ASTRAL SOCIAL CLUB – SIEBEN STAX (CD by Bottrop-boy) *
TILL THE OLD WORLD’S BLOWN UP AND A NEW IS CREATED (CD and mini CD by Mosz) *
./MORFROM/. – AROUND THE CORNER (CD by 121234) *
ROEL MEELKOP – AN EAR FOR NUMBERS (CD by Zang:Records) *
FENNESZ – BLACK SEA (CD by Touch)
JACOB KIRKEGAARD – LABYRINTHITIS (CD by Touch)
RACC0O-OO-ON (CD by RTB) *
3OFMILLIONS – IMMEDIATE (CD by Space Dairy Records) *
MAURIZIO BIANCHI – THE VALLEY OF DEEP SHADOW (CD by Menstrual Recordings)
BENGE – TWENTY SYSTEMS (CD by Expanding Records) *
KOBI – ACOUSTICKS (CD by EndofhuM)
THE BUBBLE PROJECT – THE TECHNICOLOR DREAM MACHINE (CD by Stop Looking)
GOH LEE KWANG – DRAW SOUND (3″CD by Kunstlerhauser Worpswede) *
DIRK SERRIES – MICROPHONIES (LP by Tonefloat Records)
THE EIGTHFOLD MODEL (LP by Tonefloat Records)
MAARTEN VAN DER VLEUTEN – HIGH TOLERANCE TOWARDS LOW ENERGIES (LP by Tonefloat Records)
FUSSEL – PLANET EGMOND (LP by Zoik Music) *
ANTONI MAIOVVI – ELECTRO MUSCLE CULT (CDR by Seed Records) *
MICHAEL GENDREAU – VOUTES (CDR by Cohort Recordings)
ASP/SEC_ (CDR, private)
PETER STENBERG – LE’S GO/SO FAR AWAY (CDR/MP3 by Merzbau)
SWAMPS UP NOSTRILS – TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL(CDR by R.O.N.F. Records)
JLIAT – NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL NOISE VOL. 19 (CDR by Jliat)
B*TONG/FEINE TRINKERS BEI PINKELS DAHEIM – FEINE BRECHBOHNEN/THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY (3″CDR by Like An Everflowing Stream)
SID REDLIN & SURFACE HOAR – NIGHT’S QUEEN SHATTERED ME (3″CDR, private)
PAOLO IPPOLITI – VANISHING POINT (cassette by Nighthawks Tapes)
HAL MCGEE AND IRONING JOURNEY TO LIGHT AND PROGRESS (Cassette on Hal Tapes)
COMPOUNDEAD VISCERA (Cassette by Compoundead)
KIRAMEKI – A FIT OF JERKS (MP3 by Bearsuit Records) *
INTERBELLUM – OVER ALL OF SPAIN THE SKY IS CLEAR (MP3 by Flingco)
OIER I.A. – DEDALU (MP3 by Larraskito)
ASTRAL SOCIAL CLUB – SIEBEN STAX (CD by Bottrop-boy)
Over the many years of career Neil Campbell has used a plethora of names, and with a catalogue that spreads over a million releases, of which I heard less than 1%, I am not sure if Astral Social Club is a fairly new moniker, or it has been around for some time. However what I do know, simply by listening to ‘Sieben Stax’ is that Campbell uses all his trademark sounds (noise, minimalism, guitar, effects) to a slightly different end and he creates something that is made with guitar, noise and minimalist influencing, but the end result is a bit more psychedelic than say his Vibracathedral work or the old Total music. Its hard to say where those differences are, but its simply gut feeling. Maybe its in the somewhat extensive use of phaser and flangers, or in the addition of sampled drums (drum machines) and the addition of synthesizers here and there. Quite rightly so, Campbell choses a new name when it comes to creating a new sound. What other option does he have? To the superficial listener, these small detailed differences might be not be audible, but after having heard only a bit of Campbell’s work, I think these differences are strong. ‘Sieben Stax’ is a hypnotic work of repeating blocks of noise that make a wall of sound. A very fine release, highly recommended for noise heads who like an extensive trip. (FdW)
Address: http://www.bottrop-boy.com
TILL THE OLD WORLD’S BLOWN UP AND A NEW IS CREATED (CD and mini CD by Mosz)
Inside the jewel case you’ll find a full length CD (thirty-five minutes) and a mini CD, and the correct route seems to be to play first the mini CD and then the longer one. The source material was already recorded in 2005 by Christian Fennesz (electric and acoustic guitars, computer), Werner Dafeldecker (doublebass, tapedelay, computer) and Martin Brandlmayr on drums, percussion, vibraphone, computer and piano) at the legendary studios of Christoph Amann. each of the participants in this session then took the material home and reworked it – the mini CD – and then Brandlmayr reworked everything a bit further and that’s the long CD. Curious enough I found this out after I played the long CD first, but once the concept was clear things made more sense. The three tracks on the mini CD stay, I guess, closer to the original improvisations, of slow guitar music, hiss and cracks. A bit jazz like even in Brandlmayr’s shorter version, whereas in the long piece by him (he’s the only who does two) the deconstruction model goes way further. Everything seems to be stripped here, and as the piece evolves things become more and more quiet. The computer as the tool for re-composing music in optima forma. Dafeldecker and Fennesz deliver their usual high quality pieces, whereas especially Fennesz does something we don’t hear him do often: playing with the sounds of the instruments rather than having them consumed by the binary machines. A thoroughly relaxing work. (FdW)
