KNURL – Initial Shock 25th Anniversary CD/DVD out now – 4 hours of material!
Short version
CD – Reissue of Knurl's debut 1994 tape "Initial Shock" with 3 bonus tracks, all mastered for CD in 2020. Approximately 1 hour of material.
DVD – Footage from 9 shows circa 1995-1999 including the debut Knurl performance. A 1996 Quebec television interview completes the package. Approximately 3 hours of material.
Long version
Knurl sits among a very small handful of Canadian harsh noise acts to debut in the 90s and remain active to this day. Among the likes of Ryan Bloomer (Flatline Construct), Sam McKinlay (The Rita) and Pierre-Marc Tremblay (Âmes Sanglantes), Alan Bloor was the first. Coming off of playing in hardcore punk band Binge of Violence, Alan "found" noise by accident while doing performance art, but it had always been a source of interest for him: "While I was working in welding shops I used to love the sound of the grinders and the radial arm saw as it ripped through metal. [...] I've always been influenced by the environments I've worked in. I've always loved the sounds of banging, scraping, grinding. [...] I used to think it would be great to form a band that could play as loud and fast as a grinder grinding metal. That, of course, never materialized so I took matters into my own hands."
Blasting his way onto the scene with the aptly-titled Initial Shock in 1994, Alan established contact with Joe Roemer and his infamous Mother Savage Noise Productions label early on. In 1995 Knurl appeared on MSNP's seminal "Americanoise" compilation featuring many of the harsh noise heavyweights of the day. Knurl also appeared on the "United States of Terrorism" compilation via Richard Ramirez's Deadline Recordings that same year. This track was originally found on a second, untitled edition of Initial Shock released by La Bande Magnétique in 1994 alongside two other tracks, and all three are are compiled here for an additional half-hour of material. These high-profile and genre-defining compilations helped expose Knurl to the greater harsh noise audience of the mid-90s, but it was with Initial Shock that Alan announced and immediately solidified his tenure in the pantheon of North American harsh noise. The textures and dynamism explored in the tape's half-hour runtime feel, as Stefan said, ahead of their time. One can get lost in those churning rotor blades of abrasion again and again.
In addition to the hour's worth of formidable audio, this release contains three hours of crucial live footage from 1995-1999. Most of the shows were captured by Alan's wife, Dominique, who continues to film Knurl to this day. Complete sets were used where available with the exception of (3) which was truncated for length and visual clarity. Some clips have minor cuts when camera shut off while obtaining a better vantage point (for example). This is frequent in (7), but the show is still included for historical purposes. There are occasional tape flaws, the worst of which being a complete drop near the end of (1) and tracking issues throughout (10). Overall, these issues are inconsequential and, in fact, add character and patina to this trove of rare quality. The ever-increasing precision, focus, and occasional pandemonium make for a highly enjoyable viewing experience. Home-made metalworks and other objects of infamy can be seen making appearances: "I used to smash a toaster at almost every performance. I loved the sound of the wires and insulation breaking up as I ground two iron rods into it. By the end of the performance I would just beat the crap out of it. Just waylay on it as if I was chopping wood. Bits and pieces flying everywhere." One show, unfortunately not included, "consisted of jamming a five-foot metal rod into a typewriter and eventually beating the shit out of it. I was so wrapped up in beating the piss out of this thing that I lost total track of time. After I got off stage, someone told me I played for just over a minute. Most of the early shows were pretty intense."
The selected shows are all highlights in their own right, but the following notes can provide further context: (1) Debut performance. (5) Shared bill with Jojo Hiroshige and Junko (Hijokaidan) and Thurston Moore, hosted by the Nihilist Spasm Band. (6) Hosted by Joe Roemer. (8) Shared bill with MSBR, Government Alpha and TADM. (9) Shared bill with Merzbow. One can even see noise luminaries such as Patrick O'Neil (Skin Crime), and of course Ron Lessard himself, in attendance at the RRRecords gig (7).
Working on this project with Alan and going through all of the old footage has helped me to establish a greater sense of relevance and respect with regards to Knurl's work in the 90s through to the present day. There has never been any compromise of vision. Never a want for any sort of recognition, though it is undoubtedly deserved. The sounds began for himself and they remain as such. With releases on noteworthy labels throughout the years such as Alien8, Audio Dissection, Banned Production, Deadline, New Forces, Oxen, Phage, Self Abuse, Skeleton Dust, Troniks / PACrec, Xerxes and his own Panta Rhei Recordings, among others, there is no shortage of Knurl material. He shows no signs of stopping any time soon and we are all the better for it. Even just on his own accord he still churns out material purely for pleasure's sake. In the early days he was creating personal noise tapes to listen to on his Sony Walkman, now there is the beauty of the internet and online platforms through which others can continue to experience his wealth of sound and vision when not immersing themselves in the study of his physically-released works.
2019 and 2020 mark the 25th anniversaries of Knurl with Initial Shock being released on November 28, 1994 and the debut performance at L'Oblique Records in Montreal occurring on January 21, 1995. Both of which, I am happy to say, are included in herein. Thanks to Stefan Aune, Pentti Dassum, Sasha Pozzolo, Art Pratten, Joseph Roemer, Pierre-Marc Tremblay and Gary Worsley for their varying levels of assistance with this project. Of course this release would not be possible without the help, patience and archives of Alan Bloor. Thank you for the continuing sounds and enthusiasm, and for being a beacon of longevity.
