TONE LANGUAGE – PATIENCE IS THE KEY (CD by Korm Plastics)
CHRISTOF KURZMAN/BURKHARD STANGL – SCHNEE (CD by Erstwhile Records)
FLYING SAUCER ATTACK/MAIN/WHITE WINGED MOTH – MORT AUX VACHES (CD by
Staalplaat)
CHARLES HAYWARD/MICHEAL PRIME (12″ by Raft)
RAUM/B.C. GILBERT (7″ by Raft)
BRUTUM FULMEN – MOON BOOTS (7″ by Eggshell And Four Dead)
PUTTING THE MORR BACK IN MORRISSEY (2CD by Morr Music)
THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE INCIDENTAL (CD by GD Stereo)
MARC BEHRENS – LECTURE ON FEEDBACK (LP by Wachsender Process)
TONE LANGUAGE – PATIENCE IS THE KEY (CD by Korm Plastics)
The early 90’s was the heyday for chilling out to electronic journeys of
musical explorers. The KLF took us to the countryside on “Chill out” (1990)
while Irresistable Force reached even higher grounds on “Flying High”
(1993) and “Global Chillage” (1995). “Patience is the Key” belongs to the
same category of album hiding an incredible power of cosmic beauty. Imagine
yourself wandering around nighttime in the futuristic city of Blade Runner.
Tone Language is one third english represented by Lee Anthony Norris known
for his interesting work in “Metamatics” and “Nachtplank”. The other two
thirds of Tone language is japanese drum’n’bassists, Ichiro Taniguchi and
Kenji Taniguchi, of Reflection. Musically Tone Language sounds like jazz
organists in Jacob’s Optical Stairway aka 4Hero drinking tea with
ambient-maestro Aphex Twin and deep spacy chill-pilot Mixmaster Morris.
Soft and smoothy organ grooves waving back and forth to make this totally
relaxing image only further empowered by the gently tones of
guitar-strumming. Echoed bleeps and bloinks creates a feeling of futuristic
space-ambient. A musical adventure that will leave your room in a magic
state of emotion. (NMP)
Address: <mailorder@staalplaat.com>
CHRISTOF KURZMAN/BURKHARD STANGL – SCHNEE (CD by Erstwhile Records)
As modern technology penetrated the traditional world of music the battle
between acoustic guitar and electronic sound was introduced. That is the
actual concept behind Schnee, created by the two german composers Christof
Kurzman and Burkhard Stangl. Despite the conceptual idea, the two
experimentalist manage to make the two musical medias work beautifully
together instead of battling each other. As the album begins the electronic
sounds operate as a multilayered foundation for the colourful creation of
weird guitar-strummming. After some time a more free-jazzy guitar-freakout
are suppressed to the lower layer while the electronic experiments, ranging
from bouncy bass-line to subtle elements of digital noise and power
electronics, rush out to the front of the sound picture. If you’re looking
for the more “over the top”-type of music “Schnee” isn’t the place to be.
With its complex musical expression, the album needs a few listens before
the realms are opened. After that “Schnee” turns out to be a pleasant
listening experience. (NMP)
Address: <ErstRecs@aol.com>
FLYING SAUCER ATTACK/MAIN/WHITE WINGED MOTH – MORT AUX VACHES (CD by
Staalplaat)
Two ways going to space on this edition of Mort Aux Vaches. You can enter
the spacecraft of either of the representatives on the cd and beat your
opponents on the board-game that decorates the cd-sleeve. If you’re not in
the mood for playing war-games just lean back in your seat and let your
mind fly into deep space on this very fascinating musical work based on
different approaches to guitar-acrobatism. Flying Saucer Attack opens the
show with the most classical angle to the six-string. Despite the
artist-name, Dave Pearce is everything else but attacking the listener.
