We Have a Technical
615 episodes - English - Latest episode: 15 days ago - ★★★★★ - 34 ratingsWe Have a Technical brings I Die: You Die's discussions of industrial, EBM, goth, dark electro, and related music genres to the podcast format. Join Alex, Bruce, and guests as they explore music's darker alternatives.
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Episodes
We Have A Commentary: The Birthday Party, "Junkyard"
September 24, 2023 18:56 - 40 minutes - 32.1 MBFor this month's commentary podcast we asked our patrons which release by Aussie enfents terrible The Birthday Party they'd like us to discuss, and 1982's Junkyard was the resounding answer. We're talking about how the record captures a band which forever seemed on the verge of collapsing inward upon itself, the emergence of the themes and fixations which have gone on to define the next forty years of Nick Cave's art, grooves, spasms, Americana, Shakespeare, and oh so much more.
We Have A Technical 474: Industrial Bowlcut
September 21, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 55.8 MBThe aesthetics of cringe, that is to say, the reasons why people within and without darker music are likely to view certain examples of it as profoundly embarrassing or amateurish, is the subject of this week's podcast. The Senior Staff end up talking about social identity, our perceptions of quality, and how and why goth and industrial music are specifically judged, fairly or unfairly. We also have some talk about recent sets from Ms.Boan and Nuovo Testamento.
We Have A Technical 473: Evacuated Bon Mots
September 14, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBRecords by Noise Unit and Prager Handgriff are prompting Bruce and Alex to get into the weeds regarding cross-pollination of EBM sub-genres, foreshadowing of artists' future directions, and what is often overlooked when genres are looked back upon historically. Also, do we know as much about the Euro fest scene as our dogpiling on it would suggest?
We Have A Technical 472: Adam Pagecole
September 07, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 59.4 MBIt's one of our vaunted Pick Five episodes this week, with Alex and Bruce each asking "How'd this get here?" That is to say, they're both selecting some artists whose inclusion within the worlds of darker alternatives might be puzzling to outsiders, or even themselves, at least initially All that plus a little bit of the "what are your first memories of Band X?" game so often featured on Bombers.
We Have A Technical 471: Basso Profundo Curly
August 31, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 59 MBWe’re talking about Flesh Field’s Viral Extinction and Project Pitchfork’s Inferno on this week’s episode of the podcast, records which pushed dark electro into a denser, cyber-orchestral direction and into moody, prog-rock influenced territory respectively. We’re also talking about Edmonton’s recent Purple City fest, plus the announcement of new music from the aforementioned Flesh Field.
We Have A Commentary: Electronic, selt-titled
August 27, 2023 08:00 - 53 minutes - 42.6 MBReleased in 1991 to critical and commercial success, supergroup Electronic's debut LP was Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr's opportunity to break from the respective legacies of New Order and The Smiths and run headlong into contemporary dance culture, but as the Senior Staff are arguing in this month's commentary podcast, it's always been less than the sum of its parts and incapable of measuring up to its dance music contemporaries. Bring some tequila, because this We Have A Commentary gets s...
We Have a Technical 470: The Sound Of Skis On Ice
August 24, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 45.4 MBBruce and Alex are home from their respective trips, and are getting back in the swing of things by releasing the interview they conducted with longtime IDUD faves Ashbury Heights at Terminus Festival. A congenial conversation that touches on the entirety of the catalogue, the current live incarnation of the band, and what the future may hold, the Senior Staff were incredibly pleased to get this opportunity to chat with them on the occasion of their first ever North American performance. All...
In Conversation With Bess Lovejoy
August 17, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 32.6 MBWelcome to In Conversation, a fill-in/bonus format podcast series wherein each of the Senior Staff invites a friend to sit in for some casual chat about shared interests relevant to the normal goings on at I Die: You Die. This week, Bruce is talking with author Bess Lovejoy about their shared experiences in 90s Vancouver goth clubs, Bess' work in death studies and death positivity, and the distinction between the gothic and the just plain morbid.
In Conversation w/Evilyn 13
August 10, 2023 09:00 - 57 minutes - 46.4 MBWelcome to In Conversation a fill-in/bonus format podcast series wherein each of the Senior Staff invites a friend to sit in for some casual chat about shared interests relevant to the normal goings on at I Die: You Die. This week, Alex has a jaw with longtime friend of the site Evilyn13 about DJing, twitch streaming, the world of cosplay, dogs eating our microphones during the recording, and so much more! Thanks for tuning in, we think this is a really fun one.
