Week 39

This is the final issue of Vital Weekly…

MARK POYSDEN & RADBOUD MENS – ACTS (CD by ERS)
RICK SANDERS – 9 (CD by Nobeat Music)
ASMUS TIETCHENS/THORSTEN SOLTAU – LICHTHÖFE (CD by Auf Abwegen)
DE FABRIEK – I CHING SHUFFLE (CD by EE Tapes)
TAM QUAM TABULA RASA/ILLUSION OF SAFETY – PÀTHEI MÀTHOS (split CD by Luce Sia)
ILLUSION OF SAFETY/KIKANJU BAKU, SUNJAE LEE, DAYOON LEE (split cassette by Ethnicity Against the Error)
MOLJEBKA PVLSE – WITH THE PASSING OF TIME (2CD by Kokeshidisk)
MICHAEL NORTHAM – STOCHASTIC EMBROIDERY (CD by Taâlem)
LAURENT PERNICE – PRESQUE NATURE (CD by Taâlem)
ORPHAX – EMBRACED IMPERFECTIONS (2CD, private)
CONFOUNDER – COUNTRY FUCKER (CD by Tribe Tapes)
MAX JULIAN EASTMAN – REGENCY PLACE (CD by Tribe Tapes)
ZONA INUSTRIALE – REQUIEM (CD by Tribe Tapes)
CLOSING – VI (CD by Unfathomless)
Ø – SYSIVALO (CD by Sähkö Recordings)
ANNETTE VANDE GORNE – TUTTI FRUTTI (CD by Persistence of Sound)
BRUNHILD FERRARI – ERRANT EAR (CD by Persistence of Sound)
NASMAAK/NASMAK – LIVE GIGANT 1979-1982 (LP by Concerto)
NASMAK PM – THE PM SERIES 5: PERFECT MATCH DENSE (CD by Nasmak)
VAGINA DENTATA ORGAN – CONCRETE MUSIC (CD by WSNS)
CHRISTIAN MARIEN QUARTETT – BEYOND THE FINGERTIPS (CD by Marmade Records)
FRED FIRTH AND THE GRAVITY BAND (CD by Klanggalerie)
ELENKA FREIKKAR – AROUND THREE HUNDRED (CD by Around Three Hundred)
JOANA GUERRA, MARIA DO MAR, ROMKE KLEEFSTRA, JAN KLEEFSTRA – IT DEEL IV (LP by Moving Furniture Records)
MODELBAU – SHIFTED (7 inch by Grisaille)
GUILHEM LACROUX – CHANSON DE LA TRISTESSE (7 inch by Grisaille)
FILIPE FELIZARDO – PUXAPRA TRÁS (7 inch by Grisaille)
+DOG+ – JUST US (CDR by Love Earth Music)
QUINTEN DIERICK – ROSETTA’S SPONGE. PART ONE: THE BURGESS SHALE (CDR, private)
DUO PSICOGEOGRAFICO – ISKRA (CDR by Setola Di Maiale)
ECATORF TRIO – BENTHOS (CDR by Setola Di Maiale)
PORCELAIN CONTROL – BROKE ANTENNA FIX (3″CDR by Prime Cuts)
MICHAEL THOMAS JACKSON – KNEXIHOAKLAND HOMESICK BLUES (3″CDR by Prime Cuts)
MICHAEL THOMAS JACKSON – ONECX15 (3″CDR by Prime Cuts)
CEPHALIC INDEX – DISFARNIL TUNES (cassette by Tribe Tapes)
DEATH PYRE/HEAVY PAUSES (cassette by Birdeater Entertainment)
LOW COMMUNICATION – IN A CIRCLE (cassette by Cosmic Winnetou)
RODA – ON EXPLODING VIEWS (cassette by Cosmic Winnetou)
GÜNTER SCHLIENZ – MIKROFONIE (cassette by Cosmic Winnetou)
PERRACHE – LETTER TO JANE EP (cassette by Superpolar Taips)
CULTURAL AMNESIA – DID YOU HEAR THE MUSIC (cassette by Ice Cream For Crow)
THE SAND RAYS – THE OVERNIGHTER (USB by The Ceiling)
BENJAMIN DUESTER – TOMORROW ON CASSETTE (book by Bloomsbury Academic)
JANEK SCHAEFFER – WHATEVER WILL BE WILL BE – BROKEN RECORD DELIVERY (anti-record, private)

MARK POYSDEN & RADBOUD MENS – ACTS (CD by ERS)

By an excellent case of coincidence (or fate), I got a CD in the nick of time, a CD by Radboud Mens and Mark Poysden. You may know the first name, as we have reviewed various releases by him over the last 30 years. After all, that’s about the time I’ve known him. The name Mark Poysden may not immediately evoke similar recognition, but he and I have a history, one that goes back, perhaps, even a bit longer. When I started Vital Weekly, he delivered reviews as The Square Root Of Sub, which was, at the time, also the name he used for his music. He was also one-half of The Self-Transforming Machine Elves, and I keep saying: their debut album is a timeless classic of ambient dance music. Mark also edited the first 100 issues of Vital Weekly when I decided to publish a paper fanzine/booklet from them. As these things go, Mark ended reviewing (maybe around the time when Radboud reviewed for VW for a while), and also stopped releasing music for a long time, until a few years ago, when he released a DAT on Now DATS what I Call Music, which was a sort of ending for The Square Root Of Sub, getting some old stuff out of the way.
Because the Netherlands is a small country and people often bump into each other, Radboud and Mark stayed in contact and collaborated on music for a long time, and have now decided to share some of that work with the world, their first release since they did an LP as Alignment in 2000. Alignment was a much more conceptual proposition, so they decided to release the new work under their given names, as they feel the music is now about music, the ‘film for ears’ approach of musique concrète. Mens is someone whose work comes from many sources and technologies, from very digital to using long pipes that act as flutes. Poysden works purely digitally these days, but sees the computer similar to a four-track cassette recorder,, transforming existing sounds into amorphous blocks of sound. As such, he prefers to use orchestral sounds. I am sure he would love to have the opportunity to have this music played by real instruments, provided there was a way to score it. Whatever it is these two musicians do here, they do an excellent job. It’s highly atmospheric, from the sheer opening silence of ‘Prlg’, to the shortwave induced rhythms of ‘act 950’, which is a sort of fine armchair techno thing. However, more ambient-like music is their primary objective. It’s music that comforts and soothes, putting you in a different headspace. If it provides you with pictures or a story, that’s great. That’s not how music works for me, and I rather enjoy music for what it is, how it moves through my space, and notice the kind of effects it has on me. And this one is adorable. Digital, maybe, but very warm, like a bed to sleep in. I have had this for two weeks now, and it’s been the one I’ve played the most, despite the madness of the last issue. (FdW)
––– Address: https://radboudmens.bandcamp.com/album/acts

RICK SANDERS – 9 (CD by Nobeat Music)

In Vital Weekly 1494, I ended my review of Rick Sanders’ ‘The Arrow Of Time’, a mini-CDR, with these words: “I could have enjoyed this for much longer, so maybe it’s time for another full-length album by him.” He must have chuckled as his latest CD ‘9’ was already in production, and with a bit of luck, it would reach me in time, and it did. From everybody whose work I reviewed, Sanders lives the closest to the VW HQ (a fun fact that would never come up in a pub quiz; although musician Invisible Ralf is even closer, but he doesn’t release much music), so I know him personally; I already mentioned this in my previous review. Sanders is a composer of ambient music, utilising a modular setup that almost plays by itself. Sometimes he sets this up in his backyard and records the music in situ, even when there’s little evidence in the music; not much chirping of birds, even when we are in a neighbourhood with birds and traffic. His favourite method these days is setting up a system in which the music plays by itself, along premeditated parameters and with a minimum of human interaction. You’d expect this to be boring and minimal, but it’s not. There are lots of small changes. In one track, there appears to be a cello, but this is not mentioned on the cover. And what is mentioned, the bandoneon playing A. Piazolla’s ‘Oblivion’ in ‘Lethe’ is something I didn’t notice. Throughout the music is abstract, but Sanders places excellent melodic touches, sometimes with only one note changing, causing significant and melodic shifts in the music. The music is very much something for long autumn evenings, where you want to escape the madness of the world. Though escapism might not save or change the world, it is sometimes needed, and this hour-long quiet ambience is an excellent remedy for the current madness. (FdW)
––– Address: https://ricksanders.bandcamp.com/music

ASMUS TIETCHENS/THORSTEN SOLTAU – LICHTHÖFE (CD by Auf Abwegen)

