Xn RECORDINGS -label overview

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Xn Recordings from Italy, known for eloborate packaging, and signing most of all established projects that already cult reputation worldwide.
Only analogue collectors items.


XNR 001 Con-Dom Servitude. The First Sermon (7", Ltd, Ora) 1995
For PE label, perhaps best way to get into focus of attention of many fanatics. Publish first part of the legendary Sermon series of Con-Dom, where each 7+1 singles were published by different labels. Made sure that anyone buying any other part would most likely find out about this new Italian label. Well, I guess it would happen anyways. Very good 7". (MA)

XNR 002 Grey Wolves, The A Wealth Of Misery / Lest We Forget (7", Ltd, Ora) 1995
Masters of raw industrial noise and power electronics. I find this 7" one of the best ones of project. Vocals seem to come out very well, and overall aura of 7" is simply great in my own opinion. It's good to be rotated over and over again to really appreciate the low level of "entertainment". That's one of the best sides of GW in my opinion. As opposite of a lot of modern material, you can't talk about entertaining value. You can't talk about brutal extreme vocals, not about ultra brutal sonic attack. Nothing cool. Nothing neat. Just... Grey Wolves. Supreme! (MA)

XNR 003 Hijokaidan Sound Of The Sea (7", Ltd, Red) 1997
Only Japanese band on the label, so of course it has to be nobody else by the King of Noise! Two solid side long pieces of trademark Hijokaidan material with steady high end fuzz of extreme wall of noise. The little vocal/drum/guitar you may sense, are all subjected to aim of creation of ultimate noise. (MA)

XNR 004 Mauthausen Orchestra Kiss The Carpet (10", Ltd) 1999
This is a strange piece. While it is indeed great recording, I have actually received messages from people saying it is not exactly MO release, that many of the songs would be Le Syndicat and other tracks pulled out from Beast666 compilation tapes. And confirmation came from person who put out those compilations and ordered 10" and send some comments. Very strange. Nevertheless, good 10", whoever credits belong to. (MA)

XNR 005 Brighter Death Now Untitled (7", Ltd) 1999
I think BDN has advantage of being so unique and limited to its aesthetic and style, that it is pretty much guaranteed experience. In other hand, same symbols, same style over and over again... Unless you don't have much BDN or you are die hard fan, one could question the need of paying collectors prices of this. 7" comes in heavy duty blank sleeve with foil print text of "BRIGHTER DEATH NOW" in corner and below it "Xn Recordings 005". That's all artwork there is. Same standard symbol in HEAVY vinyl labels. Tracks decent, but perhaps not totally outstanding in projects discography (MA)

XNR 006 Hydra  Anal Test (7", Ltd) 2001
When Final Solution was over, Hydra continued. US power electronics with two synths and vocals. Project seems like it wanted to create the most disturbing frequencies, and it is. One could say that what project like Dominator may have done out of joke, Hydra did for real. So high electronics it is close to borders if it soon disappears from your hearing range. Not his best tracks, but still good. Packaging very comical and colorful by Miguel, known for Whitehouse connected comics etc. (MA)

XNR 007 Sektion B Sleepers Wake Up / NYC, The Judgement Day (7", Ltd, Whi) 2003
Considering the whole discography of label, this seems odd choise. Band with merely couple years of activity and LP's on Steinklang behind them got signed. For 7". But must say that this might be one of best Sektion B releases. Probably thanks to 7" sound quality and that with just couple tracks band doesn't start to repeat too much of its typical structures or sounds like happens on early LP's.  That reminds about situation that Sektion B previous album came in 2002? And now lately only the "hidden tracks" CD for their Japanese concert and mCD has been published. I'd be curious to see where band actually would go with new album, since it's so many years from their previous ones. (MA)

XNR 008 Operation Cleansweep Munich 18/08/2002 - Propaganda For A New Century (LP, Ltd, Red) 2003
XNR 008 Operation Cleansweep Munich 18/08/2002 - Propaganda For A New Century (LP, Ltd, Mar) 2003
Lots of songs from 1st and 2nd album, 7", compilations... perhaps some exclusive track too? Call to Die and The Many are two tracks I don't know where else they'd appear. Great sound, great material. Essential release. For reason or another, I've been total sucker for Operation Cleansweep and that's almost only band in my collection I actually have double copies of the vinyl.  2 of Power Hungry, because I felt I was listening it so much when it came out that I need 2nd one for later use. Two of jerUSAlem, since there was black and gold vinyl. Two of this, since there is two different colors. But let me say that this, for the price it was asked, made no sense. About x2 price simply for different colors... oh please.  But it is great release in great packaging. (MA)

XNR 009 Proiekt Hat / Brighter Death Now Feel - Bad (7", Ltd) 2005
When this came out, I remember that opposition for high priced 7"s had started to peak. People were saying it makes no fucking sense anymore. What is this 20€ + post price tag here. But when you see the release, you understand that cover itself may have cost 5-10 euro to make. I'm sure if this was made in Finland, it would be 10,-. But I'm sure in Italia, they have some mafia controlled sweatshop ready to craft these under regular work & material costs, hah... It is a shame, that release seems to lack any real idea. I mean, what has the artwork and design to do with songs? Maybe something else would have fitted better if bands are doing tongue in cheek cover versions on Michael Jackson "I'm bad"!! and Jackson Five. As retarded as the idea may sound, there are indeed good tracks if you ask me. (MA)

