RADBOUD MENS – LIVE 1998-1999 (CD-R by ERS)
ASMUS TIETCHENS – MONOGRAPHIE (Book and 3″ by Auf Abwegen)
FENNESZ/O’ROURKE/REHBERG – THE MAGIC SOUND OF FENNO’BERG (CD by Mego)
FRANCISCO LOPEZ – UNTITLED #89 (CD by OR)
MOTHBALLS VOL.1 (7″ compilation by Mouthmoth Records)
RADBOUD MENS – LIVE 1998-1999 (CD-R by ERS)
The concerts of Radboud Mens are more than anything a physical experience:
he cranks his sound up to a loudness level which hurts the stomach.
Frequencies that penetrate mind and body. To classify his music as
‘industrial’ doesn’t justify it, because it’s more. Each of the live tracks
presented here start with a simple pulse, a groove or a single sound that
is fed through a bunch of guitar effects and a mixing board. Soon a wall of
noise fills the concert hall. We can wonder what remains after it’s being
recorded with a microphone inside the concerthall and transformed to a CDR.
A lot still, but not the complete picture. You can’t play it at home at the
same volume level as mister Mens does at his concerts – or at least I can’t
(I do have neighbours), so you’re bound to miss something. The trance
element, the physical hurt element misses here, so that some of the tracks
are a bit long (although that might be called psychedelica?). However if
you want to get a good picture of what he does before hiring him in on a
party, then this might be a good intro.
Address: <ers@staalplaat.com>
ASMUS TIETCHENS – MONOGRAPHIE (Book and 3″ by Auf Abwegen)
I think Asmus Tietchens is THE most underrated person in electronic music.
Period. No argument. Being active since 34 years in recording electronic
music, with an extensive discography and still little recognition (hello
The Wire: here’s somebody whose got something to say!). The good thing is
that I am not the only one. The nice people from Auf Abwegen thought it to
be necessary to publish a whole book on Asmus. These are the times I praise
myself lucky to read German, as a major part is in German only – the
interesting part, I’d say: it’s a whole chapter with Asmus speaking on a
variety of topics (mostly music related) and discussing albums and
techniques. It’s very easy written stuff, very down to earth, just like
Asmus is. Then is there is a much more theorectical piece on his music (the
only that is in both German and Ennglisch), which is nice but less for me.
Also in English is an extensive discography, which seems rather complete.
That is a sad thing, because I discovered some things I do not have. One of
things I missed in his list of works in a one hour radio play Tietchens
recorded for Dutch radio about 9 years ago. That was never released, but it
made me wonder if there are more of these special commisions that Asmus
did. But that’s the trouble with books like this: the information is
already ‘old’ when it’s published. It might be a good thing if Auf Abwegen
devoted parts of theirr website for updates.
And of course a book like this should come with a CD, in this case a 3″ CD.
The four tracks are made with a synthesizer (from which there is a line
directly from Tietchens four album for Sky Records to the 10″ on The Bog to
this). Yet these four are far removed from the Sky Records: very abstract
pieces with drones and oscillations. Sparse by evocative and of course they
sound very much like Tietchens. So what more do we want? (besides a book on
Organum, The Hafler Trio and The Haters and the Asmus Tietchens tribute CD)
(FdW)
Address: <info@aufabwegen.com>
FENNESZ/O’ROURKE/REHBERG – THE MAGIC SOUND OF FENNO’BERG (CD by Mego)
The lap-top generation is slowly beyond it’s childhood and growing into
adulthood. The Mego-clan, TV Pow, Mikeal Stavostrand, Z. Karkowski: their
work gets lots of attention and they manage to play a lot of concerts. The
problem with concerts like these, is that the improv element is very high,
so that good moments in their sets go with moments of searching for a
groove. So when I received this CD, I had my doubts. Nothing of
reservations I had proved right. Peter Rehberg, Christian Fennesz and Jim
O’Rourke didn’t just put one show on CD, but the edited the best elements
of various concerts (and they played a lot of them in 1998 and 1999) into a
very nice eight track CD. In their lap-tops they play released CD’s (mostly
popmusic) and use whatever programm is hot at the moment (I am clueless on
the technical side of course). All I know is that you can edit and
transform music in real time, as it is playing. There are recognizable
instruments in here, aswell as scratching the surface and noisy bits. Piece
the resistance for me is the final ‘Fenn O’Berg Theme’ with its orchestral
theme and small noisy bits. Maybe a cliche track but I really don’t mind.
Very nice CD! (FdW)
Address: www.mego.at
FRANCISCO LOPEZ – UNTITLED #89 (CD by OR)
The new Lopez arrived. Again one long track that flows and flows. It’s
almost ambient music, but the one that was recorded in a factory (having
said that: it’s probably the sound of ants working their ass of, or any
other recording from nature). In the course of the hour that this CD lasts,
minimal changes occur, usually in the EQ of the tracks. Either you dive
deep into this, or it doesn’t mean a thing. Me I belong to the first group.
And to those who wonder: this belongs to the more audible work of Senor
Lopez. (FdW)
Address: http://www.touch.demon.co.uk/or.html
MOTHBALLS VOL.1 (7″ compilation by Mouthmoth Records)
Heavily limited 7″ of ‘dance’ music by four different bands, which are all
unknown to me. Frog Pocket plays a nice melody over beats that sound too
fast (but the cover tells me to spin this at 45 rpm!) but that do make
sense. Ayr Unit is much more raw and sounds like recorded in a rock bands
rehearsal room, but certainly got something of their own. Asterisk’s track
is down tempo with piano sounds and is rather at a moody atmosphere. Sounds
like the best produced or the most experienced of the lot. Snotra just
discovered the tape-delay and speaks a poem and is the total opposite of
Asterisk’s production and experience. But 3 out 4 isn’t a bad score. And
grab them while they last. (FdW)
Address: www.geocities.com/mouthmoth