Note: The text have been heavily edited from its original form after Richard Ramirez and Act Svartvit contacted Kristian Cole after being branded as nazis - which they obviously are not.
The following text is pasted from: https://libcom.org/forums/announcements/unrest-productions-hate-speech-or-art-23042014
Unrest Productions, Hate Speech Or Art10 posts / 0 new
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#1
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exitingblue
Apr 23 2014 13:08
Unrest Productions, Hate Speech Or Art
Unrest Productions, Hate Speech or Art?
Unrest Productions is a Hampshire based record label run by Martin Wilford. The type of records the label specialises in distributing and creating is a genre called power electronics, occasionally noise music and its many sub genres. As a genre Power Electronics is no stranger to offensive and extreme imagery. Early pioneers of the genre used serial killers and Nazi images as a means to shock and provoke questions to the audience in an artistic and academic sense. Over the years power electronics has changed in a way that is common amongst underground scenes.
One example is the 'Blood and Honour' movement started by Ian Stuart Donaldson of 'Skrewdriver' infamy. In this case punk music was used a vehicle to spreading a message of hate and prejudice against foreign minorities in the British Isles and Europe. The supporting festivals that took place were called 'Rock against Communism' but this is a cover for the real message of hate speech. Is a festival of this nature taking place in two events in London in 2014? Recently members of the public who were outraged by this 'United Forces Of Industrial Festival' premise, were able to have the event shut down.
The Dalston Victoria was unaware of Unrest Productions ideology and stood firm in their decision to not proceed with hosting the event. Now the event is taking place at the Apiary(See festival flyer), a second gig is taking place at Ryan's Bar(See flyer), while both of these flyers seem harmless the venues seem totally unaware/oblivious of the background history of Unrest Productions.
One such release from the label is by an artist called 'Pogrom'. The Artist 'Pogrom' is one man band Levas, residing in Sweden, not to be confused with the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn's favourite band also called 'Pogrom'. Just so we're clear, a Pogrom is a reference to a riot aimed at massacre or persecution of an ethnic or religious group. Significant pogroms in the Russian Empire included the Odessa pogroms, Warsaw pogrom (1881), Kishinev pogrom (1903), Kiev Pogrom (1905), and Białystok pogrom (1906), and, after the 1917 Russian Revolution, the Lwów pogrom (1918) and Kiev Pogroms (1919). The most significant pogrom of modern times took place in Nazi Germany and was called the Kristallnacht of 1938 in which 91 Jews were killed, a further 30,000 arrested and subsequently incarcerated in concentration camps 1,000 synagogues burned, and over 7,000 Jewish businesses destroyed or damaged. Pogroms album cover is reminiscent of not only WWII anti-Semitic propaganda, as popularised in Julian Streicher's Nationalist magazine of the forties, but in modern Anti-Islamic literature also. The inscribed message can be seen on the Unrest Facebook page for all to see. The message itself sounds very close to the current 'Intellectual' diatribe promoted by the far right movement known as 'Generation Identity'. The image is of a naked burka adorned female with various parts of her body referencing countries that appear to have been 'taken over'. The message makes this reference all clear and how highly racist its intent. This is the type of music being sold from this country by this record label. Also playing the festival is the Birmingham based power electronics artist, 'Iron Fist Of The Sun'. Frontman Lee Howard had plenty to say on the subject of race and pro-heritage in a recent edition of Special Interest magazine.
"My political views are extremely right winged. I have respect for other cultures and races but not at the cost of my own land. My views on my homeland and race pertain to a 'Pro-heritage' stance.' The wording is very carefully used without paraphrasing the usual Nationalist terminology. Homeland and Heritage crop up again and again in Nationalist literature.
Unrest Productions currently have this item for sale in their online store(See image). Streicher, Ulex Xane is a well-known power electronics artist from Australia who has adopted the skinhead culture and lifestyle in his work.
You can see the image used here and the reference to 'White Power Electronics' here. Streicher has a release called 'Juda Verrecke,' The Nazi slogan was 'Juda verrecke,' 'perish Judah,' not 'emigrate Judah.' The full meaning of 'Juda Verrecke' is lost in English translation. It is akin to perishing like a 'lice-ridden cur'. Nazi leaders, among them Josef Goebbels, Julius Streicher, and Hans Frank, frequently described Jews as vermin in need of extermination. The questions remain, how long can Unrest Productions carry on producing this type of merchandise in the United Kingdom? How long can these types of festivals take place?
'Rock Against Communism' is totally underground, whereby 'United Forces Of Industrial' seems to flaunt this ideology freely. Art or Hate speech?
Comments:
RichardRamirez69
Apr 26 2014 06:51
Actually a stupid article but someone who obviously doesn't do their research and makes assumptions.
One of the fliers on there is of my band, BLJ. We are a band about the gay leather scene. Yeah, that really fits in with the subject of the article. PLEASE!!! RESEARCH!!!!
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#3
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ablablablablabla
Apr 26 2014 08:16
Kristian C. (who wrote this article) is a nut on a personal vendetta against one of the artists playing at the 9/5 gig and is a self proclaimed nationalsocialist! i'm not sure if his facebook account still screams NEO-NAZI, as he bloked me for confronting his beliefs, look up the user called Red Venice.
but this doesn't change the fact that Unrest Productions does like to flirt a little with fascism and Filth and Violence even more...
