SANDOZ LAB TECHNICIANS – MICROVERSE WALLPAPER (7″ by 20 City)
LEIF ELGGREN – LATRINE (CD by Firework)
JOHANNES BERGMARK & UNN FAHLSTROM – MOUTH TO MOUTH METHOD (CD by Firework)
STEN HANSON – AUTOBIOGRAPHY (CD by Firework)
UN TRIBUTO TO JAMES TG. RUSSELL (CD compilation by Alku)
BUCKETRIDER – Le Baphomet (CD on DR.JIM)
CANDLESNUFFER – same (CD on DR.JIM)
DIGITAL KOMA EXEGESIS (CD by Accostek Laboratories)
A DARK MATTER THE HARVESTER (CD by Shades Of Grey Records)
SECOND VIOLIN – VICTORIA (CDR by Zero Moon)
MYSTERY HEARSAY – HONEY ANVIL SYRUP (CDR by Zero Moon)
V. – LLE ‘NIPBUILLAPAN HINPIA (CDR by Zero Moon)
SI-CUT.DB – ENTHUSIAST (CD by Bip Hop)
CRAY – UNDO (CD by Bip Hop)
VARIABLE ACCESS (CD compilation by Active Suspension)
KUERTEN/PAWLOWSKI/WIRKUS – KUERTEN I PAWLOWSKI I WIRKUS (CD by Gusstaff
Records)
HAMAROSAN (CD-R Compilation by UH)
KAZUMOTO ENDO – NEVER GONNA MAKE YOU CRY
BRUME – ERECTION
(Both Mini-CD’s by Cling Film Records)
SANDOZ LAB TECHNICIANS – MICROVERSE WALLPAPER (7″ by 20 City)
A beautiful single showcasing the magnitude of this increasingly rarified
release format, and from a group who certainly know how to use it: pressed on
heavy white wax, wrapped in a stunning colour sleeve and containing about 16
minutes of music gloriously spread over both sides of the vinyl. The
performances appear to be improvised and the recording lo-fidelity in nature,
in places using what seems like varispeed tapework to confusing effect.
Voices, paper-thin drones, buzzes, subterranean pulsing percussion, lost
broadcasts and guitar scatterings infuse these two cuts, projecting onto a
roughly hewn backdrop an enormously vibrant sound world in a hue of dizzying
monochrome. The sleeve states that this was recorded in 1953 and you could
almost believe such an obvious fiction, given the generation-old stasis that
pervades the proceedings here. These pieces could be excerpts from a massive
ongoing work, endless and majestic, but to listen to this single is to glimpse,
just momentarily, the rain through perspective-distorting dirt-encrusted
bottle-glass windows. Stunning! (BL)
Address: <http://www.20city.com>www.20city.com
LEIF ELGGREN – LATRINE (CD by Firework)
JOHANNES BERGMARK & UNN FAHLSTROM – MOUTH TO MOUTH METHOD (CD by Firework)
STEN HANSON – AUTOBIOGRAPHY (CD by Firework)
Of course it would be easy to make a lot of jokes about this CD. “Leif Elggren
just pooped a new CD’, “the sound of Elggren shitting” etc. But this is of
course more serious. Shit, toilets, excrements (you don’t have to call it)
belong to the things every human being produces but rarely talkes about. The
Italian artist Piero Manzoni packed 90 tin cans full of his own shit and sold
them as art. Recentely reports came that these tin cans started to explode…
Maybe Elggren is inpsired by these exploding tin cans when he was thinking
about a sound installation in a Swedish castle (a sound tribute to cleaners,
which were of low social standing, in a high standing place) The first 15
minutes are filled with a low end rumble, or popping sound, which is then
abruptly faded into more water like rhythm sound (a loop of a flushing
toilet?). A mimimal piece, very much in Elggren’s tradition. This long piece is
followed by two shorter pieces. The first is a strong drone like piece,
probably an e-bow on a guitar and the second is also a drone piece, albeit more
of a more orchestral nature.
