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Vital Weekly 645 & 646

  Tobias

PIERRE BASTIEN - VISIONS OF DOING (CD by Western Vinyl)
Despite his releases on Rephlex, the Aphex Twin label, I must say I'm not too familiar with the music of Pierre Bastien. I believe it was last year when I first a concert by him, which was indeed very nice to watch the interaction between the player of the trumpet (Bastien) and his mechanical orchestra surrounding him. I think there was a visual component to it, but I don't remember it very well. I usually tend to focus on the music itself. Maybe the visuals were by Karel Doing, a dutch film maker. Bastien and Doing have been working together since close to twenty years, both in the studio and in concert, so Bastien wanted to say thanks by dedicating this record to his friend. Nine pieces, created for films. There is indeed a strong, sound track like quality to be spotted in these pieces. The trumpet plays an all important role in the pieces, usually adding that lazy, jazzy texture to the music, but whatever happens in the background is hardly jazz like. The mechanical orchestra, created with rotating devices and mecano, add a nice atmospheric texture, like an early black and white film on industrial life. Relaxing music that also without the visuals works rather nicely. Music to sit back and relax and enjoy. Warm mechanics at work. (FdW) Address: http://www.westernvinyl.com

FULMINATE TRIO - SAME (CD by Generate Records)
This New York-based trio features Anders Nilsson on electric guitar, Ken Filiano on double bass and Michael Evans on drums. All three of them also make use of some electronics. First some words on the musicians. Andera Nilsson moved from Sweden to New York eight years ago, and developed himself further in the world of free improvised music. He played with Raoul Björkenheim, Matt Heyner, Kermit Driscoll, Evan Gallagher, Jeff Arnal, William Parker, Eugene Chadbourne. In the same time his continued his group Aorta in Europe. Bassplayer Ken Filiano feels at home in the worlds of classical music, jazz, improvised music, etc. He toured and played with Warne Marsh, Bobby Bradford, Vinny Golia to name a few. Michael Evans is a drummer and composer. He uses found objects, homemade instruments, in order to create unusual sounds and music. He worked with God is my Co-Pilot, Evan Parker, etc. All musical experience of these three musicians now culminates in this new outfit. They choose in day in march 2007 to record their first cd. The cd opens with a composition by Carla Bley called 'Floater'. A quiet, moody but fascinating piece that you don't expect as an opening track. All four other compositions are composed by Evans and/or Nilsson. Their music is very open and in an way laid-back, how complex it may be on the other hand. It is difficult to say what use of electronics they make, but it is a functional and modest one as they sound above all as a trio of acoustic bass and drums plus electric guitar. Like in the middle section of 'Tiger Variations' when they pull up the music to more abstract heights, electronic means come in. Nilsson is an interesting player, and he has a nice and very sharp sound on his guitar. From time to time I wished Filiano and Evans would cross swords more intensively with mister Nilsson. More energy and tension could be generated if you ask me. (Dolf Mulder) Address: http://www.generaterecords.net/

DANIEL PADDEN - PAUSE FOR THE JET (CD by Dekorder)
Daniel Padden is a member of Vulcano the Bear since 1995. After moving to Glasgow in 2000 his solo-work became more prominent. First as The One Ensemble of Daniel Padden with releases on Catsup Plate, Secret Eye and Textile. As this ensemble became a real band, Padden decided to release his solo-work simply under his own name. First result was 'The Isaac Storm' CD on the Ultra Exzema label. With 'Pause For The Jet' we have his newest solo effort on our hands. It is the first cd with Padden that enters my CD-player. His music shows many influences: british folk and world music, krautrock, collage techniques, etc. 17 short 'songs' pass along in these 36 minutes of Renaldo & The Loaf/Residents-inspired madness.
Also there is a echo of the experiments of the Homosexuals. Instrumental soundscapes, improvised interludes, tape manipulations, strange sung melodies, etc. are loosely pasted into one whole. Because of this procedure you stay tuned to this CD. Padden takes continuously a different direction. Just when you are used to a certain piece, a new totally different one begins. This is surely the power of this music, because most of the individual pieces don't have enough content to stand on their own feet. It is difficult to trace how Padden chooses his fragments and combines them. What 'laws' are working here? But for sure he understands his art and offers a nice and diverse kaleidoscope of musical ideas. (Dolf Mulder)
Address: http://www.dekorder.com/

