Those fine folks at Dedstrange Records have allowed Joyzine to bring you the first look and listen of Data Animal’s ‘Dead Raver’. It’s a reworking of their first single ‘Death Racer’, but darkly reimagined by label boss Oliver Ackermann. Based in Queens, New York, Dedstrange are definitely a record label to watch, and Ackermann is not only the label boss but a musician who also runs the FX Pedal business Death By Audio. Data Animal were born in a pandemic and hail from Germany and New Zealand and are led by Mitchell James O’Sullivan (Aporia, Cynthia, Full Moon Fiasco) and Takumi Yanai (The Schizophonics, The Cavemen).
‘Dead Raver’ is a snarl from the depths of Hell, like The Beast trying to break free from its shackles. It’s a nightmarish trip in a NOx-powered muscle car through the wrong part of town, where neon and ne’er do wells collide. Gunshots and sirens add to the unease, but there are also plenty of thrills in this joyride: battering blown-out drums, propelling guitar fuzz, arc lights of warping notes and a vocal line that vacillates between a menacing whisper-scream and full throttle yowling. If you like the idea of surfing a lava flow or breakdancing on sandpaper, then this is the tune for you.
Listening to ‘Dead Raver’ you can feel your face contorting from the assault and your hair blowing behind you wildly. There’s also no respite in the video which is a visual cacophony of flashing images, some familiar, others unrecognisable, and presented in both positive and negative, just to keep you off your toes. This is adrenalized pleasure: gasoline in the nostrils and blood-pumping at the speed of fright. Just make sure your seatbelt is fastened securely and your affairs are in order before you push play.
Warning: contains flashing imagery:
A 7” of the original song ‘Death Racer’ is available here
Data Animal Smartlinks / Dedstrange links: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Review by Paul F Cook
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