Address: http://www.mosz.org
./MORFROM/. – AROUND THE CORNER (CD by 121234)
The oddly named ./morFrom/. hails from Switzerland and is a duo of Julien Baillod (guitar and electronics) and Jeroen Visser (organ, electronix). I would be too surprised to know if Visser is actually Dutch, seeing a Dutch title among the eight tracks here. ./morFrom/. has an interest in combining improvisation with musique concrete, field recordings, computer processing, a bit of drones all thrown into a blender to produce something that is not easy to stick down to a certain genre (not a problem of course), but it also adds an element to the music that makes it hard to like. Its a highly varied bunch. Once you got into that guitar solo, it moves into that microsound bit of phasing organ like sounds recording in the shopping centre. And so it keeps jumping all over the place. I can imagine that its not easy to ‘sell’ this to any crowd, because who’d you be aiming at? The improvisors? the noise heads? The micromen? Unfortunately not enough people are open to embrace a good work when they can hear one. ./Morfrom/. made a great CD, but somehow I fear it will not get the recognition it deserves. Its a well balanced mix of all sorts of styles and musical interests, excellent recorded and mixed, and some wonderful pieces of music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.121234.net
ROEL MEELKOP – AN EAR FOR NUMBERS (CD by Zang:Records)
How to have ‘an ear for numbers’? I have been thinking about this, when I was playing Roel Meelkop latest CD with that title. Is it music about rhythm (counting the bars?), which seems unlikely for somebody who uses hardly any rhythm. If you have an ear for numbers, can you hear them? And how can we hear them? I don’t know. Fact is that among the nine tracks, there is one that lasts 5:55, 1:11, 3:33, 2:22 and 4:44, not exactly a new idea (Cranioclast for instance did this), but there are also tracks that last 7:06, 9:28, 0:05 and 10:39 and unfortunately I am no mathematician to see the numerological significance of that. Meelkop thanks, in Norwegian (to honor the label who releases this), St. Elmo, and I am told they produce starters for lights which make a nice rumble. Meelkop, never a man of many words, does a rare thing here: he thanks someone or somebody who provided him with the source of his sounds. It made me wonder: are all the pieces generated from this source or does he also employ more field recordings. As that of course is what Meelkop does. But for him field recordings are not rain, wind and the sea, but as a man of the (big) city, he also has a deep interest for mechanical sounds, electrical sounds, motor sounds ‘and human interaction. Easily someone who carries a small recording device everywhere. At home he builds his clever sound pieces, dealing with both the inaudible and the noise – and all that is in between. The ambience of the ninth piece versus the subdued rhythms of the eighth piece (see his dealings with Goem, Zebra or Slo-Fi). Crispy high sounds versus deep low end rumble. From what seems sea sounds to people talking to, indeed perhaps, the starting sounds of a light-bulb. I must admit I lost count (no ear for numbers I guess) with the Meelkopian CD world (although he’s not that active as say Merzbow, Machinefabriek or Muslimgauze), but this new work is a fine work, even when the differences are in the detail: more ongoing sounds, rather than cut ‘n paste collages of his previous work. More ‘ambient’, perhaps, but of an entirely different kind. Not a free flow work of spacious synths, but highly intelligent processed field recordings – of whatever nature. Another very refined addition to his catalogue. (FdW)
Address: http://www.zang.no
FENNESZ – BLACK SEA (CD by Touch)
JACOB KIRKEGAARD – LABYRINTHITIS (CD by Touch)