STAG HARE - BLACK MEDICINE MUSIC (CD by A Star Records)
WOO - COME BLUE (CDR by A Star Records)
WYLD WYZRDZ - WE ARE EVERYONE (CDR by A Star Records)
Looking at the website of A Star Records, it seems to me one big family, over there in Utah. A community of musicians playing together in various combinations, silk screening covers and such like. There is a strong sense of unification among these three releases, certainly musicwise.
The first is a real CD by Stag Hare. I tried deciphering the handwritten cover to see who is a member of this band, but I failed. But unlike the other two releases, this a group. Judging by the music and the cover it seems to me that these are, how to put this nicely, hippies. Their music is raga drone rock. Rattling percussion in 'Holy Quinn', mumbling voices on top, and a wailing drone sound from sources unknown. I normally would start off by ranting something about hippies not being cups and tea, but I won't. I don't know for a fact that they are hippies, but perhaps more important: I really liked what I hear. The monotonous, mechanic rhythms, the whispering voices, the reverb (yes yes) on the harmonica in 'Crystal Dust Dream' or the triumphant finale of 'Oz'. This might very sixties in musical approach and perhaps even in execution (quite direct in your face recording), but perhaps I'm getting now old enough to enough such things. Stag Hare is a great place to do such discoveries.
WoO is perhaps a one-man band, playing electric guitar, mobile phones, remote control and effects. Here too the drones prevail, but WoO plays them a little bit more sweeter, softer, maybe even more melodic. Things meander nicely about, in weightless space. The guitar doesn't sound like a guitar in say 'Sky Over Oslo', but it sounds more like a synthesizer. Maybe occasionally things may sound a bit too sweet here, but the balance is still positive. Light shades of dark colors, clouds passing - all the usual images that one can have with music like come around. A sweet, sugary release.
The perfect antidote to this is Braden J McKenna's Wyld Wyzrdz release. His 'Slope'will put you back to earth, with grainy textured guitars. Don't get me wrong. McKenna doesn't play a noise tune. Its just that after WoO his music is a bit louder on the drone hill, playing more angular tunes. Here the guitar is a guitar, even when he plays it with an e-bow. But strumming it is his favorite tool. The magnum opus here, the eighteen minute 'I Am Ocean' is quite a psychedelic journey of the endless strum. Three different sides of the drone coin. Three times lovely at that. (FdW) Address: http://www.astar-recs.net

AMK/JEPH JERMAN - SPLIT (CDR by Cohort Records)
For the latest installment in the Split series, Cohort asked two veterans from the world of experimental music. Both Jeph Jerman and AMK have been around since many, many moons in the musical underground and both run/ran cassette labels, released limited vinyl, CDs and CDRs and still operate in the same world of do-it-yourself. AMK has two tracks here of skipping vinyl. Originally the Split series started out as a drone series, but these two tracks aren't anywhere close to drone music. A collage of vinyl sounds, weird music, off centre spinning and such like. It seems that time stood still in the work of AMK. I must admit it sounded nice to me, but I failed to see much difference from work I heard from him twenty years ago. Jerman is much closer to the world of drone music with his piece for a 22inch wind gong, played by a small fan and amplified with cheap mic and battery powered amp. It doesn't sound like the old Hands To work, nor his recent electro-acoustic work, but deeply resonating sounds. Vibration music of an easy kind, but humming oh so nicely. Perhaps also nothing new under the mighty drone moon, but this space is a great place. (FdW) Address: http://cohortrecords.0catch.com

