Week 19

CELER – IT WOULD BE GIVING UP (4CD by Two Acorns) *
MARTIJN HOHMANN – GAANDEWEG (CD by Universaal Kunst) *
NASMAK – PM2: PLOWING MUD – TIME IS A FRIEND (CD by Nasmak) *
THE ORPHANAGE COMMITTEE – CONTINUITIES VOL. II: IN THE CONTEXT OF A ROOM (CD by EE Tapes) *
LEIF ELGGREN – SHEAKESPEARE, SHAKESPEARE, SHAKESPEARE (CD by Firework Edition) *
ZALHIETZLI – ÉTREINTE (CD by Krim Kram Records) *
ZHENG HAO – BREAKS (CD by Krim Kram Records) *
MEILT – JASU JEST (cassette by Krim Kram Records) *
HALCYON DAZE – THE PELICAN (CD by Klanggalerie) *
ISOLATED COMMUNITY – THE ROCK, THE WATCHER, THE STRANGER (CDR by Northumberland Audio Capture) *
NOISE HANGOVER – THE END OF EVERYTHING (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Recordings) *
FABIO KEINER – BATTLE HYMN (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Recordings) *
FFI DIGITAL – 180119​.​3 (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Recordings) *
FBRYN WYRD – L​.​A. CRAB (cassette by Aphelion Editions) *
PASCAL BATTUS – ORGAN ZENITHAL (cassette by Interstellar Records) *
OTHER ROOMS (compilation cassette by Mainstream & Imaginary North)
ANDREAS DAVIDS – 5 STUNDEN (USB/Download by Drama Recorder) *

CELER – IT WOULD BE GIVING UP (4CD by Two Acorns)

Here, we have another reissue of something that was initially in the digital domain. With the combined lengths of all four discs, this could have fitted on a double CD, but there is something to say about each disc having one piece of music. Will Long’s Celer calls this a work of “tape loops and analogue instruments”. I always think about Celer as this music project heavily relies on digital technology, but reel-to-reel loops are possible. It shows that I am not that knowledgeable in the technology department. Long doesn’t mention the kind of instruments used. On this album, originally from 2020, he follows a similar trajectory to previous works ‘Memory Repetitions’ and ‘Future Predictions’, which I may both have reviewed. Still, I can only find the second (Vital Weekly 1243), in which I remarked similarly about four individual discs. Long calls this his “wall-of-sound approach to mood construction”, and there is something to say that this is a bit different from various other works carried by Celer. Ambient is the keyword in all Celer’s output, and to the uninitiated, there are maybe no differences, but I believe there are. His older work is an endlessly slow (or slowed down) drift of materials, of one-second sounds, stretched out to eighty minutes, coloured by electronic gadgets, stark monochrome variations of the colour grey. These new works place the sound very much upfront, almost in your face, and there is nothing ‘slow’ about this. Each piece has repeated loops of orchestral and instrumental, but they are quick in succession. In the first piece, ‘True Maps Of An Unreal Place’, he also uses field recordings of an almost industrial kind; this and the second disc are definitely among Celer’s loudest works and, indeed, a wall of sound. In that respect, one could label this as ambient industrial, but the gmusic is too melodic for that and may also be of a different darkness. Celer’s ambient is not the dystopian variety but the darker, melancholic variation, the sense of loss and grief, as indicated in the booklet. The final disc, ‘An Evening. Elsewhere is the one that is the least industrial and the most traditional Celer, going at a slower pace again. Except for the last of the four discs, this music is harder to ignore than your usual ambient record, which is a great thing. Quite an exciting move for Celer! And again, in a great Rutger Zuydervelt package. (FdW)
––– Address: https://celer.bandcamp.com/

MARTIJN HOHMANN – GAANDEWEG (CD by Universaal Kunst)

