HIS MASTERS VOICE – SINGING THE BOUNDARIES (CD by Manifold)
Maybe a somewhat too obvious name, but behind His Masters Voice you’ll find
three veterans of ‘industrial music’ (ouch writing that hurts): Randy Greif
(known from his excellent Alice In Wonderland 5CD set, aswell as many other
works), Jeph Jerman (from Hands To, Blowhole, plus a host of other
projects) and R. Kitch (the man behind IAM Umbrella). Jeph Jerman gave the
hands to this particular release, of Yaqui Indian legend of four prophets
who met with four “angels” who taught them a song and together they walked
and sang the boundaries of their land. From what I understand of the liner
notes, this work was put together through mail. Jeph had some source
material, and Randy and R. Kitch worked on the material through extensive
sampling and sound processing. The result is an amazing collage of
ethno-ish rhythms combined with odd sounds that swirl in and out of the
mix.
The two resulting pieces are beautiful textured pieces that sound like a
journey through ancient land inhabited by the spirits. (FdW)
Address: <vince@ubd1.vdospk.com>
HUMAN MESH DANCE – THESECRETNUMBER12 (CD by 12k)
Taylor Deupree launches a new series of limited edition releases with this
understated but beautiful compact disc. It’s the first Human Mesh Dance
album in three years, following “Mindflower”, released on Instinct way back
in 1994. But this doesn’t indicate any sort of lazy inactivity on
Deeupree’s part. He’s been as prolific as family of rabbits in a carrot
patch, recording under a diverse range of pseudonyms like Prototype 909,
Seti, Futique, Arc, Tiny Objects In Space, Eox, and Unit Park. With one
exception all of these releases have been issued by other labels. “The
Secret Number 12″ is released on his own label 12k, part of a possibly
wider trend by artists to take more control of their careers.
“Thesecretnumber12” ebbs and flows from one smooth landscape to another,
computerized rhythms rising and evaporating out of soft pink and yellow
sound clouds, while other amorphous forms intermingle in the background,
one mellow groove leading to the next. Chill-out fog covers the forest
floor and twinkling lights suspended from tree branches light the way.
Seriously, this is a good album, as interesting and rewarding as they come.
But don’t delay, it’s limited to only 500 copies, and something tells me
it’s not going to be around for long. The only disappointment I found with
this album was that it didn’t run on for hours and hours. Damned CD
format!! (CP)
Address: <taylor@walrus.com> 115 Wyckoff Street 4th floor, Brooklyn NY 11201 US
ORGANUM – KAMMER (miniCD by Robot)
You could rank Organum’s David Jackman as a classical figure among the
industrial types (without being classical or industrial!). Starting his
musical career with the open minded folks of the Scratch Orchestra, forming
Organum in the early 80s. I have been a keen follower of his work, until
about two years, when releasing records became too much of a numbered and
signed art object that hurts the wallet. But of and on a ‘bigger’ release
is made, and even the poor get value for money. This work is a 17 minute
piece that starts out with scraping wires in a tunnel and objects falling
over each other, later on added by shovels digging the dirt (well just
describing what I hear of course, as the minimal cover doesn’t give a
clue). Natural reverb is added in the recording process, and Kammer turns
out to be a beautiful and haunting piece of music.
And I still have hopes that all the limited editions vinyl will be compiled
into a retrospective CD one day! (FdW)
Address: Robot – P.O. Box 120004 – San Antonio TX 78212 – USA
ESPLENDOR GEOMETRICO – BALEARIC RHYTHMS (CD by Rotor)
PANASONIC – KULMA (CD by Blast First)
It’s interesting to set these two new releases against each other. Spanish
duo with the firm background in rhythm pulsating industrial music, and
Finnish duo rooted in house music. Both employ minimalism in the rhythms,
but end up at different results.
Esplendor Geometrico result at rather dark beats, but also rather monotone.
But wasn’t that the trick? I find that most of the tracks here have similar
built ups with pretty much the same set of sounds. Once at their peak, the
track stays there until the next one starts out, again in similar
territory. Rather boring…
Panasonic on the other hand the other know very well how to construct a
minimalist piece of rhythm oriented music that is different from the one
before or after. Some pieces are rather short soundscape like, and others
have more song oriented structure. As a whole ‘Kulma’ is more complex then
their first full length ‘Vakio’, and less dense and harsh as ‘Osasto’.
‘Kulma’ is a departure into sonic experimentalism and is not dance music at
all, but listening music, where changes, close in detail, play an important
role. Music to be paying close attention to. (FdW)
Address: <rotor@ran.es>
Address: Blast First – 429 Harrow Road – London W10 4RE
DEUTSCH NEPAL – COMPRENDIDO… TIME STOP(CD by Cold Meat/Relapse)
If you paid close attention, then you know I’m not concerned with music
that pays much attention with anything else other then the music itself. If
wearing black clothes, make-up is your cup of tea, then you are into
fashion, and musicians that dress up like that have something to hide –
usually creative attention to the music. A lot of Sweden’s darker metal
industrial Goth is just not for me, but Deutsch Nepal is one of the
positive exceptions. Their new, fourth, album is again dark, and follows
the track of Tolerance with a lot of rhythms, but growing more intense and
creepy. This comes from the end of the world where sun light doesn’t play a
role in having fun y’ know. But Deutsch Nepal delivers a varied album f up
tempo pieces and dark creepy ones (let’s say love ballads for the sick,
such as ‘World Mirror’ or ‘Gonge Free Market’)
Address: <relapse@relapse.com>
OSKAR SALA – SUBHARMONISCHE MIXTUREN (CD by Erdenklang)
Of course you know Oskar! That’s of the pioneers of electronic music, who
built in the 20s his Mixtur Trautonium and who made a lot of film music
(for a/o. Hitchcocks’ The Birds). What sets the Trautonium apart from other
synthesizer is the vibrating tones it produces, because it had no keys to
be played. It has a rich textured, deep sound, but the compositions that
Sala made for them have a classical structure and are not at all abstract
in one way or the other. It seems to me that Sala wants to prove one is
able to compose ‘real’ music on an ‘electronic’ instrument. One can wonder
if that is a discussion that is still relevant. The ‘Chaconne Electronique’
(for Mixtur Trautonium and tape technique) is more abstract and reminded me
of the non keyboards electronics of Conrad Schnitzler. The closing piece is
a soundtrack from ‘The Strangler Of Blackmoor Castle’) and even hints at
pop music. Every self-respecting lover of experimental music should have at
least one Oskar Sala CD, even just for historical purposes, so why not this
one? (FdW)
Address: Erdenklang – In Der Habbecke 18 – 59889 Eslohe – Germany