PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[Deadpriest]

Merzbow - Merzbox

Listened through the whole box in chronological order again. I "often" revisit some of the '90s material in this box but this was only the second time I listened to everything. It's no surprise that the earliest stuff (starting from 1979) is not pure genius but actually at times pretty bad and pointless experimentation. No one is a master in the beginning. Slowly the sounds get more harsh and/or interesting. I didn't remember that there was so little pure harsh noise in the box, first one being probably Newark Hellfire live from 1990 (disc #37). For my tastes the material gets stronger towards the end and some of the final discs I could just listen to over and over again. This box works as a great window to the beginnings of Merzbow's career even if not everything is pure gold. But I doubt there is any artist that could fill a 50 CD box with brilliant stuff if only taken from unreleased tapes and obscure small releases.

How's the book that came with it?

[Deadpriest]

Merzbow - Merzbient
Prurient - Arrowhead
Skin Graft - Dystrophy
Bizarre Uproar - Rape Africa
Cunting Daughters - Mercy Infound
Crossed Out - 1990 to  1993
Origin - Entity
Disleksick/Ragebomb - Disleksick/Ragebomb
Brainbombs - Souviners

[moozz]

Merzbow - Merzbox

Listened through the whole box in chronological order again. I "often" revisit some of the '90s material in this box but this was only the second time I listened to everything. It's no surprise that the earliest stuff (starting from 1979) is not pure genius but actually at times pretty bad and pointless experimentation. No one is a master in the beginning. Slowly the sounds get more harsh and/or interesting. I didn't remember that there was so little pure harsh noise in the box, first one being probably Newark Hellfire live from 1990 (disc #37). For my tastes the material gets stronger towards the end and some of the final discs I could just listen to over and over again. This box works as a great window to the beginnings of Merzbow's career even if not everything is pure gold. But I doubt there is any artist that could fill a 50 CD box with brilliant stuff if only taken from unreleased tapes and obscure small releases.

How's the book that came with it?

One page dedicated to each disc plus plenty of history. It's been over 15 years since I read the book so I cannot get too detailed. One thing that bothers me is that there are quotes (at least one) from an interview that is credited to me. I never interviewed Masami or anyone else so obviously someone is left uncredited. Still kinda nice to have my name in the book although misspelled :)

[Peterson]

Snuff "III" CD (Filth & Violence)
   Sam McKinlay mentions in an Ultra review that he imagines Gary Ridgway or Ted Bundy flexing in front of a mirror before going out to hunt – I'd say that's a pretty easy-to-imagine scenario, although I'd suggest imagining that maybe some Marc Dutroux-type motherfucker out there in Serbia or rural Russia is actually listening to Snuff before going out and poaching humans. Shit. Very disturbing. Actually the CD is just the Angolan flag – due to the low life expectancy rate and really high infant mortality rate over there, I've heard that some really rough shit goes down. In the '90's and early '00s, you would hear descriptions of snuff films produced in countries like Colombia, Brazil, Afghanistan, Czechoslovakia, etc., due to the abundance of violence and political strife in those places where life was often considered "cheap." You'd see these descriptions in zines, for example, or on the internet, some unlucky motherfucker wishing they hadn't seen whatever it was, but occasionally people had a tone that had no regret or apologetics whatsoever. This CD is like the latter category. Hmm, maybe they know something. That kind of feeling.
   First piece is simply a looped field recording – primarily consisting of the sound of putting the recording device back into your pocket before the folks whom you're recording surreptitiously figure it out. In this case, it's probably a pretty good thing they weren't noticed.
   Second track kicks into overdrive immediately with delay-drenched feedback-based PE, of course. But this isn't the ripper-style, rough style you're used to from Snuff. Somehow, this feels more deliberate, more carefully considered. Somehow. Once nice feature is that for a few moments, I couldn't tell which vocalist was on this track – very nice. There are also some excellent background loops going on here. I feel as though Snuff's overall forumula has complicated over the past couple years, to good results.
   I'm reading about Kevin Alfred Strom's legal troubles as I type this and listen. Phase-effected background oscillations and heavy buzzing electronics begin the third track before dual-vocalist overlaid and echo-effected vocalis begin – the especially great thing? They're delivered as a round. Absolutely genius – when two vocalists ocassionally come into tandem with phrases like "...with saggy tits," and "whore," you know you're listening to something truly special and sincere. Feedback is present herein as always, though not really the ear-raping type usually employed by this band. Dare is say this is the "softer" side of Snuff?
   Field recordings of some kind of brass/orchestral fanfare begin track four. Wish I could immediately identify the context, but that's a long shot. These continue despite exploding into more feedback abuse and echoed vocals – this is more or less the sound folks are accustomed to with this band. I can't say I'm too impressed with this track, seems more thematically important than compositionally enjoyable – and frankly might be more at home in an XE release than here, but what do I know? One thing that's great about this track, however, is the obviousness of it's live-in-studio recording quality; Snuff in many respects have the "live band" aspect down pat.
   Fifth track begins with nasty troll vocalizations effected with lots of delay and echo. The effect is more or less the seething, dirty impulses of predators in vocal form. I already quite like this; a few decades back this would be at home on any of the Ultra LPs or even certain Nurse With Wound moments. Ends just as it began.
   Track number six is another impressive "live in studio" piece with very well-placed and reverb'd metal percussion plus the usual amp buzz, slight delayed feedback, and totally deranged vocals. Again, this definitely feels to me like a more evolved, composed version of the type of pieces you hear on the Live Helsinki tape. Can't complain about that, that was the tape which got me into this band. I will also say that this track matches the description I imagined in my head when someone told me what Snuff sounded like prior to buying that tape. Herein, although I'm not able to explain, things feel more violent, more sinister, even though absolutely all aspects are more careful and subtle – this all feels in some ways more advanced.
   The lyrics for track seven? "I can give you a ride." Amidst the swirling high-end oscillations, buzzing metallic drones, and slight amplifier feedback, nothing really needs to be much more suggestive than this; the listener's imagination hopefully does plenty. Something inside tells me those who'd be bored by these types of albums have, well, let's just say, a less active imagination. They clearly aren't making the logical connections.
   Not exactly sure what the deal is with the field recordings from track eight, maybe from some bar or shopping mall? I think I recall one of the members that this track and others deal with a heavily-publicized Finnish murder case wherein the perpetrator won some kind of singing contest. This feels as if it's part of that narrative. Anyway, feedback cuts over although the recordings still progress in the background – there are also some pretty interesting microtonal loops going on here. If this is indicative of the overall direction this project is taking, it's a good one – I quite like this stuff and feel it carries the subject matter all the more strongly for not being heavy, kick-ass, full of static, and not having typically reaction-inducing lyrics (read: slogans). This doesn't feel like an album that could appeal to anyone who didn't come for the subjects. This won't impress anyone who needs to prove that they listen to the most extreme shit out there. But I completely recommend it as an intro to anyone curious about this project that hasn't yet taken the plunge, they're only getting better at what they do.
   
