ANEK SCHAEFER – ALONE AT LAST (CD by Sirr-ecords) *
HURRA CAINE LANDCRASH – UNANSWERED QUESTIONS (CD by Split Femur Recordings) *
MARK CAUVIN – TRANSFIGURATION (CD, private)
MARY LOU NEWMARK – MUSIC FROM STREET ANGEL DIARIES (CD by Green Angel Music)
TZOLK’IN HAAB (CD by Ant-Zen)
THE JONES O’CONNOR GROUP – A CROW FOR EVERY CROW (CD by Joc Records)
FLUTWACHT SECONDFACE (CD by The Tourette Tapes)
JOZEF VAN WISSEM – A PRIORI (CD by Incunabulum)
LULL – LIKE A SLOW RIVER (CD by Glacial Movements) *
MAD EP BASS.HED (CD by Ad Noiseam)
HECQ NIGHT FALLS (CD by Hymen Records)
SPYWEIRDOS AND JOHN MOURJOPOULUS WITH FLOROS FLORIDIS EPISTROPHY AT UTOPIA (CD by Ad Noiseam)
THE RORSCHACH GARDEN TRANSFER (CD by Bazooka Joe)
ELODIE LAUTEN – THE DEATH OF DON JUAN (CD by Unseen Worlds) *
STEPHAN MATHIEU – RADIOLAND (CD by Die Schachtel) *
CLAUDIO ROCCHETTI – ANOTHER PIECE OF TEENAGE WILDLIFE (CD by Die Schachtel)
GIROLAMO DE SIMONE – SHAMA (CD by Die Schachtel)
DAN WARBURTON & FREDERICK FARRYL GOODWIN – COMPENDIUM MALEFICARUM (CD by Incunabulum)
KYLE BOBBY DUNN – FRAGMENTS & COMPOSITIONS (CD by Sedimental)
RICCARDO DILLON WANKE – CAVES (CD by Sedimental) *
MICHEAL ESPOSITO & FM EINHEIT – THE SALLIE HOUSE (CD by Firework Edition)
GREGORY BÜTTNER – WALZE 1-8 (CD by Firework Edition) *
MARJA-LEENA SILLANPAA – H&H O&A N&N (CD by Firework Edition)
DAN FROBERG – 15 SONGS (DOWN AT JINXEY’S) (CD by Fylkingen Records)
LARS AKERLUND – UR/VOLT (CD by Fylkingen Records)
OTHIN SPAKE – CHILD OF DECEPTION AND SKILL (CD by Glasvocht Records)
AIRCHAMBER – CRUMBLE (CD by Amirani Records)
XABIER IRIONDO & GIANNI MIMMO – YOUR VERY EYES (CD by Amirani Records)
NOLE PLASTIQUE – ESCAPERHEAD (CD by Nexsound PQP) *
SEED RECORDS VOLUME TWO (CD by Seed Records)
JEFF CAREY’S MOHA! (7″ by Rune Grammofon)
FOR KINGS AND QUEENS – MERZ (CDR by Subterranean Sonic) *
PLASTIC BONER BAND – ISAIAH 66:6 (CDR, private)
ANDREAS BRANDAL – THIS IS NOT FOR YOU (CDR by Eh/Public Eyesore)
RICARDO ARIAS/MIGUEL FRASCONI/KEIKO UENISHI – OBJECT (CDR by Eh/Public Eyesore) *
SHELF LIFE – CONCERNING THE ABSENCE OF FLOORS (CDR by Friends And Relatives Records)
AIDAN BAKER & JAKOB THIESEN – A BOUT DE SOUFFLE (CDR by Waterscape)
JASON SLOAN – STATIC (THELEMA.DAWNING) (3″CDR by Waterscape)
HAKOBUNE – MELTING REMINISCENCE (3″CDR by Waterscape) *
INVERZ – VARIATIONS ON HOLD (CDR by Moremars)
TRACY LEE SUMMERS – MY FAVOURITE COLOR (CDR by Moremars)
VIOLET – FOREIGN LANDS (CDR by Spirals Of Involution)
JLIAT – NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL NOISE VOLUME 14 (CDR by Jliat)
JLIAT – MONSTER (3″DVDR by Jliat)
JARROD FOWLER – NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL NOISE VOLUME 13 (CDR)
VRONTHOR / ROSTIGES RIESENRAD (3″CDR by Foghorn/Apocalyptic Radio)
BONEMACHINE + KENJI SIRATORI (3″CDR by Foghorn/Apocalyptic Radio)
XEDH TRÜMMER (3″CDR by Foghorn/Apocalyptic Radio)
FLUTWACHT REGENTAG (3″CDR by Foghorn/Apocalyptic Radio)
JANEK SCHAEFER – ALONE AT LAST (CD by Sirr-ecords)
With somebody like Janek Schaefer, who is known to travel a lot, the last thing you would expect from him is a CD called ‘Alone At Last’. Or perhaps, despite all his travels, he likes to be alone? Either way, I don’t know. What I do know is that a lot of his music is purpose made, i.e. he is commissioned to do specific pieces for specific events, places or installations. Usually these are pieces which are heard there and then, and never here and now. They lie around in his archive, collecting dust. That is: until now. ‘Alone At Last’ compiles eighth of these pieces, composed between 1997 and 2007. Unfortunately that’s all the information that is given on the cover. Not the where, how, when or any other relevant information. That is a pity of course, but you could also think that it is of no more importance. That was that, this is now. The positive attitude: be glad what you have and not what you don’t have. Each piece has a picture in the booklet (especially the one for ‘Scarlett Arrives’ is very funny – but hey I like children) that also not always gives us a clue. ‘Alone At Last’ may serve as an introduction to the work of Schaefer to those who need one (the die hard fans surely have this already). Schaefer takes every day sound – field recordings – of whatever nature and transforms them into pieces of music. He does that to such an extent that the ‘original’ field recordings have disappeared and what remains is, quite curious in these eighth pieces, a highly ‘drone’ and ‘ambient’ piece of work. Schaefer works the mood here. I couldn’t help, while hearing this, thinking of Main – with whom Schaefer recorded a CD as Comae along time ago. The same subtle processing, taking the musique concrete into an entirely new realm – at least for musique concrete that is – the form of ambient music. Four of the pieces are long, perhaps a bit long altogether, for the diversity the disc has to offer. With six of them the picture would have been equally clear, even when the final piece ‘Never Ending Story’ is short and should be included. That moaning aside, Schaefer delivered a great disc, I think, of highly subtle music that should win him new fans and pleasantly surprise the old. (FdW)
Address: http://www.sirr-ecords.com
HURRA CAINE LANDCRASH – UNANSWERED QUESTIONS (CD by Split Femur Recordings)
Along time ago, in Vital Weekly 500 we reviewed work by Daniel Hopkins, also known as Hurra Caine Landcrash, as well as HL. Back then his work was released on his own No Ground Processes, here he finds his way to the real CD format on Split Femur Recordings. Back then we already noted his shift towards the use of the guitar, which he now worked out into ‘Unanswered Questions’. If I understood things correctly Hopkins drops shells, pebbles and stones on a guitar, picks up the sound in his laptop using ‘various filters and effects’ and explores as such the guitar. The blurb raves about ‘on one hand of no wave punk and then sweeping to more ethereal esoteric sound-scapes’. I must say I had a hard time hearing the no wave punk, but then perhaps I had the wrong records when I was young. The ‘ethereal esoteric’ part I can dig, but that sounds a bit negative, or rather some musical area in which you rather not be. Hurra Caine Landcrash’s ‘Soul’, the opener is kinda not like the album: it distorts and not in a nice way. The tracks to follow are much nicer and work from a microsound/drone perspective. Even when Hurra Caine Landcrash doesn’t do an original job here, despite his perhaps somewhat curious approach in working, the music sounds all quite nice, except of course for that first track, which is an odd ball. Think Fennesz, of course I’d say, Deupree or other microsound artists, and Hurra Caine Landcrash fills in the holes they left with quite an intelligent mixture of his own techniques. Moody, atmospheric and with the guitar leaping into sound areas which may seem to be from an altogether different nature, this is quite a nice album. (FdW)
