A Soundtrack for the Revolution

before MySpace Music or "social media" in general, one band rose to prominence in the underground scene. Spurred on by two successful albums through the now CBS owned MP3.com, The Shizit were an angry duo of digital hardcore politically obsessed subversives looking to shock you into having an opinion--any opinion --rather than watching Generation Y carry a flag of apathy.

shook me to my core. At fifteen it took only a news flash recap to make me question the world at large. Who were these kids? Why did this happen? How could this happen? What was this a symptom of?

Columbine was one of the first instances in my life that gave the philosopher in my head plenty to chew on. Dylan and Harris shared my music sensibilities, my sense of being oft-maligned, and general mood.

But whereas they had given up on ever being listened to and committing the most heinous act of violence seen in an American school shooting, I was busy funneling frustration with society at large into music exploration, chatting, video gaming, hacking, and hanging out with one or two close friends.

Wondering what awaited my generation as the millennium dawned, Columbine didn't give me the highest of hopes.

But I plodded along, headphones propped a top my dome, searching for a cathartic sound that echoed my plight...

busying myself after school going through the hundreds of thousands of bands that were to be found on MP3.com, I stumbled across a wall of guitar and line of rapid fire drums. A two man team were taking techno into a direction I had never heard.

The beats per minute, on average made my head spin. The riffs and drumming were simple in many ways, but it was a formula that was perfected out of the gate. And the lyrics showed promise, but already resonating with the fire burning within my soul.

"Welcome to my playground
Fractals and polygons
Processor prostitution
I am a 32-bit whore
Post human and post hardcore"

Downloading a few promo songs, I quickly burned them to CD (these were little round circles coated with dye that allowed you to put up to 80 minutes of music onto them) and bookmarked their address. (Back in those days you had to actually follow-up with information yourself.)

They would be replayed endlessly for a week or so, and I was relentlessly wondering how I could talk my parents into believing buying something over the internet was safe. (Remember such bullock paranoia?)

With their first two albums Evil Inside and Script Kiddie The Shizit had set the stage and tone of the music that they created as minimal but hardcore. It wasn't quite metal, it definitely wasn't techno in of it's self--they just kind of referred to it as gabber hardcore. 

As they set out for their big LP they setup shop with TheShizit.net and became very active in the forums there. And so I would reside, with many others whiling away our days discussing politics, social issues, video games, and whatever else we particularly fancied. 

As 2001 approached, the new album entitled "Soundtrack for the Revolution " dropped sometime around July. I had ordered it, and awaited it's goodness. The first track, entitled Pain Compliance was one interesting introduction that impatiently tried to erupt from your speakers. It was a riot of civic uprise squeezed down to show case a new direction that was beginning to unfolding.

Then came Audio Jihad II which brought them full forward into high BPM drum and guitar wall of sound, as they proclaimed  

"Open your eyes 

Don't forget what you've seen 

Time to shut down the machine 

Like an Audio Jihad 

We are the eyes of An ANGRY GOD! "

I pledge resistance!
To the flag!
That bears the blood
Of the world's oppression!

Bullet or ballot box - Which holds our future?
Waiting as our country rots - What I say to you-
What do you have to believe? - What more do we have to see?
Whats keeps me in line? - What do I really need?!

I can't fuckin' breathe...
Total resistance!

State your number - State your function!
There is only one purpose - For which you exist!
"Can you ever be rich enough?" - We are at the mercy of the sheep,
And when there is no air to breathe - We'll coat our lungs with dollar bills!

This rhythm can beat down oppression!
This is the sound of empowerment!
--- I scream for the future! ---
What will be my function today?
RESISTANCE!
I fight for a dream
And I dream of a fucking fight
Cut that shit

I won't consent - To the social control.
And I won't consent - To the rape of the soil.
So no longer look at me - As a cog in the machine.
In a world with no choices - I've chosen to be free!


It's not my flag!

It's not my flag!

Judging from the lyrics above, you may begin to wonder exactly what this band was about as their career began to soar. 

It probably won't be surprising at all that one of the posters to the Militia bulletin board was chastised when he was discovered by a teacher. In fact, we are all chastised as the post 9/11 period of that year heralded in of that year. 

"You all are a disgrace to your country," proclaimed the teacher.

