0071 // Towards Collapse

Photo by Judit Bagi.

Promoters Towards Collapse have a dropbox folder expressly used for archiving images of fly-tipping around London. This has been craftily synced with their Facebook stream, meaning their account is littered (no-pun intended) with pictures of knackered old fridges, tellys and mattresses left on street corners and residential estates.

This should give you some sense of the characters behind Towards Collapse - using their considerable technological nous for projects largely related to bins, shredders and waste processing plants. The last gig of theirs I went to, titled Luxury Flats for Luxury Twats, saw founding members Robin and Alex team up with Combat Recordings' Stormfield, to construct a visual show entirely using recycled footage from trendy Shoreditch new builds, soundtracked by crushing power-electronics and distortion-drenched hip-hop.

The common theme amongst all the in-jokes and tomfoolery however is Robin and Alex's stabs at the relentless churn of London living. In their own words, the night began after "lengthy conversations about encroaching waves of gentrification, the decadence of London's litter-strewn streets, the everyday excess of post-consumerism and the vapid attitudes of luxury twats in their ivory towers."

Continuing, the duo explain how: "the Brothers Binn poured all this into a shared love of gloomy music that goes clang in the night, attempting to heal the wounds inflicted by the churning mill of late capitalism. Bringing onboard graphic designer Bonnie Baker, the Towards Collapse collective was formed."

Over the three or four events they have hosted, Towards Collapse have moved around North East London like a couple of deranged property surveyors looking for the latest on-trend catchment area. They teamed up with Open Jack Sessions at New River Studios last year, and took up residence in the sadly now defunct Power Lunches in Dalston before that.

Their latest event sees Towards Collapse return to Dalston, this time setting up shop in basement venue, VFD on Friday. Providing the soundtrack to your Government approved breakdown, two Berlin-based artists, Swarm Intelligence and Dead Fader will be in attendance, alongside Voyder affiliates VORRS and Nolan Dialta.

Tracklist

Brian Gascoigne - Phase I [Waxwork US]
Witxes - Through Abraxas I [Denovali Records]
The Haxan Cloak - Mara [Tri Angle]
Bobby Krlic - Pharmacies [Sacred Bones Records]
Reload - Rota Link [Infonet]
Phonat & Holly - Connection Lost [Trekkie Trax]
Sekt - Nihilism [Unknown]
Mick Gordon - Lazarus Waves [Doom Soundtrack]
Metalogue feat. Shaltmira - Soundtrack for Cosmogenesis [Unknown]
Metalogue - Untitled & previously unreleased material [Unknown]
Broken Bone - The Echoes They Left Behind [Aperture]
DEFCE - Unresolved IV [Subtrakt]
DEFCE - Purposed for Greed [Subtrakt]
Shapednoise - Resistance to a Harmonious Vision [Type]
Mii - Entartung (Ruined) [Unknown]
TCF - DB 9F 72 A8 B4 1C 62 8A 3C 96 22 8B 5B 03 23 6F 81 16 64 76 3E 0A D8 16 [Liberation Technologies]

• Published
• Feb 17, 2017

• Credits
• Words by Theo Darton-Moore