It surely must have been some time ago when we saw a proper studio album by Christian Fennesz. At least: as far as I can remember. There have been live concerts and collaborations, but this is his first studio album in four years, since ‘Venice’ (Vital Weekly 417). Fennesz still plays acoustic and electric guitar, along with synthesizers, electronics, laptop and the software thing called Lloop. When ‘Venice’ was released I predicted that the next CD would be more popmusic, but I was wrong (never ask me for a good advise I guess), like I was also wrong on the expected release date. On ‘Black Sea’ Fennesz explores the music from right before ‘Venice’, and for which he is best known. The ‘pop music’ thing seems to be gone, but also Fennesz has moved away from the earlier, more gritty laptop improvisations, and found a balance between all of these, added with a dash of ambience and melancholia. In ‘Grey Scale’ for instance he finger picks his acoustic guitar, with a wee-bit of computer processing and some slight delay, in a very melancholic piece. Fennesz plays moody tunes here, sometimes plain and simple, sometimes in a more abstract vein, but never in a clear ‘pop’ sense, nor in a ‘clear’ improvised manner. A mature version, an update if you will, from his music, making things more refined, more mood music, more atmospheric, and unmistakably more soundtrack like. Like I say, my crystal ball watching qualities are quite low, but perhaps in the future, Fennesz will write us a great movie soundtrack. ‘Black Sea’ could serve as a great introduction into that world.
Silver is a beautiful color indeed, but the finer small print on the cover and in the booklet is not always something I can read. Luckily however the main text, about the project conducted by Kirkegaard here, can be read. Its a lengthy to explain in a few words, but basically it comes down to small, sensitive microphones in the ears making sounds audible, that this high pitched tone that resembles a tinnitus. The ‘sonic products of the inner ear is ‘otoacoustic emissions’. When the ear hears two of these tones it will be produce a third one, the ‘distortion product otoacoustic emissions’, and Kirkegaard has recorded a bunch of time, and made that into this CD, a single pieced, thirty-eight minute piece of music. A great concept of course, but the music itself is also great. Sustaining, high pitched tones that have a minimal change throughout. A piece that is almost classical in approach. Think Alvin Lucier’s work in the field of brain waves (but much more listenable), Phill Niblock or Paul Panhuysen’s ‘A Magic Square Of 5’. Beautiful gliding scales of sound, that also without knowing what generated them, make a beautiful work to hear. (FdW)
Address: http://www.touchmusic.org.uk
RACC0O-OO-ON (CD by RTB)
And then the called it day: Raccoo-oo-on from Iowa with a self-titled album. A massive tombstone of seventy-five minutes (here on CD, but there is also a 2LP set on Not Not Fun). I only heard the two previous releases by them on RTB, not their many other releases on many different formats. Its still in a very free mood, this rock band, and its still in a very noise based country. Loud music, if you put on the volume right, and I would recommend doing so. Otherwise there is hardly any true power in this music. Long tracks, hardly spacious, but foremost hermetically closed. Still the uncut diamond. I guess it would even better if you could hear this played live – I know various low ceiling clubs in which this music would come to its full blossom. Not fully noise based, but dirty and loud rock music, played with total freedom of whatever your guitar teacher told you. I guess I won’t be seeing them live which is a pity, but this epitaph is written in capitals. (FdW)
Address: http://www.releasethebats.com
3OFMILLIONS – IMMEDIATE (CD by Space Dairy Records)
The group exists since February of this year, has been once in the studio and this is their second release, following a twenty-minute teaser on Hellosquare Recordings (see Vital Weekly 633). 3ofmillions is Adrian Klumpes (piano, rhodes, piano book), Abel Cross (acoustic bass guitar) and Finn Ryan (drum set) – all of them members (not at the same time) of Triosk, Pure Evil Trio, Trio Apoleptic, The Nownow Splinter Orchestra. In April they were in the studio for many hours which are now edited into a sixty minute CD release, which finds itself at the cross-road of post-rock, jazz and a bit of electronics. Their first release of some months ago, showed a love for Viennese music along the lines of Radian and their many off-shoots, here things go even more into the field of jazz. At times I thought I should better be sending this to my colleague Dolf Mulder, but then something on this disc happened that captured me again and I kept on listening. The jazz like elements of 3ofmillions are not well spend on me, even when I can see its beauty. Once 3ofmillions start crossing the lines of jazz and venture into more (post-)rock like areas, or add a bit of electronics, its when things become more interesting, such as in the minimal opening of ‘Her Subtlety In My Subconscious’ or the very free ‘The Hand Of God’. Nice, but somehow I am not entirely convinced about this. I think 3ofmillions will be, in the future, more jazz than something that I would more appreciate – let’s call it the Viennese school of music. I wish they would bend in that direction, but somehow I don’t think they will. Time will tell. (FdW)
