The Vulcan Dub Squad
Encyclopedia
The Vulcan Dub Squad is an indie rock
band from Brampton
, Ontario
, Canada
and have shared the stage with home-towners, The Junction
, Five Blank Pages and Moneen
.
Over the past decade they've run the sonic gamut from the ambient instrumental lullabies of their earlier records, their avant-garde/shoegaze and art-rock releases circa. 2000, to finally arrive on their current sound: a Pastiche
Pop fusing the earlier elements while drawing on garage/psych and folk strains as well, to blend and blur them all into something genuinely new.
Currently, they have released their sixth LP The New Designers, an album inspired by Expo '67 with music that sounds like architecture. The LP comes on like a meld of Arthur Lee's Love
, The Smiths
and The Kinks
, The Wedding Present
and Thor's Hammer
(60s legends from Iceland), while at the same time offering transitional coherence reminiscent of 50/60's Bollywood
scores.
In the summer of 2006 they visited Habitat 67 during the recording of this LP for documentary footage and on-site audio recordings for use on the record.
Describing the Vulcans isn't the easiest task - stylistically they run the gamut from gently jangling pop to hyperkinetic riffery, often within the same song. The Vulcan Dub Squad released their new album, The New Designers on August 9, 2007 at the Drake Hotel in Toronto, ON.
and The Chameleons UK.
After placing flyers in North Park in Brampton, the trio found two other interested musicians (David Croft and Graham Wilson) who ended up filling up the roster containing a second drum unit and second guitar. With theatre being a main presence in their live shows, the band dressed up in masks and strange suits much to the shock of most audiences. Over the years, they've refined their on-stage garb as well as stage theatrics, which included everything from long-winded sermons to toilet papering each other to look like mummies. The mask phenomenon intrigued many and disturbed others. The music industry often looked upon the band as a gimmick and overlooked the musical output, which was also difficult to classify. The early years provided much in the way of ambient–shoe-gaze instrumentals riding heavily on reverb, delay and echo effects.
and Mogwai
. The Vulcans emphasized their detachment from other independent musicians of their time by covering The Kinks
' "I'm Not Like Everybody Else", except changing the title to "We're Not Like Everybody Else". The band managed to gain an underground cult following in suburban towns like Mississauga, Brampton and Burlington with their energetic and theatrical performances.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Brampton
Brampton, Ontario
Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada and the seat of Peel Region. As of the 2006 census, Brampton's population stood at 433,806, making it the 11th largest city in Canada. It is also one of Canada's fastest growing municipalities, with an average...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and have shared the stage with home-towners, The Junction
The Junction
The Junction is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is near the junction of four railway lines in the area known as the West Toronto Diamond. The neighbourhood was previously an independent city called West Toronto, that was also its own federal electoral district until amalgamating...
, Five Blank Pages and Moneen
Moneen
Moneen is an indie rock band from Brampton, Ontario, Canada.-History:The band formed in 1999 after the dissolution of another band, called Perfectly Normal. Moneen's original bass player, Mark Bowser, was replaced by Chris Slorach, who left the band after the release of The Theory of Harmonial Value...
.
Over the past decade they've run the sonic gamut from the ambient instrumental lullabies of their earlier records, their avant-garde/shoegaze and art-rock releases circa. 2000, to finally arrive on their current sound: a Pastiche
Pastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
Pop fusing the earlier elements while drawing on garage/psych and folk strains as well, to blend and blur them all into something genuinely new.
Currently, they have released their sixth LP The New Designers, an album inspired by Expo '67 with music that sounds like architecture. The LP comes on like a meld of Arthur Lee's Love
Love (band)
Love was an American rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were led by singer/songwriter Arthur Lee and lead guitarist Johnny Echols...
, The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
and The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, The Wedding Present
The Wedding Present
The Wedding Present are a British indie rock group based in Leeds, England, formed in 1985 from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms...
and Thor's Hammer
Thor's Hammer
Thor's Hammer may refer to:* Mjölnir, the hammer wielded by Thor in Norse mythology*Thor's Hammer , a garage rock band from Iceland*Thorr's Hammer, a death/doom band from Ballard, Washington...
(60s legends from Iceland), while at the same time offering transitional coherence reminiscent of 50/60's Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
scores.
In the summer of 2006 they visited Habitat 67 during the recording of this LP for documentary footage and on-site audio recordings for use on the record.
Describing the Vulcans isn't the easiest task - stylistically they run the gamut from gently jangling pop to hyperkinetic riffery, often within the same song. The Vulcan Dub Squad released their new album, The New Designers on August 9, 2007 at the Drake Hotel in Toronto, ON.
Early years 1997–1999
The Vulcan Dub Squad began in a basement in Brampton, Ontario in 1997 with the founding three members - Andrew Hunter (drums), Jason (Jay) Doell (bass), and Ranbir (Rick) Gundu (guitars/vox). The band's first objectives were to take the ambient melodies of house music and fuse that sound with the harrowing landscapes employed by bands like The CureThe Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
and The Chameleons UK.
After placing flyers in North Park in Brampton, the trio found two other interested musicians (David Croft and Graham Wilson) who ended up filling up the roster containing a second drum unit and second guitar. With theatre being a main presence in their live shows, the band dressed up in masks and strange suits much to the shock of most audiences. Over the years, they've refined their on-stage garb as well as stage theatrics, which included everything from long-winded sermons to toilet papering each other to look like mummies. The mask phenomenon intrigued many and disturbed others. The music industry often looked upon the band as a gimmick and overlooked the musical output, which was also difficult to classify. The early years provided much in the way of ambient–shoe-gaze instrumentals riding heavily on reverb, delay and echo effects.
This Nation's Saving Face era 2002–2004
With the line-up pared down the four-piece with the exit of original founder (Andrew Hunter), the band recorded their first proper LP at BWC studios in late 2002 and released it on their own independent label, Five Deadly Records. This era saw the band take their sound from its very washy and ambient beginnings into more orchestrated pieces, relying on the whisper-to-a-scream methodology that was used by indie rockers like The Pixies and post-rock sound-sculptors such as SlintSlint
Slint was an American rock band consisting of Brian McMahan , David Pajo , Britt Walford , Todd Brashear and Ethan Buckler...
and Mogwai
Mogwai
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
. The Vulcans emphasized their detachment from other independent musicians of their time by covering The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' "I'm Not Like Everybody Else", except changing the title to "We're Not Like Everybody Else". The band managed to gain an underground cult following in suburban towns like Mississauga, Brampton and Burlington with their energetic and theatrical performances.
Albums
- The Blue Tape (1997)
- The Spock Demos (1999)
- This Nation's Saving Face (2003)
- Just Watch Us (2005)
- The New Designers (2007)
Current members
- Ranbir Gundu: Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards
- Graham Wilson: Guitar
- David Croft: Drums
Former members
- Andrew Hunter: Drums, Guitar
- Jason Doel: Bass
- David Lush: Keyboards, Guitar
- Matt del Buono: Bass
- Aaron Foster: Guitar, Hair Products, Designer Eyeware
- Jameson Banks: Bass