Such an amazing artist! My collection is far from complete when it comes to his stuff, but almost everything I've heard has been good or very good. I just got the rerelease of his debut on Perdition Plastics and man - it's amazingly great! Guitar improv done totally right, proper tension throughout the disc and every possible sound from electric guitar explored and utilized. Exemplary use of dynamics also, not in a predictable way but keeping the listener on his/her toes at all times. The duo disc with Wehowsky on Selektion is another old favorite. I haven't seen much appreciation shown for this, yet it's a definite masterpiece. In fact, I like all the different sides to his game. The guitar stuff is great, so is the noise mayhem and ditto for the recent drones on Hospital. The one release I've been disappointed with was the collab with Prurient (All Are Guests In The House Of The Lord ), very uninteresting to my ears.
How is the split-LP on Fringes, with Bhob Rainey? I've been tempted by this.
Actually just sold my copy of the double cassette on Hospital, Malaise. Very disappointed with that one. The first track was nice, but everything else felt very disjointed. And considering the price, definitely not worth it in my book.
I like also most sides of his work. RLW collab is indeed a forgotten jewel, "Second" is another good one. Apparently there's a Drumm boxset coming on Pica (some info here (http://ihatemusic.noquam.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=143&start=340)), really looking forward on that. My least favorite Drumm is probably the Erstwhile disc with Axel Dörner.
I have heard many good things about this, but never really gotten into it myself. First of all, it was about the usual dislike of "artists with his own name" thing. Later it was just failing to see what makes it special. I have kept the material in case I'd get into it later, so don't have to regret then, hah..
Out of the ones I have I really enjoy Impish Tyrant, but the imperial horizons/imperial distortion and most of the drony stuff is pretty boring
Yeah, Impish Tyrant is very nice. I'm just listening to the cd reissue of this (got it along with the debut reissue from Drumm for $5 / cd, cheap!). An "in-the-red" recording, especially the beginning is full-on assault on ears. A lot of variety in the sounds, there's digital destruction but also quite a bit of guitar in there (sounds like it, anyway). I usually don't like it when noise has "riffs" in it but here there are some pretty cool ones... The intensity decreases towards the end but it doesn't get boring at any point. 30 min length is perfect for this kind of stuff. Very harsh but not in the standard way.
This is released on Dagda which I guess is Drumm's own label. No other releases yet, as far as I can see.
yeah, I have the re-issue as well. If I knew what to expect from each album, I would definitely invest more. I was just really disappointed in the drone stuff, maybe someone can explain the draw of this type of thing?
Two reasons I see to like his drone stuff.
1. Drugs - take lots of downers or trippy drugs and let your brain melt
2. don't take lots of drugs, lie down and let your brain melt.
The sound slowly envelopes you on headphones and brings about a sort of strange tranquility. at least for me.
The best Kevin Drumm recording i have heard is the "Purge" tape on iDEAL Recordings, harsh and varied stuff. Amazing!
I think it will come out as a CD sooner or later on iDEAL. Check it out!
Quote from: ConcreteMascara on April 04, 2010, 09:24:49 AM
The sound slowly envelopes you on headphones and brings about a sort of strange tranquility. at least for me.
I guess long-format drones are something that one is into - or not. Drumm's variety is less mathematical and rigorous than, say, Niblock's or Conrad's - it's more about emotion and atmosphere than precise beat frequencies and overtones. Something to put on and let your mind be swept away with. And yeah, I guess you can also turn on, tune in and drop out with it, although I haven't really used them for that purpose (yet). The quality that his drones share with the classic minimalist stuff is that once you listen more carefully there's all sorts of stuff happening between/in the details. And that's exactly what is missing in most of the modern (guitar and otherwise) drones coming from the younger generation of noiseheads.
But for me drones don't really work with headphones. They need the room acoustics to interact with. Drumm's discs are maybe not as demanding in this respect as Niblock's but I still prefer to hear them on a good quality speaker system.
Seems like the box is out now: http://www.lassemarhaug.no/picadisk/pica019.html
I was slow to pay attention to the hype but over the past 3-4 years have become a huge fan and really regret not picking up Sheer Hellish Misasma when it first came out.
He shared the first disc of the box set as a single track earlier this year, Light's Out.
http://www.mediafire.com/?fyyjnhynknz
Here's a huge thread about him over on an electroacoustic improv board, 20 pages dating back to 2004 and continually updated til today:
http://ihatemusic.noquam.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=143
Anyone care to comment on all the drone releases in the past couple of years? Recommendations? I could (attempt to) listen to them on his bandcamp, but I thought this might be quicker and straight to the best. Well There You Go! is a good one. Another Set Of Days Now Over has some nice field recording work blended with the sounds of what I associate with a humming building. For those disinterested in his drones, they might like Blocking. It's still on the calmer side, but it is heavy and quasi-noisy.
I picked up the Inexplicable Hours 3xLP from this year (I believe) and it's pretty great, reminiscent or Tannenbaum. I haven't been keeping up with his releases as much as I was 5 years ago however.
I only have a couple of his releases, but i think Imperial Distortion is a good one to check out.
