STILLSTAND – PEACE (IS THE END OF ALL MEDIA TRANSMISSIONS) (Cd by Tosom)
CONSCIENTIA PECCATI – CHAOS/MAGICK (Cd by Tosom)
ELECTRONICAT – BIRDS WANT TO HAVE FUN (CD by Angelika Koehlermann)
LIMINAL PROJECTS (CDR)
DR. NACHTSTROM – LEIDENSCHAFT (CD by Mego)
MOLR DRAMMAZ – BOAZERIA (CD by Mik Musik)
DDKERN – GERN (12″ by Mego)
COLIN A. SHEFFIELD/JAMES ECK RIPPIE – VARIATIONS (LP by Elevator Bath)
COLIN A. SHEFFIELD – IN BETWEEN (10″ by Elevator Bath)
TETSUO INOUE & CARL STONE – PICT.SOUL (CD by Cycling 74)
THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR QUARTET – FIX IT IN POST (CD by Cycling 74)
KIM CASCONE – DUST THEORIES (CD by Cycling 74)
AMMON WOLMAN – DANGEROUS BEND (CD by Cycling 74)
INTERFACE – ./SWANK (CD by Cycling 74)
JOSEPH SUCHY – ENTSKIDOO (CD by Entenpfuhl)
TRANSMISSIONS 003 (CD by Transmissions)
TRANSMISSIONS 002 (CD by Transmissions)
TRANSMISSIONS 001 (CD by Transmissions)
VICTOR NUBLA – SEVEN HARBOUR SCENES (CD by hronir)
VICTOR NUBLA – HAMMERHEAD: THE SECRET JOURNEY OF ELIDAN MARAU THRU THE MILKY
SEA (mCD by testing Ground)
plus announcements
STILLSTAND – PEACE (IS THE END OF ALL MEDIA TRANSMISSIONS) (Cd by Tosom)
CONSCIENTIA PECCATI – CHAOS/MAGICK (Cd by Tosom)
Before these two releases entered my mailbox, German label Tosom was an unknown
territory to me. Nevertheless does everything around these albums seem quite
interesting. The CDs come in a minimal overall black cover-design with an old
gothic looking photography centred at the front. Musically the albums first of
all point towards the Industrial-oriented Dark Ambient scene not far away from
the style of Swedish label Cold Meat Industry. German composer Martin
Steinebach is the brain behind both CD-projects resulting in some musical
similarity as regards the gloomy approach to Ambient. Still there is quite some
difference between the two projects. Under the name Stillstand, Steinebach^”s
work represents the quintessence of classic Dark Ambient music. Atmospheric
black soundscapes are permeated by masses of found sounds and processed human
voices. Stillstand^”s ^”Peace (is the end of all media transmissions)^’, which by
the way is a 52 minutes long one-track album, nicely blends brutality and
beauty into a whole. Also the Chaos/Magick-album by Conscientia Peccati
consists of one lenghty track. Under the Conscientia Peccati-project, Martin
Steinebach works in a more tribal ambient-style with discreet rhythm-textures
giving a sort of ritual atmosphere. Generally the Conscientia Peccati-album
represents a more obscure kind of Ritual Industrial-sound compared to the more
classic Dark Ambient oriented style of Stillstand. Nevertheless, two very
interesting releases by Martin Steinebach and German label Tomos. (NMP)
Address: www.tosom.de
ELECTRONICAT – BIRDS WANT TO HAVE FUN (CD by Angelika Koehlermann)
Electronicat’s career was not really followed by me, apart from hearing the odd
thing here and there. I thought he was in the Pan Sonic, Goem minimal beat
areas, but never really heard much of his work. But late last year I saw a
concert of Fred Bigot, the guy behind Electronicat, and was surprised by his
lively act, up tempo rhythms and vocals. So this new CD is a renewed welcome I
guess. Here he offers ten mostly up tempo pieces, with fuzzy vocals and even
more fuzzy vocals. If those vocals weren’t that fuzzy, I would think
Electronicat are this millenium’s follow up to Suicide. A lot of times I
expected ‘Rocket USA’ or ‘Frankie Teardrop’ bursting out of my speakers. But
basically it’s those hard to understand vocals (fuzz more fuzz) that make the
difference. Electronicat is not at all (or maybe not any longer) about techno,
but he invents his own new style, based on oldie disco, oldie Suicide, old punk
guitars and oldie glam rockers. While taking the piss out of popmusic with a
title as ‘Birds Want To Have Fun’. The old becomes the new. Very energtic stuff
that demands to be played at loud volume. (FdW)
Address: http:angelika.koehlermann.at
LIMINAL PROJECTS (CDR)
Liminal Projects are a new band from Canada who have produced this professional
