| Phantomsmasher is: Dave Witte (Drums) DJ Speedranch (AudioMulch Vocals) James Plotkin (Bass, Guitar, Synthi, Wave Editing). |
Phantomsmasher is Plotkin's latest brain-teaser and arguably his most
ferocious. Teaming up with drum-man-chine DAVE WITTE (Burnt by the Sun, Discordance Axis, Melt Banana) and voice-ripper/sonic guerilla DJ SPEEDRANCH, the trio has cast aside the limits of hardcore, electronics, and rock thus creating an inexplicable force of a sound. Soar through a windtunnel of guitar while being skinned alive by audiomulch vocals before you're pummeled by the filtered blastbeat sonic-crunch. Imagine your favorite genres being extracted to your harddisk, torn to shreds and spat back out in the form of metallic digital powder. Imagine DIY laptop hardcore geeks having convulsions and vomiting buttermilk. The music is much more appealing than that. Phantomsmasher is music that makes you feel excited
about art once again.
For over half his life, James Plotkin has been involved
in making music. Whether writing, performing, or producing, his recordings
have been invariably
unique and extreme. Each release is usually a complete departure from
the last, satisfying the need to explore different and sometimes uncharted
avenues of sound and composition. More recent projects display a return
to the aggressive, intense style that had originally drawn listeners
to
his music.
Plotkin's body of work to this date consists of over 80 releases across
many formats. He has been lucky enough to work with many of his peers
including Franz Treichler, Michael Gira, Mick Harris, and John Zorn among
others,
and has been an integral part of groups including Scorn, Old, Khanate,
Atomsmasher (now Phantomsmasher), and Death Ambient. Many record labels
that he has admired have in turn released recordings of his, validating
his existence as an artist in the process. Such labels include Kranky,
Ant-Zen, Hydra Head, Asphodel, Fat Cat, Earache, and now Ipecac Recordings.
Plotkin continues to form new groups and create exciting sounds with
musicians and friends alike, making the experience one not only of artistic
merit
but also of life affirmation and personal gratification as well. Without
these beneficial factors, the sounds need not exist.
Few things are for certain, but one of these things is that James Plotkin will always live for music. It is and always was the main driving force in his life. He also believes that the importance of sound as art and recreation is immeasurable. In this light, he creates music that sounds like nothing else.
Phantomsmasher is:
Dave Witte (Drums)
DJ Speedranch (AudioMulch Vocals)
James Plotkin (Bass, Guitar, Synthi, Wave Editing).