The Damage Manual – Damaged Dubs
Underground, Inc. (available exclusively through label)
Industrial Rock
The only way that this item managed not to slip under my radar was due to an e-mail from Underground, Inc.—drummer/industrial figurehead Martin Atkins own Chicago-based label and distributor. I haven’t heard anything from Damage Manual (another of Atkins’ pet projects, with vocals by Chris Connelly) since the self-titled 2000 album—before Jah Wobble and Geordie Walker left the band—and looking at the track listing for this album, that won’t be a problem, since a great deal of it is remixes from that album. The 8-track limited edition EP is only available through Underground, Inc., and it happens to come with a free t-shirt (a delightful Dunkin Donuts parody that rings as a bit of a double entendre), and a CD sampler with music by Bile, Atari Teenage Riot, Tub Ring, Dj? Acucrack, and Slick Idiot (with a Johnny Cash cover).
(NB: The titled Damaged Dubs should not be mistaken for dub music, as in the reggae sub-genre, but rather denotes the dubbing process in sound recording. It would be best to regard this as a remix album.)
The first track, “Sunset Gun” (Beat Mx), is a hard-edged instrumental that plays with some breakbeat but mostly consists of Atkins trademark drumming with some bass thrown in for good measure. It’s a solid track that keeps moving in all the right places. “Stateless” (July 99 Atkins Dub Mx) also plays with some breakbeat elements, and flirts with some proper dub and early rave elements as well.
“Damage Addict” shows up three times in the mix. The Ambient James Bond Mx is boring and really goes nowhere, while the Accelerated Coventry Mx is less insipid, but is a bit too much droning noise (think of 6 seconds of Aphex Twin’s “Come to Daddy” looped over and over with some distortion). Perhaps fans of power electronics would be able to appreciate it a bit more than I did. The Magic Hammer Dub Mx is much better, with some good noise elements that don’t get too droned, and features some Chris Connelly vox action for good measure (John Lydon who?). Third time’s a charm, I guess…
“Grounded” (Dub Mx) was another very good drum-driven piece of industrial dancefloor madness, as is “Expand” (Dub Mx), which has some distorted Connelly vocals. “Mad Dialects” (Jan 05 Atkins Mx) is a decidedly stripped-down track that is true to early industrial music. It’s pure mayhem to make rivetheads cream their jeans.
This is certainly a remixes/rarities EP, and shouldn’t be regarded as anything more (read: full-length album). It’s essentially bits and pieces that Atkins had lying around and has been itching to get out to hardcore fans for a while. As a whole, I enjoyed it, but a casual fan may find it a bit rough around the edges (which is what pure, unabashed industrial music should be). However, for the adventurous music fans who’s ready to journey beyond Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson, pick up a Pigface album first, and then try this. But do it quick, because it’s limited edition…!
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