Alec Empire vs. Elvis Presley
Encyclopedia
Alec Empire vs. Elvis Presley is a recording by Alec Empire
which incorporates Elvis Presley
samples.
from a tour of the United States
with his band Atari Teenage Riot
. As a method of escape from the digital hardcore
sound he became interested in Elvis, watching all of his movies. Inspired, he collected two hours worth of samples and mixed them in his own particular style, the result of which caused his girlfriend at the time to leave him.
label, Empire ran into problems when attempting to release the album as the Elvis samples were used without permission from the Presley Foundation. Concerned at the prospect of legal action Empire decided not to release vs. Elvis on DHR, and instead pressed a few copies for friends and DJs. In a record store in New York
in 1999, Empire to his surprise discovered a vinyl copy of the recording that had been pressed by El Turco Loco ("The Mad Turk"), an obscure label owned by former Matador Records
artist Khan.
The album is long out of print, but copies have occasionally been sold on eBay
, as well as exchanged in MP3
format on p2p
networks. Since the release is a bootleg, the tracklisting of the recording seems to in the incorrect order (ie the song "Last Message From The Soul" seems to be an introduction track) and back cover claims to be "recorded in the highest quality" but the sound is very poor. This recording also marks the end of Alec Empire's usuage of the popular drum sample the Amen Break
, as he stated in interviews that it had been done to death and was using similar fashion to elvis's death on this album.
The album has been made available for purchase as a digital download in the Hellish Vortex Online Shop.
A video was made for the track "You Ain't Nothing" by Empire's friend and collaborator Philipp "Virus" Reichenheim (link).
Alec Empire
Alec Empire is a German musician who is best known as a founding member of the band Atari Teenage Riot. Also a prolific and distinguished solo artist, producer and DJ, he has released well over a hundred albums, EPs and singles and remixed over seventy tracks for various artists including Björk...
which incorporates Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
samples.
The recording
Empire recorded vs. Elvis in 1998 after returning home to BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
from a tour of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with his band Atari Teenage Riot
Atari Teenage Riot
'Atari Teenage Riot' is a German digital hardcore group formed in Berlin in 1992. The name was taken from a Portuguese Joe song 'Teenage Riot' from the 'Teen-age Riot' album, with the word 'Atari' added as an Atari ST computer was used to create compositions...
. As a method of escape from the digital hardcore
Digital hardcore
Digital hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk incorporating influences from electronic music. Digital hardcore fuses elements of hardcore punk with various forms of electronic music...
sound he became interested in Elvis, watching all of his movies. Inspired, he collected two hours worth of samples and mixed them in his own particular style, the result of which caused his girlfriend at the time to leave him.
The release
Originally intended for release on his DHR LimitedDigital Hardcore Recordings
Digital Hardcore Recordings is a record label set up in 1994 by Alec Empire, Joel Amaretto and Pete Lawton. Most of the music is recorded in Berlin, though the label is based in London where the records are mastered and manufactured...
label, Empire ran into problems when attempting to release the album as the Elvis samples were used without permission from the Presley Foundation. Concerned at the prospect of legal action Empire decided not to release vs. Elvis on DHR, and instead pressed a few copies for friends and DJs. In a record store in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1999, Empire to his surprise discovered a vinyl copy of the recording that had been pressed by El Turco Loco ("The Mad Turk"), an obscure label owned by former Matador Records
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
artist Khan.
The album is long out of print, but copies have occasionally been sold on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
, as well as exchanged in MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format on p2p
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
networks. Since the release is a bootleg, the tracklisting of the recording seems to in the incorrect order (ie the song "Last Message From The Soul" seems to be an introduction track) and back cover claims to be "recorded in the highest quality" but the sound is very poor. This recording also marks the end of Alec Empire's usuage of the popular drum sample the Amen Break
Amen break
The Amen break is a brief drum solo performed in 1969 by Gregory Cylvester "G. C." Coleman in the song "Amen, Brother" performed by the 1960s funk and soul outfit The Winstons...
, as he stated in interviews that it had been done to death and was using similar fashion to elvis's death on this album.
The album has been made available for purchase as a digital download in the Hellish Vortex Online Shop.
A video was made for the track "You Ain't Nothing" by Empire's friend and collaborator Philipp "Virus" Reichenheim (link).
Track listing
| # | Title | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Jailhouse Cock Rocks the Most" | 3:32 | Samples "Jailhouse Rock Jailhouse Rock (song) "Jailhouse Rock" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit for Elvis Presley. The song was released as a 45rpm single on September 24, 1957, to coincide with the release of Presley's motion picture, Jailhouse Rock... ". |
| 2 | "You Ain't Nothing" | 3:00 | Samples "Hound Dog Hound Dog (song) "Hound Dog" is a twelve-bar blues written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and originally recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton in 1952. Other early versions illustrate the differences among blues, country, and rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The 1956 remake by Elvis Presley is the best-known... ". |
| 3 | "Something For The Pain" | 4:16 | Samples "Maybellene Maybellene "Maybellene" is a song recorded by Chuck Berry, adapted from the traditional fiddle tune "Ida Red" that tells the story of a hot rod race and a broken romance. It was released in July 1955 as a single on Chess Records of Chicago, Illinois. It was Berry's first single release and his first hit... ". |
| 4 | "Take Away" | 2:59 | Samples "They Remind Me Too Much of You" |
| 5 | "Come On, Fight You Punk!" | 2:38 | Samples "Long Tall Sally Long Tall Sally "Long Tall Sally" is a rock and roll 12-bar blues song written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson and Richard Penniman , recorded by Little Richard and released March 1956 on the Specialty Records label.... ". |
| 6 | "I am Going Insane Without Your Love" | 3:26 | |
| 7 | "He's Dead, That's the Way It Is" | 3:35 | Samples the trailer for the documentary Elvis: That's the Way It Is Elvis: That's the Way it Is Elvis: That's the Way It Is is a documentary movie directed by Denis Sanders about Elvis Presley that was released on November 11, 1970. The film documents Elvis' Summer Festival in Las Vegas during August 1970... . |
| 8 | "Last Message From The Soul" | 2:00 | Interlude, samples music from the Game Boy Camera Game Boy Camera The Game Boy Camera, released as in Japan, is an official Nintendo accessory for the handheld Game Boy gaming console and was released in 1998. It is also compatible with the Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Light, Game Boy Color, Super Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Game Boy Advance SP... photography menu. |
| 9 | "Fuck the Majors" | 0:46 | Interlude, samples the film Jailhouse Rock. |
| 10 | "Blue Moon" | 3:56 | Samples "Blue Moon of Kentucky Blue Moon of Kentucky "Blue Moon of Kentucky" is a waltz written in 1946 by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and recorded by his band, The Blue Grass Boys. The song has since been recorded by many artists, including Elvis Presley.... ". |
External links
- Alec Empire vs. Elvis Presley LP at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...