Because this is the last issue, various questions about statistics have been asked: “How many cassettes did you review?”, “How many reviews did you write?”, and “Which artists were first most in VW”? Statistics aren’t my strong suited, so answers could be: “I really don’t know”, “easily about 15.000 or maybe even 20.000”, “Machinefabriek might be at the top, but Asmus Tietchens also”. Nothing from Machienfabriek this week, but there’s a new one by Herr Tietchens, the avid collaborator, and this time it’s Thorsten Soltau. I reviewed various works by him, and I quite enjoyed the last one I heard, ‘Gewächse im Zwielicht’ (see Vital Weekly 1363, which was a somewhat surrealist piece of music. Which made me think: how would that work with Tietchens, who is not so much a storyteller with sound, and more abstract in his compositional approach?
‘Lichthöfe’ means ‘Atria’ and is based on modular recordings from Soltau, which ‘deal with the spatiality of sound and the stereo field, while still maintaining an improvisational character,’ and which Tietchens uses for further treatment. I noticed before that, with almost all of Tietchens’ collaborations, it’s he who does the treatments and mixing; he’s never the start. It’s not a competition, but Tietchens’ love for abstraction prevails over Soltau’s cinema for the ears, and the 13 pieces on this CD are fine examples of Tietchens’ electronic explorations of sound. Perhaps it is that double act of electronics that reminds me of early electronic music. Tietchens composed relatively brief pieces of music using his trademark processing technology, but I think some of the original elements can still be heard as well. It’s a rather lively set of pieces, not as tranquil as some of Tietchens’ solo music. Throughout, there is significant variation in sounds and approaches, so it never sounds the same. Perhaps it has a slightly distant feel, somewhat colder, and as such, this is music that requires you to sit up and listen; it doesn’t allow you to space out. (FdW)
––– Address: https://aufabwegen.bandcamp.com/

DE FABRIEK – I CHING SHUFFLE (CD by EE Tapes)

The 99-track CD isn’t a new thing. I used to know why a CD could only hold 99 tracks, but I forgot the reason. With a maximum length of 80 minutes on a CD, there are possibilities to use them in random/shuffle play. Some past examples include Freundschaft’s ‘Play It Shuffle – Music For Compact Disc’, Jos Smolders’ ‘Music For CD Player’, and Kapotte Muziek’s ‘ADD’, which was even a 21-minute mini-CD. Here we have a 64-minute CD, with 64 one-minute pieces of music, intended to be played in shuffle mode. De Fabriek is a group with open membership, spearheaded by Richard van Dellen, and, in true fashion, they blur the lines with information here. There’s a list of tracks and musicians mentioned, and some names I recognised (Martijn Hohmann, Lukas Simonis, Goodiepal, and Peter Ehrmann), while others are wordplay on names, such as Sugar Lee Looper or Griepo – maybe they are real too? Some people may have delivered some sounds, as building blocks for others, some offered a complete piece, and the idea is to play this in shuffle mode (which you can also do when you decide to get a download only; I don’t think Bandcamp offers a shuffle mode online?), so you bounce back and forth being spoken word about how to make a rope, to drum ‘n bass, techno, airport announcements, punk a bit of a drone and so on, you get the idea. The best are those tracks with abrupt changes in the piece, so it seems the music is already moving to another track. It’s a cute idea, but without much musical coherency. It’s like flicking the dial of a radio receiver: you tune in, turn on, and drop out, and then tune into the next, except this time it’s all neat, one-minute pieces. If you think radio sucks, then try this for a change. Dedicated to Harold Schellinx, who passed away earlier this year and who would have loved such randomness. (FdW)
––– Address: https://eetapes.bandcamp.com/

TAM QUAM TABULA RASA/ILLUSION OF SAFETY – PÀTHEI MÀTHOS (split CD by Luce Sia)
ILLUSION OF SAFETY/KIKANJU BAKU, SUNJAE LEE, DAYOON LEE (split cassette by Ethnicity Against the Error)

Two split releases by Illusion Of Safety, who seem to have been on a release spree lately. The first one also features music by Italy’s Tam Quam Tabula Rasa, a name from the past. At least for me, this is a name that came into view in the late 1980s, as one of the many players in the field of ambient industrial music, and releasing music on cassette until about 2003, followed by a hiatus until 2022, and then a few new releases, which, so I assume contain recent music; none of the information on Bandcamp or Discogs suggests reissues. At the time (early 1990s), Tam Quam Tabula Rasa was a group that played interesting music for me. Still, the context eluded me, with all Latin titles and ritualistic images: something I’d call ‘gothic’ music at the time, a catch-all term for anything in that dark corner. As I mentioned last week or the week before, I am more lenient these days about this kind of thing, mainly concentrating on the musical aspect; the rest is not within my control. As before, the group (is it a group? I’m not sure) plays the sort of thing I liked in 1990, and I still like today. Mainly because it’s the kind of ambient that isn’t all on the tranquil side of things, but has elements of a horror soundtrack, chilling to the bones. Overtones are struck and spun around, aided by some reverb (in some cases, considerable), and small sounds recorded with contact microphones are sampled and stretched into six lengthy pieces of mood music. These are between five and eight minutes long and are carefully constructed, interesting from beginning to end, nothing too much or too brief. There’s undoubtedly a catalogue to be explored; now there’s more time for that.
Illusion Of Safety has one piece, 35 minutes long, called ‘Non-Interference’, which Burke told me he worked on for some time, and it is one of his best recent pieces. Effectively, this is the kind of music I like Illusion Of Safety doing best: an excellent collage of some of the smallest sounds possible, set against piercing electronic chimes, heavily processed voices, objects falling upon floors, spun around, cut away, and replaced by something diametrically different. You never know what comes next, and each turn leads to something exciting. And, sometimes, Burke has a few sounds going, finds the internal dialogue, and creates something that builds linearly and fades out – he’s not afraid to apply that kind of routine. In these 35 minutes, Burke takes you on a head trip, spins you round, lifts you and may never let you down. A
One of the best IOS pieces in recent times.
On the split cassette, featuring improvised music on the other side, Burke also presents one piece of music, ‘Wafer Thin’. It’s interesting to compare both pieces. If ‘Non-Interference’ is a delicate balance between tranquil moments and loud bits, combining electronic and acoustic sounds with field recordings, ‘Wafer Thin’ seems to be less fragile and works primarily with electronic sounds and treatments from found sounds, radio, or TV. Only at the beginning of this 19-minute piece is there a hint of the collage effect, but after about five minutes, the piece is divided into approximately three or four larger segments. In these, Burke employs plunderphonic techniques, looping certain elements, and introduces a rhythmic element that he hasn’t used in some time. This piece is more akin to the late 2023 concert I saw from him, rather than, say, various of his recent solo recordings, ‘Non-Intereference’ being one of them—still, a beauty of the rougher variety.
As a bookmark, the other side of the cassette is by three musicians I have never heard of. They are Kikanju Baku (drums), Sunjae Lee (saxophone), and Dayoon Lee (electronics); the first from the UK and the other two, I assume, from South Korea. I am reviewing this from an advance copy, and I have no other information. I believe this is a live recording. Much like the recent split CD by Illusion Of Safety, and a split with IOS’s Dan Burke and Viennese free jazz improvisation musicians, this is of a similar ilk. An odd pairing, if you ask me, and much like that release, the saxophone is the all-dominating instrument, blasting away over furious drum parts. Perhaps the most interesting parts here are the electronic music, which are peeping and oscillating in a similar chaotic state. It somehow doesn’t fit the electronic construction of the other side. That might very well be the idea, to pair unrelated music and establish a mutual interest. However, I’ve heard enough free jazz improvisation in recent years, and my preference lies with Illusion Of Safet; the second I heard with interest, but I’m unlikely to play it very often. (FdW)
––– Address: https://lucesia.bandcamp.com/

MOLJEBKA PVLSE – WITH THE PASSING OF TIME (2CD by Kokeshidisk)
MICHAEL NORTHAM – STOCHASTIC EMBROIDERY (CD by Taâlem)
LAURENT PERNICE – PRESQUE NATURE (CD by Taâlem)

