bidhardcore.com

Everybody knows Void, DCHC’s infamously atonal acid-thrashers (read in Jackie Chiles voice). By far they’re probably the most championed DCHC band after Bad Brains and Minor Threat, and they receive considerable attention from enthusiasts of the non-punk world, which I guess in some way validates them in the larger musical tapestry. What I’m trying to say is even non-punks know Void shred. The same cannot unfortunately be said for United Mutation, who never get the same kind of credibility affirming praise that the likes of Mudhoney, Sonic Youth, The Melvins and other stone-aged, well respected indie rockers have willingly doled out for Weifenbach and company. Please don’t be angry reader; I’m not suggesting that Void sound the same as United Mutation, but they’re hardly far removed. Maybe they even had the same drug dealer?

United Mutation was founded by 2 brothers with the last name Fox, sometime in ‘81 or ‘82 I think. By 1983 (when their first 7″ came out) almost every band in DC owed a debt to Minor Threat in their sound, and were pushing towards an increasingly melodic delivery. United Mutation are one of a short list that were doing the opposite. This is sick, sick, introvert music. For a reference point see the first Die Kreuzen lp or the Scam 7″ (both of which were released after this but are similar). In “Banned in DC” there’s a quote that’s always stuck with me that, to paraphrase, says United Mutation just hung out in the basement everyday practicing their songs, but only left once or twice a year to play a show. It makes total sense when you hear them. They sound isolated, and unsociable.

Their chronology is confusing at best, but I think they did a demo or two, some of which were recycled into comp tracks (like the AWESOME Mixed Nuts Don’t Crack compilation), and then they delivered their first 7″ Fugitive Family a split release on Dischord, and their own DSI records. Let it be noted that this wasn’t deemed even significant enough to be a a half release, being relegated instead to being catalog #10 & 7/8th. What the fuck? It couldn’t get #11 1/2 or something? Whatever. Growing up in the DC area has left me with a soft spot for most of the bands of the time, even the less interesting ones, but for me, United Mutation transcend that. This is disgusting, fuzzed out noise that’s way ahead of the curve, cutting almost at a Siege-like speed, and dear lord the vocals! This may be the most inhuman vocals used in any style up to that point. 100% predicts the kind of things you’d be hearing on records by G.I.S.M. and Bathory records a year later, even though neither were probably aware of this record. This is a perfect example of a band refitting an established genre to their own twisted vision - it’s imaginative and stands alone.

Still, I can only lavish so much praise on Fugitive Family, because the crowning achievement of United Mutation, is their Rainbow Person 7″. Sadly if their first 7″ can be called under-appreciated, you might as well call this one unknown. I guess without the minimal Dischord endorsement people just aren’t as interested. There are some people in-the-know though, and they can tell you what a demented piece of psycho-core this is. It’s been a major influence on some of my song writing over the past couple of years, and is one of the most bizarre of its time. Between each song is a recording of a clearly mentally unstable person, speaking about time travel, setting the mood for the creepy music that follows. The band are slower now, the guitar is drenched in reverb and chorus giving it a psychedelic quality (and I’m sure there were plenty of drugs consumed of a similar classification). The songs are mid-paced, but still punk, with creepy echoing solos, and sections that start to break apart under the slowing tempos. The vocals are as rasping and demented as before, though at times they come close to singing on key, they only do so in the same demonic voice, often while being echoed and phased into oblivion. The weirdest and most eccentric aspects all come together on the song Zone, the only song on my ipod with the lyric “My eyes have laser vision to the sky”, as a circular bass riff creeps along with spare guitar guitar accenting before kicking into a total temper tantrum of psychotic rage. Right before the song starts the rambling mental-case declares “Reality makes me fucking sick, because it’s disgusting it’s perverted, okay. Obscene… okay. This reality.” It’s a good way to sum up the underlying sentiment of all United Mutation music.

Pressing info is as follows:

United Mutation - Fugitive Family 7″:

• 1000 copies on black vinyl w/insert
  Dischord 10 7/8 / DSI 1, 1983
• 500 copies on black vinyl w/extra track, xeroxed sleeve, no insert
  Dischord 10 7/8 / DSI 1, 1989

United Mutation - Rainbow Person 7″:

• 800 copies on black vinyl w/foldover cover and insert
• 225 copies on black vinyl w/pocket cover
• 75 copies on black vinyl w/xeroxed pocket cover
  DSI Records 4, 1985
• 500 copies on blue vinyl w/foldover cover and insert
  DSI Records 4, 1989