The Death Set

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 This article may require copy-editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling. You can assist by editing it. (April 2008)
The Death Set
Origin Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Genres Punk
Electronica
Labels Counter
Website www.thedeathset.com
Members
Johnny Siera
Jahphet Landis
Daniel Walker
Former members
Beau Velasco (deceased)

The Death Set (also spelled TheDeathSet or The DeathSet) is a music group originally formed mid 2005 in Sydney, Australia by Johnny Siera and Beau Velasco. Just six months after its inception it moved to the East Coast of the United States spending most of its time in Brooklyn, Baltimore and Philadelphia where the band found more of an audience for its style of spastic, cross genre, punk rock[1]. The band fuse punk rock sound and energy, electronic music production and hip hop style sampling into their recordings, and their live shows are most notably high energy events, often playing at crowd level with the audience surrounding them[2][3]

The band was originally formed by Johnny Siera and Beau Velasco sharing vocal, guitar and production duties. The current lineup also features Jahphet Landis on drums and Daniel Walker on guitar and vocals.

They have toured the United States, Australia, Japan, Europe, Scandinavia, China and the United Kingdom numerous times including spots at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the United Kingdom, Dour Festival in Belgium, Oya Festival in Norway, North by Northeast music conference in Canada and three years showcasing at the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas.[4] Their debut album "Worldwide" was released July 4th, 2008 on Counter Records, the rock inprint of acclaimed U.K. label Ninja Tune.[5]

The Baltimore City paper labeled them the best live band of 2007 [6] and after their performance at the 2008 Reading and Leeds Festivals , influential U.K. music magazine NME touted them as the #1 biggest hope of the future. [7] Their debut album "Worldwide" was widely praised in the alternative music press including Artrocker Magazines album on the month [8] and Allmusic's album pick. [9]

Contents

[edit] History

First meeting in their home town of the Gold Coast of Australia, Johnny Siera met Beau Velasco at a gig where Velasco's band "Black Panda" were performing. Drawn to the energy of the show, Siera contacted Velasco and was soon asked to join for a tour of the East Coast of Australia with Brooklyn band Japanther. Inspired by the tour, the two decided to drop everything, move to Sydney and focus on the band as a two piece renaming themselves The Death Set.[10]

Taking root in a central Sydney warehouse the pair converted to their studio they wrote what would become the EP 'to". Having a sound both electronic as well as rock, their first shows around Sydney would be at nights as diverse as the infamous club night "Bang Gang" as well as rock night "Gimme Gimme Gimme".

The pair soon moved to Brooklyn then Baltimore where they became involved in the flourishing DIY warehouse scene and toured constantly.

[edit] Worldwide

In January 2008, the band signed to Counter Records, the new rock offshoot of acclaimed U.K. label Ninja Tune. The subsequent full length "Worldwide" was released on July 4, 2008 to extremely positive reviews.[11][12] Numerous blogs named the album as one of the best releases of 2008.[13][14][15]

[edit] Death of Beau Velasco

On September 27, 2009, the band's guitarist, Beau Velasco, died in New York City.[16]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

  • Worldwide (Counter, 2008)

[edit] EPs & Singles

  • To EP (Self Released)
  • To EP (Morphius, 2005)
  • 7" split with Best Fwends (The Arm/VLXO, 2005)
  • Intermission/Negative Thinking (Modular, 2006)
  • Rad Warehouses Bad Neighborhoods EP (Morphius, 2007)
  • Limitations Can Make You Creative (Double EP) 12" (Every Conversation/We Are Busy Bodies, 2007)
  • MFDS EP (Counter, 2008)
  • Around the World/Heard It All Before 7" (Counter, 2008)
  • Around the World UK 7" (Counter, 2008)
  • OIB split 7" with Best Fwends, Knife Hyts and Lovvers" (O.I.B., 2008)
  • Rad Warehouses "to" Bad Neighborhoods (Counter, 2009)

[edit] Remix

  • Best Fwends remix on "Alphabetically Arranged LP." (Moshi Moshi, 2007)
  • Robots in Disguise remix on "Sex Has Made Me Stupid Single" (President, 2007)
  • The Death Set Remix 12" (Bang Gang 12 Inches, 2008)
  • Daedalus "Fair Weathered Friends" Punk and Electro remixes (Ninja Tune, 2008)
  • Nicky Van She and Dangerous Dan remix of Daft Punk "Around the World" remix (Every Conversation, 2008)

[edit] Compilation

  • Bang Gang DJ's - Light Sound Dance (Modular, 2007)
  • This Was meant to be a Celebration (Mauled by Tigers, 2007)
  • Scion Sampler - I Heart Comix remixed" (Scion, 2008)
  • Wham City Box #1 (Wham City, 2008)
  • Ninja Cutz - "You Don't Know"" (Ninja Tune, 2008)

[edit] Interviews

  • [1] An interview with Fact Magazine (UK)
  • [2] An Interview with City Paper newspaper in Baltimore, MD
  • [3] Pitchfork Media
  • [4] XLR8R reviews The Death Set's "Worldwide"
  • [5] Paper Thin Walls reviews "Negative Thinking" and interviews Johnny Siera

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.citypaper.com/music/review.asp?rid=10048
  2. ^ http://www.iheartcomix.com/blog/franki/death-set-live-interview-pure-groove
  3. ^ The Death Set - Feature - Musicfeeds.com.au. Retrieved on 2009-04-09.
  4. ^ http://www.thedeathset.com
  5. ^ http://www.ninjatune.net/ninjashop/index.php?cat=2&type=LP&by=6&code=COUNT012#COUNT012
  6. ^ http://www.citypaper.com/bob/story.asp?id=12604
  7. ^ http://www.ninjatune.net/ninja/artist.php?id=137
  8. ^ http://www.artrocker.com/
  9. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dxfixzwjldje
  10. ^ http://www.citypaper.com/music/review.asp?rid=10048
  11. ^ http://www.montrealmirror.com/2008/042408/disc.html
  12. ^ http://www.artrockermagazine.com/ARTROCKERbackissues.html
  13. ^ http://gravityscrossbow.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/top-songs-of-2008/
  14. ^ http://notesareshattered.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-40-of-2008.html
  15. ^ http://www.onekindradio.com/home/?p=168
  16. ^ http://www.buzzgrinder.com/2009/the-death-sets-beau-velasco-passes-away
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