DJ Butterface  

DJ Butterface is the brainchild of Bazini.  Many of our loyal readers may recognize the name Mike Bazini from the now defunct Dystopia One.  While Dystopia One was silly and quirky, DJ Butterface has mucho potential.  Any of the electrifying tracks on this disc can easily slide in between BT and Carl Cox.  Rather than playing the cut & splice game, DJ Butterface composes his own music and draws upon a wide range of electronic flavors in order to create his hip-swiveling treats.  This bumpin' set fuses various beats, styles, and tempos ranging from the tribal slam of “Substance 2.002” to the fresh and funky flavorings of “Beat, Beat, Beat,” to the futuristic soundscapes of “Take A Trance on Me.”  DJ Butterface is diverse in his approach.  His inventive nature would benefit such labels as Moonshine, Ultra or even Astralwerks.   Be sure to demand these catchy mutations at your favorite dance club.  Contact: info@djbutterface.com or visit www.djbutterface.com  -NIN

Straight out of Calexico comes D.O.S. – A death metal band with a nü-metal twist.  The members of D.O.S. are young, and their songs resonate with exuberant expressions of youthful angst.  (Joe Lizavanga (vocals, guitars), George Cortez (guitars, backing vocals) & Xbraham (DJ) are eighteen, Edgar Quintero (bass) is fifteen, and Sam Pascaua (drums) is the oldest at twenty-six.)  This four-song demo is lean and mean but a little rough around the edges.  Despite the uneven production and overuse of distortion, the group’s strong songwriting skills manage to shine through.   Joe’s throat ripping vocals roar like a bat out of hell over grinding machine-like riffs and punishing beats.  As far as death metal goes, these boys have a firm grasp on evil.  D.O.S. could use some development, but the potential is there. Contact: Wonder_chick25@hotmail.com  -NIN

The cover of this demo is a little odd.  It’s hard to tell if the young boy in the picture is kissing a girl or a life-size Chucky doll.  As for the bad, they’re a foursome from Atlanta, Georgia, whose frosty alt-rock vibe is characterized by warm analog guitar tones and Neil Young-esque vocals.  At times their retro sound comes across as dated, but tracks like ‘Born Ugly” and “Most Days” have a modern feel to them.  “Crowded” is the big winner here.  This song is sure to inspire mass sing-a-longs.  If you’re curious you can purchase Regrets through www.cdfreedom.com.  Contact: dukefame@email.com or visit www.dukefame.net  -NIN

For a band that’s been around since 1993, it’s surprising that Gravity Check is still together and still releasing their records themselves (read: without a record deal).  Given the popularity of new metal, I would have thought that somebody would have picked them up for an indy deal by now.  Not that Gravity Check is my cup of tea, but I’m sure that thousands of angst ridden teenage boys would like this downtuned 2 chord Northwestern version of Tool.  Yeah, Tool’s much better, but you gotta take what you can get, right?  -J

Super Bright Light tosses out bouncy melodies, big hooks, and flavorful arrangements on their seven-song demo.  These breezy, sunny pop-rock gems are laced with foot-tapping beats and sing along choruses.  You’ll find it hard to resist the hair flippin’ riffs of “You’re Right” or the bubble gum panache of “She Talks”.  Equally irresistible is the vintage Brit-rock influenced “Queen”.   Super Bright Light shows a considerable amount of promise on this self-titled offering.  This happy-go-lucky band is definitely worth checking out.   Contact: P.O.B. 532 Midway City, CA. 92655 www.superbrightlight.com   -NIN

The Synthetic Dream Foundation is in reality one guy in a University in Oklahoma.  He creates beautiful and not-so nice soundscapes through electronics as well as natural instruments in mostly all-instrumental fashion.  TSDF’s music would be good for soundtracks or ambient sound, but hardly makes for an active listening experience.  –J