Kirk belongs to a new wave of noticeable young individuals in the underground... promising, artistically prolific & protean and most importantly in my opinion, politically conscious & involved.
My thinking is, to dismantle the old - which is clearly the cause of this global predicament we are in - the youth needs to be involved, it doesn't matter which point of the quadrant or spectrum it may be... a spark is a spark.
I enjoyed this interview very much that I had to decide to cut it "short" and reserve more questions for future conversations. This is a very strange point in history amidst a very volatile global theatre & talking with Kirk has been personally enlightening for me.
We didn't necessarily have to agree with each other's ideas and trade bottled bath water with one another afterwards
- but rightfully so because for me that is how objective conversations should be.
So without much delay here it is you thirsty simps...
Hello, Kirk how are you? Are you nocturnal now? Doing fine, been reading a lot of books lately to stave off this nasty cabin fever.
- Somewhat. I oftentimes get a surge of ideas during the wee hours of the night
What kind of books are you reading and have you added other genres because of the extra time? I'm been dabbling around with Virilio lately, mostly philosophical, which is somewhat related to my research interests Not much on other genres, since I'm actually writing a paper and I felt like this will serve as a sound conceptual background, given the nature of his works What's the paper about? Maritime surveillance and the threat of Chinese Maritime Scientific Research. It's a backlog from my previous job, but since I presented this paper last year, I am compelled to finish this entire word vomit, instead of fiddling away with my other pursuits It's a theoretical mishmash (or should I say nightmare) since I have to balance three (or four) different theorists (Foucault, Virilio, Deleuze & Guattari) but then again, I'd rather do some noise stuff than do all of these. Talk about being a responsible adult. I think what you have here is a healthy equation of theory and application. Congratulations for being connected to the academe while being involved in underground art forms. I mean the possibilities are endless, it could go both ways...destructive and constructive, hah! Few people could pull it off Definitely! To be fair, I have always been fascinated by textures and layers, instead of scales and tones. Thanks to D&G, I have been able to apply (or rationalize my bad musicianship rather) the concept of smooth and striated in two of my projects; Sonderkommando (which is a heavily textured aural interpretation of the worst qualities of regimes during a specific time period) as well as my new pet project, Rayadillo (Again, layered with reverb and haunting vocals to mask out my lack of guitar playing skills) You sneaky bastard, I didn't know you are Rayadillo haha fuck! I even commented on someone's post if anyone knew any live Rayadillo videos. Hahahahahaha, yeah. It's one of my supposedly "shelved" projects. I've been musing around with neofolk for the past 2 years, and I even bothered to learn some chords just to make this project happen. That is also true, since I actually attempt to capture a "mood" in certain historical contexts. I don't think there's such a thing as bad musicianship. It's just misplaced in a certain point of time, therefore relative. I mean you may sound like squeaky door when you sing but that doesn't matter when your lonely comrade is covered in mud, lungs swollen with poison gas and his ass filled with shrapnel begging you for a comforting tune. This is also true. I think that it's also worth noting these specific periods in time. War is hell, and the sounds that correspond to that must also reflect the emotions and the feeling of being in a war zone
Now let's go retro a bit and tell us how you started in the scene, who were the posers you used to hang out with and all. It was actually Ace (Shinrikyo/Salot) who introduced me to a lot of things in the scene. I used to listen to mostly hardcore/horrorcore hiphop (heh, teenage angst) I think it was him who sent me a link of MITB. Then the rest is history That was around 2012/13 I think. One of my earliest memories of attending a gig was in IDB. I kinda don't what specific gig since I got smashed during the event How did you get acquainted with Ace? Don't tell me it was a after a bad drug deal like how most punk friendships begin hah! Hahahahaha! I've known him since 2002. We went to the same school. Actually, it's pretty much a nerdy story. I reckon he tried to rip me off with a busted die-cast model of an A-10 Thunderbolt. Basically grew up in the same community. Most of the people are actually in the military, probably one of the reasons why I have that kind of nostalgic aesthetic
Isn't there some kind of philosophical tug of war going on with you being bred in a right wing tinged environment, as shown in some of your artistic preferences and being involved in more a polar opposite leaning counterculture like the underground scene?