An Introduction To Nullfunction CS (Harmony Audio-Visual)
   I enjoyed this from around 25 seconds into the A-side. This is a trade-only tape on recycled C90s (!!!) advertised mostly as field recordings and synthesizer; but the samples on Soundcloud or whatever it was are somewhat misleading; there is some sort of M.B.-type synthesizer disturbance for around one minute, which quickly, unexpectedly, and aggressively expands into very nice '90's-style European PE (that other Americanoisers can lazily compare to Control if need be, like myself) that I want to say is something like Tesco-style Heavy Electronics but it's also somehow not. Hard to say, exactly. Everything is well-balanced, not too noisy, certainly on the industrial side of things, saturated in strong reverb and flange, and perfect for cassette format but really-well recorded and mixed. Did you like the "Algolagnie" tape from Une Regard Froid? Well, this is somehow comparable – and every bit as good. Unfortunately can't make out the lyrics, no particular language is intelligible, so come to think of it, you could draw some Purient, Bereft, the Vomit Arsonist, F.I.T.H., etc comparisons to this one aspect. Because you might be a typical American like me, comparing everything to things familiar to you, like an idiot. Sorry, thinking aloud there.
   Things relax back into more industrial territory but the Tesco comparison holds once the speech sample comes into play (undoubtedly political in nature – but interestingly I can't make out the gender of the speaker nor the language being spoken), forget what I'd first said about the dirty, private M.B. style. This is firmly something that would appeal to the G.O., ZSS, Puce Mary, Control fans. Relatively "cold" synthesizer signals that tend to change up frequently but remain even swathes of atmospheric drone and choppy sections of rhythmic stomp. At this point I'm quite unsure what will happen over the course of a double-album on cassette considering how unexpected this was. Long undulating instrumental passages that rely on a backing of heavier conical waves with toothier high-end square waves overlaid could be boring if I listened to more of this style of PE/industrial/etc, but I don't.
   OK, so here's where the field recordings come in – some kind of generator, vacuum, or other seemingly mundane equipment. It's a job site recording, I clearly hear some kind of saw in the background. I don't feel as though this is placed in order to "sound good" as many field recordings are when used in industrial music, this is more to set a theme or mood. I sense there are themes of resistance and unrest; this might very well have much to do with labor and the workplace; who knows? I'll just say that I get a vibe this is to be seen from the workers' perspective, that is the context this sample (which does improve after a short time) provides. This doesn't suggest the feeling of accomplishing something and squeezing something creative from this environment like Hal Hutchinson's "Industrial Development" tape, it's more like establishing the oppression and day-in-day-out routine and how such a thing can be used to get folks to comply. Or you could take a positive look at the inclusion of this recording here: camraderie between skilled and disciplined workers with strong values that don't like to put up with bullshit, regardless of how one might feel about labor unions – you mistreat those guys from the bottom down, and they walk. The tools get put down, the gears stop turning. There are indeed some situations where workers have plenty of power and leverage. Sonically, only mildly interesting, but feels appropriate here.
   What's especially interesting at this section is it's hard to tell whether new field recordings have been mixed in, or if it is purely synthesizer, or if it is synth-treated loops of field recordings. Very nice – could make an Orquere or Arv & Miljo comparison here if you wanted to stretch it a bit. Now we have gotten somewhere with the field recordings which for me has a stronger approach and more significant purpose other than fodder for a tangent like above. Damn, this has some watery rumbling, perhaps from a small concrete mixer, which is really nice-sounding. There are also what could be large ventilating fans, generators, or propellers. This is not unlike the Euronet self-released tape – really primitive stuff but you should at least like (read: appreciate) it. It's that simple. You're an industrial person, ain't you?
   Anyway, things seemed to turn to heavy drone through further processing prior to silence. I guess that concludes side A.
   B-side seems to begin with a spoken-word sample dealing with humanitarian and sort of vaguely Christian ideals; "your brother's keeper," etc. But then a morose synthesizer brasslike tone comes in and provides context: easier said than done, fellow humans. This is what I might call "death industrial" although on the very much atmospheric and not totally aggressive side – I can't help but again think of Tesco-type stuff. This track is more or less a powerdrone piece; the kind of long, slow tracks you hear amidst obscure '80s PE and industrial tapes. Can't say I would be excited to hear more of this specific sound from this project, but alongside all the other variation, this is welcome here. After a bit of floundering, some sort of explosive impact sounds begin to echo around all the reverb, but this track is starting to feel more like filler than much of anything significant.  Will check out whatever else this project is doing, but I have to admit that this tape was very much a demo – totally a taste of what's to come, rather than a solid example of this guy's take on things. I'm curious if anyone else on this forum ended up trading for a copy, because that's the only way to get it.

