the rapture, issue #81

CYBER GALORE CYBER GALORE CYBER GALORE

it's the digital age! get with the programme, phreak! machine or a divine being, computers are speaking to us in their unholy tongue, luring us in with their promises of colour and love. thank you, my mechanical lover for that sweet dopamine fix. anyway... here's a cyberpunk and tech-noir movie guide to get you acquainted with your wire-y servants, but we shall see who the real servant is...

thematrix(1999)

Where to start? Surely not from the beginning. There's only one movie that could possibly take the cyber throne, both the king and queen, adorned in leather, it's of course the 1999 masterpiece The Matrix. We're living in a computer simulation or maybe it's just the horrors of capitalism. The Matrix is about fate, free will, purpose and love. Add some sick outfits, even sicker fight sequences, a trans touch, a religious moment and an insane soundtrack and you got yourself a classic that never loses its relevance.

HACKERS(1995)

God bless the 90s. The 1995 classic Hackers is ridiculous, corny and outrageous. If you're over here watching it with serious eyes I think you should ditch the club. Everything about Hackers makes us go "Yes, this is exactly how a movie about computer hacking should be like." Incredible outfits, roller blades as my main mode of transportation, Prodigy as my soundtrack and Angelina Jolie as my girlfriend. Mentally, I am inside an epilepsy inducing computer hacking montage.

STRANGEDAYS(1995)

Named after the 1967 song of the same name by The Doors and your editor's personal favourite on this list it's Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days, a somewhat hidden gem, an eery prophecy, a cyberpunk state of nation address. Kinetic to the core, you can't help but enter your screen. Angela Bassett's toned arms carry this film that despite all the grime and horror still offers the only thing we got - hope.

terminator(1984+1991)

The 1984 sci-fi film The Terminator and the 1991 sequel Judgment Day have launched the cyborg assassin into the realm of legends. Highly-irresistible, pulse-pounding, fullthrottled, dangerous, daring and overflowing with catchphrases, Terminator isn't just a cyborg killer, but also a lethally efficient entertainment machine.

This cyberpunk classic was a huge influence on The Matrix, as well as another iconic film, The Fifth Element. It's an absolute visual feast, painstakingly beautiful, aesthetically insane. Cool, sexy but sad. An ode to technology, identity, collective vs individual consciousness. Technology and philosophy seem to go hand in hand.

BLADERUNNER(1982)

What do you mean you've never seen Blade Runner? Hailed for its production design depicting a hightech but decaying future, Blade Runner is often regarded as both a leading example of neo-noir cinema as well as a foundational work of the cyberpunk genre. Humans have lost their humanity and the androids are more human than humans.

tetsuo:theironman(1989)

Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a Japanese cyberpunk body horror that will get your blood pumping and your head aching. Steel and steam, sweat and flesh, concrete and rust, oil and blood; all melted together to create an absolutely unhinged and psychotic cinematic experience. Uniquely grotesque and sexually repressed. A must watch for every what-the-fuck cinema enjoyer.

eXISTENZ(1999)

The 1999 film Existenz is just like every Cronenberg movie - horny. That man is always forcing you to look at some holes. Existenz is an icky, fleshy and strange virtual reality fever dream asking the ultimate question of what is even real and tempting you to liberate yourself from the pathetic flesh and bones you call a body.

HARDWARE(1990)

AKIRA(1988)

There's nothing quite like the 1988 masterpiece Akira. An aggressive tour de force of influential animation, tangible world-building, giant teddy bears and sequences of overwhelming violence. A visceral example of a nation's psychic fallout. One of those movies that shorten your breath. You should go into this movie blind and return with a new set of eyes.

A somewhat underrated entry in the cyberpunk canon the 1990 film Hardware is a stylish morph of western and cyber dystopia set to a rocking soundtrack.

It's like a longer music video horror film. An entertaining ride with an abundance of violence and filth. Will turn your floppy disk into a hard drive.

Honourable mentions: Videodrome (1983), 12 Monkeys (1995), Johnny Mnemonic (1995), Robocop (1987), Cyber City Oedo 808 (1990), The Fifth Element (1997), Total Recall (1990), WarGames (1983), Nemesis (1992), Split Second (1992)

sick-ass soundtrack for the end of the world

How are you going to spend your last day on earth? We recommend a sick party, whether alone inside your 4 walls or getting down and dirty in some dingy nightclub. Us, chronic daydreamers, love living our life as if it was a movie so we have prepared some fine tunes of the decade to really get you moving in that montage carefully edited by an over-caffeinated loner at 3 am with the only light source being their laptop that is producing the same noises as a fighter aircraft.

mezZanine - massive attack

Mezzanine by Massive Attack is adorned in paranoia and claustrophobia, the perfect blend of earthy with ethereal, it sounds like a snake slithering through the dirt slowly approaching its victim until it unhinges it's jaw to swallow it whole. Venom never felt so sexy.