Address: http://www.splitfemurrecordings.com
MARK CAUVIN – TRANSFIGURATION (CD, private)
A double album of compositions for solo double bass, showing the many faces of this rich instrument. Mark Cauvin is a young double bass player from Australia who did his studies at the Conservatorium of Sydney. Before that he played all kinds of music: classical, art-rock, traditional Greek music, avant garde, etc. With the help the Australian Arts Council he was able to realize his project ‘Transfiguration’. For this project Cauvin selected several compositions from modern composers like Berio, Xenakis, Scelsi, Dubrovay, Zbinden, and Grillo. Also he studied briefly with Fernando Grillo in Italy. Grillo is a very well-known player of the double bass. I remember an intriguing interpretation by him of ‘Medium III’, a composition by Dimutrescu. On this double-cd all the efforts of this three-year project are condensed, accompanied by helping introductions to these compositions in the included booklet. It is common for many modern compositions that they make use of extended playing techniques. The selection on this CD is made in order to offer an overview of the wide range of extended techniques and possibilities that is to be found in the repertoire for double bass. It made me think what distinguishes an extended technique from a non-extended one. What defines an ‘extended technique’? Is it one that is not common for (convention), or not proper (principal) to the instrument? I don’t know. Also this cd made me realize that it is typical for 20th century composers that they were interested in expanding possibilities in order to enlarge the soundpallet that is hidden in an instrument. The question why this is so, brings us to the field of music history, which is not the subject here. Mark Cauvin proves to be an excellent guide through this repertoire. He offers an unique collection of seldom heard and recorded pieces of modern music. They are especially to be found on the first cd. The second one has ‘Suite 1 for Double Bass’ a first recording of a composition by Grillo. (DM)
Address: http://www.markcuavin.com/
MARY LOU NEWMARK – MUSIC FROM STREET ANGEL DIARIES (CD by Green Angel Music)
Mary Lou Newmark is a composer and poet from Los Angeles. Also she plays electric violin. She has her background in classical music. Her compositions are often multi-media events where her poetry, theatrical aspects, electronics and performance are integrated in one whole. Also the music on this cd has its origin in a multi-media performance that took place in 2006: ,Street Angel Diaries,, a project on homeless people. Everything we hear on this cd is done by Newmark herself, apart from two contributions by a brass quintet. One could call it music, but to me it sounded more as a radioplay with musical aspects. In several pieces the texts spoken by Newmark in are the centre and speak about the daily experiences of homeless people. Other pieces are soundcollages, mixing environmental sounds, her voice, acoustical instruments and electronics. And from time to time we hear her electronic violin. Her voice is the weak spot, lacking power and expression. But it is clear that Newmark is experienced in this artform of soundcollage. Musically spoken, the results on this cd however are not very adventurous, but probably fitting in the context a theatrical performance. (DM)
Address: http://www.greenangelemusic.com/
TZOLK’IN HAAB (CD by Ant-Zen)
From the very first moment this album allures the listener with the intense ethno-industrial style. Opening track titled “Muwan” is an emotional beginning of pounding rhythms and emotional melodic soundscapes turning the memories back to the good moments of legendary US-project Gridlock. Behind the odd name “Tzolk’in” you find the collaboration between Flint Glass and Empusae. Tzolk’in the name of the project refers to a calendar of the ancient Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Meso-America. As the name of the project indicates the music on the album titled “Haab” is ethno-inspired with an exotic approach to the Industrial style. Ritual rhythm textures floats in beautiful atmospheres, meanwhile harsh expressions of Industrial sounds create a more edgy angle to the trance-inducing music. The result is quite unique and definitely worth checking out. (NM)
Address: http://www.ant-zen.com/
THE JONES O’CONNOR GROUP – A CROW FOR EVERY CROW (CD by Joc Records)
This one brings us to Cardiff where this quartet has its home. On their own Joc-label they released their second album. We meet Paul Jones (piano, synthesizers), Richard Jones (guitar, electronics), Chris O’Connor (double bass) and Mark O,Connor (drums). No further need to explain the name of this group. They seem to be influenced by post-rockbands. But listening to this cd it leaves you with no doubt that these guys are above all inspired by music from the 70s. Associations with Canterbury-groups like Gilgamesh (Phil Miller) and Hatfield and the North came easily to my mind. Yes, this group is deeply rooted in the british jazz and fusion tradition. The thorough compositions come from the talented Paul and Richard Jones. Although very well constructed there is little room for innovation or just a surprising twist for letting know that we are in 2008 now. But don’t forget, these are solid compositions! Also in their sound they go back to the 70s, due especially to the sound of the keyboards. The playing is very much OK. Nice work on guitar and keyboard. They play beautiful lines. Together the four show a real togetherness in their playing, making the music evolve very naturally and organic. From what I write you could conclude this band is too much on a retro exercise. But that wouldn’t be fair, I think. They are much too intelligent for just offering some echoes from the past. They are great stylists who will convince you of their message if you are open to it. (DM)
Address: http://www.jonessoconnorgroup.co.uk/
FLUTWACHT SECONDFACE (CD by The Tourette Tapes)
