EPK – Slashdance – Everything Goes With Black (2020) (Ancient Temple Recordings)
Publicist – Jon Asher – asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
“A love letter to the Goth and Industrial rock of the 80s and 90s.” – Slashdance
Album Title: Everything Goes With Black
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Label: Ancient Temple Recordings
For fans of Ministry, Bauhaus, Nine Inch Nails, Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy
Facebook.com/SlashdanceMusic | Instagram.com/slashdancemusic | Youtube.com/slashdance
Slashdance.bandcamp.com | Ancient Temple Recordings (Vinyl)
“Channeling a love for Pre-Punk, Post-Punk and Goth-Rock, Cadera’s debut is much more than an attempt to honour the music he loves. It’s an extension of these influences, ripped through some vintage gear with all the care dedication you’d give your firstborn.” – Grid City Magazine
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The album as a whole:
A love letter to the Goth and Industrial rock of the 80s and 90s.
Track by track explained:
1. Miss American Vampire 1970 – Opening number about an actual vampire-themed beauty pageant that took place in 1970. Sets the tone early for the more post-punk aspect of the LP.
2. Everything Goes With Black – Kicks into high gear with a relentless Industrial Rock beat straight from the early ’90s. An ode to our favourite colour and a love letter to Ministry. The authentic sound of the era was recreated using period-specific samplers and vintage digital guitar effects. Most of the video was shot across Japan just before the pandemic, as well as at our studio. The video, much like the album was edited by Dan Cadera.
3. Undo The Damage – A post-punk number that would slide in easily to the playlist at your local goth club.
4. Brief Lives – The album’s most synth-heavy song, channeling heavy Brian Eno & David Bowie influences. A song about Death, the comic book character by Neil Gaiman. This album leans heavily on pop culture.
5. Killing Time – A spooky punk twister featuring 1960’s Farfisa keyboards about a board game from the early ’80s that bites children.
6. I Call It Witchcraft – Another goth punk tune, it was the first song on the album to get a promotional music video. Probably the most accessible song on the album for fans of my more established band Which Witch is Which.
7. Tactical Empathy – A catchy Industrial banger with the crunchiest synths I was able to come up with before they turned to mud. A song about how much of yourself you are willing to box in to make others happy and if it’s worth it.
8. She’s Weaponized – A song about what I assume happens when you cross your dominatrix. Ending with a bang of blazing Industrial drums and loud guitars, the only reasonable choice really!
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BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:
1. This album fulfills a lifelong ambition to release an album of Goth and Industrial songs like the ones I grew up on. For years I’d amassed an arsenal of vintage gear that was used on classic albums so when the time came I could give it as authentic of a feel as I could. Using old samplers like the Ensoniq Mirage or Emu EMAX really connected me to the artists who influenced me. I use a lot of plugins and enjoy them but there’s nothing quite like the real thing that gives you that feel right out of the box.
2. The entire album was written, performed, recorded and produced by Dan Cadera. Part of this was out of necessity, the studio costs would have been astronomical given how long it took to produce. This sort of hybrid of sequencing drums and samples mixed with traditional guitar, bass, keys lends doesn’t lend itself to jamming the songs then recording, at least in my experience. You really have to create in the studio then figure out how you’d perform them with a band later.
3. It’s not common to have a mix of gothy post-punk and Industrial Rock on one album but, back in the 90’s both scenes were so small they had to crossover to survive. Both seeped in and I think it makes for an interesting blend of songs that are going to appeal to people who like both and it keeps the album from getting stale because you’re not sure what’s coming next.
4. Another balance is that despite the darker tone of the music, lyrically the album covers mostly lighter subject matter. Dark, but fun, without being cartoonish? Is that a thing? It’s what I was aiming for. Whether it’s comic books about Death, spooky board games, low-budget horror movies or vampire beauty pageants most of the songs have a fun element to them. Lyrics were the most challenging aspect of the album, you’ve got a bunch of dark songs but you’re not really a dark dramatic person so what do you do? As mentioned above I’m not the type to write black lyrics with black ink on black paper in a black room by black candlelight so this is where I landed. I’m happy with it, I think it represents what I’m about.
[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]
Album Title: Everything Goes With Black
Release Date: November 10, 2020
Label: Ancient Temple Recordings
Track Listing:
1. Miss American Vampire 1970 (3:49)
2. Everything Goes With Black (3:27)
3. Undo The Damage (3:45)
4. Brief Lives (4:19)
5. Killing Time (3:22)
6. I Call It Witchcraft (3:16)
7. Tactical Empathy (3:59)
8. She’s Weaponized (3:10)
Album Length: 29:11
Album Credits:
• All songs performed by: Dan Cadera
• All songs written by: Dan Cadera
• Produced by: Dan Cadera
• Mixed by: Dan Cadera
• Mastered by: Eight Floor Above Mastering Co.
• Album Artwork by: Justin Coffee
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)
Album Band Line Up:
Dan Cadera – Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drum Programming, Samplers and Synthesizers
Dan Cadera, the sole member of Slashdance
Photo Credit: Stephanie LeBlanc
Slashdance is a Canadian Goth Rock/Industrial Rock endeavour by singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Dan Cadera.
Slashdance mixes a variety of influences from song to song…. boots firmly planted in early 80’s goth/post-punk on one track then buried in the relentless drum machines and guitar-heavy sounds the defined early 90’s Industrial on the next.
“This album was made with all the love and care I was capable of to write an authentic love letter to the Goth and Industrial Rock of the ’80s and ’90s. Already this early I’ve had some of the older crowd who were regular goth club-goers from that period tell me how it transported them back to that era so, in a way, I feel like it already accomplished what I set out to do. I just want to get it out to as many ears as possible and hope it will resonate with even more people.
The album mixes genres more than most, jumping from post-punk to industrial rock, then a synth-heavy track and back again. I hope that gives it a fun mixtape sort of quality that keeps it exciting for the listener from track to track. Different genres and different vocals styles all by one person which (hopefully) ties it all together.”
Discography:
2020 – Everything Goes With Black LP
2018 – Which Witch is Which Self-Titled LP (Dan Cadera as a member of Which Witch is Which)
Shared Stage with:
First unleashed during the pandemic so none as Slashdance. Over the years in previous bands Dan Cadera has shared the stage with as diverse of bands as The Cancer Bats, D.O.A., Fishbone, The Planet Smashers, Wesley Willis.
