Editorial news: we have decided to stop reviewing MP3 releases. Please do not send any discs with MP3 releases. Just send me an e-mail with a link and a short description, so people can download it. The amount of releases pile up every week and I can no longer devote time to MP3s. Whatever you see coming in the next few weeks are the last ones. Please do not send anymore. Also: releases that do not contain the original artwork will most likely be no longer reviewed. The real thing is necessary for a real judgment. If you wish to send us not the real thing, please contact us first. <vital@vitalweekly.net>
UNICAZÜRN – TEMPORAL BENDS (CD by Uzu Music) *
ABATTOIR (CD by Evil Rabbit Records) *
VOICE OF EYE – SEVEN DIRECTIONS DIVERGENT (CD by Conundrum Unlimited) *
FLATLINE SKYLINE – ALL SOUND/NO VISION (CD by Mechanoise Labs) *
2|FAVOURITE PLACES (CD compilation by Audiobulb Records)
MILLIPEDE – ALL MY BEST INTENTIONS (CD by Hymen Records)
AHNST ANDERS – MANY WAYS (CD by Ant-Zen)
THE RORSCHACH GARDEN – A PLACE FOR THE LOST (CD by Bazooka Joe)
GRIEF NO ABSOLUTION – EUROSTOPODUS ARGUS/CRYPSIS (LP/EP / Digital album by Flingcosound)
DEFLAG HAEMORRHAGE/HAIEN KONTRA – HUMILIATED (CD by Tochnit Aleph)
TIMO VAN LUIJK & FREDERIK CROENE – VOILE AU VENT (LP by La Scie Doree)
ONDE – PURPLE (LP by Ondemusic)
ZONK’T – BEAT WINS YOU AND ME (LP by Sound On Probation)
HEAL – SUPERNATURAL (LP by Sound On Probation)
MICRO_PENIS (LP by Doubtful Sounds)
MARCO FUSINATO – RIPPING SKIES (LP by No Fun Productions)
ASTROMERO – LIVE IN SAN FRANCISCO (LP by No Fun Productions)
STEPHEN CORNFORD – TWO WORKS FOR TURNTABLES (7″ by Permanent)
ACL – BIG FAT ARSE (7″ by Hag Records)
BLACKPEPPER – VQAREKK/COLOUR/COLOR (7″ by Dirty Demos)
BIG CITY ORCHESTRA – THIRTY YEARS OF (CDR by Ubuibi) *
DOODSHOOFD – NYD (CDR by Skumrex)
DOODSHOOFD – HEIL HNW (CDR by Skumrex)
DOODSHOOFD – HEIL HNW (Cassette tape by Skumrex)
BAGMAN FOR KENNETH MC KENNA (3″CDR by Skumrex)
MIXTURIZER MXTRZR (CDr by R.O.N.F. Records)
NRYY NOISE RE YACKY (3inch CDR by Hikikomori Records)
KENJI SIRATORI – SHUTDOWN (CDR by Verato Project)
CONTAGIOUS ORGASM + FLUTWACHT – INSPECTION OF 1 HOUR (CD by Seeking
Sensation Scale Music + The Tourette Tapes 2009)
SPRUIT – ON/OFF (3inch CDR by Spruit)
PINE TREE STATE MIND CONTROL – ESQUMAUX (3inch CDR by Walnut+Locust)
THE BLACK BOX (sound box by FSS)
UNICAZÜRN – TEMPORAL BENDS (CD by Uzu Music)
Recently I was quite disappointed by Cherry Red’s re-issue of some material by Five Or Six. Whereas the band’s complete output might easily fit on two CDs, they were granted a single, forty minute CD. What a shame. That complaint has nothing to do with this CD by UnicaZürn, save for the fact that one half of UnicaZürn was once a member of Five Or Six, David Knight. Later on he was a member of Arkkon, Shockheaded Peters and played with Lydia Lunch. These days he is also a member of The Amal Gamal Ensemble, an improvisation group. There he meets Stephen Thrower, whom you surely know as a member of Cyclobe and Coil. Heavy weights from the world where alternative popmusic, rock music even, meet up with the more experimental edges of music – the world of Vital Weekly. Together they work as UnicaZürn, but hardly a day-time job. This material was recorded over a period of five years. Knight gets credit for synthesizer, organ and guitar and Thrower for keyboards, saxophone and clarinet. Danielle Dax appears on one piece with vocals. Perhaps that piece, ‘Jack Sorrow’ is the albums only hint towards ‘pop’ music, or perhaps just her vocals. Its a short piece, and hardly representing the album. The other three pieces span some forty minutes and finds itself in a highly abstract sound mode. It opens up with some drone like material, which unfolds itself over the course of the pieces into a fine work of electronics, which rely heavy on analogue synthesizer (cosmic at times) and heavily treated, spacious guitars and reed instruments, in what is a great album. An excellent production, with always something happening at every corner of the room. Quite ‘loud’ and ‘present’, this is music that grabs the listener and leaves him breathless: until Dax sings the final piece – almost like a lullaby. Great CD. (FdW)
Address: http://www.unicazurnofficial
ABATTOIR (CD by Evil Rabbit Records)