THE low end theory - a tribe called quest

Orbital 2 or The Brown Album is giving more atmosphere than dance rave in comparison to their Green Album. There's not much to say about one of the best electronica albums of all time. You should lay back and imagine yourself as the hero of a space exploration adventure or like a sexy alien.

ILL COMMUNICATION - BEASTIE BOYS

There is the right way to start and end the party and that way is the Prodigy. Do yourself a favour and listen to two electronic masterpieces that are Music for the Jilted Generation and The Fat of the Land. We recommend extra protein and carbohydrate intake because you'll be losing that energy like crazy.

Music for the Jilted Generation + THE FAT OF THE LAND - prodigy PRETTY HATE MACHINE + BROKEN EPNINE INCH NAILS rid of me - pj harvey PSALM 69 - MINISTRY

Perfection exists and her name is Pretty Hate Machine. Nine Inch Nails debut album is synth angst that will have you gritting your teeth and rolling in imaginary mud. Resentful, repressed, pissed off and horny. You have been living like that, you're gonna die just the same. Dive into that Broken EP as well while you're at it.

The Low End Theory is the complete package, the dopest collection of beats, straight from the beginning it's setting the vibe with crooked jazz bass lines and hard drums. Just like one of the tracks Butter, this album sounds just like butter on toast tastes. There's no wrong moves on this one.

CONNECTED - STEREO MC'S

We're amping up the party. Impossible not to like, Connected is an energetic, club-oriented collection of colourful, funky dance tracks overflowing with sexiness and positive energy. There's not much to say about this album, it's all about the groove, baby. Just enjoy it.

you've come a long way babyfatboy slim

Don't be so serious all the time. Time to get silly. Sure the beasties have grown up, but not really. The album draws from almost everything under the sun but still manages to create a singular world onto itself. Funky and abrasive, you'll instantly jump to your feet and pretend you're in the group.

SCREAMADELICA - PRIMAL SCREAM

Okay, okay, we're staying positive, funky and psychedelic. There's no better party tune than their cover of Slip Inside This House. Screamadelica makes us feel like we're bubbles in fizzy drinks. A dreamy and spooked musical adventure that alters your brain chemicals and gets you moving and grooving.

SURRENDER + DIG YOUR OWN HOLETHE CHEMICAL BROTHERS

We're staying in the industrial metal realm. This time no repression please. Drive that fist right through the wall. Psalm 69 is beyond the limits of good taste which is exactly up our alley. They have set the bar for depravity and you must go out with a bang. It's an order.

We're gonna be a bit quiet for now. Not for long though. Opening with a whisper and suddenly bursting with intensity, disturbance, violence and sexuality, that is PJ Harvey's Rid of Me, rooted in carnal lust and sexual betrayal. Listen to this album and you might wake up as a vengeful succubus in your next life.

Well, baby, we're seriously getting into it. It's a party staple, a seamless record, filled with great imagination, unexpected twists and turns, huge hooks, and great beats. There is not a single bad moment on this album. Impossible to be in a sour mood with these cool and funky tunes.

Why should we pit two bad bitches against each other? Surrender and Dig Your Own Hole both deserve their spot in this carefully curated soundtrack. The Chemical Brothers are the poster boys of big beat, masterfully blending elements of electronica, funk, rock and psychedelia while sounding cohesive and undeniably fun.

THE YEAR 2000 THE YEAR 2000 THE YEAR 2000

CYBERDELIA CYBERDELIA CYBERDELIA

join us in the quantum realm for this join us in the quantum realm for this join us in the quantum realm for this very special cyberdelia evening where very special cyberdelia evening where very special cyberdelia evening where we welcome the new millenium (if the we welcome the new millenium (if the we welcome the new millenium (if the world doesn't end, that is)! world doesn't end, that is)! world doesn't end, that is)!

dress code: if you don't look like an absolute dress code: if you don't look like an absolute code: if don't look like an freak we're gonna kick your ass! freak we're gonna kick your ass! we're gonna kick your ass!