We Have A Technical 469: Don't Castigate Me
August 03, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBFour days, thirty acts, one venue, countless pints of 88 Brewing's Wave Pool IPA, two very exhausted but happy podcasters. In one of our favourite annual traditions, we're discussing all of the acts running the gamut from synthpop to goth rock to doom rap to EBM who graced our beloved Terminus Festival this past weekend at Calgary. Please note that written coverage at the site is on hiatus until the 21st as we're both away on family trips, but we'll have a pair of specially formatted podcast...
We Have A Technical 468: Something Salty
July 27, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBA loosely Terminus-themed two albums episode of the podcast has us discussing Trepaneringsritualen's Kainskult and Chrysalide's Don't Be Scared, It's About Life on the eve of our heading out to Industrial Summer Camp. We're also talking about Sinéad O'Connor's passing, the second leg of Skinny Puppy's final tour, and the prospect of a new mind.in.a.box record on the last We Have A Technical before we take a bit of a break from the website, but don't worry; we'll have regularly scheduled podc...
We Have A Commentary: Devours, "Homecoming Queen"
July 23, 2023 20:22 - 40 minutes - 32.6 MBOn this month's patreon-supported commentary podcast, we're hanging out with Devours, AKA Jeff Cancade, to talk about his new record Homecoming Queen track by track, discussing in turn its themes of reflection, family, and secondary attacks of various SNES characters.
We Have A Technical 467: Rice Cooker
July 20, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 57.1 MBBruce and Alex are taking a throwback trip to late 00s dancefloors with Kloq's Move Forward and another into the weird melodies and formal experimentation of Domagoj Krsic with the Cyborgs On Crack compilation Industrial Polka Classics on this week's podcast. All that plus your regularly scheduled discussion of clickbait industrial listicles, as well as t-shirt giveaways on this week's episode of We Have A Technical.
We Have A Technical 466: Dollar Bin Micronauts
July 13, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 56.9 MBA rather heavy and somewhat morbid Pick Five formatted episode of We Have A Technical has the Senior Staff selecting opening lines of songs which have stuck with them, and considering their power and implications. Which lyricists' renderings of themes of depression, mortality, nostalgia, and love lost have stuck with Bruce and Alex as they now hurtle through middle age? All that plus some Infest and Rammstein news bites.
We Have A Technical 465: American Males
July 06, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 64.1 MBRecords by Shadow Project and A Split Second cover the extremes of the goth and EBM dimensions of ID:UD's purview on this week's episode of We Have A Technical, and as it turns out, lead to at least one rare split decision between the Senior Staff. We're also talking about a couple of passings within the industrial and goth worlds, additions to Terminus Festival, and the first issue of the new Statik zine.
We Have A Commentary: Skinny Puppy, "Back & Forth"
July 02, 2023 23:22 - 27 minutes - 22.3 MBOur latest commentary podcast has us going back to the deepest roots of one of the most important and celebrated industrial bands of all time. Holed up in West End apartments, Ogre and cEvin Key recorded Back & Forth, a collection of minimalist demos which pointed towards their interests in dub, Portion Control, and The Legendary Pink Dots, yet still hold some early trace of the version of Skinny Puppy we would all come to know and love.
We Have A Technical 464: Tiger Driver '91
June 29, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 58.8 MBIt's the twelfth anniversary of I Die: You Die this week, and thus we're taking a look back at the road that took us here on this week's podcast. In particular, we're (briefly) discussing records from each of the years in question. Rather than simply reviewing our favourite records or undisputed classics, we're looking at some records which speak to their contemporary zeitgeist, maybe never got their just desserts, or which have stuck with us through the years more than we might have expecte...
We Have a Technical 463: Not Working For Me
June 22, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 54.4 MBOn this week's podcast, we're discussing the reasons why certain acts seem to cultivate a much more dedicated fan base than others. Charisma? Solid live show? Tapping into hitherto unexplored themes? What's defines the line between broadly successful acts and cult ones? We're talking about all that, plus some Ministry and Comaduster chat, on this week's episode of We Have A Technical.
We Have A Technical 462: Boss Of The Bus
June 15, 2023 09:30 - 1 hour - 59.2 MBAggrotech and darkwave might not have much in common musically, but we're finding some interesting links between the two albums up for discussion on this week's podcasts in terms of aesthetic focus and intentionality. We're referring, of course, to the dramatic arrival of Scotland's Surgyn with 2011's Vanity and the high watermark of X-Mal Deutschland's ambition, 1987's Viva.