Wow. What a mighty blast this is. Robert van Heumen we know from his previous work in the field of laptops and improvisations while Audrey Chen on cello and vocals is a new name to me. Chen screams, whispers, mumbles, talks and sometimes she does that with her voice, but perhaps more with her cello. Its not easy to say that, as it seems that the laptop of Van Heumen is the overall controller of the sound. He too screams, whispers, mumbles and talks with the input given by Chen, and not always at the same time. Two worlds that collide and communicate. Van Heumen takes everything apart, melts them into bricks and builds a new house with it. Heavy duty improvised music, but ‘silence’ is word that they hardly seem to know here. From the very first to the very last second things erupt like volcano. Sometimes we are on top of that volcano, watching the eruption, then we see hot lava running down, slow but hot and powerful. This CD lasts about an hour, which seems quite long to me. It has a lot energy, this music, but it also exhausts the listener quite a bit. To give this your full attention is great, but you should be prepared for it. This music is not entertainment, a lazy laid-back recording, but it requires full, 100% attention. Perhaps to be taken in a smaller doses then as a large 5inch pill it is now. Play half, take a nap and then the rest. Its rewarding however. (FdW)
Address: http://www.evilrabbitrecords.eu
VOICE OF EYE – SEVEN DIRECTIONS DIVERGENT (CD by Conundrum Unlimited)
Since some time Jim Wilson and Bonnie McNairn, together known as Voice Of Eye are back. In 1997 they stopped creating music to ‘build an off-the-grid sustainable home and studio in Taos, New Mexico’, which took them ten years to build. Since their return their have been a couple of releases, which saw them return to their fine of lengthy, warm ambient electronics with great emphasis on the psychedelic quality of the pieces. Maybe therefore the opening piece here on their twelfth CD ‘Seven Directions Divergent’ is quite a surprise: its almost popmusic, slow rhythm, e-bow on the guitar, and Bonnie McNairn on some heavenly voice trip, and sounding a bit like Cosey Fanni Tutti. Laid-back popmusic. Almost. This is continued in the following piece ‘Where Are You?’, which is, me think, even better. Voice Of Eye changed that radical? Hard to believe, and no, they didn’t. At least not to that extent. Throughout it seems indeed that elements of popmusic have been brought in, without losing the original ambient sound. ‘Transformational Birth’, the piece that closes this CD is one of those typical lengthy Voice Of Eye ambient excursions. A bit without any sense of direction, sounds flowing about, like being in space. They drift in and out of the mix, without any synthesizers (according to the cover), like the real cosmic music thing. That makes this a great CD. Drifting, flowing in all pieces, bouncing back and forth towards the more ‘pop’ like tunes and lengthy, atmospheric excursions. A great album, I’d say, an excellent combination of both ends, making a very mature album. Great psychedelic music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.voiceofeye.com
FLATLINE SKYLINE – ALL SOUND/NO VISION (CD by Mechanoise Labs)
Back in Vital Weekly 495 I reviewed Flatline Skyline’s debut album ‘Horizon Grid’. Flatline Skyline are R. Andrew Scott and Jacen Kemp and back then it seemed to me a cross-over between IDM, gothic and noise. Atmospheric songs in which vocals play a big role. The new album ‘All Sound/No Vision’ continues this. The mood is again dark, rhythm are loud, aggressive, demanding (whatever you may think is appropriate) and Kemp’s voice sound like Marc Almond, although screaming in ‘Sleep Tight, Silent Knight’ reminding me of Last Few Days. It has also moments of contemplation and introspection, such as in ‘Aperture’, but those pieces are sparse, but provide that necessary counterpoint. In that sense this album is a much more varied than ‘Horizon Grid’ and this variety is what makes this album very good. Perhaps not the sort of music I’d play a lot I guess, but this one is really nice. (FdW)
Address: http://www.mechanoise-labs.com
2|FAVOURITE PLACES (CD compilation by Audiobulb Records)
Following last week’s Thomas Koner’s mentioning of longitude/lattitude’s in the piece, this compilation, the second in a series, does the same. Each of the ten pieces is a favorite place for the composer. They are also mentioned by the place it is, although then its still not easy to know what it is, except of course ‘my bed’ by He Can Jog. I could of course install google’s earth view thingy, but then I rather listen and imagine these places myself. Oh oops. The booklet provides me with pictures and descriptions of each of the places, which is a nice read. If you read these, you might think that this is a CD of purely field recordings, as there are references to recording dates/times, but I guess that’s when the basic material has been recorded, which was later manipulated. Throughout one can say that these ten composers all belong to the world of microsound, with their minimalist, electronic processing of the original field recordings. Sometimes we hear a bit of rainfall, bird twitter, people talking or snooring in ‘my bed’. Not much news under the sun in terms of music, but throughout I must say this is a nice compilation of well made field recordings, microsound and electronics. Including Lawrence English, Yannick Franck, Micheal Santos, Icarus, Sawako, Jeremy Bible, Austitici, Calika and Micheal Trommer. (FdW)