Actually, yeah. It is very right wing. That's probably one of the main reasons why I chose to be different I guess. Living in this gated community, you will be exposed to a lot of reactionary perspectives coming from people who became docile because of the institutions that trained them. But then again, with the help of books and the internet, I managed to get out of this kind of mindset. I do try to dedicate most of my works to the victims of such atrocities. Like for example, the name Sonderkommando; a lot of these people are actually Jews tasked to clean up after the vile mess left by the atrocities done by the Nazis, and after doing their jobs, they're mostly disposed. But without these people, the entire world would have been clueless. They have done a lot of things to expose these kinds of attrocities, from forming resistance organizations behind the fence, as well as taking photographs of the activities done by the entire camp system. The same way I feel for most of my career as a government employee, lest alone being in the defense sector. I have always felt a sort of guilt in doing what I do to rationalize the existing order of things through research. But I firmly believe; Sic Semper Tyrannis In addition to that, I find it amusing that a lot of these boneheads (neo nazis/fascists) who actually listened to Sonderkommando never actually bothered to read the content! That's probably one way of wasting their precious time to listen to something that they think affirms their depraved worldview, but in reality, a total opposite of their wretched ideological dispositions.
click below for the bandcamp link
Man, you're young and have so much ahead of you. Do you have some kind of specific goal with your music and writing that you are looking forward to?
Yep. I am actually trying to conceptualize a history of colonial violence and their apparatuses in the form of a full-length experimental album. Other than that, I've been digging a lot of darkwave/post-punk lately. Who knows, probably one day a new idea might hatch.
Fuck off post punk! That is my realm... CHAROT! So let's go back, after meeting Ace and getting a taste of IDB, what units did you form?
First project was Jaw Surgery. Had a lot of irreconcilable conceptual differences, that's why I left. It's basically tropical harsh noise (which I never actually got a taste for) It's a tropical harsh noise outfit formed by Fletch Del Prado (Former Killratio???) And Chester Masangya (SPAP) I think that was back in 2017
Second band was Banzai Charge, a noise-infused powerviolence conceptualized on a hot summer day of May 2018. Members are Johndy of MxE fame on drums, Som of Hangal/Sister Bastard on guitars, Froilan as the bassman. (Commit Arson/EIF) Latest addition was Nel of Sandy Good. (Noise)
I also did a one-off project with Sigalot, (formerly Slay Your Boyfriend) named Sex Makina. It's a porno/noisegrind project he formed last year.
Other than that, we recently released a noise split on pornhub 2 weeks ago with me being Simp Destroyer, and Melvyn billed as Walang Modo
I will also be doing vox duties with an upcoming post punk band named Могила. Too bad this lockdown threw a wrench on our plans. Stay tuned, "bros"
click below for the bandcamp link
The projects you mentioned are noticeably extreme in the musical spectrum. From Noise to Post Punk without any caveman hardcore and metal in between. Is this intentional?
I feel that these sub genres effectively capture my perpetual mood. Besides, I get to conceptualize about things that are pretty much in line with what I want. I get to experiment a lot, as well as stick to the things that I want to do. There's basically no rules. I can't go around singing about partisans while slinging gang vocals in hardcore. Metal's another story. I do listen to some, but that's just about it. I never actually had the heart for it, besides lacking the required musical skill. (heck, I only learned to play guitar two years ago and it's mostly open chords)
Interesting. But being the asshole that I am. I will constantly mess with you about this excuse for avoiding the path to technical proficiency. But honestly, I wasn't really aware that there was post punk revivalism. Not even sure if it ever went away. I was surprised about the bands you have been sharing in social media that resembled the old 80's bands that I ate for breakfast when I was a kid.