DOORNEN - AIDS LOVES YOU TO DEATH (3"CDR by Scrape)
XABIER ERKIZIA - [SPAM DETECT] (CDR by Hamaika)
This weekend I had some time to think about the subject of noise. Because of my persistence in filling these pages with words about music, and sometimes even noise, one can all to easily assume that I do have an opinion about music, sometimes even noise. As such I was asked to be the judge in the Eurovision Noise Contest in Tilburg, The Netherlands. My job was to judge the music, and not the performance or the 'fashion', as they called it. Which was quite nice, because it turned out that those who have a great performance, usually don't have that much time for some solid music, and vice versa. The sixteen (or so, or so) acts all played about ten to twelve minutes, which in some cases was too long anyway, but the variety was big, although one perhaps need to be an insider to spot the finer differences. Sheik Anorak from France was the winner, and his CDR for Vatican Analog will no doubt be reviewed one day. Doornen was also part of the action, when we were all quite fresh, at the beginning, and he was the only one to try and bribe me with handing this CDR. I don't quite get the title and cover of this, but sex and noise have been connected since Throbbing Gristle played the 'Prostitution' at the ICA. Two long pieces here of straight noise, but with enough things happening inside to make things interesting enough. A bit less than his concert, which I ranked with a seven (on a scale to ten), but perhaps the deafening volume in concert and the controllable volume at home marks the difference. So, I'd say, still a seven.
There was no entry for the Basque country, which is perhaps odd, since the country has a lively noise scene. More than Doornen, it seems to me that Xabier Erkizia deals with a conceptual approach to the noise at hand. I must say 'seems', since I can't read any of the liner notes. So my best guess is that spam, in whatever form, is the basic material to generate the sounds here. Loud noise, lots of earpiercing feedback, dirty and gritty, but occasionally Erzikia takes back 'control' and things move into an area which is less 'noise' - tranquility even? Whatever it is that he does - opening spam in a sound editor seems one logical starting point - he does it with great style. Tracks ranging from a handful of seconds to eight minutes with enough variation and speed keeps things going. Think Mattin meeting Ikeda - if that would make any sense at all. For me it does. (FdW)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/doornen
Address: http://www.gatza.org/hamaika.html

.CUT & MAGGOT BREEDER - LA VOIE SACREE (3" CDR by Walnut + Locust)
One Aberick (laptop, effects) is behind .Cut and Reuel Ordonez (guitar) is Maggot Breeder. Both live in Montreal and both have released before on Walnut + Locust. Together they played some music in April 2008 on a four track machine, which, melted together, makes up 'La Voie Sacree'. They like their drones to rough and unshaped, like a diamond waiting to be polished. The guitar wails about, and below and above things rumble like there is no tomorrow. Somewhere after two-third of the twenty-one minutes things turn around and all of sudden we find ourselves in a much more mellow field. Humming voices, mildly distorted guitars, hiss amplified. Whereas the first was o.k., I thought this last part was the way to go, roads to explore. More depth and composition. A promise for the future it seems to me. (FdW)
Address: http://www.walnutlocust.com

WHISPERING FOR WOLVES - LANGUAGE OF THE DARDS - TAUU AND TWILIGHT SING 100,000 SONGS OF MILAREPA (NOISE NARRATIVES PART 1) (CD by Boring Machines)
EXPO '70/BE INVISIBLE NOW (CD by Boring Machines)
When I reviewed Punck's 'Piallassa' in Vital Weekly 637, I mocked with the label name and some of the band names on the label, including Whispers For Wolves. Today I have the task of hearing the music and judging it. Melissa Moore is the woman behind this name. She builds her own instruments, installations and sculptures. For her music she uses field recordings, voice and guitar and the label calls this psych/noise/folk, which I can second. Its not noise for the sake of noise, I recognize bird twitter and voices and in the opening track 'The Collective Darkness' a guitar. Three extensive pieces that deal however with quite a minimal approach per track. Minimal yet full of sound - every hole is cemented with sound here. No effect stayed behind in the cupboard. When all the machines are set in motion, through loops, playing or through layering the cake inside the computer, things no longer evolve, just seem to stay inside what it is, and gradually change color within the given frame. Quite nice, this full approach. Throughout I thought this was quite a nice work, an outsider that is, but doing a great job. Despite perhaps the hippy undertones.
From Kansas hails Justin Wright, as Expo '70. He started in 2003 by playing the guitar to create drones with delay and repeat pedals. Be Invisible Now! is Marco Giotti from Italy, who does perhaps the same, but has more rhythm to it. They met over the internet and release here a split CD, two tracks each (divided over a side A and a side B on the cover, but that was never idea that worked well, I think). With Be Invisible Now! the drum computers bang their way through the two pieces, with the instruments being loud and clear present - synthesizers, guitars and more effects. Its a bit of randomized approach towards what he does, hovering in a dark world. Maybe there is a cinematic approach to it, but its from a kind of film I don't see too often. Expo '70 on the hand is much more concentrated. He starts his 'Heir Of Serpents' with an organ drone and then slowly an acoustic guitar sounds drop in until there is a solid e-bow solo. Very retro, very seventies, but very nice. The second piece has a steady, slow organ pulse to start with, and then thick slices of synthesizers come in. Klaus Schulze's darkest nightmare. What Expo '70 does is not new at all, but it sounds damn fine here. (FdW) Address: http://www.boringmachines.it