I'm a huge fan of his work and have been really into all the recent bandcamp releases. I tend to be drawn to the eerie drone / soft ambient material more than his harsher stuff. A few recent favorites would be -
The March Flog
May 18th
October(Early Warning)
Less Than Half As Loud
his most recent release on KSV is pretty interesting:
https://tomsmithksv.bandcamp.com/album/ksv-451-jury-prize
less imperial distortion more sheer hellish miasma
Quote from: dust on January 15, 2019, 01:17:31 AM
his most recent release on KSV is pretty interesting:
https://tomsmithksv.bandcamp.com/album/ksv-451-jury-prize
less imperial distortion more sheer hellish miasma
thanks for the heads up, long time since ive listened to his stuff, which is nearly always great btw. cheers
I've really come around to being interested, and impressed, with him. Re-listening to the couple of albums I'd heard in the past and now digging into his output. At volume, the second track on Crowded can break the dust free from the rafters.
Quote from: Zeno Marx on January 22, 2019, 08:29:35 PM
I've really come around to being interested, and impressed, with him. Re-listening to the couple of albums I'd heard in the past and now digging into his output. At volume, the second track on Crowded can break the dust free from the rafters.
agreed. a true sound explorer! would be nice to see more of this attitude i industrial, but i guess it is naturally rare..
Wow!!
A kind stranger helped me find this thread. 2019 is the last serious Drumm talk here? WTF??
Let's at least (re)start with SHM2 and the 10CD - If Tomorrow Gets Here.
SHM2 seems to be one of those rare sequels that shockingly outshines the monumental original? (I still need to acquire this bitch.)
Meanwhile, my initial reactions to CD1 of the box:
CD1 of this 10CD begins magificently: I haven't looked up exactly what it is, but I suspect that church bells were recorded, then multitracked by a degree of, like, 1000. It's a stunning drone.
The next track sees eerie-ass voices being drowned out by a river of filth. Or maybe it's the sound of hell on a busy working day? I dunno.
Track 3 is...a journey! I can't do it justice, so, over to you, Bookmat: " '1340' is peak grindhouse sound design; one of the set's most satisfying tracks, welding reverberating basement scrapes to a retching downpitched accordion, accenting the top-end with almost inaudible stirs just to seal the deal, like some 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' re-score we never knew we needed."
This CD is:
1. BODEGA BLUR 15:39
2. EVERYTHING HAUNTED 36:36
3. 1340=13:43 13:43
Quote from: heretogo on March 26, 2010, 11:26:09 PMSuch an amazing artist! My collection is far from complete when it comes to his stuff, but almost everything I've heard has been good or very good. I just got the rerelease of his debut on Perdition Plastics and man - it's amazingly great! Guitar improv done totally right, proper tension throughout the disc and every possible sound from electric guitar explored and utilized. Exemplary use of dynamics also, not in a predictable way but keeping the listener on his/her toes at all times. The duo disc with Wehowsky on Selektion is another old favorite. I haven't seen much appreciation shown for this, yet it's a definite masterpiece. In fact, I like all the different sides to his game. The guitar stuff is great, so is the noise mayhem and ditto for the recent drones on Hospital. The one release I've been disappointed with was the collab with Prurient (All Are Guests In The House Of The Lord ), very uninteresting to my ears.
How is the split-LP on Fringes, with Bhob Rainey? I've been tempted by this.
A 15 year bump!!
Damn, I keep hearing about that epic debut, which is apparently still widely available and inexpensive.
The very limited amount of Drumm that I have is almost always compelling and thrilling. The man overflows with ideas/vision. I've never been bored.
SHM2 seems to be scarce already. I just got it from Soundohm though. (I better update / correct my bitching about Soundohm in another thread.)
The 1997 album on Perdition Plastics is interesting. I tend to prefer his works that are more electroacoustic.
Quote from: Moran on June 26, 2025, 07:34:52 AMThe 1997 album on Perdition Plastics is interesting. I tend to prefer his works that are more electroacoustic.
I was posting at another forum that Drumm is "too diverse" to sit comfortably in a Noise Forum. He has Noise Classics. But perhaps 75% of his works are Ambient / Experimental / Quiet. It seems to me that he is rarely investigated here, in spite of those acknowledged releases.
Sheesh! This new 10CD barely registers a pulse here. 😂 (I feel...Special.)
Quote from: Minus1 on June 26, 2025, 07:47:50 AMQuote from: Moran on June 26, 2025, 07:34:52 AMThe 1997 album on Perdition Plastics is interesting. I tend to prefer his works that are more electroacoustic.
I was posting at another forum that Drumm is "too diverse" to sit comfortably in a Noise Forum. He has Noise Classics. But perhaps 75% of his works are Ambient / Experimental / Quiet. It seems to me that he is rarely investigated here, in spite of those acknowledged releases.
Sheesh! This new 10CD barely registers a pulse here. 😂 (I feel...Special.)
