There is topic of GROSS, but not Aube so...
Was listening "Pulse Resonator" LP+7" set on Praxis Dr. Bearmann label. 1995 release of his VCO recording. I consider this his best VCO works. Sound itself, is very close to basically every VCO recording Aube has done, but there is something more coherent about composition, despite it certainly is noise. Highly electric and often piercing sound, but not very ripping like loudest of the noise. More "artistic" with perfection on capturing the sonic qualities.
I was kind of horrified to notice that vinyl records have started to react with plastic sleeves. You know the type of sleeves often used for pic LP's. What during time start to "melt" and stick to covers or records. This has resulted LP surfaces to change color and I believe quite a bit of added surface noise. If you have this record, check out and I recommend putting some sort of paper sleeves to records even if it kind of ruins the packaging idea...
I prefer early works of Aube more, but there are lots of goodies. Lots of GROSS tapes are the most essential ones if you ask me!
AUBE early water noise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvVzzUCrsOw
AUBE metal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVYhlCq-r6k
AUBE gloomy ambient works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U33yRZ8jpyU
Aube - hail the process. Take an idea and make it happen. Simple. Effective. He has made it happen and he has made it work. He has made his own oeuvre, he has made it happen and he has made the concept and the process the whole of what it is we experience. In a way he reminds me of Non and The Haters - take an idea and make it work. Aube's process, what is "good" and what is "bad" becomes a matter of the very pettiest reckoning. There are recording, for example "Set On" which I'm listening to right now, which take the very simplest idea and make it still simple and still an idea and make it something of worth, a listening pleasure where no one would expect it or even think of it. Beautiful sounds from the simplest sources using the simplest means. Hail the process.
Next morning edit - it was very likely I was in my cups when I wrote this. I'll stand by it, though. And a bit of Aube now might help with this hangover...
yeah - a real inspiration for me in my earlier days (well, still...!)
i have few GROSS tapes somewhere i think, the Reflux one too
as you say, the PROCESS...
that notion of rigorous sonic exploration of one idea, the purity of it...
first thing i ever heard by him was Cardiac Strain, still a big fan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-B94swwZX4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-B94swwZX4)
I always thought the SAR 7" set was a perfect package. Almost like an amazing AUBE 'sampler'.
AUBE has definitely been a major influence when it comes to meditating on different specific sources.
I can't remember how his words went exactly, but the controversy he started back in the day when he pronounced that harsh noise was over and only colleagues like Merzbow and Incapacitants should be allowed to release material was intense.
second the "Quadrotation" 4x7" on Self Abuse...
never heard "Magnetostriction" before that sample, sounds really good though...
other favorites....
"Ricochetentrance" - maybe my favorite of the water works
"Across The Water" split LP w/ Small Cruel Party, more great water work
"Sigh In Depressive Blue" - guess I really like the water stuff best....
"Dasseinsspanne" split/collab 7" w/ Telepherique.... air provided by Telepherique as the source for collab track, wish this was LP length
"Sacrament" - 7", another short one that i wish was an LP, great drones
"Dazzle Reflexion"
"Flare"
"108" - bells, nice
probly forgetting some, and i'm sure there may be better choices but can only recommend what i have, and after acquiring those plus maybe a half dozen other not so great releases i feel i pretty much have all the Aube i need.
I think all the Aube i've gotten rid of was...
"Embers" CD
"Wired Trap" Cd
"Monochordattune" 7"
"Maze Head Shift" 7"
"Fast Tumbling Blaze" 7"
and all for the same reason - boring stuff to me, just seemed like he was going through the motions.... though for him personally maybe necessary steps to get to the greats.
It took me a long time to fully appreciate Aube; that is, in the context of noise. I liked a lot of what he did, but only began to consider worshipping after he put out the rather stunning Four Shrines collab set with Gomi, Mikawa, and Ohno. I was then reminded that Nakajima is credited for remix/composition for two of my favorite releases – Thirdorgan Cyclotron, CCCC Amplified Crystal (both the tape & the lp, which I guess makes three of my favorite releases.) That latter credit – composition, or re-composition – bears both my initial criticism and the glimmerings of the genius. With regard to composition, I was not convinced that his approach best served noise as I envisioned it- a lot of the power was stolen under the waves of glimmering sheen. But the Four Shrines studious workings-through of three of my major noise heroes shifted my slant. Some of the tracks were superb- if memory serves the four-way collab and the set with Ohno came out lovely. Very nice, densely layered, washes of pure psychedelia.
I'm still catching up and probably never will.
Just bought Aube's Flood-Gate album on Vanilla. Love at first listen. Very personal style unlike anything else I've heard. The Eno of Japanoise maybe?
