MAZK – SPL (CD by Or)
Ash International is dead – long live Or! The catalog number is IF 2, so we
can wonder what IF 1 is. Mazk is short for Masami Akita (aka Merzbow) and
Zbigniew Karkowski (known from his sound/performance work around the world,
and is works with Duncan and Hafler Trio). This CD has three tracks, one
solo by each and a collaborative mix. That one opens the CD, with a low
drone, with the noise being gradually faded up. All the aspects of Akita’s
and Karkowski’s solo work are in there. Noise, feedback, droning sounds –
the whole lot.
Masami’s piece is the usual onslaught of white noise, feedback and loops,
with the recent touch of psychedelic noise. A raw piece which could have
used a bit more variety.
Karkowski finds himself in similar noise territory as Masami, unlike some
of his previous work which were more drony in nature. To me this piece has
more power and drive then Akita’s one. But alas, this is a fine disc of
harsh noise, not seen on Ash or Touch before. (FdW)
Address: <or@touch.demon.co.uk>
AUBE & LASSE MARHAUG – NEW FORMS OF FREE ENTERTAINMENT (CD by Jazzassin)
Another hard working jap bloke with Norway’s most active networker on a
collaborative effort. Packed in a cute little carton box full of
cassette-images – to commemorate the sound carrier used for the exchange.
This disc cleverly runs from ambient noise to noise noise. There is a
certain industrial quality to this CD, even when the sound gets ambient or
rhythmical, like in Aube’s piece ‘Morpheus’. The tracks by the two are
cocktailed, i.e. not one half by each, but there is a small block of Lasse
and a block by Aube and then Lasse. As they both display the aforementioned
variety, it is a varied CD. For me the most interesting parts are the more
ambient ones, and since they make up the majority of the CD I’m more then
happy with this release. (FdW)
Address: <lmarhaug@online.no>
MARK MANCHA – MASTER OF DECEPTION (7″ by LeBo Disques)
Dance music least favorite format is the 7″. The bass response on 33 rpm is
not really great and DJ’s will find it hard to play around with. But hey
what the fuck, it is my favorite vinyl format (along with the 10″) – but of
course I’m no DJ. This dude is playing around with various stolen samples
in 5 tracks – all credited on the cover (Dum, K. Kieslowski, Jon Hassel,
John Peel and Autechre). The opening piece is over before you know it has
begun. Dum are sampled in the second piece on side A, and as you may
recall, they are from Finland, and run connection to Panasonic. I am not
sure whether it is the sample, but this runs similar musical connections.
Slowly building in sounds, with factory like droning underneath. ‘Blue’ are
sampled piano sounds. ‘Laut’ has a low fi beat again with some stretched
samples and ‘Room’s Next Door’ takes the beat and shortwave. So a kind of
lo-fi minimal techno sound – you wish the sound was a little bit better.
(FdW)
Address: 21 Rue Des Chandeliers – 1000 Brussels – Belgium
FRANCISCO LOPEZ – UNTITLED MUSIC FOR GEOGRAPHY (CD by Sedimental)
Lopez’ latest work is music made for a choreography piece called
‘Geography’. Of course we have no clue what this dance is about. There is
just one piece, of 46 minutes. It starts out with a low drone with an
occasional glitch somewhere. There is of course a Huge bass response – not
to be fully reproduced on my plywood playback (though I’m sure it sounds
great on a proper installation). Eventually the piece grows, very soft,
very organic into bigger walls of more drones. At 20 minutes there is break
and the whole piece starts building again. Samples take over at 28 minutes
and come off like a rhythm… maybe… without ever being a rhythm of
course. The piece ends the way it started – with drones. A fine work by a
composer who is setting new boundaries of minimal music. (FdW)
Address: Sedimental – P.O.Box 4144 – Austin, TX 78765 – USA
CHAIR (CD by Jack & Elsie)
Here is a new label, introducing themselves with a compilation, which maybe
called ‘Chair. This CD must be a showcase of what is forthcoming on this
label – and it looks most promising. The kick off is Crawl Unit with a
noisy ambient – or was it ambienty noise? – piece of musique concrete.