XNR 010 Diutesc What Have You Done? (7", Single, Ltd) 2007
After two little be so & so  LP's, Diutesc digged up some more old tracks which actually are best material he has published to date. Guy that became famous as singer of some hit songs of Genocide Organ, can't reach the same level at his solo work, but this 7" is definitely good purchase for those into old school industrial and PE. (MA)

K7D 001 Proiekt Hat X (Cass, Ltd) 2005
Very neat packaging in special box, lo-fi analogue industrial noise. Maybe some of the swedes will write more? I say it is very good. (MA)

K7D 002 Proiekt Hat XX (Cass, Ltd) 20015
10 years later, another tape. Handmade metal box with insert. Artworks remain non-existent. It's all about material itself. Musically this tape offers some of more rough tape works within postmortem genre. While many "gutter noise" artists don't seem to have so much clue what exactly they're trying to achive, PH isn't here being overly distorted. Not muddy in distant and lazy ways, but seems like there is actually very detailed sound fetishism towards all things tape. Amount of tape hiss, sound artifacts of decaying tape and all that seems conscious, while music itself is far from being noisy. It's rather suffocating loops and blurry keyboard tones, which indicate into utterly minimalist and simple set up, that doesn't intend to go into areas synth modulation etc. My assumption would be just tape-deck-overdriven casio tones and such. Movie samples, which are quite oddly unpopular these days?!

One curious element in this release makes me wonder details. Tape shell is regular ferric tape shell. Meaning just two regular sized holes on top. But tape loaded inside shell seems like would be chrome tape - according to color of tape, which is very dark instead of red-brownish cheap ferric tape. It makes me wonder is this some sort of slap into face of people who have new tape decks with automatic tape mode switch? So they can't adjust it to chrome manually? Or perhaps technical detail, what boosts the intended frequencies? As indeed, chrome tapes sound little different depending what mode you use for playing them. It is also possible, that this is all purely accidental, and I just dream of PH's tape fetish going to odd levels such as this.


For couple years, been talk about another tape release, Diutesc unreleased material on C-60... We'll see when Xn will unleash some new analogue assaults to our ears.

[GEWALTMONOPOL]

I had the PH/BDN 7" and it was so awful I had to get rid of it. Had the music lived up to the packaging it may have been the best 7" ever produced so maybe it was for the sake of cosmic equilibrium they decided the sounds had to be terrible. For BDN to do a Michael Jackson cover makes perfect sense. This stems from the period when he was in full blown clown mode so it fits him like a glove. But for PH to join such a suckfest? I'm baffled!

Mikko, open your fucking ears. Not even the fantastic artwork can save this shit. It's an abortion!

[bogskaggmannen]

I simply wonder if there are any real vinyl labels in Europe (especially industrial/PE type) nowadays that does more say "experimental" packaging with their output? For example Tesco also did that earlier but as less and less records are released on vinyl at all and the ones that comes these days are most often ordinary ones (besides their GO releases). Nothing wrong with it but it would be nice to see also more elaborate vinyl packages - and by that I don't mean VOD-boxsets! But perhaps most ideas has been done and making special covers would make end product even more expensive = maybe not option for most labels.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I can't say I'd know any. Think about tapes and CD's too. Not so much of "special" packaging really. I mean, dvd case or oversized A5/dvd size cardboard isn't "special".
It's possible some future FA releases will have "special covers".

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Mikko, open your fucking ears. Not even the fantastic artwork can save this shit. It's an abortion!

Damn, I was just about to reply on this, and not to sound like I would simply make up thing, I rather know what I talk about, and decided to go through the material.
Well, turns out that my review on BDN 7" was in a way accurate, in a way bs. Simply, because I confused it with that other pic 7" I just listened while ago. Turns out I have not bought the Xn 7" due reasons mentioned on the review. But now got urge to complete my set. Anyone willing to sell 7" for around 20,- ?

But lets get into BDN/PH 7". I still hold my opinion that it is good 7". BDN is simply little bit more faster paced. Steady raw pulse pumping some bad beats while Karmanik does his best to vokill the original version. It is certainly humoristic, but with the samples going on the background, with filthy sound, I don't see it simply as 100% goofy, but with also commentary on the cult figures of world.
PH is surprisingly similar in his approach. There is one heavy loop, which might be sample motown beat, with bassy echoing sound, on the top derange vocal performance with disturbing "lame" feedback, something that doesn't violently feedback all the time, but just irritates your senses with occasional high pitched damage. Again, nothing cool, nothing nice, just audio-junk. I like it. I think BDN does it better here, while PH track is too little idea for too long playingtime. And, also compared where BDN at his best isn't that far away from this, while PH at his best is very far away from this.

[GEWALTMONOPOL]

Different strokes chief. What you call filthy/raw sound I call shitty sound. It's not 100% goofy. It's 50% goofy and another 50% Bad. Yes, my pun is almost as awful as the record.