GREG KELLEY - SELF-HATE INDEX (CD by Semata Productions)
THE EPICUREANS - INTRODUCING (CDR by Semata Productions)
Trumpet player Greg Kelley's previous release was a LP for No Fun Productions, and even I think Kelley produces some wonderful music, that album was a bit too much harsh noise for me. I don't mind harsh noise at all, but I prefer it to be mixed with something else. 'Self-Hate Index', his fourth CD, is in that respect something that works much better. He returns here to his trumpet, and works in a 'proper' studio, using pro-tools and some post-manipulation. But Kelley's main interest is in placing the microphones all over the place and then to create a mix out of the various microphone recordings. Close by, far away. Sustained blowing, hitting the instrument, scraping it, and then using a totally distorted channel which was also made using an amplifier and a distortion pedal. Its all in here, and it makes a great cross-over between noise and improvised music. Music that ranges from the very soft to the very loud. Not a straight line in noise, but a great balance between the two extremes in sound. That is the noise that I like. Going from one extreme to another, which is what makes things extreme and not the full on noise blast. The seven pieces on this are excellent examples of what is all possible in this direction, and perhaps 'true noise heads' should take notice. So far, the best and most complete work I heard by him.
The first release by Semata is a CDR by The Epicureans, of whom I never heard, but which seems to be a trio of Dave Gross (saxophone), Ricardo Donoso (drums) and Ryan McGuire (bass), and they hail from Boston. They have releases on Tzadik, Sedimental and Hydrahead and their music is much alike that of Kelley: improvised with a strong love for the dynamics of soft versus loud, silence versus noise. With one difference: they play everything acoustic with no electronic processing. It makes things perhaps a bit more 'traditional', but that might also be because their playing is a bit more traditional. No explorations of the instruments as such, but free play of the instruments themselves, playing their respective instruments as instruments and not as objects. Quite strong material here with a great dynamic range and a strong element of surprise. Great one too, but just a bit lesser than the full blast by Kelley. (FdW)
Address: http://www.semataproductions.com

FRANCISCO LOPEZ - TECHNOCALYPS (CD by Alien8 Recordings)
AIDAN BAKER & TIM HECKER - FANTASMA PARASTASIE (CD by Alien8 Recordings)
You can't say Francisco Lopez always plays the same tune. There is a large body of work by him which is perhaps 'along similar lines', the field recordings, but there is also work which is totally different (and also in the field recordings work there are notable changes - a book about his work is overdue me thinks). Today's surprise is his soundtrack to TechnoCaylps: 'a three part documentary about transhumanism, an ideology assuming that we approach an era where humans, as we know them, are no longer the driving force of civilization. All technological developments seem to converge to one main goal: to overcome humanity, to try and create something transhuman' it says on the cover. The Belgium filmmaker Frank Theys interviewed many people around the globe about this, and Lopez created the music to go with it. Certainly something to watch one day, as the documentary sounds interesting, but the music itself is also quite interesting. Its a Lopez that we don't know. There are fifteen tracks here, short and long alike, and while probably having the original sound sources in field recordings, Lopez went to a great length to transform them into a mechanical, post industrial music. The sound of what the world may sound like after the apocalypse. Metallic rumble, sonic debris, stale wind over empty industrial sites, flickering lights. All the cliche images one could have while thinking of this pass in front of your very eyes. Cliche's, but Lopez does a fine job here. With lots of imaginative sounds depicting this new world of transhumans, and its certainly not something to watch out for. Music that is hardly comforting, but more a warning. An alien release.
Back to the current world, where things are more comfortable and happy. We find two masters of guitars and electronics, Aidan Baker and Tim Hecker, two busy bees also. The have seven titles printed on the cover, but it's divided into sixty-six tracks on the CD (a nightmare for our podcast). No other info is provided here, but it's a heavy beast of music. Lots of fuzzy guitar, in overdrive mode, perhaps even in overkill mode, but Hecker and Baker also know to pull the strings and enter a textured field, such as in the closing title piece. Things move between these two extremes: the loud and the quiet. Its hard to tell which prevails, but my feeling has it that the louder parts prevail around. Heavy metal without drums, psychedelic noise. Exploding organ like guitar drones. A short, thirty-six minute, release of hellraising tones. Cascading and bursting, ripping speaker music. Very fine stuff. Delicate like a heavy meal. (FdW)
Address: http://www.alien8recordings.com