Address: http://www.audiobulb.com
MILLIPEDE – ALL MY BEST INTENTIONS (CD by Hymen Records)
American composer Don Hill has been exploring darker territories of ambient under the name Porteur De L’Image over the years. Now the Chicago-based artist has released a debut album under the alternative name Millipede. Compared to the explorations of aforementioned Porteur De L’Image, Don Hill as Millipede circulates in more beat-driven sound worlds with rhythm structures that spans from IDM-textures to more discreet pulses of clicking pulses. The overall style still points towards the ambient scene, yet the soundscapes isn’t dark or threatening. The strength of Milipede is the artists ability of creating deep otherworldly ambience, that sometimes moves into harsher expressions not far away from IDM-legends Gridlock. Anyone interested in Gridlock or ambient-driven IDM should definitely check this work out. Music to dive deeply into. Mesmerizing! (NM)
Address: http://www.hymen-records.com/
AHNST ANDERS – MANY WAYS (CD by Ant-Zen)
A couple of years ago I reviewed the debut album from german sound artist Henrik Erichsen under his alias “Ahnst Anders”. The album, titled “Dialog” and released on the Pflichtkauf-label in 2007, was an intense album drifting somewhere in the borderlands between dark ambient and downbeat industrial. Now two years later Ahnst Anders is ready with his fourth release, being the first album released on Ant-Zen Recordings. If the debut album was good (and it definitely was!) this latest album carrying the title “Many ways” is nothing short of excellent. The atmospheres of the album is darkly intense. Keeping the foot in the dark ambient there are similarities to the earlier albums but the compositions seems more varied but still with a great sonic flow on the album as a whole. Generally the composer sticks to the longer pieces with average playing times around 7 minutes per track. This means that the composer has plenty of time to create some musical intensity and atmosphere in pieces that overall use minimalist expressions. The sound of the works are first of all dark and sinister thanks to the slowly moving heavy drones that either lives on their own or sometimes in company with rhythmic patterns that spanning from downbeat to more upbeat technoid expressions. Despite its blackness, there are much beauty hidden in the thick fogs of heavy drones. Especially pieces like “Phonique”, “Forrest” and “Still there” oozes of melodic beauty. Excellent new album that will please both ambient listeners and technoid fans. (NM)
Address: http://www.ant-zen.com/
THE RORSCHACH GARDEN – A PLACE FOR THE LOST (CD by Bazooka Joe)
German artist Phillipp Münch has to be one German electronic music scene’s most active artists with a number of aliases and collaboration projects. Two of his most active projects are the hard-hitting powernoise-act Synapscape and the sharp contrast to Synapscape, being the minimal electropop-band The Rorschach Garden also starring Barbara Teichner and Natascha Pohlmann. The band started in the fall of the eighties operating in a decade before a few years up till 2001. From this year forward a great number of releases has seen the light of the day on labels like Fich Art, Bazooka Joe and Sub.ver.siv. Present album “A place for the lost” turns the memories back to the British technopop-scene of the early mid-80’s. Especially New Order comes to my mind as I listen to the 14 tracks on the album, especially thanks to the vocal of Phillipp Münch that in expression reminds of Bernard Sumner. Despite its call to the heydays of 80’s electropop the project has its very own approach with influences of the industrial-scene. The strength of the band is the powerful energy that is hidden under every single track, that in combination with the upbeat rhythm-textures makes a good choice for every DJ-set. Highly recommended. (NM)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/therorschachgarden
GRIEF NO ABSOLUTION – EUROSTOPODUS ARGUS/CRYPSIS (LP/EP / Digital album by Flingcosound)
GNA make no grandiose claims for what I assume they assume is “metal” though
some tracks (5/6/7) appear almost experimental or with a slight shift even HWN. They seem to be genuinely exploring what is for them *new* territories, the source of their sound – perhaps even vocals so over-inscribed by feedback, distortion and noise that no meaning or avant garde statement can raise its pretentious self-indulgent head. It may be hard for some to grasp but the search for meaning is either successful or fails, in other words asking what a drum kit is for presupposes an essence on the material before its existence which is nothing other than anti-human religiosity. Life for the Jazz musician (like a drum kit or saxophone) has purpose, for noise there are only uses- not defined meanings which explains why the old avant-garde look on from behind at the play of post theoretical musics. GNA are Deleuzean affects, lines of flight, territorializations
