PAUL SCHUTZE & ANDREW HULME -FELL (CD on 7 Degrees)
In case you didn’t know: Andrew Hulme is the frontman of
0 Yuki Conjugate ever since their inception, more then
10 years ago. Paul Schutze’s name will be familiar
through his many works on as many labels. These boys are
close friends: Paul produced the last OYC album
‘Equator’. Dissatisfied with how the record industry
works, they started their own label. 7 Degrees works
strictly mail order only. From this first release they
have 999 copies for sale, one half in Europe through
their UK address (below) and the other half in the US
through Soleilmoon. The price is high, but it’s worth
the buck. What you get is a booklet sleeve, sewn
together and printed with silver and embossed. The CD is
housed inside in a nice printed carton sleeve. A package
made with care. As for the music: that is good too…
Both of these guys have a wide interest in ambient
music, long before the hype jumped on (and off again)
the bandwagon, but also dance music, ethnic influenced.
Now all of these things can be found on this CD, without
getting slick or anything. The 7 compositions (that
can’t be a coincidence) have a strong sense of
experimentalism to it, and each of the composition is a
like a complex web of sound, either analog untreated or
sampled to a wide extent. I guess it’s more in line to
the OYC work then to Schutze’s solo work (which doesn’t
appeal to me always). Get this thing as a valuable part
of your collection, but don’t bother your local
distributor, but get to: (FdW)
Address: <101741.1111@compuserve.com> or
<soleilmoon@aol.com>
ROLAND KAYN -KYBERNETISCHE MUSIK (double CD on Reiger
Records)
Prepare yourself for Barooni’s next hype. After digging
up Charlemange Palestine, and getting his name around
again, Barooni will release in a few months a 4 CD set
by Roland Kayn. He is a by now largely forgotten German
composer who spend much of his life in The Netherlands.
Kayn’s biggest contribution to music is his Cybernetic
Music. This is music that is largely sel£-generative. A
string of electronics (synthesizers for instance) is
connected to each other and once set in motion will play
their own music. Reiger Records is a label founded by
Roland Kayn himself to release his works. Three sets of
double CD’s are now available. The other two not
mentioned here contain piano works and orchestral works,
and have nothing to do with Cybernetic Music.
I remember somebody who I ran into who found an
unsleeved record at the flea market, and he raved about
the ‘ambient-industrial’ character of the music. I
looked upon the label, and it turned out to be one of
the four Barooni will release. ‘Ambient-industrial’ :
what an appropriate description of the music of Kayn,
yet I doubt whether Mr.. Kayn is aware of the terms
‘ambient’ and ‘industrial’ .The textured, densely
layered, yet flowing electronics that make up this
double CD. To anyone with firm roots in industrial
music, this will certainly appeal for it’s darkness,
without any of implications industrial music has. No
address is given on this CD, and I’m told it’s going to
be for sale in august or September.
CEE MIX -HOME IS WHERE THE BASS IS (CD by Incomingl)
What goes up, must go down. After the brilliant start of
the Incomingl label, we have had some rather dubious
releasesl SETI equals it’s boring tracks, with brilliant
tracks. On the Cosa CD we raved, the Serenity Dub vol. 3
and 4 couldn’t get me going as the first two… So I
started out with a little suspicion on Cee Mix. Some of
Cee-Mix’s track are strong dubby works (‘Whett’ and
‘Tribal’) but others just lame digital reggae stuff
(such as ‘Killa’ or ‘Galaxy’ ). It should have a little
bit more tension. Some of the tracks hold the power, but
in all it is not really convincing. Is digital dub dying
a slow death already? (FdW)
Address: <100421.647@compuserve.com>
THE SECRET LIFE OF THE FLYING LIZARDS (CD by Piano)
When I was younger so much younger then the grey hairs
on my head I listened to top 40 radio. ‘Money’ by The
Flying Lizards was a novelty hit and I decided that this
great band should have their Ducth fanclub. From music
magazines I culled reviews, the lyrics to ‘Money’ and
even a real interview. The one and only issue I made was
in an edition of 1 only, and I probably lost it over the
years. Much to my surprise the Piano label (run by David
Cunningham from The Flying Lizards) started out again
last year, and their first CD release is this beauty.
The source material was recorded in 1978 in Jamaica by
Jah Lloyd for Virgin who didn’t want to release this.
They asked David Cunningham to remix it (I wonder if
they used that term back then, but alas, for the sake of
a better one). More so then the old, early 80s Flying
Lizards work this is heavily reggae and dub induced.
Excellent powerful stuff, much better then some of the
recent stuff.
