Forgive me, if a topic like this already exists, this only means, I was not able (or too dumb) to find it.
But if not, I really find it strange, there isn't one and I would love to have such topic about this legend!
So please share your thoughts, your favourites, anecdotes, just everything what's on your mind, when thinking about the art and life of Keith Brewer!
For example his incredible collages and artworks. It would be one of the greatest things, if somebody could make a small book out of these.
I'm in a hurry at the moment, but I will come back soon to this topic.
Looking forward to your contributions, whatever that may be!
(And if a similar topic already exists, please put them together!)
Probably already listened to by most people here but posting the link to the Taint & Mania episode of the SI podcast
https://special-interests-podcast.bandcamp.com/album/podcast-7-taint-mania
Stories of gigs, releases, etc
Keith Brewer's work particularly Taint, has always struck me as a place of detailed graphic sexual violence that holds no limits or boundaries. I remember Ted Bundy gave interview once before he was about to he fryed, where he tried to blame pornography for his growing perverted psychosis, he kept saying the urge for more extreme material became a point that got out of hand and knew no limits. I think of "Taint" as that place of grotesque limitless perversion that Bundy was talking about, where the lines of perversion and violence are blurred or blended together in such a manner. Those are some of the important aspects that I've noticed in his work and also a great obsession for ear piercing and punishing feedback!
Mania was a great side step to Taint. Mania didn't deviate completely away from the said aesthetics of Taint, but introduced a much more claustrophobic and manic version of what to me seems like a person going full blown Mr. Hyde and never returning back to ones former self, but losing their mind alone and in doing so in true isolation of their own withering mind. He's now introduced a greater emphasis on harsh noise with loads of junk metal abuse to give it a different texture than previously in Taint, but there is a much greater sense of "psychopathy" aesthetically growing within the isolation of this sound. There has often been times where it seemed like Keith was just breathing closely into the mic and it feels like some maniac is hovering over you and breathing onto your neck in the dark and it feels very claustrophobic again, like you're in an attic with no light and this evil entity/spirit is in there with you, just there making a presence over you and toying with your psyche. He also brought great titles and aesthetics when it comes to mass murder/mass shootings I've noticed and don't know if others have noticed this as well, but feels like a build up of all that loneliness, isolation, self hate and just sitting in the dark, maybe bleeding too and sitting your own feces feeling miserable about your own miserable existence and then it all coming to a head with an explosion of unrestraint random violence! That's kind of the feel I gather from his work personally. It's feels like self humiliation, depression and eventually leading to this explosive violent murderous behavior towards others. His junk metal abuse and random screams, yells...outbursts of audio violence has always been done explicitly well to really habor such genuine emotion. Sadly I don't think his brilliant blue print will ever be quite duplicated the same, if ever again. True noise genius...R.I.P.
Thanks for mentioning the SI podcast episode! Listen to it, if you haven't already! And also big thanks to the maker of the podcast!
Some years ago, in another topic, I posted something like - "I totally worship every Mania release I own. Blasphemy maybe, but Mania is more important for me than Taint."
That was mostly because I was too young or unknowing about Taint before, and 90s noise and everything, blahblah. Nowadays Taint is of course also a very important part of my listening habits and general view on noise and life.
But Mania ist still closer to my own heart and feelings, for whatever reason. Sounds strange, but fuck it! What do you think?
If I remember right, the first thing I ever heard from the works of Mr. Brewer was the Ultra-Negative CD on Freak Animal. So...maybe I was very late, but the impression and impact this one made still lasts to this day. After that, I tried to get everything I can from his works. Libertinage tape reissue on Stiff Sanctorum, Mysogyny tape or whatever. Of course I'm still trying to fill the empty holes and get what i missed Absolutely not for something like completist reasons, but because I feel some sort of strange connection with the artist. I don't care, if this somehow sounds ridiculous.
Fuck my bad English, fuck my pathetic words, fuck my thoughts and descriptions!
I just want everybody here having this topic for being enthusiastic about the works and life of Mr. Brewer!
Share everything you like and thank you very much!
All hail to Keith Brewer!
Taint, particularly the mid 90's material, is one of the greatest of all time as far as I'm concerned.
I ended up re-listening to the podcast and wondering about the mentioned unreleased 1997 interview.. Well, it made me go back to some other old Taint interviews and thinking that it might be a good idea to post them here too.
https://web.archive.org/web/20011121142757/http://www.geocities.co.jp/Broadway-Guitar/4498/TAINT.HTML (https://web.archive.org/web/20011121142757/http://www.geocities.co.jp/Broadway-Guitar/4498/TAINT.HTML)
This is the infamous one from the webzine Songs From Torture Chambers
http://noiseist.free.fr/interview_TAINT.html (http://noiseist.free.fr/interview_TAINT.html)
Noiseist is still online! From 2001.
Thanks!
