock)

Visuals and Tag-Team DJ shenanigans from Instant Mash, DJ Smogo, Contort Yourself, Fokka Wolf, Not For Resale.

Classic Indie / 80's / Electro / Oldschool Goth / Post-Rock / Industrial / Ska / Post-Punk / Grindcore / Nu-Gaze / Haunted House.

Music form 9.30pm until 2.30am. £4.

Sponsored by the shady Punk Mafiosos from Club Zygotic and Please Make Sense.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=100758816636897

AT THE MERCY OF THE MUSIC JOURNALISTS

2010-05-10T14:06:00.008+01:00

"This country is run by a group of fascists." Said Gene
Vincent in a 1955 US radio interview. "Sweet Gene Vincent." Sang Ian Dury.
xxxIAN-FUCKING-DURYxxx

We are on the flippin case already. Sip of Cava there... ahem...

We have a couple of unusual Brighton gigs coming up. We're playing on the sea-front at The Volks Club on Wednesday 26th March. It's going to be a top night of electro, classic indie, post-punk, oldschool goth, post-rock etc. Brilliant Electro-Rockers Little Specks of Blood Lust Blood are also on the bill plus the mysterious post-rock / free-noise outfit Pytron.

Then on Saturday 5th June the incredible Anarchistwood are back in town and we're joining them for a top mashup night at Cowley Club!!!!!

A sunday in Brighton

2010-05-04T12:36:00.004+01:00

The Mekano Set

I woke up in my living room on the sofa fully clothed and slightly hung-over. A little stretch and eye rub. Laura and nick had taken my bedroom on my insistence. After a bit of freshening up and food we headed out for a walk along the seafront ambling towards town. It was a bright misty morning and the sights, sounds and substances of the night before drifted off like the steam rising off the near heated pavement.

Did you know that there is a public right of way that leads from the promenade down through the Concorde 2 for public access to the beach? Well there is and we called for the mysterious lift. A light starved man with deep set eyes greeted us and beckoned us in with a mumble and hand gesture. We got in the lift and the lift keeper closed the doors. He had a book on the floor of the lift but I didn’t catch the title, unfortunately. I like to imagine it was something ironic like ‘a room with view’ or maybe something more esoteric like ‘The hound’ by H. P. Lovecraft. In fact the lift with its sliding iron grates, the apparent live in keeper and the dank atmosphere was closer to Lovecraft than Forster’s stifling Italianate illumination of a novel.

We emerged into the concert hall of the Concorde 2 to the odour of beery floor and sweat. We thanked our man, headed out the double doors and onto the sea front. The sun was proper up by now and the hum and buzz of the mid morning was electrifying. The usual families and folks and friends were laughing, shopping and eating. There is something magical about Brighton seafront.

Nick wanted to go on the pier. We whiled away the morning playing the machines and wining enough pier vouchers to buy a pair of binoculars from the exchange shop. 400 vouchers if you were interested. We stood beneath the rides at the very end in stunned silence as the giant rides swung people round, flung upside down 100s of meters into the air. I got vertigo just looking at those fun seeking idiots, I hid behind my sister.

Laura wanted to get some lunch so we walked to the lanes. There was a hold up at the bottom of the North Street. A murmur grew into a roar and a moment of realisation hit me. The racist fascists were marching, a couple of police vans drove by and the pavements were full of Sunday shoppers and moochers. We decided to wait and watch the marchers pass as no one was able to move anywhere. Although we could not yet see the march we could hear them. Someone was being racially abused. Then there came the chants as they came into view with a full luminous police escort;

“We want our country back”
“We want our country back”
“We want our country back”
“ Engerland… Ennnngerland… Ennngerlandah.”
“Engerland… Ennnngerland… Ennngerlandah.”
“St George in my heart”

At the front of the March were four or five little girls all wearing St Georges Flag T-shirts. Behind them I guess were their parents. Later it was clear that they were the only females in the whole procession. My heart sank as I saw a man at the front in a “Help for Heroes” T-shirt. That charity does amazing work and it felt like this person was using it to garner sympathy for something alien to what it is that this charity does. I then sensed a feeling of intimidation within myself and from those around me on the pavement. People had just heard the racial jeers a minute before they came round the corner and then the aggressive chants came. The march was stopped right in front of us at the bottom of North Street.

There were about seventy all together stood in the road flanked by the police. A quiet swept down the road. This happens on marches sometimes; an air of calm bought on by prolonged noise. They had after all no doubt screeched like nesting gulls all the way through central Brighton. Something occurred to me as I looked on at the crowd; they were all men of certain age and a certain dress, can you guess what dress it was? Bomber jackets, boots, American style shirts, shaved heads, bellies and no doubt dreadful table manners.

I bellowed at the top of my voice over the silent crowd “Why Don’t YOU go home”. A policeman turned and looked at me, his jaw dropped in mild deflation, and he must have known I had just no doubt ruined his first piece of quiet for twenty odd minutes. Behind the cop a particularly fired up bloke in his thirties pointed at me and fixed his arm in my direction like a road sign and shouted back “Why don’t YOU F%$* OFF HOME MATE”.