de-territorializations – movement towards a B.W.O. (jliat)
Address: http://www.flingcosound.com/
DEFLAG HAEMORRHAGE/HAIEN KONTRA – HUMILIATED (CD by Tochnit Aleph)
Packaged in a silver anti-static bag along with two printed cards one having dense self indulgent text “My excrement hallucinatory rejections of a concrete reality..” and even denser overwritten text with photographs of blurred hand writing on the reverse. When tracked down – (they give no address) the following amongst other can be found “” “[sic] GOLDIE – drums, voice, credit card, amplifier, stereotaxic. MATTIN – GNU/Linux computer feedback, voice, guitar. Formed in East London in 2001… perform internationally… work with noise, silence and abjection… transgress all notions of what a performance can be without imposing aesthetic or moral limits… two of the most unpredictable and ‘conceptual’ contemporary sonic activists… “[sic] Goldie is one of the most original noise musician/performers on the European scene… from any current or cultural influence, Goldie’s work places itself in a unique conceptual universe, ..DEFLAG (etc) collaborated with some of the most radical and legendary musicians in the avant-garde such as Eddie Prevost (Prévost?) (a *Jazz* drummer!) and Philip Best ” And continues with reviews from Dan Warburton (The Wire). &…Nick Hobbs validating their oeuvre. Actually despite all this the piece begins with guitar / drumming noise @ 3 minutes a lot of shouting – everything then goes quiet and we hear a silly child voice and chimes? to give way to more shouting and noise finale. When was The Two Virgins series released? I’m sorry this is weak avant gardeism of the 1960s – no wonder Eddie and the Jazz heads want in. They *do not* transgress notions or moral limits or is there anything original here, certainly no unique conceptual universe whatever that might *mean*- but you might start by checking out the work of such as Fowler and the ideas regarding the current state of sonic art in “in the blink of an ear”- The only post-modern credentials they have is passing off clichéd rubbish as art given a set of an influential clique in line with Damien Hirst’s (successful) objective, so the whole thing might be an ironic gesture – at least that is an excuse. otherwise as a quote they give from A&Lers Michael Baldwin, Charles Harrison, Mel Ramsden from 1994 states “To mistake the causes and reasons which originate cultural practices for the causes and reasons which make it possible to go on with those same practices is a species of immaturity which terminates in Stalinism, or in some even worse adolescent disorder.” which is sufficient even given the pedigree/praise above to write this off as “embarrassments and pettinesses ” I suspect and hope that the self regarding, self pitying narrative is just a post-modern ploy, through I’m aware of an enormous anti-intellectualism (read anti-human) tendency in the Stalinist Jazz Mafia/Media. (jliat)
Address: http://www.mattin.org/DHHK.html
TIMO VAN LUIJK & FREDERIK CROENE – VOILE AU VENT (LP by La Scie Doree)
ONDE – PURPLE (LP by Ondemusic)
The work that involves Timo van Luijk is always presented in the best possible way. No pennies are saved to make sure the listener has something great (literally in the shape of a LP) in his hands. No cheap, easy CD, but a small piece of art. Not that these art pieces provide you with much information. ‘Voile Au Vent’ for instance just states the names of Van Luijk and Frederik Croene, when and where it was recorded and the name of the label, but nothing much else. Of Van Luijk we know he plays trumpet, electronics, toys and such like, and Croene, we learn somewhere else, is a piano player. Over the years Van Luijk has moved in his solo and collaborative work towards more traditional forms of improvised music. While he is responsible for the electronic part of it, always loose and free, waving just above the ground, the other player, a pianist in this case, places both of them on the ground with his playing. Although I must say that it seems to me here that Croene is also using electronics in his music. Four pieces are played here of which one ‘… Pour Le Vent…’ has a regular rhythm of some kind, and is the most worked out, i.e. composed piece of music, it seems. But all four pieces are equally great I think. A remarkable outsider record, of someone who doesn’t care about trends and such like.