Address: http://www.3ofmillions.com
MAURIZIO BIANCHI – THE VALLEY OF DEEP SHADOW (CD by Menstrual Recordings)
On various occasions and for various reasons, I thumbed the bible, and I know that Psalm 23 is perhaps the best known psalm. The Lord is my shepherd, I fear no evil. Etc. I am not a religious person, but Maurizo Bianchi is. His faith, the bible and believe in judgment day are all part of his work. ‘The Valley Of Deep Shadow’ is a ‘sacral sonorization for electro-spiritual keyboards, induced and regulated in the present theocratic year with the pressurized elaboration of Siegmar F’, as it says on the cover. Bianchi, it has been noticed before, since his return to music, has operated in many styles of music, ranging from new age to his good ol’ industrial music, comes here with a curious mixture of both interests into bleak sonic atmospheres. The valley doesn’t know much warmth, as the synthesizers sound pale, cold and distant. Not exactly what one would expect from such as psalm, about love of the lord, his guidance through difficult times. This makes this quite a curious release. Its not new age, not ambient, not industrial, but it takes aspects of all three and makes something that is hardly heard before. What it seems to lack is the bass end – its all mid to high range sounds. That seems to be the intention of this, but it doesn’t necessarily mean this is good. I must say I thought this was a hard one to get it into. The good thing is that once again, Bianchi has placed himself on the forefront of electronic music, with a work that leaves a lot for discussion. I for one need to do some thinking about this. (FdW)
Address: http://www.menstrualrecordings.org
BENGE – TWENTY SYSTEMS (CD by Expanding Records)
The synthesizer is a fascinating instrument: the buttons to switch, the plugs, the chords. Even if you don’t know how it works, it can make great sounds. Of course not every attempt at knob twitching should be released, but if your name is Benge and you have access to a synthesizer from every year between 1968 and 1988 then you can. Benge plays a track per synthesizer, each for every year. Every synthesizer is photographed and talked about in the extensive booklet and thus we get a beautiful historic picture of the development of the synthesizer, from the pure analogue sound synthesis to the digital makes of the 80s. Certainly a project to make every gear freak jealous. Perhaps every electronic musician would love to stumble around with these instruments. I read an interview in Gonzo Circus where it is said that Ben Edward, nom de plume for Benge, recorded the sounds to his computer and created his pieces there. They aren’t pure straight off synthesizer pieces. That’s better, because it side steps the idea of pure knob twitting and actually creating pieces of music. One could all too easily think this leads to music that Expanding is well-known for, but in most cases the rhythm aspect is not there in the way we know it. Neither is the aspect of cosmic music in here: the long arpeggio’s riding the sky. Benge creates rather small and delicate pieces of music, each with its own character, yet never losing the entire album out of sight. Its of course impossible to say if the sounds captured reflect the synths used, as I don’t think I saw many of these in real life, but Benge knows what he is doing. Not a manual of how to play a synthesizer, but rather ‘how create a fine piece of music out this particular synthesizer’. Excellent all around. (FdW)
Address: http://www.expandingrecords.com
KOBI – ACOUSTICKS (CD by EndofhuM)
Three years in the process of recording this new album by Kai Milanese, the main man behind Kobi, who receives help from a wide variety of people, including Tore H Boe, Micheal Duch, Tie Qiao Li, Petter F. Eilertsen, Kjel R. Jensson and Anla Courtis, who together sum up a world of experimental music. Its the follow up to ‘Dronesyndrome’ (see Vital Weekly 489) and continues the path set out back then. This is all improvising band along what can be called atmospheric lines. Sound effects play an all important role in this music. Recording quality has improved over the last release. It seems to me that the improvisational aspects of the music has grown since the previous album. Thickly layered sounds, played on a variety of instruments, as well as a lot of different sounding objects, make this another top heavy project. Not easy listening drone, but rock solid, hermetically closed music. Again, not a bad CD, like its predecessor, but also not the great work that could perhaps be possible. If they ask me, I would leave some ‘air’ in this music, give it room to breathe, let instruments come in, go out in a somewhat more gentle way, and not make it such a massive block of sound. But surely that’s all a matter of taste, and no doubt many people will not agree and think this is a fine work. Maybe it is, and I’m wrong. (FdW)
