Hospital Productions & L.I.E.S: Vatican Shadow, Ron Morelli

Dominick Fernow might be best known for his industrial incantations under the Prurient moniker, but in recent months his attention has shifted towards a different outlet. Fernow's interest in electronic music (from the clamorous grind of Muslimgauze to the recently defunct Sandwell District imprint) has been well documented, and it comes to a frothy head with his Vatican Shadow project. Revolving around themes gleaned from Iraq war propaganda and yellowing stacks of newspaper clippings, the tracks on 'Kneel Before Religious Icons' are a perfect representation of Fernow's modus operandi. Behind a wall of tape hiss, drum machine rhythms beat out memories of early Ministry and AFX while sickly FM synthesizer pads crawl and heave into the abyss. Like much of Fernow's output prior to this, the emphasis is on society's darker crevices, but Vatican Shadow is steeped in an alarming mystery and sulfuric smoke that is sure to surprise recent converts.

There is a scene slowly rising to the surface with acts such as Demdike Stare, The Haxan Cloak and Raime renewing our interest in the darker side of industrial electronic music, and Fernow has created a sound with Vatican Shadow that acknowledges this while retaining faded and singular. 'Kneel Before Religious Icons' is electronic music fished from the troubled depths of militarized suspicion, and all the better for it.


Quietly kicking around the New York City underground since the late-nineties, Ron Morelli started the L.I.E.S. label in 2010 as an outlet to release the music of a tight knit group of friends who were making tracks around the city. What started as a small project to release his own music and those of local producers, has evolved as more people came out of the woodwork with their contributions.

As time has progressed, the label continues to be a highly respected institution and consistent mainstay in the weird world of off-center electronic music. Releases have come from the likes of artists as diverse as techno pioneer Adam-X, Dutch synth master Legowelt, Black Dice's Eric Copeland, upstart house producer Delroy Edwards, and Miami native Greg Beato.

2013 and 2014 saw Morelli step a bit further into the production realm, releasing two albums and one 12 inch for New York City's Hospital Productions imprint run by Dominick Fernow. He continues to work closely with Hospital with regards to his production and stays busy DJing on a weekly basis around the globe. His new album for Hospital Productions "A Gathering Together" will be released on September 25th 2015.