STEVE RODEN - A SLOW MOVING BOAT (3"CD by In Between Noise)
It must have been an odd sight, in April 2007. Steve Roden fits on a ferry in Norway and he is singing and humming along with the engine of the ferry. Later on he replaces the engine sounds with that of a bowed banjo, and no doubt layers his own voice in various harmonic constellations. Steve Roden has a relatively simple tool at hand - just a few sounds, but as before he very cleverly knows how to create a great piece of music with it. Minimal, refined, delicate. His humming in various shades and shapes, with the bowing of the banjo in the background, makes a nice piece of music that at fifteen minutes has captured the right length. What else can there be said? A mantra like piece. Elegant music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.inbetweennoise.com

NOSZTALGIA DIREKTIVA (7" by Enfant Terrible)
ADOLF FILTER - THE OTHER HAND ON THE KNOB (7" by Enfant Terrible)
Someone asked me not to mention anymore 'I am old, I did this or that, when you still crawled the floor', so I must think of something else then, which in the case of these two 7" singles is a bit difficult. Both Adolf Filter (from Sweden) and Nosztalgia Direktiva (from Hungary) play music that is mainly 'old'. Both use a steady rhythm machine, an analogue synth of two to play melodies and there is a singer who sings with a dark, sombre voice. The press text marks the finer differences between the two 'reminiscent of old industrial music [...] to the elektro side of things' (Nosztalgia Direktiva) versus 'synth pop influenced by cold wave sounds from the early 80s and old style EBM rhythms' (Adolf Filter) - this as to show what I said many times before. In certain, if not all, musical 'styles' the differences are small, but once you are into it, you know the cold wave from the elektro. Not me, actually. If I would go to a party where they would spin music like this (which curious enough is for people that are dressed in black), I wouldn't be able to tell the differences, but all I would think is 'oh, that's nice, a bit like Ende Shneafliet' or 'hey, when I get back home I should A Blaze Colour' again, or to make things a bit more contemporary (I am not that old) the entire Suction label catalogue. Of the two I liked Adolf Filter best. A bit more pop music based, a bit less darker vocals than their Hungarian counterparts, who weren't' bad either. And what I perhaps liked best: both 7"s had, in good punk spirit, four tracks - now that is both retro and value for money. (FdW)
Address: http://www.enfant-terrible.nl

Z'EV & BRYAN LEWIS SAUNDERS - DAKU (CDR by Stand-Up Tragedy Records)
Certainly one of the stranger releases I recently reviewed was Bryan Lewis Saunders' 'N1-N4 Variations', of him talking in his sleep. Here he has another set of spoken word - four stories and an introduction of the word 'Daku'. It can be love, time, god or anything. Its meaning is its use, Saunders says. Saunders recites his texts, or rather tells his stories and Z'EV uses his voice to create the music. Z'EV's recent outings in electronic music, say 'Forwaard' and 'Outwaard', where he processes environmental sounds and which are far away from his usual percussion based work (although nothing new for him, as Z'EV also created text sound pieces in the earlier days of his career). Even when following the text is something that I don't always do, concentrating more on the texture of the voice in combination with the music, this is a great story telling release. Saunders has a great voice, telling stories about being sick and pain that grabs the listener, while Z'EV provides a fine soundtrack to it. The voices are transformed into animalistic cries and whispers, adding scary elements to the music. I'm not entirely sure if it is meant as such but there is an uneasy, horror like element that is part of this music. Excellent radioplay stuff. (FdW)
Address: http://www.bryanlewissaunders.org