CDR in an edition of 500 copies. They are a six piece group who are also
involved in multimedia installations, as many of the band members get credited
for digital media, video, photo, design etc. Here of course limited to audio,
all of the sound sources are listed (ranging from synths to drummachines to
metal percussion to water, gravel, trees and insect song). Main person here is
the improvisational vocal talents of Susanna Hood. There are eight lengthy
pieces to be found on this CD which have an unearthly ambience, combined with
dubby, trancey rhythms and subdued vocals. At times the whole beat stuff
reminded me of some Chain Reaction records, but it all sounded a bit more
cleaner then the fuzzy productions from Berlin. The trancyness also has a
strong tribal elements, with the whispering vocals it sounds like an early
evening equator ritual. Although much of this must read like an add for an
ambient house record, it’s much better then that. The subtle rhythms and
vocals, make it into a haunting dark ambience record, which is distinctively
different then anything else I heard from people doing this kind of thing.
Probably needs to be heard outside the world of CDR releases. (FdW)
Address: www.liminalprojects.org
DR. NACHTSTROM – LEIDENSCHAFT (CD by Mego)
‘Leidenschaft’ is Dr. Nachtstrom’s second record. I do remember hearing his
first LP ’17 Songs After Midnight’, but I also remember it as one of those Mego
releases that didn’t do much for me (for some reasons, some Mego releases just
don’t have it for me). Apperentely this new one is more oriented towards pop
songs, and who am I to disagree? Dr. Nachtstrom loves to sample his way through
music, lifting a rhythm here and a synth there. Musicwise he goes in many
directions, from techno to breakbeats, EBM to ambient. The difference with many
others sampling their guts out, is that Dr. Nachstrom uses vocals extensively.
Be this his own or of others (females like Edith Giessauf or Zoe or Christian
Fuchs and Gerhard Potuznik). This adds a nice extra layer to the music (which
probably wouldn’t have stand on his own feet throughout). At times he sounds
like Khan, but in a raw and untamed way. A diamond from the earth, rather then
from jewelry shop. It’s one of those CD’s that I start playing with the
assumption that I may not like it, but the more I play it, the more like it.
Especially when tunes stick in the head and become humm alongs. (FdW)
Address: www.mego.at
MOLR DRAMMAZ – BOAZERIA (CD by Mik Musik)
Molr Drammaz are an active Polish band, who claim to have changed from their
past releases. Less eclectic, less pretentious, more organic, more organic,
more natural, more powerfull. It’s their idea to make music so dense, dense as
nature itself. Much of their work is based around improvisations on
electronica. They sample sounds, feed them through electronica, put them on
multi-track and mix them. Sometimes the ideas underlying the pieces are rather
simple, or maybe too simple (the ‘Love Me Tender’ sample is ‘Elvo’ for
instance), but sometimes, when pieces of classical or rock music are combined
with swirling masses of electronics (for instance in ‘Natoo’). A fine
combination of clicks & cuts in combination with plunderphonica – and then the
best of both worlds. Luckily most of the pieces are rather short and the whole
thing moves all of the place, so one gets a varied picture of their work. Hard
for me to say whether this is a distinct break with the past work, but Molr
Drammaz are confident it is. This is released as a real CD, as opposed to many
of the older works which come on CDR and cassette. (FdW)
Address: www.molr.terra.pl
DDKERN – GERN (12″ by Mego)
DDKern is in another life also a DJ and drummer for Fuckhead, Pest and Wipeout,
and presents here for the first time his solo work. Mostly minimal techno
oriented, with elements of dub in a piece like ‘Binary Religion’. All pretty
straight forward stuff, which is neither really good or really bad. It just
seems to me too standard sort of techno thing for a progressive label as Mego.
