Charlie Draheim


Ten Things That Have Made Life A Bit More Pleasant

1. Herb Diamante
I am not sure where this raconteur comes from, but it is deff. not a boring place. “May I Light You Cigarette” is an amazing pataphysical lounge album and Herb’s torch songs are a sure remedy to combat feelings of creeping horror.

2. Los Siquicos Litoralenos
“Sonido Chipadelico” Interstellar gauchos rip a hole in the fabric of reality and deposit one of the best slabs of psychedelia in recent history. Joyful and ecstatic, it is impossible not to grin from ear to ear when hearing this. La Manera Extrana indeed.

3. The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears
Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s surrealistic take on the humble giallo. This flick is a slap to the senses in all the best ways. Somebody swapped the J&B with hallucinatory reindeer piss.

4. Leonora Carrington
I can get lost in my own mind when looking at her paintings. Fever-dream childhood phantasm inhabits every canvas. Her novel, “The Hearing Trumpet” is a must read as well.

5. Weng’s Chop
A KILLER independent cinema ‘zine that covers all the weird stuff, with a good focus on underground and oddball international cinema. The last issue was like 250 pages, so there is bound to be something for the fan of “out there” film.” Very much recommended.

6. Brain Goreng
Great blog with a variety of intense music from S.E. Asia. Not much more to say, check it out if you like that sort of thing. http://braingoreng.blogspot.com/

7. Charlemagne Palestine
“The Apocalypse Will Blossom”. Palestine on the Bosendorfer Imperial, with some slight after the fact sound processing by Christoph Heeman. Heavy and dense, there is nothing “minimal” about this album. The breath of the Godbear filling up your room and becoming solid amber.

8. M.A.Turner
“Let’s See The Rain Facer” A recording of raw guitar and vocals, this Kentucky Warmer Milks weirdo will break your heart.

9. Damon Packard
I am not even going to try to describe the films of this auteur. They are beyond words. Check out his youtube channel and go from there. WARNING: after submitting yourself to his flicks, you may begin to view your everyday reality in a different light.

10. Flipper
Fuck the Sex Pistols, Flipper is the best punk band, hands down. Equal parts scary, funny, nihilistic and uplifting, their songs still resonate with me at the age of 37 as much as they did when I was a teen.

Mr Draheim is a Midwest sound gonk who has released many solo recordings to little or no fanfare. He has also disgraced himself in noise making units Kvlts, drug Abuse, Entrails, Skull erection to name but a few. he has been lying low for the last few years working on his masterpiece which should hopefully see the light of day sometime soonish on Chocolate Monk, but don't hold your breath.


Hicham Chadly


Chocolate Monk Top Ten

1. Crust
Thinking that Prick Decay was another UK crust band at first because of the word "decay" upon first hearing about them. Then expecting Prick Decay to sound like Big Stick or Royal Trux because of the group male/female couple profile. Then freaking out in horror upon hearing Prick Decay.

2. Scribbles/Scrawls
Having Prick Decay / Jeph Jerman "mechanics of belief" LP sent to me by Dylan to a friend in Europe who brought it to me in Cairo with the mad crayon hand drawn cover art and "chadly" written along a pasted photo of what seems to be a UFO. The friend in question seriously thought me and the pen pal who sent the record were mentally retarded.

3. Shoddy T's
Having Egyptian made Chocolate Monk "Smoking Arabic" logo T-shirts sent to Dylan which turn out to be of the worst possible quality - worthy of law punishment.

4. Scoring From A Kraut
Sending Thomas Eicken of Very Good Records an Egyptian Postcard to be able to get in touch and buy the Prick Decay LP. He answered and I managed to score "Guidelines for Basement Non-Fidel" - one of the best records ever made along other Very Good Records gems.

5. Quality Television
Meeting Dylan for the first time and spending the first evening discussing Kojak and Diff'rent Strokes.

6. Clueless Journo Lunks
Going to see the Decaer Pinga super group at the Brixton Academy open for Sonic Youth and waking up the next day to read The Observers review of the show with the opening line about the DP set asking "Man alive, what monster is this?"

7. RY
Discovering Richard Youngs via his Chocolate Monk "Motorway" cassette having missed the classic No Fans LP's and being really really blown away by it.

8. More scribbles and scrawls
Receiving Blood Stereo - The Eight Thumbed Hand Serenades' 4 cassettes box set with original drawings by Karen and Dylan. Dylan's drawing resembling a mutant Raymond Pettibon sketch of a creepy man in glasses saying "MY DREAMS ARE FILLED WITH NAKED ARABS".

9. Smelkka
Babysitting 2 years old Elkka in a room backstage during Blood Stereo's set in Pau, France.

10. Getting Wet With Monk Family
Splash Water Park with Dora Doll and Sticky Foster during 2006 ATP Nightmare Before Christmas.

Hicham Chadly is a connoisseur of couscous and self confessed terrible musician. He peddles some wild music & sounds via his Nashazphone Label out of Cairo, Egypt.