They are well organized and single people out for abuse. About thirty blokes turned and lurched towards me, the cop’s lurched back to stop them leaving the column. They all started jeering, my legs started to shake, blood rushed to my head from the volume of the cries.

I have always hated shouting and the force of a gang of people is honestly, well, hell. It seemed I could not move a muscle. I scanned the faces of those shouting. Spit coming out of their frothing mouths at boiling point. Some of their faces twisted with an agony and rage I have never encountered. It truly was ugly. Ugly.

They started to chant in unison “SCUM SCUM SCUMSCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUMSCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUMSCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUMSCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM”.

There was only one thing I could think of doing. I took a bow.

A few people on the street laughed. A conga line of riot cops came running down the hill, I felt relieved. A typical Joe shopper shouted “She shouted it and pointed further down the road” to a cop who then continued running while the others got the column to move. The bloke smiled at me. My sister and nick grabbed my hand and patted me on the back and said they’d buy me lunch.

The EDL are responsible for violent racist attacks and trying to cause trouble when they march. The Mekano set did a gig with the great, Miss Halliwell in Birmingham last year and I was horrified that this racist group were rioting in the centre just outside the train station?! “Quick lets a get a cab” was the general MEK Consensus. I mean why oh why are these people allowed to march through city centres? Violent Muslim groups are (quite rightly in my opinion) banned from doing so. Why now because racist fascists have oh so cleverly apparently ditched the swastika for the ST Georges Flag are they now acceptable? They are not.

Racism and Fascism need to be ditched where they came from-the past. This is the 21st century for F***sake. I saw ‘Back to the Future', aren't we supposed to flying around on skateboards that hover or something by now? Thanks a bunch.

Well, at least music is getting better and in celebration of a future time where we ditch all that sexual repression and domination type stuff here is a play list I compiled to cheer myself, and now hopefully you, up;

1. “Magazines” by White Lung
2. “ That Boys Messing With my mind” by The Raindrops
3. “Snake” By Anarchist Wood
4. “Deception” By This Mono Glaxay
5. “If I were a Boy” by Beyonce
6. “Rude Boy” by Rihanna
7. “(Don’t worry) If there is a hell below we are all gonna go” by Curtis Mayfiled.
8. “Whats Going On” by Marvin Gaye
9. “Money Worries” by I Roy and The Maytals
10. “Regualtors” By Warren G

ps Come see us play! http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset

ANARCHOMEKANO PARTY

2010-04-30T09:17:00.001+01:00

BORING LESBIAN BOYS CLUB REUNION

2010-04-17T20:31:00.010+01:00

Been working hard like a good boy for two weeks solid so I'm being a bit more sociable at the moment. Also enjoying people double-take when they see my current appearance.

I have been wined and dined to such an extent that I can barely move. I can feel the walls of my stomach stretching as I type.

Just returned from an evening hanging out with Jo (Beatniksoup). Vast amount of the above was required in order for me to feel even vaguely relaxed enough to have my picture taken without constantly bursting into fits of laughter and smirkage.

From day one we always wanted to document things not just in sound but with words and pictures as well. And not in the usual sense of 'we don't have any songs but check out our new photo session' / check out the fan art / join our street team kind of way. If anyone got in a fight our first reaction was always 'are you ok' quickly followed by 'shall we take some photos of your bruises?' That's why we want to do a book instead of just another CD / download.

So yes, on Monday morning I had a bit of an accident and ended up having to take it easy for a couple of days. We thought it would be useful to document my once-again painkiller-becalmed expression, scuffs, scars and bruises. Combined with a new found inability to stand up for very long without my knees giving way.

Snappy snaps. I like the fact that we ended up with a bit of a Derek Jarman vibe going on.

In other news, we are pretty close now to having enough finished tracks for a second album. We're under no obligations to actually do a second album, and there's been no pressure to. But having spoken with the scallies at Elementary, we're going to come up with something that combines audio AND something a bit off the wall physically.

The priority lately has been to get the book together. But I've been enjoying so putting tracks together so much that we have ended up with enough finished mixes.

Meantime, why not have a listen to what we've been up to lately:http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset

The Mekano Set

B&W image of Milk © Beatniksoup 2010

HAHAHAREM

2010-04-12T19:13:00.003+01:00

If you can't find your shoes, levitation is one way to avoid getting your socks wet.

Unconfirmed report that we might play live @ Cowley Club on Friday 23rd April. Meanwhile, we've put up some mixes of a few tracks we're working on at the moment over @ http://soundcloud.com/mekanoset

'I'm gonna make love to you baby' is awfully close to 'I'm gonna make love to your baby'. Which clearly doesn't have the same vibe...

See you in time
xxx

BOTH WORLDS

2010-04-11T21:40:00.003+01:00

This week we're doing some work with CDOG and Beatnik Soup on an idea for a video project. After the TYRE adventure we figured they're the team for the job... This time we're going to combine digital and analog for the best of both worlds...