Kostis Kilymis "Actic Saturation" CS (Mazurka Editions)
   When I see the description "minimal" used without any other terms on websites like Discogs or whatever, I never know what they're talking about. I vaguely understand that some form of electronica is known as "minimal." Well, I don't care about that, really, because what I imagine when I think of such a term is the type of stuff I've heard from Kostis Kilymis.
   This tape seems to be a set of recordings that mostly feature his little Flower Electronics synthesizer and perhaps some other similar, possibly self-constructed generator devices. In that sense, these recordings are what some people might describe as "barely music at all," in the case of one of my stupider, more closed-minded friends. In that sense, however, this music is rather minimal – there are drones, noises, oscillations, some very subtle percussive, rhythmic elements, and that's really about it. I don't even hear any of the background field recordings as on other, later releases. Therefore, what do you call this? Industrial? Minimal? Simple "electronic?"
   The same idiot friend of mine who described this as "barely music," albeit accurately, did not mean what he said in the manner I interpreted it. The larger gist of what he had to say about this tape was that obscure, austere sounds such as this, even if they are enjoyable, should be considered the worst music in existence, simply because it is not composed to meet the expectations of any audience, scene, or pre-established style. I feel exactly the opposite – the fact that this tape lacks any associations or expectations you might have gives it a wider realm of applicability.
   This is the kind of semi-abstract sound that's perhaps most gratifying when only wanting to hear something that doesn't require too much context. Kostis Kilymis is wondeful for that purpose in that he is clearly not thinking about subgenre confines and who likes what when doing this; this is just a guy plugging in and pressing "record" when he's good and warmed up. Is that something special? Fuck no. But the fact that you can focus on these electronic blips and beeps, white noise, buzzing, pulsing, beautiful metallic reverb tones, and vague "electrical interference atmospere" without really needing some xeroxed image of a concentration camp on the cover says a lot to me; namely that this guy is doing stuff he wants to hear, and is somewhat confident that others will have as much of an experience listening as he does making it. And I do. This sound is so basic, so austere, so abstract, that I am almost immediately removed from whatever mental space I was in before pressing "play."
   What could I even compare this to? I don't really listen to much of anything that I could immediately compare to Kostis Kilymis. A few years back, I traded for a tape entitled "Monolith Transmission #0," and have since mispaced it, much to my chagrin – that stuff was the only thing I had in the ballpark of this tape; it was some kind of sculpted rhythmic patterns not that similar to what I'm hearing now, with textured white noise and oscillating drones that really didn't sound like this stuff, but felt like it nonetheless. Beats try to make their way to the forefront of the rhythms, never quite totally distinguishing themselves from the noises surrounding them. The metallic reverb tries to pump up into feedback on occasion, but never reaches the appropriate volume. Very nice. Like Hank Hill says, "you know how I love delaying gratification."
   Side B begins with some fluttering mid-range angelic feedback sounds amidst what I'd have to assume are field recordings; this is immediately more similar to the other material I've heard from this guy that I do not own. I like this very much; a little too noisy and weird to appeal to the New Age crowd, but this is far too pleasant to have much appeal to those hopelessly addicted to Finnish noise. Has that ultra-quiet percussive rhythm that I find so goddamned nice to listen to in this track, as well. What I like about Kostis' material overall is that every piece seems to have lots of happy accidents and unintentional parts, but not one second feels jammy, sloppy, or lacking momentum. Things seem haphazard once things get noiser, but not in a negative sense, just in that certain parts were perhaps layered without a real idea of what it would sound like. Some of them even feel completely improvised, in the sense that he started with a base element and built on it, having no idea what would happen. Well, duh, Josh, it's experimental music! That said, I'll gladly be the guinea pig for this guy's stuff any day. Instructions: get this cassette, rip it to .wav or .mp3 files, put on your iPod or similar player. Listen while jogging through unfamiliar parts of town, or walking through an international food market. These are the sounds of what day-to-day existence feels like. Plus, I'd be lying if there weren't moments here and there which suggested that "this guy is the next Maurizio Bianchi." Hopefully without the awkwardness ensuing from a religious conversion!! Fans of M.B., Asmus Teitchens, Giancarlo Toniutti, Christoph Heemann, and sitting alone in silence should take note.