As I sometimes do (did?) I played all three CDs and then decided upon the order for the review. Deciding factors may (might?) be differences in the music, approaches, or ranking from known to unknown, or vice versa. In this case, I knew all three musicians to some degree, even personally; Northam I had met a long time ago, Moljebka Pvlse very briefly in a chaotic setting, and Pernice not at all. From Moljebka Pvlse, I reviewed most of the music, and the least by Northam – he doesn’t release much music. Stylistically, these releases are all part of the massive musical movement called ‘atmospheric music using drones’. Which begs the question: why is one on Kokeshidisk and two Taâlem? I believe the latter is the mothership. Perhaps the difference has been explained to me before, or even by me, but I’ve forgotten.
I believe the previous release on Kokeshidisk was a release by Murmer, also a double CD, and a collection of pieces he created for ‘Homework’, Taâlem’s annual Bandcamp digital-only, pay-what-you-want compilation. And, yes, why did Kokeshidisk release it? The same idea is behind the Moljebka Pvlse release, which collects the nine previous pieces he created for the same series. As much as I wrote about Mathias Josefon’s music (he’s behind the moniker), I admit I have no idea how he creates his music. My best guess would have been the all-vague ‘electronics of some kind’ in the beginning, but I am sure I thought he used long strings and bows, like a gentle version of Organum. Field recordings are never far away with this kind of music, but they are clouded beyond recognition. With these ingredients, and undoubtedly more, he creates mostly long-form pieces of atmospheric music. They are presented in chronological order, with ‘Where Endings Begin’ from 2016 being a cosmic, synthesiser-heavy piece of music. In all these pieces, there is a lot of minimalist tension. I imagine if you’re not open to this kind of minimalism, where changes don’t happen every minute, you may find some of this annoying (but you would think the same of pretty much every release in the past 1499 issues). However, if you decide to open up, take an active interest in the music, you will notice these changes in the swirling mass of drones. Moljebka Pvlse’s music isn’t always gentle; he likes to lay it on thick, sometimes with piercing overtones in the background, so the music doesn’t become too noisy. On the other side, he also knows how to create similar tension with just a few elements, and thus has some excellent variation in his music, keeping my attention for the full two-plus hours, ending on another lengthy cosmic note in ‘West Of The Moon’.
As I mentioned, I met Michael Northam a long time ago, on a few occasions. However, upon reviewing the Vital Weekly archive, I don’t think I’ve reviewed many of his releases. And that also means I don’t know too much about his music or working methods. In the title, there’s the word “stochastic”, which I’ve seen about but never bothered to look up, and it means, “having a random probability distribution or pattern that may be analysed statistically but may not be predicted precisely.” The three pieces on this CD were “generated from time living in a tiny trailer surrounded by the Olympic rainforest”, but whether the tiny trailer contained any musical equipment is not said. The pieces are relatively quiet and seem to dwell on field recordings and processing these sounds. Maybe Northam stuck a microphone out of the window and picked up the birds of the Olympic rainforest, the deep desert of NW Colorado, “with coastal wetness in a bunker at Fort Warden in Port Townsend, Washington”, feeding these sounds into some computer program and working with the results on the spot. Maybe I am barking up the wrong tree, but that’s my guess at least. Northam’s music fits the Taalem catalogue very well. Spacious and drifting, electronic sounds meet field recordings, and in the title track (the longest of the three), a fine synthesised wave emerges, drone-like, warm, and ambient; rain is pouring down, forecasting the autumnal season here. This is delicate stuff, but perhaps that’s because there is something to be gained in the mastering process; unless it’s all intended (and the low-volume music is dated now).
Lastly, there’s Laurent Pernice, a former member of the French band Nox, whose later interests lie in the use of the sampler and electronics. I reviewed various of his releases. On this new release, he plays synths, piano, gopichandi, zither, bells, gigo, and gong, along with field recordings, which are listed per track. He did a fair bit of travelling; one doesn’t see Vanuatu often mentioned on a cover. The previous release I reviewed, ‘Antigone’ (Vital Weekly 1443), was a rather delicate one, and this one isn’t different. The music and field recordings are two separate entities. He plays music to fit the field recordings, or he has fully formed musical pieces and uses the field recordings as an extra, or perhaps it’s a combination of both. Unlike Moljebka Pvlse and Northam, whose drone and ambient pieces are abstract and devoid of melody, Pernice’s music is characterised by the gentle melodic touches he adds to the drones. These are primarily piano notes, and one could see a link with Harold Budd and Brian Eno at times, which Pernice extends to using percussion relatively sparsely. Depending on your mood, I’d say this is the perfect ending to a night of abstract drones, with a melodic bit at the end, or at the start and end, accompanied by Moljekba Pvlse’s haunting soundtracks. But on a sun-soaked, early Autumn day (what am I doing inside the house? Oh, it’s the last Vital Weekly), this is the perfect mellow soundtrack for such a day. (FdW)
––– Address: https://taalem.bandcamp.com/

ORPHAX – EMBRACED IMPERFECTIONS (2CD, private)

And here we have it. The latest release by fellow Dutchman Orphax is a double one, making fans of drone and ambient music even happier. One massive drone per CD, and I have the pleasure and privilege to review this beauty.
Sietse van Erve doesn’t need any introduction, I suppose, yet here it is. Owner of and managing the Moving Furniture label, proud dad, musically active as Orphax, bearded, cat owner (or owned by cats) and a generally great person to hang out with. Not many people are aware of the existence of the sublabels of Moving Furniture, including Eliane Tapes and the Contemporary Series. With the Eliane Tapes, a place was created to pay tribute to sounds and compositions inspired by the amazing Eliane Radigue, and I think that is one of the strongest connections in taste between Sietse and me. The difference is that Sietse discovered her quite early and was inspired ever since, and I only got to know the beauty of true minimalism after a long search.
Why am I emphasising Eliane Radigue? Easy, because this album shows the same depth and emotion I hear in her music. The sound as object, or better yet, the sound as goal of a quest. And while the result – the sound, the drone, the composition – must be beautiful and worth listening to, the quest or search is at least as necessary. Tolkien’s books could have been a lot thinner, the accompanying movies by Peter Jackson could have been a bit shorter too, but it wouldn’t have been the same. The quest IS the story.
Painter Bob Ross (also bearded – coincidence?) created landscapes in his own distinctive way. Lots of technique but always kinda ‘the same’ if you are not a fan. But fans will tell you that each work is unique in its own way; each work tells a different story or enables you to dream away in the landscape he created. And when something went wrong, he always spoke of happy little accidents. He didn’t start over; he used them and incorporated them into the artwork. Improvisation on a different level. Working with what you have. When life gives you lemons … Embracing imperfections …
Now back to Orphax and his “Embraced Imperfections”. The two drones are live performances recorded during a live video streaming event in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been released before, yet through remastering and the CD format (as opposed to a download), it can be considered a new release altogether. I’ve reviewed more Orphax releases, but never before has the description of his art as written on his website been more fitting. I quote: ‘In the music there is a development towards microtonal sounds, where time and spatiality are important factors. In this form of working, the eventual result can be a static form of sound where development in the music becomes subordinate to the listener, losing any sense of time, and that is spot on. Especially with the second part, you lose every sense of your surroundings as well as time. Which I always love and use as a guideline for my own work as well.
My review could have been shorter as well. “Sietse made two amazing, beautiful drones of isolationist landscapes triggered by the lockdown during the Covid pandemic. You have to buy it and support him.” The limited edition is already sold out, but standard editions are still available. But while listening, I got into a warped space/time loop, and my mind got the better of me. So I wrote a bit more. Hope you don’t mind … (BW)
––– Address: https://orphax.com/

CONFOUNDER – COUNTRY FUCKER (CD by Tribe Tapes)
MAX JULIAN EASTMAN – REGENCY PLACE (CD by Tribe Tapes)
ZONA INUSTRIALE – REQUIEM (CD by Tribe Tapes)

The US label Tribe Tapes is undoubtedly the most active force in the world of contemporary noise music, with some reissues of older releases included in its catalogue. Label boss Max Julian Eastman trusts his instincts and invests in debut albums, such as those by J.D. Evans, also known as Confounder. I read that as J.D. Vance, and thought naming a CD ‘Country Fucker’ is taking things quite literal. It’s not a debut per se, as it’s the first official CD, as there have been a few cassettes (including one in RRRecords’ RRRecycled series) and CDR releases. On Bandcamp, there’s no other info than “Reel to reel, cassettes, turntables”, which is something I would have also guessed from playing the six pieces on this CD, which clocks in at just under 30 minutes. In terms of noise music, this isn’t your typical sonic overload, or harsh noise wall music, or power electronics for that matter, but rather the boisterous side of electro-acoustic music. Let’s record a variety of acoustic sounds on several carriers, reels, cassettes, dictaphones, and whatever else seems handy, and with some clever sonic manipulation, combine them into a collage. Speeding up tapes, using a pair of scissors for a complete cut-up treatment, extensive layering and stereo separation, and you get a happy marriage between musique concrète and industrial music. Because of the collage-styled cutting up of sounds, this isn’t the kind of music that allows you to drift away, as ambient or noise music can do. Instead, it keeps you on your toes, and your attention is necessary to register the mayhem and chaos, and as such, I think 30 minutes is the perfect length.
Labelboss Max Julian Eastman recently toured Europe, which I noticed after the fact, but also not in my immediate area, so maybe I wouldn’t have shown up after all. ‘Regency Place’ is his second studio album, and for the occasion, he plays “Realistic Minisette 11, Circuit-Bent Discman ESP, Lanier Advocate III, voice and amplifier, turntables”. Jliat reviewed earlier works, but I did his debut CD (which, again, only means, first work on a CD) in Vital Weekly 1356. Maybe he uses similar equipment as Confounder does, but the result is different, certainly in the four “official” tracks on this album – there’s a 54 bonus track after the first 24 minutes. In his music, Eastman allows some of the original music from vinyl to shine through in his noise. Still, his approach in that department is more traditional, leaning towards more power electronics, cutting through with shards of noise – or noise cuts through shards of scratchy vinyl; either way. Think plunderphonic, amplified times 11, but even Eastman taps into the real noise, he likes to stay there, and here one can drift into the noise as a psychedelic tranquiliser – the pleasure having needles sticking into your skull – assuming pain is your pleasure. In the bonus track, which effectively combines several pieces into one long piece, the approach is more minimalist, with a loop that sometimes runs a bit too long, but it still works well. It seems to be following a similar diet of scratchy vinyl, manual manipulations, and tons of effects, and it begs the question: why stick these together and call it a “hidden bonus”? At the same time, there’s very little hidden about all of this. Either way, at 80 minutes, quite the ride, but worth your noise time.
One interest of Tribe Tapes is the unearthing of obscure classics from the 1980s cassette scene, which resulted, among many other great things, in the recent release of Illusion Of Safety’s ‘RVE’ cassette (Vital Weekly 1494). You can argue that Illusion Of Safety is a household name, so a cassette obscurity is to be expected. Still, Tribe Tapes also releases music from the highly obscure Zona Industriale. I reviewed an earlier reissue, ‘IZ’, by Italy’s Menstrual Recordings in Vital Weekly 1452, which was my first introduction to this band, as I missed them in the 1980s. ‘Requiem’ was their final cassette in 1987. The group, consisting of two musicians named Piz and Miz from Italy, is quite something other than the ‘IZ’ release. Suppose it was something along the lines of old-school industrial music. The last album sees them experiment with synthesiser music, incorporating a melody, borrowing choral music wholesale from a record (at least, that’s what I think; maybe they recorded during choir practice), and featuring some atmospheric guitar and drum accompaniment. All of that, combined with some chilling atmospheric noise, which again reminded me of MB. The outcome is nothing old-school, but rather an exciting mix of improvisation and atmospheric electronics. A very distinct difference between the two musical ends, which does not always work very well, but at the time was a most daring move. (FdW)
––– Address: https://tribetapes.bandcamp.com/