THROUROOF - WHALE BONES (CDR by Sentient Recognition Archive)
FABIO ORSI - THE WILD LIGHT OF THE MOON (CDR by Sentient Recognition Archive)
Recently we got various releases by Sentient Recognition Archive, which all look cool - almost like a real CD. Musicwise they are in the corner of what one could loosely call 'dark ambient drones', and these two new releases are no stranger in this land. First we have throuRoof, as they prefer to spell their name. I have no idea who they are but their release is an 'impro recorded in Blissland - May 2008', and is divided in two parts, each around sixteen minutes. Its not easy to tell what they do, but it seems to me a blend of electronics, effects and guitars, and perhaps a reader's digest recording of whales - they sound clear at the end of this impro. Things bounce like the waves - bounce as when a whale is in the waves - mighty up and down the waves, especially in the first piece 'Humpback Cemetery Blues'. Maybe its just whale sounds anyway. I don't know. But the drones are high and mighty, but not restricted to that. There is more happening around this place, just as percussion sounds - ok so no 'just' whale sounds then. Animalistic in approach this music. Quite nice.
Fabio Orsi is more well known, although I only recall his releases on Small Voices, who presents here one piece of thirty-five minutes. Again we are left in the dark what he does or uses, sound wise, but it may seem to me as a bunch of software plug ins to create a delicate piece of drone music. Much more refined as throuRoof, he comes deceivingly close to the world of real ambient music, certainly in the second part of his piece with its waving and meandering synthesizer clusters. Here things too develop in a slow way, which gives the piece quite a tranquility. I thought it was coming close to the edge of being new age, but the darker undercurrent that remained present throughout this piece make the die hard waterfall music lovers probably stay far away - and that is a good thing. Majestically slow music that could have lasted a bit longer. Perfect nightfall music. (FdW) Address: http://www.myspace.com/sentientrecognitionarchive

PLATFORM - EP 1 (CDR by Minimal Resourch Manipulation)
PLATFORM - DISTANCED (CDR by Minimal Resourch Manipulation)
From these two releases, 'Platform' is the most recent one, 'Distanced' is from earlier this year. They are quite different. The first one, the most recent one, sees them playing broken beat electronic stuff. A bit of melancholy is employed here, but its kept to a minimum. The beats in 'Dorsal' are just a bit more heavy weighted than what is usual in this scene - think Boltfish Recordings. The closing piece 'What We Saw' is entirely different, sampling apparently Anton Webern violin quartets with very glitchy beats. That I thought was the best track here, sinister and spooky.
'Distanced' on the other hand is much more abstract. Rhythms are present here too, but not as straight forward as on 'EP1'. Here they are clutched, clustered together, and fed through hungry plug ins. This makes much more abstract, glitch based music that is not really ambient, but at times more noise based. I must admit that of the two I liked this one better than 'EP1', which sounded more 'normal' to these ears. Having said that I think that also 'Distanced' is not entirely original either, but at least its here that all the glitch influences are bit more covered up. But both directions certainly have potential to grow to something that can be more of his own. (FdW) Address: http://www.minimalsourcemanipulation.co.uk

DANNY KREUTZFELDT - ERUPTION (3"CDR by Tib Prod)
TERJE PAULSEN - NOVEMBER X (3"CDR by Tib Prod)
'Eruption' is the fourth and final in Danny Kreutzfeldts 'Ruptures' series, following 'Disruption', 'Corruption' and 'Abruption'. Kreutzfeldt plays various kinds of electronic music, from deep ambient to noise and sometimes even rhythmic stuff. Here it's noise. An eruption of noise, like the hot lava bursting out of the core of the earth, coming towards us in various waves. Things melt under this hot mass, but, going back to the music, is great? This cascading, giant mass of sound? I must say I thought it was so so, not really bad, but certainly not good either. One of those things that could leave you quite neutral. Its there, its ok, and if it wasn't there, then it would have been ok also.
In that respect the release by Terje Paulsen, the upcoming man from Nor-noise land is more interesting. He plays guitar I think and manipulates it through effects and adds some other sounds (flutes?). In 'November X' the guitar pops up somewhere half way through the piece, when we heard highly obscured sound sources rumbling about. Despite the fact that we have no clue what is going on here, it sounds in all its obscurity and lo-finess quite nice. A fascinating trip through rumble and debris. It turns out to be this is lasts for the whole piece, including some of those guitar sounds. A small captivating journey through the dust bin. (FdW) Address: http://www.tibprod.com

