Number 232

A\H – HAM-017-CDR/HAM-017-MP3 (CDR by Some Place Else)
DUAL – CASTE (CD by Cee)
NOMEX – ARE YOU ANYTHING MORE THAN JUST A PRODUCT OF YOUR INFLUENCE
(12″ by Adverse)
ADVERSE 9 (LP by Adverse)
STAINER BLACK FIVE – TRAIN TRACKS (7″ by Argot)
AYR UNIT (CDR by Mouthmoth)
C4I – COPENACRE (CD by Staalplaat)

A\H – HAM-017-CDR/HAM-017-MP3 (CDR by Some Place Else)
As the title implies this CD-R is also available through the
internet, or better: the CDR is used to promote the website, but it
has an extra track. The two previous CDR only releases, from the same
label, were well received in the clickworld of microwave. And beyond
(or back?): the first track is a nerving piece of analogue synths
bouncing against eachother. With the next three tracks, all around
3-5 minutes (these first four are on MP3 too), we are in more
familiar territory again, with reverbered beats and small bass sounds
against high pitched tones. After these four (in total 16 minutes),
we get the bonus of the CDR version, which lasts 46 minutes! Starting
with a simple bass tone, that walks from the left channel to the
right channel, with a slowly increasing delay and opening of synth
filters. As this goes on, you don’t realize that the entire very
slowly changes and a buzzing bee drone takes over. That lulls you to
sleep but more insects come in to keepp you awake. This piece is much
harking back to industrial days then anything else. For it’s length
and ideas it’s not a brilliant piece, and could have been on any CDR
(or cassette ages ago), good moments pass and dull moments seem to
have a too long course. (FdW)
Address: www.kaaos.org

DUAL – CASTE (CD by Cee)
Dual kick around for some time now, but so far they released only
some limited 7″s and cassettes. “Caste” is also limited, but 500
copies may reach a few more people then 100 7″s. Dual, Colin Bradley
and Julian Coope, play both guitar in the usual isolationist vein…
that sounds more negative then it is ment. Over a period of 5 years,
they worked on six of ambient guitarscapes, but Dual uses a much more
rhythmic approach. Of course there is the violin bow on the snares,
but underneath small, repeated ants life and once they come out, it’s
a crowded house. Since the ambience inhabited by Dual is much more
raw and unpolished (resembling more an empty factory building then a
clean room in your house), it reminded me of Maeror Tri, who beared
the same roughness, paired with ambiences and dark spaces. When Dual
gets a bit more bumpy I was thinking of zoviet*france, the old loop
stuff. In effect Dual combines two of my favourite bands and still
have something unique of their own. Their experimentation never goes
out of control or over the top. They keep their pieces within
reasonable length and there is lots of variety to be noted. Hopefully
Dual will be around a little bit more.
Address: www.dual.co.uk

NOMEX – ARE YOU ANYTHING MORE THAN JUST A PRODUCT OF YOUR INFLUENCE
(12″ by Adverse)
ADVERSE 9 (LP by Adverse)
STAINER BLACK FIVE – TRAIN TRACKS (7″ by Argot)
Three new releases from the small, yet conceptually widely aclaimed
Adverse label, in which noise and art meet.
Only recentely I gave away my 78 RPM record set with built-in speaker
to a DJ named DJ Go Home, who spins with these machines his set of
70s disco (along side with DJane, who spins 80s music – I am not
joking). Now I regret this, since the playback of this record
requires both 78 and 16 RPM. Remove the low end at 16 RPM and the
high end at 78 RPM… Now that concludes my review? Alright, I’ll
give a try at 45 and 33 RPM, and hopefully catch some impression.
Needles to say my needle almost broke: this record also plays inside
out. Nomex plays noise, I told you this before. The thunderous clouds
inhabited on this record make no difference on 45 or 33, it remains a
noisy beast throughout. This is what you call a good, yet not
spectactular record.
Nothing more true then ‘Adverse 9’ being the only underground record
this year. It contains processed recordings of bones and skulls found
in the Paris’ catacombe’s (if ever you are in Paris, visit this. It’s
open for tourists – even when this record was recorded in a closed
part of the catacombe). Music made with bones started early with the
imitation bones of Saint-Saens in his Dance Macabre (in ‘Festival des
Animeaux’) and more recent Metgumnerbone, who were sent to prison for
grave digging to get their instruments and of course Zero Kama (whose
concerts didn’t see any bones, but all the more blood). The
recordings presented here are’t so much pieces of music, aswell as
environmental recordings, an overall impression of going through
stacks of skulls. Excellent ambience stuff to DJ with on your not so
ordinary party. The cover mentions four titles, but I couldn’t detect
more then 1 per side. Very nice stuff.
Musicians like trains, and the 21st century is no different then the
20th or the 19th. Honegger and Dvorak listened extensively the sound
of trains passing. There are many recordings available of the many
different train sounds. The two tracks on this 7″ are made using
recordings of trains, but it’s unclear to me wether Stainer Black
Five uses his own recordings, or that of others. There is indeed a
narrative story to these tracks, certainly on ‘Trains In Trouble’ –
even when it remains unclear what the trouble is (no spoken words
here, like on ‘Runaway Train’). The flip emphasis more the rhythmical
aspects of trains and have a steady beat. From my judgement these are
not very recent train recordings, but that makes it all the more a
nice item. (FdW)
Address: <nomex@adverse.demon.co.uk>

AYR UNIT (CDR by Mouthmoth)
A new short (23 minute) release on Mouthmoth, that small label for
the love of fine electronic music. Although the three tracks are
credited to one band, Ayr Unit, it sounds like a compilation. The
first tracks – all with insane long titles, so I will not repeat
those – is a 10 minute drone piece of layered strings and ebows that
take off into space halfway through. The second piece is a post rock
piece, like Tortoise or Trans AM. Sweet melancholical tinkling of the
guitar and far away swoops of electronica. Slick stuff. Least
favourite was the last track with it’s heavy break beats that break
through after a nice two minute intro (in which elements of the first
tracks play their part). I’d love to hear more of Ayr Unit doing
either post rock or drone rock and the beats they could switch off.
Very nice, very short… (FdW)
Address: <mouthmoth@hotmail.com>

C4I – COPENACRE (CD by Staalplaat)
With C4I standing for Command, Control, Communications, Computing and
Intelligence, the subject field on this album are not to be mistaken. As
a joint venture between Joe Banks (a.k.a. Disinformation), Ashley Davies
(of Project Dark) and John Everall (Tactile, Coil etc.), C4I is a very
strong team of commanders taking control on this sonic journey into the
world of the abandoned navy testing facility, named “Copenacre Quarry”.
Subdued noise drones sprinkled with steel clanks, ripping sheets of
metal and other elements of industrial sounds, creates a massive
foundation to this album of machinery ambient-scapes. Musically
“Copenacre” floats in the space between cold industrial, less assaultive
noise and darker side of ambient. The three audio operators of C4I have
build an uncompromising sound engine attaching the listener to the
gloomy days of military warfare.