Review pf Dem Lab Studios Presents S/M Tech
(DVDs with Accompanying Books)
By Julian Robinson
Posted with the author's permission, all rights reserved

Vol. 1 - Mummification: Down at the End of Bondage Street
Presented by Joseph W. Bean

Vol. 2 - Flogging: The Basics and Beyond
Presented by Joseph W. Bean



Recreational sadomasochism consists of many esoteric techniques, everything from flagellation to sensory deprivation. How to perform them safely and effectively is not easy to learn from a book. Those lucky enough to dwell in the more depraved urban centers have the advantage of local educational and support groups -- e.g. New York City's The Eulenspiegel Society (TES), Washington, D.C.'s Black Rose, San Francisco's Society of Janus -- where they can observe demos, participate in workshops, and find mentors. For those who can afford airfare and hotel rooms, there are nationwide weekend leather conferences where similar training is available.

Wouldn't it be great if the leather community's foremost mentors could be captured on DVD demonstrating how to perform their specialties so you don't have to move to San Francisco or travel to Beat Me in St. Louis to see them present in person? And how 'bout throwing in a glossy, magazine-size book including the entire transcript of each presentation plus lots of beautiful color stills from the session plus additional commentary?

Well, here you go!

Mummification and Flogging are the first two volumes of The Nazca Plains Corporation's boldly ambitious project to provide expert guidance in sixty-two different S/M activities, an Encyclopedia Britannica of kink techniques presented by the top educators in the field. Volumes 3 and 4 will be Rope Bondage and Suspension, both presented by Scott Smith. Down the line are topics like Cock and Ball Torture and Spanking by Lolita Wolf, Erotic Macramé and Shibari (traditional Japanese bondage) by Bridgett Harrington, Fireplay by Corwin, and much, much more.

The DVDs are over an hour long including post-session Q&A from the small studio audience. The books are 64 pages each, with additional comments in central columns amplifying and cross-referencing the session transcripts. Taken together, these two components enable a highly effective "dual-learning" experience.

Producer Robert Steele notes: "The DVDs in this series are not designed as sexual entertainment or pornography." There are endless debates in the leather community about whether or not S/M itself is sex, but the intent here is to combine serious training and good, clean fun, to the extent that the two attractive models, one female and one male, don't even get flogged on the ass, a very popular target in practice. (Though perhaps that's being saved for the Spanking volume.)

On the other hand, willowy, elfin Elorin's only wearing a thong and cute, boyish Adam's completely nude and viewers may very well find that just watching them being whipped has considerable erotic cachet. In the Mummification video, Adam has his duct tape wrapping cut open sufficiently to free his manly parts, which Bean subjects to a little slap and tickle, not to mention stimulation by a couple of sharp, pointy objects (no genitals were harmed in the making of this video). So is it education or porn? Given that pornography's in the mind of the beholder, maybe both.

One of the most respected authorities in the leather community, veteran top Joseph W. Bean is the series editor for the entire Dem Lab S/M Tech project. His long resume takes in a slew of magazine and book editing and writing, keynote speeches at major leather events, and serving as the first Executive Director of the Leather Archives & Museum from 1997 to 2002. Bean's genial, avuncular, silver-haired presence is tremendously reassuring, and his casual, low-key approach ratchets the fear factor down near zero. Dressed in T-shirt and jeans, he projects no leather-master attitude -- he could be your high school shop teacher. (Who knows, maybe your high school shop teacher was busy making torture racks and St. Andrew's crosses in his spare time.) The stage is bare except for the necessary equipment including first aid kit; no attempt was made to mimic a scary dungeon. Clearly, the Dem Lab team strove for and achieved a soothing, accessible ambience.

The presentations are completely practical, with the "Why Do They Do It?" question neatly disposed of up front. Bean says:

"In the end, setting aside ritual and spiritual thoughts, all questions of power exchanges and the balancing of psychological need, there is no better reason than 'because I like it' to understand this or any scene." If it feels good (or bad in just the right thrilling way), then do it!

Don't worry -- this kind of mummification's not about being embalmed and entombed in a pyramid, only to be awakened thousands of years later by a handsome archaeologist toying with dark forces he doesn't understand. It's more like swaddling for adults and has the same calming effect. Left undisturbed (though closely watched) after being thoroughly wrapped, many mummies fall asleep.

In S/M Tech Volume 1, Elorin and Adam, the same two models who get flogged in Volume 2, are wrapped up into neat and tidy packages -- Elorin in Saran Wrap, Adam in duct tape applied over an underlayer composed of old T-shirts. Adam's head is completely covered by the T-shirt material (which is breathable through) and encased (except for his mouth area) entirely in duct tape. Elorin describes the resulting immobility as "a warm, safe cocoon." Referring to the copious perspiration inside a mummy wrap, she says, "You just kind of simmer in yourself."

Bean banters with his subjects during the wrapping, to check for possible panic and the raspy voice of dehydration. He explains that pounding a mummy has a practical application beyond sadism: The large muscles play a vital role in blood circulation. "So it's a good idea to beat on them a little bit. You know? Make the muscles move; get that blood going." And always be sure to have good pair of bandage scissors on hand.

The value of a visual approach is most clearly demonstrated in the Flogging volume. Bean has no need to spend time explaining how to hold a multi-tailed flogger nor how to swing it. All a viewer need do is observe his vast arsenal of flogging techniques -- he even kneels behind his subjects at times -- to get a very good idea how it's done. DVD players' repeat, slow motion, and frame-by-frame capabilities are especially helpful here.

Along with a variety of flogging techniques, Bean utilizes a variety of tools, some quite surprising. He flogs with a folded leather bar vest, a length of foam rubber pipe insulation, and a giant candy-maker's spatula, which he uses to warm up the bottom's back, bringing blood to the surface, a process known as "leathering up" the target area.

As in Bean's seminal text Flogging, he devotes a lot of attention to physical changes in the flogee's flesh, as well as minute cues in their reactions: Words can lie; bodies don't. He warns about the unexpected hazards in a flogging scene. Binding the bottom's arms above their head makes the flogging more severe as back muscles are stretched tight and bones are brought nearer to the surface. The most common injury during floggings? Dislocated ankles. Have your bottom wear boots with good ankle support. And high heels are right out.

Elorin is given a relatively gentle, sensuous flogging; her back glows pink, like a mild sunburn. Adam, a flogging virgin, receives a more severe whipping, resulting in some impressive raised red welts from braided cats-o'-nine-tails. Asked if he enjoyed it, he replies, "Yes! I must be a masochist."

Bean and the whole Dem Lab team are to be commended for such an elegantly designed, widely appealing, and vitally useful approach to demystifying these adult pursuits of pleasure that dare not speak their name. S/M Tech promises to provide newcomers with an innovative and welcoming way into the world of kinky fun and games, while teaching a trick or two to those who think they know it all.


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Copyright 2005

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