NZ

Rip It Up, Issue 179, 1 June 1992, Page 26

NZ

GREG JOHNSON SET Isabelle (Pagan) Wdw, a political song from Greg Johnson ("dedicated to the victims of inherited intolerance") though you wouldn't know it from the cover, which features a long-legged model looking worried. The pretty, "haunting" melody is actually a cover for serious lyrics about smoke in the air and holes in buildings. B-side, 'lt's Only Me' (commissioned for a short film), is sung by the omnipresent and ever-sweet Fiona McDonald who does her thing to an innocuous piano backing played by Greg Johnson. DONNA YUZWALK SLAM & JAM Prove Me Wrong (Volition) What happened to Voodoo Records and its stable of dance I rap acts? The local label's recordings now appear on the Australian indie label Volition, distributed here by Festival. Aucklanders Slam & Jam are the first release on Volition and it's an obvious winner given that 91FM are already playing it. Slam & Jam have come up with a slickly-produced, radio-friendly song about what's wrong in NZ society today. An odd lyric choice indeed! . Considering what the duo are trying to say I would have preferred a harder version than the two mixes on the cassingle — the 7" radio edit and an instrumental. Both are fine for ■ <■'< \ commercial radio but ignore Slam & Jam's connection with the street. Having seen them live, this recording has ignored part of their hip-hop heritage. Give radio the Vanilla ; Hammer mix they want, but give the homeys something large. . » SIMON LAAN

ROTATE YOUR STATE When is the Gluepot not the Gluepot? When the second Rotate Your State arrives there on the evening of Thursday, 25 June. By the time the doors open at B.oopm the Gluepot will have been transformed. Inside a techno dreamscape / nightmare awaits. The stage will be there for the live performers, but moved forward to facilitate the back-projected video.’ Video and images are an integral part of the show. Mike Hodgson, aka the Projector, has promised television sets everywhere. Part of the transformation includes the purveyance of good food. An on-site cafe providing sustenance for the journey to the end of the night. Immersion in the atmosphere here is a slower step back from the fray. A perpetual four-screen dissolve slide show will limit this space. Elsewhere, expect saturation from some 70 performers and film makers. Michael himself has been busy collating images for the show as well as co-ordinating film and video contributions from Lisa Reihana, Kirsty Cameron, Paul Judge, Paul Hurring and Karl Geiringer. BS Pig's Mondo Biko gets another showing along with recent work Other videos are collaborative works from Mark Summerville and Fear Brampton, De-Programme, Seed and something called Anaesthetic Aesthetic. Phew! So what can you expect to hear? From the primal to sound that pushes the barriers of human response. Literally, by frequency or physical approach. The more accessible 'band' sound will also be well represented A new Compulsory Joy line-up with programming by Tone Cornaga and live Pacific drumming. Affliction Addiction, New Flesh and Godstar will warp-out dance rhythms and lay on lashes of guitars. Quieter moments in an experimental/ improvised mode come from the likes of Theatre Of Alchemy—a dance ritual. Costumes

here by Donna Demente, recipient of a Wearable Arts Award. Gyrocello and Pigmentation Amplification will use trigger mikes and deft mixing to create soothing and threatening soundscapes. Theta State will use : chanting and advanced technology with the same aim. Contact mikes will be used extensively throughout the night. Placed strategically around Rotate Your State and mixed at conversation level to give a subliminal soundtrack. From the kitchensink to Hollywood, Fraggin cast a fresh light on women and their images, providing a laugh along the way too. Tinnitus, who are Mike Hodgson and Angus 'lncubator' McNaughton, vision and sound respectively, take a break from their duties to take to the stage and through the motions. This is their 24th formal performance since their inception in 1986. Tinnitus product, and product from other performers and contributors, will be on sale. At the completion of the night's agenda you'll be free to relax or refresh. Pump it up if you like as Tinnitus in effect hit dance party mode. This mid-winter saturation/ celebration is a measly 10 bucks or eight with a B-card. Can you afford to miss BARBIE