I’ve briefly mentioned seeing ATARI TEENAGE RIOT and Alec Empire.
“My warriors! You have done well!”
I love their first album DELETE YOURSELF!. I really do. It’s all hard-hitting gritty hardcore and hip-hop beats and brutal samples and whip-worthy anthems.
“If we don’t turn it on, nobody else will!!”
However, I fucking love their second album 60 SECOND WIPE OUT, solely because of ATARI TEENAGE RIOT II, a revision, a revisitation, of their prior ATARI TEENAGE RIOT anthem.
The first version is a fucking banger, carefully crafted with hardcore pacing and fist-pumping lyricism.
“Stop the riot?!! FUCK YOU!!!”
The second version? It (d)evolves into absolute sheer fucking noise. It is absolutely wild and I can’t help but revel in it.
“But that doesn’t stop me!! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!!!”
This is all about progressive noise artist Nic Endo. She’s the driving force here; she fucking escalates aural matters that were already far too heightened. She’s unbridled and drives the track into MERZBOW territory and holy hell is it amazing.
“What did you say?”
I saw them on the 60 Second Wipe Out Tour so many years ago and I was elated to have Nic Endo fucking melt my ears! For all intents and purposes, I met my wife there. (We’d met a few hours prior to the show, but at the show proper? That’s when I feel I met her.)
“What did you say?!”
Despite not knowing each other at all, we both pushed ourselves to the front of the crowd and were spit on by Alec Empire and we locked eyes during this song and, well, ultimately that was that.
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!!”
Pretty fucking dumb, but what’s youth if you aren’t dumb and willing to have fun?
I digress, but the rest is all ancillary I suppose!
“ATARI TEENAGE RIOT!!!!!!!!!!”