AUBE -RE-CHANT/DE-CODA (7″ by Drone Records)
As usual with Drone Records, the first edition is limited to 250 copies.
The cover is some kind of Japanese paper with a white band. Not unlogical,
as Aube comes from Japan. As ever, Aube uses one sound source per release,
this time the female voice. One side opens with that voice processed into a
guitarish sound, and is quite noisy. The real sound source can be
recognized in there. The other side is more subdued and builds slowly into
a more offensive wall of sound. The voice stuff is hard to recognize in
there. This is a fine release. (FdW) // Address: c/o s. Knappe -Loningstr.
15 -28195 Bremen -Germany
WOUND -IN STATU NASCENDI (7″ by Wound)
This beautiful picture disc 7″ on heavy weight vinyl is an off shoot of
last weeks Noise Factory CD. Originally this had to be 4 endless tapes in a
box, and then a 7″, and now the 4 tracks are on this 7″. Final mixing was
done at the Noise Factory workshop. The first track, described as
‘synthetic loop sequence’ sounds a multi-layered shortwaves and the second
track on side one sound as described: feedback delayed at various speed’
.Then the other side we are supposed to hear a CD loop and Libyan tapes and
comes off a not very well recorded loop of some droning sound. The fourth
track offers more feedback alike sounds and I thought I recognized voices
in there. In all, not a bad 7″, but it sticks to much into one idea per
track and they don’t seem to go anywhere really. // Address: S. Karminski
-P.O. Box 150425 -28094 Bremen -Germany
YEN POX -DELIVER/REMOVE (7″ by Drone Records)
YEN POX -BLOOD MUSIC (CD by Maliqnant Records)
One week, two releases, one US, one European. I heard music by these guys
before (on the ‘Invisible Domains’ compilation by Malignant), but I didn’t
recall what they sounded like. A general description of their sound will
apply for both the 7″ and CD: heavily reverberated sounds (and as we all
(should) know that will easily result in drone sounds) which go over the
top, so that we won’t recognize what they originally sounded like. Each of
the 6 long tracks (that are allover 10 minutes) slowly built in blocks. In
some areas this would be called ‘Isolationist’, or ambient with that fine
industrial edqe to it. Best is to put this CD on, turn off the lights and
just let it flow in darkness. The 7″ has the problem that you need to get
up to turn the record over, but it may serve as nice introduction into what
Yen Pox sound like. By releasing Yen Pox on Drone, we finally realize where
the label got their name from! (FdW) // Address: Drone – s above //
Address: Malignant -P.O. Box 5666 -Baltimore, MD 21210 -USA
FOLDS AND RHIZOMES FOR GILLES DELEUZE (CD by Sub Rosa)
August 1995, French philosopher Gilles Deleuze committed suicide. He
suffered from throat problems, and decided not to suffer anymore. I am not
really the person to describe what his ideas where about, but if one
follows much of today’s more intellectual music makers, his influence is
quite remarkable. This CD reflects one of that particular movements
(another ‘tribute CD’ is prepared at the moment by Mille Plateaux, the
German label that was named after a work of Deleuze). The CD opens with
Mouse On Mars, who play around with guitars along with a dubby rhythm. The
next track, by Main, is outstanding quality. Small blocks of what sound
like an organ are carefully placed after one another. There is some fine
sound processing going in these sounds (not unlike some of Jim O’Rourke’s
sound treatments). This is truly a great requiem. The Oval piece that comes
next is also like a requiem, starting with a test tone like sound which
gradually breaks down into Oval’s trademark, the CD skipping sound. But
unlike their well-known CD’s this much darker of tone. Austerity is also
the keyword for the Scanner track, the scanned voices shift around in the
background, with samples and electronics in the foreground. Tobias Hazan
and David Shea use in their almost classical pieces (2 rather short ones)
the voice of Deleuze along with samples of classical instruments. In all,
not a joyful release, but a sincere tribute. Essential CD. // Address: P.O.
Box 808 -CM 1000 Brussels -Belgium