If you’ve never heard of UK producer Powell, it’s maybe even more important that you watch this video now.
There’s a lot I want to say, but I’d give away the ending. Let’s keep it to this: an adventurous electronic producer, making a raucously stuttering, intense, punk-digital record, talked to his rock idol Steve Albini. And something happened.
What happened on email turned into a music video by director Guy Featherstone, and the results are pure poetry.
Very large epilepsy warning: this video strobes sickeningly. But, if like us, you rather like that sort of thing, you may … enjoy it immensely. (Also, explicit content, I guess, says Apple – “f*** you,” to be specific.)
By the way, by “epilepsy warning,” I mean this kind of epilepsy warning:
I will say this: the advantage of being in music is that, perhaps, it really isn’t a war, and doesn’t have sides. And being perfectly impolite, we might just discover we make more friends than we do being polite – or, at least, vainly trying to conform. Well, if you care. Maybe you don’t care.
Also, yeah, Xenakis.
Insomniac / Should’ve Been A Drummer on vinyl, or else on iTunes. Samples cleared, of course.


Horrible music and clip, not worth Albini’s name mentioned along with it.
Horrible music and clip, not worth Albini’s name mentioned along with it.
Horrible music and clip, not worth Albini’s name mentioned along with it.
Its very ‘meta’ to have awful video over awful music describing why its awful.
I like Oscar and he is clearly having great fun!
Its very ‘meta’ to have awful video over awful music describing why its awful.
I like Oscar and he is clearly having great fun!
Its very ‘meta’ to have awful video over awful music describing why its awful.
I like Oscar and he is clearly having great fun!
I hope Steve listens to it, because it’s brilliant!
I hope Steve listens to it, because it’s brilliant!
I hope Steve listens to it, because it’s brilliant!
As soon as the clip finished I went and bought the vinyl. Amazing and crazy music.
As soon as the clip finished I went and bought the vinyl. Amazing and crazy music.
As soon as the clip finished I went and bought the vinyl. Amazing and crazy music.
this is genius. Powell is hit or miss for me but the stuff that ‘hits’ is beyond incredible. Insomniac is abrasive for a reason. I hear this track, combined with the intensity of the video and steve’s words, and it has me recalling that true “fuck you” sense of rock and roll.
What’s really fucking genius is the way powell uses steves words to make a statement in such a creative, poetic way, without just being a hater. The music, the video, and steves words make a truely profound statement. honestly, i hear this and i see johnny cash flipping of the camera, the dead kennedys, atari teenage riot, the pixies, even fucking anton webern, penderecki and of course, xenakis.
i happened to start my (late as fuck) day with this video, and i’m grateful that I did.
this is genius. Powell is hit or miss for me but the stuff that ‘hits’ is beyond incredible. Insomniac is abrasive for a reason. I hear this track, combined with the intensity of the video and steve’s words, and it has me recalling that true “fuck you” sense of rock and roll.
What’s really fucking genius is the way powell uses steves words to make a statement in such a creative, poetic way, without just being a hater. The music, the video, and steves words make a truely profound statement. honestly, i hear this and i see johnny cash flipping of the camera, the dead kennedys, atari teenage riot, the pixies, even fucking anton webern, penderecki and of course, xenakis.
i happened to start my (late as fuck) day with this video, and i’m grateful that I did.
this is genius. Powell is hit or miss for me but the stuff that ‘hits’ is beyond incredible. Insomniac is abrasive for a reason. I hear this track, combined with the intensity of the video and steve’s words, and it has me recalling that true “fuck you” sense of rock and roll.
What’s really fucking genius is the way powell uses steves words to make a statement in such a creative, poetic way, without just being a hater. The music, the video, and steves words make a truely profound statement. honestly, i hear this and i see johnny cash flipping of the camera, the dead kennedys, atari teenage riot, the pixies, even fucking anton webern, penderecki and of course, xenakis.
i happened to start my (late as fuck) day with this video, and i’m grateful that I did.
The marketing has eclipsed the music.