The second album by Onde sees Van Luijk however doing something different. Onde’s three members were all once part of Noise Maker’s Fifes and consist of Van Luijk on trumpet, guitar and electronics, Greg Jacobs on violin, organ, electronics and Marc Wroblewski on strings, metal and accordion. They sort of play live in the studio and then further process/post produce the material a bit. This is, as said, far away from Van Luijk solo music or duo improvisation. The tides are the central thematic approach to both sides and the music sounds like. Flowing likes waves, breaking the shore, both sides have a great drive to them (does sound like a rhythm machine on ‘Vloed’ actually). Onde here sounds a bit like Troum: lots of regular instruments feeding through quite an amount of sound effects, but Onde sounds a bit more opened up than Troum (which seem to be hermetically closed at times). Onde seems to be going for that similar kind of trance like music. Drone with a drive. A fine record, topped in a great fold out sleeve. (FdW)
Address: http://www.lasciedoree.be
Address: http://www.ondemusic.be
ZONK’T – BEAT WINS YOU AND ME (LP by Sound On Probation)
HEAL – SUPERNATURAL (LP by Sound On Probation)
Behind both these pieces of vinyl is Laurent Perrier, whose career dates back to Eleve Model, his Odd Size label and these days releasing his own music on Sound On Probation, using a variety of names, each with its own distinct difference. Zonk’t can be best described as his industrial music project. The album opens with ‘War’, with a not too fast rhythm borrowed from the world of hip hop, but without vocals and piercing nasty frequencies. Click ‘n hop? Was that the term once coined for this? I don’t recall. But think a slow Pan Sonic, and you’ll be fine. In ‘Pore’ the tempo goes up quite a bit, with freaky sounds bouncing in and out. Synth driving, be it from analogue or digital origins, while ‘Clutter’ reminds us of early Esplendor Geometrico. On the other side two pieces, of which ‘Phlegmon’ has a low flying techno beat and seems to be the most straight dance beat oriented piece here. ‘Glaire’ is the longest piece on the album and the most abstract one. More loop than rhythm based, around some pseudo ethnic beat and more nasty frequencies. Great album, great decision to put this out on vinyl too. Nothing new in terms of musical innovation but excellently crafted. Will spice your alternative dance event.
Rhythm is also present on the album Perrier recorded under the ‘Heal’ guise, but that’s about the only thing that links Zonk’t and Heal together. For ‘Supernatural’, Perrier recorded, cut, sampled, rearranged the work of eleven musicians, who play drums, double bass, Fender Rhodes, piano, brass, cello, clarinet and such like and created an album which sound on the a-side like 50s soundtrack: dark, jazzy, people smoking cigarettes in barely lit cafe’s, lots of hats. Film Noir music. Great stuff, that combines the old tunes with new techniques and no doubt fits into areas I may have read about but probably forgot. The b-side is with three tracks (against five on the other side) a bit different. More electronic based it seemed, more ambient house alike, more minimal, and perhaps of the two records, the side I liked least. A bit ordinary minimalist dub ambient house techno music (file under, anyone?). Not unpleasant to hear, but maybe a bit too regular. Nice enough. (FdW)
Address: http://www.soundonprobation.com
MICRO_PENIS (LP by Doubtful Sounds)
Wether we should believe everything we read? Perhaps not. With much thanks to the internet, that pithole of lies. According to the label Doubtful Sounds, Micro_Penis is a quartet from Mulhouse, France, of Sebastien Borgo, Alexandre Kittel and Claude Spendelauer, who ‘escaped from the mental hospital of Rouffach in the South Alsace’. What all four escaped? It sounds like they could, or perhaps just that one guy who does the ‘vocals’, erm, ‘voice’ stuff here. He grunts, growls, howls and screams over the music, which is made by. Made by what actually? Electronics no doubt, pitched to the lowest note possible and perhaps some sort of acoustic objects being trashed about; maybe a saxophone here and there. The interesting thing however it doesn’t sound like a noise record that much. Perhaps more like a crazy visual artist let loose in the studio to record this, like Karel Appel’s ‘Musique Barbare’. None of the obscenities can easily be understood, so perhaps its all less obscene than the name might imply. Art brut for sure. I thought two sides of this sort of improvised repressed noise was a bit much, but I guess if you are crazy enough, you never know when to stop. Throw ‘m back in, and put them on medication again. (FdW)
Address: http://www.doubtfulsounds.info
MARCO FUSINATO – RIPPING SKIES (LP by No Fun Productions)
ASTROMERO – LIVE IN SAN FRANCISCO (LP by No Fun Productions)
