Had a good time doing an opening DJ set at Sterile this weekend. Great to see Halou and Sweet Trip as well as the 9-5 Super Spy and KUCI peeps. Here’s a few pix Anji took of the event.
Sterile show
Outburn #8, Jan 1999
An interview with Ryan Lum of Love Spirals Downwards by Gary Thrasher
Call it post-shoegazer, call it ethereal majesty… call it post-apocalyptic drum ’n’ bass trance… just don’t cal lit goth. Love Spirals Downwards, darlings of the Projekt label, are a blissful masterpiece of hypnotic rhythms and swirling guitars, topped off with angelic vocals… all with a tinge of dark moodiness and Middle Eastern mysticism. With their fourth album, Flux, a foray into the hazed world of melodic drum ’n’ bass, Love Spirals Downwards are poised on the brink of world dominance… it was on this cliff that I spoke with the mastermind behind the music, Ryan Lum.
How did Love Spirals Downwards come together in the beginning and how did you first become involved with Projekt Records?
It’s so long ago. Suzanne and I knew each other and we just decided to try it out… see how it worked with her singing on stuff I had made. I’d been making music for ages. I’m always just recording and making my own music, as opposed to doing the band thing. I don’t mind rehearsing for shows, but I like to record… that’s where my heart is. I sent a few demo tapes out for the hell of it. I didn’t know who Projekt was. One of my friends, the guy who shot our cover for the first album, knew someone in his art school… Susan Jennings (Projekt owner Sam Rosenthal’s former girlfriend). Somehow they got talking and she said, “Why don’t you have your friend Ryan send his tape in?” We sent a few others out, I think 4AD and Creation were the other two, and Projekt was the first and only to respond. It just evolved from that.
Continue reading Outburn #8, Jan 1999Hello and Happy New Year!
My DJ gig in San Francisco for Saturday January 30 is now confirmed. I’ll be spinning at La Belle Epoque, located at the Top, 424 Haight St. (between Webster and Fillmore, club info 415-241-1545, 21 and over). I’ll be on from about 9:30 to 11:30. Along with my records, I’ll be bringing along some “Flux” cd’s and stickers to give away as well. This should be a lot of fun and I’m excited about this since La Belle Epoque is my favorite club in San Francisco. It’s where I’m always at when I’m in town on a Saturday. Come on out and say hello.
Also, this Friday January 15, I will be the featured surprise DJ at Sterile, spinning several sets of ambient and drum n’ bass, along with Orange County DJ’s Christopher Robin (KUCI’s on air/off air & ROTPG) and Daniel Bremmer (Peach, KUCI’s Space Disco For Fish Tacos). There will also be a giveaway of cd’s and stickers of Love Spirals Downwards’ Flux. Performing live will be Kid 606 (Vinyl Communications, San Diego) and Phone. Sterile is located in Costa Mesa, CA at 2944 Randolph ave. #1. Club info is at: www.peachfuzz.net/sterile/. 9PM, $5 + 2 cans of food or $10 without, All ages.
Here’s my favorite records from 1998. By far, the most brilliant album of the year was Mezzanine by Massive Attack. I’d recommend it to anybody who was into our album Flux. Perfume Tree is another band you should check out if you’re into our sound. Moon Safari and Earth are a bit more jazzy and very nice and melodic.
- Massive Attack – Mezzanine
- Air – Moon Safari
- Perfume Tree – Feeler
- V/A – LTJ Bukem Presents Earth, Vol. 3
- V/A – Soundtrack from the movie Pi
Temporal on sale now!
We’re starting out 2000 with the release of Temporal, a collection of songs spanning the 8 year history of the band. From the acoustic beginnings to the present electronica/drum ‘n’ bass sound, this compilation covers the entirety of LSD’s career with 13 tracks selected from our master tapes for your enjoyment. The official Projekt Records release date is January 11th, 2000 — but we are offering Temporal for sale NOW at our webstore for just $13!