I'll throw another card on the table. Had this been by Brighter Death Nobody and Proiekt Whogivsafuck it would NEVER in a million years have been released the way it was. Goes without saying as it is Xn of course but I doubt any other label would have bothered either. It would have, and should have rotted away on a crappy home made CD-r on Turgid Animal or some other label known for its lax quality control.

I'll take the SEKTION B release any day over the above 7".

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Got the original copy of BDN 7" finally, making the Xn collection complete... Therefore the overview complete!

[catharticprocess]

I'll throw another card on the table. Had this been by Brighter Death Nobody and Proiekt Whogivsafuck it would NEVER in a million years have been released the way it was.

Cheers to that! There is absolutely nothing different in the industrial scene from any other pop music genre. It's just another wing of the culture industry. (The one who coined the term "industrial" being a major engine of the commodification of art-as-resistance.)

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Xn label boss has been very frank about this in interview what they gave. They made it clear they are not interested in "new names", they're not looking for promos or getting into releasing new acts. They want to release something that has history and merit. So one could say that NONE of their releases, which quite often look pretty nice, would be done as nicely if it was someone else.

The more wanted name, the more expensive and nicer package is being... hmm... tolerated? Pretty much everybody accepts this from their favorite band, but despises rest for doing so.

[jc]

the packaging is nice for these items, but the prices are simply retarded. the prices are so high even, that out of the 12 releases he's done (excluding shirts), half are still available 5-13 years after they were released, including the bdn/ph split.

[sperm+killing]

XNR 004 Mauthausen Orchestra Kiss The Carpet (10", Ltd) 1999
This is a strange piece. While it is indeed great recording, I have actually received messages from people saying it is not exactly MO release, that many of the songs would be Le Syndicat and other tracks pulled out from Beast666 compilation tapes. And confirmation came from person who put out those compilations and ordered 10" and send some comments. Very strange. Nevertheless, good 10", whoever credits belong to. (MA)

I noticed that when listening to the recent Le Syndicat compilation cd "Timespace Losses". Actually, if you pay close attention to the old MO tapes you'll notice a lot of other material was creatively "appropriated" from other artists.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I think this style of borrowing other people's noise is quite common. It's up to attitude if it's bad, ok or even good. One could think bands like Graveyard/Volksfront label stuff, Macronympha, Emil Beaulieau, M.O., BDN, Nothingisttrue, etc etc..  and would one relate to industrial-noise as personal soundcraftmanship or recycling of industrial element...?  I think it was M.O.'s Necrofellatio where is quote easy to listen patterns of Whitehouse "total sex"? Even if it's possible one could simply use same WASP synth, I think sounds follow so similar patterns and always cut off exactly when you feel the vocals would enter, heh..?
But it most certainly explains little bit of sucky quality of MO's own later output, where the actually good sounds (of others) have been removed and what is left, is the crappy keyboards through lame effect.

I think pricing of Xn is ok compared to assumed packaging/manufacturing costs.
Most of these bands enjoy the status of being auction merchants pets? If 7"s are still available for 10.. 12... 15.. 20,- after decade, I find it's good. Compared to being sold out instantly and auctioned for 25.. 30.. 50,- ?  I rather see label being able to make records what fit to their vision of how they should look, than the handful of ebayer's who prefer to buy stack of releases and inflate the price.

Over the years I have re-stocked all Xn stuff and it eventually always sells. And perhaps it would be time to get few more Hijokaidan, Hydra, OC LP etc..

[ConcreteMascara]

Not to derail the thread but I was looking into picking up either JerUSAlem or Powerhungry by Operation Cleansweep. Any opinions on which one to go after first? I know that JerUSAlem is a little less expensive, but neither are cheap.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Do you have this live LP? It has tracks from both. And perhaps even better versions? So THAT could be perhaps good first purchase. If you like it, then you can pretty much compare which track comes from where and make decisions. Powerhungry I have listened so many time that it's hard to have JerUSAlem to compete with that. Simply matter of when they came out, but makes objective view very difficult.

[ABISSO]

XNR 001 Con-Dom Servitude. The First Sermon (7", Ltd, Ora) 1995
For PE label, perhaps best way to get into focus of attention of many fanatics. Publish first part of the legendary Sermon series of Con-Dom, where each 7+1 singles were published by different labels. Made sure that anyone buying any other part would most likely find out about this new Italian label. Well, I guess it would happen anyways. Very good 7". (MA)

XNR 002 Grey Wolves, The A Wealth Of Misery / Lest We Forget (7", Ltd, Ora) 1995
Masters of raw industrial noise and power electronics. I find this 7" one of the best ones of project. Vocals seem to come out very well, and overall aura of 7" is simply great in my own opinion. It's good to be rotated over and over again to really appreciate the low level of "entertainment". That's one of the best sides of GW in my opinion. As opposite of a lot of modern material, you can't talk about entertaining value. You can't talk about brutal extreme vocals, not about ultra brutal sonic attack. Nothing cool. Nothing neat. Just... Grey Wolves. Supreme! (MA)

in desperate search of these