Fun can also be made of the ‘Mouth To Mouth Method’ CD. “It’s all kinda tongue
in cheek”, “Spit it out boys”. Two people produced sounds with their mouths but
holding their mouths very close to eachother, sometimes even inside eachother’s
mouths. Sometimes you hear fingers tearing neck or cheeck, or nails scratch
against teeth. Indexed as one piece on the CD, this is the complete sessions by
Johannes Bergmark and Unn Fahlstrom, held in 1999-2000. Not a very piece of
sound poetry to be approached here, and certainly one of the more extreme. I
can imagine some daring DJs would love to spin parts of this in their sets, so
it’s kinda pity it’s just one track. Otherwise it’s a very nice CD to shock
your uninitiated visitors with.
Also dealing with voice is Sten Hanson. Born in 1936 he has been involved in 11
books, 17 exhibitions, 51 recordings, 183 items on the work list, 294
publications in magazines and anthologies and over 400 personal performances.
Yet he might still not be a well-known name. Maybe because of his age, he
thought it would be good to do an autobiography, albeit a very special one. It
deals with his childhood in Swedish countryside, in which happiness seemed to
last forever. It tells about woods, fishing, animals… it tells about life now
lost. But at the age of six, Hanson’s mother got ill and was ill for some three
years and then she died. The impact on young Sten must have been enormous,
since he was not really there when she died. His father thought he was too
young, and somehow Sten never forgave him. Still story is set against an
overall quiet atmosphere, in which nature sounds (birds, water) play an
important role. A beautiful piece is the result, very intimate. (FdW)
Address: http:www.algonet.se/~tankred/fer.html
UN TRIBUTO TO JAMES TG. RUSSELL (CD compilation by Alku)
Apperentely this compilation CD is dedicated to one James T. Russell, a
physicist and inventor. “Russell’s revolutionary digital to optical recording
system led to the creation of the first compact disk in 1970″, I read on the
liner notes. Although he invented other things, the CD had the greatest impact
on society. Terre Thaemlitz opens up with 35 pieces of 4 seconds, the minimum
track length for a CD. I don’t believe this contains any sound. Fluxus artist
Yasunao Tone scratches some CD’s and produces a 10 minute sound collage of
those skipping sounds, which lack the melody of Oval and soon becomes rather
boring. Wobbly, known from his various CD’s on his own radio show, also
produces a collage piece, which is luckily shorter and more coherent then the
one by Tone. CD_Slopper have a short piece that is rather ambient in approach
and which is unfortunally over before one realizes it. I thought that Discmen
disappeared from the scene, but they are here again, with 47 second piece that
sounds like Oval, but still nicely made. Javier Hernando has also an
ambient-like piece of various scrambled sound files. Biggest surprise are the
three tracks by Oval/Frank Metzger. Frank was one of the three original members
of Oval, and his pieces sound like the older Oval (of which there are some fans
out there) The closing piece is by Alku, the man from the label, who literally
burns CD’s for his audio track. Much fun with this track ‘Burning CDs’. And
that’s it. A bit short at just under 30 minutes. (FdW)
Address: http://personal.ilimit.es/principio
BUCKETRIDER – Le Baphomet (CD on DR.JIM)
CANDLESNUFFER – same (CD on DR.JIM)
Bucketrider is Timothy O’Dwyer (various reeds), Adam Simmmons (various reeds),
James Wilkinson (trombone and effects), David Brown (bass, guitar and effects)
and Sean Baxter (drums, samples and voice). Together they make up a hardcore
jazzcombo that deliver here their third cd.
Except for two pieces all compostions are by Timothy O’Dwyer. He studied
saxophone and improvisation in Melbourne. He continued his studies in Amsterdam
and London with composer Richard Barrett and saxophonist Evan Parker. Back in
Australia he was member of
Ren Walter’s TIP, Libra Ensemble, David Tolley’s THAT, and the ELISION
Ensemble. Bucketrider is his Melbourne project. With this group he covers a
wide spectrum of 20th century improvisation pieces including John COLTRANE’s
Meditations and radical reworkings of the music of Sun RA. There new (third)
one is more polished and disciplined compared to their live peformances.