The Mekano Set

DJ TOO

2010-03-29T16:57:00.000+01:00

DJ'ing @ The Prince Alber on Wednesday night. Groovy!

The Mekano Set

THE REEL THING

2010-03-28T15:21:00.010+01:00

So, a pure sublime return gig @ The Albert on Saturday. Thanks to Kev, Deb, Stu Cakes and This Mono Galaxy for all their support.

I wasn't sure about the idea of playing as a trio. But we did it, and it worked.

I was fully prepared to call it a day if it didn't go to plan. With this in mind we felt it was important to go back to basics, and so we played the whole set as a three-piece with no guest vocalists or musicians. Just guitar, bass, a bit of baritone guitar on a couple of songs, DJ Ruse on electrickery and fx.

I think that's the first time in over a year that we've played Brighton without a guest singer for us (me!) to hide behind. I love to sing but I'm not into the idea of being The Singer. I managed to reign in my tendency towards ludicrous volume and the whole thing was way more consistent. It felt to all of us that we were playing in sympathy with one another.

And it was effortless frankly. No hassles, no complications. General consensus was that's the best we've sounded in a long time.

Let's just say that the last time we played Brighton was utter, utter chaos and confusion. Lack of sleep, money issues, no time to eat, sexual tensions and chemical abuse left some of us in no fit state to perform. So this was a case of make or break.

We played a version of Don't Eat the Sweets with a longer, free-form intro, followed by High Tide, Sumni, and a fresh version of Now You Know, which is now called Now You Know You Know. ;^)

The set was much more representative of the way we want to sound than before. With songs like You're The One Who Started It there was often a tendency to sound a bit too rock. We've now got a set which has all the right ingredients - the bass, the beats, the drones and the right kind of guitar (fucked up / white noise / reverse-reverb / fuzz-wah strangled and tamed).

A brief look at the photographic evidence = me looking as pale as an ice-berg and as thin as a rain, the boys having a jolly ol' time going with the flow. And no fits of giggles this time. Hopefully we'll get some more snaps up once they've been cleared by MsDee.

Well. I guess we still have a few tricks up our sleeves.

The Mekano Set

NAKED

2010-03-12T20:08:00.021Z

Well the gigs are certainly coming thick and fast lately. We're doing three things this week...

Details coming up next but also, there is a new newsletter on the way so drop us an email if you would like a copy.

Starting with Wednesday 24th March: I'll be conjuring up Train of Thought with Jo Staples @ The Cowley Club in Brighton for the Club Zygotic experimental / noise / dark ambulant evening. www.cowleyclub.org.uk

On Friday 26th The Meks are going to be DJ'ing @ Instant Mash @ The Cowley Club. All proceeds go to getting the infamous bar / cafe / meeting place a new sound system. Expect a fine blend of pop, post-punk, found sounds, location recordings, sex noises, one hit wonders and vintage TV theme-tunes!

Then we're reassembling for hair of the dog @ The Prince Albert for another Sweetbox Saturday Matinée! Marvyloose medicine from 2pm onwards.

---

What else... Mmmm... well I've been quite sociable lately. But I'm a seriously solitary person at heart. I like my space. I've always been like that. I think I've got maybe four people I'm friends with that I'm really close to and really respect. That's partly to blame for the fact that this has never been a conventional band (I'm just not willing to schmooze and if I meet someone that can help me out, I'll go out of my way to avoid them out of some warped sense of honour). The other reason being that what we do is too unconventional / not unconventional enough.

Anyway, hoping for a quiet weekend off / indoors, I ended up at Club Zygotic on Saturday staring at the combination of two posters I'd never seen before, side by side...

Having spent the last few weeks obsessing over new songs Now You Know and High Tide I've been having a break, just listening to music and getting out and about to see some bands. Met up with Nigel who's currently living in New Cross of all places.

Going through a serious Comsat Angels / Magazine phase at the moment. Still loads of nourishment to be had from Punk / Post Punk. Still a bit dazed when people think punk is nothing more than The Clash or Greenday.

"I will think of you, when I'm tired and out of it, when my bones ache, when you're fucked and falling down."

"I'm not overly fond of the use of popular song as soapbox. I tend to think that it undermines the innate power that music has to dig deep into the subconscious." David Sylvian interview @ http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=35231&pg=4

Sudden flashbacks to last weekend. Meeting the Alpha Women... Like a Masonic initiate. Or should that me Matrionic? And I met Zara! Even though I was too pissed to converse. Smirks.

Milk
xxx

The Mekano Set

A BEAUTIFUL BLUR

2010-03-07T17:50:00.003Z

I love how I get over-emotional when I haven't slept in days. Makes me feel almost human.

Anyway, hello. I'm back from a wonderful blur of a weekend in London. Brave Exhibitions on Friday was a very very good thing. Really eclectic music and acts, really good crowd. Nice to hang out with Sara again and even Alice turned up (and fell asleep).

