Why bother listen to Cut Hands?

[Johann]

aren't middle eastern, tibetan, african samples and instruments cheesy by now?

i don't think so at all. i personally find (good) middle eastern, african music (etc etc) to be far more engaging and rewarding to listen to than pretty much anything  else and am not bothered by respectable (IMHO) artist trying to integrate those instruments or sounds, because i feel there is no right way an instrument has to be played so why not try something we are culturally unfamiliar with (that lacks certain preconceptions say that a guitar, or snare drum might have), i actually find the idea to be incredibly liberating.

i think bad use of these instruments in obvious new age music, or 80's jazz recordings (such as, Yusef Lateef) is what in turn has turned so many people off to the idea of this music.

As far as cut hands goes, i found the first album to be pretty good (not phenomenal, but not offensive) and the second album to be rather lacking (if i remember correctly)...it is far from being ethnic or tribal, but i didn't expect that and i it makes sense looking at WB progression through late period WH works like Birdseed, an album i enjoy and brings me a lot of joy with every listen (i find its energy to have an extremely positive effect). i really wished cut hands offered more and too wanted something more hypnotic and trance inducing. i will continue to follow the project into the future on at least some level because i think it has potential. the album artwork was however very unappealing to me, it just looks to clean, slightly cheesey.  

[Black_Angkar]

People just want to dismiss Cut Hands because it's different, proving their normal-person "I don't like change" mentality. Personally I think C.H. is not amazing but preferable over anything noisier or more PE that Mr. Bennett could have done.

I mostly agree with that sentiment, which always bothers me - when people just act upon some stagnated conservatism (in regards to music). Happens in every genre of course. Yet then I read some criticism of it which made me think "it's quite good, But it could've been done better", so I'd say I respect constructive criticism, but despise mandatory approval or disapproval.
I'm in a swinging mood about some tracks, while others benefit from the sound (I mentioned "Welcome to the feats of trumpets earlier, which I find remarkably good). But thankfully it's not just whitehouse by another name.

[bitewerksMTB]

http://mimsydeblois.tumblr.com/

The woman who does the artwork for CH is pretty cute.

[Andrew McIntosh]

People just want to dismiss Cut Hands because it's different, proving their normal-person "I don't like change" mentality. Personally I think C.H. is not amazing but preferable over anything noisier or more PE that Mr. Bennett could have done.

So would many, many other things.

[murderous_vision]

http://mimsydeblois.tumblr.com/

The woman who does the artwork for CH is pretty cute.

I think she also does the nut emptying for Cut Hands as well...

[hsv]

I would like to see how it works live in the right environment as well.

I saw Bennett live in an underground techno venue in Stockholm a while back... a good placement, since it wasn't at all a "live gig" one should watch. It's a DJ set that people are meant to dance to, but with passages of drone and feedback-type sounds cut in here and there. From that gig, and listening to a few tracks on youtube right now, I can probably mostly agree with other people here: it's pretty ok, not great, not too bad either, don't care much. I would call this techno music, no more no less... the ideas behind it doesn't seem to unique.

[Black_Angkar]

I would like to see how it works live in the right environment as well.

I saw Bennett live in an underground techno venue in Stockholm a while back... a good placement, since it wasn't at all a "live gig" one should watch. It's a DJ set that people are meant to dance to, but with passages of drone and feedback-type sounds cut in here and there. From that gig, and listening to a few tracks on youtube right now, I can probably mostly agree with other people here: it's pretty ok, not great, not too bad either, don't care much. I would call this techno music, no more no less... the ideas behind it doesn't seem to unique.

was it at the Solna subway station? In that case know the organiser. Played that venue with Feberdröm as well. To a gloriously nonexistent audience. Some drunk in the other band (Soviet Jazz?) set a sofa on fire. Well yes. I was going to see that show, but I never managed to get to Stockholm.

[hsv]

I would like to see how it works live in the right environment as well.