CLOSING – VI (CD by Unfathomless)

The last time Patrick Scott’s music was reviewed in Vital Weekly, it was by a reviewer who provided little information about the musicians or even the music. Therefore, I will not use his review as a reference of any kind. It’s not that I know much myself, but I try. I assume this is his sixth release, and I can only find ‘II’ on Discogs, a cassette release by Invisible City Records. However, there’s something to be said about the music and how it was created. Scott recorded “empty spaces of theatres, arenas, hotels, cities and airports in the United States, Mexico, Canada, the UK and mainland Europe” (he doesn’t like using capitals, but I do). Unlike many of his peers on the Belgium Unfathomless label, he takes things a bit further, described as “These recordings were then transferred to cassette tape and collaged in real time using a Fostex X28H and three-speed modified handheld cassette players through Doepfer, Bastl, Befaco, MXR, Earthquaker, FMR and Empirical Labs compression, saturation and filtering”. I wish more musicians would elaborate in such a way. One of the four pieces (or more?) uses the double bass played by Jeni Magana. On Bandcamp, it says, “Purity isn’t real, which I take to be the reason for feeding these sounds through machines and then mixing them, to get it even further away from purity. It is quite interesting to have this on Unfathomless, as it takes a few starting ideas from the label and develops them into something else. Not one location, but multiple and many not tied to a specific geographic area, and being open about the various levels of transformation. Sounds, locations and technology blur, and there is no purity indeed. This results in four lengthy pieces, ranging from 11 to 15 minutes, that feature massively orchestrated sound, yet also employ a lo-fi approach to sound manipulation. Nothing can be recognised, which I enjoyed. The music is a sort of aimless wandering through these empty spaces, or like a walk through snow. Either way, it’s all highly fascinating stuff. The field recordings as the starting point, expanded into something different. I am a big-time sucker for such lo-fi ambient music, and it’s great to see one popping in on an unexpected label. (FdW)
––– Address: https://unfathomless.bandcamp.com/

Ø – SYSIVALO (CD by Sähkö Recordings)

I thought I was relieved of this job with my recent review of Trepanerungsritualen as a parting shot. Then our esteemed boss sent this my way, along with a note: ‘You may like this, and how about this for a last one?’ Mika Vainio? How can I refuse? I saw Pan Sonic in the 1990s somewhere in Belgium, and at the time, I listened to noise from a rock end and deemed all electronic music to be techno, a term I used frequently at the time. A friend invited me to see Pan Sonic (and Rehberg & Bauer, plus something else I forgot), and I was blown away, and not just by the sheer volume but also the intensity of the beat-driven music. I was a fan and bought every release since. I also got in Mika Vainio as a solo artist, more his Ø project than his solo work under his own name. The music he created as Mika Vainio was not as good as what others were doing, but Ø had a unique sound. Much to my surprise, I now hear music he did from 2014 to 2017, the year of his untimely dead. The title is a word Vainio invented, combining the Finnish ‘sysi (dark or sinister) and ‘valo’ (light), which sums up his music pretty well. The pieces on this CD (also available on double LP) are somewhat sinister, darkly atmospheric, and quite ambient, yet not without a light touch. The most surprising element is the absence of rhythm in these pieces; it isn’t until track 11 that we get some. Yet until then, it was all the most beautiful ambient music I had heard in some time. You may remember Ø as very minimalist rhythmic music, but he uses it very sparsely here, almost as an afterthought. I find it hard not to see this album in the light of his passing, as the music has a mournful character, almost like a requiem, ending on a passing, shimmering melodic touch, drifting onto eternity in ‘Loputon’. Shivers. (LW)
––– Address: https://sahkorecordings.bandcamp.com/

ANNETTE VANDE GORNE – TUTTI FRUTTI (CD by Persistence of Sound)
BRUNHILD FERRARI – ERRANT EAR (CD by Persistence of Sound)

First up is Annette Vande Gorne’s new album Tutti Frutti. A rhizomatic GRM-like sound structure full of narrative force. Poetic and fragmented, still carrying enough coherence to work as a stereo album, although the original presentation was by means of a spatialized output via eight loudspeakers, with additional sound interactions triggered by the audience. Quite often, these sound works for other people’s sculptural installations struggle to work as a simple audio-only release. Vande Gorne, however, manages to capture the complex personalities and diverse behaviours of sonic artefacts as adeptly as a movie or stage director, while maintaining a certain sense of randomness – as if you were following a defined course through a crowd of many. Chance encounters with others reveal marked differences in the speed and volume of their surroundings. And the aural adventure is never a foggy notion, nor clearly defined. One could easily have seen this release on the Recollections GRM or Portraits GRM vinyl series. Spectacular in a relatively understated, yet intimate way, this journey is deeply personal and affecting.
More multi-sensory inspiration or concept turned into a stereo mix can be found on Errant Ear by Brunhild Ferrari: “composed at the end of 2024 with this feeling of wandering, of strolling in my memories that I was able to capture with my ears, my eyes, my nose, all my sensations, things that my life is made of and that I keep almost like treasures.” The three-minute coda or encore by means of the capriccio is sweet, delicate and surprisingly cute. And it feels like a breath of fresh air following the quite massive, not to say monolithic, main work. A rediscovery too, of the world around you – as if you were eased into everyday life again. With familiar sounds, recent connections, and a joie de vivre, too. Errant Ear, a half hour of sensitive and sensational radio art, is a re-visitation and re-composition of impressions of past and current reminiscences. Ferrari manages to conjure up an aural landscape of wandering and wonder, with definite lines of inspiration and origin that draw from Chris Watson and Luc Ferrari, as well as her own archival recordings. A mix towards new life, not to dabble in what was, but bringing into life what could have been, what can still be – still be done. The outside becomes internalised. The macro folds into micro. The almost mute zoomed in for a close-up listen. Errant Ear is a meditation, comprising 50+ minutes of listening, hearing, and composing with sound, time, and perception. And it’s emotional, intimate, and deeply personal—an exclamation mark to a life lived in sound, in minor keys, through subtle gestures in Walden-like electroacoustic bliss. (SSK)
––– Address: https://persistenceofsound.bandcamp.com/artists

NASMAAK/NASMAK – LIVE GIGANT 1979-1982 (LP by Concerto)
NASMAK PM – THE PM SERIES 5: PERFECT MATCH DENSE (CD by Nasmak)

