A gig held at Strange Brew on Tuesday 11th February. The event starts at 19:00.
Strange Brew Presents
Adult. LIVE (Dais records / Detroit)
+ Spike Hellis (Over-op / LA)
Tuesday 11th February
7pm - 10pm
Poster by Guillaume de Ubeda
A deadly double bill of icy EBM and electro for February as legendary Detroit synth duo ADULT. play Brew as part of their European tour. With releases going back to 2001, ADULT. have channelled electro, techno, punk, and darkwave into kinetic and unsettling sound, with output spanning hard-edged club tracks, classic EBM, sinister synth workouts and horror films. Using their own photography for their sleeve designs, their discography is one of the most visually idiosyncratic and instantly recognisable around, at once humorous, experimental and dark.
Joining them is LA's Spike Hellis, with their fresh spin on minimal EBM blasted with dark, experimental pop, new beat, techno & freestyle, shot through with disenchantment and sarcasm - one of the most exciting new acts in the scene and with a hard-hitting live show.
Full Bio:
The duo of Adam Lee Miller and Nicola Kuperus, Adult. channels existential anxiety into music and visuals that are sometimes humorous, sometimes experimental, but always dark. Serrated synths and beats and Kuperus' piercing sneer provided the foundations of Adult.'s music, which began with the electro-techno forays of their early EPs and 2001 album Resuscitation and expanded to include punk, darkwave, industrial, and noise on later releases such as 2003's Anxiety Always and 2007's Why Bother? Later, the pair's scope encompassed ambitious projects that reflected their art school roots, such as a trilogy of horror movies and 2017's collaborative album Detroit House Guests, but even leaner, more danceable fare like 2018's This Behavior and 2022's Becoming Undone showed off Adult.'s experimental and conceptual strengths.
Kuperus and Miller founded the electro-techno label Ersatz Audio in 1995, and issued releases from projects including Artificial Material and Le Car, a duo that also included Ian Clark. Miller began working with Kuperus in 1998 and they first recorded together as Plasma Co. for an obscure 12", "Modern Romantics." Later that year, they renamed themselves Adult., and debuted the project with the Dispassionate Furniture EP that November. Over the next few years, they issued EPs that included 1999's Entertainment and 2000's New Phonies, a release for the Dutch label Clone that introduced Kuperus' foreboding style of photography, which became a celebrated staple of Adult. releases. After another 12" EP, Nausea, and a compilation appearance on The Forgotten Sounds of Tomorrow ("Silent Property," "Human Wreck"), Ersatz Audio released Adult.'s debut album, Resuscitation, in 2001. Though most of its songs were culled from previous releases, primarily their 12" EPs, many were versions or mixes exclusive to the album.
By this point, Adult. were renowned within the techno underground, while their live performances -- which included a memorable gig at the inaugural Detroit Electronic Music Festival -- helped them reach a growing audience. In 2002, the duo released a remix EP, Misinterpreted, and a 7" single, "Limited Edition," ahead of their second album, 2003's Anxiety Always, which added guitar and bass to Adult.'s synth-based sound. Miller and Kuperus promoted Anxiety Always with tours of Europe and the U.S. throughout 2003 before withdrawing from the spotlight for much of 2004. When Adult. returned, the group was a trio featuring guitarist Samuel Consiglio. The new lineup made its debut on the Chicago label Thrill Jockey in 2005 with the D.U.M.E. EP and full-length Gimmie Trouble, both of which emphasized the rock aspects of the band's music. After touring in support of Gimmie Trouble, Miller and Kuperus took some time off before resurfacing in 2007 with another Thrill Jockey release Why Bother?, a noisy set that returned the band to duo status. After playing shows around the globe and issuing a trio of limited-edition singles known as the Decampment series, Kuperus and Miller released the Let's Feel Bad Together EP in 2008.
