BOOK + NOISE

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I have had this like.. 8 years, but don't think I ever actually listened the CD until yesterday. No reason. Just happens. It is really good release, and makes me think anyone has favorites of book + album (or comp album) type of sets? I don't know how much of them are being done now, in context of actual noise.
There used to come lots of books co-published by Groundfault. More experimental, theoretical things. Eric Lunde has bunch of book + audio releases.

I have feeling that perhaps 10-20 years ago, book + cd combo was cool. Now I am not sure if book and cd are for many people kind of opposite formats? Even after CD has gathered back its popularity. It is possible there are lots, but just due price and content of book, not perhaps available in every harsh noise tape distro?



ANASTASIA AX 2007–2013

Format: 210 x 270 mm , 340 pages

Anastasia Ax (b.1979) is a Swedish artist whose work is an explosive and complex fusion of sculpture, physical actions, ink drawing, installation, music and noise.
This book is a retrospective documentation of her work in the years 2007 to 2013, featuring hundreds of photos from material actions and installations across three continents.
Also included is an audio CD of new material by sound collaborators Lars Siltberg, Jonna Karanka, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, Jon Wesseltoft, Christian Stadsgaard, Tommi Keränen, Joachim Nordwall, Lasse Marhaug, Torturing Nurse, Marja-Leena Sillanpää and The Truckfuckers.

Book plus cd. Cd is good and varied. Perhaps no surprise Marhaug, Torturing Nurse and Keränen are the noisiest here, especially two latter ones. Sound is varied experimental sounds, from utter harsh noise to electronic offities. Book is perhaps more uniform! Few years period of time, where performances, material actions and installationd vary - but especially presentation of the book sets strong solid form.

After checking out the book, checked out her website and seems to have continued very active until the epidemic started, and needless to say it usually created obstacles on many artists to perform internationally.

Never seen her perform, lots of sound artists involved here, I am familiar with. Book is really huge, and if you like b&w pics of mess, may be worth checking if Lasse still has copies since 2014...? Who knows how huge print run has been.

More about artist here: https://anastasiaax.se
Book info and pictures of it here: http://marhaugforlag.no/ax.html

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Three Nails, Four Wounds
by Hector Meinhof

Hector Meinhof has written a book that is both beautiful and cruel. His poetic prose and the doom-laden pictures from his extensive collection of vintage photographs have bled into one tortured, corporeal unity. All these pictures have played a significant part in the writing of Three Nails, Four Wounds. Meinhof has used a tableau of chosen images to keep the narrative flowing, each chapter being concentrated around a specific set of photographs.  
This is the illustrated scripture for the new dark ages, it will be read and beheld again and again  - Martin Bladh

I have yet to actually read the book, but I treated it so far more as visual artbook than poetic prose. Since there are over 100 pictures, so it takes about one third of entire book, plus, there is a experimental noisy CD with it. So, as said, I can't really comment on the actual text here, but as art photo book and audio experience alone, it is certainly worth to grab. Morbid, yet beautiful. You can see some examples from link below plus short clip of audio to hear how it is.

The second edition of the book will include a CD with a music collaboration between Hector Meinhof, who will read a text collage consisting of extracts from his book, and composer Alexandra Nilsson who derived her soundscapes from limestone, sandstone, slate and electronics.
​
The piece was recorded at the prominent Electronic Music Studio (EMS), Stockholm, early 2019.

https://www.infinitylandpress.com/threenailsfourwounds

[Nolan]

Three Nails Four Wounds as a book is incredible.

Have never played the CD that came with it, I always felt it would take away from my experience of the text/ imagery.

I'm not sure my brain is set up to appreciate a book/ CD combo unless it's a very pedestrian link - CD of artists discussed in the text, or artefact described in the book (ie fictional music) brought to life. Even then I'm personally likely to disregard the audio aspect.

[Urban Noise]

ANASTASIA AX 2007–2013

Saw your post about this on Facebook and I'm very interested in lay my hands in one of these.

I love the combination of Books and CDs and can't see any problems with the mix besides the prices.
Comes to mind also the one you made for Con-Dom. Loved that piece.

[jvc]

Off-topic: managed to see Anastasia Ax events two times in Helsinki, both with Keränen providing the noise, in early 2010's. Really visceral and immersive performances with A.A. smashing her installation sculptures to pieces, swallowing and spitting ink, Keränen filling the spaces with relentless sound crunch.

Slightly more on-topic: at least touching upon noise, several Mika Vainio books have a CD accompaniment or two.

Time Examined (Raster-Noton, 2009) documents Vainio's installation and performance works.

The Heat Equation (Touch, 2019) has photographs by Vainio-collaborator Joséphine Michel and a CD of MV solo performance. (There's another Touch-published collaboration book from 2015, but haven't seen that.)

M.T.V. 15.05.1963-12.04.2017 (Blast First, 2019) is more of a scrapbook of reminiscences by family, friends and collaborators, with a CD of Pansonic performance.

The Raster-Noton book is the most coherent in terms of visual and audial aspects coming together.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Time Examined (Raster-Noton, 2009) documents Vainio's installation and performance works.
The Raster-Noton book is the most coherent in terms of visual and audial aspects coming together.

Yes, very good one. I think in this book was explained that it was quite hard to collect material for it, as Vainio didn't really keep "CV" in order, like many other artists. Real number of installations and performances or what all was done, remains unknown. Artist preferred to move forward.