Tourette Tapes is a side-label by Apocalyptic Radio that focus on experimental electronic music from harsh industrial to dark ambient. Present album is a semi-tribute album to the project of label owner Flutwacht. Flutwacht collaborate with a number of interesting artists released on the Apocalyptic Radio-label as well as other great acts. With Flutwacht being a creator of sonic darkness the overall atmosphere is nocturnal an intense. The expressions range from dark ambient (i.e. Xedh) across deep drones (i.e. Contagious Orgasm and TZII) and ritual moments (i.e. Bonemachine and Objekt / Urian) to extreme sound spheres of Harsh Noise (i.e. Antracot, Synomorph and Terg). Despite a few moments of rhythm textures, the compilation is dominated by ambient expressions with a flow that works very well indeed and thus keeps the listener glued from beginning to the end. Intense work! (NM)
Address: http://www.tourettetape.de/
JOZEF VAN WISSEM – A PRIORI (CD by Incunabulum)
Van Wissem is known from several CDs as a player of the baroque lute, an instrument that is not often heard in our days, especially not in territories of improvised or other modern music. This makes Van Wissem a lonely cowboy, even more because of his curious compositions. Like on his earlier CDRs Van Wissem is still fascinated by he palindrome and the mirror as leading principles for composing music, qualities that were also to be found in lute music in the Renaissance and Baroque. This procedure may guarantee that the music is free from hidden devilish messages when played backwards. Other advantages however I find hard to imagine. For me it would be a self-chosen prison, but for Van Wissem things are different of course. All seven pieces on this cd pass by in the same pace. It is very calm and peaceful music. Throughout everything happens on same level of intensity. Because of its palindrome-structure you will not find any climax in this music, on the contrary it is anti-climax music. It reminded me of ‘music’ I heard on the german radio in earlier days when a program was ended and a few seconds or minutes had to be bridged: little tunes to mark the silence and time passing by. Ambient tunes without any other pretension. Also the tunes composed by Van Wissem are not very demanding, however they carry ‘bombastic’ titles as ‘How the Soul has Arrived at Understanding of her Nothingness’ or ‘The Heavens are Parting and the Spirit Descends like a Dove’. The pieces are played in a non-dramatic style. A bit sterile and dry. At a few places however Van Wissem allows himself bluesy slides. For sure because of Van Wissems eccentric approach he delivers a very unusual listening experience, questioning the conventions of how we normally listen to music. (DM)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/incunabulae
LULL – LIKE A SLOW RIVER (CD by Glacial Movements)
If I wouldn’t have seen this release, I would just think that Mick Harris’ project Lull would have died a soft death somewhere sometime ago. A question of shifting interests, or perhaps nothing more to say. But look here: ‘Like A Slow River’, a really new Lull album, recorded earlier this year. I must admit that it’s been also a while since I last heard Lull (shifting interests perhaps), but if I was to describe, from memory, how Lull sounded like, I would no doubt describe something like ‘Like A Slow River’: long dark pieces of ambient music, or to use the vulgus of the old days, isolationist music, which live up to the name of the label, Glacial Movements. Like a glacier, this music moves, but very slowly, but without a doubt: it moves. Despite the gap of many years it seems that nothing changed in this music, which is fine for the die hard fans, but to me it’s a bit of a disappointment I guess. I could have played some of the older records and get the same idea. But I didn’t, I played the new one and thought it was not very new, but I also thought it was quite nice to hear. (FdW)
Address: http://www.glacialmovements.com
MAD EP BASS.HED (CD by Ad Noiseam)
In 2006 American composer Mad EP released the massive triple-disc album “The Madland Trilogy” on German label Ad Noiseam. Not only the length of the album was impressive, also the variation in expressions was remarkable. The brain behind Mad EP, Matthew Peters, differ from the main part of electronic composers with his skills as acoustic musician. With a background as a cellist and as a producer of Chicago Symphony radio broadcasts, the Iowa-based composer has put a clear imprint of his past into his previous albums. And it is also the case with this latest effort though the approach is quite different. The album titled “Bass.Hed” marks a change in the musical direction. From the multi-facetted expression of electronica, hip hop, jazz and drum’n’bass on “The Madlands Trilogy” the style on “Bass.Hed” is more exclusively focused on hip hop-based electronica, though still with the recognizable sound of Mad EP thanks to the natural use of acoustic instruments. Natural instruments counts cello and violin but also trumpets shine through the digital sound picture. What characterizes the album, hence the album-title, is the comprehensive use of bass. The ultra-heavy darkside-oriented bass-lines are integrated into a nocturnal world of hip hop with breakbeats and catchy rapping from Non-Genetic and Shadowhuntaz. The compositional skills of Mad EP are unique thanks to his foot in both the acoustic and the digital sound world, and “Bass.Hed” thus ends up as a first class experimental hip hop/electronica-album. Especially listeners of projects like CloudDead and Mike Ladd should take notice on this one. (NM)
Address: http://www.adnoiseam.net/
HECQ NIGHT FALLS (CD by Hymen Records)
German composer Benny Boysen was quite young when he began his musical explorations under the flag “Hecq”. From the five year old debut album “A dried youth” (Kaleidoskop) to last year’s “0000” (Hymen Records), Hecq has drawn the lucky listener to sound worlds developed as a mixture of downbeat electronica, discreet beat pulses of clicks’n’cuts and atmospheric ambience. On his brand new effort no. 5, Hecq has left the rhythm textures behind ultimately focusing on the sound of ambience. And the result is astonishing indeed. That Hecq knows how to create otherworldly ambient has been confirmed by earlier albums, but present album titled “Night falls” contains absolutely stunning images of deep ambient turning the memories back to legends of the space scene counting John Serrie and Michael Stearns. The atmosphere is grandiose with space choirs and gently moving sheets of orchestral ambience making it sufficiently pompous as soundtracks for the planetarium industries. On “Night falls”, Hecq once more shows his skills as master of electronic atmospheres. Highly recommended! (NM)
Address: http://www.hymenrecords.com/
SPYWEIRDOS AND JOHN MOURJOPOULUS WITH FLOROS FLORIDIS EPISTROPHY AT UTOPIA (CD by Ad Noiseam)