Some months ago, the Russian writer Andrej Platonov came up in a conversation with Martijn Hohman, telling me his next CD will contain a short story by him. He assumed I loved to read, which is true, but I hardly ever read fiction. I asked him to recommend some titles so I could find them in the digital domain (Platonov died in 1951, so surely there is something out there), but Hohmann had extra copies of a few books, and he mailed them to me. I am not a literary critic, but I admit I wasn’t blown away. Because the word science fiction was mentioned, I wrongly assumed these would be science fiction short stories in one book and a whole book. Instead, these were stories about living in the Soviet Union, about soldiers coming home, and some stories had an ending that I didn’t get at all, thinking, what’s the point here? The story inspiring the new CD wasn’t part of the collection, but Hohmann reprinted it in this otherwise lovely design carton CD box; by day, Hohmann is a designer, and that shows.
‘Gaandeweg’ means ‘along the way’, movement over time, and usually slow. Each piece is a sphere, so there’s ‘Atmosphere’ (with De Fabriek’s Richard van Dellen on trumpet, almost like on their first LP!), ‘Biosphere’, ‘Lithosphere’, ‘Cryosphere’ and ‘Noösphere’. In his music, Hohmann uses field recordings and soft synths. Some heavy drilling is happening in Vital Weekly Street this week, meaning my listening time is at different hours. For instance, on the lunch break, late afternoon, evening or early morning. The first time I heard ‘Gaandeweg’ was on the workmen’s lunch break, and I thought that perhaps Hohmann’s music was on a kind of sonic echo of the drilling. I’m not saying that his music is noise-based, far from it, but the drones and tones of his music are a residue of noise, a toned-down one if you want. Coupled with leaky pipes and other watery drops, his music has that dystopian feeling that I like so much in music. Hohmann’s music surely fits that whole posse of dark ambient composers working with grainy sound material. Usually, I’d add lo-fi and low-resolution samples, but for all I know, that’s not the case with Hohmann. His music has that arctic feeling; the ending of ‘Noösphere’ contains recordings of a highway, which sounds like a polar wind. He goes for slow movements and minimal changes in all five pieces, but the music constantly moves around. There is nothing static in the field recordings he uses.
At which point I returned to the Platonov story. In the box, we find objects, prints and the story in Dutch and Russian (English is provided in the download via an AI-generated translation). The story is called ‘Satan Of Thought’ and, if understood correctly, is about an engineer who wants to restructure the earth, to make it all function better and then moves on doing the same thing for the universe, but all because of a lost love. Again, if I understood correctly. If I am thinking about the music, I hear some of that dystopian thing in there, but in Hohmann’s music, there is also a shimmer of hope. It is an exciting project of which I may not understand the depth of it all. (FdW)
––– Address: https://universaalkunst.bandcamp.com/

NASMAK – PM2: PLOWING MUD – TIME IS A FRIEND (CD by Nasmak) *

Before getting around the latest CD by Nasmak PM, let’s return to their first works. Following an LP on the Plurex label in 1980, the group fragmented into Nasmak and Plus Instruments, the latter a vehicle for signer Truus de Groot and whoever came on her road and still an ongoing concern with some great releases in recent years. Nasmak became a group with four guys. Before the LP’s release (and after that), the group recorded everything it did. Jamming at gigs, rehearsal spaces and dressing rooms, everything was captured and, at one point, sorted into six cassettes at one point, released in three rounds of two. They were all called ‘Indecent Exposure’, and the first was subtitled ‘Music For Brass, Woodwind, Drums & Violins’, and apart from drums, the other instruments played no part (although people who played those were called to arrange their instruments along with these recordings and send them to the group; as far as I know no one ever did). It wasn’t the LP that introduced me to Nasmak because, in 1982 or 1983, I lost interest in vinyl and only bought cassettes. I remember these being pricey, but with a C60 and a C90, one got a lot of music. These cassettes are now remastered and made available in the digital domain only. This is a little time capsule for me, flying back to my boy’s room and playing these tapes. The music is highly fragmentaric, full of little ideas, the start of songs, and some half-baked but showing the group in their most vital form. Quite punky at times, with some rough and energetic music, but the experiment always shines through in these pieces. Taking cues from ‘No New York’ and the Dutch counter version called Ultra, there is a lot to enjoy here. Even if this is the first encounter, you come here because of today’s main attraction, ‘Plowing Mud – Time Is A Friend’.
For many years, the members of Nasmak drifted into other musical work, but in recent years, three of the four members played music together as Nasmak. The first results were ‘PM1 Perpetuum Mobile: It’s Long Since You Last Did Me’ (see Vital Weekly 1425), which I found most enjoyable, updating the classic Nasmak sound. Classic is the word for the material on their LPs, not the cassettes. The exciting thing is De Groot is also back on board on four of the seven pieces, so it alternates between male and female vocals. Still, I also sense some of the electronic sensibility of her Plus Instruments work, as shown in ‘Middle Of The Road’. Songs wit her involvement tend to be a bit quieter. Rhythm, again, is the driving force of Nasmak. Bass and drums have a strong presence here, and while the music is dense (the group refer to their music as ‘dense music’, word playing on dance and dense). They seemed to be updating some of their older songs on their previous release, but there is no such thing here. These seven pieces seem all new pieces. As I wrote previously, Nasmak’s music may not be your usual Vital Weekly thing, owning more to the world of alternative pop music, it is also still very much in spirit with post-punk; smoother, perhaps funky, no doubt, but with that great love for trying new things. As such, their attitude has stayed the same. Now, I thought: are they still jamming a lot? And if so, why not share some of those cookies and update the ‘Indecent Exposure’ series? Another look at the kitchen of Nasmak is something I’d be be curious about. (FdW)
––– Address: https://nasmak.bandcamp.com/