Quote from: 13 on February 12, 2015, 09:03:38 PM
Just bought Aube's Flood-Gate album on Vanilla. Love at first listen. Very personal style unlike anything else I've heard. The Eno of Japanoise maybe?
probably my favorite album from him
Good first pick it seems! It somehow reminds me of a Noise version of Eno's On Land. A record that's very special to me.
I like Aube a lot but haven't heard everything. He was so prolific, especially into the 2000s that it was just impossible to keep up.
Releases I like:
Metal de Metal
Le Syndrome Aqutique
Flush
Flare
Substructural Penetration
Set On
Blood Brain Barrier
I think that is all I have now, other than some tracks on the RRR GROSS 4xtape box.
I will get my hands on a copy of Flood Gate. On Land is my favorite Eno album so that is an interesting comparison.
Jeff Greinke's Cities in Fog is another one that reminds me strongly of On Land.
Quote from: jadderly on February 12, 2015, 11:49:04 PMJeff Greinke's Cities in Fog is another one that reminds me strongly of On Land.
I'll have to look into that!
The only album I have by Aube is Flood-Gate, but it is so very special to me.
I've heard so much shit about the Millennium-series of his on Armonika but listening to the DLP from the same sessions (?) I find this is really enjoyable -- it IS his more minimal and not-so-loud sound, almost Pan Sonic at times, but it works well with me right now. Should I continue to stay away? Seems his later period records are selling CHEAP.
Talking about conceptual in other topic, not sure if one should say aesthetic noise in this case!
Aube "Metal De Metal" CD, like always, so based on idea, based on material, that it barely seems to reflect any human emotion. Label promo sticker describes this as "dark", but I fail to see what exactly is dark in Aube? It would be mostly just cold. I don't think it covered any sound material in a way that it would be warm or energetic. Most often mechanical. Loops, electronic processing, most often very industrialized sound sources.
Not in way as one often associates industrial-music, where its all transgressions, dirt and bleakness. With Aube you got the -materials- and -parts-. Glass, metal, water, flurescent lights, electricity. Even the earliest water records are not like "field recordings". Nothing natural in them, but like water in form of pipes, buckets, in some kind of utility usage...? Instead of synth, he'd have just production part - VCO buzzing. And so on. He had female voice as source in some releases, but that wouldn't make it more "warm" or feel to have humane touch.
On this CD, noise made out of junk metal, would be misleading. I guess Manifold also mentioned "ambient". For most part, this is not really noise, nor ambient per se. How metal is used, is pretty much opposition how it is used in noise. It gets noisy at times, but has always clarity, quiet and small elements, musicality in form of rhythm of loops and composition of layers. Never smashing, never dirty. Sounds pretty much just like the cover looks like. Shining, neat, clean, well made, industrial production line quality. Nevertheless, Aube worked by hand, as craftman, tweaking live tracks on mixer, building and playing songs rather than "editing". All these things contribute to the releases.
In short: Good stuff!
AUBE "Hydrophobia 1993" 12"
Cheeses International
Unreleased works. I was first little confused with this. There is 30 mins tape called Hydrophobia on Vanilla records, and this ain't 30 mins! I had to pull out clock and time this recording and yep, 20 minute one sider! So looking more carefully, and indeed, Hydrophobia is 1991 tape on vanilla, but this is recorded in 1993, and apparently been totally unreleased until now. Great stuff, though! Water noise in best early Aube tradition. Gets noisy too.
I think covers would have been nicer if they looked like Aube, since his graphic design was so crucial part of spirit of project. These look pretty darn amateurish design. What matters the most, is the sound is good, master cut seems clear and smooth, and to be able to get something I feel is golden era of Aube, I'm very thankful for people who made this possible!
I recently listened to the Sensorial Inducement LP, which I think is a very good album. Recorded in 1996 using a "Monophonic Analogue Synthesizer/ Roland SH-2". I remember the label's (Alien8 Recordings) description comparing it to early electroacoustic music such as Pauline Oliveros' Alien Bog/Beautiful Soop, and there's some similarity indeed. At times it gets intense, but not extremely noisy. I'm fond of this record for nostalgic reasons too: it was my first LP, ordered after it was released in early 2000, shortly after I found out there was a kind of music called noise and experimental music. The design of the packaging is simple but beautiful, and the (clear) vinyl (good pressing too) plays from the inside out.
Other than this record, the only other Aube I've kept (had a couple CDs but sold them) is the Aube/MSBR/Koji Marutani CD. I don't remember much of it (apart from the use of cool vocal samples) but it's a good release. It was another early noise purchase, perhaps in 2001; as usual back then, I sent cash hidden in an envelope to the French label (E(r)ostrate) that stopped its activities not long afterwards.