Our first gig in a while as a trio. We basically just set up and got on with it. No hassles apart from the weird monitors making everything sound really warped (not just my imagination). No hassles though. Lee and DJ Ruse decided to head back to Brighton from Finsbury Park, at 4 am Saturday morning. Hopefully they made it back in one piece, well two pieces.

Two hours sleep then I was off to Brixton market (which is a feast for the eyes!) to meet Jo Staples (Beatnik Soup) and do our live soundtrack thing in ARTINAVAN's 'tiny cinema / artspace'.

That was great fun. Then off to the pub with Nigel. NIGEL!!!!! The man responsible for the crazed 'what the hell is that sound' melody on Reel to Real. Great to catch up with the boy and hopefully we'll get him down for a session soon.

Then off to Wrapped in Plastic @ Dublin Castle with MsDee, Sara and the Alpha Females.

Right, not time for a nap. Entirely at the mercy of whatever song comes up on random play in iTunes.

Milk
xxx

The Mekano Set

TRAIN

2010-03-03T09:19:00.003Z

It's going to be a busy weekend. We've got the Brave Exhibitions gig on Friday night @ The George Tavern in London. We're on about 10.00 pm. Really looking forward to it as our mate Sara Proxy will be DJ'ing before and after our set. Groovy. www.myspace.com/braveexhibitions

05 Mar 2010, 20:15 - BRAVE EXHIBITIONS CHARITY EVENT
The George Tavern, Commercial Road, London, E1 0LA
Brave Exhibitions Night @ The George Tavern for AIDS Research 20.10 - 03.00 am !

I'll also be performing with Abstinence & Sensibility on Saturday. We'll be doing Train of Thought (visuals and live soundtrack) at 13.00 and 15.00. Entrance is free and there will be free popcorn. www.artinavan.co.uk

Saturday 06 Mar 2010, 13:00 + 15.00 - ARTINAVAN
72, 4th Ave. Brixton Village Market, Brixton, London

Then we're off to see Wrapped in Plastic @ Dublin Castle: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=498639300576

Phew.

Milk
xxx

TYRED

2010-02-28T14:00:00.019Z

Just back from a few days wandering around London and the East Coast doing some filming with Jo Staples (Beatnik Soup) and Al Neilson (Elementary Productions). Not exactly ideal weather conditions for standing on the edge of the cliffs at Beachy Heady but I'm sure it'll all look amazing on film. Proper film mind you - no digital, and no second takes.

Can't stop listening to two very different tracks: Surf Solar by Fuck Buttons (worst band name ever?) and Second Chance from the soundtrack to Lily Was Here.

Running the machines into the ground trying to finish a couple of songs and get the beats together for the weekend.

We're playing the legendary George Tavern on friday night for Brave Exhibitions AIDS Research Fundraiser (we're on about 10.00 and the night's running until about 3 am). I'm performing live soundtrack to the Train of Thought movie in Brixton on Saturday with Abstinence & Sensibility for the ARTINAVAN Brixton Village Market cinema installation.

We aim to have copies of issue 3 of The Imercian fanzine available at the Brave Exhibitions gig (featuring a scathing review of our last Albert gig, a rave review of Wrapped in Plastic's, some extracts of the forthcoming Mekano biography Letters from Imercia, and all manner of subversive funs). We're back at The Albert on Saturday 27th for another marvelous Matinée Soirée.

Also realized I'm going to have to quit my day job. There is just too much to do and the only way to move forward is to take the other foot out of the 'real world' and immerse myself in... Imercia... It's no big deal but I always felt it was healthy to have some level of normality.

Anyway, a dozen things to do. Laters.

MiLK
xxx

www.mekanoset.net/live2010.html

www.myspace.com/braveexhibitions

www.myspace.com/thegeorgetavern

www.elementaryrecordings.co.uk

www.beatniksoup.co.uk

www.artinavan.co.uk

images © 2010 BeatnikSoup

Live In A Dark Room

2010-02-21T10:28:00.002Z

Live In A Dark Room, a recording of our Giffard Arms gig, will be aired on DJ Cruel Britannia's show on Radio Nightbreed Thursday 25th Feb @ 9pm GMT

You can stream the show in iTunes, VLC, Winamp etc. via the following link:

http://listen.radionomy.com/radio-nightbreed.m3u

Or listen in your browser via:

http://www.praysilence.org/page/listen-radio-nightbreed

The Mekano Set

2010-02-08T13:50:00.003Z

Apologies for lack of updates. It's been and continues to be my birthday.

Drinkies with Pickles and Mr. Kim, working on the book. Then checked into the Pelirocco hotel with a bottle of brandy and a hard copy of the manuscript. Rock and / or roll.

Then a bit of a blur, then drinks, rodents, drinks, Mexican food and drinks with SolventBoy, a 5 am cheese sandwiches with Rory (a certain supermarket now does a proper convincing pretend-bread loaf), then playback, terrorist fashions and 'miniature pints' with Lee.

