Praxis Dr. Bearmann -label overview

[FreakAnimalFinland]

TH-01 Merzbow Dadarottenvator (LP, Ltd, Gre) 1995

TH-02 Taint Indecent Liberties (LP, Ltd) 1995
Wire mesh package, label said cat & dog blood splattered in cover, but I recall artists said it was just regular cows blood. Brutal harsh power electronics. I believe it still hold very special charisma and stands out as amazing power electronics album. Noisy, harsh, extreme, perverse...

TH-03 Con-Dom Hatred. The Second Sermon (7", Ltd) 1995
Rarest and possible harshest of the sermons? Quite fierce power electronics assault wrapped in cover + butchers bloody papers. What I remember from last spinning, it reminds me more of the old style Con-Dom with more direct violence than complex & even organic sonic experiments & concept recordings.

TH-04 K2 Hepatopolitika (LP, Ltd, Cle) 1994
One of my favorites of K2. No metal cut up noise, but Japanese industrial noise. Or is it even noise? Loops, sounds, voices, structured compositions what are never fierce of brutal like his later output. Not really beat orientated or "musical" in that sense, but simply unique sounding project. In same lines as his first CD, right? And early tapes, but just better.

TH-05 Merzbow & Richard Ramirez The Science Of Dissecting Society (LP, Ltd) 1994
I think the fame of the names is bigger than the value of this LP. It's good, of course, but somehow routine job for the big names of the scene.

TH-06 S·Core My Candle Has Died (LP, Ltd) 1995
One of my absolute favorites. I can only worship the analogue industrial noise decay of S*Core. The last track of the album is just phenomenal in it's lo-fi industrial rhythm. Cover just splattered with candle wax.

TH-07 Aube Pulse Resonator (LP, Ltd, Red + 7", Cle) 1995
This must be first release of Aube where I heard him use VCO as source. It was noiser and more "piercing" sound than he did with water etc. Well, imagine voltage controlled oscillator going through loops, manipulations, filtering, etc. In composition & atmosphere, I still rate this possibly highest of Aube VCO recordings. Nice packaging too.

TH-08 Macronympha Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (LP, Ltd, Whi) 1995
Monstrous metal junk orgy! This is something that set standards in brute violence of sound & presentation. I do think there is even better Macronympha recordings in sound, BUT, this simply was big thing to be on full length LP with such a malicious hateful presentation. Harsh noise "as it should be", even if I dislike to say that...

TH-09 MSBR Intensification (10", Ltd) 1995
MSBR, I think, was little hit and miss. Some of his stuff is simply amazing. Some releases just electronic jams with little to offer. I think this 10" may have been intentionally done to satisfy euro PE heads? Electronic noise assaults, strong, brutal, heavy. No goofing around, no "electronic improvisations", just very well made material all over.

TH-10 S·Core Vermin (7", Pic) 1996
What can I say more? Over the decades I have reviewed so much S*Core, I basically can't say more. Analogue industrial decay. Lo-fi hum of tape manipulations. It is always good. Even at it worst.

TH-11 Richard Ramirez / Black Leather Jesus Scrapyard (LP, Pic, Ltd) 1995
Another thing on RR / BLJ what I feel is more based on reputation and overall aura, than actual musical achievements of the recording. It is good. Yeah, this is something you can simply put on turntable and enjoy, but both of the project have done it better, more memorable and with more ambitious attitude. This is satisfactory, and I recommend to buy it instead of some CDR, but not some utmost classic.

TH-12 Militia (2) New European Order (3xLP) 1996
To me, absolute top-10 industrial release of all times. Whatever they may have done afterwards, doesn't come close. This just industrial music at the best, when you ask me. All the obvious Test Dept rip off and Laibach aesthetic rip off and so on, but hell, I prefer to listen THIS over mentioned names. And I think that says a lot. IF you ask me, no industrial collection is complete without this. I believe Cold Meat is going to do CD re-issue? We'll see...

TH-13 A.M.B. / Hyware / Kapotte Muziek A Big Cloud / Into The Void (LP, Ltd) 1995
vague recollections...

TH-14 Smell & Quim Jim Seed Collector (7", Cle) 1996
band consider this as best of their 7"s... vague recollections how it was, but just yesterday I was holding it in my hand, watching the elegance of vintage porno pictures. I would buy this alone for sake of covers!

TH-15 Grey Wolves, The Catholic Priests Fuck Children (LP, Ltd) 1996
Best Grey Wolves LP, and overall power electronics/industrial classic. Since the day I read the name of album, I was like holy fucking shit!! This can't be bad. And when I actually ordered & heard it, it has been among my very favorite PE recordings of all times. It has strange ability to combine atmosphere, harmony, lo-fi crudeness, sheer euro hatred, malformed vocal assaults, electronic pulses and everything into mix that is simply known Grey Wolves. I think this is the culmination of what band is about, and the packaging is great too. Essential.