Integrating elements of jazz in electronic music has been explored in many years by now, but most oftenly with the main weight put on either the jazz side or the electronic music side. “Epistrophy at utopia” beautifully balances on the midline between the two styles. Behind the album titled “Epistrophy at utopia” you find three Greek musicians with quite different backgrounds. Behind the name Spyweirdos you find Spyros Polychronopoulos who’s been exploring electronic music since 1993 with collaborations counting among others Alva Noto, B. Fleischmann and several label mates counting i.e. Mad EP, Larvae, Wilt among others. John Mourjopoulos is acoustics professor and Jazz musician and Floros Floridis is a legendary clarinist and improve veteran having been active since the 70’s. This very interesting project let’s the warmth and attractiveness of jazz shine much clearer through the synthetic sound world with acoustic instruments playing an important part of the musical pieces. Stylistically the album is a pleasant musical adventure a nice variation in expressions. Pieces such as Epistrophy and Raymond Bound are dominated by jazzy expressions turning the memories back to Thelonius Monk meanwhile a track like “The letter after omega” is more ambient-based and the track “Wet house” being somewhere in-between with a pleasant atmosphere of downbeat jazz and chillout. The album is filled with some great nocturnal atmospheres and thus works as the perfect partner for late night listening. Excellent! (NM)
Address: http://www.adnoiseam.net/
THE RORSCHACH GARDEN TRANSFER (CD by Bazooka Joe)
German project “The Rorschach Garden” has been on the stage for quite a while by now. More than ten releases since the debut-7″-release “State project” (Bazooka Joe, 2001). The Rorschach Garden is headed by Phillip Münch who is also known for his part of legendary Power Noise-band Synapscape. Where Synapscape takes its starting point in the Harsh Industrial scene, The Rorschach Garden is the almost extreme contrast with a background in the electropop-scene. Latest album “Transfer” turns the memories back to the British technopop-scene of the early mid-80’s sounding like a fusion of New Order and early Depeche Mode (post-Vince Clarke-era), with touches of Visage on a track like “Your face”. Though The Rorschach Garden reminds of the heydays of 80’s electropop the project still has their very own sound and style making them one of the interesting acts of the fast growing electropop scene these days. (NM)
Address: http://www.bazooka-joe.com/
ELODIE LAUTEN – THE DEATH OF DON JUAN (CD by Unseen Worlds)
Where did I first hear the name Elodie Lauten? This question has been bugging me since I got the CD ‘The Death Of Don Juan’. My best guess is at Dolf Mulder’s when he was living close by and we shared evenings listening to music. Perhaps I am wrong. Maybe it was a name I once saw. But it’s not something musical I remember – just this somewhat strange name. Elodie Lauten was born in 1950 in France and moved to New York in the seventies and embraced Buddhism. She worked with the late Arthur Russell, combining rock and classical music. In the mid eighties she released on her own label ‘The Death Of Don Juan’, a neo-opera, with not a linear story, but rather thoughts, memories etc. Lauten plays fairlight, amplified harpsichords and the trine – an electro-acoustic lyre. It’s one of those forgotten classics that Unseen Worlds loves to release as one of the lost works of minimal music, and quite rightly so: here it is. The bad thing, my strict personal view speaking here, about operas is that there is singing in it. And that is usually my big problem with opera, operette or musical. But I am curious cat, so how would it sound in a more minimalist vein? Actually not bad, or rather better than I would have anticipated, although I am not convinced about the medium of opera. The music however is great, especially in the instrumental pieces that open up this album. Strong, jumpy minimalist pieces of music. When voices come in, the too operate from a minimalist vein, with repeated lines that have that phase shifting sense of Reich or Glass, but the instruments are definitely more 80s. I thought this was an interesting and curious record, rather than a great one. It’s surely something one should have heard if minimalist music and whatever happened after ‘Come Out’ has your interest. (FdW)
Address: http://www.unseenworlds.net
STEPHAN MATHIEU – RADIOLAND (CD by Die Schachtel)
CLAUDIO ROCCHETTI – ANOTHER PIECE OF TEENAGE WILDLIFE (CD by Die Schachtel)
GIROLAMO DE SIMONE – SHAMA (CD by Die Schachtel)
It’s been a while since we last heard something new by Stephan Mathieu solo. Maybe the ‘The Sad Mac’ was the last one? I honestly don’t recall. But of course things haven’t been quiet for him. In the recent years he toured quite a bit with his ‘Radioland’ work. Here he plays with real time processed shortwave signals. Picking up from a simple receiver, feeding it into his self-built max-msp patches and transforming the signals into what is best described as ‘Mathieu music’. Stephan Mathieu, whom I like to regard as one of the true masters of ambient glitch music, produces music here that is once again of absolute great beauty and expands beyond the ‘softer’ side of ambient music and goes into a bit more louder area, working with overtones created through multi-layering of such sounds. However, don’t expect this to be harsh music or in fact static music. Mathieu knows how to move stuff around, finding small details in the music, amplifying them, lifting them out of the music and giving them life on their own. The minimalism of the godfathers of this kind of music (LaMonte Young, Palestine and Niblock) resonate through the computerized (but oh so warm!) version of Mathieu. What a great CD! And what a lovely package. A continuing peak in quality.
Also with a great package, digipack this time, is the work by Claudio Rocchetti, a member of 3/4Hadbeeneliminated, who gets help from a whole bunch of players (Valerio Tricoli, Margareth Kammerer, Madame P, Xabier Iriondo, Massimo Carozzi and the mastering help of Giuseppe Ielasi). Of course it’s tempting to say, but there are connections to the sound world of 3/4Hadbeeneliminated: improvised playing on a variety of instruments – Rocchetti plays voice, guitar, turntable, cassette, field recordings, piano, percussion and last but certainly not least editing – which are all set on the hard disc recorder and then cut and pasted into music. However that’s the similarity, there is also a difference: Rocchetti’s solo music is less complex than the band, more intimate, more drone like but likewise beautiful. His guitar playing sounds like Ambarchi versus Ielasi, while his ominous drone music is more like Mirror or Monos. Nice intimate improvisation/drone music.