Address: http://www.looop.no
THE BUBBLE PROJECT – THE TECHNICOLOR DREAM MACHINE (CD by Stop Looking)
For a long time I thought I was the only one who loved The Buggles, Trevor Horn’s first claim to fame, but its good to see their name popping up on the press text of a CD by The Bubble Project. So far the good news, the bad news is that there are also references to 80s stadium rock, Mercury Rev and garage surf – all of which I never cared about. But it is with eager anticipation that I start playing this CD to find it is all, but The Buggles. No plastic sounds, cheesy synths, or vocoder vocals, but indeed garage, surf, punk (lots of punk) and new wave of the poppier side of the sun. Stop Looking are a label who always send their promo’s, but don’t seem to care what we write (and for a free service, we don’t send ‘tearsheets’), but again this is a CD that is really good – well, perhaps, if only we know – but miles outside the world of Vital Weekly, which I believe is a very wide and apart world from the world of real pop music, where we find The Bubble Project. I might be playing ‘The Age Of Plastic’ again while having my tea later on, though. (FdW)
Address: http://www.stop-looking.co.uk
GOH LEE KWANG – DRAW SOUND (3″CD by Herbal Records)
Despite the fact that there are 98 tracks on this 3″CD, it still lasts only 8.40 minutes. On the disc face there is a picture of the coin of 1 eurocent. If you listen to the music, you hear the sound of a coin falling on a table, or several coins, perhaps. I am not sure if there is some sort of electronic processing going here, but I don’t think. Tracks are very short, obviously, and if you look at the CD player, it looks like a cash register going up. A fascinating, conceptual release. Which is hard to say about the booklet that comes it with, with pencil drawings by Goh Lee Kwang of a highly abstract nature, or perhaps a highly naive nature. Its what some people prompt to say: my 2 year old is better at this. The soundwork is great though, and not without humor: ‘track 89 performed by Woody Sullender’. (FdW)
Address: http://www.herbalinternational.tk
DIRK SERRIES – MICROPHONIES (LP by Tonefloat Records)
THE EIGTHFOLD MODEL (LP by Tonefloat Records)
MAARTEN VAN DER VLEUTEN – HIGH TOLERANCE TOWARDS LOW ENERGIES (LP by Tonefloat Records)
‘Ouch’, was the word that slipped out of my mouth when I opened this box. Three heavy, 180 gram pieces of vinyl, all in beautiful gate fold sleeves. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the three is the album ‘Microphonics’ by Dirk Serries. Of course we knew him as Vidna Obmana and know him as Fear Falls Burning, but this is the very first release under his own name – solo that is. Music wise however its not the big break from his two artist names – that would have been an earthquake surprise if he’d played acoustic jazz. I guess this is the missing link between the old Vidna Obmana and the new Fear Falls Burning. An icy, drone based carpet is being firmly knitted on perhaps his old synthesizers or perhaps his guitar pedals. I don’t know, but they sound like the old Obmana. On top Serries waves together sustained tones on his guitar with an e-bow, not unlike the early Fear Falls Burning, but with the main difference of things not working towards a mighty crescendo, but staying firmly rooted in ambient ground. Excellent music, a fine side step from Fear Falls Burning – and knowing Serries the start of plenty more.
Dirk Serries is also involved in The Eightfold Model, which is collaboration by (e-)mail with Schneider TM’s Michael Beckett, also known as KPTMichigan. Serries on the guitar and the effects, and Beckett on harmonium, field recordings and processing devices. This is an entirely different cup of tea here. One can surely recognize Serries’ guitar playing, but it’s in a more ‘heavy’ style here. Burning with sound effects, also from the Beckett side, this is quite a strange affair of electronics and field recordings. They attempt to play a more uptight version of ambient music, but it seems to me that the sounds not always match up. Things work better on the pieces on the b-side than on the a-side, where things are even a bit louder. The more ambient textured pieces on the b-side work simply better, sounds fit together more and on the first side its an uneasy marriage.