I am also surprised. Most of the post punk/darkwave bands that I've been digging a lot are from Eastern Europe. Besides having the aesthetics that I'm into, (brutalist architecture, post-soviet decay) they have this certain sound (especially synthesizers) that I find appealing. Locally, I can't talk that much. I've heard of Moscow Olympics and Names Are For Tombstones, but that's all I know.
Yeah, big thanks to youtube algorithm, discogs, and last.fm for that! The gateway drug (besides Joy Division) probably was Blitz and The Proletariat. Though I am really digging really old school Soviet synthwave bands right now such as Technology, Bioconstructor, and Alyans. As for starters, the bands that introduced me to this rabbithole are Kino, Molchat Doma, and Motorama.
I am not saying that the underground scene is made up mostly of bonehead garden-variety punks ( but I'm winking while typing this...wink wink ) what was your impression when you started attending shows?
Well at first what I mostly did was to get piss-drunk and mosh, truth be told. But hey, I get to watch bands that I like. That's mostly it.
First impression, well. Similar-minded people I guess? There's this sense of community, and it feels good to be a part of it. Probably because most people of my age at that time would rather do clubbing, which I don't really feel like doing.
Clubbing? Isn't that the tradition of knocking a potential mate unconscious and then dragging her back to the cave to copulate?
Hahahahahaha! If that would be against another tribe, that would be better. But kidding aside, I'm not into getting pasty-faced at some club while mindlessly bumping to EDM, I'd rather get wasted and get mangled in a sea of people
Exquisite choice good sire.
Can you, at least at this given moment & for the record, can you state what your political & philosophical stance is.
I'm pretty much syncretic. On one hand, wealth must be distributed, industries must be nationalized. On the other, we need to build a credible defense posture to safeguard our borders against regional powers such as China. I know I might get some flak for saying this but, nationalism will always be one of the easiest way of bringing a polity towards its collective destiny. I'd say it's a crude interpretation of Heidegger and Marx in a political sense. But with the current situation right now, that won't probably happen. Smaller states like us are oftentimes under the mercy of bigger and stronger ones. But again, there are multiple layers and institutions among states that can tip the balance of power.
But these abstractions will only look good on paper as long as the existing social and political order is maintained. It has always been like that for most of the colonized world. The connivance between colonial masters and local elites have ensured the entrenchment of these oppressive structures.
You know, I have this often lazy, generalizing and large scale perception of things. I see the forest not the trees. But specifically for us, I think we have to take a protracted and bloody path to even get a little close to the state you described. I mean the cultural, political and economic state that we are in as aptly described by a leaked message from the US embassy describing the country as.... a fucking basket case.
I do agree with this. It will be a long struggle, but if the opposition will not be able to keep up with the ability of the state to preserve itself, as well as settle their political and ideological differences, it will be a lost cause
Do you take any model from other revolutions that took place in the last few centuries that you think might be applicable here?
I did study Marighella, Debray, and Guevara back in my "red" days, but the Philippines is truly a unique case. Though probably one of the reasons why there has been a lack of gain for the revolution is that they are unable and unwilling to admit ideological and strategic deficiencies.
I could probably add a lot of things here, but I'd probably summarize this in three points; 1 - The so-called "mass base" has been tainted with the machinations of the ideological apparatuses of the state, (unbridled populism/new informational technologies i.e. troll farms and fake news) 2 - The inability of the general opposition to overcome their ideological/political differences, and lastly 3 - the inability of the former to wage a proper armed struggle, that is, the recognition that the two fronts (urban/rural) should be simultaneously done in order to secure a better outcome for their goals
I few observations on some factors is the constant dominating presence of outside influence plus the uncertainties in the South.
This too, capitalism has pretty much entrenched itself as the dominant global order. It's a
colossal task.
Ideology is so difficult and conflicting. Have you ever thought ideologies are too perfect for human nature and has taken too much credit? Isn't it dire economic and oppressive conditions which actually trigger shifts in the direction that masses take?
