Music review: Victor Sierra

I love nearly all forms of music, from classical to heavy punk rock, from new age to apocalyptic industrial; for me, it is usually a case of having a simple preference over their content and overall atmosphere.

In my opinion, music should play a large part of decent BDSM play. It is by no means mandatory, but it can spark emotion, mood and can heavily effect the direction of a scenario or of play as a whole.

My first of what will hopefully be many music reviews pertains to a Steampunk band hailing from Paris, France.

Victor Sierra:

It was late one evening when my partner handed to me a copy of Victor Sierra‘s album ‘Yesterday’s Tomorrow‘ and said “This would be good to flog to. You should write a review on them.”

She was right. A pleasant mix of Steampunk and Dieselpunk with a bass that will keep your strikes going at length; Victor Sierra has quickly become one of my current favourites for multiple forms of BDSM play; primarily flogging.

While the music is multilingual, including English, French, Spanish and even Yiddish, the style and aesthetics of each musical masterpiece is more than enough to keep you listening and moving to the beat regardless of understanding the lyrics.

Of course, it goes without saying that, for me, the fact that they are a distinctly Steampunk/Dieselpunk style band is an excellent added bonus. They have delicious ‘WWII era’ undertones and atmosphere.

There is one song which I particularly enjoy: ‘Imbéciles’ (Track number 9). However it is vocalised in french, so here are the original lyrics along with a rough translation into English (because I am helpful like that).

It does lose a few details in the translation, however I am going to attempt to do it anyway:

Original Lyrics:

IMBECILES

Le sourire géné de l’indésirable
se crispe et se fige en équilibre instable
Venus des palais et des caniveaux
les hyenes se déchainent et se font écho.

Aux premieres loges, observant la détresse,
le lampiste en blouse temporise et paresse.

Les meneurs menent et font hurler la foule
Alors que les coups pleuvent et que le sang coule
se forme le cercle des eternels cretins
aux carrieres naissantes, au potentiel certain.

Imbéciles… Un jour
Imbéciles… Le sont ils pour toujours?

L’indésirable au sourire effacé
se releve et rassemble son univers brisé
se débat seul contre l’effet de masse
sous les quolibets recherchant sa place

Avec le temps les carrieres s’épanouissent
se cultivent se transmettent de peres en fils

Translation into English:

IMBECILES

The uneasy smile of the undesirable
becomes nervous and fixes into a fragile balance
Hailing from palaces and slums alike
The hyenas rage, their howls echoing each other

on the front seat, observing the distress
the blouse wearing lampist plays for time and lazes around

the leaders lead and make the crowd roar
while blows rain down and blood is shed
the circle of the eternal idiots closes
with new born careers and certain futures

imbeciles… one day
imbeciles…are they like this forever?

the undesirable with a faded smile
gets up and gathers his broken universe
fighting alone under the influence of the masses
under the mockeries, seeking his place

with time, careers blossom
cultivated and transmitted from fathers to sons

To be honest I think my translation lacks a certain ‘cachet’ when compared to the French original.

Their latest album is available for purchase at http://victorsierra.bandcamp.com/ and you can check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Victor.Sierra.band

This is a great band to listen to and one that I highly recommend as an accompaniment to your BDSM activities; especially any impact play.

All media posted with permission of Victor Sierra.
All media Copyright © 2013 VictorSierra. All Rights Reserved.

Introductions: Scylla & Charybdis

Given my insatiable passion for hitting things with other things, it seemed appropriate for my loving submissive Benjamin to purchase me a pair of new floggers for my birthday.

Granted, my birthday is not for another month (28th October to be exact), but he had given them to me early because it had been arranged for them to be picked up from their creator at a recent event; and he could not resist my beguiling charm to use them at the same event (purely to make sure they functioned correctly, of course). Naturally, once they were in my hands, he could not take them back.

Due to the circumstance to which they were attained, as well as the humorous aspects pertaining to anyone who might feel their falls, they have been given the names Scylla and Charybdis. If you know your Greek mythology, you will know what I mean, but for those who do not, a helpful link has been provided (the ignorant will remain blissfully so).

Similar to Sasha, Tempest and Angele, only the most special of my items get given names and I will explain why these floggers are particularly special:

This pair of floggers have been custom made and designed according to my preferred specifications and intended as a gift for my birthday from my submissive (this should make them special enough, but there is more). The ball-handles (not to be confused with normal handles as they are used completely differently) have been made out of the same wood (dymond wood) that the handles of Sasha and Tempest had been made from, keeping to the uniform of the most special items in my continuing collection. Each have a 20 inch fall of soft black suede leather (this is a longer fall than normal, but my personal preference) and matching belt clips (made from the same leather) were also included.
During construction several hitches in the design were hit. One of which was the wood itself: Apparently dymond wood is quite fragile when compared to the woods normally used in the creation of flogger handles and because of this the ball-handle design needed to be changed. The creator (Jack’s floggers) came up with the unique design of adding steel pins through the core of the handles to make them strong enough to sustain through the inevitable beatings they will dish out.
The design proved so fiddly and annoying to complete that once the floggers were finished, the creator decided to abandon the idea of crafting any more; making these floggers the only pair currently in existence and highly unlikely to be reproduced without being incredibly expensive.

I have always been a flogger enthusiast and I have never seen a pair so beautifully made or better suited for me.

I love them.

And yes, before anyone asks, I know which is which and I can easily differentiate the two.

Thankyou Benjamin for my beautiful birthday twins.

All images are Copyright © 2012 AemiliaHawk. All Rights Reserved.