Maybe I heard of Maarten van der Vleuten, but perhaps I didn’t know it was him. Apparently he worked under no less than 26 different pseudonyms, but as you might have guessed, I can’t mention one, but judging from the press text he dabbled in ‘dance’ music circles, which makes it perhaps more odd to find his name here on this spacious music label. But if you listen to the music it perhaps makes more sense. Van der Vleuten’s music these days has little to do with ‘dance’ music, although we can find vague traces of it, in the multi-layered electronics. There is rhythm below, very fast, very low and very subdued. On top there is a whole bunch of sound struggling to arise from the mix, along with some drone like sound. There is a lot happening here, which makes a very captivating listening experience. There are faint traces of ethno music inside this otherwise quite psychedelic mass of sound. Its not difficult to see why Tonefloat, a label of textured music, would release this. Excellently packed, excellent music, mostly that is. Small labels could learn a lot here of how to do this!
Address: http://www.tonefloat.com
FUSSEL – PLANET EGMOND (LP by Zoik Music)
On various occasions I have seen bands like Fussel. In concert that is. Armed with a few cheap keyboards, a great, hilarious act, great vocals and such like and generally I like them, but I never bring a record from such bands home. I am sitting on tuesday morning at home, and I listen to Fussel, of whom I am sure I never saw playing live. One Rupert and one Droet are the actors in this piece of twenty-plus tracks of humorful music, and indeed there is an occasional smile on my face, but not throughout. They play quirky, uptempo rhythms, simple and effective melodies and have german lyrics and some spoken word in between the songs. Like I said, I can easily imagine that this works very well in a smokey club (oh no, that’s not happening anymore), and I’d surely be having a great time, but I think at home it just doesn’t work that well. Maybe I should wait until tuesday night, invite some friends, open a few beers and see what the effect is then. I should not do that as a routine. (FdW)
Address: http://www.zoikmusic.de
ANTONI MAIOVVI – ELECTRO MUSCLE CULT (CDR by Seed Records)
Recently, thanks to the internet, I finally heard some more old Giorgo Mororder, which I thought wasn’t always that great, but especially when his machines rock the disco, it was quite nice. That’s probably what Antoni Maiovvi thinks, as he comes with ‘Electro Muscle Cult’, which combines the best of Moroder with touches of synth meisters such as Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream or even Harold Faltermeyer (its mentioned in the press text, otherwise I wouldn’t have thought of it). Seven originals and two remixes (which exactly makes this CDR overlong – the remixes were alright, but not necessary) of Maiovvi’s uptempo italo disco styled music. Dirty on the analogue synths, straight forward techno inspired rhythms, arpeggio’s, spooky sound effects and light weight melodies. Recently I was impressed by the electro music of Alpha Aesar, but Maiovvi certainly does a job as well, or perhaps even better. Its a bit early in the day as I write to start the party and its perhaps to rainy, but this macho driven music calls for sunshine and cocktails and the all night party. Another of those things that should have been on Suction Records I think, or perhaps on Bunker Records’ darker alley, and otherwise deserves to reach a bigger audience that the few who get this limited CDR release from Seed Records, but I guess such is fate. And like I said, seven tracks, forty five minutes, retro 70s design: perfect. (FdW)
Address: http://www.seedrecords.co.uk
MICHAEL GENDREAU – VOUTES (CDR by Cohort Recordings)
Here’s another one of those riddles in music. Michael Gendreau, once Crawling With Tarts, did an installation performance at ‘the unique layout of this group of arch shaped vaults located under the rue Tolbiac in Paris’, called ‘Les Voutes’. ‘The first track is a composition carried out before the concert using vibration recordings made in the structure surrounding the performance space’, and the second is the actual live recording. The riddle here is ‘what do we hear’? There is a rumble, that is set to repeat – either by loop on a computer or otherwise. There is hardly a difference between both pieces, i.e. its almost impossible to tell when track one ends and track two begins. The rumble continues and together both tracks make a nice continuos sound affair. It changes in minimal and subtle ways, and provides a nice ambient sound track for your living room. (FdW)
Address: http://www.cohortrecords.0catch.com
ASP/SEC_ (CDR, private)