Taint is, as already mentioned, one of the most utterly depraved audial projects ever, "Sex Sick" has been one of my introductions to Power Electronics and I find it nowadays some of the rawest and uncompromised outputs in the whole genre. "Vice" and "Whoredome" are two masterpieces as well. Mania is less "nasty" and more anxiogenic and creepy, somehow even atmospheric, way more noise in a strict sense than Taint. Seminal artist in the noise/power electronics panorama.
Taint was (and still is) my fundamental influence.
Sex Sick is the perfect pe album.
There was a period in my life i listened it like 3/4 times a week.
I was literally obsessed.
Are there going to be any official reissues coming anytime soon, maybe from Freak Animal ?
It would be nice to see a CD version of Vice. I think Patrick had asked him about doing one a long while back, but Keith wasn't interested at the time or something like that.
Quote from: Australianantichrist on February 28, 2024, 05:16:30 AMAre there going to be any official reissues coming anytime soon, maybe from Freak Animal ?
If I remember correctly Hospital had plans for a large cd-box some years ago. Not sure if this is still happening.
Mikko said in Sept last year:
There will be some Taint re-issues happening. It is just matter that the original labels involved with them are all ready to go. Some releases may take a bit more time, some may be done fairly soon.
Quite a talented guy across all his projects and had a great eye for the graphic side of his releases as well. The Mysogyny tape is great, closer to the early Taint tapes, which are my favorites of the project. Also have to commend him for the idea of turning the samples really low on albums like "Sex Sick" so that when you turn it up to listen, you're earraped by the noise when it comes back in.
Mania I'm still delving into, but everything I've heard from the project has been great-hopeless, creepy, and desperate, as others have said, and it seems like the last few releases show that he was still at the top of his game when he died.
Also, was listening to the Eugenics Council "Recycled" tape a while back and there seems to be some song talking shit on Keith. Anyone have any idea what that was about? Jilted ex-girlfriend or just someone trying to make a name for themselves by shitting on a more well-known project?
Quote from: ritualabuser on February 29, 2024, 02:03:50 AMQuite a talented guy across all his projects and had a great eye for the graphic side of his releases as well. The Mysogyny tape is great, closer to the early Taint tapes, which are my favorites of the project. Also have to commend him for the idea of turning the samples really low on albums like "Sex Sick" so that when you turn it up to listen, you're earraped by the noise when it comes back in.
Mania I'm still delving into, but everything I've heard from the project has been great-hopeless, creepy, and desperate, as others have said, and it seems like the last few releases show that he was still at the top of his game when he died.
That was a sonic boom to the eardrums at first listen on "Sex Sick". I'll never forget that! It's like you had to crank it up pretty well to hear the samples only to have your ear drums bludgeoned with ear piercing feedback! It's a brilliant way to sadistically punish the listener, but I'm hoping others don't get inspired to repeat or copy cat that idea, haha...
Quote from: ritualabuser on February 29, 2024, 02:05:50 AMAlso, was listening to the Eugenics Council "Recycled" tape a while back and there seems to be some song talking shit on Keith. Anyone have any idea what that was about? Jilted ex-girlfriend or just someone trying to make a name for themselves by shitting on a more well-known project?
There was couple version of the track. I recall they had two different takes of song, one with quite generic title, one with clear song title referring to Taint/Keith. He said he had not been in touch with them at all, and I recall band was simply not very fond of topics Taint was using. Nothing dramatic really.
About reissues, there are plans, there are talks with labels involved with the original releases. It is likely FA does the reissues of FA items first, and when everything is settled with other labels, more releases will come. I know people may be hoping for extensive Taint boxes and all sorts of rarities to be done, but when artists himself said that "you know how to do it", trusting one knows how he was doing it, I'm sure any label who worked with Keith knows he was never the guy who wanted every private release to be "out there" for anyone to buy. Real albums were meant for bigger crowd, and it feels that very similar releases with no significant changes that function more like repress is good way to do it. To do revision and somehow popularize what was meant to be private and direct artist communication to his listeners (tiny cdr editions etc), we could easily let that be what it was.
I was just wondering, if there were any more interviews with Keith Brewer in zines and so on, than the one I know about...in Freak Animal #11?
Didn't he like to talk about his work and projects or doing interviews at all? Don't want to ask stupid questions, but this I really don't know.
There are handful of interviews. Usually they are very short and blunt. You'd find out more about him as person from Special Interests forum. His messages as Bitewerks posted on SI forum probably is biggest amount of "preserved" communication.
Finally, the little known Keith Brewer/Hall & Oates link is revealed! Who knew? :)
https://www.discogs.com/artist/970746-Keith-Brewer (https://www.discogs.com/artist/970746-Keith-Brewer)
MSG's 2022 release by Packing Plant sounds very different from most other works of his that I've heard. I wonder when this was recorded, and why it was released in 2022 rather than sooner.
Keith's zine has seen a reprint and a Taint shirt is available for pre-order
https://www.traumateamonline.net/product/keith-brewer-a-taste-of-bile
https://www.traumateamonline.net/product/taint-tee
Really hope that Hard Skin - Half-Eaten By Dogs will see some sort of reissue one day.