Electro noise spluttering of malfunctioning electronics, feedback and overloaded hum- HNW / noise variations across a semantic plane of dead signifies graphemic nonsense of punctuated gaps in the sound under erasure, a metaphysics of nonsense exposing itself to the pornography of art and sound in the last instance divesting itself of itself – over ripeness. Rotten fruit crushed and bloody of a sub-cultural parasitic gesture of a cultural self induced vomiting. Marco Fusinato (http://www.marcofusinato.com/) apart from “doing things” and doing things with a guitar and doing things in what *you* might call art – not ignorance – has never the less produced – in spite of produced – because of – produced- as a Kantian Synthetic Apriori causality produced a remarkable record. Like Flavin better without the lights/guitar. (joke). The persistence governs one side where the other is free. (of experimentalism gesture culture place syntax) Though sadly Astromero despite its C.C.C.C. pedigree seems lost, is a sc-fi vortex of neo-Hawkwindian landscapes – for “psychedelic synth / noise” – read psychedelic synth / sound – with a decent drummer would be psychedelic synth / pop – and quite nice as such. I’m being overly harsh of this very “spacey” “trippy” tom -foolery. It’s OK, probably very fine, for myself I no longer find fire-work displays either beautiful or exciting- the cynical tastes of old age? Another oscillator sweep through VCF and reverb breaks overhead in glorious color. ooooohhhahhhhhh — Cantona? The crowd like it anyway – side two a more composed (read yet more reverbed!) studio piece is likewise. And a naf cover – the horse head nebula would have been the more obvious. To be slightly more serious the religiosity of its uber-science is daft. I wont go into detail but NASA is replacing the shuttle with a V2, the Playstation 3 forms the basis for the fastest supercomputer.. Folding@home – (jliat)
Address: http://www.nofunproductions.com/
STEPHEN CORNFORD – TWO WORKS FOR TURNTABLES (7″ by Permanent)
To work with turntables as the source of instruments is hardly a new thing. Says Anne Hilde Neset on the liner notes for the 7″ by Stephen Cornford. We all know that, I should hope. Cornford has four turntables which he lets rotating with marbles, ball bearings, one viola string, a ceramic disc, gears, rubber bands, a dessert bowl, horse hair, two metal dishes, piano wire, bicycle spokes, a draught excluder and gravel. This is placed on the rotating plates and mixed together. A simple and effective idea (which again isn’t that new either, Insititut Fur Feinmotorik did it also, and no doubt others), but Cornford’s pieces are quite nice, especially the one on side A, with the marbles rolling about and adding a somewhat surprise like element to the fun, whereas the other side, although divided into two parts, remains more static in approach. This would make a great sound installation I guess, and perhaps it was. (FdW)
Address: http://www.permanentgallery.com
ACL – BIG FAT ARSE (7″ by Hag Records)
Of course it would be easy to say that whatever Hagshadow releases is born under sun of Whitehouse, Sutcliffe Jugend of Sixth Comm – as they put up shows by them in London. One G. GiveTOgod is ACL (with the A wrapped in circle, like the anarchists do) and pressed on 7″ vinyl are two pieces ‘Big Fat Arse’ and ‘Shit Baby’. The vocals scream about – layered (the word fucking keeps popping up) like in the best Ramleh tradition (of which the early work is still favorite here), piercing electronics, fast oscillations like latter day Whitehouse sometimes has, which almost form some kind of rhythm. It borrows from all of that, but I must say ACL does quite a nice job. Nothing new, but a dedicated follower of a well-known style. (FdW)
Address: http://www.hagshadow.net
BLACKPEPPER – VQAREKK/COLOUR/COLOR (7″ by Dirty Demos)
Dirty Demos did release work before from Blackpepper, and also of Jason Kerley, the man behind it (see Vital Weekly 586 for an earlier 3″CDR). As Blackpepper he plays around with notion of breakbeats in these three pieces. More spicey that much of this kind of music on say Highpoint Lowlife, with the rhythm gliding up and down the scale, no doubt thanks to Ableton Live. Not being a DJ at all, I wonder if this record is really my thing, but these three pieces are actually quite nice. ‘Color’ has no rhythm and is the shortest track, more like a contemplative moment of tinkling sounds. Quite nice music and could do well on your turntable if you throw a party that involves bodies moving on the dance floor. (FdW)
Address: http://www.dirtydemos.co.uk
BIG CITY ORCHESTRA – THIRTY YEARS OF (CDR by Ubuibi)
Here’s another celebration I haven’t realized was coming up, just like last week’s The Legendary Pink Dots, Big City Orchestra also exists for thirty years, but perhaps I just didn’t realize it would be thirty years now. How time flies. Like the Dots, main character of in this story, Das, has delved the archives of his band and presents five never before released sessions (multiple tracks for three of them) from 1981, 1986 (two actually), 1991 and 2001 (recorded in Nijmegen ‘in a camper’ with Phil Knight – to make another Pink Dots connection). The oldest session is just Das on ‘four shortwave radios’. Big City Orchestra, throughout its many years of existence, have been very consistent in what they do, musicwise. Long pieces of psychedelic electronics swirl about, mostly at the darker regions of sound color. Ambient and industrial are the two terms to spring to mind. This disc of material, spanning twenty years, may show little development, but then I don’t think Big City Orchestra didn’t set out to change the face of music, but rather is an urge to create music that they simply feel like creating. This disc is a long trip, seventy-seven minutes of signature Big City Orchestra music. And onto the next thirty years (and currently on tour in Europe). (FdW)
