SINE FICTION – VOL 1: WE (online stuff at Notype)
MATRIX ASSIMILATION – ACID VAUDEVILLE (online stuff at Notype)
JAMES SCHIDLOWSKY – PREVIOUS>>NEXT (online stuff at Notype)
RYOJI IKEDA – MATRIX (2CD by Touch)
MET@MUSIC (CD compilation by Force Inc)
TOMAS JIRKU – SEQUINS (CD by Force Inc)
TERRE THAEMLITZ – INTERSTITICES (CD by Mille Plateaux)
FAGJAZZ (2CD by Comatonse Recordings)
ASCHE – DISTORTED DISCO (CD by Ant-Zen)
LANDING (CD compilation by Triton)
HEIMIR BJORGULFSSON – DISCREET JOURNEY DIGITALIS (CD by Ritornell)
K.C. ACCIDENTAL – ANTHEMS FOR THE COULD’VE BIN PILLS
SPARROW ORANGE – THE BEAUTY OF STRANGENESS
BEAUTIFUL NOISE
(all CD’s by Noise Factory)
SINE FICTION – VOL 1: WE (online stuff at Notype)
Sine Fiction presents minimal bleeps and rhythms, light as a feather. For
the most part it is pleasing to the ears but there are a few rough edges
too. Of the sort that scratch your ears. But three out of four compositions
are definitely worth checking out. They’re online and covered, as always,
by beautiful graphics from David Turgeon, maitre de site of Notype.com. (IS)
http://www.notype.com
MATRIX ASSIMILATION – ACID VAUDEVILLE (online stuff at Notype)
Matrix Assimilation presents music that could well be described as The
Residents (’70s version) for the 21st century. MA covers many musical
boundaries. This series of online compositions somehow relates to the 20s
and 30s bourgeois theatres. The style of music is complex and lyrical,
alternated by harshier stuff. Everything has a deliberate unprofessional
touch just like the majority of vaudeville artists had (although the
deliberateness must have been absent at the time). Not all of it is
briljant, and sometimes the Residents are too near. Still, you should
definitely give it a try if the fab four from Frisco appeal to you. (IS)
Address: http://www.notype.com
JAMES SCHIDLOWSKY – PREVIOUS>>NEXT (online stuff at Notype)
This is oldfashioned drone stuff with repeating samples. That’s a quick
description! Basically that’s what it is. But is it alright? Well, the
first two compositions are quite promising. But the other three just don’t
do it. Whereas the first two compositions are electronic quiet drones which
slowly modulate from low frequencies into something with a richer palette
(back and forth), the other three works are flat acoustic recordings (like
the engine of a plane in a work called ‘aeriala’). I think that some more
thinking of mr Schidlowsky might have resulted in better music. You can do
it, so do it! (IS)
Address: http://www.notype.com
RYOJI IKEDA – MATRIX (2CD by Touch)
Well finally the new awaited Ikeda CD. And a double one too. Disc one
“matrix[for rooms]” is specially designed to fill the listening space and
the listeners movements changes it into ones own intrapersonal music…
hmm. Well all I can hear is different perceptions (as how you move within
the listening space) of sinewaves layered over each other, and after a
while you get terribly tired of it. Very disapointing. Maybe this is a
trick from Ikeda, that ones you are famous you can pretty much get away
with bad work, if he would have put this one out instead of “+/-” at the
time might he perhaps have been written off simply as ‘not good’?
Anyway, disc two is”.matrix”. As disc one it is devided into ten bits. Here
we get more interesting stuff. The usual ‘totally cool man’ Ikeda rhythms,
with usage of some extreme frequencies in a modest way. Very enjoyable work
as a contrast to disc one. Although it is like you would expect, very
predictable. Nothing really new, just the same old style with some
tinylittle changes. Somehow I have grown to expect Ikeda not to take on any
adventurous steps, but I guess that’s how most people like him? (HB)
Address: <touch@touch.demon.co.uk>
MET@MUSIC (CD compilation by Force Inc)
TOMAS JIRKU – SEQUINS (CD by Force Inc)
Two manifestations of click house – the latest invention to sell music
under a new flag. Music marketing mechanisms remain the same.
Now what the fuck is click house about you may ask? It takes the glitchness
of microscopic mistakes but it is put against firm beats, directly inspired
from techno. Click house is much more suitable for dancefloors then the
clicks and pops of the microscenery. Of course one of the best things you
can do is getting a compilation like ‘Met@music’. Loaded to the top (over
79 minutes) with 14 artists, many of which have full length albums out (and
mainly on Force Inc or Mille Plateaux). Kit Clayton, Vladislav Delay, Auch,
Sutekh, Atlon Inc, Tomas Jirku, Twerk, Stewart Walker, *G*, Auftrieb, SRI,
Heckmann, Jake Mandell and Donnacha Costello present you their
interpretation of the new techno music. All tracks are good, some even
better (like Auch or *G*), without a particular standout piece. But as a
snapshot of talent a thing to get.
Tomas Jirku recentely presented his first CD on Alien8 (from his home land
Canada, as Jirku is not Vladislav Delay in a new guise) and has now
embarked for worldfame by going through Force Inc. This new work certainly
moves away from his previous, in this new light, more austere click work.