Two weeks ago I reviewed a CDR release by A Spirale from Italy, today its a band called ASp/SEC_, which includes A Spirale members Maurizio Argenziano (guitar) and Mario Gabola (reeds) as well as SEC_ (synth, electronics) and Emilio Barone (plastics, voice). It might be no surprise that the music here doesn’t differ that much from A Spirale, but there is something that this adds and the other doesn’t have, which is the more extensive use of electronics and the ramble of acoustic objects. They hoover less on the edges of silence and sound seems always present here, even when they pull back a bit occasionally. Very much like A Spirale would be my judgment of this: Nice, but not great, but well executed altogether, but I thought I liked this one a bit better. (FdW)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/aspsec
PETER STENBERG – LE’S GO/SO FAR AWAY (CDR/MP3 by Merzbau)
To me the name Peter Stenberg is new, but so far he has three releases on the internet, and from what I hear here, it might be worthwhile to investigate this name further. Stenberg hails from Malmo, Sweden, and don’t let the name of this label misguide you. It has nothing to do with Kurt Schwitters nor the Japanese artist of almost the same name, but Stenberg is a guitarist and field recordist – that is, perhaps he plays guitar in place with lots of background noise which he allows into his music. The music he plays could as easily be released on Hapna: quite melodies on the six strings, a harmonium, piano and in every street sounds, all bit a touch of experimentalism, more than perhaps on the Hapna releases. You can imagine him on his travels (I heard Dutch and German voices), playing whatever instrument at hand and making an on the spot recording. Very nice subdued music – folk meets electronics in a great way. (FdW)
http://www.merzbau-label.org
SWAMPS UP NOSTRILS – TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL(CDR by R.O.N.F. Records)
There are thematic variations, which resolve into and out of some pure harsh noise, (good stuff you know), however given such titles (An Aromatic Terpenoid, Endocannabinoid Synaptic Transmission, The Post-Synaptic Neuron, Dronabinol 11-Hydroxy-THC, Gastro-Hypothalmic Axis) and thematic developments suggests a Heideggerian “thrown-ness” of in-authenticity about the problematic of where to go next (in/with noise). Add voices and call it an opera. The problem of the present which alluded even the likes of uncle Albert and brother Jacques was the magnificent achievement of harsh noise, that is not pretense but a totaling fullness. Though noise might be data without meaning the roar in the jungle that is noise in post-cultural culture was once sufficient to place presence before presence. Nice work here but it needs to be obviscated as much as possible, the text erased and the whole thing put through the meat grinder that was the epoch. (jliat)
Address http://www.ronfrecords.com/
JLIAT – NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL NOISE VOL. 19 (CDR by Jliat)
Its 7.30 AM and I have about an hour to eat my breakfast and send out Vital Weekly, before going into work. I could (and should) listen to the radio, or perhaps play some popmusic, but in stead I play the nineteenth installment of ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ by Jliat. On headphones, because I don’t want to disturb the neighbours, nor do I want this to be played soft. I don’t think I ever played Jliat’s noise music with headphones – not because its Jliat, or noise, I just hardly use headphones – at home. The loud crashes split my ear and feedback goes straight into my brain. I’m not sure if it was such a good idea to play this so early in the day. If I gathered anything at all, then it must be that noise music is not early morning music. Off to work. (FdW)
Address: http://www.jliat.com
B*TONG/FEINE TRINKERS BEI PINKELS DAHEIM – FEINE BRECHBOHNEN/THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY (3″CDR by Like An Everflowing Stream)
The truth is, I don’t like riddles. I hate to stare at small print, and the cover of this 3″CDR has small print. One track is by B*Tong and one is by Feine Trinkers Bei Pinkels Daheim – both active forces in CDR-land. Each have one track here, but I don’t know who’s who, but gathering from the handwritten, it might be possible that B*Tong does the first track and the Trinkers the second. Both bands dabble in the same musical pond too: that of dark atmospheric music made with an array of electronics, field recordings, guitars and most likely also other instruments transformed beyond belief. Very nice these two tracks, but the main ‘problem’ is that they sound similar, so it’s hard to say who did what here, which also adds a bit of anonymity to the music, which I doubt is what they want. (FdW)
Address: <nakedcity@web.de>
SID REDLIN & SURFACE HOAR – NIGHT’S QUEEN SHATTERED ME (3″CDR, private)
Music by Surface Hoar has been reviewed before. Its the project of Matthew Amundsen, who teams up here with Sid Redlin, of whom I never heard. Four tracks, just under ten minutes – that seems all a bit short, and judging this brief release, its also been made in quite a lo-fi manner. Four small collages of sound and sounds. Musicboxes, electronics, a bit of noise, a voice popping up, maybe some turntablism going on. Its over before you know it even started. Which almost automatically leads to the ever so important question: why? Why so brief? Why so sketch based? Why not work out things some more and make a proper normal 3″CDR?