Address: http://www.ubuibi.org
DOODSHOOFD – NYD (CDR by Skumrex)
DOODSHOOFD – HEIL HNW (CDR by Skumrex)
DOODSHOOFD – HEIL HNW (Cassette tape by Skumrex)
BAGMAN FOR KENNETH MC KENNA (3″CDR by Skumrex)
I think someone called Too wrote to Frans in Dutch where I guess he writes that the above are for me – that’s all I can make out. Skumrex is a label from Overijssel in the Netherlands, in google maps its the middle of a field. Which is more useless information- we live in an age of useless information. Of course as the geographiles know “Overijssel is bordered by Germany to the east, the Achterhoek region of Gelderland to the south, the Veluwe region of Gelderland and Flevoland to the west, and Friesland and the former moors of Drenthe to the north. Overijssel comprises three regions: Kop van Overijssel in the northwest, Salland in the centre of the province, and Twente in the east. Besides the capital Zwolle, the major cities are Almelo, Deventer, Enschede, and Hengelo. To the southeast, the province’s surface is mostly sandy, interspersed with small rivers, such as, Regge and Dinkel and brooks, in the northwest, the geology is dominated by sediments from the Overijsselse Vecht and clay.” Sounds like something from Lord of the Rings to the geographically challenged, just in case you are wondering what is the relevance of all this – then its not, just as HNW – that’s a wall of noise “Hash Noise Wall” is not to music.. Anitimusikalische Akation – which is German for anti musical action- DOODSHOOFD is Dutch for Skull. How educational can a review get- I do hope you are following – there will be a test. NYD (I will leave for the curious to google (tip: google “nyd rune”) ) 1:01:13 sounds like a pitchless tornado, until about 38 minutes there is a slight wobble (& @ 48) and volume reduction? (why? A act of self effacement? Explicit symmetry breaking (of the continuum of the HNW) indicates a situation where the dynamical equations are not manifestly invariant under the symmetry group considered. This means, in the Lagrangian (Hamiltonian) formulation, that the Lagrangian (Hamiltonian) of the system contains one or more terms explicitly breaking the symmetry. Eh?) a remarkable work which escapes any legitimizing systems. To get heavy – not only States legitimize (musics/physics/ethics et al.) but contra Deleuze rhyzomic groups (sub-genres, gangs..) do also – to value is to become capitalist – the worth of Marxism makes it a Capitalism.. from the HWN perspective- not that in its monophony is there any perspective, it overwrites, or ignores value(s). Not good stuff but nice stuff, nice is value free. To comodify is to make good.. make goods / gods . get it? OK what country borders Overijssel to the east? No cheating. The second CDR has two tracks as does the cassette (“recorded in rural Netherlands” – come on guys more detail please! – everyone reading this is asking “which region of Overijssel?”..) both HNW which though not identical share identities in parts- HNW which only reinforces what is above – walls of disrupted noise – An interesting thought in an already overlong review-can we have beauty without goodness? Perhaps- here? Bagman noise could be described as extreme harsh noise rather than “wall,” the pieces are in constant morphogenesis, a dangerous situation nearing the collapse of everything, certainly no attempt at coherence which strangely is a problematic for “wall” noise. I think at times he might be stretching to far, in danger of falling into meaning – of vocals or some kind of neo-industrial rhythmics of track 3, however the danger of such “experimentalism’ and pseudo-teleology is mitigated (though it can’t be justified) by the final track of wonderfully new? (for me/him) totalizing high end feedback, breaking free of the particular cathartic fall into a generalizing totality removed of the personal id, disintegrations not of sound but of universes of… ethics. Question: should catharsis be good or just a pleasant respite from the truth that there is no good. “Good is dead” – ha ha ha. (jliat)
Address http://www.myspace.com/skumrex
MIXTURIZER MXTRZR (CDr by R.O.N.F. Records)
I thought I had reviewed more than just a comp but then perhaps I’m not
thinking.. Here the electronics go through slow processing and
manipulations – slow enough to be predictable and almost precisely atypical
of any conventional western music. Compare with Spruit where the chop up
offers a different more open approach to the development of forms more akin
to their digital genesis. There is a massive hour and 8 minutes here – some
latter tracks of almost sheer harsh noise others play with rhythms devices
and real feedback. The more “live” the pieces the better, the human as
opposed to microsecond digital manipulations. This focuses on an important
issue – to engage in change today the need is to rely on the hyperfast logic
switching of cybernetics or else deny change in the move to HWN. To “hear”
the foot moving the wah wah or hear the hand turning the filter / oscillator
is to remove us back into a past which is dead and gone. So the last track
is the most successful of the 9 apart from the needless fade into reverb.