THE ORPHANAGE COMMITTEE – CONTINUITIES VOL. II: IN THE CONTEXT OF A ROOM (CD by EE Tapes)

This is my projection, of course, but the last four reviews from EE Tapes were all by the same artist, The Orphanage Committee, also known as Orphan S.C. Wallace. His various releases show us someone who likes electronic music, but not a particular form, as his music sometimes has rhythm, orchestral samples or more ambient, drone-like textures. I reviewed the first volume of ‘Continuities’ in Vital Weekly 1319, the first time I heard his music. However, it was not his debut album, as that came a bit later, due to pressing plant problems (Vital Weekly 1372). Orphan S.C. Wallace doesn’t tell us much about his music, what kind of synthesisers and other sounds he uses. I hear some field recordings on the previous ‘Continuities’ but not much on this new work. Even when there are no rhythms and the music is drone-like, it’s also a different ambient sound. ‘Continuity VIII (The Silverbird)’, for instance, has a metallic ring from various sound effects. One could call this the uneasy side of ambient music, but, mind you, this is not an industrial form of ambient music. Using almost solely synthesisers, the music has a certain cleanness, not the gritty and dirty rumbling one has with ambient industrial music. Is it pleasant music? I have a hard time making up my mind. The church-like organ drones, the steadfast minimalism, the repeating loop-like synthesiser sounds all sound dark and dystopian, with a particular menace to it. And yet, it wouldn’t function as a soundtrack as such, being a bit too static at times. I also admit these are all reasons to like the music, which I did. I guess it comes down to sounding all a bit different, something of his own, rather than copying some template ambient sound. (FdW)
––– Address: https://eetapes.bandcamp.com/

LEIF ELGGREN – SHEAKESPEARE, SHAKESPEARE, SHAKESPEARE (CD by Firework Edition)

In November 1977, Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges was in Washington to give a lecture about William Shakespeare. Borges was nearly blind, helped on stage and talked for an hour. Still, the audience could only understand the words ‘Shakespeare, Shakespeare, Shakespeare’ as the author was too far from the microphone. No one dares to step and correct the situation. He spoke for an hour and got a roaring ovation. The lecture is called ‘The Riddle Of Shakespeare’, so maybe we already know everything there is to know about him, and nothing else than his name needs to be said. Leif Elggren attempts to recreate/interpret (his words) what happened that night, and he does that uniquely. I haven’t heard a recording of the original, nor am I particularly interested, as I found this already fascinating enough. I have no idea how far Elggren is from the microphone, but other words and sounds he produces are not to be understood, and maybe he applies some electronic process, a vocoder, or something else to alter his voice. Now and then, we hear the name of the famous English playwright, and that’s it, for one hour and 30 seconds—fascinating music/spoken word/sound poetry, whatever approach you want to take here. At the same time, it’s easy to see someone would be highly annoyed with this music, as in terms of pure entertainment, this might not function as well as it does at a work of conceptual art. I had never heard of the Borges lecture and while I read online various accounts and explanations (being a reason to stay from the original), I found this quite captivating. It’s not something I would play daily or even weekly, but something to return to whenever the mood is there to hear something very much ‘out there’. (FdW)
––– Address: https://www.fireworkeditionrecords.se/

