As previously stated, I’m traveling to the homeland this week (tomorrow night, actually). Part of this trip is for work. I’ll be assisting my boss at the WFMU Record Fair for the…fifth straight year? Sixth? I don’t remember how many it’s been, but working there has become an annual tradition for me. Typically I can bookend three days of work with a few days of friends and family time. Of course, since I’ll be away from Los Angeles for the next four or five days I won’t have my record collection on hand to impress you with, so I’m digging through my hard drive to complete this week’s installments of the 2014 Swan Fungus An Album A Day campaign. And what better way to celebrate the coming of the WFMU Record Fair than by reminiscing on some classic live sessions that have aired on the station during the past ten or fifteen years!?
I first heard about Khanate from my buddy Sam. At the time we met I was listening to a lot of post-rock and indie rock. We’d go see shows around New Jersey and New York but — if memory serves — they were mostly one or two bands we followed that were basically straight up rock groups. By the way, Sam if you’re reading this, I’ve known you for 13 years now buddy. How fucking crazy is that? Remember when you had to sneak me into 21+ shows!?
So Khanate was one of the first bands Sam introduced me to. He was always into harder and heavier music than I was — a black metal enthusiast who liked to give me CDrs of NSBM bands because he thought it would educate his little Jewish friend on the way the world REALLY works. When he handed me a copy of Things Viral by Khanate I believe it was a genuine attempt to help me cross over. In the same way that giving me a 5ive album was an attempt to bridge the gap between post-rock and metal for me. I really liked it. I loved how slow it was, and how creepy it felt, and even though I thought the vocalist sounded cartoonish I still enjoyed the album. I own a bunch of Khanate stuff now thanks to Sam, and those first forays into the world of doom/black metal certainly helped me clear that musical hurdle. Now I’m sitting here listening to Panopticon and Oranssi Pazuzu and Trees and all those other artists I never would have had the patience to sit down and listen to without Sam coaching me along. Thanks, Sam! This one’s for YOU.
Khanate recorded their session for WFMU on April 13th, 2002. One of the highlights has to be the cover of Earth’s “German Dental Work”. The CDr was packed in a vellum sleeve and sold in an extremely limited edition of 50 copies worldwide. Good luck ever finding one. Hopefully the non-collector scum here can live with MP3s…
Khanate
Live On WFMU
(KHA-02, 2002)
MediaFire DL Link
01. Pieces Of Quiet
02. German Dental Work
03. No Joy [MP3]
04. Skin Coat