With a comfortably silent guitar-picking he slowly floats on waves of spacy
ambient. As Main’s Robert Hampson take over, the atmosphere change from a
gentle towards a far more hostile. Like something is waiting to shock you
around the next corner, Main’s 15 minute long track keeps the intensity
with guitar-samples and cut-ups. Things get even more sinister as last
pilot take us to a strange sphere of dark ambient-scapes. Dean Roberts from
White Winged Moth holds you fast-seatened with a bizarre string-technic
that sometimes reminds a little of old Einstürzende Neubauten. After having
been through this one hour long journey, Flying Saucer Attack bring us back
to earth with some straight acoustic guitar-picking having the psychedelic
touch of earliest Pink Floyd. Yet another evidence of the very high
standard of “Mort Aux Vaches”. (NMP)
Address: <mailorder@staalplaat.com>
CHARLES HAYWARD/MICHEAL PRIME (12″ by Raft)
RAUM/B.C. GILBERT (7″ by Raft)
These Records may be an elistist affair, just as the company that they came
from, Recommended Records. But it’s a positive sort of elistism: they both
move away from the hype, the everyday madness and support on their labels
and distribution the things that the recommend. “These Records are good”,
could be their slogan. As a label, These Records have not been very active,
but that may chance with their new imprint Raft Recordings. The 12″ might
be an off-shoot of their never released Household Aplliance project. Both
sides uses the washing machine as the basic source. It’s interesting to see
what the difference can be – I mean in approach, not just the two washing
machines. Prime just takes the recording of one, puts it on his harddisc
and edits it, loops parts and puts it together like in a collage manner.
Very much present day sort of thing. Anyone under 40 would have done the
same thing (don’t put this down as negative criticism – it just says
something about the technology of today). Charles Hayward uses a recording
but he doesn’t seem to alter the sound itself, but rather adds his
melodica, percussion and keyboards to it. An entirely different approach
and result, but it makes this into an interesting record.
The other release is a 7″, and it deals also with environmental sound vs
the concept. Raum, a group of which nothing is revealed, play an empty
record and record the sound through the “vacOrec anti-static phono cleaner”
and add some reverb to it. The resultant is a sort of noisy, yet
microwavish music less the real beat thing.
The most famous of the quartet, Wire frontman Bruce Gilbert, has stuck his
minidisc inside a radiator, a plane (from the sound, no concorde) and it’s
ends with a bang. Speakerhum forms the backbone, but its a nice short
soundscape. This guy always changes places, so it’s somebody to follow.
He’s never were you expect him. (FdW)
Address: fax: + 44 20 7582 5278
BRUTUM FULMEN – MOON BOOTS (7″ by Eggshell And Four Dead)
I reviewed the Brutum Fulmen before from their various CDR releases. This
is their first vinyl, which is released in a small edition, of 100 copies.
Brutum Fulmen are a noise band, but one that think before acting (a
sometimes rare feature in noise music). Their prime sources for the three
tracks on this 7″ are ‘computer data files used as audio files. Additional
sources on III: metal shelving, chain, aluminum innards of an electric
radiator’. It sounds like a Karkowski treat, and to some extent it is as
dense as Karkowski’s work, but Brutum Fulmen arrive at a somewhat more
ambient sound, with those occassional outbursts of violent noise. Rather
then choosing an easy built up, Brutum Fulmen go from extreme noise to
extreme silence and then break the scenery apart. Collage is their power
here. (FdW)
Address: http://i.am/noisy
PUTTING THE MORR BACK IN MORRISSEY (2CD by Morr Music)
Occassionally I watch TV, and while zapping I see the TV channels that are
about populair music. Either my age has to do with it, or something really
changed, but somehow it all looks for the age of 10 or lower. I am
convinced popmusic is dead. On a sunny a CD like this drops in, and I am
convinced that popmusic is alive &… If you are follower labels such as
Earworm, Static Caravan or Awkward Silence will be familiar (I am just
mentioning three, but as a matter of fact my favourites), you know that
much is released on limited 7″s and an occasional LP or CD. I do realize
this is not an easy thing to follow if you are just mildly interested.