I never heard of Girolamo de Simone who is a piano player and composer, I believe more in an academic sense of the word. ‘Shama’ means ‘to listen’ but also ‘to accept’ and has eighteen relative short pieces, which do not only consist of piano playing but also electronic music. It’s a bit hard to form an opinion on this music since the pieces are so brief. They are over before one realizes they have started, and as such they are quite different from each other. The piano pieces I liked best since they were calm, introspective and Satie like. The electronic pieces didn’t do much for me. They seemed to be culled from a few samples which are let loose in space, but apparently not going anywhere in particular. A pretty much alright album, but for the next one it would be nice to focus on one thing a bit longer instead of many in this short time frame. (FdW)
Address: http://www.dieschachtel.com
DAN WARBURTON & FREDERICK FARRYL GOODWIN – COMPENDIUM MALEFICARUM (CD by Incunabulum)
A CD of spoken word on the Incunabulum label, run by Jozef van Wissem. Frederick Farryl Goodwin is a writer/poet. That is about all I could trace about him. Warburton is a british born musician and writer living in Paris. I suppose he initiated this project and did most of the work.
The poems of Goodwin are central on this cd. They are printed in the nice booklet. Many people lend their voice for these recordings which was a good move. Listening to the same voice all over would be boring. The treatments by Warburton concentrate sometimes on the voices themselves. Sometimes several voices are speaking the same text with intervals. At other times the voice is a little manipulated. But there is more then the voice speaking and performing the poems of Goodwin. All poems are bedded in carefully compiled soundscapes, designed in function of the texts. There is much variation to be heard and Warburton has a good sense for detail. Sometimes however it sounded a bit unpronounced to me, although many sounds and sources are incorporated. Warburton invited also many musicians to contribute: Jac Berrocal, Bruno Meillier, Jean-Luc Guionnet, etc. So he had many ingredients to his disposal for composing his structures.
I t would be missing the point saying that Warburton composed attractive backgrounds for the poems. Because he treated the voices they are part of the sonic environment. And, even stronger, at times I had the feeling the rich sounds textures also ‘speak’ of the poem, or speak of what the poem is about. The soundscapes follow the content and meaning of the texts. For example in a piece like ‘Violence’ this is clear. So Warburton has done a very imaginative work here. (DM)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/incunabulae
KYLE BOBBY DUNN – FRAGMENTS & COMPOSITIONS (CD by Sedimental)
RICCARDO DILLON WANKE – CAVES (CD by Sedimental)
Two artists on Sedimental of whom I never heard. First there is Kyle Bobby Dunn, born in 1986 and since 2000 active as a composer, which is kinda young? He has had releases on This Generation Tapes, Housing and Kning Disk, so it’s definitely going somewhere. Dunn plays the piano here as well as various electronic keyboards. At least, I think so. His music is best described as drone music with a classical music edge to it. Especially in ‘Miranda Rights’ the multi-layered violin is quite nice. It made me think of Olivia Block, even when field recordings don’t seem to be playing a big role in the music, the dramatic built-up works quite well. Not every piece is that great, as in ‘Sedentary 1’ it rieks a bit to new age for my taste, even when it stays a bit on the dark side. At other times it reminded me of Mirror, which was good. Perhaps a bit unbalanced in its various approaches this CD, but throughout quite nice.
Wanke hails from Italy where he was born in 1977 and over the years he has played with Giuseppe Ielasi, Francesco Dillon, Stefano Pilia, David Maranha and others. Wanke used to play the saxophone, but these days it’s the guitar. ‘Caves’ was recorded in Portugal using acoustic and electric guitars, saxophones and ‘natural sound elements’, using various effects to create a minimal version of acoustic drone music. His album is less scattered over the place and makes a much more homogenous impression on the listener. Wanke layers sound upon sound, starting with a few simple disparate sounds and then goes on and on to layers them until a somewhat (not to) dense mass of sound arrives. The influence of Ielasi (who mastered this album) is quite clear, even when Wanke stays more on the improvised side of things. Very nice record, this one, with solid improvised drone music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.sedimental.com
MICHEAL ESPOSITO & FM EINHEIT – THE SALLIE HOUSE (CD by Firework Edition)
GREGORY BÜTTNER – WALZE 1-8 (CD by Firework Edition)
MARJA-LEENA SILLANPAA – H&H O&A N&N (CD by Firework Edition)
DAN FROBERG – 15 SONGS (DOWN AT JINXEY’S) (CD by Fylkingen Records)
LARS AKERLUND – UR/VOLT (CD by Fylkingen Records)
Perhaps one remembers that Firework Edition releases musical CDs with a strong conceptual edge? These new releases are no different. Micheal Esposito already made a CD with Leif Elggren and Emanuel Swedenborg (see Vital Weekly 615) dealing with Electronic Voice Phenomenon, death and houses, and here he teams up with FM Einheit (present on the cover in same size as Esposito, but only present on two of the five tracks), dealing with ‘America’s most famous haunted houses in the hearthlands of Atchinson, Kansas’. The voices of the death were captured during various visits, Einheit composed static noise, and the result is a long CD of voices and static noise. When they are combined it reminded me of the very early cassette releases by Ios Smolders, which was nice enough but the conceptual edges are widened here a bit too much. One has grasped the idea within the half the length of this time (alsmost 77 minutes), or perhaps even less. But of course, and no doubt, this is not meant to be music, but information. I guess, so it’s probably o.k.
A little less conceptual is the release by Gregory Büttner, whom we know from his various releases on his own 1000Füssler label, as well as various other things inside music, who use the sound of wax cylinders on ‘Walze’ (which is the German name for wax cylinders). He recorded sounds of them and processed them and played them along various of his own music. There is of course more rambling about ‘memory’ and such like, but in the end it’s all about the music, I think. Büttner, like before, is a good student of Asmus Tietchens’ recent work in microsound, with slow, minimal, high pitched sounds, in which one very occasionally recognizes some of the original cylinder recordings. He does a pretty fine job I must admit, and surely ‘Walze’ is a delight to hear, but with the exception that it also moves inside a musical territory which we already now, the traditional microsound fields of Meelkop, Chartier or Günter. As such nothing new under the sun, but no doubt a fine CD by himself.
No information on Marja-Leena Sillanpää, who, I think (!) wrote the text for ‘H&H O&A N&N’, and I couldn’t possibly say what’s it about. There are three parts, each with music by somebody else, but here too no names that mean anything to me: Mattias Akerfeldt, Helena Ohman-McCardle and Patrik Boman. Akerfeldt plays lo-fi electronic music with simple rhythm box and synthesizer (minimal synth as they call the music of the 80s now), Helena keeps it short with sort of lo-fi techno, just like Boman. I didn’t get the stories, nor the music. Such can be length and strength, and failure of concepetual art.