TH-16 Contagious Orgasm Seeking Sensation Scale Music (LP) 1996
vague recollections.. should give it a spin soon

TH-17 Con-Dom / Militia (2) / Laura Maes Familiedrama / Pain (7") 1997 ¨
I remember when I got it and was like "what is this??". It is not bad, but it doesn't sound like anyone mentioned in cover. It's gloomy, atmospheric,... but you look at the cover and think.. Con-Dom? Militia? And who's that girl they talk about, Laura? It's nice little piece of wax, but confusing when the typical characteristics of artists are so absent.

TH-18 Various War Against Society (3xLP, Comp, Ltd) 1997
I run out of superlatives when I talk about this comp. One might wonder why Viktim Kennel is here, since they aren't SO good, but neither they are atrocious. Simply average, when you consider that Con-Dom, Grey Wolves, Streicher all contributed their best stuff. Law is without question original, if nothing else. Militia is simply brilliant in their old approach, even if not matching superiority of the 3xLP set. Packaging = great. Sound = great. This is something what I would always call as highlights of late 90's PE.

TH-19 K2 Renal Ekonomix (7", Pic, Ltd) 1996
Unlike LP before, now K2 is getting into their metal cut up era. I think Metal Dysplasia and The Rust stand out as his best material of the metal cut up. 7" is good, but sound became so specific, that releases started to remind eachother a lot. IF you have two cd's mentioned, you may not need this unless you want to have complete K2 or complete PDB

TH-20 Militia (2) Kingdom Of Our Lord (CD, EP) 1996
Fuck, if I said the 3xLP was their best... well, it is only because this is SHORT. It is 20 minutes, packaged in A4 "special" sleeve with horribly pixelated images. Music is phenomenal. Just superior to about everything, but due being miniCD on oversized pixelated sleeve, it loses on 3xLP set.

TH-21 Orifice Training Bathroom Abuse, Blisters And Contusions (LP, Ltd) 1996
I remember when some people always talked this must be secret Taint side project. It's typical of Texas harsh noise sickness. Something what you put in context of location and time, you are not surpriced. It is good, very good. I will allways appreciate the dirty texas noise.

TH-22 Taint Whoredom (CD, Album, Ltd) 1996
What is this?? Another CD??! PDB profiles as kind of "collectors vinyl" label on very early on and then CD's?? Well, packaged in 7" sleeve, very nice presentation. Black and white whores, lo-fi samples between dirty noise. Less organised, more filthy Taint abuse, long time since I last listened, but I should put it on CD player someday soon.

TH-23 Richard Ramirez Memorial (CD) 1997
Another CD? Now in jewelcase. This is good harsh noise, but nothing more. Most "normal looking" of PDB. Did they ran out of special packaging ideas?

TH-24 Militia (2) Nature Revealed (2xCD) 1998
No they didn't. Between two plywood plates is double CD of Militia. More "ethnic" more "organic". Gone was the mega machine of industrial society, and here is the tribal feathers and potato stamp neo-primitive arts. When I heard it, I though, god damn, there guys went down the drain. I got such a rash from experience it has literally been 10 years+ since I listened it. I have promised myself that I will make return on this album, since I feel I might be mature enough to handle tribal ecological aesthetic.

TH-26A Aube Throb In Manic Red (LP, Ltd, Red) 1997
TH-26B Aube Sigh In Depressive Blue (LP, Ltd, Blu) 1997
TH-26C Aube Vas In Euthymic Violet (LP, Ltd, Vio) 1997
Was this first series where prolific japanese artist was hired to do set of multiple releases? Now it basically still works, but barely. I think when artists gets invitation to do something else than 7", 10", LP.. or CD. Like.. would you do 3 LP's for us? "sure". It might work. would you do us monthly series of 13 full length CD's? Well, we know what happened. This is simply pushing the limits what sane person can appreciate. I will not count the obsessives, who will buy 100+ releases of Aube simply because he can be great. I'm talking of guys who can valuate such a scandalously huge discography and come into conclusion that there are not the best Aube. Unless you are vinyl fanatic, or Aube completist, or PDB completist, you better invest your $$ for some of the G.R.O.S.S. tapes. But are these bad? No. Still rules over majority of stuff being put out today.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

PS: anyone selling that merzbow LP for 50€ or less, or willing to trade, contact me.... Not going to pay XXX€ they ask on discogs all the time.