I saw Bennett live in an underground techno venue in Stockholm a while back... a good placement, since it wasn't at all a "live gig" one should watch. It's a DJ set that people are meant to dance to, but with passages of drone and feedback-type sounds cut in here and there. From that gig, and listening to a few tracks on youtube right now, I can probably mostly agree with other people here: it's pretty ok, not great, not too bad either, don't care much. I would call this techno music, no more no less... the ideas behind it doesn't seem to unique.

was it at the Solna subway station? In that case know the organiser. Played that venue with Feberdröm as well. To a gloriously nonexistent audience. Some drunk in the other band (Soviet Jazz?) set a sofa on fire. Well yes. I was going to see that show, but I never managed to get to Stockholm.

Yes exactly. It's funny because the place does 90% techno parties and such, but a few people (my gang, Johan, maybe someone else...) put on more experimental shows there (we have booked LR, Forza Albino, Puce Mary and a few others there), so with the slight crossover between experimental music audiences and ravers in that place it's a seemingly ideal spot for Cut Hands... the audience at his show was kinda split into the usual noise guys most of whom stood still and watched/listened, some "hipsters" who didn't seem to know what to think, and a few brave techno kids who really went crazy.
I think I was in CPH when you played, otherwise I would have come for sure. Johan is sadly kind of bad at advertising his nights. I heard something about a sofa incident as well. But now we're getting off topic.

[Ashley Choke]

Nothing is cheesy, if it's done right, with conviction and a sense of aesthetics. I hear and see none of these traits in Cut Hands, an Internet dating, self-esteem flawed Richie Hatwin wannabe has been PE twat mimicking the worst parts of the 90s/00s Power Noise scene on a cheap laptop. Both live and on record the project does next to nothing for me. No focus on building a mood/experimenting or blowing heads for that matter. Just the same rehashed sterile routine for every track. I know I'm being pretty harsh here, but as I see it the question would rather be "Why bother discussing Cut Hands?" There's tons of interesting new music out there why use time on such a uninspired death cramps

[Black_Angkar]

Nothing is cheesy, if it's done right, with conviction and a sense of aesthetics. I hear and see none of these traits in Cut Hands, an Internet dating, self-esteem flawed Richie Hatwin wannabe has been PE twat mimicking the worst parts of the 90s/00s Power Noise scene on a cheap laptop. Both live and on record the project does next to nothing for me. No focus on building a mood/experimenting or blowing heads for that matter. Just the same rehashed sterile routine for every track. I know I'm being pretty harsh here, but as I see it the question would rather be "Why bother discussing Cut Hands?" There's tons of interesting new music out there why use time on such a uninspired death cramps

Your initial statement nails it very much, though I disagree with the rest of the sentiment. I think this project has its flaws but not so awful/irrelevant it shouldn't be discussed at all.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

We certainly discuss it because of Whitehouse connection.
I think the curious point WB has mentioned before, and also mentions in linked radio interview, is that he considers it blessing he came from "outside", not really growing inside/along genre of music. So his approach is different. In a way I have some respect for this - as opposed to shallow copycat bands simply following expectations of genre.
But to say, this would be guaranteed better route - I strongly agree. It appears quite clear, that the guys who simply are not interested and do not follow what is being done, can't really put things in perspective. Their "new" or "mindblowing" thing might have been routine for decades. Their neat sounds with wonderful new tools may purely accidental. At one point of history you end up with Korg ms-10 or WASP... In next moment you have kaos pad and generic plug-ins with laptop. You go for it, and it comes out good or bad.
Especially Whitehouse is far more than just accident based on getting "wasp synth". That tool or even better tools, have been in hands of thousands, who failed to go as far as Whitehouse. But there are great number of examples where people just "lost it" - at least when looking from perspective of listener. And it appears to have a lot to do with not being really interested in type of music in general. Or not been into it for several decades, and then just return to do "my own thing". Which very often falls miserably low when perspective of level just isn't there and nothing is pushing forward. (see quality control discussion)

cut hands: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GglYtHJhBhY
test dept: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seYltGfnrhQ
cut hands: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HorXEtSM3xg
Rapoon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2daKDHBxV8&feature=related
cut hands: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YyUOf9lDjg
Dissecting Table: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUop-xx_otY&feature=related
Winterkälte: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggObjVux-t4&feature=relmfu
Cut Hands: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmbEBIm7r0Q

etc.. Of course these are not "the same", but certainly as much same as saying all noise or PE is poorly rehashing ideas.
Of course there being good bands, doesn't exclude possibility of CH being also good, but it appears to me, that this whole "tribal industrial" thing that's been going since.. I don't know, early 80's, has used pretty much every idea but in less technologically flat methods. And the new innovations found it CH's work is most of all in ears who have not followed what has been done for decades.