They are. But ideologies are also a product of such factors. I don't wanna start talking about human nature vs. the human condition, that will probably render this interview too dragging. On top of that, you also have problems within supposedly "emancipative" institutions such as the academia (oh god, don't get me started)
Come on we got all ECQ long and a free website to put it on hahaha
Okay, here's the problem. I've always been conflicted whether or not these grand narratives such as ideologies and other grand ideations of our way of life should even be considered as a viable path towards the emancipation of the oppressed
In the past centuries, you can observe that such ideas did cause a lot of pain and suffering. Regardless of its position in the spectrum, quadrant, or horseshoe (or any other ideological models)
But, without these ideas, we will never have a picture of what is ought to be, (Basing on Aristotle and Hume)
Does that therefore mean that the conditions including repetitive rise and fall and rise again of oppressive rules is still not enough for humanity to transcend these redundant dilemmas?
Well, it is a complex phenomenon. I am still yet to find an answer. As they say, everything else consists of a series of footnotes to Plato (Whitehead, 1979)
What I mean by this is there has been a lot of interpretations on these questions. It appears that this exercise on political ontology just highlights the fact about the multitude of narratives, discourses, and structures of emancipation. We have to understand that this very condition of humanity will always be a complex phenomenon. My answer would be rather short; we need to go back to the enlightenment project and try to understand its shortcomings, and possibly create new ways of understanding the world without reverting back to the oppressive order and structures that has beset society. History has shown us that all these grand projects that aimed to radically change society eventually failed itself. From the Jacobins, Nazis, even the grand Marxist paradigms exemplified through the Soviet and Maoist experiments became a shell of itself. As long as these binary and totalizing concepts are left unchallenged, we may as well accept the fact that humanity will be stuck in this Sisyphean struggle for political emancipation.
That's a pretty grim assessment... I like it bwahaha...
Well, come to think of it, the possibilities are still endless. Sure it does reek of philosophical pessimism, but that's all I have for now.
These ideas don't necessarily come out of a socio-historical and political vacuum. But the important thing that we have to address today is how existing structures of this global political order neglects people on its fringes.
click below for the bandcamp link
I noticed your frequent reference to existing structures, how about totally dismantling the status quo of philosophies and starting from scratch? Does this proposal always translate to violence and genocide?
That's like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Some facets of the enlightenment project such as reason, science, and progress are still worth fighting for. I'd like to believe that we can still salvage some of it from its warped and obtuse interpretation that led us to where we are now today.
So can I surmise you are a hopeful cynic?
As long as society exists, it's an open world out there. Maybe, I still haven't reconciled with my "cynicism" to be honest
With all theses ideas that you have amassed, why have you chosen the artistic path instead of "applying the science" out there and taken on leadership roles? Is it a total distrust of the current system?
Well, as a lecturer and a knowledge producer I am still in the game. The artistic side is more of an outlet for me; a vehicle for the things I can’t explicitly say while in the classroom. It’s basically my own retreat, my own cave. Speaking of the system, there is no monolithic system. Only institutions, discourses, and structures that are located within the corridors of power. Now that’s probably where the cynicism blatantly speaks. As for the leadership roles, c’mon. That’s for fash and tankies!
It is very difficult to channel these ideas clearly through your preferred medium - which is experimental noise.
There's always research for that. And lecture work.
But have you ever dreamed of merging your chosen art and a clear and concise way of coursing your ideas?
Not really. I'm pretty happy with what I do now. At least I get to skim some money off from neo-nazis and other right-wing scumbags HAHAHAHAHA they actually buy the shit that I do
Let's mellow down on the political quadrant a bit and focus on what your musical taste is...
