>
>ACHIM WOLLSCHEID – MOVES (CD by Selektion)
>Achim Wollscheid may be known to the older ones as the person behind
>SBOTHI, who released records on Selektion (of which was one was an
>extensive collaboration with label mates P16.D4) but is working since some
>years under his own name. Wollscheid’s interest lies not in the production
>of brilliant musical pieces but in the visual quality of sound. On his new
>CD he uses computer generated clappers that act like a poly-rhythm box.
>The clappers are attached to various objects, such as chairs, spoons,
>tea-cups and a water bucket. The result is a nerving sound, like sound
>going in and out of phase. Perhaps Wollscheid is not interested in me
>reviewing the audio quality of these pieces (since he will probably regard
>this as a demonstration of what the clappers can do), but I like the
>result. And why shouldn’t it be possible? It is released on an audio
>format, well documented by photo’s of the objects, but still… As a
>listener at home one is remote from both the concept and the direct visual
>qualities of the objects. Given this distance one should be able to enjoy
>this for it’s audio qualities. (FdW)
>Address: Selektion – Hohenstaufenstr. 8 – 60327 Frankfurt – Germany
>
>M/S & TSUNODA – FUL (CD by Selektion)
>More conceptualists on Selektion. Here the sound of a room is heard
>through the attached contact microphone on a window. ‘At this given time
>and situation the room and its resonating material was the instrument,
>which was played by the recording. The recording, which we can listen to
>was part of the material setting which helped to create it: a loop”. Crank
>the volume of to 10, and you’ll hear low end rumbling, birds, cars passing
>and very loud, but very occasionally a bang (which made me look up all the
>time seeing if something fell somewhere). An interesting starting point,
>but one may wonder if one hour is really needed to get the idea across.
>Maybe 30 minutes was enough? The people from the label would probably say:
>”it takes what it takes” however. (FdW)
>Address: as above
>
>OIL IN THE EYE – WITHIN (CD by Malpractice)
>New new new! New label, new band. Oil In The Eye is one Manuel Puyo who
>did everything on this CD and who got his inspiration from SPK to rvo Part
>to DAF to Buttgereit. The music floats back and forth to ambient textures,
>dark and moody (yet never into gothic areas – luckily) to up tempo housy
>pieces. Quite a wide variety of styles are present here as you can image,
>yet they seem to fit together in a way. Like I usually in these cases: if
>you try something new, then why not try this one? These bands and labels
>definetely need your attention! (FdW)
>Address: 34 Probyn House – Page St. – London SW1P 4BG – UK
>
>THE SIDEWINDER – COLONIZED (CD by Mille Plateaux)
>On to the intellectual side of dance music. Behind The Sidewinder there is
>one K. Mart (a.k.a Kevin Martin of God, Techno Animal) and J.K. Flesh
>(a.k.a. Justin Broadrick of Godflesh, Techno Animal). Here the Techno
>Animals team up for 22 pieces of heavy minimal techno dub rhythms,
>somewhere Sahko stuff with occasional guitar stuff. What can I add? Not
>much really – great CD! (FdW)
>Address: fax: + 49-69-252280
>
>ILLUSION OF SAFETY – SCHMETTERLING (7″ by Syntactic)
>Two tracks recorded by Illusion Of Safety during the May 1995 tour.
>Horrible xerox cover, but excellent picture disc of the subjects in
>question. Both tracks show I.O.S. interest in droning sound with
>occasional outburts in sound through the use acoustic objects. Interesting
>stuff but given the fact that these are live recordings and limitation of
>the record (111 copies and thus it’s price) make this probably only of
>interest for the die-hard fans. (FdW)
>Address: Syntactic – P.O.Box 41 – A-1124 Wien – Austria
>
>DAVID SHEA & DJ GRAZHOPPA – DOWN RIVER,UP STREAM – (CD by Downsall
>Plastics/Lowlands)
>As usual I approached this CD with some enthusiasm, mainly because I like
>the little shiny things, but also because it contains work by Dave Shea,
>who has actually been quite prolific of late. Check out the stream of
>releases on SubRosa, which document a series of live sessions and include
>contributions by Rimbaud/Scanner and Hampson/Main. (Apparently the New
>York sessions which include Icelandic rap group Nus is now availible –
>hope it’s better than the other two…please)
>David Shea works largely with samples from oyther peoples’ work and he
>seems to take great joy in creating the strangest juxtapositions. Where
>else could you possibly hear the absurd sound constructions of Andre Popp
>overlaid on Ligeti’s microtonal choirs ?
>This CD is the result of his collaboration with DJ Grazhoppa (whohe?), and
>if my memory serves me right, they have done a track which has appeared
>somewhere before. This is a most unusual release…first time I heard it I
>had to hear it again. So I did. AND YEA! It was better. It’s playing now
>as I type and confirms my best suspicions. Somehow it really kicks in from
>track 8…before this is seems to meander like lost liquid on flat
>terrain. The credit goes to Dave for his amazing battery of sounds,
>plundered from everywhere (I think there’s a track on here sourced almost
>entirely from SubRosa’s brilliant ‘Illuminated’ compilation) which then
>punctuate and often carry the riddim section fabricated, presumably by Mr
>Hoppa. ‘In Station’ comes across like a mutilated piano piece by Karlheinz
>or Pierre Boulez draped across turgid drum programming. The last track ’16
>RPM’ is bound to end up on vinyl somewhere…and so it should.
>A strange CD, worth checking out. Slightly less than full marks for this
>attempt. (MP)
>Address: <lowlands@dma.be>
>
>CHRISTOF SCHLAGER – GERAUSCH GESTALTEN (CD by Item Verlag)
>Here’s another oddity…and as I spotted it as such, I approached it with
>some degree of trepidation. A subsidised art project revolving around the
>sonic machines devised and constructed by Christof. These objects have
>mysterious names, probably because it’s a Chermann release, and the sounds
>they produce range from the sublime to the (sometimes) irritating. Some of
>them work pneumatically and some of them work percussively and they are
>combined with little black boxes which translate the composers MIDI
>information into the proper electrical impulses which drive the motors
>which open and close the valves which shake the bits which make up the
>machines which Christof built. Not a new idea by any means but one which
>produces results that remain a satisfactory listening experience despite
>the missing visual element.
>Check out the alien sound terrains which germinate and flourish here like
>mechanical flowers on a steel planet. Odd insects stretch and pucker
>burrowing their way out of the speakers, unfolding their wings and
>hovering in the corners.
>Not something for everyday, certainly one to keep in the collection for
>those times when you like to listen to music while in that old familiar
>half-sleep state. Which is when it worked best for me. (MP)
>Address: Item Verlag – c/o Andrea Reichart – Schlossstr. 261 – 45359 Essen
>- Germany