Also from Stockholm and sometimes connected to Firework is Fylkingen, a place for concerts, art, work and much more. A fine place to be. Their releases are less arty and conceptual and more musical. The name Dan Fröberg rings a bell, but my memory is such a condition that I don’t remember. It seems to me he works with found sound: people talking, street sounds, the luna park, birds and electrical currents. He puts these together in a great way, a dream-like state of music. Strongly reminding me of Dominique Petitgand, but less telling a tale than he did in his music. With Petitgand somebody would tell a story, sing a song and he would add found sound, whereas Fröberg places the sound in the central position and lets the listener think of a story. This is ‘close your eyes and dream away’ music, but not in a new age sense of the word, but cinematic: true cinema for the ears. Great one.
Oddly enough I just found out that the previous release by Lars Akerlund, ‘Rivers Of Mercury/Via Styx’ was reviewed twice in Vital Weekly (220 and 263) but by two different writers. He is still the man of long works, again two of around thirty minutes here. Both pieces were conceived for choreography, an interest Akerlund has developed since the early 90s. Both pieces also stand however by themselves. Masses of electrical currents, oscillating tones, sine waves and more such like sounds from old analogue synths (around the corner of Fylkingen you’ll find the EMS studios who have such delights), making nice soundtracks for the dance pieces, but perhaps it’s also a bit ‘normal’ in terms of electronic music, looked from a historical perspective. Nice, but also a bit too regular, even when both pieces have a long block of more rhythmical sounds. (FdW)
Address: http://www.fireworkeditionrecords.com
Address: http://www.fylkingen.se
OTHIN SPAKE – CHILD OF DECEPTION AND SKILL (CD by Glasvocht Records)
If the original CD is as unattractive as the CDR copy that I got sent of this, then prepare for something that they don’t want you to read or understand. I have never heard of Othin Spake, but ‘Child of Deception and Skill’ is the follow-up to ‘Ankh’ and it contains a ‘music on the record is a full improvisation and is put on the record as it was played’. Which I gather is a great pity. It was recorded the second time the band together (and why would it justify releasing that, I wonder). Dull, improvised rock music, with jazzy themes, endless solos on the guitar and more such crap. Horrible retro free rock jazz/jazz rock. Best ignored. (FdW)
Address: http://www.glasvochtrecords.com/
AIRCHAMBER – CRUMBLE (CD by Amirani Records)
XABIER IRIONDO & GIANNI MIMMO – YOUR VERY EYES (CD by Amirani Records)
Two discs of improvised music from Italy with lots of new names. First we have Airchamber3, a trio of Andrea Serrapiglio (voice, laptop, electric cello, contact mic, loopabow, miniature mouth armonica), Andrea ‘Ics’ Ferraris (guitars, pedals, jack, kaoss pad, phototeremin, screwdriver), Luca Serrapiglio (saxophones, wind controller, laptop, contact mic). They are from Alessandria where they shape their improvisations. I must say that I am not very convinced by their work. Their computer processing sounds very digital – and that I don’t mean in a positive way. On top they improvise in quite a crude way on their instruments – loud, gritty, angular but it doesn’t grab my attention very much. Annoying is a better word. Not my thing at all.
The name Xabier Iriondo also pops up in the review of Claudio Rocchetti. Here he plays taisho koto, mahai metak and lo-fi devices. In a duet recorded with Gianni Mimmo, who plays the soprano sax, they explore the sonic qualities of a 10th century cave-church in Matera, during the summer solstice of 2007. They too love to improvise. The saxophone plays in quite a recognizable fashion – and thus is less to my liking as I like them to sound a bit different – but the sounds produced by Iriondo are quite nice. The two use the space in quite a nice way, exploring the natural reverb of the church. They have some tension in their music, which I thought lacked with Airchamber3, but here too throughout it wasn’t really my cup of tea. (FdW)
Address: http://www.amiranirecords.com
NOLE PLASTIQUE – ESCAPERHEAD (CD by Nexsound PQP)
Wordplay all around: Escaperhead, Nexsound PQP: these are the edges of popmusic and experimental music. Nole Plastique are from Russia and consist of Roman Kutnov and Alexei Belousov and ‘Escaperhead’ is their first album. It’s quite a curious affair. Nole Plastique likes their popmusic, of a very special area. Sixties psychedelic music, with guitars, weird sound effects, vocals and keyboards, with little bits of drums here and there. The vocals reminded me of a local band, The Use Of Ashes (formerly known as Mekanik Kommando): the same somewhat far away sound, held back singing and very english. It’s music that I would hardly play for fun, not because I don’t like it, but because I own so very little of it. It’s nice for a CD, which is deliberately recorded in a way that is not very good, but which could have been better I think. Nice enough, this twenty-first century stab at sixties psychedelics. (FdW)
Address: http://www.nexsound.org
SEED RECORDS VOLUME TWO (CD by Seed Records)
Somewhere late morning I quit listening to music, go shopping for food and make dinner, which unlike other people I rather eat in the early afternoon than in the evening. Today I had my favorite pasta. As soon as I started to eat, I put in a CD, picked up the newspaper and started to read, eat and listen. The music was a compilation by Seed Records, their second one. It was almost like having a radio (which I don’t have), varied but balanced, lots of rhythm oriented music, bits of guitar, vocals, techno rock and more such things. Like good radio, a pleasant trip and none of the tracks stood out – they were all pleasant to hear. Included were Zombi, Mokira, Sleeps In Oysters, Legowelt, Eyes, Skitanja, Alexander Robotnick, SJ Antoni Maiovvi & MC Fortuna, Tobias Schmidt, [s]!, dDamage, Neil Landstrumm, Mark Verbos, Jaques Lueder, The Doubtful Guest. Nice food, nice music. What more do you want? (FdW)
Address: http://www.seedrecords.co.uk
JEFF CAREY’S MOHA! (7″ by Rune Grammofon)
Last saturday Extrapool re-opened their doors after a year long reconstruction job. The all-night party included many small concerts and performances. Due to little girls needing to head to bed, I didn’t see it all, but MoHa! rocked the boat. Their full-on blast of drums, guitar, computer, keyboards and lights sounded cruel during the soundcheck, but in concert they got their full power and it worked amazingly well. A highlight right the start of the new Extrapool. Just a day before this 7″ was released, which is a Jeff Carey (87 Central, Skif++, N Collective) rework of recording MoHa! made in Berlin. These two pieces will also be on their next CD in a different form. Carey lets his computer techniques run wild on the rock music of MoHa!. You can never achieve the same wildness as MoHa! has during their concerts, but you can try. Carey succeeds well, I think, but you have to put up the volume really high to get the same intensity level as with their concerts. But if you do so, everything falls into its place and you have a great rocking 7″. Even a certain little girl liked it! (FdW)
