Dave rips Alec Empire a new one in last week’s Data Breaker, so I’m sure he’ll be happy to know that Alec Empire’s bringing his Futurist incarnation to Chop Suey on November 26th. When Atari Teenage Riot exploded onto the scene, I was convinced that they would bridge the gap between the techno and rock worlds, taking their abrasive sound to the masses ( “Sick to Death” annoyed many of neighbors). It didn’t quite work out that way obviously, but for a moment in time the “futurist” label definitely applied (as long as that future was bleak and post-apocalyptic). That time has passed. In any case, here’s a video from that more promising period of Empire’s career as Atari Teenage Riot provided the soundtrack to what became a real riot in Berlin on May 1, 1999. It’s safe to say that Alec Empire doesn’t quite hold the same degree of influence he did then, but maybe the stage show has managed to maintain its power.