The rhythms are more machine derived than click induced. Nine lenghty, very
pleasent cuts, light space and ditto light keyboard touch. Even in the
sitting room nice music. No harm done here, not even in the five short
pieces which are noted by a star on the cover. They serve as counterpoints
and will raise an eyebrow or two. (FdW)
Address: www.force-inc.com
TERRE THAEMLITZ – INTERSTITICES (CD by Mille Plateaux)
FAGJAZZ (2CD by Comatonse Recordings)
Let me quote from the liner notes: “Interstitches is to outline the
relationship between my recurrent use of these processes and the intended
socio-analytical thematics of my compositions, while attempting to
complicate the formalist trappings of an ‘album about process’ which plague
so many digital synthesis and electroacosutique projects’. An album of
frames and samples, a whole collage of sounds, small clicks and
recognizable elements of jazz, rock etc. With 31 tracks, mostly around 1-3
minutes of fragmented sounds, it leaves the listener, well at least me,
without a handle to hold. It sort of moves around with sounds and ideas,
but there wasn’t a moment that could capture me. And reading the entire
liner notes also gave me some headache (not by content, just by print).
Sorry, pass on.
Fagjazz finds Terre Thaemlitz in a lot more musical areas. The first CD
collects the best (and in some cases unreleased) moments from various
Comatonse releases, Terre’s own label. There are seven cuts of laidback
tunes, which indeed carry an easy, jazzy feel to them. Easy listening music
over candle light.
This can also be said of disc two, which is an hour long improv in a radio
studio in Taiwan. But here Terre just uses keyboards and electronics, in
addition to others on bass, percussion and keyboards. Snippets of what was
previously on the tapes can also be heard and form a nice extra element.
This jazz jam floats even better. More of this Terre! (FdW)
Address: www.force-inc.com
Address: www.comatonse.com
ASCHE – DISTORTED DISCO (CD by Ant-Zen)
If any noise band will ever hit the main dance-floors of your city, it
could easily be German power electronics-duo Asche. In their very own way
Asche manage to put streams of crushing power electronics into a world of
hard punching, dance-able beats. Changing between blasting rhythm-texture
and static noise, “Distorted noise” are both fit for physical outburst and
for more reclined listening. After the slow dark ambient-opener “The sound
ov shell”, Asche quickly breaks the sound barrier with the EBM-oriented
piece “Kiss the whip”. After that, things begin to run really fast with
loads of electronic uproar sounding like a “go berserk”-session between
tech-noisist Imminent (a.k.a. Imminent Starvation) and electronic
rave-punks, Prodigy. If Asche’s harsh yet danceable power electronics
penetrates any local club, I will be the first on the floor. (NMP)
Address: www.ant-zen.com
LANDING (CD compilation by Triton)
This compilation is the result of a multi media event from 1999,
celebrating the moonlanding thirty years before. The CD reflects the audio
part and consists mainly of techno and noisy derivations of techno. Apart
from song titles, I fail to see a direct connection with the historical
event, but I must admit that the german language liner notes are not easy
to understand. All those implications (travel, colonization, media) are a
bit beyond me. There is pleasent easy techno stuff by Martinek & Schon,
noisy bits from Fon (the first one, the second one is more techno), Voice
Crack or the strange ambience of Graf and microwaves set forth by Pomassl
and Hammer. Apart from some known names, the majority isn’t really
well-known, making this compilation both an interesting thematic one,
aswell as an introduction to new names. (FdW)
Address: www.mdos.at
HEIMIR BJORGULFSSON – DISCREET JOURNEY DIGITALIS (CD by Ritornell)
Mister Bjorgulfsson is of course mostly known as one of the Stilluppsteypa
boys – Iceland’s underground lover boys, in exile in Europe. They all have
their solo projects, and while I haven’t heard the others, Heimir’s work is
closely related to that of the group. He takes whatever recording, I hear
through the grapevine that on this CD there are environmental recordings
from Iceland, puts it into his laptop and then the sounds are transformed n
what I could call the “usual” fashion. High end sounds, deep end bass,
crackles like old vinyl. It seems like I’m not enthusiastic, but this is
actually a very nice CD. There are lots of small details, the tracks are
relatively short and do not drag on and there is tension and suspense
throughout. Very nice stuff. (FdW)
Address: www.mille-plateaux.com
K.C. ACCIDENTAL – ANTHEMS FOR THE COULD’VE BIN PILLS
SPARROW ORANGE – THE BEAUTY OF STRANGENESS
BEAUTIFUL NOISE
(all CD’s by Noise Factory)
K.C. Accidental are one Kevin Drew (no history sheet available) and Charles
Spearin (of Do Make Say Think). Even when sharing a whole bunch of
instruments, they are helped by no less then 12 other musicians. The first
six tracks on this CD do not contain music, in fact nothing at all, so the
core of the music is in the six remaining tracks. Gloomy doomy rock is
over, but this can also be easily classified as ‘postrock’, but with what a
beauty. From the melancholical opener ‘Instrumental died in the bathtub and
took the daydreams with it’ and the ditto ‘Them’ (the only song with
vocals), via the space jazz of ‘Is And Of The’ to more psychedelic outings
as in the others, K.C. Accidental deserve a firm place among the best of
guitar underground in Canada – straight next to Godspeed You Black Emperor,
Fly Pan Am and Silver Mt. Zion.
In a totally electronic environment operate Sparrow Orange. They are from
the USA and offer six cuts of dark, atmospheric ambient music. Although not
unpleasent to hear, the whole thing sounded a bit mediocre to me.
I can imagine that with a name like Noise Factory, people are sort of put
off, classifying it as another industrial noise label, but the compilation
‘Beautiful Noise’ proofs entirely different. The kids of feedback do not
exist in this noiseworld. Music ranges from postrock of Paik, Tetrezene and
Fantastic Lovers to ambient of Beef Terminal and techno/breakbeat inspired
music by DJ Serpent One, Fwark or Tom Spacey. A varied mixture (eclectic is
the word probably). In current music, anything goes. Also the
aforementioned K.C. Accidental and Sparrow Orange are part of it, so is Do
Make Say Think. (FdW)
Address: www.noisefactoryrecords.com