Kostis Kilymis "Not Homesick Pts 1 & 2" CS (Strange Rules)
   Decided to give this another review, because looking back on my previous one, it came off as much more negative than I'd intended. In case the man himself is reading, and hopefully he is, I wanted to give this another, fairer shot. I clearly wasn't in a good mood that day, or perhaps was a little distracted, because although I stand by my statement that "Not Homesick" is not quite as good as the tape mentioned above, I wouldn't call it half-assed or anything pejorative. It's just simpler and less unique – though I do still hear some signature sounds, like the weird metallic reverb and the scratchy textures which sound as if whatever loops of field recordings he was using were being fed through his little synthesizers or generators as filters. Also, in fairness' sake, this one is a C30, and therefore a little more accessible to new listeners; I can very much see the potential of the previously-reviewed tape to drag on if you're not familiar already.
   So here, we get a condensed version of the Kilymis sound, whatever that means. There are some grainy-high end frequencies opening the A-side which I consider to be "signature" to his sound. If it were loud, it'd be PE, but it's quiet, so that's industrial, I guess, right, guys and gals? Sounds as if some of these field recordings were done with a little teeny tiny contact mic, a battery-powered preamp, and either a tape recorder or a cell phone – you can tell some of the environmental sounds are amplified from their naturally almost-inaudible state. Fuckin' beautiful – I can only bow down in worship when the vague watery oscillations move from the background to the middle field. Immediately prior to the percussive elements (as are always present in his work) fading in, some utterly gorgeous feedback and tonal synthesizer drone starts to introduce themselves while the water sounds are still happening. Fans of Alchemy of the 21st Century take note, because it quickly exposes more of the high-end tones and field recordings of birds (that are mundane yet feel exotic due to the composition). I can't help but feel that was an intentional effect; these are recordings done far away from the artist's home, ostensibly attempting to create some sense of an inner home base amidst an urban area unfamiliar to him. Is that not part of the point of any industrial-related musics?
   At this point, an oscillating looped drone with his signature metallic reverb begins and makes itself rather apparent – didn't I just hear some of this exact same sound on the previous tape? Personally, I rather like that feeling; I have to wonder if that's part of the appeal of stuff like Whitehouse, M.B., Bizarre Uproar, Slogun, even Ogranum! There are noticeably similar threads between releases that occasionally give one pause to ponder the difference between music progression and a simple step forward. And that's a good thing, I by no means expect everything to be charting untouched territories; so long as we're headed away from the base of operations, something should come back worth reporting.
   What I'm thinking I hear currently is the already-established formular of high-end sine waves + rhythmic loop, with some, I don't know, field recordings of ventilation systems filtered via synth to provide drones and droney noise? If that's the case, this is very much what I'd call musique concrete, regardless of what snobs want to nitpick. Seems like mundane sounds and sources combined to something adventurous, or at least without typical regard for the function of the source itself, which fits the definition of concrete music. So, yeah, for those of you who think musique concrete only came from French artsy-fartsy types circa '45-'71, fuck you, you're a pretentious asshole. Try and come up with a better descriptive label for this kind of thing, you can't do it.
   B-side is more of that formula. Kostis Kilymis is very much the nowadays Maurizio Bianchi, because he's working with a pretty strict template of sounds to create fairly specific and easily-identifiable atmospheres. Yes, some could say he's merely being repetetive. But why are you listening to industrial music if that bothers you? This is one more guy, doing his own thing, over and over again, yes; but his idea of whatever this kind of music should sound like happens to be austere and solitary to the point of being compelling. Anyone who is able to so carefully hone such crudely minimalist elements to a sound at once their own as well as not particularly groundbreaking has my attention to some extent – slow percussive blips alongside uneasy drones and hard-to-place high-pitched sine waves should have basically no potential to communicate a sort of uniqueness, and yet, they do. Especially when unidentifiable field recordings of...stuff happenning...coincide with the electronics, the ability this guy has to construct something from nothing is remarkable. The sense of relaxation and personal enjoyment this music has the potential for is very high, in my opinion. Put this stuff on when you're feeling tired and need a refresher, works like a fucking charm. Put this on after a hellish busy day, instant respite from the world around you. Also, at one point, the electronic noise sounds not unlike a spraypaint can being shaken up; how do you even achieve something like that?? Some nice alchemical sub-bass sounds coming from the field recordings, presumably brought out via tape and graphic equalizer, a very pleasant and common technique, albeit used here sublimely. Some street field recordings here, I hate these; they're never used to good effect, unless they depict interesting street denizens and their behavior; here they just provide a little atmosphere. Not that interesting and honestly one part of these tracks I can do without. I think this is the part I took notice of last time and let it sour my first impression. After a while, some nice backround synthesizer drones come in – hard to say if they're a field recording, or overdubbed. I love that, don't you?
   I'm sure fanboys who suck down everything that cums out of Strange Rules already have this, and I'm sure you like it, so that's fine, but I'm recommending this to particularly to those who haven't heard this guy's stuff – to them, I say take a chance and give it a try. If you have any time for Jeph Jerman, Arv & Miljo, certain stuff coming out of Sweden, etc., I can really see this going over well. Fans of public transportation, walking long distances, and major urban areas take note – this is for you. But wait for the right time to listen, it's worth the patience.