(FdW)
Address: www.mego.at
COLIN A. SHEFFIELD/JAMES ECK RIPPIE – VARIATIONS (LP by Elevator Bath)
COLIN A. SHEFFIELD – IN BETWEEN (10″ by Elevator Bath)
Colin A. Sheffield is the owner of the Elevator Bath label and also responsible
for the latest of two releases. The first one is a duet with James Eck Rippie
who is apperentely a turntablist and guitarist (albeit unknown to me) and
Sheffield calls him a sampling minimalist. They have played a couple of
concerts together in the past few years, but this is their first recorded work.
The a-side is entirely filled with ‘Variations For Harp’, which is an extremely
minimal piece of stuttering cracks and the harp (didn’t I just write that one
of them is a guitarist?) playing softly loose notes. But everything goes into
repetition and with small changes in speed the sound gets extracted and later
on they are in unisono again. Steve Reich’s phase shifting technique for
analogue instruments and digital processing. The b-side has two pieces,
‘Variations of Guitar’ and ‘Variations For Flute’. The first one is a very soft
piece for sustained guitar sounds and softly hoovers by. A very controlled
atmosphere. The same goes for the flute piece. The instrument is hard to be
recognized there and is soaked up in a deep wash of ambience (and sounds almost
like it was recorded out door somewhere). Very minimal music that is simply
beautiful. Topped off with a nice full colour cover in a Touch/Ash style.
‘In Between’ is just by Sheffield and he announces this record as something to
play while in between doing other stuff, like writing or reading. Here it’s not
clear what exactely it is that he is doing, musicwise. The a-side is mainly one
large ambient drone piece that almost moves without moving. The b-side is also
droney and ambient, but has more changes to offer. Beautiful dark ambience,
that is also really good if you don’t want to anything else then just hearing
(and why not? why should you always wanna do stuff when hearing music of this
kind? just dimm the lights and soak up the ambience!). (FdW)
Address: www.elevatorbath.com
TETSUO INOUE & CARL STONE – PICT.SOUL (CD by Cycling 74)
THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR QUARTET – FIX IT IN POST (CD by Cycling 74)
KIM CASCONE – DUST THEORIES (CD by Cycling 74)
AMMON WOLMAN – DANGEROUS BEND (CD by Cycling 74)
INTERFACE – ./SWANK (CD by Cycling 74)
Cycling 74 is a label dedicated to releases of artists who use software which
are produced by Cycling 74, which are Max and MSP in this case (if you are
software spotter, you know what I am talking about. I am clueless in these
things). These artists range from traditional electro-acoustic to electronica
and ‘beyond’. I received their entire catalogue, so here’s a complete overview
thus far.
Tetsu Inoue and Carl Stone are both known produces of ambient music, each with
their own perspective of the matter. The software of Max and MSP offers them
the possibility to play together, but it’s hard to tell wether they sat
together to do this, or wether this music was exchanged as files through the
(e)mail. I must admit I heard a little bit more of Inoue’s work, than of
Stone’s work, so to pin down the signatures of both is kinda difficult. I was
thinking that that’s maybe good thing, because I have a fresh approach to it.
To classify their ten pieces as ‘ambient Oval’ may not entirely justify what
they are doing, but it sort of describes the areas where they are. It has those
skipping/glitching like features of Oval, but it lacks the poppyness of them
first Oval albums, and (luckily) the noisyness of the latter. It’s all together
a much more abstract thing that harks more of its influences from serious
avant-garde then from popmusic. Except in tracks which seem to employ rhythms
(or maybe a series of repetitions) like ‘(.ram’, of course. But the length of
the pieces are more popmusic like and the ambience held within is not a new
thing, but it has warmth. So in all not really a spectular release, but
operating in a small niche of its own and not much else like this is done (with
of course the odd exceptions here and there), so this is most welcomed release.
