Biography
This Human Condition is a British electronic music duo formed in January 2015 by Jamie Jamal and Mister-minchie (Jason Lee Mince) and blending many different styles, Brash Magazine described them as an Electronic Pic n Mix outfit, they describe their sound as ‘Electronic Handbag Punk’ and has been described by Songwriting Magazine as early Depeche Mode meets a darker Erasure. Their track ‘Psychotropic’ was described as The Prodigy meets Boy George (The Psychotropic Video was filmed at Banky’s Dismaland) Releasing their first EP Rise in May 2015 with songs about Climate Change (Rise) and Scitzoeffictive Disorder (Psychotropic) Rise was released digitally by Teknofonic Recordings, hard copies self released via a successful Pledge Music campaign by the band. After receiving great feedback on their social media even managing to receive a radio play form Tom Robinson on BBC6 Music (who played Rise) and DJ Rusty Egan (Original Blitz Kid in the new romantic scene, Ultravox) who played (Brother Blue, Psychotropic and Telepathic Heights) they quickly began work on their album to be called Project Zero working with Welsh producer Richard Mordecai (Psychotropic, Telepathic Heights, Brother Blue) and Paul Whitrow on Mastering and some co-mixing. The duo threw themselves into Performing at Bristol venues such as The Louisiana (Their first gig) The Fleece, and the Bierekeller (Now sadly closed) The debut album Project Zero was released on April 8th 2016 with songs about Dr. Alan Turing (Breaking The Code) Telepathic Heights about the Stokes Croft Riots in Bristol in 2011 and again self released (Physical copies) via a Successful Pledge Music campaign and digital releases by Teknofonic Recording who the band had signed to in April 2015. A small label in New York who acted more as a digital service than a record label. All of the radio play and gigs was received through the band sending out their music to radio station’s and contacting venues. They received huge support from Mexico’s Artefaktor Radio especially on the Rusty Egan Electronic Family Tree Show and many community radio station around the world. The band used a fundraising event for Bristol Pride for their album launch as it happened on the same day in Bristol at the Iron Works in central Bristol supporting established American singer song-writer Justin Utley . Jamie said: We sold quite a few CD’s that night and even had people asking us to sign them. They continued making music video’s themselves (on the cheap) with Jamie producing much the video content. The video for their single Telepathic Heights (Released June 2016) is very powerful and has received rave reviews. They managed to secure themselves a slot at Glastonbury Festival in 2017 on the mini pyramid stage at Williams Green where they headline and played for half and hour. Although it was a small stage they drew a big crowd with People even streaming it directly to Facebook. They were also interviewed on Worthy FM by Andrew Parsonage during the Festival and Telepathic Heights and Breaking The Code were both played on Worthy FM (the festival’s Radio Station)
The duo were asked to perform at Weston Pride alongside Hazel Dean that same summer and were interviewed by Steffi from Shout-Out on BCFM afterwards.
Jamie and Minchie performed at one of Martin Cristie’s early Electronic Music Open Mic’s (EMOM) a touring event that Martin started to connect the underground electronic music scene and This Human Condition played at Martin’s other successful events in London and Nottingham Rough Trade. These event’s have become very popular with nights set up all over the UK by electronic artists and more recently in Australia, Berlin and Amsterdam. Martin’s idea was to build a community and get electronic artist in their home towns and Cities to run their own events. So the band organised a showcase event at Rough Trade in Bristol hosted by This Human Condition who also performed and showcasing 12 other acts from Bristol’s electronic music scene. Thankfully this event was successful and just showed that there was a hunger for such events especially in Bristol. Jamie has since helped set up Bristol’s near monthly version of EMOM called ‘We All Play Synth’ with James Bragg and Chris Bird of Phoenix Flare at The Greenbank pub in Easton and Showcasing the best of these nights once a year at Rough Trade Bristol with Findley Shakespeare headlining the last one in 2019. In 2018 they released 2 EP’s Transcentury and Normal People Are Crazy plus a single called Living For The Summertime which is about their experience at Glastonbury Festival. They actually met Michael Eavis