I think Bucktrider has to be enjoyed live. They sound very fresh and together
they form an energetic couple of musicians that certainly impress on stage.
Because of this aspect I had to think of Doctor Nerve or B Shops for the Poor.
But listening to be the cd I found the compositions a little boring.
“They have been successful in introducing rock audiences to the energy of free
jazz and
jazz audiences to the vibrancy of punk.” I think this quote illustrates exactly
the possibilities and limits of this group. Bucketrider makes a good blend of
jazz and rock influences into one massive whole, playing as a tight as a sort
of big band. But next time I hope for more fantasy, freedom and freaking out.
These qualifications fit for the cd by Candlesnuffer. This is David Brown who
plays guitars and bass in Bucketrider. As Candlesnuffer he uses guitars only.
Brown has a history going back to the 70’s in Melbourne playing with Jon Rose,
KK Null and many local musicians. With his (debut)cd he offers us 14 pieces of
extreme guitar noise and manipulations. They show a great diversity in
techniques and ways of building up the pieces. The result of many years of
playing and experimenting. Bravo! (DM)
Address: http://www.ozemail.com.au/
DIGITAL KOMA EXEGESIS (CD by Accostek Laboratories)
exegesis – explanation or critical interpretation of a text
An intriguing title for a new release by a burgeoning Houston musician. There
is a lot happening beneath the driving dance beats on this disc: snippets of TV
shows, movies, radio, bubbling/gurgling electronics, etc. Of the eleven tracks
on this disc, several of them stand out. The opening track, Lithium Runner,
uses a simple chord progression and lots of noise and voices to create a sonic
atmosphere that is close to the Legendary Pink Dots and Edward KaSpel at their
most experimental. Blue Pills is a piece that vaguely sounds like early
Kraftwerk. And World Falls Down is a dreamlike composition that reminded me of
Pyrolator. Other songs sound like Download. Overall a fascinating sonic journey
that strays into the techno world but keeps its feet firmly rooted in the
experimental. An excellent release by a
new independent artist. (SH)
Address: www.digitalKOMA.com
A DARK MATTER THE HARVESTER (CD by Shades Of Grey Records)
The Harvester is the latest release from A Dark Matter aka Chad Hagedorn.
Consisting of 10 songs, this CD is meant to be a musical companion to Allen
Koser’s short story of the same name. This is mostly a solo release; Chad
sings and plays bass, keys, synths, and acoustic and electric guitars. Chad is
joined by John Hargis (drums) and Jon Remien (keys) on a couple of songs. The
music is neo-psychedelic. An indication of how enjoyable the listening
experience is, is that each song seems to be just too short, but if fact they
are all the right length. My favorite song is Thoughts Theme with its
electronic critters and crystalline tones that give it a definite cosmic aura.
Stand is another strong song with reverbed guitars; you can just smell the
incense burning. Other interesting songs are March of the Harvester with its
quote of Amazing Grace and The Seduction. Atmospheric at times and rocking at
others, I found the overall listening experience to be rewarding. Help the
independent artist and seek out this release. (SH)
Address: www.greyslade.com
SECOND VIOLIN – VICTORIA (CDR by Zero Moon)
MYSTERY HEARSAY – HONEY ANVIL SYRUP (CDR by Zero Moon)
V. – LLE ‘NIPBUILLAPAN HINPIA (CDR by Zero Moon)
Zero Moon is a small CDR only label, run by people that were active in
releasing cassettes in the eighties and nineties (on Watergate Tapes). Die
hards who never give up I guess. Here are three of their releases. Second
Violin is a group of four: Jeff Surack (the zeromoon man), Zan Hoffmann, Rinus
van Alebeek and Adam Bohman, one of the guys from Morphogenesis. His presence
in Second Violin is usually on tape. From the six tracks on their CD, the first
five are relatively short and contain heavily processed concrete sound, spoken
word, guitars, sound effects. The sixth track, called ‘September 14th 2001’, is
a piece for acoustic sounds with no sound processing. Violin’s being scraped,
marbles rolling around, chains fall on the floor – electro-acoustic music pur
sang (the electro component being the contact microphones which are used for
amplification). Improvisations captured live and pure. A fascinating journey
along the world of sounding objects.