ZALHIETZLI – ÉTREINTE (CD by Krim Kram Records)
ZHENG HAO – BREAKS (CD by Krim Kram Records)
MEILT – JASU JEST (cassette by Krim Kram Records)

From the high-quality consistency, Krim Kram labels another batch of noise, outsider improvisations and tape noise—the noise end comes via ‘Étreinte’ by Zalhietzli, the music project of French artist Jean-Baptiste Lévêque. Following cassette releases I didn’t hear of on labels such as Satatuhatta, Narcolepsia, and Bent Window Records, this is his first CD release. In the noisy kitchen, he cooks with tapes, effects, microphones, junk metal and a computer. While one could say harsh noise is indeed what the goes after, it’s at the same time not the mind-blown distorted blow of the ‘no change approach’. As I said, I don’t know his other work, but listening to the four pieces spanning forty-plus minutes, I’d say he puts some thought into his approach. Consider his approach to a composition, for instance, going from one sound to the next, how much metal he needs, versus how much feedback or synthesisers. Sometimes, there is that direct rumble of contact microphones upon rusty metallic surfaces, meaning a hands-on approach, and some lazy, let’s kick some pedals around and sit back what feedback builds up because that’s what feedback does. ‘Part III’ uses a bit more synthesiser sounds, while in ‘Part II’, there are undoubtedly more metallic sounds and harsh noise. But as with all things noise, if there’s an idea, a sense of composition, and some variation, I am easily pleased, and Zalhietzli indeed passed the test, and this is my noise highlight of the week.
Originally from Wuhan but based in London these days is Zheng Hao, also performing with various duos such as Oishi (with Ren Shang) and ECM (with Joseph Khan). The title of the first piece, ‘No-string Guitar’, may hint at some conceptual improvised music, but Hao does something else. I am unsure, but the text talks about “rhythmic patterns from dusty potentiometers and dirty electronic circuits in modular synthesis improvisation”, making me think this is some modular set-up. There is an improvised element in Hao’s approach to the machines at hand. Krim Kram refers “possibly” to Jake Meginsky and Voice Crack, and I certainly see a reference to the latter. ‘Breaks’, as the release title, reflects the delicate nature of the electronica being handled here. Very much liemVoice Crack’s ‘cracked everyday electronics’. A noisy approach to the whole electro-acoustic music often takes on a more careful approach. Zheng Hao’s music bursts and cracks are also part of the noise scene, but living in a different room than Zalhietzli. Here, the broken-up sound is volatile; no metal plates are crushed unless they go straight into the modular electronics and get a twice-over right from the start. Zalhietzli is quieter than Zalhietzli, but at times most certainly quite chaotic at 30 minutes with the proper length.
Just under 20 minutes we find the music on Meilt on a cassette. This is a new collaboration between Dressing and Uoerhe. The latter seems a new name to me (I might be wrong), and I reviewed a CD by Dressing, one of the first releases by Krim Kram. Here, the label references “Hands To, Yeast Culture, early Small Cruel Party”, which I can see, having heard quite a bit of those back in the day. They also use the word ‘murky’, exactely what this is. Whatever they do regarding tape manipulation, erasing tapes, using odd positions of microphones or Dictaphones, glueing bits of tapes together. What they do in this department, there isn’t much in the way of details here. They go for a mid to dark-range frequency spectrum, and everything is challenging to recognise, and I assume that’s precisely the kind of thing they’re after. Each contains two tracks, separated by a short break, so it also sounds like a tape error, adding to the fun of being a lo-fi tape collage. This was a most enjoyable release, if not too short. This lo-fi tape-mangling, slightly dystopian may last an hour for all I care, so let’s hope they come up with something longer very soon. (FdW)
––– Address: https://krimkram.bandcamp.com/