Definitely one of the most iconic and cryptic figures of the PE/Noise scene. Even though, I believe, Taint's music (and specially Mania's) borders Harsh Noise more than Power Electronics, taken be itself. Question: if Taint didn't have vocals, would be it still considered PE? I guess that's an element which plays a vital part on the musical labelling of such acts. Musically, Taint is dirty as it gets, a storm of filthy sounds that amount to one another creating this huge wall of noise which was also a huge influence on Sam of The Rita.
Anyway, I know that doesn't matter much, and labels of genres are not meant to be over-encompassing of their music, but that's that.
If one thinks that the Feminist's view of man is one ugly one, what about Taint. "Measured in Every Women's Lives" from the Pornography Hurts split has one of my favourite samples in the whole genre. Also, wouldn't it be time to create a thread dedicated to "Best Noise/PE samples" and such? Just a suggestion.
Which Taint release features the samples of Keith driving around/harassing hookers? I heard them long ago but have had trouble finding them again.
I don't have Taint releases unfortunately so I must have heard on YouTube or something.
Quote from: Infubulation on May 13, 2024, 04:47:34 PMWhich Taint release features the samples of Keith driving around/harassing hookers? I heard them long ago but have had trouble finding them again.
I don't have Taint releases unfortunately so I must have heard on YouTube or something.
You might be thinking of Whoredom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_KRwDeTAUw&t=1858s
Track 2 on this comp also has an extended cut of a sample heard on Whoredom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxkP4ekHXXY&t=1979s
Next week:
TAINT / GRUNT CD
"Indecent Liberties" CD
"Misogynist Lust" CD
"Dau Ghter: Victimology 2" CD
no remaster, no edit, almost identical packaging & covers -> Possible to identify what pressing it is, but stays faithful to originals.
Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on May 13, 2024, 06:45:05 PMNext week:
TAINT / GRUNT CD
"Indecent Liberties" CD
"Misogynist Lust" CD
"Dau Ghter: Victimology 2" CD
no remaster, no edit, almost identical packaging & covers -> Possible to identify what pressing it is, but stays faithful to originals.
great!!
Thank you very much. That comp was exactly what I was thinking of.
Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on May 13, 2024, 06:45:05 PMNext week:
TAINT / GRUNT CD
"Indecent Liberties" CD
"Misogynist Lust" CD
"Dau Ghter: Victimology 2" CD
no remaster, no edit, almost identical packaging & covers -> Possible to identify what pressing it is, but stays faithful to originals.
Wtf!!!! Best news ever!
Quote from: HateSermon on May 13, 2024, 06:35:12 PMQuote from: Infubulation on May 13, 2024, 04:47:34 PMWhich Taint release features the samples of Keith driving around/harassing hookers? I heard them long ago but have had trouble finding them again.
I don't have Taint releases unfortunately so I must have heard on YouTube or something.
You might be thinking of Whoredom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_KRwDeTAUw&t=1858s
Track 2 on this comp also has an extended cut of a sample heard on Whoredom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxkP4ekHXXY&t=1979s
Holy shit, I had no idea the recordings were actually his own. Thought they were just taken from Porno videos alike.
Quote from: FreakAnimalFinland on May 13, 2024, 06:45:05 PMNext week:
TAINT / GRUNT CD
"Indecent Liberties" CD
"Misogynist Lust" CD
"Dau Ghter: Victimology 2" CD
no remaster, no edit, almost identical packaging & covers -> Possible to identify what pressing it is, but stays faithful to originals.
Absolutely amazing news. Guess the requests for rereleases of such material were met, and their prayers were heard.
There's a hidden recording on the Taint 'Perverse' CD from the 'Perversion At All Costs' 3CD too which I'm sure is Keith. Again he seems pretty polite with her, no harassment as such. He gets a blow job or handjob and cums in about 10 seconds to her amusement.
Perfect, finally able to get Misogynist Lust that I was missing. With FA releases it was clear by Keith's wishes how the reissues were to be handled, but what about those done by Urashima? Justmeat and Strange Feeling, Shit Coming were reissued as LPs in 2014 and 2016. Has there been any talk about them?
Quote from: Manhog_84 on May 14, 2024, 12:20:47 PMPerfect, finally able to get Misogynist Lust that I was missing. With FA releases it was clear by Keith's wishes how the reissues were to be handled, but what about those done by Urashima? Justmeat and Strange Feeling, Shit Coming were reissued as LPs in 2014 and 2016. Has there been any talk about them?
I have both and I am satisfied with both of them, typical Urashima packaging/layout and excellent sound.
Great news concerning the Freak Animal's represses!!!
I was a bit unclear what I meant; just thinking does Urashima still have rights for these two albums, or has there been any talk with other labels regarding possible further reissues for these two, e.g. in cd format?
Quote from: Manhog_84 on May 14, 2024, 01:58:08 PMI was a bit unclear what I meant; just thinking does Urashima still have rights for these two albums, or has there been any talk with other labels regarding possible further reissues for these two, e.g. in cd format?
Both of those albums on a CD format would be great! I've got the Justmeat CDr by Slaughter, but a proper CD format would be better yet.