I’m originally into hiphop. When I went through my trashy pop music phase, I instantly dug into a lot of old school hiphop. (I never had an emo phase, mind you) NWA, early Ice Cube, Gang Starr, Rakim, Nas. Then I became too edgy and listened to a lot of political and hardcore hiphop. Dilated Peoples, JMT, AOTP and Immortal Technique. (Immortal Tech is the reason why I’m in political science) I even tried to do emceeing. I was also into early psychedelic rock. (I love The Doors) Then punk happened. Being the angsty internet leftist that I am back then, I first got into The Clash. Dug a bit deeper and I got into UK Subs, Black Flag. All your garden-variety entry-level stuff. Then Ace (Shinrikyo/Salot) sent me a link of Man Is The Bastard’s Skullcrusher (Eric Wood’s a jerk. He blocked me in IG for posting a gun photo) and the rest is history. Though, one thing is quite noticeable. I started on a handful of foreign bands before knowing how things happen in the local scene. Maybe that’s how these new technologies work eh? To continue, I had a rapacious appetite for powerviolence back then. One of my early scene friends was Roman Soleno of TKNK fame and that’s how I got to know our very own local flavor of powerviolence. Then it went to digging through a lot of word of mouth recommendations from some scene friends about similar bands and some sleepless nights on the internet and blogspot sites and here I am. Well on noise, (Heck, I’m not even “noise” I’m more of a power electronics/death/martial industrial guy) I got so engrossed with its themes. A lot of power electronics/death/martial industrial artists are into the extreme ends of the spectrum. And I REALLY LOVED THAT! (Emphasis on capitalization) I have always been keen on understanding how such grand world-shaping projects laced with political violence and antagonisms were able to create conflict in most of our modern history. (Then critical theory happened) What got me into this genre are outfits such as Genocide Organ, Ramleh, Operation Cleansweep, The Grey Wolves, Mauthausen Orchestra, as well as Stahlwerk 9. On the other side of the martial fence, bands such as Arditi, Militia, Turbund Sturmwerk, Der Blutharsch, and Von Thronstahl became staples. On top of that occidental taste, I am also into neofolk. I actually learned the guitar just to play Death In June in my spare time. I know a lot of people will definitely throw a tantrum when they see these “problematic” bands, but fuck them. I abhor political correctness and the discursive violence that comes with it. As of date, I actually mellowed down. I did listen to post punk back then (Some Joy Division, Sad Lovers and Giants, Blitz, and The Proletariat) but it has been a new experience for me when I discovered Russian (or Eastern/Southeastern European, I have to consider Belarus and the Balkans) post punk/darkwave. I did a dose of rummaging through the discography of bands such as Motorama, Brandenburg, Human Tetris, but it was Molchat Doma and Nurnberg that made me dig deeper. “It ain’t much, but it’s honest work.”
It's great to know you have burned through a lot of music and literature while studying and teaching.
and I also feel that you have somehow found the right circle in the scene to hang out with.
I'm very grateful for my friends. It was actually Mi Yong (EOT/EOF/Salot) who introduced me to Pojax Kvlt/FG ( FLOWERGRAVE)
On top of that, VN and Johndy (Ex-MxE/Banzai Charge) were also one of my first friends in the scene
And yeah, I have to read through tons and tons of journal articles and books. Or else I'll be left out. The music actually fuels my drive to read.
Have you ever thought, that with your historical perspicacity and linguistic advantage, you can document your observations of the local scene in a fresh perspective?
I've been encouraged by some friends, especially Joseph (Incidental Afterthought) to write something about that. But given my other commitments, (I'm actually about to write my master's thesis after this term) I can't seem to find time to squeeze all of it. Though I've been thinking about writing a noise/experimental zine for shits-and-giggles.
Joseph (Incidental Afterthought) is a Top-God-Dog Tier masterclass motherfucker so you should take his word for it, In fact that dude is so awesome and oozing with street cred that he doesn't even reply to me when I ask ( beg ) to interview him. So hopefully he gets that huge flagpole off his backside and grace me with the opportunity to feature him in PNNP and I'll have an entire issue dedicated to him.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, that guy. I think he's busy making love to his plastic circles. No wonder that guy doesn't reply.