Address: http://www.runegrammofon.com
FOR KINGS AND QUEENS – MERZ (CDR by Subterranean Sonic)
A new label from Berlin, this Subterranean Sonic and their first release is by For Kings And Queens, the project of one Mr. K, who is also a member Ofmiceandmen – of whom I also never heard. His inspiration he gets from Nurse With Wound, The Hafler Trio and Merzbow and to that end he uses field recordings, guitar, electronics, voice and effect pedals. The Merzbow influence is something which I fail to see, and with some effort Nurse With Wound or Hafler Trio: yes, but even those are not easy. Mr. K likes densely layered music, that is for sure, and he likes his music to be moody. Partly drone music, but less worked out than say The Trio did in recent years, and that goes for much of the music on this release. It seems to me that it has been put together with some haste and with not much attention to the detail. This is one of those things were one can sense there is more to it than what actually comes out. Some of the ideas are nice, certainly in the beginning of the disc, but towards the end there are some tedious long piece of guitar with effects, improvising away in a wash of sound effects. I’d say: return to the screen and extensively remix it before releasing it. (FdW)
Address: http://subterraneansonic.blogspot.com
PLASTIC BONER BAND – ISAIAH 66:6 (CDR, private)
I was going to use the bible quote inaccurately given in the second track as a lame excuse for quoting Jules’ Ezekiel 25:17 miss-quote in Pulp Fiction, but cant as the biblical text seems to have little meaning here. As previous there is heavy duty packing but problems occur once the cd is played. That aside I could return to “I lay my vengeance upon you..”. There is a double paradox of Jules wanting to believe his interpretation of a fake which might be just that in reality.. but Isaiah is not doing this- its essentially a synth/sample electronics work. Track 1 is rumble and noise through a VCA- with a riff and rhythm- track 2 harsher with white noise and filter sweeps, track 3 slow intro to rhythmical drone!? (guys when looping a sample find a zero crossing point and crossfade otherwise you here a click in the loop) which strangely becomes track 4 – without inter track gap of 1 & 2, track 5 again uses loops but harsher with a badly produced fade at the end. All that said – sounding negative is not what I like, and I get the feeling that PBB could do something but seem to be uncertain of what. Perhaps too planned and composed – if only the soundworks would live up to the packaging and title – violence is required I think – I’m sure they are up to it.”.” I been sayin’ that shit for years. And if you ever heard it, it meant your ass. I never gave much thought what it meant. I just thought it was some cold-blooded shit to say to a motherfucker before I popped a cap in his ass.”. you need to pop some caps guys? Next time? (jliat)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/plasticbonerband
ANDREAS BRANDAL – THIS IS NOT FOR YOU (CDR by Eh/Public Eyesore)
RICARDO ARIAS/MIGUEL FRASCONI/KEIKO UENISHI – OBJECT (CDR by Eh/Public Eyesore)
SHELF LIFE – CONCERNING THE ABSENCE OF FLOORS (CDR by Friends And Relatives Records)
The two new releases on Public Eyesore’s sub division Eh? are two opposites, one improvised and one composed. To start with the latter, Andreas Brandal is a member of Lupus Golem (see Vital Weekly 625), but we know him better from his CD release on Quasi Pop ‘Drive Home With A Hammer’ (Vital Weekly 532), but his history dates back for ages when he recorded with other people. Like on his Quasi Pop album the present feature is still working with the sampled sounds of orchestral music in all its variety. Ranging from pleasantly soft pondering to louder excursions, Brandal creates nine varied pieces of music. The softer side of Brandal’s music prevails here and that’s good to hear, as that’s what he does best, I think. Full of tension, made with pleasure, with enough angular sounds to keep things fully interesting. Nice one.
The improvisation side of matters are in the hands of Ricardo Arias (bass-balloon kit), Miguel Frasconi (glass objects) and Keiko Uenishi (laptop). They played together in 2004 at the Scultpure Center in New York. I couldn’t quite follow what it says on the cover about solo, duo and trio, but apparently it’s so that everybody plays a bit, then as a duo and then as a trio. Spread out in two long pieces this is quite elegant object based music. The rubbing of the balloons and glass in combination with whatever the laptop is doing (stand alone sound production or processing of the sounds produced). They play a vibrant piece of music, which is put together in a great way. Most of them delicate and softly played with lots of attention for the detail. Highly improvised but throughout a wealth to hear. One of the best releases on this label which I have encountered and a pity it wasn’t released earlier.
Shelf Life is the group of improvisers around Bryan Day, the man behind Public Eyesore, but for their release ‘Concerning The Absence Of Floors’ they went to Friends And Relatives Records. Other members are Jospeh Jaros, Luke Polipnick, Alex Boardman and Jay Kreimer. There are no instruments listed and they play in various combinations. The recordings here were made in autumn 2007 and edited later on. I think (!) I hear guitars, electronics, metallic percussion, maybe a rusty synthesizers humming away. Shelf Life play pieces that are quite long around specific themes. You could almost hear them say: let’s do a quite one. Let’s do hectic one that lots of similar sounds. And so on. I rather like that approach I must say, because it brings a more homogenous character to the music. That’s the good news. The bad news is that five of these long tracks is a bit too much. All around fifteen minutes is quite a strength to listen to. However when served in a smaller dose its quite nice. (FdW)
Address: http://www.publiceyesore.com/
AIDAN BAKER & JAKOB THIESEN – A BOUT DE SOUFFLE (CDR by Waterscape)
JASON SLOAN – STATIC (THELEMA.DAWNING) (3″CDR by Waterscape)
HAKOBUNE – MELTING REMINISCENCE (3″CDR by Waterscape)
Waterscape is a new label, owned by Martin Fuhs, whom we also know as Seconds In Formaldehyde and it’s mission is to release ambient music made by guitars. The first release is by Aidan Baker, our highly productive guitarist, who teams up here with Jakob Thiesen, who plays percussion, like he did on ‘Desire In Uneasiness’ by Nadja. Despite his many releases, Baker is a man to find new forms and shapes. On this release things are more experimental and improvised as opposed to being the more ambient player he is on some of his earlier solo releases. Baker tinkles away, sending his guitar through his many devices while Thiesen supplements nicely with percussive sounds, but it’s more a supportive role than an active one or playing a ‘solo’ himself. The ambient element is not entirely gone, as much of it stays on an equal dynamic level and could perhaps pass on as a sort of rough shaped mood music. Nice stuff.