Shifts has two tracks, the first is metallic guitar piece which a study in
minimalism and gradually eroding feedback. The second track (at place 27 of
the CD), is a remix with various bit of the forthcoming, first CD by
Shifts. Rapoon treats the atmospheres in his usual ambienesq style. More
treated guitars are played by Totemplow, again in a drony style. Fuxa are
to some the most known band, since they are ‘big’ on the post-rock-moog
scene. Their psychedelic piece of triggered sounds and bass would fit well
on their own studio CD. Brume might be the odd ball in this collection, but
his piece of rhythms (reminding me of his collaboration with Nomuzic) fits
actually quite well. Monera is new to me and is a rather primitive
experimental thing of sampled sound, with piano tinkling in the back. With
Mlehst we finally enter noise and feedback areas, which is put together in
a collage way. The man behind Pregnant Pause is R. Kitch, of IAM Umbrella
and His Master’s Voice fame. The sampled voices and sounds is slightly
reminiscent to Randy Greif. Flutter is again new to me, and are like Mhlest
in noise territory. After that something that is called FM Synthesis,
stretched out over 14 or so tracks of bleeping test-tone – but with a
playing time of 1 minute. The last four tracks are tasters of upcoming
releases, one of them the above mentioned Shifts tracks. The other 3 are
by, the guitarist of Zeni Geva. His guitar works are much more recognizable
as the six strings and might be more post-rock, and less noisy then what
one could have expected.
In all a compilation of varied music, which somehow fits together quite
well, and with those upcoming releases, Elsie & Jack is certainly a label
to watch out for.
Address: <eaj@apexonline.com>
A SMALL GOOD THING – BLOCK (CD by The Leaf)
You may remember ASGT as an off-shoot project of O Yuki Conjugate? It seems
that OYC is dead – long live ASGT and of course the other off-shoot Sons Of
Silence. The first three ASGT CD’s were all by Soleilmoon, but at long last
they have releases out in their own God saved queen country (which
certainly benefits the sales). This album is step forward – the Ry Cooder
slide guitars are left of for a more dance oriented production. The rhythms
are trip hop based with a sometimes darkly set synth and samples, like in
‘Babywalker’. And this is quite exemplary of the whole CD: dark, brooding
atmospheres, set against nice laid-back rhythms. There is a touch of
experimentalism to be found here also., like the train-like sounds of ‘
Short History Of Underlinen’. A whole atmosphere makes this probably
suitable for film, and I can imagine someone invites them for a film
soundtrack one day.
Nice arty package this one too. (FdW)
Address: <leaf@number9.demon.co.uk>
TONI POLSTER FAN CLUB ERDBERG (miniCD by Mego)
This may come as a shock if you seek hip industrialist techno. Three tracks
clocking at a length of just over 7 minutes, all dedicated to Anton
Polster. Anton who? That the Austrian son of football, you ignorant soccer.
Set in a trip hop tune, we hear the official Fan club hymn, along with
taped football comments. A production by DJ DSL – who gave up music to be
the Anton Polster fan club chairman and helped by The 45 King – another hip
hop big shot. Good? Don’t ask me – but if you go out to prank on a party,
then be sure to have this in your DJ bag. (FdW)
Address: <pita@mego.co.at>
LABRADFORD – MI MEDIA NARANJA (CD by Blast First)
Labradford is another one of those blend of bands that Rae sometimes called
‘post rock’, ‘lounge’, ‘cocktail’ or what have you got today rock. I wasn’t
to particular fond of their first bunch which had vocals I didn’t like.
This is largely instrumental – very laid back music of guitar’s tinkling
and an occasional strum on strings, piano and organ. Drums are not present.
There is a sense of desolation throughout the entire CD – Ennio Morricone
looking out of the prairie. This music won’t cheer you up, that’s for sure,
but if lid the candles right and watch the snow falling outside, then you
might find this a comfortable ride through a cold and lonely night. And
with those tinkling sounds in the fifth piece it feels like almost
Christmas. (FdW)
Address: Blast First – 429 Harrow Road – London W10 4RE – UK
SUB ELECTRONICA CHAPTER 1 (CD by Minus Habens)
This is not exactly a new Minus Habens compilation, but the first to launch
off a new side label of Minus, called BetaForm. This division deals with
all sorts of new electronica music and is willing to promote ‘only unknown
and obscure electronic bands/musicians’. According to the cover they would
very much like to hear new stuff. The 14 tracks are an excellent showcase
of young Italian (including one from Spain and one from Serbia) bands and
it offers a wide variety of the music styles mentioned on the cover
(‘ambient, drum ‘n bass, electrofunk, experimental, jungle, industrial,
gothic, techno, trip-hop’) – everything is to be found here. Now of course
there is the usual track that I don’t like (mainly towards the end there is
some horrible gothic stuff), but the up tempo piece by Wool is on the other
hand a winner. If you are seeking out some new names, then this is a good
place to start. If you, and I’m talking to the record labels here, can’t
afford to release the Aphex Twin, but you would like to get some exciting
new dance music, this is a must-have. (FdW)
Address: <i.iusco@agora.stm.it>