But of course, even more true today--the Shizit, as much as all of us, had long known the country had long been falling apart. And for us to be pointed towards and berated meant little to us; the truth was there in front of everyone's eyes, September 11th not withstanding.

(Especially after I saw everyone peddling little flags to hang out of cars the day after on the streets. Patriotism paid.)

The Shizit rose even further after their album hit, spreading like wild fire as they toured--even over seas with Alec Empire and his kind. Their brutal, unrelenting sound amidst lyrics of political disdain and radical empowerment made head bangers wear neck braces and candie ravers cry.

Searching for a third member (to work the turntables) and launching a fan-backed remix project all seemed to continue to stampede further. While I at the time was just beginning to care about remixes--most of those I had ever heard were safe and not too far from the original--I applied to receive track masters to work my own masochistic magic.

After receiving the contract, I sent it back in as soon as possible and begun remixing when the CD came in.

It would not be, however.

Before the remix album was completed and only after one new track and a few other tour dates with their latest member Brian Shrader and JP Anderson ended it.

It was a dark day for us all in the Militia, and while many of us couldn't see a reason, there was nothing we could do but watch the show dates stop and the website fade from existence.

(This track voted most likely to have P.O.'ed said teacher, though we weren't sure if he erupted from our conversations or the bands content)

April 2nd, 2001

Dear Government,

I thought it would interest you to know that I have completely lost faith in your ability to represent my interests. It is apparent to me that the only interests you represent are those of large corporations and that you have totally alienated yourself from the majority of the populace.

Now, I realize that you have heard this sort of criticism before, so I'll spare you the
dissident rhetoric and direct your attention to a more pressing point: my former faith in your abilities to get your act together were the only things that were keeping you safe. You see, all your various attempts to sedate my frustration and misdirect my attention have failed. The only thing that was keeping me in line was the hope that one day you would have a paradigmatic shift in your attitudes towards the people who look to you for representation and actually start doing your half of the social compact this country was founded on.

My hope for and faith in the system was, if you will, a kind of political "Soma", keeping me forever dreaming of a savior, a great man who would fight for the people. Now I've woken up and I see around me a sleeping giant lying restlessly under the skin of the nation.

So when it comes down to you staring into the barrel of whatever assault rifle I get my grubby little proletariat hands on and you find yourself asking "What are you ? A communist insurgent? A Muslim terrorist ?" you will be faced with a most chilling answer:

"No sir, I am the fruit of your labors."

I guess hope is a hard habit to break, because I'm finding myself hoping that this letter will be a wake up call for you. But I also know oppression, imperialism and plutocracy are hard habits to break too, so I'm not getting my hopes up too high. See ya 'round.

Sincerely,

A revolution waiting to happen

P.S. 
Let's bring the plutocracy down!

Let's bring it down!

I don't care any more, I want fuckin' war.

Taste of blood in mouth and I'm left wanting more;

I'm tired of being the political prophylactic king!

It's time for some real fucking!

Revolution, fuck the sight seeing-

It's time to stop wanting and time to start being...

Strong!

How long, not long!

I say fuck the right, it's time to be wrong.

THIS COUNTRY'S HIT BOTTOM!!!

It goes something like this:

• BING! In 2003 JP Anderson begun a new project called "Rabbit Junk." They have a multitude of releases to date, my favorite being the self-titled debut.
• BLIP! In 2004 D-Trash Records did release a remix project, now freely available called "Remixed for the Revolution"
• BANG! JP Anderson has released a new album as The Shizit and released it for free just this year.

While The Shizit (and Rabbit Junk) score heavy on my favorite music list, watching JP Anderson evolve his form and talent has been the most pleasurable part of following their music for so long.

The Shizit's politically aggressive style served it's purpose in it's time (and it's recent resurrection) while Rabbit Junk's evolved sound and more personal introspection lends it's self to a more wider range of audience.

Neither of these bands are destined for a wide audience...but then again, that's capitalism.

Take it or leave it, and while it's hardly perfect--there's still nations out there that are a far cry from what the USA represents.

But we've long lost our cutting edge curve and only seem to be dulling it as each bill is passed and more power is given to the Federal government. I'll miss the 10th Amendment to the bill of rights--

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."