The Freight Elevator Quartet is one of those bands I heard about, but never
actually heard music of. This CD is a collection of live recordings made from
1997 to 2000, so from their first ones (the FEQ was founded in 1996) until
their recent sound. Originally the quartet had a cello, didjeridoo, modular
synthesizer and drum machine, but these also samplers, keyboards, guitars,
basses and a laptop (with the you know which programm). As you can imagine,
this is not at all traditional laptop musics. Although much of the music was
recorded live, the post studio production did the thing. Many tracks are
recorded at various gigs and spliced (that’s a term from the old days)
together, fixed in postproduction. The music from the FEQ is held together by
rhythm and nothing else. The rhythm decides the nature of the piece and the
players improvise over the rhythm. It’s usually not some straight forward
techno rhythm, but more fat break beat and jungle rhythms. Also in most tracks,
celli and violins play an important role. The whole thing is a heavy loaded
sound. Every inch of free space on the harddisc had to be filled with music, or
so it seems. Fat rhythms, fat sounds, loaded and loaded with more sounds. One
of the things that I found to recognize was the Max/MSP side of the music, but
maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe music like this is not so much spend on me.
Kim Cascone however is more up my alley. Assuming we all know about the man and
his work (and in case you don’t know, the CD cover has a biography of sorts),
we can move straight on to the CD. Dust Theories offers three lenghty pieces by
Kim himself (totalling 46 minutes) and two remixes of the ‘Edgeboundaries 123’
piece on this disc by Ben Neville and DJ4’33, plus on the data part sound files
for Max/MSP, aswell as a standalone version of Max/MSP (now even I finally know
what it is about). With Kim’s firm background in ambient and related music, we
may not be at surprise that much of Dust Theories use elements of ambient.
Creating a set of looped sounds, which are mixed with the software so often
mentioned, Kim creates fine tapestries of computerized ambient. Unlike so many
others who are hoovering the planet with their laptops and plugins (and never
know what to do with it), Kim creates something is worth hearing, euh maybe
even composes with these sounds. Sort of like to think what he is going to say
in the amount of time he has in mind. This sets him apart from the herd. So
many people use easy to use computers and software but are clueless how to
create something that is captivating to hear. Kim’s pieces are usually minimal
in approach, but chance over the course of a piece as new, small and smaller
particles are added. These chances are so gradually that they are hard to
notice and only after a while, you ask yourself: hey, something has changed,
but I’m not sure where it happened…
The next two releases are by people I never heard of, let alone heard music of.
Ammon Wolman divides his time between the USA and his native Israel and some
other releases available. Himself responsible for the programming part of the
music, he has two people playing instruments on two piecesl; one is Micheal
Burritt on marimba and Anton Lukoszevieze on Cello. Not that I recognized any
of it in the two pieces. Ammon Wolman seems to be interested in playing
extensive, densely layered textured pieces, of which two happen to have the
input of cello or marimba. For the other three pieces we are left in the dark,
concerning the input. All of the five pieces are lengthy ones, just one under
ten minutes. The whole thing is kinda ambient and drony, but the sounds
themselves are a bit metallic. This makes this into a less warm and more an
alien production. However sturdy experimentalism and blissful drones here.
The second unknown people’s release is by Interface, a duo of violin player Dan
Trueman and bassplayer Curtis Bahn. They have been improvising since the mid
nineties, but have recentely been incorporating Max in their work. Many of
their instruments are modified in some way to interact with computers. The
music on this CD was captured at two nights in Boston, in september 2000. On
one track they get help from Perry Cook whom plays a digital didgeridoo). The
music is overal hectic and chaotic with lots of small changes and big moves.
Kinda nice to hear the traditional instruments versus the electronica. Maybe
for the lovers of microscopic sound a bit too improvised, but well enjoyable if
you are in the field of improvisation anyway. (FdW)
Address: www.cycling74.com/c74
JOSEPH SUCHY – ENTSKIDOO (CD by Entenpfuhl)
Joseph Suchy has been a main (guitar) player in the Cologne scene for some time
now (having played with Kato Hideki, Kevin Drumm, Jean Marc Montera, Jan St.