HALCYON DAZE – THE PELICAN (CD by Klanggalerie)

Recorded after the high school graduation of two of the band members on eight track in 2016, this was to be the first release by Halcyon Daze, then quite active in the Twin Cities music scene. Unfortunately there was no money to put the record out. Eight songs, seven originals and a cover of Mbaye Sasu, a seventies jazz funk track from Senegalese band Le Xalam. Halcyon Daze were a quintet : Samuel Stroup (drums, cymbal), Nicholas Christenson (electric bass, guitar), Ivan Cunningham (sax) and George Adzick (woodwinds (tenor sax, flute)). First track has a very nice fuzz bass in it, after an intro with two saxes.
All the songs are focused on melody and groove and played with infectious enthusiasm. For fans of the Lounge Lizards, with whom Chris Cunningham, Ivan’s dad and recording engineer for this release, has played. (MDS)
––– Address: https://klanggalerie.bandcamp.com/

ISOLATED COMMUNITY – THE ROCK, THE WATCHER, THE STRANGER (CDR by Northumberland Audio Capture)

In a short time frame, the duo Isolated Community released six albums. I reviewed the last one in Vital Weekly 1337 almost two years ago. Richard Dunn and Rachael Talbot Dunn play various instruments, but this new album seems to be using more electronics, synthesisers and “the occasional voice sample”. Also, there are “processed field recordings from Northumberland and Cumbria”. Like I did with the previous release, here’s a spoiler alert: I love their music. The two-year gap saw them moving from the more full-on use of instruments, delays and such, capturing a massive sound, at times resembling the earlier Zoviet France music, into something more stripped down, sparser and isolated. “Trying to avoid the crowds who are trying to avoid the crowds”, is what they state on Bandcamp, which means no world domination for this duo, and I am sure they love their splendid isolation. Another name mentioned last time was Idea Fire Company, and I can see that even more on this new album. The Zoviet France influence seems less (or even gone), and each of these eight pieces is a slow burner of droney synth tones, samples of rusty fences or the slow thud of a bass synth such as ‘Empty Valley’. The music has that intimate sound, even more so than before. I do not know if they record everything through a mixing desk, but some of this stuff has that roomy quality (another resemblance with the music of Idea Fire Company). As before, and even stronger this time, is that the music has that cinematographic quality; ‘Go On Singing’ features the voice of Orson Welles, so this duo may also strongly feel their work would work in the way of a soundtrack. Sometimes, the music takes on a slightly abstract feel, but traces of melodies are never far away. Simple melodies, repeating slow lines on top of murky drones. Alright, they do great music, avoiding crowds all around, but to what end? You can’t keep doing this thing solely for your own pleasure. Why not conquer the world with great music? (FdW)
––– Address: https://isolatedcommunity.bandcamp.com/

NOISE HANGOVER – THE END OF EVERYTHING (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Recordings)

Who is Noise Hangover? And why is this project named after the ‘not so fun’ state after too much drinking? It’s not bad at all! Actually, I kinda like it. So yeah, another few 3″ CDs of Inner Demons Records are getting reviewed in this week’s Vital and “The End of Everything” by Noise Hangover is the first. Two tracks of about nine minutes of loads of feedback and noises create a not-so-subtle pain you have to listen to. It seems like a minimal crunchy setup going into a looped / feedback circuited some nice textures are being created.
“No future” has a lot of incoherent structures over a constant square wave drone, and for the noizn00b, not much is happening, but at a certain point, I even got lost in the difference of origin of the sounds. What is feedback, what is the source, what is happening, where and more critical why … The track end is a state of ‘no future’ indeed. Everything has happened already, so the ending is the actual part where the future has been cancelled, and all machines slowly wind down. The second track, ‘The End of Everything’, is a loud, in-your-face HNW with a few breaks and moments of not clarity but destruction. It’s a straightforward production; all sounds are strong in the panorama and have their spot in the composition.
So the question with which we started is still a puzzle. Bandcamp says it’s an artist from South Korea, and this is definitely NOT a state of hangover; it’s the thrill of being drunk, if any. I suspect the hangover will start when this one stops playing and the silence hits. (BW)
––– Address: https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/