The world of harsh, mechanized sound is nothing less than Alan's passion. As my ears are numb after revisiting Initial Shock yet again for this write up I can only echo what others have said: Listen loud and listen often. Knurl is essential.
Release details
Standard edition of 225 CD+DVDs housed in standard jewel cases with double trays. Includes 4-panel double-sided gatefold booklet and insert.
Limited edition of 25 housed in custom sandpaper sleeves. Includes Knurl pin set. Only available from screamandwrithe.com on Sunday, October 4, 2020.
Digital download includes all 10 tracks and PDF booklet. DVD content is not included with the download.
All pieces produced and composed by Alan Bloor in 1994. All pieces were recorded live and very loud to be played very loud. No computers or synthesizers were used on this recording.
Remastered by Pentti Dassum, February 2020.
Original artwork reproduced inside.
Additional liner notes from Joe Roemer (Macronympha/MSNP) and Stefan Aune (New Forces).
https://www.screamandwrithe.com
https://absurdexposition.bandcamp.com
Quote from: absurdexposition on October 04, 2020, 05:13:47 PM
KNURL – Initial Shock 25th Anniversary CD/DVD out now – 4 hours of material!
my ears are numb
QFHT
Alan Bloor (KNURL) talks about the original "Initial Shock" - https://anomalyindex.com/2020/11/11/knurl-initial-shock-cs-self-released-1994/
Copies of the reissue with extra tracks and additional DVD still available for around CA$25 postage paid worldwide at http://screamandwrithe.com and from Dead Gods (US), New Forces (US), Self Abuse (US), Skeleton Dust (US), Tordon Ljud (UK), Torn Light (US), White Centipede Noise (GER)
Excellent review from Vital Weekly for the reissue of Knurl's "Initial Shock".
"It makes perfect sense for a remastered CD reissue of Knurl's first cassette, one that's accompanied by three different breathless testimonials to the artist's impact 25 years on, to include a DVD. In fact, I prefer to think of this as a DVD with accompanying CD rather than the reverse. Knurl's albums have always had a sculptural aspect to them, often implied by the physicality of his sound if not stated outright or depicted in the artwork. Alan Bloor, a former welder, aimed to reproduce the harsh metal-on-metal grinding noise of factories with his music. Like GX Jupitter-Larsen, he came from a background of early 80s punk/hardcore and performance art but wanted to take the noisy aspect of that music farther than song forms would allow. From the beginning, the Knurl sound came from metal junk and sculptures that he amplified, bowed, sawed, pummeled, struck and ran through electronic effects. Who wouldn't want to watch how he does that? I've been curious for years, but haven't had the opportunity until now since I don't live near anywhere he's performed.
The DVD is as generous as can be: more than 3 hours of live performance footage shot from 1994 to 1999, plus a 1996 television interview (in French and English). Hearing the sound on CD is one thing, but it's the DVD that, for me, really puts the artist's work in perfective. What I gather after viewing it is pretty much what I'd always suspected from hearing the recordings: Bloor's noise really is as physical and performative as I imagined. We get to see him shaking metal junk, rapidly cycling between attacks on pipes, springs, metal plates... a blur of anxious energy, controlled and purposeful within the ceaseless shriek. His body is frequently seen affecting the sound when he alters his distance from the metal instruments, standing up taller to wring out more feedback, shifting his weight and taking loud tones with him... the interaction is evidence of Bloor's live-wire act of careful control that might (but doesn't) derail with one wrong move. A discernible marriage of process and sound isn't always necessary to appreciate an artist's work, but viewing Knurl in his natural environment adds to my enjoyment of the music. I see someone who's thought as much about the visual/spatial component of a performance as to the audible result, of how his presence is integral (both in regards the sound and to the gestalt impact) to what he does.
"Initial Shock" first appeared as a cassette in 1994. Of course, it's not Knurl's best album. How could it be? He wouldn't be much of an artist if he peaked at his very first tape and then spent 25 years trying to live up to his debut. Bloor got better as he went on, refined his sound, improved his production quality and grew more confident in his performance. If you want to hear the best Knurl albums, try "Thioarbamide", "A Hail of Blades" or "Risk of Entrapment". But taken on it's own terms, "Initial Shock" is a fun ride. The sounds seem to be more electronic than metallic, lots of feedback waves and clouds of dirt interrupted by microphone overload, line hum and other nasty crude artifacts. All ten tracks are in perpetual motion. Even the relatively drone-like "Itradem" is a cascade of crude shattering and circuit fizz that crashes into itself over and over again. "Ridzt" is just a punctuation, half a minute of static interference, but I liked it. "Abjective Singe" retains the raw impatience of a young guy furiously bashing on boxes in his bedroom, a patina of amp hum coating the explosion in ugly filth. The album closes with "Sehnt", in which the smack of metal on metal is clearly legible through a mess of fidgety gear-shifting and electronic squeal. After viewing the DVD, I can't hear "Initial Shock" without imagining how it might have been created. I can picture Bloor in his workshop, yanking scree from the guts of springs and sharp scraps, vigorously crunching down on cords and leaning in to continually adjust and shift direction. That's the best part of this set: it doesn't simply reissue an out-of-print cassette, but uses the cassette in order to provide a bigger picture of who Knurl is and what he does. After hearing this and viewing the DVD, you'll want to go back and check out more of his catalog or dip into it for the first time. (HS)"
http://vitalweekly.net/1259.html
Copies still available at https://screamandwrithe.com / https://absurdexposition.bandcamp.com