[Henrik III]

Mikko, you are probably looking at completing your PDB collection? It is quite some time since I last gave a spin for "Dadarottenvator" but my recollections aren't too favorable for the music (but certainly the wooden packaging is fine). Might be also that the aural impact suffers from the crappy vinyl cutting/pressing. On the other hand, I recall liking A.M.B. / Hyware / Kapotte Muziek quite a bit. Certainly it is a fairly unsexy grouping but still wondering why such a fine record is going around so commonly and so cheap...maybe should give a listen to those two during this weekend (as will be programming at home) and get back with slightly more analytic thoughts.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

yeah, I have probably 50+ cd's worth (read: Merzbox and more) stuff I haven't listened from mr. Akita despite owning it, One LP more is really not for sake of Merzbow, but for sake of PDB. I'm don't consider myself "collector" in a sense, that I would simply buy all the shit I don't need, but in case when something like this is so close to be "complete", I rather have it complete.

Sometimes the "unsexy" and "uncollectable" items are phenomenal. Or lets say, OFTEN they are. I'm thinking of bands like PBK. Especially early days. Stuff like Hands To/PBK/AMK -CD on Pure. To me, fucking brilliant recording. Never sells from me. I don't hear much people talking about them. And I guess this Praxis release shows that with "regular packaging", quite big pressing and such names, you don't have people raving about it.

In some ways, PDB was like Xn recordings. Going very easy route of signing the bands that were most often enjoying cult reputation and being already released (and made famous by) more established labels, like Tesco (consider that GW, Con-Dom, Contagious Orgasm, Ramirez, S&Q was known from Tesco, and almost all the rest known from elsewhere. PDB introduced... Viktim Kennel? Militia? Perhaps Taint to certain degree since making first album).  Labels that do this now, I have little problems understanding their motives, but won't blame on PDB for doing amazing job.

[bogskaggmannen]

I have both standard version of "Dadarottenvator" and special handmade edition of it made by Masami. I got it from Hörsturz some years ago and it's in a ordinary printed cover (cows on a beach on front) with a screened erotic flap hanging out over the back. Vinyl itself is same as original. Lots of originally not included flyers and Merzbow direct mailorder list with some hand written stuff on it. My guess is that either a few of the wooden sets were destroyed during transport to Japan and that he made "new" ones or that edition of vinyl was in fact larger than box set so selling the others in other cover? Can perhaps sell that one to fanatic Merzbow-fans on eBay...?

[alpharmania]

Off topic, but have anyone here heard the Datarotator tape on Produktion? Great stuff... I got it for 10 SEK from a local junkiewoman whose now deceased husband bought it from Pop N Roll Family back in the days. Extremely good stuff....

Talking about Praxis Dr Bearmann I might still somewhere have a highly amusing letter where they motivate their rejection of material Proiekt Hat provided for release of what later became Lebenunwertes Leben.... great label otherwise. Some of my favourite 90s power electronics releases are from there.

[Steve]

Little girl Laura, you ask about in the overview of "Familiedrama" (TH-17) is Laura Maes. Belgian artiste and head honcho of Clingfilm label. It is one of my favourite 7"'s.

[bitewerksMTB]

Didn't one of the Praxis guys die? I remember it was ran by 3 men. 2 I think were brothers? What was the name of the label that did a few releases who was ex-PDB?

I can still remember getting the letter asking to release the debut LP. Just out of nowhere from people I'd never heard of...

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Tactical Recordings was what continued. Releases of Militia, DJK, Phosgen, Diktat...

[Tommy Carlsson]

I was in touch with Martin Bauer, don't know the names of the others involved. PDB also had a side label -- Katyn Records, I don't have any of the Katyn releases though.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Katyn did very little, just 4 CD's of all dark ambient.
Caul is Caul. Blood Box is Blood Box, the more unknown bands, like Exterior Mirror is slow shifting electronics, slow paced flanger not sounding too nice, Drift cd another typical minimal dark ambient as far as I remember. Design of CD's partially pretty horrible. If you see something like Exterior Mirror in discount bins (where it most likely belongs), you're never going to buy it. I say never. It's hard to see how label like PDB could come up such a crappy graphics on sub-label.

I was brifly in touch with Bauer as well, but R. Schmid is responsible of Tactical Recordings.

[Baglady]

TH-13 A.M.B. / Hyware / Kapotte Muziek A Big Cloud / Into The Void (LP, Ltd) 1995
vague recollections...

This is actually a brilliant album. 150 copies, of which 14(!) were for sale on discogs when I bought mine last year. Around 5€ for a copy I think? Brilliant, sometimes droney and sometimes harsh, noise. Last years best bargain for me. I'd love to get more AMB stuff.