Also getting back into Iron Maiden after a few years of being burnt out...

[online prowler]

Well written up reviews mate. Interesting reads.

[Peterson]

Well written up reviews mate. Interesting reads.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm trying to make them shorter, but the basic idea is that some people have written reviews that have made me go out and buy whatever it was they were talking about, so that's the goal here. Trying to encourage folks to try new things. Here's a couple more, will be the only ones for a while.

Dieter Muh "Feeling A Little Horse" reissue CD (EE Tapes/Mouth)
   More unpredictable goodness from Cammack & Co. First track is nearly forty fucking minutes long and begins with a very nice stereo-panning delay and synthesizer workout with very PE vibes before experiencing some temporary technical difficulties. When the sound comes back, the track pretty much begins again, before descending into more atmospheric territories. Background voice snippets bounce around ala Giancarlo Tonitutti's "La Mutazione." The drones get deeper, the sounds ping-ponging back and forth between channels change a bit. Heavy noise washes start to creep in. Things have built into some kinda forward-momentum progression by now. And some nice warbly effected sounds protrude and compliment some sort of eerie voice samples – or are they Mundy-type "wounded elk" vocalizations?
   Fucking as usual, I'm reminded of certain Ultra moments, especially when Nicole's vocals spring up here and there. I'm aware I've bored you all by now with the comparison. The way things seem to "ooh" and "aah" around the mix is the sort of thing you sometimes hear in New Agey ambient, but it's much darker and more effective here. No flimsy sci-fi vibes. Just a weird, uncomfortable yet listenable and not overly seething atmosphere.    
   That section calms down into effects n' tapes (in this case, samplers) style industrial. Lurking background drone oscillations with creepy-crawly echoing voice samples and a nice pitch-shifted male voice loop. For youngsters like me, you'd do well to compare this to stuff like Remnants, certain moments in Ligature tracks, some of Rodger Stella's less heavy outings. Except that I find this slightly more compelling, not that I'm knocking those guys in any way whatsoever. Come to think of it, why isn't there a Dieter Muh/Rodger Stella split or something? Anyway, a very nice mid-range wah-wah sort of sound emerges from the center of the mix. At this point, I notice an identifiable Dieter Muh formula; certain loops and effects fade in and out of the mix, specific ones holding the track in place, while a series of differently-toned drones emerge, make their statement, then leave. Once a particular drone takes hold, the loops transition and emphasis is switched from one sample or loop to another, similar one. Very nice Twice Is Not Enough-era use of really sensuous/atmospheric, but noisy and powerful synthesizer tones.
   I feel a tangent coming on, but I do feel the need to note that I can't ever quite classify Dieter Muh. I keep using the term industrial because it's an easy tag to slap on things, but here, that feels pretty lazy and cheap. Same with using the word "experimental." Clearly there is much more to this project than simple labels, which is obvious due to the longevity and progression of the project. They have moments which I'd definitely consider to be Power Electronics. Moments I truly and honestly would describe as industrial. Elements of drone, tape music, generalized experimental process-oriented stuff. But somehow the results seem to be stronger than one or two guys not entirely knowing what will happen, more deliberate than that. Very much a collage of sound but hard to sum up as a "sound collage."
   Cavernous atmosphere alongside windy drones and oscillations which build to very attractive-sounding high-end sweeps. This has been happening for a while but I can't say that I'm bored – I mean this as a compliment when saying this would be a nice album to put on when not feeling well and needing to lie on the couch for a bit – will definitely take you to some nauseous places ("boiling feces" sample) but also provides some nice distraction with it's enveloping monolithic quality. This would be kind of strange to see live, I have to admit, when considering that I forgot this was a live track.
   Hereabouts, things take a turn, whilst simultaneously reviving some of the atmosphere from the earlier portions of the track. More voice samples which can't quite be made out, is this deliberate or the result of using a radio as part of the equipment? Is this interference between the amplifiers and radio as Boss pedals are sometimes known to cause? Some of them sound very much anchoring to the piece, while others come off as pleasantly incidental. While this is all happening, the drones become more dreamlike, exotic, with metallic reverb, reminding me a bit of the Puce Mary tapes on Freak Animal or even her collaborations with Stella. Stops somewhat abruptly to give way to some excellent rhythmic loops and the purity of the synthesizer.
