Ely recently DJ-ed at the January 18, No Doves Fly Here.
NO DOVES FLY HERE: As far we are concerned, you are currently THE deathrock/dark postpunk DJ in Texas, bar none. You and DJ Munster bring it. I mean, you could be playing any type of music in the world as a DJ, like stuff that "packs the dance floor" in the most cynical and moneymaking way, i.e. dance-y stuff like Ke$ha -- or bad EBM, like Spock, bands and music that people and Djs at other clubs relentlessly try to promote and foist on people as being what they need to understand is great. So, in spite of that, why do you love and choose to play deathrock and dark postpunk, regardless of this?
ELY MALEDICTION: I grew up on metal and punk as a kid and quickly latched on to stuff like Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Misfits, Sex Pistols, and the Stooges. For me Deathrock has the dark element of some of the groups I loved as a kid, and it brings with it the kick in the teeth of punk rock.
You just can't go wrong with it. Plus, there are so many different bands that fit with deathrock that make it huge. I can easily go from Christian Death, to Gun Club, to The Mob, and no one would think twice. It's great.
NDFH: How did you first get into gothic rock? How old were you and what were the formative bands you first were attracted to or liked?
DJ MALEDICTION: One of the first goth bands I got into was Sisters of Mercy. I instantly fell in love with them. The funny thing is I actually became curious about the band while flipping through a metal magazine andI noticed a guy in a metal band wearing a Sisters of Mercy t-shirt. I assumed they were a metal band of some sort and picked up First Last and Always and became hooked instantly .
Christian Death was also one of those wonderful things I stumbled on by accident. I was at Apple Records one night looking for Carcass albums and came across Christian Death's Iron Mask and bought that instead. I was also obsessed with horror flicks back then and was introduced to Bauhaus through the movies The Hunger and Night of the Demons. They were another band (like the Sisters) that I instantly loved.
It was that dark thread that made it all to make sense. The same went for bands like Samhain, T.S.O.L. -- even bands like The Cure. It's safe to say my friends hated me at parties because I'd take over the music and go from Motorhead or Bolt Thrower to The Cure and Bauhaus. It was quite amusing! Well, for me, anyway .
NDFH: What is it about the dark side of music that attracts you?
DJ MALEDICTION: Perhaps it has something to do with the things I went through growing up. There was a lot of negative bullshit happening around me and I often found myself in the middle of it, having to deal with things that didn't make sense. I found myself focusing more on emptiness, anger, and despair. Somehow, through music, I managed to make myself stronger. The music I listened to got darker and more aggressive as I got older, until eventually I filled in all the pieces of random bands I had discovered and put together a type of history that made sense.
After awhile I became more and more numb to what was going on around me and disappeared into the songs I listened to. If it wasn't for music I would have been dead long time ago. There is no doubt about that. As a kid I was also crazy about stuff like Twilight Zone, Tales from the Dark Side, Dark Shadows, The Munsters, Addams Family, etc. I guess that pretty much doomed me into falling for the graveyard sort of imagery I saw in magazines and album covers.
NDFH: When I have gone to some of your events, I am always impressed with the breadth of knowledge you bring to the table. Namely, you have played the S-Haters "Solitary Habit," for example. I think it is safe to safe the S-Haters are not an EBM club favorite. Have you ever played stuff like this and had people come up to you, intrigued, and asked who you'd just played? What are some your fave DJ experiences with breaking news sounds to people?
DJ MALEDICTION: I always tell people that Im not a DJ, but an ANTI-DJ. I know how to make people happy, but at the same time will follow up something like New Order with Subhumans or Paralisis Permanente. :)
When I first started DJ-ing, every other DJ seemed to be part of this beat-mixing competition, which I didn't understand. I never wanted to DJ and definitely saw no point in putting mixing skills before the music played. Especially when half the song was butchered with "mad skills." So, from the point I started DJ-ing I swore I would never be like that. Don't get me wrong -- I think beat-mixing is great, and all. But, again, some people just take it too far.