We Have A Technical 461: The Absent Centre
June 08, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 58.6 MBWe're speaking this week with Raven Rissy and David from Vancouver band Hem Netjer. The band's woven a unique tapestry of industrial and darkwave sounds as well as broader folk instrumentation from around the world, with a very particular set of mythological and spiritual themes. We're also looking back on The Cure's set here in Vancouver last week.
We Have A Technical 460: That's On Me Baby
June 01, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 52.6 MBThis week's Pick Five formatted podcast has us discussing some unlikely cover selections. What tracks were we surprised to find taken up by various goth, industrial, and EBM acts, seemingly at odds with their own moods or stylings? Have those selections gone on to shape our understanding of the artists who made them? We're also discussing the recent allegations made against Rammstein and their associates by various fans over the last week.
We Have A Commentary: "The Remix Wars - Strike One"
May 28, 2023 15:57 - 30 minutes - 24.3 MBThis month's Patreon-supported bonus podcast has us taking up a slightly different style of release than the usual LP: we're talking about the first salvo in that most 90s of rivethead conflicts, The Remix Wars. Yes, in 1996 :wumpscut: and Haujobb squared off, each remixing three of the other act's tracks for 21st Circuitry, and we'll be talking about where each of these storied industrial acts were in their respective careers, as well as offering History Channel-styled evaluation of each re...
We Have A Technical 459: Another Hero
May 25, 2023 09:00 - 57 minutes - 45.9 MBWe're very happy to have our interview with Alison Lewis of Zanias on this week's episode of We Have A Technical. Lewis spoke frankly and earnestly with us about the personal and musical changes tied in with her new record Chrysalis.
We Have A Technical 458: Tune In Next Week
May 18, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBThere's no beating around the bush as the entirety of this episode is dedicated to recapping the three night multi-stage iteration of our local Verboden Festival which went down this past weekend (full disclosure: the Senior Staff served as emcees for the fest). We're talking about unexpected show stealers, divisive stage shows, and a whole mess of Canadian premieres.
We Have A Technical 457: Sympathetic Exhaustion
May 11, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 52.7 MBRecorded a couple of days early so as to allow each member of the Senior Staff to fulfill our patriotic duty and go see Skinny Puppy live, this episode has us scratching our heads and offering thoughts about the ways in which Canada's identity, history, and geography has and hasn't shaped the darker music made within the true north.
We Have A Technical 456: A Vow Not to Talk About That
May 04, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 57.4 MBThis week we're talking about the gloomy, atmospheric post-punk of Poland's Ziyo, and the odd n' sods Euro electro of Human Decay's swan song. We're also pushing back a bit against the presumption of Euro festivals' primacy in a moderately spicy episode of We Have A Technical.
We Have A Commentary: Killing Joke, "Night Time"
April 30, 2023 20:43 - 40 minutes - 32.6 MBAs voted on from a selection of early/mid-period Killing Joke LPs, we're talking about 1985's Night Time on this month's commentary podcast. We're discussing Jaz Coleman's pet lyrical themes, the role played by Paul Raven's bass playing at this juncture in the band's development, and how their maximalist, excessive tendencies at times clashed with their moves towards a more commercially marketable sound.
We Have A Technical 455: Richard Blood
April 27, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 52.1 MBPrompted by the prospect of finally getting to see Ashbury Heights, we're each picking five bucket list "yet to see" acts we've always hoped to catch live, be they legacy acts or idosyncratic Euro groups which are unlikely to cross the Atlantic.
We Have A Technical 454: Which Thoughts?
April 20, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 62.1 MBDeep scene records which perhaps bracket a certain history of dark electro are on the docket for this week, as we consider records by Controlled Fusion and vProjekt. From the dry double kicks of the German act's mid 90s workman dark electro to the Aussie solo act's attempts to find baroque paths out of the corner intro which aggrotech had painted itself, this is an episode illustrating our recurring comment about genres being cemented by lesser known acts. We're also talking about Skinny Pup...
We Have A Technical 453: Beats Me
April 13, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 52.6 MBThe experience of listening to a new record by a longstanding legacy act is the subject of this week's episode of the podcast. We're looking at how we perhaps grade records by bands we love on a curve, our mistaking of subjective experience for objective fact, and our shifting allegiances to bands, genres, and eras amongst other things, plus some discussion of this year's Substance festival in LA.