Werner, Ekkehard Ehlers and FX Randomiz, to name but a few from different
worlds), but only recentely he has some solo work out. The first soloworks were
going in one direction only (free improv on one, noise on the other,
conceptualism on the third), but on this new solo CD he tries to make a
synthesis between all the previous directions. After hearing the album, I think
I can only approve: Joseph Suchy is all over the place. From free improv to
noise to clear guitar playing, it’s all there in some way. There are bits and
pieces in which I think Joseph uses a bit too much sound effects, but in
general this album is storm blowing out of speakers. In high speed, with abrupt
changes, from sheer silence to sheer noise, ending in a strange collaborative
free piece with vocalist Yvonne Cornelius and Tim Elzer (of Don’t Dolby), this
is a very nice album. For anyone who loves the guitar, be it if you like
Fennesz or Loren MazzaCane Connors. Defintely the highlight of his solo career
thus far. A well succeeded mixture of styles and ideas. (FdW)
Address: www.entenpfuhl.com
TRANSMISSIONS 003 (CD by Transmissions)
TRANSMISSIONS 002 (CD by Transmissions)
TRANSMISSIONS 001 (CD by Transmissions)
Transmissions is a yearly festival held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and
since 1998 there are also CD’s documenting the events. The latest available is
the year 2000. Bit clueless though wether it was just recentely released, or
that mail was very very slow. To get all three documents at once, it’s nice to
see the festival progress over the years. In reverse order, I could say that
the edition of 2000 deals a lot of with electronica, with such known laptop
artists as Kim Cascone, Pita, Hrvatski Fennesz and Hazard. But it’s good to see
Dean Roberts being present, who tinkles away on the guitar and even sings a few
words (a feature of him new to me). Highlight is Kevin Drumm’s drone piece cum
crackles and improvisations of contact microphones.
The two years before found the festival in a more guitar/drone vein. More lo-fi
drone guitar stuff on the 001 by people like Pelt, Conjunto Ivanovich or Azusa
Plane (who are way out space rock here). Also on 001 is a lenghty free jazz
improv piece by the Gold Sparkle Band. In general I though the 001 had lesser
known people on it and seemed more locally oriented.
002 was more a mixture of lo-fi drone stuff and controlled experiments and
improvisations, but seemed to be lesser dwelling on the use of laptops. Here to
only US artists, well as far as I can judge: Phil Kline, Chuck Johnson, John
Hudak, Zuerichten, Micro-east collective, Loren Maazacane Connors, FM:xpanse
and Windy & Carl. All three are excellent documents of what seems to be an
intruiging festival. (FdW)
Address: <e@transmit.org>
VICTOR NUBLA – SEVEN HARBOUR SCENES (CD by hronir)
VICTOR NUBLA – HAMMERHEAD: THE SECRET JOURNEY OF ELIDAN MARAU THRU THE MILKY
SEA (mCD by testing Ground)
Victor Nubla is one of the old blokes on the Spanish experimental scene, being
involved in the Gracia Territori Sonor Label, aswell as what he seems his own
label, Hronir. On the latter a new full length CD by him appeared in what is
called the MCO series, but I must admit I am clueless what the MCO series is,
but the cover says ‘recorded at The Hronir Factory on an MCO unit’ – so there
you go. Nubla’s CD ‘Seven Harbour Scenes’ does indeed have seven pieces. The
first two display a firm interest in very deep ambient music, but in the other
five there is also interest in using samples of instruments such as guitars,
orchestras, voices. These pieces too display his interest in ambient music, but
it’s altogether a more lively, and less static thing. Maybe the whole thing
reflects life in the harbour: from the washes of water to live in the small
cafe and moments of loneliness after drinking too much (such as in the more
desolate song ‘After The Auction’). Very personal music, personal music for a
personal film.
Volume six in this series (the other one is volume seven, mind you) is also by
Victor Nubla, but is released by Testing Ground. The two pieces here also deal
with samples, but also with voices. The first one, “The Voice Of Ancient
Travellers” is rhythmic with small pulses and cut up voice samples. The second
one, “The Voices Under The Sea”, is a more alienated piece. The voices, choir
like, start out loudly but as the piece evolves sink more and more in the sea
of sound. With it’s small changes, this is a very nice piece. (FdW)
Address: http://hronir.org
Address: www.testingground.com