I had the opportunity to spin a little at a great B-Sides New Year’s Eve party, which got me excited to get back into DJing. Hopefully I’ll have some new bookings to list here for you real soon, so be sure to check back later.
HAPPY NEW MILLENIUM to everyone! Hope you had a great holiday season!
Flux CD promotions
Thanks to everybody that came out to Nightnoise last weekend. I’ll be doing some more DJ’ing in conjunction with Flux giveaways over the next few months. The next one will be in San Francisco at La Belle Epoque (at The Top) on January 30, and possibly Mexico City in March.
And a very big thanks to everybody who has bought Flux, making it the most sucessful new album launch in the label’s history! It’s well on its way to surpasing our previous albums, which are the label’s top selling releases. Thanks!
Live shows: people keep asking us what’s up and we still have no confirmed shows to report. We are talking with several promoters, so hopefully soon there will be some set dates. In the meantime, Suzanne and I will be doing one live performance on radio, and there are several radio interviews coming up as well.
So here’s the complete rundown of confirmed things that we will be doing:
- Ryan of Love Spirals Downwards DJs
Saturday, January 30, 1999
La Belle Epoque, located at The Top, San Francisco, CA
Ryan will be DJing, spinning records that are in a similar mood as well as an inspiration to Love Spirals’ album Flux. There will also be a giveaway of Flux CDs and stickers. More info to come soon. - Ryan and Suzanne perform live
Wednesday December 16, 1998 at 8PM – 10PM PST.
On “Space Disco For Fish Tacos” KUCI 88.9 FM, Irvine, CA
Space Disco For Fish Tacos has been on the air for three years, featuring weekly live performances and interviews by electronic musicians from southern California and abroad. KUCI is now broadcasting via the internet! KUCI broadcasts 24/7 on the internet through java-based streaming technology. All you need is a net connection (the faster the better) and a modern browser (AOL may not work) — try it out at www.kuci.org - Radio interview with Ryan
Friday, December 4, 1998. 8PM EST.
On WRAS 88.5 FM, Atlanta, GA
Ryan will be talking live on the air! WRAS’ phone set up does not allow callers to ask Ryan questions directly, but you can e-mail your questions (in advance) to Jez and she’ll pose them for you. - Radio Interview with Ryan
Saturday, December 5, 1998. 10PM to midnight PST.
“Oblivion” on KLYK 105.5 CITY, Longview, WA
The show can be heard in parts of Portland, OR as well. - Radio Interview with Ryan
Sunday, December 6, 1998. 8PM to 10PM PST.
“The All-Purpose Nuclear Bedtime Story,” KUCI 88.9 FM, Irvine, CA
With DJs Anji B. and Justin J. KUCI broadcasts 24/7 on the internet through a java-based streaming technology. All you need is a net connection and a modern browser (AOL may not work). Try it out at www.kuci.org
Ryan DJs Nightnoise
On Sunday November 22, i’ll be spinning at Nightnoise (in Costa Mesa, California) from 8:30 to 10 pm. I’ll be bringing along my records that are in a similar mood as well as an inspiration to our album Flux. There will also be a giveaway of Flux CDs and posters.
Attention Southern California Fans:
Nightnoise is Orange County’s only chill out weekly. Resident DJs Chowderhead and Mr. Lumpy (along with occasional guest DJ’s and live bands) accent the atmosphere of the Gypsy Den cafe, located in the LAB in Costa Mesa, with genre-crossing experimental, ambient, downtempo, dub ‘n’ bass, drone hop, space rock, sonicollagism. The event is free and happens Sundays from 7 to 11 pm at 2930 Bristol, Costa Mesa. Call 714.549.7012 for more info.
LSD on Echoes radio show
We will be featured on the nationaly syndicated radio show Echoes. Check their website for info on stations that carry the show.
More Flux news
Today is Suzanne’s birthday! Happy Birthday Suzy!!!