Mystery Hearsay is also one of those names that kick around underground since
the mid 80s. I lost track years and years ago, so it’s hard for me to say how
he developped from where I left him and this one. Here he hooks up with Mc
Lando, another monikker from the ever present Surack. Mystery Hearsay, aka Mike
Honeycut, and Mc lando know how to kick around a psychedelic sound: this
release is loaded with drums (or drummachines) and guitars and even more
impresssive rack of sound effects. They improvise their way on their way on
their instruments, but they are willing to put some more sounds on top, more
effects. At some point they take off to pure noise, but never for too long.
Surack’s main occupation right now is a duo called V., together with one James.
They have had some releases on Bake Records, but here’s one on their own label.
Normally V. plays improvised music, which I found not dissimilar to AMM, but
here they go all the way out, straight to the world of noise. Although they do
a considerable well job in noise, with enough variations and enough different
approaches (like the drumming in ‘The Old Sixth’), I am not sure if this well
spend on me… Maybe noise just isn’t my thing these days. (FdW)
Address: www.zeromoon.com
SI-CUT.DB – ENTHUSIAST (CD by Bip Hop)
CRAY – UNDO (CD by Bip Hop)
Bip Hop is mostly known from releasing an excellent series of compilation CD’s
called ‘Bip Hop Generation’. Every once in a while they also release a whole CD
of one artist. Here they are with two CD’s by artists featured on the fourth
volume of their series.
Si-cut.db is Douglas Benford, who is also active under host of other names,
which all seem to have, one way or the other, some connection with techno
music. I am not sure as many of the names (Phoenix, Radial Blend, Media Form,
Pantunes Music) don’t mean much to me. Only his work as Tennis rings a bell,
but they have an album on Bip Hop too. With his Si-cut.db he explores the far
end boundaries of dub (the db in his name used stand for dub, not decibel). All
of his nine tracks use elements from dub music. Laidback, laptop dub that is
and y’r standard sort of dub music. There are small cracks and hisses
everywhere on this CD, but they are set against a nice dub bass and a minimal,
but hypnotic rhythm. Si-Cut Db plays that joyful tune that creates a nice
environment for the listener. I put this on repeat one evening and it must have
spun at least 4 times. Sometimes I cranked up the volume to have a more closer
listening, sometimes I turned it down (a phonecall coming in). Everytime it was
nice, in whatever volume it was playing. Great music while you work, but also
one that lacks the new elements. It’s not an album that causes a musical
revolution.
Behind Cray we find Ross Healy from Australia. This is second release as Cray,
after an initial release in the Fallt 24 3″ CD series. This full length album
is the most experimental release so far on Bip Hop. Despite a longer career in
music, Ross used to be a drummer and was involved in various techno projects
down under (Eden, Amnesia, 56K and This Digital Ocean), he devotes his life now
to making music with a PC. Using heavily processed environmental sounds as the
basic source for his music, he also adds dashes of melodies (such as in the
opening piece ‘Mothersboard’), noise and rhythm. Therefore this is a much more
enjoyable album than most of middle of the road experimental laptop albums.