One of the things I consistently ignored in Vital Weekly was releases that stated a release date, followed by a date in the near future. I worked for an independent record label, and I understand the need to gather advance publicity. However, if I have the disc on my desk, I consider it out, and a review is needed. I break this rule here, as these will be available on 16 November when Nasmak PM plays Gigant in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, because that venue has been in existence for 50 years. To celebrate that occasion, there will be a book by Jan Westerhof and Siwert Hoogenberg, one of the founders of this venue. I haven’t seen the book, and I went to one concert in 1985 to see Psychic TV. I recall this concert as being unimpressive, and the venue was no exception; however, that’s true of many venues I’ve seen only once. I expect a book with colour locale, but then I didn’t read the one from Nijmegen’s similar venue when it came out.
Of greater importance, I’d say, is the LP that will be released simultaneously, containing two live recordings by (more or less) the same band, one from 1979 and one from 1982. In 1979, they were called Nasmaak (after taste) and were a five-piece band, with later core members Joop van Brakel, Henk Janssen, and Toon Bressers, plus Koen Anker on bass (who was quickly replaced by Theo van Eenbergen), and singer Truus de Groot. On 31 May 1979, they played their 25th gig since the first (on 26 December 1978), and shortly after, they recorded their first LP, having then changed their name to Nasmak. The LP was hailed by John Peel as the best record from the continent in a long time, earning this group the distinction of being the first Dutch group to do a Peel session. In 1981, they released a double cassette detailing how the group worked and evolved. They were known to record everything they did, not just live recordings but any small idea from their rehearsal space. Later, there were two more double cassettes with similar content. Their development was amazing and made them one of the more adventurous bands in the Netherlands, and to some, their LP ‘4Our Clicks’ the best Dutch album ever (great one, yes, absolutely, but there are a few more from this time that are more than excellent).
This LP is an excellent document of this development. A lot happened in those three years. In 1979, Nasmaak on stage was already a band that had moved away from Dutch-language punk music, towards a mix of spiky punk and new wave, with Truus as the primary vocalist. Perhaps these days a bit fairly traditional rock music, but played with a lot of energy. Compare these live recordings with their debut LP, released just six months later, and you’ll notice a massive step forward. But by 1982, it seems like light-years. Electronics have entered the band, there’s angular, funky bass, and some vaguely ethnic influences. Playing with DAF in 1981 may have lead to some more dance beat elements in the music, which, as we have learned from the subsequent 1980s records and the reunited Nasmak PM, is the all-important thing about their music. Yet, in 1982, the rock elements were never far away, and the group played what was called back then ‘mature pop music’ (it would take twice this text to explain what that was and why we don’t use it anymore, but I am not a sociologist). Excellent selection of tracks, with superb recording quality (which, I assume, is mainly due to the remastering?). Maybe they will play some of these pieces on 16 November, so if you are in Apeldoorn…
One of the reasons I don’t mind reviewing an advance copy of ‘Perfect Match Dense’ by Nasmak PM is that it contains recordings from last year in their hometown, Eindhoven. When I reviewed ‘Booty Twist To Tangled Tango’ in Vital Weekly 1463, I said I saw their concert just days before, and I wrote, “the best concert of this year. That says nothing, as I rarely attend concerts and certainly never pop music shows. I saw pop music and even travelled out of town for this.” So, you can imagine my joy to see it released. That weekend, Nasmak PM played multiple times in the same place, and the recordings are mixed in some way that we have the ideal copy, as Wire would say. That weekend, the group consisted of four: Joop van Brakel, Toon Bressers, Truus de Groot, and Richard van Kruysdijk. Drums, samples, bass, and vocals, and very heavy on the dense/dance element that I have come to know Nasmak PM for. They played songs from their previous four albums (one was released that weekend), as well as some older ones, such as the Plus Instruments song ‘Special Agreement’, in three different versions. You may know Plus Instruments equals Truus de Groot, who left Nasmak in its first incarnation in the early 1980s. Now, vocal duties are divided between Truus and Joop van Brakel, which further enhances the open character of the music. This is some very upbeat music, even in its more reflective moments, and music that puts me in a good mood. The motorik drive of the music certainly has a healthy effect on me. Let’s dense! FdW)
––– Address: https://nasmak.bandcamp.com/
––– Address: https://www.youtube.com/@nasmakpm

VAGINA DENTATA ORGAN – CONCRETE MUSIC (CD by WSNS)

This is probably my most favourite album to review in ages. Not because of the music or the album’s cover, as I have not yet heard this album or seen its cover, but because it could be potentially anything. Really anything. Let’s be fair, with most artists, you basically know what you are going to get. There might be the odd surprise, an incongruous development in sound or a change in personnel, but you’d hardly expect the new album by any harsh noise wall artist to feature Christmas carols, do you? The interesting thing about all the works released by Catalan performing, visual, and audio artist Jordi Valls, of Vagina Dentata Organ, is that you never know what to expect. It could be anything. Literally anything. And as such, utterly different to everything released before by any artist. Valls began his intriguing recording career with the release of three vinyl picture disc albums in the mid-to-late 1980s. These records, which were quite controversial at the time and have therefore become highly collectable, were followed by a series of CDs and records in later years, all released at irregular intervals on Valls’ private label, WSNS, World Surrealist Network Services, and all essential to anyone interested in conceptual art. Now I know most, if not all, of you are eager to read in detail about these albums and the new Vagina Dentata Organ one in this final Vital Weekly, but I won’t. Ignorance is bliss. Valls’ latest album, Concrete Music, is another conceptual masterpiece, simply because of its existence. It is neither good nor bad. You (don’t) need to hear it, you (don’t) need to own it. You already have, and you already do. (FK)
––– Address: none given

CHRISTIAN MARIEN QUARTETT – BEYOND THE FINGERTIPS (CD by Marmade Records)

This is the debut of an exciting new quartet. Drummer Marien, guitarist Jasper Stadhouders, double bass player Antonio Borghini, and reed player Tobias Delius played two sides as if it were a live performance. No overdubs, Everything in one take. How long is now? Well, for this release, it’s 16 minutes and 17 minutes. During that time, they played seven pieces. And there’s something for everyone: grooves, beautiful melodies, brooding ballads (the start of side 2), which is a group improvisation. In other words, this release is a must-hear; the joy of these guys playing together is palpable in every note, every turn, and every single moment, and they demonstrate a deep understanding of their jazz history, incorporating it seamlessly into their performance. Hot stuff !!!! (MDS)
––– Address: https://christianmarien.bandcamp.com/

FRED FIRTH AND THE GRAVITY BAND (CD by Klanggalerie)

The short version: This is an essential release for Frith fans or connoisseurs of art rock/improv music. Culled from two concerts in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and not Holland as it says in piece number thirteen, Dancing in Nijmegen, Holland and the Moers festival in Germany, 68 kilometres from Nijmegen, this is a live version of his second solo record, Gravity. On YouTube, you can find the entire Nijmegen concert with an enlightening interview with Frith. The concerts took place nine years ago, all with musicians from the Bay Area around San Francisco. Ava Mendoza is among them, a former student of his. There’s an accordion. The original Gravity was recorded with two separate bands for each side. The Gravity band was formed by combining two existing bands. Frith had to be persuaded because he didn’t feel that the combined instrumentation would work for the material. But in the end, they found a way to do just that. It’s full of earworms. The main melody of Spring Any Day Now has been in my head for some time now. Norrgården Nyvla, with its Zappa-esque melody and bass line, is another one. It’s a joy to listen to this band. Kudos to Klanggalerie for making this happen. (MDS)
––– Address: https://klanggalerie.com/

ELENKA FREIKKAR – AROUND THREE HUNDRED (CD by Around Three Hundred)

It has been years since I last was in contact with Scandinavian conceptual artist Elenka Freikkar. She contacted me out of the blue to participate in a brief interview for her online interview series on experimental musicians. The interview was published on her website at the time, but when I checked, it was an instant 404 – the site has disappeared. You can probably imagine my surprise when, last week, a parcel arrived on my doorstep, which included her new (first?) album. In the enclosed brief promo sheet, Freikkar writes that the CD intends to ‘embrace sound as a vital piece of life’, which is something all Vital Weekly readers will most likely agree to. Printed on an intense blue thick carton with an über-glossy finish, reminding me of the famous Yves Klein-blue or Derek Jarman’s film Blue and soundtrack, the cover does not provide much information, other than the name Elenka Freikkar and ‘Around Three Hundred’, on its spine. The music, or rather the sound, reveals little in either case. While listening, I think I can identify certain sounds, but the fact is that, despite having done literally hundreds of reviews for Vital Weekly over the years, I simply cannot put my finger on this one. Initially, the 74-minute composition, coded as one track, left me wondering about the origin of its sound, but after a good night’s sleep, I concurred that this was probably not the best way to review Around Three Hundred. What if this album is simply ‘sound as a vital piece of life’? Refusing to be categorised as ambient, experimental, noise, laptop music or whatever (and mercifully so), Freikkar has created a sound-album that dives into your subconsciousness, drawing you in, leaving little to hang on to whilst offering a hand to emerge—sound that is simply ‘there’, with us living off it and contributing to it. Around Three Hundred may perhaps be hard to fathom, but it is also a CD that has been on repeat for days now at home. I am unaware of any music previously released by Elenka Freikkar, nor do I have any information on whether this album will ever be followed up on. In a way, I would prefer it not to, as it would make Around Three Hundred a unique piece, a perfect eternal ending. (FK)
––– Address: info@beequeen.nl

JOANA GUERRA, MARIA DO MAR, ROMKE KLEEFSTRA, JAN KLEEFSTRA – IT DEEL IV (LP by Moving Furniture Records)

This is the final part of the IT project for the Kleefstra brothers. This time with two string players as guests: Guerra on cello, Do Mar on violin. Romke Kleefstra on electric guitar, and sometimes bowing the strings. Lyrics are by Jan Kleefstra and are sometimes sung in Portuguese, as Guerra and Do mar are from that country, with a bit of fado thrown in for good measure. This is, as always, delicate music, with a natural reverb, as it was recorded live in a church after a few days of brainstorming and testing the waters. This is not for everyone. Some might find this too glacial and too dark. In other words, it’s not party music. Not all pieces have lyrics. Check the Bandcamp page of Moving Furniture Records for details on the listening party. This one comes highly recommended: all four parts, actually. (MDS)
––– Address: https://movingfurniturerecords.bandcamp.com/

