}hexdump{ on 'The Cabaret Voltaire' with Herr Von Stitch 2/8/11

Words by Julie Jay Seger, photo by Sam Donnelly

Electronic band }hexdump{ stopped by Herr Von Stitch's show (Tuesday nights from 6-8 P.M. on 105.9 FM The Radiator!) to play and chat about the exciting and innovative work this band has been is up to.

}hexdump{ will be celebrating its album release with a show this Friday, 2/11, at the Off Center for Dramatic Arts, located at 294 North Winooski Ave, from 7 to 10 P.M.  Tickets are $5.00 at the door but be sure to come early as this venue has a limited capacity and tends to fill up quickly!

}hexdump{ is a unique endeavor comprised of three musicians: Professor D-Day, Emcee Eschaton, and Reverend Elgee. While each has his own diverging projects and style, these three gentlemen go way back  since their days at UVM radio station WRUV and the Burlington hardcore and electronic scene. After listening to each others' shows,  they sensed a collaboration was almost inevitable. Reverend Elgee puts it like this, "I heard his [Emcee Eschaton] show, called him up and said, 'I don't know about you, but I feel like we've just got start a band.'"

Working with different samples, loops, beats and more, the men of }hexdump{ come together to tap into their group energy and create instantaneously.  The nature of their music is programmed, yet they act on impulse and energy to maintain a dynamic that is just random enough to keep themselves and their audiences entertained. "When we play live, we bring in visual and audio elements of performance," says Reverend Elgee. "We're all about involving the audience, getting out there and interacting with the crowd, so they're part of it as much as we are."

With its first incarnation dating back to January of 1995, }hexdump{ has progressed through different influences all rooted within each member. D-Day is a professional drummer who will listen to everything and anything in an effort to perfect his craft.  Emcee Eschaton is a self-professed "noise geek," with much interest in Japanese noise bands and the like. Reverend Elgee is a longtime bass player and operated a recording studio for many years. With this range of interest, }hexdump{ strives toward "creative recontextualization," using music and sound from all over to generate something else that is entirely unique.

"In the beginning of }hexdump{, we were always trying to be arty and different. Now that we've each had our own solo projects, we've come back together and it's spread in our own direction," says Emcee Eschaton. The show this Friday at the Off Center for Dramatic Arts is a celebration of that effort, culminating in the album 'Protocol Analysis Volume One' available for download at their website: www.hexdump.us. The material for this album comes from  25 to 45 minute podcasts done by the band every other week for a year.

Herr Von Stitch, host of the Cabaret Voltaire, a DJ, musician, and artist himself, connected with }hexdump{ and found many reasons to maintain a close friendship with the band. He shares their creative and technical vision, describing it as "a way of processing everything we've ever experienced. Taking all this scattered noise and putting into a blender, taking samples and genres and giving them a new theater, to create a sound 'smoothie.'"

Unusual and awesome, no? Check out Herr Von Stitch who will also be DJing at the }hexdump{ show this Friday, and for more of his work tune into 'The Cabaret Voltaire' Tuesday nights from 6-8pm on 105.9FM The Radiator.