Watching Boys Don't Cry and the tension mounts...

Music: fresh batch of jams all sounding clear and way more focused. Guitar (liquified) and bass (heavy NU WAVE) sounding really close to what we've been aiming for.

Tracks for the 'follow-up album' not finalized, potential for a surprise vocalist or two... And Guest DJ Ruse23 is now a very welcome guest / permanent resident.

Aware now that our DIY production values sound way more Hi-Fi big than your average indie bollocks band who spend way more cash than us on sounding lo-fi and Gang of Four, via Zep and Sabb...

The Mekano Set

2010-01-31T20:45:00.003Z

Hey hey! Just popping in to say hello and that we haven't forgotten about this place., We've been immersing ourselves in a new found sounds... lovely new sounds. Focusing in on the kinds of noises that we really want to hear, and having fun applying that pallet of sounds to existing songs. Great sounds that you just don't hear bands using.

On the other hand, we've also dusted ourselves off and left the building once or twice. Found ourselves at the absolutely superb Ian Dury biopic, inspiring stuff, and liquid lunch with none other than Beth 'Garfield' Rettig.

We're really keen to finish off this last batch of tunes and get back to gigs. But we also have to put the finishing touches to the DVD. We've also booked some time with Mr. Kim this week to do some editing on Letters From Imercia. The story is told now, we just need to give it shape.

Hopefully we'll be playing at the Brave Exhibitions AIDS Awareness fundraiser in March but nothing else confirmed as yet. Alright for now then. Take is easy. XXX

www.sex-drugs-rock-roll-thefilm.com

SteamPunk ?

2010-01-20T09:34:00.005Z

Tonite tonite... dig out your steam powered drinking trousers and your clockwork smoking lungs... something of an accidental SteamPunk themed night tonight @ The Albert in Brighton. Excitements! Should be a really great night of conducive / complimentary / contrasting musics...

Those delighful SteamPunk Troubadours Trousseaux:
http://www.myspace.com/trousseaux

+
The Mekano Set (that's us)
http://www.myspace.com/mekanoset

Weimar-era Indie cabaret punkers Bird Eats Baby will dazzle your eyes and ears with an acoustic set of constructivist anthems:
http://www.myspace.com/birdeatsbaby

+

Mr. DJ Laurence Dean (Fokka Wolf / Not For Resale) will play for your pleasure, platters on gramophones / stereo radiograms.

In summing up: a night of exotic electrickery...
"Beneath the beach, the pavement."

£3.50

Brought to you by Whoops! Kev Kilter and Please Make Sense. Sponsored by Long Pig, Sweat and Tears. We do it because we love you dammit.

8.30 'til L8-30 @ The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar Street, Brighton, BN1 4ED

Facebook Event Page

Flashback

2010-01-02T12:11:00.002Z

Saw in the New Year throwing shapes with Beth @ Hope and Anchor. Me and Ruse may have drank 'til dawn. Now I know why my legs hurt. Just not sure how my clothes ended up covered in mud. Here's to a fresh start. Happy New Year!

See you at The Albert on the 20th:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=233930867635

http://www.last.fm/event/1353763+YOU+MAKE+ME+FEEL+LIKE+A+SMITHS+SON

Milk
xxx

2009-12-17T14:28:00.002Z

We're having a much needed proper break.

Work continues apace with the book Letters From Imercia and the CD / DVD package. I'm relieved to say that we've sourced all the video footage that very nearly got lost in the latest in a long line of Mac deaths. They can't take the pace - they're just not built to last!

Letters From Imercia is steadily taking shape (previews have been reducing people to tears AND laughter). There's a new promo in the works for I'mFine as well as a couple of others.

We're also back in action at The Albert in January! Ahoy! Hoping to head to Hope & Anchor New Years Eve for Wrapped in Plastic gig.

Season's greetings,

Milk
xxx

The Mekano Set

ClockWorks

2009-12-01T21:34:00.001Z

This Friday we're going to be doing something a little different: a low-key, ambulant set of songs to celebrate the end of a mad busy year. Join us for drinks in the company of the legendary Dear Britch and the electro-acoustic explorimentations of Acoustic Orange.

Plus the usual audio / visual treats before, during and after. SteamPunk ahoy!

www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=338128010093

I'm also joining brilliant dirty-trip-hoppers Cylons onstage @ The Hobgoblinin Brighton this Thursday! xxx

2009-11-20T13:04:00.001Z

Extract from Train of Thought - a video / performance with live soundtrack by Abstinence & Sensibility (Jo Stapleton / Beatnik Soup, and Milk / The Mekano Set): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGWdi2rfMUE

The song 'Brentford is Well Buggy' is available @ the iTunes Store: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/brentford-is-well-buggy/id307921362?i=307921366&uo=6

TOILET DJ

2009-11-19T15:18:00.007Z

Exhausted. The last two weeks have been all work AND play for Messrs. Mekano. I've had one nights sleep in five days. Scents and sounds make flashbacks to fun. We're not nihilists, we're romantics with criminal records.

