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March 2024 New Arrivals
Posted by -Kamikaze Dan on 3/24/2024
Fuck, first, let me just say, sorry I am running so far behind over here. Even beyond the posted dates I was out of town, I've been really slow on mailorder turntime and even slower in responding to e-mails.
As I've told many people, my day job has gone from 0 to 100 in the past little bit.
For context, I have a relatively niche skill set in my field, means there's not always a particular use for me, and for several years I've more or less been on the bench at my day job. I basically just answer a few e-mails a week. Perfect for me! It gives me all the time in the world for all my hobbies: this distro, SPHC Records, my various bands, the podcast I'm a part of, food, the gym, etc etc.
BUT
This all changed starting last fall. I was leant to another team, I signed up for a 120 day detail, to save them in their darkest hour. And fuckin hell, I have been saving them. I've been pumping out code, giving presentation after presentation after presentation, teaching, managing, and leaving tons of notes so they can save themselves in the future. I've had all pistons firing, it takes most of my daytime hours and all my mental focus and energy. Actually, this is the hardest I've worked in my professional career in quite some time....even the 60 hour weeks deep in the trenches during the busy season at BLS felt easier than this.....The fact that I've been vested with some level of authority over others really got me feeling the pressure, and the fact those I have authority over said they want me to be their boss permanently just fucking frightens me LOL.
And, unfortunately, this leaves me with relatively little time for punk stuff. I've gone from having all the time in the world, which I often choose to spend on BiP and SPHC, to suddenly having but a couple minutes in the wee hours to try to squeeze anything in before bed, after I'm already worn from a day of explaining for the fourth time why 990 rows of our frame cannot be matched to Census' data (please boss, I've run out of ways to explain the issue, just look at the fuckin dataset yourself and you'll see what I mean lol).
I foolishly signed up for another 120 days because I like everybody on the team and I'm happy to keep doing them a solid, I don't want to leave them in a lurch. It's clear they can't keep up with the workload without me, they don't have the manpower and, hate to say it, some of the manpower they do have simply can't keep up.
But this means the relative chaos and slowness over here will probably continue until the summertime.
Sorry.
On the plus side, day job wants to start flying me around the country, joy!, I LOVE that kinda shit.
-Dan
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MARCH NEW ARRIVALS
So, last month, I went to Peru for 2 weeks with the legendary Jason Wade, it was fuckin AWESOME. Quality time with all my friends, wild adventures, wacky food (fried guinea pig! chicken blood! fruits I've never even heard of, corn like I never even imagined!), tons of ancient ruins, some killer gigs, and of course I brought back shitloads of Peruvian punk/metal/grind.
Unfortunately I don't have any great lessons or insights about punk to share from my time in Peru. I did learn A LOT about Peruvian punk but I'm not sure any of it is fit to print LOL. I did find a Leusemia first LP but it was too expensive and too beat so I passed....the hunt continues....
It's my professional opinion that Dios Hastio is the most underrated South American hardcore band.
After 2 smoldering live shows, DHK is now my vote for the best active d-beat band in the world right now.
And seeing Morbo in someone's courtyard at 4 AM, fuck, this was a damn near religious punk experience for me. One of those moments like the clouds parted and god's grace beamed down from the heavens. Best punk band in the world right now? I got all the records as they've come out over the years, but this band didn't really rank in my mind....but after the gig, they're all I can think about, and I have a renewed belief in the power of "catchy songs" after watching every single person sing along to every single song in a manner I haven't witnessed since....Against Me at Pointless Fest when I was like 16 or whatever LOL.
ANYWAY
We got stacks of HARDCORE. I mean....I think we might be the only American distro that is routinely stocking Peruvian hardcore reissues LOLLLLL....but nonetheless, from this round of stuff, you really need this CD reissue of an obscure 90s comp tape of piss raw Peruvian punk/hardcore/grind/crust I had never even heard of before, and this CD reissue of a 1986 split tape between two fantastic Peruvian hardcore obscurities. Kaos demos were recently reissued onto LP in Europe but this CD version is more complete, if that's your thing.