Still the old gods work – “The old habit, however, of associating a goal
with every event and a guiding, creative God with the world, is so powerful
that it requires an effort for a thinker not to fall into thinking of the
very aimlessness of the world as intended. ” (jliat)
Address (http://www.ronfrecords.com)
NRYY NOISE RE YACKY (3inch CDR by Hikikomori Records)
KENJI SIRATORI – SHUTDOWN (CDR by Verato Project)
CONTAGIOUS ORGASM + FLUTWACHT – INSPECTION OF 1 HOUR (CD by Seeking
Sensation Scale Music + The Tourette Tapes 2009)
Now these three sadly I just don’t get – Hikikomori Records is supposedly an experimental music label from Denmark (despite the Japanese sounding name!) which is surprising then as this release can best be described as quirky-pop, the kind of thing which goes down well I guess at The Wire (hi guys). Ordinary music with a hint of turmeric, like Dulux off white paint – white but that something that makes it different, interesting, *individual* guitar strumming a very pleasant tune but a backing track made in a toilet, bongos and rumba but with a hint of noise, waves crashing and dial tones – I’m waiting for the whale sounds. No it’s a fly, and water, field recordings for the Abba generation- so – well soooo musical- here come the bongos. I have a collection of Wire tappers – and this kind of stuff appears on them in shed-loads. The riffs and rhythms of Hoxton Square. Moving on –
Shutdown – micro sounding and using composed composites of no-pitched sound, it however follows old ploughed ruts of musical convention such that to those of a noise perspective it is not understandable in its gentle semi-industrial rattlings. The fact that its packed in an eco JakeBox is more typical than impressive. The asymmetric label on the actual disk also gave some interesting noises – though unintentional. The CO/Flutwacht is the strangest of all, conventional avant garde micro sounds and voices – yes- conventional industrial landscapes- and piano and gamelan? – beats and rhythms?? – with synth samples and industrial pads??? – homage to Autechre? But poorly done… deliberately I wonder – an ironic gesturing at the pop worlds pseudo experimentalism? I don’t think so. All three seem unable to make up just what they are about or even attempting to be
about. (jliat)
Address: http://www.hikikomori-records.com
Address: http://www.verato-project.de
Address: http://www.tourettetape.de/
SPRUIT – ON/OFF (3inch CDR by Spruit)
Marvelous digital cut-ups and glitches – music for the 21st century at last, a positive and affirming digital aesthetic complementing the over saturations of noise. Poetic digital ballets of sound. It could be the self generated genius of some AI device @ M.I.T. in its binaryism but IMO the product of a hard working and sensitive mind which I know from the address is not silica. Anyone interested at all in digital electronic music should check out this remarkable work. (its such a nice feeling when someone gets it completely right) (jliat)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/spruit
PINE TREE STATE MIND CONTROL – ESQUMAUX (3inch CDR by Walnut+Locust)
“Part cult, part corporation, part social experiment, Pine Tree State Mind Control layers subliminal messages under harsh, yet hypnotic, noise.” Track 1. Harsh industrial/2. underwater sonar sounds through reverb/ 3. noise-drill and looped indiscernible voice & noise. I could say I’m totally underwhelmed – (I am!) but the catch is PTSMC could argue that that was precisely the hidden message controlling my mind was meant to do? And not as on their web site “encourage the listener to smile more often, work harder, and get the best out of his or her leisure time. ” actually its rather annoying sounds. All a bit utopian and magic crystals, one of the problems with utopian projects like the concept of an afterlife is boredom. And anyway who says I want to work harder! Though I did some work – in the second track a very slowed down voice appears (when speeded up) to say “im gladdy with my roots” – well yes? Far out man.. as for the chanting loop on the third track there is obviously much else going on- a racket- one slight problem for people who claim the ability to control minds, predict the future – lottery numbers etc. is that they are not stupendously famous and/or rich? Of course they might argue to use such powers in a selfish way would be wrong – but I think that’s a lie, and they are fakes – but who put that idea in my head. No one – its bunk and nothing but. (jliat)
Address: http://www.ptsmc.org/
THE BLACK BOX (sound box by FSS)
When Staalplaat released FM3’s ‘Buddha Machine’ I was quite surprised there wasn’t much follow-up. No more releases, no remix album et al. Or that other labels would jump the idea. Until now. A Buddha Machine is a small box, with a built in speaker that has a few, in this case nine, loops of sounds. FSS doesn’t use the word Buddha Machine, but here its a black box. It has short pieces by Annie Feldmeier, Haptic, Cristal and Wrmlrd (who contributed one piece, whereas the other did two). In total, perhaps twenty seconds of music. That’s all. But since they are loops they can run forever. I am not sure if the text pieces by Feldmeier would be something I would want to hear forever, or perhaps Wrmlrd noise, but Haptic and Cristal’s grainy sounds are great: it seems to move around, whereas it is obvious it doesn’t, its static sound. There have been 2000 manufactured, and I recommend getting at least two (three is better) and have fun with playing various sounds at the same time, or try and get phase shifting music from the same loop. A lovely object, despite the fact that it looks like a small tombstone. Batteries not included. (FdW)
Address: http://www.flingcosound.com