at an event in Bath and gave him the first copy. Michael Eavis told Jamie he was thrilled that we had written a song about his festival and said he would listen to the song. With This Human Condition developing their live performance using projection, self made costumes and incorporating performance art they decided to throw a free gig at Crofter Rights to film their next video for a single called ‘Normal’ (Normal People Are Crazy EP) They invited Lizzie Bradley to support them who they had met on the EMOM scene and the whole event was filmed and put on YouTube. In-fact all of the videos the band have put out they have made themselves. Also in 2018 This Human Condition is included in the A-Z of Bristol Bands at the Bristol Music: Seven Decades Of Sound exhibition at the M-shed. The duo decided in 2019 to join forces with fellow electronic bands Sombre Moon, Nature of Wires Fourth Engine and Behind the Moon to complete a mini tour of the UK taking in Manchester, Newcastle Under Lyme, Bath and Bristol. These gigs were set up by the band themselves the idea being to introduce each band to their home city and support each other. Some of those gigs actually made some money. Mister minchie said it really is about community and supporting each other. More radio play from Tom Robinson on BBC6Music in 2019 as he played the Normal (Time in Antarctica Remix) and Night is Gone from the Normal People Are Crazy EP saying it was a smooth grooving tune. In early 2020 This Human Condition decided to part ways with Teknofonic Recordings and become totally independent and distribute their back catalogue themselves as well as take control of future releases. On March 27th 2020 This Human Condition is back with a new single called God Kills Another Kitten about falling in love with a Grandiose Narcissist. The video will premiere on March 29th at 6pm on YouTube.
As of May 18th, 2018 Rough Trade in Bristol will be selling This Human Condition's Music.
Disco Bunny was premiered by Rusty Egan on Artefaktor Radio
Rusty Egan's latest radio show
Read a recent interview with365 Bristol This Human Condition are featured on Sounds of Bristol 2018
Check out the Transcentury People playlist featuring all of the references in the title track Transcentury put together by Jamie & Minchie
Breaking The Code - Single Release.
This Human Condition’s second single from their debut album ‘Project Zero’ is set to a dark, twisting and introspective atmosphere with Erasure-esque soundscapes. Written on the day Alan Turing received a posthumous royal pardon, ‘Breaking The Code’ is a tribute to the enigma code breaker.
By strange Coincidence released on January 31st, 2017.
The Same day as thousands of gay people was pardoned for past convictions.
The release features two contrasting remixes from Sauerwelt and LPF.
Breaking The Code is available on every platform including Spotify, iTunes, and Deezer.
Review's
Brash Magazine
Bristol-based ‘electronic pick n mix outfit’, This Human Condition are ‘Living for the Summertime’ with their Neo-Synth-Dance-Pop mélange, latest release. Cloud light, floating synth pads are contrasted and driven well by flanged up Linndrum style beat, evocative of iconic 80s tracks, like Prince’s mini-epic, ‘When Doves Cry’.
Read full review here Brash Magazine
Klef Notes
This Modern Electronic Punk track wonderfully blends Modern Punk surreal melodies with Classic Electronic instrumentation that feature a funky bassline, progressive synth chords, and magnetic electric drums. This fusion keeps the power surged without any monotony settling into the track. Jamie Jamal leads the track vocally strong with a nice forgiving effect that allows his voice to ebb while Mister-Minchie supports the track’s fancy-free effect with his artfully backing vocals.
Read more here Klef Notes
Living For The Summertime
released 21st June 2018.
Available on every platform https://fanlink.to/tfr329
Living For The Summertime is a Synth-Pop track all about heading down to worthy farm (Glastonbury Festival) In 2017 This Human Condition performed on the Mini Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival, this song is inspired by that experience and their love for early electronic music.
“Living For The Summertime- Wow! Really nice tune boys!” Rusty Egan
Listen to the single premiered on Rusty's Electronic Family Tree Show on Artefaktor Radio.
(played on his radio show 15/6/18)
Mixes released January 18th, 2019.
This Human Condition is back with a new calypso(tronica) inspired track called ‘Normal' including 3 remixes including the Nature of Wires remix, Time in Antarctica remix and the Wow Wow Robo remix.