Address: http://www.myspace.com/surfacehoar
PAOLO IPPOLITI – VANISHING POINT (cassette by Nighthawks Tapes)
For many of our Italian friends the old CDR label S’Agita has a mystical sound, living legends. The people behind it, the duo Logoplasm however are still actively involved in music, except they are even more underground. Ippoliti is one half of them, and he says that this cassette is entirely made from snippets of sound he records almost daily on a microcassette. Later on he cuts tape-loops of this material, and the two fifteen minute pieces on this release is a collage of that. Sometimes multi-layered, but often appearing as they are. As you can imagine with such a crude method, and the format it finds its final form in, makes this all a very nice but very retro product. I still have some tapes from the early days and recognize very much the esthetic quality of it. The single minded approach to the music (I vividly remember a cassette of short radio snippets that also lasted thirty minutes) which makes one consistent piece of music in two parts. Nice time warp! (FdW)
Address: http://www.nighthawkstapes.org
HAL MCGEE AND IRONING JOURNEY TO LIGHT AND PROGRESS (Cassette on Hal Tapes)
COMPOUNDEAD VISCERA (Cassette by Compoundead)
Hal McGee is a prolific electronic music improviser from Florida, and here he is accompanied not by his dogs but by Ironing in a short and flimsy cassette piece of stuff I presume was part of a tour. As per – information is lacking these days, Hal recently – well a month or two ago – caused a fuss on .chondritic sound’s forum when he promulgated mp3 downloads as the only future for communication of stuff- after lengthy and dizzyingly circular arguments he has released this. Found sounds of conversations mixed with electronics which sound unusually (for Hal) distorted, maybe down to the over saturating of the cassette – which has now gained a vogue amongst many noiseniks , ever in search of redundancy and unplayability. And again another short cassette from Compoundead, crackling noise and tape echo. Both are fragile reminders that we are living at the end of time, sweet and nostalgic, though never apocalyptic… interesting pieces of lo fi flotsam. (jliat)
Address: http://www.halmcgee.com/
Address: http://www.myspace.com/compoundead
KIRAMEKI – A FIT OF JERKS (MP3 by Bearsuit Records)
A while ago, in Vital Weekly 618, I reviewed an untitled CDR (or perhaps MP3, that wasn’t entirely clear), by Kirameki, a duo of _ and Harold None, who calls himself on ‘A Fit Of The Jerks’ *. So _ and * make music through the internet, with file exchange. Back then I wrote: “Sketchy and vague. A bit of breakcore at times, sampled together bits of pop and bits of computer processing. It makes that this release is a bit all over the place, but somehow never in the right place. Sometimes it’s alright, but it seems that they don’t know what they want. Breakcore, disco, plunderphonics or macrosound? I think it would have been better to find a direction first, then create some songs and then release a work. Sometimes things do need their time.” Today I’d like to add that they had some time, almost a year, but that I still think that I wrote back then applies to the new release, still sketchy and vague. Sampled together mixed vegetables makes a big bowl of soup that has a lot of tastes, but is not always tasty. (FdW)
Address: <bearsuitrecords@hotmail.com>
INTERBELLUM – OVER ALL OF SPAIN THE SKY IS CLEAR (MP3 by Flingco)
Behind Interbellum are Bredan Burke and Fred Lonberg-Holm. The latter we of course know for his cello work with The Vandermark Five, Valentine Trio, Lightbox Orchestra) and Burke, for me unknown, plays piano here and works as a recording engineer. They have seven tracks on this download release, and I stuck it on, and the music, about an hours worth of it, sounded like one giant track. There are changes, but throughout its very slow music, of pastoral playing on the cello and the piano. There are bits in which we hear voices (the musicians while playing) and some very remote electronic, which accentuate certain passages, but through it’s them playing mighty sorrowful tunes. Arvo Part or Gorecki like, but without the dramatic built up – it’s perhaps more like ‘The Sinking Of The Titantic’ for two instruments, but again with the dramatic context. Music to play on end on a long winter day. (FdW)
Address: http://www.flingco.com
OIER I.A. – DEDALU (MP3 by Larraskito)
Behind Oier I.A. is the same person as behind Tüsüri, and ‘Dedalu’ is a thirty minute piece of a very single minded nature. A ringing bell sound like loop, with very minimal to none variation to it. It starts and ends as abrupt as possible. The perfect thing to release as a MP3, but it somehow fails to grab my attention. A piece for the sake of doing another piece of music, me thinks. Not bad for ten or so minutes, but the entire thirty is a bit much. (FdW)
Address: http://www.xedh.org/larraskito