Thanks for the thoughtful review by Jerry Kranitz, author of the recent book on CASSETTE CULTURE out now on VOD!
Various Artists – Pattern Recognition (A Benefit Compilation for Artist Bradley Kokay)
"The fires in California and Oregon have been devastating. Among the unlucky was Oregon based artist Bradley Kokay, who lost his studio along with it over 20 years of his work and personal belongings. In an effort to raise funds for Kokay to rebuild, No Part Of It label honcho Arvo Zylo has gathered members of the experimental/noise community to put together this nifty compilation. The 13 tracks on the Bandcamp page include a mixture of experimental scene veterans and artists that are new to me.
Lots of great variety here. GX Jupitter-Larsen serves up rolling waves of ambient clatter noise, shepherded along by gentle orchestral music. Modelbau contributes a far too short bit of spectral space. Mama Baer combines doomy string strums and plucks plus German language spoken word. (Marking down Mama Baer as someone to look into further.) Howard Steltzer (with assistance from Arvo) transitions from noise rocking, to tension, and on to clatterous, aquatic textures. I like Justice Yeldham's blend of acid noise and what could be a mad laughing elephant. Illusion of Safety create the sensation of being inside a wildly reverberating drainpipe.
irr.app.(ext) lays down an ambient combination of playful toy instrument (sounds like a marimba) and percussion. Hal McGee and Jeff Central team up for a mesmerizing yet spooky journey into space.
Eric Lanzillotta contributes some of the most quietly ambient music of the set, sounding like a low-key electronic chamber ensemble in space. Mental Anguish (Chris Phinney) creates a glacially symphonic and highly tense audio experience. Sharlyn Evertsz and Arvo Zylo team up for some droney/staticy soundscapes that roll bumpily over some other worldly landscape. Over 10 minutes it builds up to ear splitting levels of intensity. Novasak comes roaring in for less than two minutes of quirky, wildly frenetic noise assault. And Torturing Nurse seems to pick up where Novasak left off, blasting away with 10 minutes of batter, clang, and squall that creates a pleasant rhythmic flow. Excellent compilation!
Stream/download and CD purchase available here. The download includes bonus tracks.