Adult. then took a lengthy break from recording, during which they made a trilogy of horror films, The Three Grace(s) Triptych; renovated a historic commercial property in Detroit; and worked on other visual art projects. By 2012, Adult. were ready to record and play again, and issued the "Cover(s)" single via Ghostly late that year. The duo's fifth, and arguably most accessible, album, The Way Things Fall, appeared on the label in May 2013. Later that year, they released the "Work/Wreck" 12", the first Ersatz Audio release in five years. After receiving a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation grant in 2014, Adult. achieved a long-held dream of hosting artists in residency. The pair invited Nitzer Ebb's Douglas J. McCarthy, Swans' Michael Gira, and Light Asylum's Shannon Funchess, among others, to live and collaborate with them for several weeks. The results were Detroit House Guests, which Mute released in March 2017. Later that year, the duo's first live album, Live at Third Man Records, and an EP of Detroit House Guests remixes arrived.
The following September, Adult. made their Dais Records debut with This Behavior, a set of hard-edged, danceable tracks recorded while they were sequestered in a Northern Michigan cabin in the winter. For April 2020's Perception Is/As/Of Deception, the duo experimented with sensory deprivation to create the album's trippy yet aggressive songs. That September, Adult. teamed with Planet B (the duo of Justin Pearson and Luke Henshaw) for "Release Me," a track that introduced the themes of death and impermanence Kuperus and Miller explored further on their next album. Recorded in late 2020 and into the following year, February 2022's Becoming Undone reflected the passing of Kuperus' father, the feeling of disconnection engendered by the COVID-19 global pandemic, and key influences like Test Department and Throbbing Gristle.
Spike Hellis
Los Angeles based electronic duo Spike Hellis comprises of Cortland Gibson and Lainey, who got their start on Halloween of 2019. They self-released their first full-length, self-titled album in. April 2022, under their imprint Over-Pop.
The album chaotically shifts pace back and forth; the songs running into one another with no time in-between. The record opens with “Control (Rage)”, a layered, firm-handshake body-music track designed to hijack the amygdala. The kick drum resembles the steady flash of a panic button. You press it, but nothing happens—no relief. The irregular placement of snare matches Chang’s cries of dysregulation, spiraling red-eyed after having lost command asking, “Will I regain control?” While presented as a song of despair, optimism and determination shine through in the final line as the question is taken back and turned into a statement, “Watch me regain control”. This is a theme that permeates throughout the album: Taking challenging times of despair and coming through the other end with hope and optimism. Spike Hellis (S/T) was made with the intention to feel jolting. Techno-tinged “Flight” is an SH-101 track wherein lyrical instructions for escaping a dream are chanted over the iconic rubber band sound, with the claps paying homage to Charlie’s “Spacer Woman”. “Slices” is the funky first single which leads into its supplementary counterpart, “Stitches”. Footsteps grow louder until it opens into a dark waltz. Samples of William S. Burroughs cackling ring out over Emulator arpeggios until we arrive at “Teardrops (Kisses)”. While it is perhaps the most light-hearted track on the album sonically, themes of social punishment and isolation push through the surface to reveal conflict at its core. Chang and Gibson trade off cries of shame and humiliation while distorted synths, swirling in polyrhythms, close out Side A.
Side B continues with the song “Help”—a straight-forward, freestyle number with a pinch of synth-pop. The disjointed “Cause of Death” may be the most challenging song on the record. Floating between major and minor scales and heavy handed sampling, this track takes Spike Hellis from the dance floor to the speedway. Lacing each verse with the line “I never rush, but I like to speed”, a nod to taking risks and enduring hardships in favor of triumph in the long run. Arguably the biggest cut from the record is the closing track “Mouth”. This minimal track winds it’s way through a four-verse build. Chang’s pitch-shifted voice softly narrates a catch-and-release scenario in which baiting fish is used as an allegory for manipulation. “Baby look at you, setting your hook in my mouth – Reel me in, rip it out”.
Since finishing the album, Spike Hellis has hit the road hard with zero hesitation—completing two full US tours and a handful of smaller runs within the span of one year. They’ve performed in good company with fellow artists and friends such as ADULT., Kontravoid, Choir Boy, Soft Kill, Portrayal of Guilt, Plack Blague, Pixel Grip, Twin Tribes and many others. They have also been invited to play at festivals including Cold Waves, Substance, Sanctum, Sound and Fury, Verboden and Vampire’s Ball.
Blasting their bleak outlook and spreading their gospel of disenchantment and sarcasm, Spike Hellis announces their arrival.
Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio
Adult. LIVE (Dais records / Detroit)
+ Spike Hellis (Over-op / LA)
Tuesday 11th February
7pm - 10pm
Poster by Guillaume de Ubeda
A deadly double bill of icy EBM and electro for February as legendary Detroit synth duo ADULT. play Brew as part of their European tour. With releases going back to 2001, ADULT. have channelled electro, techno, punk, and darkwave into kinetic and unsettling sound, with output spanning hard-edged club tracks, classic EBM, sinister synth workouts and horror films. Using their own photography for their sleeve designs, their discography is one of the most visually idiosyncratic and instantly recognisable around, at once humorous, experimental and dark.
Joining them is LA's Spike Hellis, with their fresh spin on minimal EBM blasted with dark, experimental pop, new beat, techno & freestyle, shot through with disenchantment and sarcasm - one of the most exciting new acts in the scene and with a hard-hitting live show.
Full Bio:
The duo of Adam Lee Miller and Nicola Kuperus, Adult. channels existential anxiety into music and visuals that are sometimes humorous, sometimes experimental, but always dark. Serrated synths and beats and Kuperus' piercing sneer provided the foundations of Adult.'s music, which began with the electro-techno forays of their early EPs and 2001 album Resuscitation and expanded to include punk, darkwave, industrial, and noise on later releases such as 2003's Anxiety Always and 2007's Why Bother? Later, the pair's scope encompassed ambitious projects that reflected their art school roots, such as a trilogy of horror movies and 2017's collaborative album Detroit House Guests, but even leaner, more danceable fare like 2018's This Behavior and 2022's Becoming Undone showed off Adult.'s experimental and conceptual strengths.
Kuperus and Miller founded the electro-techno label Ersatz Audio in 1995, and issued releases from projects including Artificial Material and Le Car, a duo that also included Ian Clark. Miller began working with Kuperus in 1998 and they first recorded together as Plasma Co. for an obscure 12", "Modern Romantics." Later that year, they renamed themselves Adult., and debuted the project with the Dispassionate Furniture EP that November. Over the next few years, they issued EPs that included 1999's Entertainment and 2000's New Phonies, a release for the Dutch label Clone that introduced Kuperus' foreboding style of photography, which became a celebrated staple of Adult. releases. After another 12" EP, Nausea, and a compilation appearance on The Forgotten Sounds of Tomorrow ("Silent Property," "Human Wreck"), Ersatz Audio released Adult.'s debut album, Resuscitation, in 2001. Though most of its songs were culled from previous releases, primarily their 12" EPs, many were versions or mixes exclusive to the album.
By this point, Adult. were renowned within the techno underground, while their live performances -- which included a memorable gig at the inaugural Detroit Electronic Music Festival -- helped them reach a growing audience. In 2002, the duo released a remix EP, Misinterpreted, and a 7" single, "Limited Edition," ahead of their second album, 2003's Anxiety Always, which added guitar and bass to Adult.'s synth-based sound. Miller and Kuperus promoted Anxiety Always with tours of Europe and the U.S. throughout 2003 before withdrawing from the spotlight for much of 2004. When Adult. returned, the group was a trio featuring guitarist Samuel Consiglio. The new lineup made its debut on the Chicago label Thrill Jockey in 2005 with the D.U.M.E. EP and full-length Gimmie Trouble, both of which emphasized the rock aspects of the band's music. After touring in support of Gimmie Trouble, Miller and Kuperus took some time off before resurfacing in 2007 with another Thrill Jockey release Why Bother?, a noisy set that returned the band to duo status. After playing shows around the globe and issuing a trio of limited-edition singles known as the Decampment series, Kuperus and Miller released the Let's Feel Bad Together EP in 2008.