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#4
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exitingblue
Apr 26 2014 10:04
Richard I'm sorry you feel this way but in highlighting Unrest Productions that had to be put on there, not to worry though I am currently fattening out the article for an up and coming book. I will be sure to include your flier and how supporters are misled over how extreme art is a cover for neo nazi tendencies. I'm mean I was well aware of you homosexuality and I'm all for it, but let's not forget Ernst Rohm was gay, didn't stop him being a member of the original nazi party. But your concern is noted and I wish you well with the gig.
And yes I am a nut, but aren't most conspiracy theorists? My leanings towards any radical party only coincides with my research and I will ask questions from time to time which will inflame but surely pose a question for the academic community to answer. I'm not sure what bloked means, not even in the dictionary tut tut.
I have been really busy with this to be honest, but promise that the next Exiting Blue album is in the pipeline.
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#5
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svartvitnoise
Apr 26 2014 17:26
PLEASE READ THE FULL POST. The article linked below has been popping up a couple times over the last few days so I'd say it's time for a 'statement' of sorts. So far it's been removed from it's original link but since then it has been posted to Libcom, a site that I frequently visit for rightful and independent news on politics and activism. You can understand I'm pretty shocked to be featured on there myself in a negative context.
Besides it being a horrible piece of writing I have a few problems with this article which I'll try to address.
First off, I have personal experiences with a lot of the projects and people involved in this label and these events and wouldn't label them neo-nazi or even fascists. Some of them probably have a pretty right-wing view of politics but shaming them for that would only make me the fascist wouldn't it?
I know a lot of it comes out of obsession and provocation, having an extreme interest in a certain subject, approaches widely applied in noise. Some of the bigger names in these fields of music have been pretty provocative in the past, for example Throbbing Gristle or even the Sex Pistols. Some of these projects take it to an extreme that I personally feel uncomfortable with but isn't that the whole point of noise music in general?
Another problem I see with this article is the fact that it lumps in my own show with Black Leather Jesus, Yol and Cementimental. After taking an effort to try and shame some of the projects on the festival he blindly throws us in with them purely because it's the same person organizing it. There's a few things he completely ignores. Since the start of my project I've profiled myself as anarchist and antifascist, my recordings and releases are filled with samples and references to anarchism. Overall I've probably played with more left-wing punk bands than noise acts.
The main act that night, Black Leather Jesus, features very openly homosexual members and have a heavy focus on the gay leather scene. Individually they've all made statements before about their disgust for (neo-)nazis and fascism in general.
Last but not least, Cementimental. Clearly stating to be antifascist on multiple occasions and speaking out against fascism.
The writer of the article runs a label called Red Venice and has gotten into some kind of personal beef with Cementimental over the past months. It's gone on for way too long and is completely unrealistic. Some of my friends have asked for their material to be removed from his label because of his fascist tendencies. He's even gone so far as to shame transgender acts on his own label and make some really messed up statements on immigration.
Now that no one in the noise scene seems to take him serious anymore he's taken on another approach, directly approach venues and shaming artists trying to boycott shows in a personal vendetta against Cementimental.
I could go on forever about all the other things false and incorrect about this article but want to leave you with the main message that a lot of the stuff presented here just doesn't add up. On a personal level I would always distance myself from and confront actual fascist and neo-nazis. In this specific case with all the knowledge I posses I don't see it that way and believe in an artistic freedom up until a certain point. Svartvit is and always will be an anarchist project first and a noise project second.
*I'm always open to questions/discussions on this subject, on here but also in person.*
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#6
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exitingblue
Apr 26 2014 21:31
Well Kevin Jansen everyone is all ears, please point out in detail the incorrect parts of the article?
You have to choose a side Kevin really, you cannot be antifascist and anarchist then play this gig by a record label that releases albums of this type and distributes music of this nature.
1. Sex pistols isn't noise, it's punk. The band only ever used a swastika on a t shirt designed by Malcolm mclaren, as shock. Throbbing gristle chose to shock also. The pogrom album certainly doesn't aim to shock but to educate and insight hatred in Europe.
2. Shaming people who have right wing views doesn't make you a fascist. It actually makes you a very poor antifascist, all talk no trousers so to speak. Your silence in regards to the pogrom album at the time of release means you had more self interest in your position in the noise scene rather than speaking out about it.
3. Tim drage and yourself are hypocrites plain and simple.
I really look forward to your justification on your association with the label and it's leaning towards the extreme far right.
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#7
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Chilli Sauce's picture
Chilli Sauce
Apr 27 2014 09:15
Quote:
Some of them probably have a pretty right-wing view of politics but shaming them for that would only make me the fascist wouldn't it?
No.
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#8
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exitingblue
Apr 27 2014 11:12
Chilli Sauce wrote:
Quote:
Some of them probably have a pretty right-wing view of politics but shaming them for that would only make me the fascist wouldn't it?
No.
Genius.
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#9
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Chilli Sauce's picture
Chilli Sauce
Apr 27 2014 12:07
Ah, the self up.
To be honest, I have a general problem with folks that throw around the term fascism all willy-nilly. Fascism was/is a specific movement with specific characteristics that occurs as a response to specific capitalist developments.
That said, the idea that it's fascist to criticize (or "shame") those with right-wing views is so absurd and illogical to be laughable - which is why I don't actually think there's much value in even engaging with such stupidity.
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#10
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Caiman del Barrio
Apr 27 2014 13:41
Chilli, leave 'em be for a minute. I'm looking forward to the next mad band name to pop up. Grind Beef in a Plug Socket? Gargledeath? Gutterworm Orgy? I would actually like to propose some sort of Libcom bingo here.
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