MODELBAU – SHIFTED (7 inch by Grisaille)
GUILHEM LACROUX – CHANSON DE LA TRISTESSE (7 inch by Grisaille)
FILIPE FELIZARDO – PUXAPRA TRÁS (7 inch by Grisaille)

New work by the Founding Father of Vital Weekly himself, on an odd format, for this last edition. How very fitting. Because we adore oddities, don’t we? I immediately think back to a famous saying by a dearly missed friend, who said there was nothing special or remarkable about a CD spinning and digital converters working, and then, voilà, sound. No: vinyl playing on a turntable, the groove, stylus, arm, signal, amp, cone, music. That was where the magic happened – right in front of your eyes. And for years, every Friday, I would visit his record store in the heart of Utrecht, and almost every week, I would leave with a newly acquired 7-inch single, my preferred format. That is, because there are so many 10-inch options, I might even like that format better.
Now we have Modelbau, available on 7-inch, as released by the brilliant Grisaille label. Yes, most is sold out from them, but check out their Bandcamp page to get the digital release and support them. Be quick with the following releases – you will not be disappointed, on the contrary. Grisaille is an exemplary label that performs at the highest level of electronic music, straddling genres as diverse as noise, drone, ambient, and experimental. Vertonen, Oort, Schweben, Tim Olive, Bruno Duplant, licht-ung and many, many, many more. And now they’ve started a Guitar Series on 7-inch vinyl. Their previous releases were on tape. All of them, I think. Another obsoletish format, declared dead and buried so many times only to be going very strong in the burial underground.
So, with Modelbau, we get two tracks reworking older guitar-based recordings into the present day (and incorporating modern technology, too?). We get a drone, which isn’t too SUNN O)))-ish, but knowing there’s a guitar somewhere in the source material does immediately point the wandering mind in the direction of the amp worship lords, especially on the b-side ‘Superimproved’. Although I guess it’s not about tube screaming and volume meters turned up to 13 here at all. This slice of mesmerising ambient drone and noise is airy and light, with chiming notes butterflying through the spectrum. There’s a catch-if-you-can quality to these 4,5 minutes, very much fitting the format of the 7 inch, for immediately after the last tones, you think you’ve missed the core, the crux, the pointe and want to go back to the beginning – reaching for the arm to return the stylus to the run-in of the groove. The AAA-pass into sombre shadows you encounter there wouldn’t be amiss at a reading of Walpole or Polidori. Eery and uncanny, maybe. But, strangely, also quite minimal, perhaps even in a Steve Reich-ian (with a sprinkle of Charlemagne Palestine) way. Delightful.
Felizardo is much more of an exponent of music than you’d expect from a volume in the Guitar Series. Could’ve been a B-side from Horse Lords, gone amp-worshippy, low-volume drone. Could be Papa M meets Six Organs of Admittance. Is in a praxis all of its own and – surprisingly – pretty song-like. You know, the 7-inch format, tailor-made for hit songs. Well, these might not be exactly your blackbird singing in the dead of night tunes, but these are no 3,5 minutes fragments from a larger item either. There’s a song-like tension here, with equal amounts of excitement. Lacroux brings even more song vibes, not in the least (of course) via the title. The slightly out-of-tune strings do recall atmospheres I remember from Eric Chenaux, but also manage to evoke moods akin to the sounds Bob Young describes in his epic work, Electric Eden. There’s an ancient folk aspect to these solos. (SSK)
––– Address: https://grisaille.bandcamp.com/music

+DOG+ – JUST US (CDR by Love Earth Music)

It is my pleasure to write a bit on the latest release by Massachusetts-based Steve Davis a.k.a. +DOG+. I’ve written it loads of times, but until I started writing for Vital Weekly, I only had the En Nihil release from the label. Now I’ve learned a lot of new music through Steve’s activity as a label owner. Again, any CDR release is $7, including postage. LPs are $15, and it’s all about the music and noise, never about the money. Personally, I admire and support that attitude. Another thing is that we also need to discuss topics outside of music. If friendship is the result of being honest about things and writing creatively about someone’s art, then reviewing 15+DOG+ albums, as well as many other LEM releases from the last three years, has brought me friendship. We’ll keep on talking after this final Vital. This also applies to many artists I’ve met over the past few years (you know who you are).
But we’re here to review the latest +DOG+ album titled “Just Us”. It has 12 tracks ranging from 2 minutes exactly up to 6 minutes. And Steve does what Steve does best. He experiments with sounds and noise, and somehow manages to stay away from strict genre divisions while still creating a coherent release. With that, I mean that you often see, within a larger perspective, that an album is limited to one genre; it’s either all harsh noise, or all HNW, or all experimental, or all improv-based. But Steve, being Steve he opposes this limitation. Sure, something is way easier to sell if the content is coherent, but having multiple styles on one album is way more interesting. That’s why I personally love a good sampler, but with a singular artist, it becomes more difficult. Why? Because the listener still expects a certain coherency. And that is why I’ve grown to appreciate Steve’s work so much. And well, “Just Us” is no exception.
The album opens with a noisy track titled “In Youth We Howled At The Moon,” featuring a sample that states, “I know you will destroy everything.” It’s the first time I hear a sample being used like this on a +DOG+ album, I think. Throbbing layers are creating a kind of noise/power electronics symbiosis, and I love it. “Filling In The Blanks” is carried by a dissonant chord, and the following “And Now What?” has improv drumming over layers of droning synth sound. These first ones already cover three unrelated styles, which is what I meant. “Dearly In Our Hearts” and “How Does It Go Know?” also have that improv drumming (counting five tracks so far), and the other seven tracks are partially minimal exploration of particular sounds (for example, “It’s A Sad Road” and “Machines Thinking For Me”). In contrast, others are more based on exploring the composition (like “You’ve Always Been Special My Darling” or “Thousands Of Sunsets”). Steve, you have done it again! (BW)
––– Address: http://www.loveearthmusic.com/

QUINTEN DIERICK – ROSETTA’S SPONGE. PART ONE: THE BURGESS SHALE (CDR, private)

Vital Weekly had a few donations, a Patreon thing and two people setting up a monthly payment via PayPal. Quinten Dierick was one of them. I didn’t hold on to his CDR until the latest VW; it arrived while I was completing the last tasks. Please don’t feel obliged, he writes in a note, and I don’t, but I like his work, so why not while I still can? He also writes that this is the first part of a larger work, which he feels is too extensive to be treated as a single entity. This is a CDR EP, clocking in at 22:22 minutes, inspired by archeology, stones and rocks. To that end, he uses synths, vinyl and ‘acoustics’, which I presume means picking up some of these sounds with a microphone, thus adding a rough element, something which Dierick is good at. While Dierick is never shy of playing the noise card, he’s not someone who plays noise for the sake of noise. In this piece, that’s certainly the case, with handspun vinyl, obscured synthesiser sounds, and a gentle yet brutalist approach to working with sound, almost like sculpting. Still, perhaps that’s an all-too-easy reference—a short and powerful release. (FdW)
––– Address: https://belchsingersonggrinder.bandcamp.com/

DUO PSICOGEOGRAFICO – ISKRA (CDR by Setola Di Maiale)
ECATORF TRIO – BENTHOS (CDR by Setola Di Maiale)

Italian record label Setola di Maiale released two records with Sergio Fedele. The first one is a duo with Andrea Bini. Percussion and several wind instruments, including the ecatorf, the subcontrabass hybrid combining a clarinet mouthpiece with a copper tube, a trombone slide and several valves. Nine tracks that offer a splendid sonic landscape into the lower regions of the sound spectrum. Excellent stuff with chamber music quality. Iskra means spark in the Slavic language, and that spark is definitely burning brightly here. The other is the sophomore release of the Ecamorf Trio, featuring Sergio Fedele, Piero Bittolo Bon, and Francesco Bucci. This one delves even more into the lower regions, featuring, besides the ectomorf, a tuba in F, which is the smallest of the bass tubas, as well as several low clarinets. Again, excellent stuff with atmospheric work and some pyrotechnics thrown in for good measure. And I still want to try that ecatorf. See issue 1340 for more info on the instrument. (MDS)
––– Address: https://www.setoladimaiale.net/

PORCELAIN CONTROL – BROKE ANTENNA FIX (3″CDR by Prime Cuts)
MICHAEL THOMAS JACKSON – KNEXIHOAKLAND HOMESICK BLUES (3″CDR by Prime Cuts)
MICHAEL THOMAS JACKSON – ONECX15 (3″CDR by Prime Cuts)
CEPHALIC INDEX – DISFARNIL TUNES (cassette by Tribe Tapes)