   Loops begin to dominate again before the electronics sharply move in another direction entirely – more percussive, more machinelike, thoroughly industrial. Can't help but compare this transitional section to moments on Grunt's Seer of Decay 2xCD. Well, some of the earlier tracks, especially the sample-driven "angelic" moments Mikko is so well-known for; I could suggest that Dieter Muh have a similar signature technique of somewhat unsettling ambient moments which heavily rely on samples. By the time I've typed such an observation, the industrial element has almost entirely taken over, with really sexy-sounding rhythmic noise coming from the synthesizers, creating a sort of harmonics that's only present in industrial music. Not exactly sure if anyone else knows what I mean by that, sorry, I have no technical explanation for that. This is the closest thing to aggression I've observed in the Muh sound, and I like it, but sadly, it represents the abrupt end to one of the more daring and certainly longer opening pieces to any live album I've heard short of Swans or those dumbass projects like Bong that seem to enjoy doing everything for way too long. In this case, the length of the piece was quite nice and adventurous. Could have easily been the entire CD, but these guys wouldn't do that to you.
   Second piece is pretty much ¼ the length of the previous, and much subtler. Eerie field-recording background drones complimenting a Sleazy Coil-esque (GET IT??) beat that wouldn't be alone amidst a New Juche Whores Of Leith album. Again, here, I'm reminded of lesser-known US projects like Remnants but just more evolved, more considered. Based around assembly of technique rather than riding out one extended technique until you've convinced yourself you're Aaron Dilloway. These guys don't have that problem, but I will say I'm glad this one is comparatively shorter. Feels more transitional than substantial, although the background voice loops commencing the piece are goddamned flawless. Sublime attention to detail. I don't know who the PA guy was, but he was doing a damn good job here helping these guys maximize the effectiveness of their sound. Final moments degrade into one pulsing Heavy Electronics rhythm alongside a shimmering background drone. Again, very Tesco, very Twice Is Not Enough.
   Third piece continues the forumula/atmosphere of the previous track, but based more around the wonkiness of certain watery effects and the consistency of the voice loops. I guess this is pretty much something I'd consider musique concrete, even if one of the guys is generating certain sounds spontaneously in the live setting. The fact that structure in this project seems to be always established through looping of pre-recorded material pretty firmly places their concrete traits, at least from where I stand. So far, this is the shortest track, at about five minutes, and dare I say, has my favorite moments so far. The effects are subtle yet noticeable to the loops, and certain moments where slight knob-tweaking can be heard to modulate them is very, very fucking good. I consider this to be extremely relaxing, almost psychedelic music, but I could see how this would be really disturbing to some people, simply because of the watery effects and the nice pig-snort modulation that you also sometimes hear in Iron Fist Of The Sun recordings. How do you achieve that? What the fuck kind of effect is that? What would you call that? Sample declaring "god is dead" concludes the piece. Great.
   Familiar-sounding drones kick off the final, fourth track. Where have I heard those drone sounds before? That exact fucking sound. I can't place it, but I heard it elsewhere first. That's what happens when you have similar types of people buying and using similar equipment, I guess. Doesn't really bother me, but is sometimes a funny feeling of deja vu to experience. The special thing here is that some sort of vaguely-Asian sounding percussive rhythm has now kicked in – is this achieved with a drum machine, the synthesizer, or sampled tablas and xylophone even? I don't feel like it's a reach to say that this could appeal to the limited few folks who've heard stuff from the Korea Undok Group label/project or even are aware of it. There is this distinct feeling of exotica mixed with the neurosis that is audible in, I don't know, certain Maurizio Bianchi material. Like the Industrial Tape. Things get pretty slithery with some nice PE background drones before a hard-hitting heavy drone sort of quickly invades. Things get really Cold Meat-style here – I'm thinking Deutsch Nepal's "Rapist Park Junktion" 2x7" minus the unlistenable Fank Sinatra impression. Noisy and approaching sinister qualities but totally atmospheric and not really having "creepy" vibes. Here I can easily imagine Andrea Cernotto's or Mark Solotroff's, fuck, even William Bennett's voice kicking in to deliver the PE obscenity goods, but I like that there is not that kind of payoff in Dieter Muh's work. They don't just hand it to you, you do have to be patient. And when it ends, you'd like things to keep going. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this album.

