The Death Set

The Death Set
Background information
Origin Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Genres Punk
Electronica
Labels Ninja Tune (Counter)
Website www.thedeathset.com
Members
Johnny Siera
Daniel Walker
Jahphet Landis
Past members
Beau Velasco (deceased)

The Death Set (also spelled TheDeathSet or The DeathSet) is an art punk music group formed in 2005 in Sydney, Australia. Six months after its inception the band moved to the East Coast of the United States, living in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Brooklyn respectively, where the band found an audience for its style of experimental, cross genre, punk rock. Moving after less than two years in each city the band has been nomadic, yet thrived in each base.[1] All members now currently live in Brooklyn. The band fuses punk rock sound and energy, electronic music production and hip hop sampling into their recordings. Their live shows are high energy events often played at crowd level with the audience surrounding the band.[2][3]

The band was originally formed with Johnny Siera and Beau Velasco sharing vocal, guitar and production duties. The current lineup features Siera in the same role, Jahphet Landis playing drums and Daniel Walker on guitar and vocals.

Contents

History

First meeting in their home town of the Gold Coast of Australia, Johnny Siera met Beau Velasco at a show where Velasco's band "Black Panda" was performing. Drawn to the energy of the show, Siera contacted Velasco and was soon asked to join for a tour of the East Coast of Australia with Brooklyn band Japanther. Inspired by the tour, the two decided to move to Sydney and focus on the band as a two piece group, renaming themselves The Death Set.[1]

Velasco and Siera converted a central Sydney warehouse space into a makeshift recording studio and wrote and recorded what would become their debut EP, to. Having a sound both electronic as well as rock, their first shows around Sydney would be at the electronic night "Bang Gang", the rock night "Gimme Gimme Gimme", and an art opening for pop artist Ben Frost.

The pair was contacted by Baltimore label Morphius Records to release their first EP. Subsequently the band moved to Brooklyn, then Baltimore, bought an old work van and toured The United States constantly.

Signing to Counter Records (Ninja Tune)

In January 2008, the band signed to Counter Records, the rock offshoot of the U.K. label Ninja Tune. The subsequent full length album Worldwide was released on March 25, 2008 to very positive reviews and widely praised in the alternative music press including an Artrocker Magazine cover and album of the month[4][5] and Allmusic's album pick.[6]

After their performance at the 2008 Reading and Leeds Festivals. The U.K. music magazine NME called them the #1 biggest hope of the future.[7]

Death of Beau Velasco

On September 27, 2009 Beau Velasco, Death Set guitarist and co-songwriter, was found dead in his studio in New York City.[8] Although completely devastated, the band decided to keep going as they believed Velasco would have wanted them to continue. Many songs on the album "Michel Poiccard" are meant as a celebration of Velasco's life and positive influence on the band.[9]

Michel Poiccard

The Death Set released their second LP titled "Michel Poiccard" on March 15, 2011 again on Counter Records / Ninja Tune.[10] Produced by XXXChange and including collaborations with Diplo and Spankrock.[11] BBC describes Michel Poiccard as "full-tilt, power-pop catharsis, ecstatic blaze-of-glory euphoria and notes of blissed-out poignancy... Producer XXXChange has helped broaden the band's range from tin pot to wide screen".[12] The album mixes influences of early punk with hip-hop and electronic elements often compared to early Beastie Boys marked with their own distinctive adrenaline twin guitar driven dynamic.[13] Baltimore City Paper describes Michel Poiccard as "the best thing the Death Set's ever done".[14] The album was praised by many critics and included in the their best of 2011 album lists. [15] [16]

Touring

The band has played over 500 live performances in Australia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Europe, Scandinavia, Puerto Rico and Mexico including spots at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, the Reading / Leeds Festivals, Secret Garden and Love Box Festivals in the United Kingdom, Dour Festival in Belgium, Oya Festival in Norway, North by Northeast music conference in Canada, Pohoda Festival in Slovakia, Pantiero, Cabaret Vert, Marsatac and Le Grand Souk Festivals in France, Festival Nrmal in Mexico and five years showcasing at the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas.[17] Live, the band is also known for its use of hip hop, Baltimore club and rock music samples played in between their original songs. In the end of 2011, they performed as support band for the German punk rock band Beatsteaks which included their Berlin show at Max Schmeling Halle to 10000+ fans.

Discography

Albums

Mixtapes

EPs & Singles

Official Remixes of The Death Set

Remixes by The Death Set

Compilation

Official Music Videos

Documentary

Clothing Collaborations

Interviews

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.citypaper.com/music/review.asp?rid=10048
  2. ^ http://www.iheartcomix.com/blog/franki/death-set-live-interview-pure-groove
  3. ^ The Death Set - Feature - Musicfeeds.com.au Retrieved on 2009-04-09.
  4. ^ http://www.montrealmirror.com/2008/042408/disc.html
  5. ^ http://www.artrockermagazine.com/ARTROCKERbackissues.html
  6. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1343281
  7. ^ http://www.ninjatune.net/ninja/artist.php?id=137
  8. ^ http://www.buzzgrinder.com/2009/the-death-sets-beau-velasco-passes-away
  9. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/feb/26/death-set-beau-velasco
  10. ^ http://pitchfork.com/news/41044-the-pitchfork-guide-to-upcoming-releases/
  11. ^ http://pitchfork.com/forkcast/15109-yo-david-chase-you-pov-shot-me-in-the-head-ft-diplo/
  12. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/rrx2
  13. ^ http://ninjatune.net/artist/the-death-set
  14. ^ http://citypaper.com/music/the-death-set-em-michel-poiccard-em-1.1115990
  15. ^ http://thesoundofconfusionblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/best-albums-of-2011.html
  16. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2011/dec/16/albums-2011-critics-voted?newsfeed=true
  17. ^ http://thedeathset.com/
  18. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a5irwpURkk
  19. ^ a b c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqxYEj_zhyg&feature=related
  20. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNv5M3L0c3c
  21. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1VKgbTgHoo
  22. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSYkQAz18Bg
  23. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXXwpFov_Ns
  24. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgeVRaZHsUM
  25. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP5kHRdN-KE
  26. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3rto2fbmNU
  27. ^ http://hypebeast.com/2008/07/the-death-set-x-stussy-tee/
  28. ^ http://mishkanyc.com/bloglin/2010/11/29/%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%88%D0%BA%D0%B0-presents-the-death-sets-artificially-sweetened/