Just as I had hoped to be relieved from the cover art that gives me a headache, a parcel arrived from Michael Thomas Jackson, formerly known as Cephalic Index, requiring some detective work to decipher what was what. One strong reason to end Vital Weekly is that the enthusiasm is gone. I’m sorry, Michael. The first one is by Porcelain Control, a duo with which he collaborates, featuring Maggie Ledes. They recorded four pieces between November 2024 and May 2025 of improvised electronics and acoustic sounds. These pieces have a powerful, live recording feel, with motorised sounds starting, machines switching on and off, and other obscured noises. Like much of the music I heard from Jackson before, a noisy take on improvisation and electro-acoustic music, and that’s something he continues (spoiler alert) on the other releases ahead.
‘Knexihoakland Homesick Blues’ (a nod to Dylan?) contains “the last recording made at Studio Knexiho in Winston-Salem, NC, USA, May 17 2024″ and Jackson uses acoustic feedback, cardboard, motorised fans, synthesisers, tape, voice”. While that may seem like a complex setup, the music isn’t complex, delivering a stream of noise, loops, and voice cuts into a chaotic soundscape. Feedback plays an important role, which is a pity, as whatever happens in the background seems quite lovely, but is now a bit removed from the overall sound image.
Of the three miniCDRs, the most interesting one, I think, is the one called ‘ONECx15′ (if I got that right). From the very hard-to-read insert, I understand that this is a four-track composition based on a graphic score, with input from many musicians from the US cassette scene. While this is also quite a noisy release, there’s not much feedback, and it seems that consideration has been given to this collage. Lots of spoken word being chopped to pieces, along with acoustic and electronic sounds, some shamefully naive, but quite lovely. It reminded me of the Beatles’ ‘Revolution Number 9’ in some way, but maybe my brain is fried at this point.
I had always assumed Cephalic Index was a term Michael Thomas Jackson used in the 1980s (and possibly beyond), but I’m no longer so sure. Yet, the pieces on ‘Disfarnal Tunes’ were recorded between 25 and 27 April 2020, and have a distinctly different sound than his other works. I admit I no longer recall the Cephalic Index from the 1980s as well as I once did (not at all), but he plays around with rhythm machines and synthesisers in a sort of minimalist electronic way. Sometimes a bit quirky, pop-like, but also with some crumbled distortion in Pan Sonic fashion, or a bit drone-like, and he has plenty of variation to offer on this cassette, which is also sold out (which, given the fact that this from 2021, is no surprise, and a bit late to promote – which begs the question, why send your last for review four years later?). I used to have ‘rules’ for old releases.
And I had rules about sending a cassette, but which was in reality a download-only format, as is the case with the cassette he also enclosed by Cigmasix, a duo Jackson collaborates with, featuring Chris Phinney. Both have a solo side on this cassette, which you can check out using the link below. (FdW)
––– Address: https://michaelthomasjackson.bandcamp.com/
––– Address: https://tribetapes.bandcamp.com/
––– Address: https://harshrealitymusic.bandcamp.com/album/mnemopsyche

DEATH PYRE/HEAVY PAUSES (cassette by Birdeater Entertainment)

My third encounter with the US trio Death Pyre, which is made up of a duo named Ampyre from Chicago/St. Louis and Chicago’s Death Factory – see also Vital Weekly 1491 and 1474. What I know about them isn’t much, except they call themselves avant-goth and create music with guitars, synthesisers, and, I presume, banks of effects, combined with a love for “late 80s/90s era of gothic/ambient/experimental genre-melders”. Oddly enough, I found the opening track ‘Time Waits’ more akin to Throbbing Gristle, around the time they were doing psychic invocations, with Genesis P-Orridge chanting, through lots of effects and a neatly distorted bass sound below. Even 12 minutes is quite long, the abrupt ending came as an unpleasant surprise; I wish it had lasted a bit longer than this. ‘Nuclear Moon Reactor’ is a more straightforward barrage of noise, and also a live recording (I think! Much like everything else I heard from them), and has more garbled singing, this time maybe on tape, and for the first time, I am seriously considering the word gothic here, but luckily Death Pyre drags it in field that is defintely their own.
On the other side of the cassette, we find Heavy Pauses, a quartet from St. Louis, whose members are also involved in “oise/rock/noise rock” bands such as The Conformists, Brain Transplant, and Skarekrauradio, one of which I have ever heard. I’m not sure how duties are divided within this group, but it seems to me that they are more focused on electronics and synthesisers, and less on instruments with strings. Much like Death Pyre, they too find inspiration in the good ol’ world of power electronics, industrial music and noise, but their ‘edge’ is a more psychedelic one. Their music obviously leans on drones, but especially on ‘Start On No’, there’s a psychedelic element, with sounds sticking in your brain, and I am liking it. It reminded me of a milder version of C.C.C.C. or Astro, with a similar live approach. ‘Headlessness’ evolves around tape loops of percussion and similar synthesiser-heavy soundscapes, especially towards the end. All in all, an excellent cassette of contemporary noise, with roots in the past but with a firm outlook on the future. I understand both play regular concerts in the USA, so if you can catch them, do so. (FdW)
––– Address: http://birdeaterent.bigcartel.com

LOW COMMUNICATION – IN A CIRCLE (cassette by Cosmic Winnetou)
RODA – ON EXPLODING VIEWS (cassette by Cosmic Winnetou)
GÜNTER SCHLIENZ – MIKROFONIE (cassette by Cosmic Winnetou)

Bohdan Linchevskyi is a musician from Ukraine; I am sure it’s not easy to produce music in that country these days. He has had releases on Mabui Music, EC Underground, Byrd Out, Wormhole World, and Neotantra, although the release on the latter appears to have been removed from their catalogue. Low Communication uses “noise reduction field recordings, ambient minor strings”, and electronics. Cosmic Winnetou refers to Hans Joachim Roedelius, and that’s massive footsteps (and, curiously, a reference in ambient music I hardly ever used in 1500 weeklies). Still, I can see where that comes from. The music has a gentle, melodic quality and is somewhat rhythmic (as heard in the title piece, for instance). Field recordings are used sparingly and primarily without any electronic treatment, which gives the music a distinctly pastoral feel, akin to the forest-like atmosphere you may have experienced listening to Cluster in the mid-1970s, or with many of Roedelius’s later releases. Low Communication may be electronic, but it’s not massive and dark, atmospheric drone music; instead, it’s lighter and delicate, almost vulnerable in its composition. From a country at war, I view this music as a sign of hope. One day, there will be an end to this madness.
Behind Roda, we find Ross Scott-Buccleuch and Daniel Vujanić.. The first we know from his solo project Diurnal Burdens, and the duo Liminal Haze and his recent collaboration with Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, and Andrew Sharpley, but he loves to collaborate with many others too, and the second I didn’t know, but he’s a german musician who is also a member of groups as Baja, E Jugend, Graves And Orchestra Pits, Höhlenmusik Ensemble, Ixtar, Mileva, Stale, Terafin & Caliper, The Camping Group, and Zebularin. The two use electric guitars, synthesisers, electronics, a guitar zither, found sounds, and voice, and I assume they worked on the music via email or file transfer. The result is, oddly enough, for Cosmic Winnetou (perhaps!) a bit noisier than one expects. Electronics play a crucial role here, and the music is atmospheric, but also features some spiky moments, which give the music an excellent edge. I like my music to be atmospheric and ambient, yet also rough around the edges. As such, this music is a prime example of that. It’s not always easy to figure out what the electric guitar or the zither is. I like to think they used a sufficient amount of analogue manipulation to wipe out any trace of that. There’s quite a bit of variation here, and throughout, a wonderfully intense listening pleasure.
Labelboss Günter Schlienz has a cassette in which his modular setup plays an important role, as well as the microphone. He says he rarely uses them, as there’s no need for them with working with synths. On this tape, he utilises a variety of instruments and objects, including tennis balls and field recordings. A few friends are playing these instruments (Marko Martini for guitar, e-bow, bouzouki and harp, Roland Wendling for limpeon and harp, Holger Adam for finger cymbals, Floyd for harp, Katarina for voice). Schlienz also plays electric piano, guitar, bass, harp, finger cymbals, and voice. The first side is called ‘Wolkersdorf’, named after a place in Lower Austria, and the landscape inspired the music. Interestingly, the music consists of many smaller pieces, each about a few minutes long, sometimes connected by a single sound, such as field recordings, moving away from his more long-form pieces. There’s also a more intimate approach to the music, if that’s possible, and even a hint of improvisation. I imagine Schlienz and a friend, armed with a guitar and a battery-operated synth, playing music in a meadow, and there’s a bit of voice, accidentally caught on tape, but kept in the music. The entire cassette, spanning a total of 66 minutes, has a distinctly pastoral feel. And that’s something almost all of Schlienz’s music has, but now it’s palpable, because the microphone picks up these sounds. More seasonal music, but to be used when it’s cold and sunny. (FdW)
––– Address: https://cosmicwinnetou.bandcamp.com/

PERRACHE – LETTER TO JANE EP (cassette by Superpolar Taips)