FABIO KEINER – BATTLE HYMN (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Recordings)

Experimental music is a method of bringing over a message like no other form of music. Sure, it also happens in other music; think of hip-hop and NWA or Public Enemy. But stating you’ve learned about something while listening to Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift? Not really. This doesn’t say anything about their art form; it’s just different. Experimental music leaves space for conceptualizing ideas and incorporating a message into the art. And as we’ve learned, Inner Demons is a label that feels strongly about particular politics and injustice in this world. So does Austrian artist Fabio Keiner, whom I’ve never heard of before, by the way.
‘Battle Hymn’ is a 21-minute 3″ CDR. I’m blatantly gonna copy the promo here: ‘These three tracks are a rendition of Julia Ward Howe’s famous ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’ (so often misappropriated by the most diverse political forces for their own purpose) as a short tribute to the spirit of the fight against slavery and racism; a fight which still is raging in the US as well as the rest of the world.’ So yeah, the message is strong, even if the music is – in this case – absolutely not noise-related. But to have a strong message, you don’t need harsh music.
‘Truth is Marching On’, ‘Shall Never Call Retreat’ and ‘Let Us Die to Make All Free’ are lush ambient tracks, but I couldn’t tell you the production behind them. It can be anything, to be honest. From meticulously performed granular synthesis to some synth composition to improvisation in a complex studio to even endless writing on a laptop in some software environment. I have no clue! That in itself is what makes it interesting for me because I always try to find the origin of sounds just to be able to learn. So, Fabio taught me twice on this one: Political knowledge and exploring the origin of the sounds he used. Which I’m still trying to find after several listening sessions, by the way. (BW)
––– Address: https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/

FFI DIGITAL – 180119​.​3 (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Recordings)

FFI Digital is a side project from the man behind Inner Demons, Dan Fox. At some point, he started the project as a completely different approach to the projects he had as an “everything in the box”, all digital, only the sounds leave the computer, the rest … All zeroes and ones. So it’s hard for me to tell you what I’m hearing or how it’s created. It can range from plugins in a DAW to MaxMSP patches to super collider to basically any software generating sounds or adapting them in any form. It’s all in the master’s mind; for us, it’s the journey he gives us.
This double 3″ brings us 40 minutes of noise: the 10-minute ones and a 20-minute one with all titles related to project numbers or dates. ‘180119G’ contains some harsh, high-pitched frequency terror close to what an HNS can be. Intrusive and obnoxious, precisely what it should be. Hypnotizing and leaving you in a weird trance-like state. ‘180119H’ is an experiment with crunchy rhythmic structures. Compared to the previous track, there’s nothing extreme; it’s more like some laidback noise, nothing too complex. Slowly generating and manipulating – or playing with – accents in the rhythm. And “180119ACEGRMXB’ on the second disc is loud. It’s the same structure as the first track but has added feedback loops in the used mixers. So, the manipulated noise goes back and forth into the mix through the compression techniques, and the result is super dynamic.
If this sounds like you could like it, head over to the IDR band camp because this project already has ten releases waiting for you! I played Pokemon, and I caught them all 😉 (BW)
––– Address: https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/

BRYN WYRD – L​.​A. CRAB (cassette by Aphelion Editions)