I also have one side of the Re-chant/De-coda 7" on Drone Records on a double CD compilation of 7"s on that label. I remember it being great, benefitting from the length constraint of the format.
Aube's works reveal sonic possibility of objects without attaching extraneous ideas. I listened to Set On multiple times this week. Its aesthetic purity helps it feel like some natural phenomenon without a sense of artificiality.
Always loved the Aube aesthetic, and was always a bit bemused that his releases never became really collectible, as Merzbow's seemed to. The sounds were usually more structured than the aforementioned, but would often build into a cacophony to rival anyone. I think under-rated - as is illustrated by the small amount of traffic on this topic.
Urashima doing great thing and re-pressing the 4xCD box of Aube they did recently. It is curious how many of previous Japanese noise releases Urashima has done, are not sold out. VOG, Hijokaidan, Pain Jerk, etc etc. Despite somewhat realistic pressings, they have not sold out. This Aube box was c. 300 copies, but still sold out instantly and necessary to repress.
Quote from: burdizzo1 on May 05, 2024, 11:38:22 PMAlways loved the Aube aesthetic, and was always a bit bemused that his releases never became really collectible, as Merzbow's seemed to.
I wouldn't say that entirely. His early tapes and special editions can go for a lot, especially. As mentioned, the recent Urashima box with the Praxis Dr Bearmann reissues sold out in no time.
Merzbow is Merzbow. No one else really ever reached that level of exposure outside the noise/experimental scene to drive sales, so he's a special case. But Aube always seemed to be right there on the "next level down." I think if the demand for some of Aube's material seems less it may just be a combination of the fact that most of his CDs were put out in editions whose numbers were large enough to satisfy demand and that his later work maybe isn't quite as popular overall.
Well, speaking of the Parxis Dr. Bearmann stuff, that 3 LP series seemed like it would be a very collectible set. Yet, looking on discogs, there's been plenty of them moving, and some at not terribly high prices - and that includes the first, most limited one. You know, at the time, I reckoned you had to have all the series, and I just thought it'd be harder to track down the one limited to 200. And I know it's not quite the same thing, but Con-Dom's Sermon 7" series, the individual pieces seem to fetch more, especially the more limited ones. You could also say the same about the Gen. Org. 10" Archive series, but that, of course, is different again. Anyway, at that time, I would have far preferred Aube's concept, and its realisation, than Merzbow's, and it has always - as I say - slightly bemused me that Merzbow was the one that 'broke through'. Heck, even this topic doesn't have much traffic! I'd say Aube's legacy deserves more!
Unlike Merzbow, there's nothing "spectacular" about Aube. There's no total freakshow factor to what he did. On the contrary, I'd say it's surprising he has the status he has, as well deserved as it is though. It's not exactly crowd pleasing entry level noise, at least not on "craziness merits", which some of Merzbow's best 1990's albums were. Sitting through Noisembryo with maintained focus demands a certain listener, sure, but the initial "fookin 'ell!" is unavoidable. Can't say the same about Aube's equally demanding noise. Soundwise a japnoise Daniel Menche (which is another partially overlooked fella, especially his later/present day works which by far outshine his early work, which is pretty rare for an old timer of his caliber), at least to me.
I think my favorite Aube stuff is still and will always be Dazzle Reflextion. That album is flawless when it comes to minimal noise atmosphere. I've been hooked on that album for years!
Quote from: Baglady on May 09, 2024, 03:34:39 AMSoundwise a japnoise Daniel Menche (which is another partially overlooked fella, especially his later/present day works which by far outshine his early work, which is pretty rare for an old timer of his caliber), at least to me.
I recall there was an interview with Menche in one of the Audio Drudge's (maybe 6 or 7?) where he mentioned that he had been working with Aube on a collaboration involving storm sounds(?). But as far as I can tell, I don't believe any real release ever materialized. Don't know if anyone might know something more. I've always thought a collaboration between them would have been quite interesting to hear given the commonalities in their approach.
Quote from: Cranial Blast on May 09, 2024, 06:31:52 AMI think my favorite Aube stuff is still and will always be Dazzle Reflextion. That album is flawless when it comes to minimal noise atmosphere. I've been hooked on that album for years!
Second that. "Wired Trap" has always been a favorite as well. Love his progressions and buildups on that, and the one track where he practically uses a pseudo-rhythm to drive things. "108" as maybe some of the best representation of his more ambient side.
One of the first Noise albums I ever bought was "Substructural Penetration 1991 - 1995" 2CD. Especially good value because someone at the record shop had evidently just seen fractals and dot matrix font on the cover and threw it in the dance compilation sale section for £1 :D