Dieter Muh "Carli Saluti" CD reissue (Functional/Tesco)
   For some reason, the thirty seconds of silence which precede the opening track disturbed me more than some of the worst news I've received throughout all 2016. What the fuck does that say about my mental health?
   So by now, I feel like I've identified distinct traits of the Muh formula and know what I'm getting into. Weird, tremolo-like effects on semi-cut up synthesizer electronics which very frustratingly fluctuate in volume and mix placement against more strange, echoed n' looped voice samples. Very much in line with the overall whole of the project. This track is nice but actually a challenge to listen to, which I welcome. My hearing isn't quite normal in one ear due to a weird health problem, so the lopsided stereo field of my hearing today is not a friend to this recording. Like when you break up with someone, "it's not you, it's me." The Toniutti and Dilloway comparisons seem more appropriate then ever before, here. Too weird to be appealing to most harsh heads, but also too weird to appeal to a lot of the other young US guys my age. I just feel like there is not a huge audience for things so unspecific over here, and that's a huge part of why Dieter Muh are refreshing for me to listen to. Like being reminded of something you found funny but forgot about. Plus, this is what music in shopping malls, elevators, and other public areas would be like if we lived in a Stanislaw Lem science fiction novel. By now, the momentum and volume has found a lot more strength, building the drone elements and sort of shimmering to the top of the mix. Then things echo away.
   More pig squeal noises amidst very weird vocal samples, "uh, um, eh." Some M.B. electronics collide, and then some guitar and synth sort of awkwardly deflate the track, abruptly. Damn, that was good. I see why they make it just short enough for you to skip back and listen to that one again.
   More of the atmospherics I noticed as particularly important to the previous CD, especially the opening track, as well as the more recent Hanson live tape. The tones nearly approach what I've heard in ritual-style industrial, but I would never use such a description for this. This is more like music for dreaming. Think Eliane Radigue but in collaboration with William Bennett or Philp Best. There's some moments that, although I can't really explain it, remind me of that Horn Of The Goat album from CE, Ramleh, and Merzbow. Atmospheric and psychedelic but not in a hippie-dippy sense. And when a nice sort of Thai-sounding percussive rhythm comes in, field recordings kick in and reinforce the futurist airports vibe. I could easily see a certain straightedge Italian fella who makes comic books getting a big kick out of this. Again here they use some PE-type synthesizer sounds, but as usual, never loud enough to sound far apart from whatever else is happening on any given track. I sometimes wish things could get louder and more aggressive when this happens, but in truth I'm interested in whatever ride Dieter Muh feel like taking me on. And you wouldn't really be wrong to describe parts like this as "ambient." I have to note in a positive sense that it's hard to tell whether these were recorded live in-studio, live, or line-in. Very nice. Apparently pieced together from all three variations.
   I have to admit the latter part of that track was the first occasion of hearing a Dieter Muh piece which meandered and drug on for too long. But, shit, better something listenable than lazy amp buzz or over an hour of the exact same static crunch.
   This next one again has those nearly-mystical drones I've heard in other projects but just don't feel the same here. They have a cinematic but non-narrative vibe that seems to carry though all DM tracks. There is also some nice shimmery overlay that's not unlike the Ultra drone tracks, "Yohimbe," "Wad," "Malaria," "Ultratumba," etc. Not a lot to elaborate on, except that modulation and layering keep things interesting much like those guys, not giving you any opportunity to grow bored. You could almost consider this a good example of modern Classical.
   Things continue along that Ultra/HNAS vibe again, with some kind of samples and electronics drenched and almost swimming in reverb, not to mention the absolutely kick-ass rhythmic wet pounding that comes in amidst weird shortwave electronics and more PE-sounding synthesizer noise. Here's where the label "industrial" is accurate and not used out of laziness. The title "Serves You Right" reminds me of a Total track called "You'll Get Yours Yet" from Hard + Low, and I suppose the overall harder vibes resemble it sonically, as well. God damn it, this is good. A Ramleh comparison wouldn't be invalid, either. I'm aware that most of you will hate me for saying this, but I like this much more than Ramleh or Total – both of which have only one release I am particularly fond of, Dieter Muh hitting all the spots with each release I've heard so far. Sorry, rimjobbing fanboy acolytes. You can learn more about mixing by listening to this than you can learn how to paint-by-numbers wishing you were Ramleh or Mauthausen Orchestra.
   I barely noticed the transition to the sixth track, which I mean in the best way possible. Things just sort of shifted, and although the sounds themselves chaned, the atmosphere and some of the reverb and echo effects sort of continued where they'd been left off. I wouldn't always be in the mood to listen to this, certainly, but when in need of something with a clear, cohesive thread or sort of narrative between tracks, this fills the bill. Again, very cinematic; unobtrusive, almost angelic tones, weird scractchy electronics skitting and shimmering all over the stereo field, hidden unintelligible voice samples, metallic reverb tone. Very much returning to a previous place in the story, or whatever. If there was one. Nice title, too, "Haemotomania." Wouldn't be out of place as a Shellac or Rapeman song title. But yeah, I like this a shit ton more than those bands. Ends prior to going stale nicely.
   Great! Rhythmic cut-up harsh noise bursts for a couple of seconds prior to aggressive industrial electronics. Gotta say, though, and sorry Steve, what the fuck kinda song title is "Shi Tak E?" In my opinion, not a very good one for my favorite moments on the album so far. Herein I'm tempted to bring back the IFOTS comparison, but the little percussion that I can't tell what it is ruins that vibe in a totally positive manner. Warped voice sample loops sounds like a drunk Alan Rickman. What the fuck is going on here? Listen to this one in an unfamiliar location far away from home and you might start to feel pretty uncomfortable.
   Damn, another unexpected introduction. Almost Blackhumor-style voice loop that's cut hard and fast, harsh noise-style, but with just enough of this weird reverb effect to offer a genuine Steve Reich vibe!! Mixing academic technique with scummy industrial is certainly a good thing, why the fuck do you think I keep comparing this project to Ultra? Because they're the only fucking ones who've done this!! There's even a really nice-sounding vocalization loop that actually, literally sounds like St. Degeneratus' voice on tracks like Aff, Kiddie Litter, and the varied ones from Spray/Death/Ultra and the Sweet Flowers/Unkissed Beauties releases. This is the point in the album where I realize this is what I wish Randy Greif sounded like. Well, he sometimes does, but never as engaging as this. Note to self: get his Alice In Wonderland box set from Soleilmoon. Anyway, things build to a pretty intense mixture of psycheleic synthesizer drones, a pounding industrial rhythmic loop (presumably modulated from the earlier voice loop), and noisier swaths of near-static amidst the persistent vocalization loop. Not really deserving of the title "Relentless," but still somewhat massive.
   Ah, nice...more musique concrete Dieter-style, and this time around, you could tell someone this is a Pierre Schaeffer track and probably convince them. Seriously. It's just urban area field recordings and train sounds, but god damn is it good.
   Next track is just a more electronics-oriented continuation of the previous. In my mind, they attempted to recreate the last piece with electronics rather than field recordings. And succeed. Ends after less than a minute. Just enough information.
   Tribal drumming and what sound like subway station recordings open up the final piece. I'm almost anxious because there's no telling how long this track will be or what will happen in it. The New Juche Whores Of Leith atmosphere rears its pretty little head again, especially through the use of the garbled vocal loops in conjunction with the Phillip Glass-style rhythmic percussion which the tribal drumming has by now morphed into. Ah, those oscillations, why did they only happen for a second? Things get fairly chaotic with the voice work here, and the comparison which comes to mind immediately is the Ramleh tracks from the third and fourth RRR compilation CDs. You know, that mishmash of overlapping vocals and the fluttering PE tones that intrude occasionally. This all happening over that insistent tribal beat. I don't know why someone would dislike this, but even they would have to admit it's unique, and probably at it's time, very innovative. And things do sound genuinely disturbing and violent at this point. Would go as well with Christopher Rage videos as any of the earlier Swans albums would. But I shouldn't be bringing that up here, Steve's a family man and doesn't need weirdos like myself sullying his name.
   Does that last sample say "you fucking bitch motherfucker, you will suffer??"
Order this immediately, you won't regret it.