Not that I would document my doings too obsessively, been been thinking of removing some of things online. There is Grunt Tumblr page last updated in 2015. Bandcamp was updated a bit late, 2018. Both will be removed if I find the passwords somewhere. At the same time thinking if it is fair to delete something, what someone may have paid for but not downloaded to their own hard drive? I assume deleting entire site will remove those items from "collections". Will have to think would storing information itself be wise, possibly in print.

[Potier]

A couple of years ago I bought this while hunting for more releases from Zbigniew Karkowski's back catalogue:

https://vandieren.com/catalogue/physiques-sonores/
https://www.discogs.com/release/4541439-Zbigniew-Karkowski-Form-Disposition

A CD of Daniel Buess' percussion recordings mixed by ZK that comes with a small paperback book containing ZK's essay "Physiques Sonores".
Both participants have passed away.
While I enjoy the contents of the CD, I severely overestimated my french language skills when I bought the publication.
Suffice it to say that I have given up on pushing through it with whatever translation tools I have handy...

I am still looking to find an english or german translation of the essay - maybe somebody here has a lead...since the book itself makes mention of the fact that it was originally translated from english into french for the project...

[Balor/SS1535]

I just finished the Merzbook from the Merzbox set, and it was (as I am sure some of you are well aware) a very interesting--and surprisingly theoretical at parts--look into the inner-workings of early Merzbow.  I get the feeling that most noise projects now, especially those on the more "extreme music" side of noise would not want to have names like Foucault and Kant name-dropped in an essay about them?

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I just finished the Merzbook from the Merzbox set, and it was (as I am sure some of you are well aware) a very interesting--and surprisingly theoretical at parts--look into the inner-workings of early Merzbow.  I get the feeling that most noise projects now, especially those on the more "extreme music" side of noise would not want to have names like Foucault and Kant name-dropped in an essay about them?

I doubt many would have anything in particular against Kant or Foucault?
First thing that comes to my mind, is Special Interests #11 cover, that was pulled out from Foucault book. Of course, none of his writing or nothing what would make it appear so, but I'm pretty sure there are even guys who would be interested more in how to see their noise via some philosophical theory rather than is it rad ripper or not, eh eh...

[Balor/SS1535]

I just finished the Merzbook from the Merzbox set, and it was (as I am sure some of you are well aware) a very interesting--and surprisingly theoretical at parts--look into the inner-workings of early Merzbow.  I get the feeling that most noise projects now, especially those on the more "extreme music" side of noise would not want to have names like Foucault and Kant name-dropped in an essay about them?

I doubt many would have anything in particular against Kant or Foucault?
First thing that comes to my mind, is Special Interests #11 cover, that was pulled out from Foucault book. Of course, none of his writing or nothing what would make it appear so, but I'm pretty sure there are even guys who would be interested more in how to see their noise via some philosophical theory rather than is it rad ripper or not, eh eh...

That's interesting, and I had no idea about the SI #11 cover (though now, with a second look, I think I recognize what it is!).  When I communicate with or read interviews of projects on the more "extreme" side of noise (as opposed to those that are trying for something more experimental or artistic, if that makes sense), I sometimes get the impression that they dislike any sort of philosophical or academic analysis being applied to their work, preferring to focus on either thematic content or a more concrete discussion of how they make noise.  But maybe that is more opposed to the pseudo-anthropological approach that some academics want to take regarding subcultures.

I do hope to see more articles relating philosophers to noise and power electronics, at least if it is done tastefully!

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I feel it is purely up to do you try to get noise / pe, or if the philosophical jargon and endless name dropping of authors, artists and such seems to be main focus? For me, the academic form is the main obstacle. I have few books that are based on university study of noise or industrial, and it is most of all the form of text, and the language what makes them almost unbearable to read.

If one merely applies the methods of philosophical thought into observing noise/power electronics, you don't even really need to making it difficult to "get". At best, it is merely making possibilities visible, enabling more to be seen/heard that appears on surface. Perhaps giving perspective with combining it with something concrete.

[BlackCavendish]

I have few books that are based on university study of noise or industrial, and it is most of all the form of text, and the language what makes them almost unbearable to read.

I've (literally, minutes ago) just placed an order to get "Rumors of Noizu" and I hope that's not the case!
Pseudo-intellectual writing - and lacking of pictures/visual material to create context - is definitely a major turn down, at least for me. For the same reason I still don't own Novak's Japanoise book (I read a few comments online about supposedly convoluted academic writing... don't know if it's true, so any suggestion would be appreciated).

[Balor/SS1535]

I feel it is purely up to do you try to get noise / pe, or if the philosophical jargon and endless name dropping of authors, artists and such seems to be main focus? For me, the academic form is the main obstacle. I have few books that are based on university study of noise or industrial, and it is most of all the form of text, and the language what makes them almost unbearable to read.

If one merely applies the methods of philosophical thought into observing noise/power electronics, you don't even really need to making it difficult to "get". At best, it is merely making possibilities visible, enabling more to be seen/heard that appears on surface. Perhaps giving perspective with combining it with something concrete.

I completely agree with you here.  There is no excuse for bad writing--even in an academic context.  The point should not be to display how much you "know" about a topic (name-dropping, etc.), but to say something that is actually interesting.  More often than not, I think the latter is easier to achieve with fewer sources.  That's one of the reasons why I appreciate the noise articles that you write every once in a while.  You seem to be focusing on a particular artist or release, while thinking about it in relation to an art movement, book, aesthetic idea, and so on.  I think the people wanting to write about noise from a philosophical or academic perspective should do something similar.