Randy Greif

[bogskaggmannen]

There are a lot of US artists from the more experimental spectrum i've yet to hear. How is Randy Greifs works? Any comments on the LP on RRR?

[Zeno Marx]

Besides a comp track or two (and maybe a cassette I've since sold), I've only heard the Nigel Ayers/Robin Storey/Randy Greif 3CD and Alice in Wonderland 5CD set.  He's very theatrical/cinematic; no surprise since he's also a film maker.  Rich in sounds and textures with big drama with a slight leaning towards darkness.  I don't know how else to describe him.  He isn't light by any means, but he isn't stuck in brooding and shadows either.  I reckon he's also relatively psychedelic in his approach.  I enjoy those two sets, and I thought he did a very nice job in particular with Alice in Wonderland, which could very easily have been a goofy mess.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I recall R.Grief LP on RRR has always been very cheap and easy to get. And besides that, good on pressing/sound/covers. Its been long since I listened it, but by the gut feeling, I would recommend that one.
Indeed, plenty of american sound artists who in past crossed over to "noise scene". Obscure sound collages of Wiggins, nice experiemental ambient of Dimuzio, minimalistic feedback manipulations of Archane Device, experimental industrial sounds of P.Children, I guess PBK is mentioned on this board by myself? Or if not, it should! And these are just stuff from RRR old catalogue.

[Zeno Marx]

Speaking of Dimuzio...the Voice of Eye website says a collaboration is on the way.

[bogskaggmannen]

Just listened to the "Bacteria and gravity" LP on RRR - dated, for sure, but damn aint this very original music - I can't really say i've heard anything like it. Zeno's description is quite spot on - this covers a wide variety of "styles" (well, more just crazy mix of sounds and atmospheres) but it IS engaging. Experimental music in the true sense of the word.

[Concrete Violin]

The Alice in Wonderland 5xCD box is definitely worth checking out.  Really good surrealistic treatment of the subject matter.

[Zeno Marx]

Soleilmoon just announced the Alice in Wonderland 5CD will be re-released.  $26.99 + postage.

yeah...uh-huh...

"The CDs are presented in tall DVD case, with and 8 page color booklet. Most interesting to collectors are the "Alice in Wonderland" trading cards published in conjunction with the release. Sixty different cards have been created, each one corresponding to one of the sixty tracks on the CDs. The image on each card evolves from the last, like the frames of an animated film. The cards have each been printed in different edition sizes so that only 410 complete sets are possible. Five cards are included with each CD box set, but the cards are also sold in packs of 10, in the tradition of collectible trading cards."

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Like mentioned in the post made almost 15 years ago about "cheap and easy to find Randy Greif"... back in the first half of 90's, I got RRR catalog where Randy Greif LP was... I recall like 8 usd? Or 10? Something very cheap at that point. I bought it just because I basically HAD TO buy only the most affordable items, if wanting to get more than just one thing. So 3 for 20 type of CD deals, often compilations that had names I would recognize, dead stock vinyls, etc. Randy Greif LP was one of those I bought only recognizing name from Testament comp etc. Back then felt odd, but made impact that lasted as "gut feeling" for decades. Knowing its good, even if not getting often on turntable.
 
It has been great to see fairly new labels look into Randy Greif history. Like this recent "The Shadow Traders" CD. Listened 3 times yesterday. Originally 1988 tape, now CD on Tribe tapes. Excellent! Name I could not suspect someone these days would be putting out, but I am very glad it is being done! Experimental, weird, somehow outside exact genre classifications. There is industrial vibes, there is eerie almost ritualistic feel to most of stuff, yet also soundtrack-esque feel... The kind of creativity what emerged from the 80's tape scene when one of the elements must have been that one doesn't know who would care about it. Not catering "market place", but this sounds like the unique voice that has no strictly defined audience or scene where it belongs. Strongly recommended!

https://tribetapes.bandcamp.com/album/the-shadow-traders

[Submersive]

Speak of the devil - I got the Lost Contact CD from Tribe this week and just now popped it in the player. Then logged onto this forum and was surprised to find this topic about the guy! Haha.

This is very weird, good stuff. Like earlier guy said, leaning toward the dark side but not drowning in it. Some parts occult industrial, other parts almost like bad horror movie soundtrack (in the best way). This is the sort of thing that could only come from the 80s industrial tape scene...

This is the second of three Greif reissues Tribe has done. Haven't heard the other two but they're on the shopping list!
https://tribetapes.bandcamp.com/album/lost-contact

[Svartvit]

Managed to get the Lost Contact cassette from Forever Records when I was over in Japan earlier this year. Golden Joy Club was lying around also but I had already spent too much. As mentioned in the topic he has a quite unique style that I very much associate with that time. I feel like this presence of 'actual music' influences in experimental has been lost a bit, don't know how to describe this more accurately.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Got Randy Greif "The Barnacles Inside" CD, 1994 Staalplaat. Really good one again. Of course its is notch cleaner and more musical than the 80's material, but I like it nevertheless. One song on CD appears like fractured sampling of stravinsky.. or mosolov?
Listening this makes me want to get the Alice in the wonderland 5xCD box reissue.

It is very hard to estimate something like RG's "popularity". When you think about it, it's clear there must be demand, when Soleilmoon reissued mentioned Alice... set not once, but twice! Don't know who distributes Soleilmoon in Europe, but rarely see that stuff here.

There was Max Eastman / Tribe tapes interview in WCN podcast, where Randy Grief is being discussed quite a lot and curiously this topic was mentioned there as well.

[Svartvit]

Got Randy Greif "The Barnacles Inside" CD, 1994 Staalplaat. Really good one again. Of course its is notch cleaner and more musical than the 80's material, but I like it nevertheless. One song on CD appears like fractured sampling of stravinsky.. or mosolov?
Listening this makes me want to get the Alice in the wonderland 5xCD box reissue.

It is very hard to estimate something like RG's "popularity". When you think about it, it's clear there must be demand, when Soleilmoon reissued mentioned Alice... set not once, but twice! Don't know who distributes Soleilmoon in Europe, but rarely see that stuff here.

There was Max Eastman / Tribe tapes interview in WCN podcast, where Randy Grief is being discussed quite a lot and curiously this topic was mentioned there as well.

I think he is an artist that does well in this sort of 'rediscovery' that is happening with a lot of stuff these days. He's unique enough for it to make sense to get excited about him even after listening to a ton of things already. I guess once people have a solid foundation in these genres this guy manages to both sound 'fresh' and fit the 'oh it's old stuff so extra cool' category. I think that is quite a market once people get tired of buying basically versions of the same releases over & over again.