{"id":23437,"date":"2024-03-27T07:01:57","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T06:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/?p=23437"},"modified":"2024-03-27T07:01:57","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T06:01:57","slug":"digital-hardcore-in-the-halls-of-respectability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/digital-hardcore-in-the-halls-of-respectability\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Hardcore in the Halls of Respectability"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Chen, an American <\/span><\/span>musician rooted<\/span><\/span> in Berlin<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>the unofficial capital of electronic music<\/span><\/span>\u2014<\/span><\/span>launched her debut album <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Purge<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> in 2019<\/span><\/span>. J<\/span><\/span>ust a year later<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>she <\/span><\/span>joined forces<\/span><\/span> with one of today<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s most influential dub producers, The Bug (Kevin Martin), a partnership that signals a nod to any musician<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s talent and contemporary relevance. Dis Fig<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s versatility and musical breadth, <\/span><\/span>along with <\/span><\/span>her reluctance to be confined within a specific genre, <\/span><\/span>are<\/span><\/span> evidenced by her latest <\/span><\/span>project, a<\/span><\/span> collaboration <\/span><\/span>with <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>metal band The Body, <\/span><\/span>which <\/span><\/span>culminated in the album <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Orchards of a Futile Heaven.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> The album<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s 9 tracks<\/span><\/span>, filled<\/span><\/span>with emotional euphoria, <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>instability of electric guitar overtones, and the raw noise of analog instruments, challenge the listener<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s ear <\/span><\/span>while<\/span><\/span> reflect<\/span><\/span>ing<\/span><\/span> artistic <\/span><\/span>bravery<\/span><\/span> and energy. Such <\/span><\/span>e<\/span><\/span>xperiments<\/span><\/span> that<\/span><\/span> bridge<\/span><\/span> electronic music <\/span><\/span>with<\/span><\/span> heavy rock are exceedingly rare (besides The Body, VMO and BIG|BRAVE<\/span><\/span> are the few that<\/span><\/span>come to mind), each <\/span><\/span>pivotal<\/span><\/span> for the <\/span><\/span>evolution<\/span><\/span> of both genres and the cross-pollination of artists from <\/span><\/span>diverse<\/span><\/span> cultural <\/span><\/span>backgrounds<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Dis Fig took the Somerset House <\/span><\/span>stage, <\/span><\/span>joined by the UK<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s versatile drummer Sam Jones, whose musical <\/span><\/span>prowess<\/span><\/span> span<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> from jazz to grime. In a moment of soundcheck, his bass drum throbbed, <\/span><\/span>sending<\/span><\/span> low frequencies that suffused the venue and resonated<\/span><\/span> with<\/span><\/span> its storied past. Chen initiated the performance with <\/span><\/span>dramatic<\/span><\/span>dissonances from a <\/span><\/span>small<\/span><\/span> stringed instrument, then forcefully drew a bow across the strings, a literal sawing motion that spelled <\/span><\/span>a harsh fate for <\/span><\/span>the bow. It was soon<\/span><\/span> replaced by a microphone in<\/span><\/span> Dis Fig<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s grasp<\/span><\/span>. Her<\/span><\/span> voice, <\/span><\/span>altered<\/span><\/span> by a chain of effects, layered over the <\/span><\/span>melodic<\/span><\/span> (and shouted) passages, w<\/span><\/span>eaving<\/span><\/span> through them<\/span><\/span> to evoke echoes of dub and psychedelia. Jones<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s percussion, also distorted, provided structure to the vocal crescendos, infusing them<\/span><\/span>strenuously <\/span><\/span>with <\/span><\/span>focus<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Surrendering to the subconscious (or <\/span><\/span>rather <\/span><\/span>superconscious), Dis Fig traversed the stage<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> as if exploring areas where her performative <\/span><\/span>essence<\/span><\/span> might resonate stronger. <\/span><\/span>S<\/span><\/span>he<\/span><\/span> then<\/span><\/span>immersed herself among the<\/span><\/span> audience, whispering into the mic<\/span><\/span>;<\/span><\/span> she <\/span><\/span>meander<\/span><\/span>ed<\/span><\/span> through a living aisle, drawing strength from the presence of the spectators.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s an enigma<\/span><\/span>, the human ability to sense<\/span><\/span> the<\/span><\/span>energy <\/span><\/span>of <\/span><\/span>others. While it may be visually challenging to discern raw madness from<\/span><\/span> attempts<\/span><\/span>to reach transcendent<\/span><\/span>al<\/span><\/span>, those present at Somerset House <\/span><\/span>on Saturday <\/span><\/span>sensed the latter in Dis Fig<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s act. The intense <\/span><\/span>performance<\/span><\/span>, ending too swiftly <\/span><\/span>after<\/span><\/span> 45 minutes, heightened the sense of expectation for the finale of Dis Fig<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>s residency project at the CTM festival in 2025.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

F<\/span><\/span>or those who<\/span><\/span> view<\/span><\/span> 2025 as a distant horizon, Somerset House has already announced the upcoming Summer Series, spotlighting<\/span><\/span> artists whose formative experiments are shaping the soundscape of <\/span><\/span>tomorrow<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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From March 20 to March 23, London hosted the first Assembly in four years\u2014a showcase of experimental performances by the residents of Somerset House Studios. The artists presented their projects, each a personal declaration intertwining sound, art, their interpretation, and their roles within society. The highlight was Saturday evening\u2019s schedule, featuring Felicia Chen, artistically known as Dis Fig.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":23433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[],"type_post":[],"column":[],"class_list":["post-23437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23437\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23437"},{"taxonomy":"type_post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type_post?post=23437"},{"taxonomy":"column","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londoncult.co.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column?post=23437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}