Gay porn soundtracker Tony Amherst preps album, rare live appearance

Tony Amherst is an American nomad who’s recorded music in various locations around the world with whatever setup was available at the moment. Until now, the only way you might have heard his music is if you’ve watched the homosexual pornographique films of Cazzo or High Drive, but Amherst is set to release a collection of his works spanning the last fifteen years.

Titled Rush, the album comprises 23 tracks and nearly two hours of sleazy grooves and raunchy funk instrumentals, and it’s definitely at least ten times sexier than the Canadian prog-rock band. Its upbeat numbers are not unlike the more electronic leanings of disco producer Daniel Wang, and certain moments are reminiscent of the recently unearthed Catholic by Patrick Cowley & Jorge Socarras. Rush comes out next week on Random Records via Beatport, but there’s already a free download of the cut “Bass Love” to provide a dose of boom-chicka-wow-wow:

The download release and limited edition data-CD available at Amherst’s blog offer no fixed track order; instead listeners are instructed to let it play on random mode. In the album’s press release, he explains, “I encourage people to listen to the music on cheap, bad systems. It’s cheap music… People’s standards have lowered to hearing music on the smallest systems imaginable. The turnover of music today is lightning fast, like pornography itself.”

Tony Amherst will perform live this Saturday at Berlin’s Exile Gallery, and will also offer for sale the album as data-CD (strictly limited to 50 units with artwork by Christophe Chemin). The night will double as a release party for the new issue of Straight to Hell and will feature two rooms screening underground films. In advance of his show, Amherst talked about porn and its connection to his music — find it right below the artwork for Rush.

Expatriarch: What’s it like to soundtrack porn films?

Tony: Interactive.

Is it important to be watching the footage to gain inspiration as you compose?

I generally prefer to score the film in my head…which is pornographic if one defines pornography as danger, anticipation, heat, hunger, hunt and capture.

High Drive shoots twink-on-twink action, Cazzo makes heavy-duty muscle-man fetish porn. What is your preference?

I supposed what they call “amateur” would be my preference. My listeners demand realism and I concur. I need to relate to what I see and hear, so if the people having sex truly expose their bodies, fears and instincts, then that’s where you will find Tony Amherst.

Your performance at the Exile Gallery coincides with the release of the latest Straight to Hell, which is a longtime New York fixture, but Berliners might not be familiar with it. What sets it apart from other gay rags?

STH was one of the first and still one of the best. They’re not mired down with self-conscious juxtaposing of the sexual and political. The writing is anonymous, unfiltered, primal… exposing men’s base nature while sill concealing it. Quite an achievement.

The artwork for Rush was created by writer/filmmaker/pornstar Christophe Chemin. How did you connect with him?

I admired his work for years and made the grossly atypical decision to reach out to him. I was thrilled to discover the feeling was mutual and in fact, about my track “Inevitable”, Christophe wrote, “This music gets into my entire my entire body!” From then on, having him design the face of Rush was a matter of course… ’twas itself inevitable.

In a way, Rush is kind of a retrospective or a best-of. What’s your next step?

Creating, moving, sleeping, sensuality. There could another release next week or in another fifteen years.

For more info, visit House of Rush.

Tony Amsherst live + Straight to Hell release party + underground film festival
Saturday, 31st of July, 2010
Exile Gallery, Alexandrinenstr 4, Berlin-Kreuzberg