The marketing has eclipsed the music.
The marketing has eclipsed the music.
Powell’s radioshow is a barrel of laughs! Good music, great personalities, casual fuckery.
This entire thing is surreal.
Where can we hear the radio show?
https://soundcloud.com/diagonal-records
Powell’s radioshow is a barrel of laughs! Good music, great personalities, casual fuckery.
This entire thing is surreal.
Where can we hear the radio show?
https://soundcloud.com/diagonal-records
Powell’s radioshow is a barrel of laughs! Good music, great personalities, casual fuckery.
This entire thing is surreal.
Where can we hear the radio show?
https://soundcloud.com/diagonal-records
I like the toe tapping “POWELL” thing 🙂 great music!
I like the toe tapping “POWELL” thing 🙂 great music!
I like the toe tapping “POWELL” thing 🙂 great music!
I see the ego. I hear its suffering and its noise. Where is the art Peter?
I see the ego. I hear its suffering and its noise. Where is the art Peter?
I see the ego. I hear its suffering and its noise. Where is the art Peter?
Love it.
Love it.
Love it.
Oh, how I love Powell. Managing to come up with such a distinct sound in 2015 is pretty good effort, and even when the tracks are kind of meh (not often), they still rank above so much else stuff out there.
But, what’s with the not available in other digital formats? I want my flac.
This track, love it or hate it. Is not going to sound better as a FLAC file. Square waves and noise don’t have subtle nuance.
Oh, how I love Powell. Managing to come up with such a distinct sound in 2015 is pretty good effort, and even when the tracks are kind of meh (not often), they still rank above so much else stuff out there.
But, what’s with the not available in other digital formats? I want my flac.
This track, love it or hate it. Is not going to sound better as a FLAC file. Square waves and noise don’t have subtle nuance.
Oh, how I love Powell. Managing to come up with such a distinct sound in 2015 is pretty good effort, and even when the tracks are kind of meh (not often), they still rank above so much else stuff out there.
But, what’s with the not available in other digital formats? I want my flac.
This track, love it or hate it. Is not going to sound better as a FLAC file. Square waves and noise don’t have subtle nuance.
Omg that was amazing.
Omg that was amazing.
Omg that was amazing.
Can’t be watched in Germany due to GEMA.Sometimes it surprises me how tech savy producers/musicians/artists can come up with all sorts of amazing stuff but then again at the same time can be so lazy with taking care of the legal/publishing/copyright aspects of their art.Of what use is your art if it can’t be experienced by a big chunk of your market because you didn’t make sure it actually was GEMA-free or whatever else the problem was ?
I just can’t see how artists would put so much energy into their work and then have this shoulder-shrugging “not my fault” attitude when it comes to making sure their art can actually be seen…
Can’t be watched in Germany due to GEMA.Sometimes it surprises me how tech savy producers/musicians/artists can come up with all sorts of amazing stuff but then again at the same time can be so lazy with taking care of the legal/publishing/copyright aspects of their art.Of what use is your art if it can’t be experienced by a big chunk of your market because you didn’t make sure it actually was GEMA-free or whatever else the problem was ?
I just can’t see how artists would put so much energy into their work and then have this shoulder-shrugging “not my fault” attitude when it comes to making sure their art can actually be seen…
Can’t be watched in Germany due to GEMA.Sometimes it surprises me how tech savy producers/musicians/artists can come up with all sorts of amazing stuff but then again at the same time can be so lazy with taking care of the legal/publishing/copyright aspects of their art.Of what use is your art if it can’t be experienced by a big chunk of your market because you didn’t make sure it actually was GEMA-free or whatever else the problem was ?
I just can’t see how artists would put so much energy into their work and then have this shoulder-shrugging “not my fault” attitude when it comes to making sure their art can actually be seen…
PS THERE IS A FREE TRACK IN THE VIDEO…..GO!!!!
PS THERE IS A FREE TRACK IN THE VIDEO…..GO!!!!
PS THERE IS A FREE TRACK IN THE VIDEO…..GO!!!!