I never know what the status of Superpolar Taips is, but it’s good to see another sign of life. It’s from Joachim Henn, the man behind Perrache, and, a long time ago, a member of Ma Chérie For Painting, which was a band I loved but eventually forgot to revisit. That could always change, time permitting, etc. That was what we called back then a post-rock group, perhaps a bit more experimental than many others, and some of that experimentation Henn uses in his solo work as Perrache. Previously, I wrote about his music, highlighting his intense love for the kosmische element in music, which was influenced by Conrad Schnitzler and Cluster, both in the earliest phases of their career. The title is a reference to” Letter to Jane: An Investigation About a Still,” the experimental companion documentary to Jean-Luc Godard’s movie “Tout va bien,” which does not necessarily mean much to me. Henn uses a lot of synthesiser sounds, bleeping away and droning on endlessly, all neatly sequenced in slowed-down arpeggios. An EP, it clocks in at 28 minutes. None of the six pieces is too long, as Perrache doesn’t like to doodle away, running his synths on automatic pilot. This is not necessarily all Berlin school in that respect. He takes the elements to his advantage and composes some strong music with this. Music for head space and a glass of wine, and a smoke – well, if the doctor would allow me. (FdW)
––– Address: https://superpolar.bandcamp.com/

CULTURAL AMNESIA – DID YOU HEAR THE MUSIC (cassette by Ice Cream For Crow)

A name that has long been part of my musical DNA is Cultural Amnesia, from when I first heard their music on a compilation cassette; I believe that was the brilliant ‘Endzeit’ tape, one of those cassettes that should have been bootlegged a long time ago. Cultural Amnesia released various cassettes until 1983, and since 2012, they have reunited to release more music, with ‘Did You Hear The Music’ being the latest, marking their return to the cassette format. The music matured as the members matured. In the early 1980s, there was a fine sense of naivety with this band, especially in their use of vocals and compositional approaches, but on this new cassette, this is all smoother. The vocals are still delivered in a spoken-word, narrative style, but the music and production sound quite professional, only the closing track ‘Blues’, which reminded me of the early sound. Rhythm machines, synthesisers and guitars, combined with a smooth use of effects; the laptop studio has taken over, and that’s a great thing. Cultural Amnesia is a group that plays alternative pop music, and as such, I wouldn’t know how to compare it to anything I’m familiar with (or maybe you wouldn’t either). Much of the music features a techno-inspired rhythm pattern, but with dominant vocals, I suspect their aim is not the dancefloor, but rather for us to listen to these lyrics. Another oddball is ‘Beston Forest’, which is devoid of rhythm and guitars; this is a full-blown ambient piece, very much in line with the ambient I wrote about in the past 1499 issues. At seven minutes also a long piece, which breaks the cassette in two, even when placed in the second half. Jolly fun, this one, much like Nasmak PM reviewed elsewhere a much-needed distraction. (FdW)
––– Address: https://icecreamforcrow.bandcamp.com/

THE SAND RAYS – THE OVERNIGHTER (USB by The Ceiling)

It’s almost a joke, right? To think to wait for the mailperson to arrive, do that last CD, and then that’s really the end of it all. Only to discover that the final envelop consists of a 15-hour USB drive by Canada’s Jim de Jong, also known as The Sand Rays. “I hope the package arrives before the cut-off date. If not, please enjoy the gift”, he writes on the outside of the package”, and on a note inside, “It’s a longer-player. May need to appear instead in Vital Decadely”, which implies I spend another decade of reviewing, just not publishing. So, while I give this lengthy issue (sadly, the longest ever) another read over, I quickly browse through The Sand Rays’ quiet drone music, and recognise the minimalist tones I heard in his previous releases. I realise I could (and probably will) sit down with this for about eight mornings to come, as this is precisely the kind of drone music I’d like to hear when I wake up. Much like Brian Eno, who couldn’t get out of bed to turn up the volume and which led to the ‘invention’ of ambient music, this kind of humming is the kind of thing I don’t wish to get up for and turn up the volume; it might spoil the surprise when I know what the music is more in-depth. Let’s wait with that until it’s too late; for a review, I mean. (FdW)
––– Address: http://thesandrays.com

BENJAMIN DUESTER – TOMORROW ON CASSETTE (book by Bloomsbury Academic)

True story, one review has to be the last to be written, and for various reasons, I opted to do this one, even when I finished the book some weeks ago. Benjamin Duester will perhaps forgive me I making this into a sort of farewell to VW rant (even when there’s a review below this one), but that’s because his book ties in a few things for me. One, of course, is his subject, cassettes, very close to my heart. When I discovered cassettes as a way to distribute music, I was 15 years old, in 1980. I couldn’t imagine that a lifetime later I’d still be writing about cassettes, releasing my music on them, or music from others, or, hell, somebody writing a dissertation about cassettes. It has been one hell of a ride, and I am the first to admit that cassette played a minor role over the years. When I worked for Staalplaat (1992-2003), I mainly used cassettes to record music on my trusted four-track Fostex 270, but the results were typically transferred to CDs or vinyl. After 2006, cassettes made a comeback, and they reappeared all over Vital Weekly again.
Duester’s book is about the current cassette culture, and only partially about the past, or what I consider my past. Early on in the book, I tried to keep track of the names I recognised and the ones I didn’t. In the first line, Don Campau, Dinzu Artefacts, Krallar, and Zan Hoffman (two of whom are from my past) are listed, but the list of cassette labels I never heard of quickly outgrew the other list. Something I noted in the past in my reviews: the world of experimental music is so much bigger than Vital Weekly; I wasn’t even close to the centre, I think. Duester talks in his book about such notions as cassette day (why bother, would I say, ever the angry man) or different colours of shells, which prompted me to ‘yeah?’. I feel its focus on America, Germany, and Japan ignores so many countries/scenes of interest. Strange packaging, a trend some people in the 1980s loved (I didn’t, as it was challenging to put on a shelf), is not something that’s done often these days, something Duester mentions in passing. His central take, that cassettes never went away, is a valid notion. He tracks current trends on social media, which usually elude me, and how young people approach the cassette (with a download code!) and how major stars also embrace this. Whenever I hear it’s about nostalgia, I feel a sense of unease. For many musicians, releasing music on cassettes remains a necessity, as CDs or vinyl are financially out of reach.
Duester’s book isn’t an easy read, as about every other sentence ends with a name and a year, and the end pages are filled with various books and studies to support his claims.
It’s no secret that books and book publishing are my new passion; in fact, it’s an old one, but it wasn’t until I wrote a book about my incredible and challenging years in Staalplaat that I realised I should pursue this more. Wasn’t I trained to be a historian? Why not consider the kind of stories that can be told, beyond the limitations of a review (which, honestly, wasn’t always well-informed), and that made me realise I couldn’t do both. Following God knows how many reviews, it’s time to say goodbye. One thing I am sure of is that I will never publish God knows how many books.
Would I have published Duester’s book? Difficult question. Yes, on the content, but without the academic references, which don’t make for an easy read. But a more popular version, and bring the narrative about independent music releases from the past (my territory) to the current day: absolutely. FdW)
––– Address: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/search/?q=benjamin%20duester

JANEK SCHAEFFER – WHATEVER WILL BE WILL BE – BROKEN RECORD DELIVERY (anti-record, private)

Here’s a true story: in the early days of Beequeen, we ended our concerts with a 78 rpm record played at 33 rpm. It was Doris Day’s ‘Whatever Will Be, Will Be’. I don’t think we had any particular conceptual reasoning for that, other than it was a thrift store find. I don’t know what happened to the record, other than it might be safely tucked away in my fellow Beequeen’s buddy Freek’s archive. I hadn’t thought of the record or Doris until a weighty and large box arrived from Janek Schaeffer. It contained a glass box with a broken copy of the very same 78rpm (well, a different copy, obviously). Schaeffer’s claim to early fame (before inviting the three-armed turntable) was an installation piece, ‘Recorded Delivery’, in which he sent a sound-activated tape recorder by mail, and the captured sounds were released on a 7″. Brian Eno said something lovely, and off you are. In some ways, that ties in with this broken record. Schaeffer ordered the record, and it arrived broken. Of course, at first he was annoyed, who wouldn’t be, but he realised a fractured record is an excellent source of material for a ‘remix’, as anyone who has ever played an anti-record will testify. Schaeffer ordered more copies, broke them, glued them on cardboard and gave them away. All of this in an edition of seven copies, of which one graces my living room. That’s not because Schaeffer likes me, but my name came up, as part of a version of musical chairs/raffle, where he drops bits of paper on an amplifier until six are left. He also glued one back together, in true Kintsugi style (at this point, requiring you to utilise your own Wiki skills), and the result can be heard on the link. Perhaps not a music release, per se, and more an art object. It’s also a reminder of how anything can be a sound source for producing music, and perhaps, as such, the last issue of Vital Weekly is an excellent starting point for anyone to create music. I may no longer write about it, but in this day and age, you may not need this kind of old-fashioned promotion anymore.
––– Address: https://janekschaefer.com/=What_will_be_will_be_will_be.html

…THAT’S ALL, FOLKS!