Contrary to what one may think, Bryn Wyrd isn’t one person but a Bristol-based duo “with strong Midlands roots”, whatever that means. They are Anthony Brown (Repo Man / Iceman Furniss Quintet / Swelt) on upright bass and Aron Ward (Harpoon / Olanza / Repo Man) on assorted electronics, drum machines and effects. There are no less than 17 tracks on this cassette, spanning some 66 minutes of music. It’s altogether a strange affair. It’s almost as if they wanted to decide on something other than one style. Throughout, improvisation is their guide, but drum machines and effects are not very common instruments in that particular musical area. When the music becomes too much improvisation, such as in ‘Gabble’, I find it too long to be interesting. The lengthier pieces on this cassette are the least interesting ones, and that includes “Bryn Wyrd’s vitriolic attempt at releasing a ‘hit’”, as the label describes ‘1978 I Guess’, with spoken word samples by Phil Collins, which could have been cut in half. Sometimes, the music takes on more of an old-school industrial feeling, like that Collins piece (even when too long), and I am more interested. For instance, the short ‘Chief’s Rush (Ostalgik)’, with its up-tempo rhythm and fast-paced bass, works very well. It has that kind of techno-like feeling even when none of the music here is made for use on the dancefloor. I find it not easy to make up my mind about this cassette. Some of this I enjoy a lot, and some, sadly the longer piece, drag on for too long. Good or bad, yin or yang, in or out, I don’t know. This is undoubtedly the place if you want to hear a curious, different kind of improvisation. (FdW)
––– Address: https://aphelioneditions.bandcamp.com/

PASCAL BATTUS – ORGAN ZENITHAL (cassette by Interstellar Records)

Like the previous release I reviewed from Pascal Battus, his latest is another excursion in using cymbals, but this time, they are the sole sound source. On ‘Cymbale Ouverte’ (Vital Weekly 1328) it was cymbals in combination with guitar, percussion and electronics, but now it’s all about cymbals. By using multitrack recordings, it all sounds more than just cymbals. First of all, I have no idea how Battus plays his cymbals. With a bow or, perhaps, with some electric device to set the surface in motion? My guess is that it’s both that and, who knows, whatever else comes to mind. By setting the cymbals in action, there is a ringing, feedback-like sound, and while at times piercing, I don’t believe Battus wants to play noisy music. I see this more along the lines of drone music and from a more acoustic perspective. He may use amplification, allowing for feedback to enter the melee, but here, too, noise isn’t the goal. Battus’ music never stays too long in the same place and constantly changes, even when on a minor level. With various breaks in the music on the first side, Battus suggests we have various pieces or songs here, and there is one long one on the second side. I also found the music on the first side very much one thing, one composition, with a few breaks in there to grasp for some air. I thought this to be quite powerful music. Something that in a concert situation would be even more powerful, but crancking up the volume at home does, more or less, the same trick. I found this drone/noise work of particular interest because of its (seemingly) acoustic proportions, stepping away from the more common electronic approach. (FdW)
––– Address: https://www.interstellarrecords.at/

OTHER ROOMS (compilation cassette by Mainstream & Imaginary North)

As I am playing the ‘Other Rooms’ compilation, I think the last time I loved compilations was in the mid-1990s, during what we went to call ambient house. It was great to discover new artists. It could be because Erin Corbett’s opening piece sounded like something that could have been on one of those compilations. Ben McCarthy and Cale Weir (“aka Tax Heaven, ala Compact Fade”) run a bi-monthly event for experimental and ambient music and have a label called Mainstream, which hooked up with Imaginary North, a label from Toronto, to showcase the ambient talents they have. None of the ten names mean anything to me, but on this fine Sunday morning, the ambient music by new names is all that matters. That first one sounded very 1995, but various other pieces have a more timeless ambient approach. Say when Brian Eno did this in the late 1970s, or multiple drone composers these days. Some, like the opening sound of Carson Tiel’s piece, take on a more electro-acoustic, experimental approach, but nowhere does the music go into something all too noisy. It’s great to have some variation here, including some freer, jazzy improvisation by Tax Heaven. Among these ten pieces, there isn’t a particular stand out, nor one that is a letdown or too much out of place. My favourite is Fan Wu & Kohen Hammond’s ‘For You To Ride’, with guitars, field recordings and spoken word, effectively creating a small dramatic piece. Runner up is the slightly more experimental and more spoken words by Grace Scheele, whose ‘I can only understand in snippets and snapshots (short version)’ is like a radio play in the style of Dominique Petitgand. Gentle music at the start of a gentle spring day; that’s how I like these best. (FdW)
––– Address: https://paleeyesmusic.bandcamp.com/album/other-rooms-mainstream-x-imaginary-north

ANDREAS DAVIDS – 5 STUNDEN (USB/Download by Drama Recorder)