Luckily for you such fine labels as Morr Music exist. I think every band
that I recentely got on 7″ is here with a track, from Arovane to Solvent to
Styrofoam to E*Vax. And this, ladies and gentleman, is the future of
popmusic: working at home, on their computers, in combination with analogue
keyboards, drums, guitar and vocals (although these are kept to a absolute
minimum – hurray), naive settings are painted. Lushly and loosely melodies,
digital sound processing that is kept to an absolute minimum and an overall
smooth atmosphere. If much of today’s experimental is to inaudible, much
techno too much 4/4 and Britney Spears just a pair of tits, popmusic was
never so fresh as it was here. I am not sure if the label intends the same
impact as Morrissey had with The Smiths, but I sure hope they will gain as
much success.
And just for the record: one CD has original tracks by bands and the other
CD has remixes by other bands, some of which are on CD 1. Mildly confusing.
But if you are after the ‘clicks & cuts’ version of today’s pop
electronica, this is an absolute must. (FdW)
Address: www.morrmusic.com
THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE INCIDENTAL (CD by GD Stereo)
A while ago an interesting compilation was released with compostions based
on an abandoned McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn. Now the same artists are on
the same label, but with a different approach. Again the work with sounds
rom sites, but this time of their own choice. Loosely based on the
situationists ideas of the derive, “a drift, a rapid passage through urban
ambiances resulting in a sort of imaginary montage of sites, sights,
affects and concepts”. If you have ever stuck a microphone in the air,
anywhere is ok, you will have noticed that silence doesn’t exist. The
people on this disc have an extensive background in recording outdoor
sounds and treating them into music. In many cases it’s not necessary to
tell what the original sounds were, but that might just be the purpose.
Chop Shop creates a dense pattern of layered electronica sounds; same goes
for Sean Meehan’s track, whose poetics are in his title: ‘Everyday I Look
At Your Picture’. John Hudak samples the asphalt jungle a city is and
simply calls it ‘Asphalt’ – the no bullshit approach. Gen Ken’s track is
interesting because it layers voices from various environments together,
from plain dry to walking in a large hall. A strange and unsettling
atmosphere. Francisco Lopez plays the engine again, and he still a few
blocks away. Others involved are Pat Courtney, Brian Conley, If Bwana and
Geoff Dugan himself. Another interesting compilation of the slightly more
extreme soundscaping. (FdW)
Address: <jdpc@interport.net>
MARC BEHRENS – LECTURE ON FEEDBACK (LP by Wachsender Process)
One could wonder if fragile music produced by Marc Behrens (or Bernard
Gunter, Roel Meelkop etc.) should be released on such fragile media as
vinyl, or cassette. Unless of course it uses the medium as part of the
music, but with such strict composing blokes it’s rarely the case. The LP
in question here, sounds surprisingely clean. It’s a peep into the history
of Behrens, say before his career took off with the release of the CD by
Trente Oiseaux.
One side has four tracks of feedback music, music generated by feedback or
music composed with the use of feedback. Most composers of noise (either
audibl or inaudible) have a love-hate relationship with feedback sounds,
the unwanted byproduct of making music. There is a straight line from Jimi
Hendrix to Whitehouse to Arcane Device to Marc Behrens here. They are
particulary strong pieces of extreme sounds, but Behrens sets his
parameters well. It’s a play of extreme loudness, extreme softness.
The other side has five pieces using string sounds – piano, violin and
harpischord. Not the real things, but samples thereof. Even when these
pieces sound like the present-day sound processing of the fragile
composers, the samples are recognizable as such. The pieces are dark and
dense, maybe two features that are not common in Behrens’ present day work.
If you are keen to know the older work of Behrens then this isnt much of a
disapointment. (FdW)
Address: <gagarin@stora.de>