Manufactura and Terrorfakt with W.A.S.T.E. and Cervello Elettronico: Hollywood, CA 9-20-04

Photographer: Lucien J., courtesy of Drunk Rockers (www.drunkrockers.com)

After opening sets by electronic artist Cervello Electronico and local rhythmic noise purveyors WASTE, tonight’s feature artists took the stage. It was more than just two great acts sharing the “headliner” credit; Manufactura and Terrorfakt actually took the stage together, performing tracks from each artist’s repertoire and improvising over each other. Defying the stereotype that a power noise show is always one guy pushing buttons on a sampler, the two acts employed a slew of guest artists, including STG front man Shane Talada on sequencer and recent Skinny Puppy collaborator Dre Robinson on drum pads and laptop, so for once there was almost as much chaos on the stage as there was on the dance floor. Ben of Terrorfakt hunched workmanlike over his gear, letting periodic onslaughts of beats do the talking for him as Robinson danced manically behind the pads in the corner, while Manufactura’s Karloz M. engaged the crowd, bowing between songs and even taking the microphone to sing on pieces like the grimly sensual “Deep Waters.” Despite it being a Monday night, the audience was animated and vocal in their appreciation; heads bobbed, limbs flailed, and mosh pits sporadically formed and dissipated. Even from the vantage point of the bar, though, this event was something special, with so much gear and talent crowding the stage all at once and uniting the crowd in a barrage of rhythm and noise. Multiple sequences and textures all came together to create something greater than the sum of individual beats, beeps, and bursts of feedback. Two artists, great in their own right, but together as genius as chocolate and peanut butter. For more information, check out the artists at www.terrorfakt.com and www.auriclemedia.com/manufactura