The article on us in the November issue of Keyboard is out and I’m excited about us and Massive Attack sharing the same page. If you don’t have their latest, Mezzanine, get it! It’s my favorite release of the year.
Lots has been going on with the release of Flux, which continues its great run on sales and radio. If you still haven’t bought Flux yet (you’ve all got it by now right?), you should be able to find it at most stores including Tower, Virgin, and Borders. Plus, Flux is featured in Borders listening stations now until November 16.
There’s still no shows to announce as of yet. The good news is that Suzanne and I have now started rehearsing and working on music again, after a several month break that both of us needed after finishing Flux.
Fix Magazine #24, 1998
Love Spirals Downwards – Constantly In A State Of Flux
By Daniel Bremmer
Love Spirals Downwards has always had a problem fitting in to any specific category. As on the first artists signed to Projekt, Ryan Lum and Suzanne Perry have been lumped in the same ethereal category as label mates Black Tape for a Blue Gil and Lycia. “I think our music is somewhat melancholy. Some goths really get off on it, some don’t,” remarks Perry. A friend introduced the duo to Projekt, which at the time were a small Pasadena label which largely served to release label owner Sam Rosenthal’s band, Black Tape for a Blue Girl. “I’ve seen the piles of demos from bands that would give their left arm to be on Projekt, and we had never even heard of them. They were really small then, we were at the right place at the right time,” says Lum.
While the swirling guitars, dreamy female vocals, and lush atmospheric landscapes of their first three releases have not exactly clashed with other dark wave artists, the duo have certainly not considered themselves to be a goth band. Nowhere else has Love Spirals Downwards experienced the effects of being considered a goth band as when they perform live. With the exception of a few small shows, a majority of their performances have been promoted as goth shows. One recent example was ProjektFest 96, hosted by Coven 13 and billed as “An Evening of Gothic Music.” When remarking on Coven 13’s resident DJ, Jason Levitt’s rather unethereal and wholly uninspired teeny-bop top 40 set, Perry laughs and states that “He’ll play the same records next week, and the week after, and the week after that! As though he has not been playing them since 1985 or something? That’s pathetic. I’m embarrassed for those people.”
Continue reading Fix Magazine #24, 1998Flux update
Hello. Sorry for not updating the news for a little while; I’ve been away most of the summer and am finally back home. Lots has happened since the last update, the big news being the release of Flux a few weeks ago. We’ve been pleasantly overwhelmed with the great response that it’s receiving. Flux has been charting on the college radio charts and is even number 1 on several stations.
Flux has been selling great, better than all our previous releases. In mid September through mid November, it will be in listening stations in all the Borders stores. Flux is or will be in listening stations and on sale at many Virgin, Media Play, and Tower Records stores, as well. I’ve seen Flux at most places I’ve been to, so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding it (a nice change compared to when Ever was released).
For all you gearheads out there, we will be in the November issue of Keyboard magazine, which will be on sale in October. They did an interview with me while I was staying in in San Francisco last month. I talked about the gear and processes used in making Flux, while enjoying a pleasant dinner of Indian food with their writer Markkus Rovito.
We contributed the Flux track, ‘Nova,’ to Loraine, A KUCI 88.9 fm benefit compilation. Besides being a worthwhile double-cd benefit comp, it has some great tracks of ‘intelligent’ electronic music, with songs from Bassland, Simply Jeff, Uberzone, Gearwhore, THC, Robert Rich, Surface 10, and many others. It is a very cool limited edition compilation. For more information, see the Peach website at www.peachfuzz.net.
Thanks to everybody who has emailed us or wrote in our guestbook about enjoying Flux so much! I personally think Flux is our best release so far, and am surprised and happy to hear that so many of you think the same. Our website here has been redesigned too, as some of you may notice. I hope you like the new look. Also, be sure to check back here regularly for the latest info on what’s happening with us. A few shows are being talked about and I will post more info on those as soon as it becomes available.
And check out the new Massive Attack CD, it rocks!