R E V I E W​: Disjecta Membra, 'Death by Discotheque' Remix E.P.

R E V I E W
​Disjecta Membra
'Death by Discotheque' Remix E.P.

Gothic band Disjecta Membra was formed in Hamilton in 1993 by Michel Rowland. Still active, although since 1997 based primarily in Wellington, the band is generally regarded as New Zealand’s premier gothic band. The band’s latest release is the ‘Death by Discothèque (remixes)’ EP, featuring five different versions of their December 2013 download-only release ‘Death by Discothèque’.

Two versions on the EP hold a distinct Hamilton connection.  Dave Lowndes, late of Hamilton bands Requiem and Gas, and current member of Punch Monkeys, produced two versions of the song for the EP. The first is the six-minute ‘Extended Version’ that opens the release, and it is closed with his ‘Putrefying Corpse of Rock & Roll’ mix, ironically of equal length to the first. Lowndes produced and co-engineered Disjecta Membra’s 1997 album ‘Achromaticia’, so his inclusion – arranged at a fortuitous meeting in Auckland after not having seen Rowland for over for 16 years – makes for a nice connection to their Hamilton roots. Auckland based bands ‘Sine Division’ and ‘The Mercy Cage’ provide mixes, while the ‘Non Op Trans’ (a.k.a. Canadian Goth DJ ‘Kitty Lectro’) version rounds out the release.

Being familiar with the original version, my favourite mix after several listens is the ‘Sine Division Mix’, mainly because they provide an upbeat synthpop version so different from the original. While the band obviously has a fairly specific, gothic target market, lovers of Hamilton music should spend the time to check out the release. It can be downloaded and purchased via Bandcamp. Ian Duggan

---