Only a few weeks ago, I reviewed “The Inability to Be Happy” by Andreas Davids (Vital 1430). I wrote, ‘It’s not ambient as we know it, it’s not noise, it’s weird and experimental, and it has a beautiful flow’. It is no different on this release – five tracks of exactly one hour. It’s even more experimental and droney than ‘The Inability’, partially because Andreas took those 5 hours to let emotions and sounds take place in the compositions. So before we continue to review, let me state that this is a great release I like.
“5 Stunden” is triggered by a series of events surrounding the illness and passing of Andreas’ mother in 2017. From that period, the number five stuck in Andreas’ head, and he felt the need to do something with it. Next to be creative also to commemorate his mother and to find closure. So let me state the obvious that a lot of musicians have been triggered and inspired by the loss of a loved one. And yes, me too. So what Andreas does is not new, but it’s so damn personal. I almost feel guilty having to write that I like it or don’t like it. I mean, it’s his feeling, his personal journey towards closure, and he wants to share it with the world. What is there to like or not to like? There is only to be respect.
Five tracks of exactly an hour. Can that be interesting? Does it remain interesting when you play it? Isn’t it a full overkill of confrontational emotions? Yes on all of that. But at the same time, there is more then enough variation also to remain intriguing. Sure, there are fragments or phrases in the drones that may feel like they’re going on a bit too long, but that’s drones. As long as there is movement and the sonic structures are constantly interacting, it’s all good in my ears. I’ve been playing these tracks in a loop for a few days while I was working on things, and each time, I kept hearing new things. The general feeling the tracks generated for me was ‘hypnotic’ and ‘stasis’, and within a trance-like state of mind, I could keep on doing my things with some continuously moving sonic background.
The first hour has quite a robust and noisy layer in there. When the noise gets filtered a repetitive structure enters the composition, but this part is the most intrusive of the lot. The second hour reminded me a bit of zoviet:france. Not the highly experimental works, but the nothingness of some of their work, Like ‘What Is Not True’. The third one continues with that atmosphere, but more harmonics get added in synth sounds. Something that would perfectly fit a label like Cyclic Law or early Cold Meat. The fourth hour is super minimal and actually only has two states of ‘being’: the repetitive structure in the beginning and, after half an hour, the resonance-driven ambient harmonic structure. It’s super minimal but very strong. The fifth and final hour of “5 Stunden” is probably the most formed and crystallized at moments harmonic and even orchestral.
And then suddenly, five hours have passed. And you know you’ve heard something personal and unique. But you can’t remember that first hour, so you press play again. It’s what I did. So there’s no shame in that. It’s a significant release, and even when it’s strange to rate things as stated earlier, that 2nd hour is my favourite. (BW)
––– Address: https://dramarecorder.bandcamp.com/

1. charnelground.label@gmail.com

Crude Transmissions III: Festival of Noise & Heavy Electronics:

On the 25th and 26th of may Charnel Ground returns to Resistor and the Troef gallery in Leiden, Netherlands for 2 days of noise, drone and heavy electronics featuring 15 projects from the United Kingdom, Australia, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Poland, United States and the Netherlands. With 18 performances taking place in total and the addition of the C.R.U.D.E. exhibition on saturday and sunday this marks the fests first edition with a 2 day program.

Line up saturday May 25th:

Psychward (AU)
Urall (BE)
Fleshlicker (UK)
Kastrata (PT)
Svartvit (NL)
Jonathan Bergen (DE)
Viimeinen (UK)
Awenydd (NL)
Knifedoutofexistence (UK)
Snake Oil Merchants (BE/US/NL)
Birthed (NL)
Dystopian Control (PL)
Sumnja (DE)

Door Resistor: 16:00
Ticket: 10€

Door exhibition at Troef: 14:00 – 18:00

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/crude-transmissions-iii-festival-of-noise-heavy-electronics-tickets-811232236457

Line up sunday May 26th:

Les Horribles Travailleurs (NL)
Kastrata (PT)
Jonathan Bergen (DE)
Knifedoutofexistence (UK)
Hesker (NL)

Door exhibition at Troef: 14:00 – 18:00
Ticket: On Donation

For more info visit: www.resistor.nl