He has a lengthy discography, and I haven't listened to everything, but what I listened to across many styles (noise, ambient, electroacoustic, etc.) all had interesting details. He seems more popular among electroacoustic listeners than noise listeners, maybe partly because he seems to value quietness and elegance more than is common in noise. Even the noisier releases like
Necro Acoustic and
Sheer Hellish Miasma sound refined.
I'll add to this madness of a thread by saying that the trio release he did with Weasel Walter & Fred Lonberg is pretty cool if you are into more "free music" territory. I almost forgot that Drumm can play the guitar.
Quote from: k.p.g on June 26, 2025, 03:00:26 PMI'll add to this madness of a thread by saying that the trio release he did with Weasel Walter & Fred Lonberg is pretty cool if you are into more "free music" territory. I almost forgot that Drumm can play the guitar.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WAoBW3yjlvA
Yeah, sorry. I get carried away when something new (and monumental!) comes my way.
This interview is great, and it touches on his early (prepared) guitar works:
https://thequietus.com/interviews/strange-world-of/best-of-kevin-drumm/
One of the greatest sound artists of all time in my house. Hard to pick a favorite but the two releases on Erstwhile with Jason Lescalleet is masterpieces. The Land of the lurches, Sheer hellish miasma, Purge, Elapsed time, Necro Acoustic, Humid Weather, Kitchen, Crowded, Kevin Drumm/John Wiese, Inexplicable Hours, Impish Tyrant, Guitar etc... All great stuff.
My first show ever with altar of flies was on the same bill with Kevin Drumm at Fylkingen 2007. I don't remember everything but it was one of the loudest sets I have witnessed what I can remember. He played like 10 minutes with a lots of pedals and a laptop and before he ended he gives the laptop his middle finger. I think he had some technical problems but it was nothing I noticed. Fantastic concert by the way.
Quote from: Mattias G on June 26, 2025, 10:52:31 PMOne of the greatest sound artists of all time in my house. Hard to pick a favorite but the two releases on Erstwhile with Jason Lescalleet is masterpieces. The Land of the lurches, Sheer hellish miasma, Purge, Elapsed time, Necro Acoustic, Humid Weather, Kitchen, Crowded, Kevin Drumm/John Wiese, Inexplicable Hours, Impish Tyrant, Guitar etc... All great stuff.
My first show ever with altar of flies was on the same bill with Kevin Drumm at Fylkingen 2006. I don't remember everything but it was one of the loudest sets I have witnessed what I can remember. He played like 10 minutes with a lots of pedals and a laptop and before he ended he gives the laptop his middle finger. I think he had some technical problems but it was nothing I noticed. Fantastic concert by the way.
Fascinating. Thanks for this Mattias.
Just to throw in my 2 cents. I love Drumm, he is a genius and very prolific, and sometimes this works against him in certain ways.
I really liked what Holy Ghost said over on the Scream & Writhe board:
Quotethere's just so much chatter about new artists and new reissues and what have you, in the same vein you don't hear a lot of talk about Aaron Dilloway or Skin Crime here but they're just out there existing as the well respected elder statespeople of noise just doing their thing.
and this by papp diin:
QuotePitchfork-type publications singled out a handful of bands and artists to pay attention to, and Drumm was definitely one of them. That's not to disparage him, there's a very good reason why he was. Drumm's made some landmark releases that can't be replicated by anyone else.
Unfortunately, he is over-exposed and covered so heavily outside of the "noise scene" that it seems redundant to discuss on the noise forums. He is the electro-acoustic guys' noise artist, or the rock and jazz guys' noise artist. A victim of his own success type of thing.
Again, I love Drumm. I actually think he is better at the more minimal or dynamic material in the electro-acoustic or "academic" vein than harsh noise. However, Sheer Hellish Miasma II is crushing and I would say his best harsh noise work. Other harsh noise releases feel a little too digital or computer-focused for my own personal taste.
Second is by far my favorite album from Drumm. Comedy is probably a close runner up. He hit an incredible run in 2012 with Humid Weather, The Kitchen, The Back Room, Crowded, and Relief, which are also some of my favorites. I know there are far more great releases after this, but that's about where my experience and input stop.
Absolutely one of the most high-caliber artists out there.
Post-script:
I saw him perform around 2013 or 2014 in a Museum of Fine Arts in my city. Someone provided an incredible PA system. He performed the material for the album "Wrong Intersection," and it was one of the best-sounding live noise performances I've ever seen.
Very insightful, Fistfuck. Thanks.
Thanks to this thread (and S+W), I have a much better understanding of Drumm's present "sphere of influence", if you will.
(I type this as disc 4 of the new 10CD blares forth. What a journey so far!)
Funny enough, Drumm updated prices on Bandcamp. Anyone that wants to get a metric fuck ton of Drumm's releases, you can buy everything for only $22.80, or any single album for just $1.
Click on any release and then click on "Buy Digital Discography $22.80 USD or more (90% OFF)"
https://kevindrumm.bandcamp.com/music
I just checked what Drumm albums I have; Sheer Hellish Miasma, Land of Lurches and Imperial Distortion. Though I had more. Maybe need to get some of the recent stuff but will revisit these 3 first.