Recommendations

Started by harorld, July 17, 2013, 11:09:55 PM

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harorld

Howdy. I'm relatively new to the world of PE/Noise etc and am hoping that you all could recommend a handful of acts that I should be aware of/begin looking for to add to my collection. I've been listening to a lot of:

Nicole 12
Whithouse
SPK
Operation Cleansweep
Genocide Organ

Something about the temperature and lyrical content of albums like Powerhungry seem really relevant today.

I know that folks can shoot off a list of 50 names just off the top of their heads, but perhaps if you could recommend some universally acclaimed albums, older and new, that'd be greatly appreciated!

harorld

Thanks so much for the recommendations. I'll check these out immediately! These sound really really good.

Quote from: Si Clark on July 17, 2013, 11:17:30 PM
If you like Nicole 12 I would recommend Graustich.

Personally I would also check out Filth & Violence. Great label with a good range of artists. Not sure where you live but there are quite a few distributors of their stuff if you don't want to order direct. Also you can't go wrong with the recent batch of Freak Animal alubms - BIZARRE UPROAR "Mass / FF" CD, BIZARRE UPROAR "Unsafe And Insane" CD, BUDRÜS "Canine Visions IX" CD, JAAKKO VANHALA "Here Be Lions" CD, PEENEMÜNDE "II" CD.

davenpdx

I know that you're looking for album recommendations, but I'm going to provide some reading recommendations regarding power electronics instead. If you haven't already read these, they ought to provide a useful introduction to the genre and will suggest other avenues to explore. There is really good stuff being produced right now & I'm sure folk here will be full of suggestions regarding that, but honestly I'm gonna advocate starting by exploring the history of PE as a genre, and checking out the "classics" first as much as possible.

I'd strongly recommend exposing yourself to as much of the "Canon of Power Electronics" as possible, see the thread here:
http://www.special-interests.net/forum/index.php?topic=13.0

You mention Whitehouse, so if you're interested in early PE, I'd also suggest reading the Postscript to "Bang Out of Order", located here:
http://bangoutoforder.blogspot.com/2005/08/postscript.html

Some of the comments in that one are hilariously flippant, so take with more than a grain of salt... 

If you find yourself drawn to early power electronics, you should certainly also acquire the first issue of As Loud As Possible magazine and read their lengthy feature on the history of the Broken Flag label.

I would also highly recommend picking up as many issues of Special Interests 'zine as possible, and going through the "The Essentials" feature, in which noise artists & label proprietors name their favorite/most influential releases. Presumably you're aware of the publication already from being on this forum, so excuse me if I'm stating the obvious...

Some of the titles mentioned in "The Essentials" are also included in a Discogs list here.

Hope this is useful.
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harorld

Thanks davenpdx, Peterson, and Si Clark for the comprehensive reading and listening recommendations. These all sound super interesting. I really don't know squat about the history of PE nor have I read a copy of the Special Interests zine but will remedy that post-haste!

I am certainly interested in earlier PE but also want to hear whats being produced today as well. For whatever reason, maybe it's the cultural/political climate these days, but I'm finding PE to really resonate and find the ambient/abstract qualities of it all incredibly immersive. I had friends who were super into noise/PE/industrial back when in college, but I stuck with things like Arvo Part and Harold Budd and Labradford. My PE interest really kicked in when I started listening to earlier Clandestine Haze records and found out that Nicole 12 existed. Prior to that I'd only heard a smattering of Whitehouse or Operation Cleansweep when a friend happened to put it on.

Do any PE groups exist out there that deal with (thematically) things pertaining to the environment/earth/nature/prehistory? Kinda like the Agalloch or Antediluvian of PE?


Vigilante Ecstasy

Quote from: harorld on July 18, 2013, 04:04:15 AMDo any PE groups exist out there that deal with (thematically) things pertaining to the environment/earth/nature/prehistory? Kinda like the Agalloch or Antediluvian of PE?

Not exactly what you asked, but check out Green Army Fraction.

Halogen by Whitehouse has always been somewhat "ambientish" power electronics for me, or some kind of a softer album in pe. But could be just my own weird perception. I would also recommend Cunt by Azoikum, for me that record has stood the test of time.
I'm tensed up/To watch the sex film

Steve

Why not take a listen to Special Interests Radio Show ? Or go to www.mixcloud.com/muhsteve/ and have a listen to mine!!

Johann

#6
Quote from: harorld on July 18, 2013, 04:04:15 AM

Do any PE groups exist out there that deal with (thematically) things pertaining to the environment/earth/nature/prehistory?


Militia deals with environmental themes I'm pretty sure, Con-dom (mike dando) highly recommended in this genre. Also check out Dave Phillips, he isn't PE but his work is extremely intense (you can check out his stuff for free on bandcamp), its diverse and deals with many social and environmental themes. Incredible live act too.

http://dave-phillips.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VweQPiyrgI - Con-Dom track from the Eighth Pillar, honestly i havent really heard bad things about any of his releases from people that enjoy him.
http://www.special-interests.net/forum/index.php?topic=76.0 this is an extensive thread on his stuff, real informative.

I can't recommend any Militia or Con-Dom personally but i'm sure someone would be happy to fill you in. good luck, hope you find what your looking for

Baglady

Besides some early Whitehouse, Con-Dom "The Eighth Pillar" was my first glimpse into power electronics, and I still hold it as a favorite. Unique and personal approach, and an album that definitely stands out in the genre. The "All in good faith" album is another favorite, and if you're willing to pay 30-50$, "Colour of a mans skin" 2LP + double 7" set. These three I'd say are his best works. But maybe that's just me.

Baglady

But hey! Check out the "Canon of power electronics" thread here on the forum.

Andrew McIntosh

The classics are classics for a reason. Go first to the names that everyone trusts - Con-Dom, The Grey Wolves, Ramleh, Sutcliffe Jugend, Atrax Morgue, Brighter Death Now, Whitehouse*, MB, Mauthausen Orchestra, Le Syndicate, Genocide Organ, SPK, etc. - I promise you, whether you branch out from the originals and best or not, if you have a taste for Power Electronics, you will never be disappointed. Listen to them, absorb them, understand them. To quote the Satanists, "here is bedrock" - anything else is just pure bonus. And that's not to deny just how great the bonus can be, but you have to have your meat and veggies before you get a taste for haute cuisine, and the longer you stay with this genre the more you discover that the meat and veggies are delicious enough for any appetite.
Seriously, all these projects will give you a lifetime of sordid pleasure. And you want that.

Personal additions - Streicher, Bizarre Uproar, IRM. These I would rate as highly as the originators, but horses for courses.

(*Have to admit I've never been a Whitehouse fan personally, but I've never denied their importance in the field).
Shikata ga nai.

ImpulsyStetoskopu

... and evergreen question: what is power electronics ? :) Of course, I don't want to start this stupid conversation... but expectations are very important here...

Andrew McIntosh

It's a question that's very easily answered by listening to it. You will know - you will know.
Shikata ga nai.