Ancient Temple Recordings go big with Slashdance, latest project from Which Witch is Which bassist Dan Cadera.
Matt Carter
Ian Curtis and Glenn Danzig walk into a bar. No wait. Daniel Ash and Al Jourgensen walk into a Berlin night club. No, that’s not it either. Robert Smith? Lux Interior? Phil Clark? At Value Village? How about this: Dan Cadera walks into his home studio and makes a great record. Yeah. That makes the most sense.
With little to no warning, Moncton musician Dan Cadera (Which Witch is Which) has just released his first album as Slashdance. 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 first born.
Everything Goes With Black (Ancient Temple Recordings) is both a new chapter in Cadera’s creative output and a bold new step for a New Brunswick record label known largely for noise rock and hardcore metal. It’s a reason to celebrate.
“I’ve been playing in punk bands for almost 20 years, the last seven of which have been with Which Witch is Which. I am one of the two primary songwriters for that band and we actually somehow won a couple of Music New Brunswick awards in 2019 including the fan voted Fan Favourite award,” said Cadera.
“Slashdance has sort of been my dream musical endeavour since I started making music. It’s a combination of my two favourite genres, 80’s Gothy Post-Punk and late 80’s/early 90’s Industrial Rock. It’s a pretty specific set of genres for an area like Moncton, if you’re trying to form a band like that. Working with vintage drum machines typically lends itself more to writing in a studio situation anyway, more than jamming with a band because it takes forever. I found it best just to do everything on my own. I wrote, performed and recorded the album myself so I guess if people don’t like it I won’t have anyone to blame.”
In realizing his vision for this project, Cadera went straight to the source whenever possible, tapping into his collection of vintage gear and seeking out what sounds he couldn’t conjure on his own. While the guitar may hold a dominant position throughout the eight tracks on Everything Goes With Black, the tonal qualities of period gear give this album an unmistakable charm and authenticity.
“I’d say the sound is probably a little thicker on the guitar side than some of the bands that influenced me like the The Sisters of Mercy or something…undoubtedly the punk rock influence creeping in,” said Cadera.
“Over the years I’ve amassed a reasonable collection of vintage equipment that was used on albums that influenced me like the 8-bit Ensoniq Mirage (one of the earliest affordable synth-samplers dating back to the early 80’s), and 12-bit Emu Emax Samplers (see Depeche Mode, KMFDM and Nine Inch Nails). There’s something about the level of grittiness you get from lo-fi gear like these that really add a layer of 1980’s fairy dust to a track. I’m also not above just Googling what pedal Peter Hook (Joy Division) used for the chorus sound of his bass and going out and getting one because I’m not technically inclined enough to figure out an easier way to sculpt those kinda exact sounds using other equipment.”
While he never considered the making of Slashdance a secret, Cadera admits to have started work on the project almost two years ago without dropping even a hint of it to more than a handful of friends throughout the process.
“I started work on it in January 2019 and haven’t really told anyone about it or built it up,” he said. “Most people are probably only going to discover it the day it drops and there will be a record they can buy immediately which I think is pretty fun. Mostly because I knew it was going to take a long time I didn’t want to talk it up only to not have something available for another 18-plus months.
“It has beautiful artwork by Justin Coffee who did the Which Witch is Which album cover. I owe Justin, and Scott Miller at Ancient Temple, more thanks than I can possibly give as both those guys have been amazing in getting this released.”
Everything Goes With Black was officially released on November 10 and is now available on limited-edition 180g vinyl through Ancient Temple Recordings as well as all major streaming services.
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