Certainly I approve that artists who has gained some status by delivering exceptionally good material - will automatically be noticed and discussed much more than some new guy. But obviously the war of life, should dominate that every moment is the struggle where artists needs to prove excellency. If it's based merely on past achievements, it simply should die soon on natural causes. I'm sure it will happen to many of who have done "come backs", when span of attention simply is  drying up. Theirs and audiences.

Most of these "new" things, be it Prurient that sounds like late 80's Controlled Bleeding or something.. it's new and innovative for those who have missed the big picture of genre. Nowadays it's so damn easy to find stuff, new and old, that I would recommend those who are blown away by some "gimmick", check out past where such gimmick may have blossomed in natural creative flow.

[Black_Angkar]

Most of these "new" things, be it Prurient that sounds like late 80's Controlled Bleeding or something.. it's new and innovative for those who have missed the big picture of genre. Nowadays it's so damn easy to find stuff, new and old, that I would recommend those who are blown away by some "gimmick", check out past where such gimmick may have blossomed in natural creative flow.

Agree completely.

Now getting slightly off topic, but this Prurient material (I only heard "A meal can be made" from that album), sounds like just EBM/dancemusic with growl vocals, which of course says nothing about quality at all (only a matter of taste), why people treat this as treading new ground I can hardly grasp (I mean as early as SPK, bands moved in a danceable pop direction). The only reason this is still relevant in a strictly PE/industrial context is the name of the project. To connect this to both CH and your earlier post - I think music "scenes" are less about musical styles and more about infrastructure - artists, fans and labels. A label like Release the bats is an excellent example of this as they represent a high level of eclecticism and yet manage to make it coherent independent of the music itself.

[jc]

i just wanted to chime in with a nonsensical reply regarding the earlier mentions of arab/middle eastern samples and how vatican shadow is muslimgauze for these shitheaded little 20 year old emo assholes who have never heard of him and idolize the hospital records guy as if he invented noise. regarding cut hands and the aforementioned muslimgauze tribute band, they are playing london next saturday but unfortunately the concert starts at 10pm and ends at 6am leaving me likely to get assaulted in a filthy slumhole so i shall not attend. oh well. woe is me.

[Zeno Marx]

aren't middle eastern, tibetan, african samples and instruments cheesy by now?

i don't think so at all. i personally find (good) middle eastern, african music (etc etc) to be far more engaging and rewarding to listen to than pretty much anything  else and am not bothered by respectable (IMHO) artist trying to integrate those instruments or sounds, because i feel there is no right way an instrument has to be played so why not try something we are culturally unfamiliar with (that lacks certain preconceptions say that a guitar, or snare drum might have), i actually find the idea to be incredibly liberating.

Good response.  I wish there was more use of Middle Eastern and North African musics...if studied and understood a bit before use.  I find Azam Ali, Yas, Niyaz, Amar El Achab, Farida & the Iraqi Maqam Ensemble, and the like to be some of the most beautiful, most interesting, , and most powerful music to grace my ears these days.  Indian classical isn't too far behind with a rich sound palette that could be used outside its traditions.

[Cementimental]

tribute band, they are playing london next saturday but unfortunately the concert starts at 10pm and ends at 6am leaving me likely to get assaulted in a filthy slumhole so i shall not attend. oh well. woe is me.

Off topic but just in case you hadn't heard, there's a 10x better noise/PE london show clashing with that on the same night at an even filthier slumhole (venue if not location-wise) - http://www.wegottickets.com/event/180753