PUIN + HOOP - WAARSCHOONLIJK (CDR by TBFKAGNK Records)
The third release by this Dutch trio this year. 'Headphone Sessions' was a great start, but 'Tirtekl' didn't do much for me. Perhaps inspired by Machinefabriek's way of giving song titles, they now have a twenty-four minute track, which sees them on the way back. Starting out with some vague loops and TV talk, guitars slowly come in and start strumming. Then slowly the guitars takes over and Puin + Hoop find their roots in post rock strumming. There might be something that we could 'drums', but it might also be vague rumble on a table. Longer sustaining sounds come in, forming drone like material, and making this into a very nice track which comes to grinding collapse at the very end. Much better than the previous release, less in a free spirit and surely a way to go. (FdW) Address: http://www.myspace.com/puingeefthoop

KATCHMARE & ANTLER PISS - AUTOMATIC WEDDING (Cassette by Scissor Death)
Not much info on this release, but apparently its a collaboration between Katchmare and Antler Piss, two bands I never of. They collaborated by exchanging files through e-mail and the two pieces on this twenty minute tape is the result. Two quite different results actually - I could easily believe that each participant did his own version, but we don't know who did what here. 'Kettles Of Horn' on the a-side is a distorted piece of drone music. Not really over the top noise, but certainly quite a heavy beast and not relaxing in terms of drones. 'Ancestor' on the other side has that quality - it's drone based and ambient, and works much better. Its much softer also with carefully processed sounds. Not that we know what it is that they do, or what kind of instruments they are using, but certainly the b-side is quite beautiful. (FdW)
Address: http://www.scissordeath.com

SOUND CANVAS VOLUME 1 (MP3 by Mikroton Digital)
KENNETH KIRSCHNER - MARCH 20, 2007 ET AL (MP3 by Mikroton Digital)
PHIL RAYMOND - ABSENCE (MP3 by Mikroton Digital)
These are the first three releases on the new Mikroton label from Moscow, all three in the digital domain, although physical releases will follow later on. They open up with a compilation, perhaps the programm of things to come. Its a meeting of some well-known people in the field with some introductions. I have no idea how he did it, but he managed to get new (?) pieces by Alva Noto and Frank Bretschneider, and some more usual suspects as Lawrence English, Heribert Friedl and Sascha Neudeck, Lawrence English, Freiband, Sawako, Alexei Borisov and Anton Nikkilä, Kenneth Kirschner and introduces Wouter van Veldhoven, Zenial, Knuf Aufermann, Sawako and Kurt Liedwart (the man behind the label). As one can imagine, lots of digital manipulations around here. Some without too many surprises, like Alva Noto or Bretschneider, but its the variety of approaches that makes this into quite a nice dish. Ranging from the noise of Borisov & Nikila and Auferman, to the crystal clear beats of Alva Noto, Bretschneider towards the more ambient approaches of English, Liedwart, Friedl & Neudeck, Sawako, Van Veldhoven and the odd acoustic guitars of Freiband. Kirschner is also ambient, and his twenty-six minute piece is great and he steals the show by his sheer length.
He also delivers four long pieces on the second release by Mikroton Digital. In the pieces 'March 20, 2007' and 'December 18, 2004, he uses his trademark piano sounds with lots of hiss, which is nice but also common ground for him. The other two pieces (all between thirteen and twenty-three minutes) are more interesting, since they sound like something which I haven't heard from him. 'January 13, 2007' is a rhythmic piece, full of sampled sounds, forming a heavy (for Kirschner at least) piece of phase shifting sounds. Maybe a bit too much in the field of computer work here. 'September 10 2006' is a very soft, ambient piece built around sine waves from all over the frequency range. Great stuff, fine release.
For me Phil Raymond is a new name, and he presents two pieces of a total length of seventeen minutes. He too works with sine waves and crackles in a more ambient direction. Not too outspoken music here, not bad to hear but also something that is a bit too much in the middle. Certainly someone to keep an ear open for. (FdW) Address: http://www.mikroton.net

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