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Nothing Is Free
A blown-out, black-and-white photograph of council estates
EP by
JK Flesh
Released7 September 2015
Recorded2013 (2013)–2015 (2015)[1]
StudioAvalanche Studios
GenreIndustrial
Length55:05
LabelAvalanche Recordings
ProducerJustin Broadrick
JK Flesh chronology
Worship Is the Cleansing of the Imagination
(2012) 		Nothing Is Free
(2015) 		Suicide Estate
(2016)

Nothing Is Free is the debut EP of JK Flesh, a pseudonym of English musician Justin Broadrick, and was self-released digitally by Avalanche Recordings on a pay what you want basis on 7 September 2015.[2] It is Broadrick's third release under the JK Flesh title, following the debut studio album, Posthuman (2012), and a split album with Prurient, Worship Is the Cleansing of the Imagination (2012).

Content

"Hide & Seek"
"Hide & Seek" showcases the EP's shift from heavy metal guitar to a more purely electronic sound.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Unlike Posthuman, Nothing Is Free adopts a sparser, more sterile drum and bass sound. Most of the traditional metal riffs are gone and replaced with abrasive washes of bass and other synthesizer noises,[3][4] which Broadrick saw as a more honest realization of what he set out to do with the JK Flesh project.[5][6] The EP has been noted for its high level of aural aggression as well as ability to be both disturbing and danceable.[7] The tracks on the album are slower and more darkly psychedelic than those on Posthuman, with Broadrick commenting "I love working in that slowish, 80 to 90 BPM, super fucking gray area. A lot of DJs don’t want to play that stuff, but for me, it’s a great zone to experiment."[6]

Greg Kennelty of Metal Injection wrote, "The album is a compilation of works Broadrick did between 2013 and 2015, though I wouldn't call these b-sides or anything. They sound like fully-formed, well-produced songs that belong on pretty much any of his projects."[8] Despite being categorized as an EP, Nothing Is Free clocks in at 55:05, which is longer than many traditional studio albums, including JK Flesh's 2016 follow-up release Rise Above.

Reception

Crack Magazine's Billy Black described the EP as "relentless industrial nightmare that proves, if nothing else, that Broadrick is a master of all things unholy,"[9] while Klaus Kinski from BrooklynVegan called it "wall to wall sonic brilliance".[10]

Writing for Intravenous Magazine, Sean Palfrey summed up Nothing Is Free saying it "blends elements of dub, industrial and noise into a heady and oppressive mix of throbbing beats, swirling synths, static, distorted vocals, and subtle melodies that is cerebral in its execution" and "a rewarding listen".[11]

Allen Griffin from Burning Ambulance said Broadrick "displays a keen awareness of beat culture" and praised his sonic palette.[12] Freq agreed calling the EP "supremely confident and knowledgable (sic)", also adding that "Nothing Is Free almost palpably swelters, demands motion, forces the body to change its way of being, to take a chance on total immersion in skilfully structured, blissfully overwhelming noise".[13]

Track listing

All music is composed by Justin Broadrick

No.TitleLength
1."Nothing Is Free"5:10
2."Hide & Seek"5:11
3."Boundless Submission"6:10
4."Peace in Pieces"6:18
5."Kontorted"4:04
6."Pleasurer"10:02
7."Offering"6:48
8."They Own You"5:54
9."Nails"5:24
Total length:55:05

Personnel

Taken from the Nothing Is Free liner notes[2]

Single

"Nothing Is Free"
Single by JK Flesh
from the album Nothing Is Free
ReleasedMay 12, 2016 (2016-05-12)
Recorded2015
GenreIndustrial techno
Length14:43
LabelDownwards
Producer(s)Justin Broadrick

The EP's title track was released as a plain black 12-inch single in 500 copies on 12 May 2016.[14] The B-side features a remix by Broadrick's fellow Birmingham musician, Surgeon,[15] as well as the track "Kontorted".[16]

Track listing

All music is composed by Justin Broadrick

No.TitleLength
1."Nothing Is Free"5:10
2."Nothing Is Free" (Surgeon remix)5:29
3."Kontorted"4:04
Total length:14:43

Personnel

Taken from the "Nothing Is Free" liner notes[16]

References

  1. ^ "Justin Broadrick Shares Name-Your-Price Album Under JK Flesh Alias". Fact. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b Nothing Is Free (digital liner notes). JK Flesh. Avalanche Recordings. 2015. AREC031. Retrieved 5 April 2018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom. "Stream JK Flesh Nothing Is Free EP". Stereogum. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  4. ^ Thomas, Russell. "Justin Broadrick Offers Up Nothing Is Free, a Pay-What-You-Want Album Under JK Flesh Alias". The 405. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  5. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Songs of the 'Flesh – The Strange World of... Justin Broadrick". The Quietus. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  6. ^ a b Wiederhorn, Jon. "As JK Flesh, Godflesh's Justin Broadrick Finds Peace In Solitude and Techno". Bandcamp. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  7. ^ Adams, Gregory. "JK Flesh: 'Nothing Is Free' (EP Stream)". Exclaim!. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  8. ^ Kennelty, Greg. "Godflesh's Justin Broadrick Releases Nothing Is Free Under Solo Moniker JK Flesh". Metal Injection. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  9. ^ Black, Billy. "Justin Broadrick Shares Free EP as JK Flesh". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  10. ^ Kinski, Klaus. "Justin K. Broadrick Releases New J.K. Flesh EP (Stream It); Godflesh Tour Starts This Week". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  11. ^ Palfrey, Sean (September 8, 2015). "Review: JK Flesh – 'Nothing Is Free'". Intravenous Magazine. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  12. ^ Griffin, Allen. "JK Flesh". Burning Ambulance. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  13. ^ "JK Flesh – Nothing Is Free EP". Freq. September 26, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  14. ^ Pearl, Max. "The Godflesh Man Is Back with Nothing Is Free, a 12-Inch of Solo Material from Last Year Bolstered with a New Remix". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  15. ^ Dicker, Holly. "RA: JK Flesh". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Nothing Is Free" (12-inch single) (vinyl liner notes). JK Flesh. Downwards Records. 2016. LINO-71.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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