LAUTREC – METEMSOMATHOSIS (CD by Ultrasound Foundation)
VARIOUS ARTISTS – VIRTUAL ZOO (CD by Studio Forum)
STRANGULATED BEATOFFS – REVERSE CHILD PSYCHOLOGY (CD by Nihilist)
PANICSVILLE/INFLATABLE ALTERBOYS (SplitLP by Nihilist)
ZONA FUMATORI – ENTENG (CD-R by Mixer)
JOWONIO – THE MEAT AND BREAD VARIATIONS (3″ by Leothan)
LENS CLEANER TRIO – CD + LENS CLEANER (LP by The Ceiling)
DENMAN MARONEY AND HANS TAMMEN – BILLABONG (CD by Potlatch)
LAUTREC – METEMSOMATHOSIS (CD by Ultrasound Foundation)
The first CD from a new venture whose remit is “to promote modern,
innovative music in Hungary”: a worthy endeavour. Darkness and blackly
sinister moods prevail over the 60 minutes of this CD’s 11 tracks: abstract
electronics, processed words and melodic fragments harking back to the
industrial days of yore are much in evidence. Although I have no
Hungarian, the overall tone of the words and music is very bleak indeed. A
blast from the distant past reminding me of everyone from very early Clock
DVA to the more atmospheric, less song-focussed Death in June material all
the way back to Throbbing Gristle and the whole gamut of that scene. It’s
not what I’d call modern or innovative, and it’s all fairly similar, but it
is well done if you like any or all of these artists. (BL)
Address: http://www.uh.hu
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Virtual Zoo (CD by Studio Forum)
Very reminiscent in places of Nurse With Wound’s playful, concrete
music/surrealism, this 74+ minute CD is a compilation that seems to have
been born of love on the internet. All of the tracks have animal themes in
one way or another, the idea being to create a kind of “electronic Noah’s
Ark” with contributions from around the world (although mainly France, it
has to be said). A number feature location recordings of animals; others
merely replicate the sounds or feelings of the feathered, furred, scaled or
whatever kingdom. I really like this a lot and, aside from a couple of
minor jarring moments, the whole thing flows very nicely across what is an
extremely diverse musical range. Highlights are Marc McNulty’s edgy ‘Gecko
on Glass’ & Rodrigo Sigal’s beautiful neo-classical ‘Lagarto’ but there are
many moments of real pleasure here. Twenty five bite-size (erm…) pieces
of wonderment and a good advertisement as to why web-based projects work so
well sometimes. (BL)
Address: http://studio.forum.free.fr
STRANGULATED BEATOFFS – REVERSE CHILD PSYCHOLOGY (CD by Nihilist)
PANICSVILLE/INFLATABLE ALTERBOYS (SplitLP by Nihilist)
It has been a long time ago since I heard the music of the Strangulated
Beatoffs – maybe 7 years or so ago – but I do remember it was rather a
loopy affair. Tapeloops cut from other people’s music, running on end (like
loops always do of course) is what comes back to mind holding a new CD by
them in my hands. Enclosed was an old story about a Skin Graft 7″ from
1992, so the information is not very up to date, if indeed true at all.
Let’s stick with the new CD then. There are nine long tracks here, again
based on tapeloops of all sorts of music, but mainly these boys are into a
sort of wacky sort of techno music, like in ‘Lightning Bolt Nightmares’ or
‘(I’m) Big Dick Black’ played with raw loops of guitar noises and phased
synthesizer. Strange music, as each track is quite different from the rest,
but it’s sort of coherent style they present. Weird and raw, but then also
quite accessible too. Simple, yet effective music which despite the fact
that they use loops, which might easily leap into boredom. But it doesn’t.
Nice one here.
More expectations being ruined on the Panicsville/Inflatable Alterboys
split LP. I expected noise from the boys, but Panicsville opens with a nice
environmentally processed soundscape and then two tracks of spaced out
music that dwells around the simple ticks of a rhythmbox and sounds that go
in and out of the mix. Behind the Inflatable Alterboys is one of the guys
of the Strangulated Beatoffs and he does more or less the same as the
Panicsville cuts on the reverse side and the Strangulated Beatoffs CD:
based on the never ending rhythmbox and sounds that are looped and swirling
in and out of the mix. Spaced out again. Strangely homemade tripping music.