The Albert gigs were superb - thank you to everyone that turned up (some unexpected faces in the crowd!). I think it's fair to say that Wrapped in Plastic delivered the most stylish, sophisticatedly sexy noise we've heard all year.

DEB SMITH: LEGEND!

Really good to catch up with Garfield and the WIP girls over a 10 hour marathon of drinks and oldschool indie / post-punk tunage. Snuff, tears, laughter and salt-on-skin. Expect more Albert take-over action in the new year! NuGaze anyone?

We'll spare you the details of the rest of the evening, but I will say that we may have accidentally drank until dawn, I now know what someone else's Dental Retainer tastes like, and we discovered how popular Sahara is with posh gay ladies. No surprises really. And a fully-clothed, almost well-behaved Oli Spleen? It'll all be going in the book no doubt.

Sahara and Ruse spent a couple of days larking about on Brighton beach in the freezing wind recording footage for what looks like an animated children's story (cheers to my Gran for the vintage tiny suitcase - which I promise we did not break - and SolventBoy for the vintage dress - which I promise I did not try on whilst leaping around saying 'it's fiiiinnneeee' over and over again). Hopefully we'll find out what that's all about soon.

The Mekano Set are doing Brighton again on Friday 4th December - we're planning on doing a lo-fi, ambulant, clockwork, bontempis and tape loops set upstairs at Carolineo of Brunswick (we've been talking about doing this for the past four years!). So expect something dressy and different. An additional to the usual last-friday of the month Infernal Salon in the form of a SteamPunk Christmoose Party. So dig out your clockwork houndstooth drinking trousers!

Also quite chuffed to say that me and Jo 'Pickles' Stapleton will be attending The Chap's Grand Anarcho-Dandyist Ball the evening after!

In the words of Marmalade Atkins: "OK, let's go to the toilet..."

Special thanks for ace snaps by Howzey & MsDee.

Mekano Set Flickr Group.

LEEDS

2009-11-12T09:56:00.001Z

Unfortunately we're not going to be able to make it to Leeds for the Amalgamation Festival this month. However, if you're in the area and you're in the mood for some militant industrial / punk / goth noise please show your support: www.amalgamation.org.uk

Colin The Night Boy

2009-10-29T22:40:00.001Z

"At the time when the pop interview consisted of total inanity, Hollis veered towards insanity. Instead of being preoccupied by synths, haircuts and cocaine, he told everyone who listened that his favourite singer was Otis Redding, his favourite songwriter Burt Bacharach and his favourite band Can. Hollis immediately got a reputation as a misery guts, but didn't care. He was entirely focused on the music." Wherefore art thou Mark Hollis? The story of Hollis and his band Talk Talk has to be one of the more interesting of the synth pop era http://tinyurl.com/colinthenightboy

FIRE ESCAPES

2009-10-20T13:00:00.002+01:00

If you fancy being out, but would rather stay warm, let's do The Albert (we're making it smokey and nicely light for the occasion) with delicious electro-indie noises from This Mono Galaxy, The Mekano Set and Pig Lust...

FIRE ESCAPES

The Mekano Set are playing Brighton for the first time in 12 months. Thursday 5th November, smoke machines, treason and plot at the excellent Prince Albert on Trafalgar Street (virtually right underneath Brighton Station for those of you tempted to head down from the big smoke).

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139570836430

Expect smoke machines, video projections, moody lighting, indoor fireworks and top indie / electrickery between bands.

Plus on Saturday 14th November, from 2 pm, you can also see the excellent Wrapped in Plastic along with the equally brilliant Cylons @ The Albert too.

If all goes well, we hope to assemble a joyous line-up of Nu-Gaze, Electro Filth in the new year with SPC-ECO, Wrapped in Plastic and The Mekano Set!

Also, a couple of new things in the store, including that new mini-album of new songs (available as CD or download): MekanoStore.

5TH NOVEMBER LIVE @ THE ALBERT

2009-10-17T17:04:00.003+01:00

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139570836430

Also, a couple of new things in the store, including that new mini-album of new songs (available as CD or download): www.mekanoset.net/mekanostore.html

NIHILISM YOU CAN DANCE TO

2009-10-08T18:48:00.007+01:00

"Thing is Milk, you can't compete with these posh boys. They're just not self-aware."

We're being driven to a party to celebrate the fact that The Mekano Set have finished something or other. Sahara has new spiky orange hair to mark the occasion, and she's clearly tripping her face off. She's been "visiting a friend, in a field!"

Lee's been doing some charity work and is in need of a drink.

Milk insists on having his picture taken with the bouncers (three middle aged African men in "amazing suits") and consequently fails to get into the club. The girl on the door says there's 200 people inside and it's 'one in one out'.

Later, he claims "it doesn't matter anyway cause I needed to get home. I left the TV on and the computer was watching it. It got the idea to build a body for itself and now the place is a total disaster."