Adult. then took a lengthy break from recording, during which they made a trilogy of horror films, The Three Grace(s) Triptych; renovated a historic commercial property in Detroit; and worked on other visual art projects. By 2012, Adult. were ready to record and play again, and issued the "Cover(s)" single via Ghostly late that year. The duo's fifth, and arguably most accessible, album, The Way Things Fall, appeared on the label in May 2013. Later that year, they released the "Work/Wreck" 12", the first Ersatz Audio release in five years. After receiving a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation grant in 2014, Adult. achieved a long-held dream of hosting artists in residency. The pair invited Nitzer Ebb's Douglas J. McCarthy, Swans' Michael Gira, and Light Asylum's Shannon Funchess, among others, to live and collaborate with them for several weeks. The results were Detroit House Guests, which Mute released in March 2017. Later that year, the duo's first live album, Live at Third Man Records, and an EP of Detroit House Guests remixes arrived.
The following September, Adult. made their Dais Records debut with This Behavior, a set of hard-edged, danceable tracks recorded while they were sequestered in a Northern Michigan cabin in the winter. For April 2020's Perception Is/As/Of Deception, the duo experimented with sensory deprivation to create the album's trippy yet aggressive songs. That September, Adult. teamed with Planet B (the duo of Justin Pearson and Luke Henshaw) for "Release Me," a track that introduced the themes of death and impermanence Kuperus and Miller explored further on their next album. Recorded in late 2020 and into the following year, February 2022's Becoming Undone reflected the passing of Kuperus' father, the feeling of disconnection engendered by the COVID-19 global pandemic, and key influences like Test Department and Throbbing Gristle.
Spike Hellis
Los Angeles based electronic duo Spike Hellis comprises of Cortland Gibson and Lainey, who got their start on Halloween of 2019. They self-released their first full-length, self-titled album in. April 2022, under their imprint Over-Pop.
The album chaotically shifts pace back and forth; the songs running into one another with no time in-between. The record opens with “Control (Rage)”, a layered, firm-handshake body-music track designed to hijack the amygdala. The kick drum resembles the steady flash of a panic button. You press it, but nothing happens—no relief. The irregular placement of snare matches Chang’s cries of dysregulation, spiraling red-eyed after having lost command asking, “Will I regain control?” While presented as a song of despair, optimism and determination shine through in the final line as the question is taken back and turned into a statement, “Watch me regain control”. This is a theme that permeates throughout the album: Taking challenging times of despair and coming through the other end with hope and optimism. Spike Hellis (S/T) was made with the intention to feel jolting. Techno-tinged “Flight” is an SH-101 track wherein lyrical instructions for escaping a dream are chanted over the iconic rubber band sound, with the claps paying homage to Charlie’s “Spacer Woman”. “Slices” is the funky first single which leads into its supplementary counterpart, “Stitches”. Footsteps grow louder until it opens into a dark waltz. Samples of William S. Burroughs cackling ring out over Emulator arpeggios until we arrive at “Teardrops (Kisses)”. While it is perhaps the most light-hearted track on the album sonically, themes of social punishment and isolation push through the surface to reveal conflict at its core. Chang and Gibson trade off cries of shame and humiliation while distorted synths, swirling in polyrhythms, close out Side A.
Side B continues with the song “Help”—a straight-forward, freestyle number with a pinch of synth-pop. The disjointed “Cause of Death” may be the most challenging song on the record. Floating between major and minor scales and heavy handed sampling, this track takes Spike Hellis from the dance floor to the speedway. Lacing each verse with the line “I never rush, but I like to speed”, a nod to taking risks and enduring hardships in favor of triumph in the long run. Arguably the biggest cut from the record is the closing track “Mouth”. This minimal track winds it’s way through a four-verse build. Chang’s pitch-shifted voice softly narrates a catch-and-release scenario in which baiting fish is used as an allegory for manipulation. “Baby look at you, setting your hook in my mouth – Reel me in, rip it out”.
Since finishing the album, Spike Hellis has hit the road hard with zero hesitation—completing two full US tours and a handful of smaller runs within the span of one year. They’ve performed in good company with fellow artists and friends such as ADULT., Kontravoid, Choir Boy, Soft Kill, Portrayal of Guilt, Plack Blague, Pixel Grip, Twin Tribes and many others. They have also been invited to play at festivals including Cold Waves, Substance, Sanctum, Sound and Fury, Verboden and Vampire’s Ball.
Blasting their bleak outlook and spreading their gospel of disenchantment and sarcasm, Spike Hellis announces their arrival.
Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio
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