GRS110 Kohei Gomi / Masahiko Ohno / Toshiji Mikawa / Akifumi Nakajima The Four Shrines (4xCass, Ltd, C40) 1996
I recall that originally there wasn't mentioned artists like this? Listing style is from discogs. I remember that it only listed each "project name" in GROSS catalogue. Artist details are found from packaging. Nice special project with session of 4 noise masters together and Akifumi being the mastermind here. Both, sound and the design. Exceptional packaging and full length sessions of each:
Meiji Jingu is Aube + Pain Jerk,
Ise Jingu is Aube + Solmania
Heian Jingu is Aube + Incapacitants
Atsuta Jingu is entire crew together
Out of these all, Aube + Pain Jerk is the winner. Just restless and brutal harsh noise. It starts with typical Aube style queit loop and neat usage of reverb, but Gomi's noises start to brutalize and dominate whole sound after a while. We end up into full-on Pain Jerk'sih harshness for long periods of time, only to return back into squeeling loops of vco/feedback sounds. Of course Pain Jerk at the time was in loop frenzy as well.
The rest, are not bad. How Aube mixes his stuff, it's works for his own, and selected amount of other things. Running some Solmania noises through effects could be good, but overall, re-effected already effect-based material is not always winning recipe. Quite opposite. Starting from raw and sharp and compact material will most likely give better results, unless method is adding stuff, instead of manipulating the existing one.
This same could be said about Aube+Incapacitants (or Mikawa solo actually) project. Rawness of Mikawa's electronics is not really present here until maybe later part of b-side. Tape starts with highly processed drone sounds and eventually becomes noise. But throw in tremolo and reverb and delay etc, and the fast modulated ripping quality of Mikawas work is very distant below the efx heavy sound of Aube. Eventually disturning and painful elements of Mikawa's noise start to crawl on the top. Still driven through slow flanger soon removes ferocity and makes it simply droning. Eventually drone is buried under heavy brutal harsh noise, which has way more bass rumble than Mikawa generally uses. Effect heavy, maybe closer to "As Loud As Possible" style of Incapacitants and is pretty close to the level of Aube/Pain Jerk set.
Of course one should not expect each tape being what the projects do as solo. Instead something what qualifies to be done under different name. Packaging and theme of four shrines release is very unique, and despite it is not as phenomenal like for example Density -compilation or some solo works of these artists, it is different - and very justified addition to collection even if you'd have bunch of stuff from everybody. Certainly expensive item to get now. I got my copy years ago, not even 100% sure who sold it to me. I got two theories, but nevertheless this is the ltd 14 copies metal tape edition what was for "staff only". It's dubbed all-on-red style and actually doesn't sound as phenomenal as most of the GROSS stuff. For reason or another. I may need to give a try to another tape deck too!
