Starts quite chaotic, everybody talking over everybody kind of thing. Which is why I would prefer 2 guys, over 3-4 guys in podcast. Crumer laughing during half of sentences. Episode starts to get shape after perhaps 1/3 and actually make more sense. Interesting discussions and information will follow.
Most memorable part for me was when they both were talking about noise gear (software, hardware) that supposedly enables to do anything, but kind of all sound the same. Network Glass mentions Max and was it.. modulars? In theory, everything is possible, but in reality, you will hear the "max" or "modular" in everything what is done with these. Crumer mentions Sherman filter back. Recalling giving it a try, and realizing how all these great harsh noise releases that were formerly kind of "how can he do it" -category, and after just unboxing sherman and connecting it with your gear in pretty much default settings and suddenly the golden mid 90's Japanese harsh noise emerges, haha. Yeah... As tempting as Sherman is, that is exact reason why I never bought it.
Of course same argument can be done for everything. Lets say metal junk. No matter if one would say you can do a lot of metal - that is just resonant object. You can relate it to as music instrument like guitar strings, trigger, you can use all sizes and shapes, percussive, droning, scratching, rhythmic, abrupt noise, hum, tonal, whatever.. but eventually when it comes down to noise, a lot of usage is still ...."junk metal noise".
Network Glass explains in the interview escaping this type of thing by approaching his sound as kind of... I'd say technological process than composition. Or if it is composition, it happens in writing, not playing. Just opening raw data as sound file or writing patch or script where program chops soundfile into 500 random cuts. No artists ear or taste involved, just technological process. He even mentions putting out stuff, that he has yet to listen. Writing script, having wav of that, burning on CDR and selling those, not knowing what is on the CDR. Conceptually it can appeal, and sonically too, but I think escaping the "box" is very hard. Not being involved with it with your taste barely changes that. Lets think someone opens raw data as audio file. One can pretend as if you had no idea what it is going to be, and how it will sound. Nevertheless, same as with a lot of gear, it will sound as: Raw data opened as audio file. That's that. It is not like there is suddenly a surprise, and Elvis and ass-fucking samples appeared out of nowhere in middle of elegant noise and suddenly got buried over some weird noise. Like could happen in noise where artist has jumped out of the box and done something what you couldn't expect to happen. Or could, but wasn't sure what the surprise will be.
He does illustrate the difference of noise as music vs the thing he makes. Like the critique against John Cage type of hearing everything as music, is solved by hearing something what sounds too good, is cut away. Leaving just the random noise. Hah.. That it would not be music. Not having parts that resemble you of experience of music, but take the sound as what it really is. Just odd random-ish sounds.