We Have A Technical 452: A Concerned Husband
April 06, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 52.5 MBWe have something of a news grab-bag episode for you this week, folks, as the list of items we wanted to talk about off the top of the show just kept growing until we had to give the full hour to it. We're discussing the revealing of the Terminus Fest lineup and the Cold Waves LA showcase, the passing of the legendary Ryuchi Sakamoto, Tina Root returning to music, and the labour dispute brewing at Bandcamp.
We Have a Technical 451: Spy VS. Spy
March 30, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBIt’s a very 90s two-fer episode of the podcast, as we look at Swamp Terrorists’ Combat Shock and Perfume Tree’s A Lifetime Away this week.
We Have A Commentary: Them Are Us Too, "Remain"
March 26, 2023 19:09 - 41 minutes - 33.2 MBThis month's commentary podcast revisits 2015's Remain, the central work of Them Are Us Too. It's a beautiful record which ably fits into darkwave and dreampop traditions, but more importantly showcases the incredible talents and special personalities of Kennedy Ashlyn and Cash Askew. From its alternately delicate and crushing sounds to its radical demands for a peaceful existence, it was a pleasure to revisit this masterpiece.
We Have A Technical 450: Crossing The Street
March 23, 2023 09:00 - 1 hour - 70.6 MBWe try to make these landmark numbered episodes of the podcast something special, and we think we've come through on that account. This week, we're happy to be joined by bass player, Wax Trax legend, and all around thoughtful guy Paul Barker as the release of The Eternal Present, the new Lead Into Gold album, draws close. Paul spoke with us about the particular mood and sound of the new record, how his approaches to LIG and other projects have shifted over the years, and plenty of other topi...
We Have A Technical 449: We'll Use It, Whatever
March 16, 2023 09:30 - 1 hour - 56.9 MBAfter a week missed due to scheduling mishaps, we’re back with another instalment of our ever popular Pick Five format on this week’s podcast. This time, we’re each picking tracks from our respective 20+ year DJing careers which we just could not turn into dancefloor hits, despite our best efforts. Rather than pointing out “failures” in the songs themselves, we’re using this as an opportunity to reflect on what we’ve learned from our mistakes as DJs over the years. All that plus the announce...
We Have a Technical 448: The :Wumpscast: Revisited
March 09, 2023 10:00 - 55 minutes - 44.3 MBDue to circumstances beyond our control, a new episode of We Have a Technical was not possible this week. In place of the planned episode (which we still hope to record), we are re-presenting episode 40, "The :Wumpscast:", our commentary on :Wumpscut:'s seminal Bunkertor 7.
We Have A Technical 447: Moonsault Out Of My Life
March 02, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBWe're joined this week by two of our Patreon backers, Stuart White and Richard Gould, to talk about albums they've each chosen: Bloodline, the reunion LP from formative UK goth-punk act 1919 which found them tackling resurgent political and economic crises, and the self-titled record from France's Les Clopes, which puts a bemused indie spin on some classic French coldwave and minimal wave sounds. We're also talking recent Laibach and festival news, plus some talk about a recent Moor Mother a...
We Have A Commentary: Front Line Assembly, "Tactical Neural Implant"
February 26, 2023 15:40 - 46 minutes - 36.9 MBAs selected by our Patreon backers from the slate of the four "classic" Front Line Assembly records, 1991's Tactical Neural Implant is the subject of this month's commentary podcast. It's viewed as the high watermark for the band and arguably for electro-industrial itself for a number of reasons, and we find ourselves discussing how it and FLA overall have been shaped by grooves and constant refinement as the distinct character and mood of the band comes into crystal clear focus on TNI.
We Have A Technical 446: Space Flying Tiger Drop
February 23, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBWhile both of the records we’re talking about are from nominal side-projects, you couldn’t get much further from one another in sound (and perhaps quality?) on the industrial spectrum than Santa Hates You’s Crucifix Powerbomb and Anima Nostra’s Atraments. We’re also talking about the cost of live shows, Laibach’s just-announced show in Kyiv, and a solid “goth for metalheads” list.
We Have A Technical 445: Back In The Usenet Days
February 16, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBThe new LP by industrial legends Laibach is the subject of this week’s podcast. The band has perhaps never been more active, releasing a slew of soundtracks and other releases, but Sketches Of The Red Districts finds the band returning to both tWe’re also talking about the new single from (occasional labelmates of Laibach) Depeche Mode.