On a smaller size we find Jason Sloan, who is from Baltimore and in his work he explores ‘various aspects of spirituality and it’s connection to life, death, memory, religion and our transitory time on earth’, via performances, installations, video etc. His one piece on 3″ is ‘Static [Thelema.dawning]’ and it’s indeed a static piece. Guitars are hard to recognize here, as they are stretched out into a long waving pattern of ambient sound. Eno meets Hypnos. Halfway through there is something of ghost like sounds, but maybe it’s my perception that has gone blurry, which I guess is a good thing for this kind of music. Not original, but quite nice.
From Kyoto in Japan hails Hakobune who released on U-Cover before. His guitar playing sounds more like guitar playing, well, more than Sloan, but more ambient than Baker does on his release. Playing sparse notes, feeding them through an endless package of sound effects, but still maintaining to keep things nice and quiet, he creates nice atmospheric music, ethereal in ‘Yukidaruma’, but not falling into the traps of kitsch new age music. It has enough bite. Again not very original, but nice enough. (FdW)
Address: http://www.waterscape.de
INVERZ – VARIATIONS ON HOLD (CDR by Moremars)
TRACY LEE SUMMERS – MY FAVOURITE COLOR (CDR by Moremars)
There is a lot of information on the cover of the release by Inverz, about the individual tracks but nothing about the band or musicians themselves. So, I think the band is called Inverz, and judging by the music I think they are a guitar band with an experimental touch. Kinda like a post rock band with drums, but occasionally with a piano. When the guitars sound, the sound like ambient music meeting post rock, lots of reversed sounds, hiss, static but always throughout to be recognized as guitars. The piano pieces break this somewhat closed sound open. It’s a nice release, but not really great or brilliant and perhaps a bit long.
Also operating from a post rock end is Tracy Lee Summers, rather a band than one person me thinks, whose songs are short, around two and half minute, and is recorded with a curious bunch of ‘prepared drone guitar, pataphysidrum box, melotron, larsenphone, distorted strings, flute and saxophone’. With some of these I have an idea what they look like. Their music is scattered all over the place. All instrumental, but sometimes moody and textured and at other occasions uptempo with a supportive rhythm box. The variations make this quite a nice release, but the recording quality however is not the best around. (FdW)
Address: http://www.moremars.org
VIOLET – FOREIGN LANDS (CDR by Spirals Of Involution)
Over the past twenty or more years Jeff Surak has been very active in what some call the ‘underground’ and through an endless string of cassettes, CDRs, CDs he has gained quite a reputation. A reputation which brought him, not locked in the studio per se, all around the world, and the East Europe one has a special place for him. On Spirals Of Involution, one of Russia’s first independent labels for noise music, we find this 2005 tour document. Violet, as the current name for his solo project is, was in Budapest, Pecs, Vienna and Yaroslavl (home of this label) to perform his music. Violet’s music is always pretty interesting, since it moves all over the place. Using laptop, autoharp and sound effects, it crosses the fine line of the very soft to the very loud, seemingly without any flaws. Music for the mind, this is headspace music. Drones are an all important feature for him, but they can be soft but also loud and gritty. The four concerts captured here are best listened in one go. Aural cinema, always on the move, amplifying details, never losing the big picture. Refined music. Book him when he’s around. (FdW)
Address: http://atherisieren.kulichki.com/soi/
JLIAT – NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL NOISE VOLUME 14 (CDR by Jliat)
JLIAT – MONSTER (3″DVDR by Jliat)
JARROD FOWLER – NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL NOISE VOLUME 13 (CDR)
How to approach, after a week of no reviewing a whole bunch of releases? With care and selection. This one is for this reviewer, this for another and this I should do, mainly because the musician is the one who writes about the noise stuff for Vital Weekly, but then, it would be odd to mail the stuff back to him. But even then this is hardly something to hear. There is ‘Now That’s What I Call Noise Vol. 14’, following the exact same route as before. Eigth tracks, all four minutes. There is also ‘Vol.13’, which is not recorded by Jliat but a megamix by one Jarrod Fowler, who uses all the first tracks from Vol. 1 to 12 and layers them into his own first track, and then repeats the procedure for the second etc. But he does a remix too. If that is not merely enough for your noise appetite, you can always decide to play ‘Monster’, indeed a monster track, which lasts almost twenty-five hours. You’ll have to excuse me for only doing a partial survey of it. Nothing has changed, it’s all about noise noise and noise. Especially the ‘Monster’ piece is a heavy weight track, even in the MP3 format it reaches us now. So now you know what this is about, I’ll check out the music in high summer time, when there is nothing to do… (FdW)
Address: http://www.jliat.com
Address: http://www.jarrodfowler.com
VRONTHOR / ROSTIGES RIESENRAD (3″CDR by Foghorn/Apocalyptic Radio)
BONEMACHINE + KENJI SIRATORI (3″CDR by Foghorn/Apocalyptic Radio)
XEDH TRÜMMER (3″CDR by Foghorn/Apocalyptic Radio)
FLUTWACHT REGENTAG (3″CDR by Foghorn/Apocalyptic Radio)
Apocalyptic Radio is a German label run by the brain behind the project Flutwacht. The label focuses on musical styles like Industrial, Noise/Power Electronics and Martial. All releases in the series titled Foghorn comes as 3″-CDRs and focus on dark ambient. Four CDs from the Foghorn-series i reviewed here. First album is a split-CDR consisting of two works, a work from the composer Rostiges Riesenrad, titled “Vortex grenzsiegel” and the work “Heroinnebel” from Vronthor. Both works move in minimalist sound spheres of dark drones with industrial noises giving an edge to the floating atmospheres. Next release reviewed here is a joint venture between the two sound artists Bonemachine and Kenji Siratori. The two collaborators create one lengthy track of Industrial ambientscapes with spoken words. Intense. Third CDR comes from the artist calling himself Xedh and is the most intense experience of the four releases reviewed here, and it says quite a lot. Titled “Trümmer” the album is divided into five pieces. It is an emotionally strange work spanning from threatening grunts of machine noise to deep drones swirling in atmospheric soundscapes. Fourth and last Foghorn-release reviewed here is an equally intense work, this time composed by label owner Flutwacht. The album titled “Regentag” is the most minimal work of them all. Drones of utter darkness swirls in isolated and claustrophobic sonic spaces and thus create atmospheres of high intensity. Four interesting releases from the Foghorn catalogue, revealing that this is definitely a series worth checking out. (NM)
Address: http://www.apocalyptic-radio.com