ATRAX MORGUE – SLUSH OF A MANIAC (CD by Crowd Control Activities)
MAUTHAUSEN ORCHESTRA – RAISING VAPOURS (CD by Bloodlust!)
Atrax Morgue rumours to be a former psycheciatric patient – the sort of
information that I don’t think is relevant. This is third CD, the second to
be released in the USA, the first to contain voices (to avoid the word
vocals). I can’t say I am too impressed by this CD. Bleepy quasi harsh
synths – quasi noise – but one that never gets to the excitement level of,
say, Merzbow, or Masonna. No doubt there is a crowd for this kind of stuff,
maybe anyone who can’t afford to buy an out of print Whitehouse or Ramleh
LP. I don’t think I am pat of this crowd.
Mauthausen Orchestra belong to the old guys, and are something of a
mystery, appearing every 5 years or so with a CD or LP. Actually it’s a
decade ago since we last heard something. It’s funny to see who he is
paying tribute to: maurizio Bianchi, Gary Mundy (Ramleh) but also Namlook.
Now don’t expect guitar laden ambient with tons of echo. Nothing of that.
The impact of Muathausen is very drony and stretched – vaguely it hints at
the old meister MB. At a low volume (and I am pretty sure it is intended
like that) it would do well as subsonic ambient and at a loud volume the
plaster falls down. As an event of industrial music, this is much more
pleasing then the aforementioned Atrax Morgue.(FdW)
Address: <crowded@ezlink.com>
Address: <bludlust@mcs.net>
INADE – The flood of the white light (10″ by Malignant Records)
Malignant Records is the label from Jason Mantis who also brought the
“Audio Drudge” – magazine to us – now he seems to be more active with his
label (which is on one hand really a pity). The recent release is this lim.
to 500 copies 10″ by Inade, a group from former East-Germany who had their
debut-CD out last year on Cold Spring. On this disc we find 3 tracks of
quiet minimal & slowly shifting dark ambient “Industrial”, consisting
mainly of dull sounding drums and long waves of what seems to be a kind of
wind instrument, which sounds a little bit like a distorted didgeridoo. We
also find little analogue effects between … I liked the first track on
the A-Side mostly, as it has a real hypnotizing “beat”. Inade sound here
much clearer and less droning as on their previous recordings (especially
the first two tapes), which I don’t see as a flaw. I was reminded on the
last Archon Satani 10″ (reviewed few weeks before). For darker hours! [BAR]
Address: <mlgnant@earthlink.net>
KIRCHENKAMPF – NEBULA (7″ by Fever Pitch)
This name I came across already a couple of times, but without hearing what
they sounded like. The problem with a 7″ of this kind I still only have a
limited view. Both sides sound like a treated chruch organ but are over
before you know it has started. Sometimes music needs more space to be
fully justified. At least I’m curious now to hear what else these people
are up to. (FdW)
Address: Fever Pitch – 1108 E. Capitol Dr. – Appleton, WI 54911 – USA
JOHN CAGE – SONATAS & INTERLUDES (CD by Fylkingen)
This is a re-issue of a mono LP released by Fylkingen in sixties, and the
piano is played by Yuji Takahashi. I’m no classical trained critic, so it’s
hard to tell wether this is a good interpretation or not. But I like to
make another statement on the work of Cage. I assume that most of his
musical output will be forgotten in the next century, or at least largely
ignored. John Cage will be remembered as an innovator, a goeroe of working
with sound, opening the eyes of many young composers, and the starting
point of them. That may seem a harsh statement, but a realistic one.
However, Cage wrote also some very nice music, and a great deal is for
piano, wether or ot prepared. These Sonatas & Interludes belong to the
unprepared ones, and date from the early years of his career. And they also
belong to his better works. If you like Erik Satie’s solo piano music, then
this is as necessary. Let’s assume it’s a good interpretation, otherwise
Fylkingen wouldn’t invest money in a CD re-issue. (FdW)
Address: <www.fylkingen.se>
KOHN (CD by K-Raa-K)
Strange item this is. The pressblurb raves about Oval, Microstoria,
Panasonic or Autechre, but I must say I find only small similarities in
that. The mail-order connected to this new label, sells stuff on the German
label ‘Hausmusik’, and I was reminded (also with this package) of the
excellent ‘The Day My Favourite Insect Died’ (that sampler of guitar bands
fiddling with samplers). Kohn is like that in a way. Cleverly the CD has
been divided in various parts. The first three are skipping CD’s that are
sampled – a bit worn out concept, but especially the second track is nicely
done. The section 4-6 I didn’t like very much. There is some horrible
guitar playing in an improv mood going on which I thought was out of place.
‘Kodde’, the 9th track, is alike. The last three tracks are more ina
rhythmical areas and are probably the ‘Panasonic’ reference. I still can’t
stop thinking of people that are used to play a guitar, made this, and it’s
to hard to tell why. However, this is a fine disc of reasonable
experimental electronica with a twichty edge on dance music. (FdW)
Address: Leliestraat 35 – 8210 Zedelgem – Belgium
PIANO MAGIC – POPULAR MECHANICS (CD by Che/i Records)
A while ago I reviewed a nice 12″ by Piano Magic that was a strange cat in
the Vital pages. Now there is the ‘full length’ album and I was very
curious to see what a ‘full length’ would be like. It’s like a
mind-expanding trip. Piano Magic shifts as easily from drum & bass to soft
melodic singing or experiments with dropping the needle on a record. Apart
from the woman singing, which is something I never like too much, this is a
fine CD of the area were experimental music and pop fine wave together.
There is certainly an 80’s feel to it, mainly in some of the keyboard lines
that give the total a certain sense of naviety. Though not every track is
as strong, it is more then a good CD. (FdW)
Address: <irec@cheltd.demon.co.uk>
COMPILATION – RELEASE YOUR MIND – VOLUME 2 (3CD by Relapse Records (RR 6961-2)
This is a three CD set in a very extravagent carton ‘fold-open’ cover. It
is compiled by Bill Yurkiewicz, who runs Relapse Records. “The cream of the
crob of the world’s experimental artists” says the cover. “The ultimate
starting point for the curious neophyte”. Well, it is a good starting point
in the sense that there are about 30 different artists on this compilation.
So it provides a nice overview of today’s experimental electronic sound
artists. The whole thing is very well balanced; the first disc beholds
meanly dark- and tribal-ambient. Disc two provides you with more rhythm
based stuff, and disc three is the noise CD. And luckily here are not ‘all
the most likely’ , ‘always the same names’ here, but some new and brand new
names. So… lets get into the namedropping; disc 1: Vidna Obmana, TUU, Yen
Pox, Trial Of The Bow, Mandible Chatter (I’m naming only the more ‘famous’
names since this disc contains 10 tracks) and the absolute highlight of
this disc as far as I’m concerned: Lull!
Disc 2 (also 10 tracks in total): Hybrids, J Plotkin, Namanax, O Yuki
Conjugate, Solarus and highlights a.f.a.i.c.: ‘Runzelstirn and Gurgelstock’
and ‘Bastard Noise’. Disc 3 (12 tracks in total) is my favourite, the noise
disc: Illusion Of Safety, Brume, Kapotte Muziek, Haters, Skin Crime and
again the highlights: Kazumoto Endo, Japanese Torture Comedy Hour, Masonna
and Atrax Morgue. It’s good to see that there is a fine balance and that it
is selected per style, per CD. A fine introduction. (RM)
Address: <relapse@relapse.com>