We Have A Technical 444: From a Cat's POV
February 09, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 61.2 MBWe're joined on the podcast this week by journalist Konstantina Buhalis, for a conversation emerging out of her recent article on the role of social media in shaping contemporary goth culture. While being a participant within our scenes, Buhalis is often writing for more mainstream readerships, and so we were keen to speak with her about the ins and outs of writing for broader publications, and trying to inform and educate neophytes about the particulars of goth. We're also addressing the st...
We Have A Technical 443: Don't Blame The Nap
February 02, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 52 MBDeep scene records from the 80s and 90s make up this episode of the podcast, with the politically savvy EBM of Borghesia's No Hope No Fear and the turn of the millennium trance/coldwave experimentation of Kevorkian Death Cycle's A+0(m). We've also been playing along with the latest EBM-flavoured Electronic Beats Blind Test.
We Have A Commentary: The Creatures, "Feast"
January 29, 2023 10:00 - 36 minutes - 29.2 MBThe subject of this month's commentary podcast blends post-punk with exotica, and tranquility with brutality. Yes, we're taking a look back at Feast, the first LP from Siouxsie & The Banshees side-project The Creatures. We're talking about the record's experimental song structures, its literary and cultural influences, and its handling of the themes and music adopted from Hawaii, where Siouxsie and Budgie wrote and recorded the record in early 1983.
We Have A Technical 442: A Tough Sell
January 26, 2023 10:00 - 59 minutes - 47.5 MBNow is the winter of our discontent, as the Senior Staff are each picking five tracks which scratch a particularly misanthropic itch for them. We're also talking about the upcoming Cruel World and Fixation festivals, along with some general observations about DJing in dark(ish) clubs in 2023.
We Have A Technical 441: I Have Lost You Or Something
January 19, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 50.2 MBWe're joined by longtime friend of the site Rexx Arkana to discuss the release of his new 4-CD compilation, Passing Strangers. Partially a tribute to the legendary There Is No Time Comp, partially an attempt to triangulate and link all manner of industrial and related sounds from the past decades, it's an ambitious project and we were happy to discuss its aesthetic and historical goals with Rexx. We also have some brief thoughts about the passing of electronic pioneer Yukihiro Takahashi of Y...
We Have A Technical 440: 2023 Is Ruined
January 12, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 53.4 MBAfter last week's odd couple pairing, there's at least a spiritual link between the two solo/side project records we've chosen for this week's podcast: the sculpted technoid of Daniel Myer's S'Apex project, and the anxious looping mania of Angelo Bergamini's Uranium USSR 1972. We're also discussing the first news about this year's instalment of the Mechanismus festival in Seattle.
We Have A Technical 439: Dvorak Gaming Rig
January 05, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBThe first podcast of the new year has us returning to the classic two albums format. Here's where we'd normally make some pithy contrast or comparison between the two records, or some comment about how the pair shows the breadth of records we like to talk about on We Have A Technical, but we'll cop to not being able to think of a goddamn thing which might link or frame the difference between 23 Skidoo's drone/industrial/gamelan hybrid on The Culling Is Coming and Stefan Poiss' odd detour int...
We Have A Commentary: Little Boots, "Hands"
December 31, 2022 23:56 - 43 minutes - 35.1 MBWe're hybridizing traditions right at the end of 2022, as we combine our customary off-topic episode of We Have A Technical and our monthly commentary episodes. We asked our Patreons what sort of non-scene related album they'd like us to discuss, and with pop music making a late run from behind to beat out metal and hip-hop, we're talking about the 2009 debut from UK electropop artist Little Boots. Hands was in constant rotation in the Senior Staff's headphones in 2009 (and occasional club s...
We Have A Technical 438: Happy Holidays Dwayne
December 29, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 38.5 MBThe site might be on hiatus for the annual holiday break, but we're still gonna be recording the recently established traditional "Pick 5 songs from this year" episode of We Have a Technical. Find out which songs by acts not represented on our Year End list tickled our fancies, along with some broad discussion of how they relate to broader trends and styles we're interested in!
We Have A Technical 437: Best of 2022 Roundup
December 22, 2022 10:00 - 56 minutes - 57.6 MBAs is traditional, we're capping off our Year End Coverage with a discussion of our Top 25 list, as well as getting into some statistical analysis of the last 12 years of this exercise and of course our honourable mentions. This episode was produced under slightly adverse circumstances as our production box bit the dust minutes before recording, so it may sound a little rougher than normal (although that may just be the general exhaustion of the Senior Staff you're hearing), but we just coul...