Also I'd like to remind you that Dios Hastio is probably the best punk band Peru has ever produced, there's a new record coming on SPHC later this year I hope, but for now, I do recommend this LP and this CD.
If you live a crust as fuck existence, Humanicidio new CD could be what you're looking for.
We got stacks of GRIND. More specifically noisecore LOL. Of course we got several releases from SPHC crew Atrofia Cerebral, both old and new recordings. But we also got a stack of Audicion Irritable CD, if you want that "1990 demo tape with 10,000 songs" style, and a stack of Mierda Humana CD, if you want a more recent and relevant noisecore assault (but, seeing as they're a 90s band, of course they still got that old school vibe). And, most excitingly, we got a stack of the new Confusion discography CD, Colombia not Peru but undoubtedly one of the GOATs of grind. Even if you're like me and got all the records, this CD still a necessary purchase for the unreleased recordings.
We got stacks of METAL. I'm sure someone is overjoyed that there's now an official reissue of Peru's finest metal record, the Hadez LP, but I'm most excited by a definitive reissue of the first Desarme demo onto CD.....which, it's a crossover thing, maybe more a hardcore than a metal thing, but whatever, it's 1:30 AM lol.
We got fat stacks of Japanese punk and hardcore.
It's a great moment to be into more traditional styles of Japanese hardcore. Slaver collection LP, wow, what a time to be alive! G-10 collection LP, fuck, feels like a lifetime ago that I bought that CD on Bloodsucker at King Kong in Osaka on recommendation from Jesse (everyone's favorite American in Japan), and I really haven't thought about G-10 beyond that, so I'm keen to dig into this collection and see what's up. Same with Deef LPs, was 10-11 years ago that one of my old bands did a shirt design ripping off the Real Control cover and that's probably the last time I seriously thought about the Deef demos LOLLLL but it's great to hear this stuff again so conveniently. And while I bought Adam's FUP discography LP when it came out....I will probably upgrade to this FUP discography 2xLP+CD, for being more complete.
I did listen to this Refuse discography CD which brought a lot of joy to my heart, Punk Save the World EP has always been a secret weapon-type record in my life but I'd never heard the tapes before, killer! I wish this niche style of punk would get trendy again LOL. I recently joined a band that sorta plays this style, so, I'm doing my part! Our first gig is on Saturday, wish us luck!
If you're more into contemporary bands with current styles, you probably already know Klonns and already know you need this Klonns/Soiled Hate split 12", and I'm real keen on a new Boryoku Sochi CD cause of the connection to Military Shadow.
For those with a need for speed, the most exciting thing at this moment is clearly a new Su19b split 10". SPHC alumni also active on this Civilian Thrower/Sangre de Idiotas split 7", featuring my favorite Slovakian drummer Jan. And this Reeking Cross/Sick Destroyer split 7" also piqued my interest for having so many friendly faces from my hometown involved.
But moving on from just people I know, Fuck on the Beach is coming to the USA this summer so rediscover them now with this new Fuck on the Beach split 7". And if you track the Australian grind scene, you know you need the new Shitgrinder LP.
And finally, we have....the trendy new Nightfeeder EP that everybody wants, all the way at the bottom of the newsletter LOLLLLL. Ah but don't get it twisted, this record is terrific, and I was also super impressed by the debut Katorga EP, a splendid crust smasher with stench wafting from a mile away. I know there's some interest in the new Systemik Violence LP too.
Tragedy LP is available again and how could we not grab a few copies of this?? Arguably the most important piece of art to my life. Words can't even describe the impact this record, this band, had on me, my worldview, my direction in life.
Speaking of reissues, the real ones gonna need that Dissension discography LP, cause the real ones know that "90's CT brutal crustcore" was a fucking great moment in punk history.
And also in the reissue vein, as part of my haul from Peru, I brought back lots of discography CDs, like the collector's classic No Security discography CD and several Disorder reissue CDs.
--------------
coming in April:
new SPHC release(s?)
giant stacks of eastern Euro stuff (working hard on this)
and please pray for the $1000+ of SS-20, Atavistic, Siege, and Contropotere LPs that are stuck in customs for 2 months now =*(
more More MORE
Thanks and talk more later.
-Dan