(FdW)
Address: <panixville@aol.com>
ZONA FUMATORI – ENTENG (CD-R by Mixer)
Zona Fumatori are sound/visual artist Sagi Groner from Israel (now in
Amsterdam) and mixer master Martijn Tellinga. Since some years they work
together as Zona Fumatori, doing studio recordings and live concerts
(multiple speaker concerts). Over these years they have been building a
collection of minidisc recordings, from the outside fields to the inside
electronics. The last year or so they have been working on this release,
which was carefully crafted on harddisc. Rather then abusing the recordings
via electronical means, they layer sounds and bring elements alive in the
mix. The thirteen pieces are rather short (the whole CD lasts just under 40
minutes)
At times a rather lo-fi affair, such as in track five (no titles) and with
a certain pace. Even when it has the trademarks of microscopic music (small
bleeps, crackles), it is much more ambient and relaxing then noisy and
upfront. But because of the shortness of the pieces and the great variation
in sounds they use, it turned out to be an excellent debut. If you need
references, this could easily been on Ritornell next to Kim Cascone or
Stephan Mathieu. In terms of exposure it’s a pity it isn’t, but the daring
few will want to seek this out. (FdW)
Address: www.radiantslab.com/stichting_mixer
JOWONIO – THE MEAT AND BREAD VARIATIONS (3″ by Leothan)
Jowonio follows hot on the heels of his 10″ with a 3″ CD, which deals with
various collaborations in some cases. Jowonio plays various sorts of
synths, bowed instruments, turntables and voice. In one track Merzbow is
present with his power electronics, in another Chris Robinson on turntables
and in a third Big Block 454 on balalaika and guitars. The cut with Merzbow
which opens up here is a very nice. It has the energy and drive of Merzbow,
but it lacks the aggression of noise that is usually present in Merzbow,
but it turns out to be a great track. The second, with Chris, is more
powerful with a distorted drone and drums, kinda too chaotic for me, I
guess. A simple rhythmbox opens the track with Big Block 454 and slowly
drones of all kinds are added. I wish I never have to hear that awful
preset melody from the casio Vl Tone 1 again, but Jowonio dares presenting
it in it’s entire form with a slight addition of delay and towards the end
plug ins run amok with it. Ouch. The final track is a version of
‘Apocalypse With Dill Pickle’, as covered by Jowonio from Current 93.
Actually the most poppy track here, but with the signing fairly alike Mr.
Tibet, I sign off. So apart from a nice piece with Merzbow and one ok one
with Big Block 454, three tracks that didn’t do much for me alas. Received
with mixed feeling. (FdW)
Address: <js@jowonio.force9.co.uk>
LENS CLEANER TRIO – CD + LENS CLEANER (LP by The Ceiling)
Of course it’s appropiate to call your first release ‘CD + Lens Cleaner’ if
the bandname is Lens Cleaner Trio. However to release it then as a LP is a
bit beyond me, maybe LP’s are cheaper to make? The trio hails from
Argentina and their members play guitar, drums and electronics (the latter
by the curiously named guy CD), which were recorded during an improvised
session in 1999 and then later by means of cut ‘n splice re-arranged to
what became this LP. It’s a very rock oriented album with largely
reverberated drums and distorted guitars and a touch of electronics. Slowly
as the LP plays on, the sounds become more abstract and albeit more
interesting, at least for my taste. Especially on side B things turn out to
be spooky with densely layered drones and occassional howls of drums and
guitar feedback and really goes about with the sound material.
There is a certain air of early 80s improvised music hanging around this
record, with touches of P16.D4, DDAA or Nurse With Wound. Quite nice stuff
playing here with surprising moments.
Address: http://www.nas.net/~jdejong/ddt.html
DENMAN MARONEY AND HANS TAMMEN – BILLABONG (CD by Potlatch)
Denman Maroney (on hyperpiano) and Hans Tammen (on “endangered guitar) duo
up for a highly eclectic, technically advanced and extremely abstract hour.
Matching heat for scorch, Maroney and Tammen keep it savagely seditious.
Both artists, intensifying what they can get from the strings on their
instruments, use external objects (knives, aluminum bowls, CD jewel box
cases, etc.) to aggravate the noise of acoustics amplified. The product is
consistently winning. They transmit excitement, discovering all the
resonance and decay which they are capable of generating, everything from
tense washes to percussion-like spurs. The eight pieces, with titles like
“Bilge”, “Keen”, “Bog”, and “Stretch” jubilantly discard anything remotely
resembling melody, while adhering to strict musicality. The speed, density,
time signatures, as with everything else here, follow very little in the
way of established landmarks and vectors. What I find most satisfying is
the nimble way Maroney and Tammen move through the history of various sound
usage that double as a dissection of music itself. (GS)
Address: (www.potlatch.digiweb.fr/