We've decided to put out a mini album of fresh new tracks. Lovely new songs!

In terms of the physical 'And Now' album full, it's looking like it's going to be easier for us to put together a CD / DVD package than it would be for just a standard CD jewel case - and the fact is the whole thing will look a lot more appealing.

"I ran so fast my face was all over the place."

We've never really been too interested in the standard CD package anyway. Hopefully the DVD will feature all the vids, the BBC footage and interview, plus the short films from the live Mekano and Abstinence & Sensibility visuals. But we'll see how it goes. The book is also still going strong. Really want to get it done. Hope there's a few of you out there that are up for a read.

"I don't know whether I'm bored of people or just really disappointed in them."
"Maybe a little of both. I never get bored."

Moving with abandon. A kind of grace. Just don't point that thing at me.

She says "There's pleasure in a near miss."

The Mekano Set

Letters From Imercia

2009-09-21T21:32:00.004+01:00

Sifting through old blogs and newsletters for Letters From Imercia (which is now around 200 pages long and counting):

"I do worry about outstaying my welcome. So I tend to leave pretty much just before I arrive. It's for the best."

"I have a rotten flu and my usual effects setup died on me but Budvar and the current kick-in-the-muffins situation made it all totally worthwhile."

"The girl with red hair seemed to be drunk. She had what my friends and I suspected to be cigarette burns on her arm beneath a bandage she wore. But she did not wear any shoes."

"It's been a surprisingly busy month for The Mekano Set. No, honestly, they've really been making an effort, with the all new exciting haircuts and that. Oh yes, like they just stepped out of the fucking Salon."

"So anyway yeah let's talk about music and shit. Man, you do not need prescription for that."

Milk was spotted at a recent gig actually NOT wearing the same ratty jeans and T-shirt he always wears on stage. Playing some kind of machine gun. Beth meanwhile was so enraged at this discovery that she tore her own outfit for the night to shreds with her teeth. We can neither confirm nor deny the rumour that Patrick wore flip-flops. Bass players.

"Plain music will not destroy walls, but objective music indeed can do so. And not only can it destroy but it can also build up." G. I. Gurdjieff

"In Imercia, it's considered impolite to acknowledge the presence of another person. You have to wait for them to acknowledge you."

"And then clean up mess with Mekano Set cleaning product at exclusive new hot and rad online 24-7 store where you can buy hot shit action on the toilet. You will like that."

Also - just been reminded by Big Andy you can hear our mix of Brand New Bad Idea v Cottonmouth Rocks @ www.myspace.com/brandnewbadideai Lovely tune!

MMM
XXX

2009-09-13T11:10:00.001+01:00

Now You Know is a very new song, and probably still a work in progress, not finished but like to share: www.last.fm/music/The+Mekano+Set/Make

2009-09-10T21:08:00.002+01:00

Fake prescription medication. Dadbands. Bratpack attitude. Trying to look Japanese. Pretending to have obscure illnesses. Ditch your iPod for an antique midi-hifi or cassette player. Grey shoes. Boring old-people drinks. Cheap wartime fags. My top ti...ps for what some wanker will be telling you to do this Autumn. Tossers.

I'm talking grey plastic slip-on shoes. Sherry. Pretending to have a fatal illness. Pretending to take your 'medication'. Getting into really boring music. Fuck the Beatles. And pretending to be Sinatra. Really old crap sci-fi tv shows too.

Oh and brown clothes too. Brown tracksuits. Brown trousers. Brown polo-necks.

Shops that let you pretend to steal stuff. Health foods designed to look and taste really unhealthy. Going out to eat a load of meat. And Katie Price's real face is more full of holes and knife scars than mine!

Also, having a bar in the corner of your room. That sort of tacky shit.

Carrying inappropriate stuff in your pockets. Dildos. Knickers. Blood-stained knives. Lock-picks. Other people's teeth.

---

The scent of smoke and wine on someone else's breath. The soft-sharp chime of ice in a glass. The nihilistic charm of heels on pavement. The soft smirk of a girl farting. The ugly truth of waking at dawn wrapped in cold, sweat soaked bedsheets. Cold pizza for breakfast.

NAZIS GO HOME

2009-09-08T21:48:00.002+01:00

Closet-Nazi Nick Griffin is overly fond of school girls? Have a listen to 'Nazis Go Home' before it gets itself into trouble: http://www.myspace.com/firesmadesafe

Love all the people.

xxx

GHOSTS REALLY KNOW HOW TO DRINK

2009-09-07T21:38:00.003+01:00

We decided that we are much more excited about working on the book than finishing the CD. We always wanted to have a book done before we ever released any music - how obnoxious / egotistical is that? So while you can buy the album via iTunes store, at the moment we're having more fun putting the book together. The CD artwork still hasn't happened.

The CD / DVD pack is actually much closer to completion than the CD. So we might do a limited run of that if there's enough interest.