MNORTHAM -CONDENSATION (7″ by Povertech)
Mnortham once was a contributor to the ND Magazine, and
traveled at least half the world. As a sound maker is
prime interest is in making music with acoustic objects,
and natural resonance. Side A of this record is ‘for
Tubeviolin and ship engine’ .Scraping sounds and huge
reverberated sounds make of this track. The piece moves
slowly, but doesn’t reach a huge climax. The flip side
is for ‘prepared autopharp and iron cylinder’ .Here the
sounds are loose in a way and occasional feedback
distorts the track at times. From the two sides this is
the more industrial sounding piece. References could be
made to Thomas Koner or Alan Lamb, but Mnortham has
enough ideas of himself to give his music an identity of
its own. Maybe it’s time that somebody invested in a CD
for him. (FdW)
Address: <pvrtek@aol.com>
MERZBOW -PULSE DEMON (CD by Relapse)
God knows how many CD’s Merzbow has made, but this is a
beauty. Packed in a silver shiny fold out thing which is
sure to give you a headache by looking at it. If that
failed then insert the silver shiny disc and set volume
to 10. That will do the trick. Like many of Merzbow’s
recent releases this uses the EMS synthesizer (an
expensive old analogue toy) along with metal, voice,
shortwave etc. Though sliced up into 8 tracks, they are
woven into each other, thus guarantees you the full 73
minute sonic blast. There is one king of noise, and his
name is Merzbow. This is a limited of only 3000, so be
fast… (FdW)
Address: <relapse@relapse.com>
JAMES PLOTKIN & HICK HARRIS -COLLAPSE (CD by Asphodel)
Two guys with a huge background in various guitar bands
(OLD, Napalm Death, Scorn) as well as many solo
projects. As far as I recall this is the first time they
worked together under their own names. The 5 long
unfolding compositions are all densely layered works, in
which repetition plays an important part. Occasionally
from the string of sounds there rises an environment
sound, to disappear again later on. Guitars however play
biggest part in their instrumentation. Sampled and
stretched by digital means the evoke pitch black
atmospheres. Harris & Plotkin prove once again that they
are important factors in what some call ‘Isolationist’
music. Call it whatever you want, this is excellent
stuff. (FdW)
Address: <asphodel@interport.net>
TORTOISE REMIXED BY OVAL (12″ by City Slang) MICROSTORIA
-SND (CD by Mille Plateaux)
As far as I know this is the first remix Oval ever did.
Strange it is, as the way Oval work might be perfect to
do a lot of remixes. Their CD skipping technique (or
probably, more accurate, their computer and sequencing
techniques) is already largely imitated, but never done
better. If you are familiar with the Tortoise CD
‘Millions Now Living Will Never Die’ you might be
surprised if you hear this. Both tracks treat Tortoise
beyond recognition. It is said that Oval used the whole
album (in stead of one track, as is common in remixing
areas), but is it true? Not really valid question. The
first side is a slowly decaying composition in various
parts, like a cycle being repeated, but with every new
cycle decayed. The other side is a more continuous
piece. Two interesting pieces, taking the guitar sound
of Tortoise into new areas. Micostoria is Oval related.
It’s line up is Markus Popp of Oval and Jan St. Werner
from Mouse On Mars. The Microstoria sound is more in
Oval areas, and not the dubby poppy side of the Mouses.
The 8, relatively short, compositions consists of
sequenced errors of CD’s, crashing hard disks or
whatever faulty recordings. If you listen superficially,
the lines are chaotic, but you can choose to follow a
particular sound. If you do that repeatedly, then might
discover this genius web of sound. As a whole this album
sounded more convincing to me then the first one. Keep
crashing boys. (FdW)
Address: City Slang -P.O.Box 8983 -London SWll 12B -UK
Address: <force@mail.pop-frankfurt.com>
SYLLYK -ASCENDRE, A L’OMBRE DO VENT (CD by Legende Des
Voix)
It has been silent for a couple of years around this
Syllyk, and suddenly two releases fall upon the
doorstep. Already a while ago we reviewed the Syllyk
split CD with Koji Marutani. And now their own full
length CD. This is a concept CD dealing with ‘the wind’
.The sounds you will hear are not just ‘the wind’ , but
also sounds brought forward by wind. One of that is the
sea shore and more indefinable droning sounds. Bells
hanging in the wind. This is soundscaping at it’s best.
If ever ambient needed to go in a particular direction
then this might be it. Not the bubbly world of digital
drums, but recording the ambience around you. The piece
by Syllyk works slowly on the mind: close your eyes, and
lie down. Time will slowly disappear on you. Like washes
on the shore the CD will unfold itself. Needles to say
that the CD is stylish packed in natural paper… (FdW)
Address: La Legende Des Voix -21 Rue Du 8 Mai 1945 –
37270 Montlouis – France