And to think that the bastard impulsively buys vinyl every other fucking day, I shit you not.
yeah probably has impregnated his cannibal corpse discography with cute little cannibal zombies
Or his little love affair with Slipknot, which he vehemently denies
ohoh shots fired Ese
Please include that HAHAHAHA
Anyway, in more pressing matters, do you think extreme music should or could be a relevant influence in politics or is it just a phase for some basement dwelling acne infested parent dependent kid?
Everything is political.
The personal is political (Hanisch, 1970)
But each movement has it's own measure of relevance and effect.
I don't really believe in a distinctly apolitical appropriation of extreme music. To think that all actors in this kind of endeavor chose to differ from what pop culture has to offer, it definitely has an intrinsic political value for each and everyone of us. To diverge and/or resist existing conventions on how to produce musical expression is a political act in itself. As for the basement dweller part, that's one way of saying that the value of extreme music could be solely put in a monolithic and highly arboreal structure that breaks its very ethos: to go beyond the boundaries of the "norm"
To cut it short, I don't really care as long as you enjoy what you do. Go pick that guitar up, or tweak some knobs. Expression lies between the thin red line of subjective/relative.
As for grander political narratives such as advocating for a certain ideological leaning, you do you. I'm not in any way advocating for people to support narratives that will eventually oppress you, (regardless of its position) but remember this. Once you put your craft in the public sphere, prepare to get shit thrown at you. Sic semper tyrannis.
I mean, to create a more cohesive statement, what I said above implies that there are layers upon layers of politics; one cannot escape it. We just analyzed the whole thing through different areas. From the micropolitical value of engaging in norm-breaking activities found in extreme music, (which is in itself a political act) to far more concrete and visible forms of political action. (supporting a certain agenda and/or predilection) As long as there is a struggle that seeks to overturn existing structures of dominance within these discursive spaces, there will always be something political in it. One cannot simply escape politics; to say that you're apolitical is an affirmation of your political values.
Do you think this Anti Terror bill is the proverbial icing on the cake towards a slippery slope?
It's the predatory state trying to preserve itself. With this pandemic, it has been quite noticeable that a lot of autocratic states scrambled to grab and stay in power through numerous means. I'd say this is one of them. With the proverbial accountability deficits that most underdeveloped countries during these kinds of crisis experience, this is one way of combating dissent. The era of post-truth politics and new informational technologies will always be saturated with slippery slopes. This general cloak of ambiguity has always been a characteristic of an era filled with play and pastiche Do you think it was absorbed locally by observation of Hong Kong or did the mainland have a direct hand in it?
I'd say it's a global phenomenon; you can clearly see similar cases in Turkey, the United States, Central America, as well in the Philippines. As for the second part, well.....
That's how international relations work
Like Doctors without borders of another kind haha
This time, it's "party members" without borders
hmmm makes me think if future autocracies will take cue to use the current political landscape and artificially propagate similar crises for their own agenda. especially with the exponential growth of technology today, hmmm
That's the problem with such technologies of power
The way that it hijacks discourses, and at the same time its ability to paint multiple realities
very Matirix-y, without the AI
There are also a lot of discussion with AI recently, especially concerning algorithms and its effects towards the language of life. Though, I haven't read much about it
would make a nice noise imagery though, - industrial steam punked AI conscript in an M36 Field Blouse
Fuck, that's hot. Throw in an M43 Oakleaf cap for me
Thank you Kirk for giving me this opportunity to share ideas and to get to know a little bit about your life. Please leave us with your thoughts or anything you'd like to add to our conversation. What message would like to say to the scene and to everyone who might read this.
All I can say is, "Sic semper evello mortem tyrannis." I'd love to be laconic on this one.
Just trying to prove my point that I'm not in any way connected to some deep state apparatus that some of these bougie totebag woke kids believe. I am probably worth more than your anti-gun, coffeeshop revolutionary attitudes. Fuck PC culture, fuck their attempts to "boutique-cize" the scene into something more profitable. (Though I pay my cover charges, mind you." Fuck despots, fuck these tyrants. Fuck pigs, and most of all,
KNTTN!
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