However, we're really really pleased with the new songs that have come about. We feel like we've reached a peak with the more Milk / rock centric material and can now move on to some more adventurous things.

Since we started, we've daydreamed about doing some kind of lo-fi but not acoustic set. Do versions of songs that focus on the drones and the vocals, with less emphasis on the beats and basslines, so we can all take a look at what's really going on behind the groove. All the springs and cables exposed. When we next get together we're going to give it a go and if we're happy we'll do a show or two along these lines. Especially now the whole 'electro' thing has become so bloody mainstream and cheap. Too easy now.

Meanwhile, you can join us @ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=87903390807, there's two fresh tunes on our myspace player, and there's always something new @ http://www.thesixtyone.com/themekanoset/

Hope this finds you well,

The Meks
xxxxxxxx

2009-09-06T21:08:00.005+01:00

"My ambition," says Ruse, "was to eat every single kind of mint there is."

Arrive @ Birmingham New Street for Go! Club gig amidst riot vans and race rioting.

Digbeth is in Birmingham and is a strange place, kind of desolate but with some really cool bits and pieces (vintage clothes warehouse, massive Pagan looking man sculpture cornered by the Custard Factory). Our hotel was vast and weird.

Great to make some noise with smoke machines and visuals on the go. Oh yes. Couple of new songs (I'mFine and Plavitzia) got an airing. Sounding really good. Even thought the soundman (who looked about 12 years old) had no idea what he was doing.

I'm warming to the idea of gigging more regularly, even if the whole experience leaves you feeling bruised. Bruised but sated.

Really superb sets from Visualaudioreplicant and Miss Halliwell.

Also really really pleased to say that we're going to be playing Brighton on 5th November. Bonfire Toffee!

There's a massive full moon out there tonight. Cheers to Ruse for DJ duties + great noises from Visualaudioreplicant and Miss Halliwell.

We're playing Brighton on 5th November!!!!!!

Listening to Tony Bennett and Ruby.

The Mekano Set

2009-07-18T09:38:00.003+01:00

Brand new songs! Now What Do We Do is up @ www.thesixtyone.com/themekanoset/ and hot off the press, I'mFine (the one we've been working on for the past couple of weeks) is up @ www.myspace.com/mekanoset

2009-06-29T19:29:00.003+01:00

A rough-cut for the video for You're The One Who Started it is up now on youtube. Filmed by BBC Persia + The Borg @ Bar-Ax's FREEDOM OF MUSIC night @ Shepherds Bush Hall 11th July 2009:

You're The One Who Started it, written by The Mekano Set and Austin Davey (The Stuns) is dedicated to all our Meks, past, present and future. SWIDT?

The Mekano Set
xxx

It's actually not one of my favourite tunes of ours, but it seemed the most appropriate after we looked at the footage. We've just burned a rough copy of the whole gig for Lee's Mum. But no, you can't have a copy of it. At least not until we've seen all the footage available.

2009-06-17T16:36:00.004+01:00

I smell Cava? News then. There's an interview with us @ the newly overhauled Derive website.

In otherness, I'm reliably informed that the Bush Hall gig was filmed by the BBC (who also interviewed Sahara), and Mekanoid Mike Borg. From what I've seen it looks (and sounds) really excellent. Footage from the gig is being used in a video for the song You're The One Who Started It.

Now that the warm glow of the last gig has cooled, we've returned to afternoons on the beach, but also started work on a new song we're over-excited about. Sounds like a cross between Sneaker Pimps and Kate Bush.

It will hopefully be out and about as soon as we've sorted out the mix. Definitely be doing it live next time.

I think I'm not blogging and stuff much these days because all the ideas and energy are going into other things (making music rather than writing about making music, plus actually getting out of the house once in a while).

We're off to see Wrapped in Plastic on friday night!

Until then. "I just know that something good is gonna happen."

xxx

2009-06-12T20:49:00.002+01:00

The Mekano Set

Well that was really an excellent evening in the company of FONT @ Shepherd's Bush Hall on Thursday night. Really wonderful venue staffed by a really helpful and down-to-earth bunch of people. Thanks and very well done to everyone that braved the travel nightmares and came along. And cheers for dancing along!

Hopefully we'll have some photos from the gig up and around soon but meanwhile there's a few pre-gig snaps along with evidence of our much needed day off in Brighton @ flickr.com

My fellow Meks were really on-form, really good to have our friend and long-term supporter Russ onboard for the evening to add some much-needed noise and texture. I think that has to be the best we've sounded to-date. We all found it hard to keep still, which was tricky considering the amount of gear that was on-stage (I was convinced I was going to fall off the front of the stage). After a tough year the last couple of gigs have given me some much needed confidence boosting. We've learned a lot over the last eighteen months and it feels like the efforts have been worth it. Some great moments and I think we should have some video evidence to play around with as a result.

Special thanks to Flame On Jim for acting as our chaueffeur for the evening. And blessings to FONT for inviting us to play and generally being so welcoming.

More soon,

Milk
xxx