The main reason I started DJ-ing was because there wasn't much goth being played at the goth clubs. At the time, EBM had started to get very popular here in San Antonio. People would complain, and eventually I decided to DJ. But then I realized most of the things people considered goth was, in fact, just more of the underground 80s dance floor hits or classic industrial. It was a huge wake up call, so I started DJ-ing with a friend doing an 80s New Wave night which blew up and in the process slowly started introducing bands like Cocteau Twins, Christian Death, Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, etc., back into the sets. Eventually others started showing up who were actually familiar with these bands -- but it was usually a slow process.
For example, by the time people were dancing to Christian Death's "Romeo's Distress," I was sick of playing it. But at least it was getting people out there. I started Djing Industrial and EBM nights as well, but eventually became so burnt out that I returned to my roots and started my own Goth night called Nekropolis which catered to gothrock -- and no industrial or EBM.
NDFH: You and I have talked about bands like Ciril or the newer Rudimentary Peni releases. (Like their "No More Pain" EP on Southern, 2008, where you and I agreed the "Annihilation" track was indeed the standout track.) You will actually go out on a limb and play this new stuff. I remember when the classical purpose of a DJ was to break new bands to people, not just to be nostalgia/80s time warp merchants. Have you received positive responses from people who have heard new stuff you have played?
DJ MALEDICTION: I do think its up to the DJ to bring new things to the table, even if the new stuff might actually be something that was released years back but went unheard. I have had positive responses, but then again it sometimes just depends who is at the club that night. I've been DJ-ing for some of these people for so long that I can feel out what might work. I try to sandwich new stuff in between the usual hits. It's a simple yet effective way to get new stuff in there. Other times people ask about certain bands and I'll make compilations or mention other bands that they might like. I NEVER try to force feed them music, because that's what turns people off. I know if it wasn't for people trying to force feed me when I was younger I would have given other bands a chance. Perhaps I just hate being told what to do. :)
NDFH: You do 1313. Is this named after the Lydia Lunch LP of the same name? It's a kick ass event. What inspires it?
DJ MALEDICTION: Although I do dig that album I simply named it 1313 because I have a thing for the number 13. (Typical, i know.) I started the night basically as an escape for myself and as a a refuge for other like-minded individuals who just wanted to hear some dark music without the presence of oontz-oontz all night.
1313 is basically the evolution of all the nights I've done over the years. I started my first goth/deathrock night called Nekropolis about 12 yrs. ago, with poor attendance. The night was bumped around quite a bit. Then I changed the name to "The Bat Haus," which did better -- but not great. One night it was ok, then the next week it would be slow. Eventually, a little before starting Deathrock Disko, I changed the name again -- this time to "1313." By this time there were a lot more bats in town who dug the goth and deathrock I was playing.
NDFH: You do sculptures and other artwork outside of your DJ-ing gigs. Where can folks go to buy your art online...?
DJ MALEDICTION: I have some stuff up on my Facebook page as well as on a deviant profile: http://malediction13.deviantart.com/
I just recently started selling my stuff so Im not set up completely but can take orders -- plus, I sell my stuff at every 1313 event .
NDFH: You know you always have an open invitation to DJ at No Doves Fly Here. Do you think we could possibly work together to create a "spiderweb" of TX deathrock events and scenes, and build this all up mutually?
DJ MALEDICTION: I am all about doing No Doves Fly Here one of these days. As for the spiderweb -- well, it's already begun.
NDFH: What are the next events you are doing, and where can we go to enjoy them?
DJ MALEDICTION: We're trying to do 1313 on the second Sat. of every month.
I'll be doing different types of events which I post on my Facebook, as well as my usual Wed. night gig (Night of the Living Wave) @ Venom, here in S.A. Plus, I'll probably bring back my old New wave/Postpunk/Batcave (Propaganda) night again.
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