About:
Electronic Saviors: Industrial Music to Cure Cancer is a project that was born in 2008 when industrial scene promoter, musician and DJ, Jim Semonik was diagnosed with a very deadly form of stage 2B colorectal cancer. Through an intense regiment of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery by top doctors, Dr. David Medich, Dr. David Parda and Dr. Dulibh Monga, Jim beat the disease and created one of the most talked about projects in the current industrial scene. After Jim got sick and went through all of this, he had the idea to unite everyone he had ever worked with, promoted a gig for or knew through his day job as a record store buyer. The result was a massive outpouring of music from 83 artists from all over the world. Metropolis Records, based in Philadelphia, released the compilation in February of 2010 which was 4 discs and included a drop-card for a digital 5th disc. Jim enlisted the help of long time friend Chase Dudley to help him co produce the project. Electronic Saviors was highly successful and sold out of its physical version and is now a collector’s item. The money raised was a staggering 23 thousand dollars and was donated to the Foundation for Cancer Research and Wellness near Harrisburg, Pa.
After the success of ES1, Jim decided to get started on the sequel which brought even more international attention. Jim chose 2 new charities to donate to: Gilda’s Club of Western PA and The Bone Marrow Foundation. The focus on this volume was Recurrence. At that point, Jim had been clear of cancer for 3 years and feared it returning so it made sense to make this the central theme of the album with each disc named after a different stage of grief based on the Kobler Ross model (which can include up to 8 stages). The response was tremendous and 142 acts, some of which came back from volume 1, came together for the cause. The comp grew to 6 discs. Jim and Chase decided to do a Premium Edition which included 2 extra discs of lesser known, unsigned talent and released it on their own label, Distortion Productions while Metropolis once again handled the main 6 disc edition. So a massive 8 cd box was born in May of 2012 and they went on tour to support it hitting many major towns including an appearance at the Kinetik Festival 2012 in Montreal. Release parties happened in many major towns with Saviors bands playing live set. ES2 generated an additional $15,700 in donations and brings the grand total raised to nearly $39,000.
Jim was declared cleared of cancer in September of 2013 and all the while was working on volume 3 entitled Remission. More artists jumping on board to be a part of this cause brought the total of artists for the compilations to over 230. A 4 disc set and Premium Edition was released on June 10th, 2014 on Metropolis Records and Jim’s own Distortion Productions. 6 discs in total, Remission completes Jim’s story as a cancer survivor trying to help prevent others from sharing the horrible fate that cancer causes. Jim wishes to continue on with the Electronic Saviors series to tell other’s stories and release a new volume every 2 years because, for him, the battle never ends. In fact on June 10, 2016, Electronic Saviors unleashed Retaliation. The 4th volume in the ES series. Jim’s army of fighters has expanded yet again as we welcome KMFDM, Seabound, En Esch, Encephalon, Cenotype, K.P. Riot Brigade, Blownload, Ghostfeeder, and so many more to the fold. Jeff Confer and Sam Johnson once again stun us with amazing artwork.
What We Thought:
I remember hearing about Electronic Saviors several years back, when it first started, and thought it was a really cool concept. I support what they do, and have shared the info around every time they release another volume. Unfortunately, I have never actually gotten one, until I was sent the fourth volume, entitled Retaliation, to review.
Visually, the set is impressive. The artwork looks really good. Also, the size is surprising, I know it is four discs, but the box is like the size of a TV series box set. It is great. My only complaint is the method they use to hold the discs, instead of the standard (for a reason) nub used on a majority of disc-based media, they use a system involving slots, and little arms that put pressure on the discs. They don’t work, as 2 of my discs had come loose in shipping, luckily no damage was done to the discs.
Of the four discs (titled Retribution, Reprisal, Reciprocation, and Counterblast, respectively), 3 have 17 tracks, and 1 has 18 tracks. That is a whole lot of music! The mix of artists is amazing, there are some staples of the Industrial scene, as well as some less recognizable acts, all contributing for a great cause. The whole collection is a great listen. Normally in a compilation like this (especially one this big), you’d find some tracks that feel more like filler, or are otherwise skippable. Not so in Electronic Saviors. All the tracks picked are strong and keep you listening.
In the set also comes a booklet, which has the credit info for each track, and the production credits for the compilation itself, pretty much the standard stuff. BUT it also has testimonials, which go for 5 pages. Some are little essays, some little blurbs, all ending with an essay by Jim Semonik, the man who put this whole concept together. I thought it was a really cool touch to round out the set.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS!!!
In fact, go to the Electronic Saviors website here, and buy it now! You get a lot of music for 30 bucks (50 if you get the premium edition) and it goes to an awesome cause! In fact, while you’re there, buy the previous installments as well!
Notable Contributors:
- KMFDM
- Suicide Commando
- Leaether Strip
- En Esch
- Primitive Race
- Blutengel
- Decoded Feedback
- Encephalon
- Ego Likeness
- Cyanotic
- I:Scintilla
- Bella Morte
Recommended If You Like:
- Fighting Cancer
- Industrial Music
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