the very best of DANIEL MENCHE ?

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Huh, just listened DANIEL MENCHE & ANLA COURTIS "Yagua ovy" LP. Bought this LP from Second Layer shop london during Broken Flag festival and basically the main reason was that I saw the cover with painting of wolf. Front cover has no text in it, but I knew I will buy this just because I liked the wolf hiding in woods behind green branch of otherwise "dead" and lifeless looking forest.

And sometimes simply the utterly irrational gut feeling leads you to masterpiece. Of course in shop I knew this is Daniel Menche's release, but at home I could fully experience the magnificent quality of it.  Anla uses "pizza tins, guitar, tapes & processing" and Menche "snow, rocks, processing, final mixing". Very rich textures of non-distorted physical sounds. It's damn well cut, lacking ALL vinyl surface noises and all unwanted distortions. From delicate micro sounds to busy and heavier dense mixing of all elements blends into something which indeed is something I have dreamt to be called "ruralist noise". It is experimental music, but at times certainly crosses the line of becoming noisy enough to qualify "noise", but at all times it totally evades feel of urbanity. No effect gadgets, very little of industrial waste, very little of feel of transgressions and anxiety. Just organic and natural. Guitar appears in very minimal role in composition, and could have been substituted with something.

Anyways, I'm sure the forum has many Menche admirers. Even if I have plenty of his works, old, new and something between, I'd like to hear suggestions. This particular LP went on very high spot on my personal view. Yet, I also have sweet spot on noisier and "darker" early Menche.

[whateverforever]

I've seen him play locally a few times lately, but the last thing I remember buying or listening to from Menche was "Creatures of Cadence" from 2006 definitely a favorite even though I don't think I've listened to it in a few years. Similar sounding perhapse to that lp. Very organic and smaller in stature then pieces constructed from giant resonanating metal or waterfall wall noise.

[Human Larvae]

The only physical release I have is the Odradek CD from 2009. Reminds me of newer IRM, lots of drone and very organic feel. and dense!

[P-K]

Odradek is great, indeed very later-IRM-like, droning organ etc ....

have a good 10" by him (Radiant Blood), morbid dissonant piano-work. good!
Vent cd was good....great buildup to climax.
Tesco 12" was good,
Screaming Caress cd : quite to loud dynamic noise.
...

my fav :  Beautiful Blood , he shure knows how to build tension on that one....

[Mikerdeath]

 
One of Menche's only live performances from 2012 was in the largest square foot room in the city of Portland.
D. Menche - Live @ YU Contemporary Arts Center
http://vimeo.com/41471088
^This is very good.

I would say that "rural noise" is a pretty accurate description of his work and its all of the utmost quality.

[ImpulsyStetoskopu]

Anyways, I'm sure the forum has many Menche admirers. Even if I have plenty of his works, old, new and something between, I'd like to hear suggestions. This particular LP went on very high spot on my personal view. Yet, I also have sweet spot on noisier and "darker" early Menche.

I like this composer very much and I prefer his early period. My the most favourite albums are:
"Screaming Caress"
"Vent"
"Scourge (That's Her Name!)"
"October's Larynx"
"Beautiful Blood"

[Zeno Marx]

Looking at Discogs for a timeline, I lost interest around the Field of Skin (1997) period.  Screaming Caress felt like a bridge between his early period and the next period.  It still had moments of that granular, organic, dense noise, but by Field of Skin (Rusty Ghosts, Scourge, Crawling Towards), the plasticity and sterility had taken over.  A few years later with October's Larynx, he again impressed me.  I haven't heard much since then, but I thought Concussions was interesting.  Maybe Deluge was fine as well?  Looking at his catalogue since 2000 is like looking at Dissecting Table's catalogue.  It's overwhelming.      

Legions in the Walls remains my favorite an an all-time favorite pick overall.

[bitewerksMTB]

I have the 12" on Tesco that I remember having good sounds. Nothing else I had grabbed me much for re-listening. Not too long ago, I read through his blog & listened to a bunch of stuff like the work made from waterfall sources. I like his outdoor adventure photos.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned his early work which, I think, was closer to harsh noise?

[Zeno Marx]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned his early work which, I think, was closer to harsh noise?

I don't think he had a single misstep (maybe the Hudak split) up to Screaming Caress (early 1997).  All top-quality noise work, and then things like Furious Eclipse were deceptively aggressive in their beauty.  It all came together with Legions, so it does make some sense to change direction after such a plateau.

[tisbor]

I think my favorite Daniel Menche works are actually the crude field recordings he often posts on his soundcloud. Some of them sound amazing and don't need any additional editing.

[ConcreteMascara]

John Wiese + Daniel Menche ‎– Behold The Scathing Light CD - The sharp sound is closer to Wiese but the overall vibe/style is that of drone. I want to say almost "aggressive" drone. I haven't listened to it for a while but I liked it a lot when it came out.

[Zeno Marx]

I think my favorite Daniel Menche works are actually the crude field recordings he often posts on his soundcloud. Some of them sound amazing and don't need any additional editing.

I thought we had a field recordings thread.  I cannot find it.

http://danielmenche.bandcamp.com/album/raw-recording-series-volume-one

I grabbed that just about a year ago now, and I'm just getting to listening to it.  Great field recordings, and as you said, nothing additional is necessary.  I grew up around freight trains.  They're familiar and relaxing.  I haven't lived near a set of tracks for a long time, and none of my hikes get me near tracks.  I really miss the sounds and setting.  The two tracks here, especially the first one, are great to have and play.  "Ant Hill" and "Ocean Caves" are a couple of the other nicer tracks.

[Leatherface]

For me the best Daniel Menche release is "Field of Skin" cd, Soleilmoon Recordings, 1997

[burdizzo]

The one I listened to a lot was the "Furnace Fucker" tape on G.R.O.S.S. from 1994. Always seemed hot, sweaty, dark... Could be something to do with the title. Soft-edged enough, too. Used to put it on to go to sleep to years ago when I was a bit of an insomniac. I was nearly always out before the tape ended. Perfect!

[xeela_sunston]

i like his glass forest release and kataract aswell.