Cray doesn’t stay with one thing, he moves around the various possibilities and
offers a varied insight in his ideas. Relying as much as possible on the more
‘traditional’ musique concrete ideas, but by sticking the ideas into his
computer, he’s definetely a child of our days: working at home (or anywhere
where there is electrickery), outside the world of studios. All in all a nice
release, but also a bit like the Si-cut.db one, not one that causes another
musical revolution. Both albums are nicely made, have pleasent music, but don’t
put the world upside down. (FdW)
Address: www.bip-hop.com
VARIABLE ACCESS (CD compilation by Active Suspension)
Active Suspension is a young French label with so far 18 releases, mostly on 7″
and 12″. They are so far underground’s best kept secret, me thinks upon hearing
this taster CD of their label activities. Where laptops produce a wild driven
fury of plug ins and real time sampling programms produce everything but
something of a nice composition, the main core of Active Suspension bands
produce very nice and listenable songs. And I mean songs. Songs as in popular
music. The obvious point of reference would be, I think, Fennesz, and more in
particular his latest ‘Endless Summer’ album. Hailed by many as the future of
popmusic, Fennesz produces of course just one side of the coin. The various
artists on Active Suspension show us many more sides of many coins. Wether it’s
techno inspired, ambient inspired or more plain rock inspired, they cover a
wide variety of sounds that has one common feature: popmusic being put upside
down, turned inside out. I can mention names (euh whohe? My Jazzy Child,
Shinsei, Aerosol, Mils, Hypo, O. Lamm, Dorine Muraille, Encre, Osaka, Melodium,
Domotic) and place them in categories, but somehow I think it doesn’t justify
these bands or the total. This crosses many boundaries in many ways. If Morr
Music looses a bit of their edge, you can now rely on Active Suspension for new
popmusic. (FdW)
Address: www.activesuspension.com
KUERTEN/PAWLOWSKI/WIRKUS – KUERTEN I PAWLOWSKI I WIRKUS (CD by Gusstaff
Records)
On this short CD Paul Wirkus plays computer and Markus Kuerten plays analog
synthesizer. Wirkus has some solo releases, which I haven’t heard and was
involved in an improvised work with Uwe Schneider (see Vital Weekly 288).
Kuerten I never heard of, but apperentely he is a noise creator and writer from
Cologne. As said a short work, just under 21 minutes, with one very nice piece
of drone music. It works nice and smoothly with beautiful envelopping sound.
Can’t believe there is no guitar involved, as it sounds like it could have
been. The blurb says something about analogue oscillators and LFOs’, remaing
‘inspired by the earliest days of electronic music’, but I found it more
sixties then fifeties (more Lucier, Behrman, Palestine if you catch my drift).
What is a pity though that it is just one piece. Why not more for instance, or
why not longer? That’s something I don’t understand. Now it’s just one very
nice piece, but one short piece too.
The enclosed poetry by Rafal Pawlowski is all in Polish, and as I am not able
to read that language, I can’t comment much on that either, or it is related to
the music. Apperentely it is important, since they list him as the third
artist…
Address: www.gusstadd.terra.pl
HAMAROSAN (CD-R Compilation by UH)
A mysterious preview CD has reached my dwelling recently: Hamarosan is a
collection of thirteen tracks by Hungarian musicians, but nowhere is mentioned
who made the tracks and I am only guessing about the name of the label. I think
Hamarosan means: coming soon, so basically this is what we can be expecting
from UH (which I think is the label). OK, so far with guess work, on to the
tracks. The first track is a quiet piece, based on sampled sounds, in a minimal
vein, not unlike Bernhard Guenter, but lacking a little in tension. The second
track is also a sample based affair, with the basic material being metal sounds
I suppose. It’s very short and almost seems to be a study or a sketch.
Surprisingly, track three is a more technoid affair with an ambient streak.
