Sludgy, heavy, blown-out psych rock with some KZSU history. In late 2012/early 2013, a bunch of people in the Bay Area (mostly current or ex-KZSU DJs at the time) got together and started playing music under the name Xi Hammer. Practices were held in a space in Hunter’s Point. The influences ranged from stoner rock to Swans and Glenn Branca, most songs were in E minor, and jams lasted up to 40 minutes. (I remember starting one song while the sun was up and finishing after it had set.)

The band had a porous lineup, and people sometimes played different instruments at different times, but the roster was generally something like:
Adam Pearson (DJ name: Adam)—guitar
Andrew Brush (staffer at Aquarius Records)—guitar
Andy Stuhl (DJ name: Andy S)—drums
Argyris Zymnis (DJ name: Gears)—bass
Diego Aguilar (DJ name: Lestrygonian)—guitar
Emmerich Anklam (that’s me!)—drums/percussion
Jeremy Cook (DJ name: Nox)—guitar
Yorgos Sofianatos (DJ name: Gamma)—guitar/bass
After Adam, Andy, and Jeremy graduated, the band name changed to Yorgos and the Tangents, and the lineup shifted further.

This is a compilation of jams that Andrew recorded live at Hunter’s Point in early 2013. Andrew was kind enough to release this as a double cassette, so thanks to him we now we have 90 minutes of homemade KZSU rock ‘n’ roll! Songs generally start and end suddenly. No FCCs.

Disc 1: Blood Money
1. Autonomy 1(4:03)—Starts funky, gets fast and becomes krautrock. Slow then fast again.
2. Prime Real Estate (5:12)—Mid-tempo, urgent, dark. Builds, builds, builds.
3. You’ll Never Know (9:02)—Medium-slow, heavy, noisy blues.
4. Lost Connection (3:43)—Scorched and spaced out noir, usually the first song Xi Hammer played live.
5. Creepin (7:14)—Slow, ominous, epic, another one the band played live a lot.
6. Hack Writer (4:43)—Medium-fast, driving, with some rattling percussion.
7. Untitled (5:09)—Hazy, dark, builds slowly.
8. Jeweled Crown (4:21)—Wall of distortion, really blown out.
9. Outro (3:48)—Slow, more melodic and easygoing. Ends very suddenly.

Disc 2: Bread Money
1. Notes To The Text (13:12)—Slow, screeching, punishing. Noisy ending.
2. Pictograph (9:29)—Really slow and really freaking loud. Annihilatingly loud.
3. Religion Set Me Straight (8:06)—Something like blasted industrial funk.
4. 10 Times More (3:39)—Atonal guitars. Rolling drums.
5. Victim Of My Will (8:04)—Slow, swampy, cathartic, tripped-out blues.
6. Witch Hunt (5:34)—Foreboding, hazy, sounds muffled and far away.