LEIF ELGGREN -TALKING TO A DEAD QUEEN (CD by Fylkingen)
It has been said before: Swederi is still one of the few
countries where the government is willing to sponsor
underground culture. This new work by Leif Elggren opens with
a spoken text about the death of a Queen, which after a few
minutes stops and then the rest of the CD is filled by an
endless drone of sound, with minor changes throughout. It may
refer to the work of Alvin Lucier (in a conceptual sense: the
only sound source is a copper-pipe of 3760 x 12 mm) and to
minimal electronic music, like Jliat (but harsher and more
abrasive). Not really easy music this one, but a thoroughly
conceptual work. (FdW) Address: Fylkingen -P.O.Box 17044
10462 Stockholm -Sweden
What ever happened to the world of cassette releases? They
continue! From northern Italy comes the label bib, run by M.
Gat ti, who is also involved in Hax and several related music
projects. On bib they release tapes which seem to belong to
the noise edge of the musical spectrum. Many tapes have full
color covers or special boxes. Blowhole’s ‘Reassembled’ has a
real printed cover and stylistically Blowhole is not far away
from their numerous LP and CD releases. Free improvisation
weirdness, played on virtually any instrument at hand to what
is vaguely described as ‘objects’ or ‘pipes’ .
Kapotte Muziek -Enhanced Room Acoustics takes the recorded
room atmosphere into dark ambient territory on one side and
dark industrial on the other. No futher comment Onomatopeia’s
tape is called ‘Interesting Train Journeys Of The West
Midlands & Non-Palindromic Place Names’ .Onomatopeia belongs
to the new generation of noise makers who seem to put more
effort in putting together industrial music where there is
more happening then just noise. They use metal, guitars and
loops. Quite a nice and varied tape.
Striving for the harshest in the catalogue are Killer Bug and
Macronympha. The first is a relatively new Japanese name, and
discovers feedback, distorted vocals, likewise distorted
radio noise. The b-side is recorded live, but it makes no
difference in sound. Macronympha’s Crack offers six tracks of
likewise noise. Both Killer Bug and Macronympha offer nothing
new under the noise horizon -which makes the ‘industrial’
music into the heavy metal of the nineties. For the truly
addicted only. But: continue to support the underground!
(FdW) ~ Address: M. Gatti -via Mozart 13 -20092 Cinisello, Mi
-Italy
ATOMIC WEIGHT (CD by Iridium)
Iridium is the side label of Dorobo, dealing with the more
dance oriented side of music. After releases by Black Lung,
here is the next one, a compilation of artists from cci/dumb
type/spiral from Japan. Dance music with it’s roots firmly in
the arts, as well as in experimental music. Stylistically the
groups move into various territory, such as dub, downright
experimentalism or armchair techno. All of the groups and
persons featured on this CD have links together, what makes
this CD into a slightly incestuous affair. My favorites are
the first track (Dumb Type hinting at Sandoz) and the more
experimental works of Ryoji Ikeda. Also included are CCI
Sound and Yoshio Ojima. A wide variety of music’s by a small
selected group. Style (read: arty) cover too. Great CD! (FdW)
Address:
GILBERT/HAMPSON/KENDALL -ORR (CD by Parallel/Mute)
Parallel is another mute side label, this one being run by
(the for me unknown) Paul Kendall. Apare~eJ.-y the main
material was recorded three years ago ‘over a period of three
days through guitar pick ups’. Furthermore, according to the
cover’ a degree of processing has occurred'”‘ in \the
interim. .Humm, not ari ‘entirely satisfying description I’d
say. As far as I can judge these three guys have been using
guitars only, which have been altered beyond recognition.
Nothing new under the horizon of post modern musique
concretists/post isolationist rockers. But some of this
materi!il comes off si~ply’ too ,easy and don’t give you that
isolated feei which you are supposed t~ get. There is too
much fragmentation going on to keep my attention throughout.
Maybe this material should have been shelved for a longer
period, and, added with either more recent recordings or
better worked out treatments, been thought over more and
more. Now it has just a few moments, such as the track
‘Source II’ .(FdW)
Address: Mute -429 Harrow Road -London WlO 4RE -UK
CARL STONE -NYALA (CD by E:MT)
Electronic composer Stone recorded this work as the result of
a three way collaboration by him, and a dancer and a
sculptor. How and what these other two did we do not know, as
we are confronted with a CD of music only. Unlike others in
the hip ambient areas of E:MT, Stone works more with sound
processing, rather than wishy washy synthi sounds. Yet these
processing’s never go over the top, and stay on a minimal
side of things. Hard to say what the sources are he is using.
I thought I recognized treated percussive sounds, and
stringed objects. Not that this is really important. The
final result is a rather austere piece, which should be
listened to without interruption (that worked best, at least
for me). Good to see that this kind of work, which steps
outside the clichés of ambient, appears on a label such as
E:MT. (FdW) Address: <100443.2514@compuserve.com>