Some glitches appear as well. This could fit very well on one of the BipHop
samplers, for example. It’s new and it’s got a style of its own. Track four is
actually a live recording of someone practicing the art of overtone singing,
which never fails to mesmerize me. I just love this. Numeber five is a
synthesizer piece with lots of reverb and actually not unlike the overtone
piece before and it’s short as well. Track six is a piece for vocal ensemble
and has an almost folky feel, with some references to early religious
cantations, and again, I just love this. Next is an electronic work with very
clearly defined acoustics. A rythm sets in after one minute, which reminds me
of ÿ, to be honest. The same chilly atmosphere fills the room and certainly
that’s a pleasure. Track eight is something completely different again: metal
treated in a variety of ways, creating different feedbacks. Very well done,
almost as if Dumitrescu meets Organum. Track nine sounds like a combination of
artists figured solo before: the overtone singing is here again, some metallic
sounds and electronics, a sequence plays in the background and other stuff is
going on. Having heard the other tracks, this is almost a logical conclusion
and an excellent work. But we’re not finished yet: up next is an electronic
track with a subdued beat and distant samples. Very nice and way too short, if
you ask me. Track eleven is also a rythmic piece, using voices, cut up to the
beat and lo-fi beats. Sounds intriguing and becomes almost poppy in a Kompakt
way. Twelve is of a similar kind in a way; a looped sample (very lo-fi) sets in
with a certain beat and hisses and rumbles are added. A clear beat sets in
later. Very nice stuff indeed. The last track starts with running water,
accompanied by a Bach organ piece (at least, that’s my guess), before a low
drone sets in and a church choir sings praise. Then a string piece and other
samples are added and another drone. The piece revolves around these themes for
quite a while, untill more undefinable sounds take over. Atmospherically a very
strong piece. In all, this a very interesting collection of music and as far as
I am concerned, releasing should start immediately.(MR)
Adress: http://uh.hu/uhcdr
KAZUMOTO ENDO – NEVER GONNA MAKE YOU CRY
BRUME – ERECTION
(Both Mini-CD’s by Cling Film Records)
Belgian label Cling Film has started a sub label called Kling Film for the
release of a series of mini-cd’s, packed in a beautiful, but very unpractical
way. I will not disclose the nature of this package, because seeing is
believing. I have not heard of Kazumoto Endo before, but I am happy to have
made the aquaintance. His CD contains three tracks, the first slowly building
up with blasts of noise on top of a layer of electronic sounds, untill the
climax is reached and then it simply stops. The second track starts with a
female voice announcing Mr. Endo, probably on a radio show in the USA. The
voice is quite lovely and somewhat uncertain if Endo will really start playing,
but he does and what follows is the total opposite of this lovely voice: power
electronics, played through a telephone connection. One long blast before a
sudden end. Track three is more like track one: cuts and blasts of noise
instead of an ongoing thing. I find this defenitely more interesting, because
it forces composition. And that’s what we get: a structured piece of noise
music, combining gut and brain. Excellent.
I was under the impression that Mr. Genou had stopped recording under the name
Brume, but maybe these recordings are still from his Brume days. And indeed
these two tracks sustain the Brume sound as we know it: cuts and flashes of
prerecorded sounds, combined with electronics, create rich atmospheric
tapestries in which one can lose the way. Brume’s music has always struck me as
very visual, something that is not easily stirred in me. Close your eyes, put
on a Brume track and see a world, akin to the ones created by the likes of
David Lynch, for example. The same is happening again with this disc: it simply
invites this kind of behaviour in me, so why resist? Another good Brume
release.(MR)
Adress: cling_film@hotmail.com
1. From: “Mulder” <mulder-idog@planet.nl>
In Memoriam
Florian Fricke (1944-2001)
On december 29, 2001 Florian Fricke died. He was the founder of Popol Vuh. In
any list of krautrock groups Popol Vuh was mentioned. Also they were often
associated with the so-called ‘Kosmische Musik’. Popol Vuh is also very known
for the many soundtracks for Werner Herzog films (‘Aguirre’, ‘Herz aus Glass’,
‘Nosferatu’, etc.).
In the early years of Popol Vuh Fricke experimented with the Moog synthesizer.
Later he choose for a acustical line-up of guitars, piano, percussion and
vocals. Electronics made there return on some of their most recent albums like
‘Shepherd’s Symphony’ and ‘Messa di Orfeo’. Popol Vuh had his influence on
ambient, trance and new age music.
Fricke was all his life searching for a religious music. In a interview
somewhere in the mid-seventies he prefers to call his music “sakral”. Eastern
philosophy and musical traditions inspired him. For the texts he often choose
from biblical sources. Unmistakenly he found his own voice. His music is very
authentic, absolutely not superficial. It effects body and soul. He was very
much interested in the healing and therapeutic qualities of music.
Memorial site:
<http://raq491.uk2net.com/florian>http://raq491.uk2net.com/florian