Time In Antarctica Remix was played on
BBC6Music by Tom Robinson. (28/1/19)
Time in Antarctica Remix - voted for by readers of 'Fresh Faves'
Listen to their Soundcloud Playlist feating our track plus a great review of Normal on 'Fresh On The Net'
Rusty Egan played the Nature of Wires remix on his Electronic Family Tree show (8/2/19)
Check out Normal videos for the remixes on this Youtube Playlist
Normal + Mixes
BBC Introducing - Tom Robinson has played 3 tracks by This Human Condition on his BBC6Music radio show.
Tracks include
Normal - Played on BBC6Music on 28th January 2019. (around 45:30 in)
Night Is Gone - Played on BBC6Music on 24th September 2018 (around 07:47 minutes in.)
Rise - Played on BBC6Music on 27th June 2016 (around 52:13 in)
Meeting Michael Eavis.
Jamie and his Mum met Michael Eavis on 12/6/18 in Bath. Mister-Minchie was there but too shy for a photo with the Legend. They presented Michael with a copy of their new single and told him it was about the excitement of going to his festival. Michael asked Jamie if he went to the festival in 2017? Jamie replied Yes I did, I also performed on the Mini Pyramid at Williams Green with my band. "Oh did you how marvellous", he said.
Quote from Michael Eavis
"I'm Thrilled you have taken the trouble of writing a song about my festival"
Short Bio
Electronic Pick n Mix outfit from Bristol (UK) blending many different styles of electronic music. This Human Condition consists of Jamie Jamal and Misterminchie who formed in 2015 after meeting at a songwriting circle (set up by Minchie) they describe their sound as electronic handbag punk and has been described as early Depeche Mode meets a darker Erasure. Their track ‘Psychotropic’ was described as The Prodigy meets Boy George. They have lyrical themes about Alan Turing, Poor Mental health, climate change, and the LGBTQ+ community this brings a very 'human' element to their electronic sound and they are fun to watch live, expect performance art and projection. The duo has performed on a small stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2017 and 2019 and has been played several times on BBC6-Music by Tom Robinson on his BBC-Introducing radio show. DJ Rusty Egan (Blitz Kid, Visage, Ultravox) has been supporting This Human Condition’s music on his electronic family tree show since 2016 and more recently on his An Audience with show on Twitch. Their track 'Normal' has had over 22,000 streams on Spotify and God Kills Another Kitten has had over 10k streams. The duo is also involved in the underground electronic music scene (EMOM and We All Play Synth) sometimes putting on an electronic showcase at Rough Trade in Bristol with a passion for bringing the electronic community together. The band is included in the A-Z of Bristol bands at the Seven Decades Of Sound exhibition at the M-Shed in Bristol in 2018. Self releasing music since 2015 these include 1 Album, 3 EP's and 5 singles. In 2019 the duo completed a mini-tour of the UK with other up and coming bands including Nature of Wires, Sombre Moon, Fourth Engine and Behind The Moon. In 2020 the duo went ahead with a planned release 'God Kills Another Kitten' a bass-driven synthesizer track about falling in love with a grandiose narcissist! All gigs are currently cancelled and the duo are taking a break. Jamie has started a new project during lockdown called FLUX.
This Human Condition is back with a new EP called Transcentury.
The result is 4 electronic tracks inspired by flamboyant characters. Transcentury is a made up word by the band, meaning people who are not afraid to be different and stand out from the crowd. The title track invites you into their world and lists the people and the albums they are inspired by and has a dance & experimental feel. Disco bunny is a positive upbeat futuristic disco-inspired track about a street performer called Pablo who dresses up as 'The Disco Bunny’. Sapphire is atmospheric synth about a man on the streets of Bristol (UK) who dresses in women's clothing and looks like a carnival queen.
Anthemic “Pride In All Of US’ is about LGSM activist Mark Ashton (Pride Movie) and is documentary in style.
July 2020
Jamie is interviewed about his new project on the Simon Campbell Incident.
God Kills Another Kitten
released march 2020.
The Transcentury EP (released 16/3/18)
August 19th, 2020.
Jamie Jamal is interviewed for Lost Spaces by K Anderson the podcast about lost queer venues, this episode sees a visit to Bristol, England to talk about CLUB JUST, Guncles, and who is better - Kylie or Madonna?
Featured Reviews and Blogs.
Electronic North Essentially Pop April's Reviews
Synthtronica Blog Bristol 24/7 Our Queer Art
Red Dog Blog Sounds of Bristol 2018