STM 198 - Bestial Mouths

Bestial Mouths is a project that fuses elements of goth, post-punk, EBM, and industrial aesthetics to create extremely abrasive and emotional music. The haunted howls of vocalist Lynette Cerezo have frequently been compared to the likes of Diamanda Galás or Siouxsie Sioux. At the time of this recording (2016), the band was undergoing a significant evolution following the release of their album Heartless on Cleopatra Records. Despite the rich history of the musical territory the band inhabits, Bestial Mouths has always maintained a modern edge—whether through the industrial structures of their earlier work or the gothic dancefloor frenzy that followed. The sound is often described as “hammering percussion and industrialized synthetics wrapped in the lyrics of euphoric dread.”

Following a European tour and Lynette’s relocation to Berlin—the capital of techno—the project entered a transformative phase. This mix serves as a snapshot of that specific era, hinting at the darker, electronic direction the project was heading towards.

Secret Thirteen Mix 198 is a unique document. Bestial Mouths approached this almost as a mixtape in the hip-hop sense: many tracks are not merely mixed but rebuilt using field recordings, samples of unreleased studio material, and, most importantly, Lynette’s vocals recorded exclusively for this session. The result is unexpected: while the core selection leans toward minimal and dub techno (Substance, Sleeparchive, Samuli Kemppi), the added live vocals turn these tracks into ritualistic, skeletal frames for Lynette’s incantations. It is a sparse, grim recording where layers of dirt are shoveled on top of a constant, creeping rhythm.

The mix resonates with Abstract Expressionism, particularly the dark, textured work of Roger Weik (specifically his piece “Ping”). Just as Weik’s work uses heavy textures to express depth, this mix functions as a sonic filter—organic, raw, and seemingly created by a natural process rather than sheer will. It captures a moment of fragility and power, where unexpected industrial patterns merge with human emotion to create a void where the listener can truly get lost.