[Kim V]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm trying to make them shorter, but the basic idea is that some people have written reviews that have made me go out and buy whatever it was they were talking about, so that's the goal here. Trying to encourage folks to try new things. Here's a couple more, will be the only ones for a while.

You succeeded in just that, got me Snuff and Kostis Kilymis after reading your reviews

[Fluid Fetish]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm trying to make them shorter, but the basic idea is that some people have written reviews that have made me go out and buy whatever it was they were talking about, so that's the goal here. Trying to encourage folks to try new things. Here's a couple more, will be the only ones for a while.

Excellent reviews and agreed with Sigil, you've inspired me to finally check out Snuff and a few other releases..

[Baglady]

THE NEW SADISM - Breather's Penis Age 2½ LP (Menstrual Recordings)
This isn't for everyone, but it is most certainly for me. Approx one hour of wailing. One could call this restrained, but I guess Mazzochin just enjoyed the sound of feedback. And so do I. Kind of sad how little is needed to make me happy; feedback and some black and white dirty pics. It looks great too. The only thing that bothers me is the URL on the spine. Why not the artist name or leave it blank? It's on the back of the jacket as well, so... why? Where's the appeal in seeing URL's when you're browsing your shelf? I could write a book on how much I hate unnecessarily visible URL's on record covers (with an in-depth chapter on Urashimas unbelievable faith and dedication towards comic sans while I'm at it). I need to cool off. But this is great stuff.

[Scat-O-Logy]

URL's and comic sans

Hail rants!

[F_c_O]

Urashima's usage of comic sans is one of those things that still has me quite a bit confused.

[Peterson]

Pentti Umpio doesn't want me reviewing "Junk Electronix Vol. 1" CD, haha, so I'm compensating by just mentioning that the Sauna tape from Obscurex is basically flawless harsh noise if not particularly ear-fucking, but I don't really think that's ever been the point. This stuff is more intense, big-sounding, and well-composed/crafted/performed (uh, apparently no overdubs? Really?) with all of the little details and cuts you need without lapsing into any particular style of harsh noise or showcasing influences. Only close comparison I could make is Macronmypha but that's because of the effect the sound has on me, not the sound itself. Enough calmer sounds to please academic types, I'm even tempted to think. Would have to go into way too much detail to be specific, but this tape is just super physical and visceral but cerebral and blissful at the same time. Way too much fun for all you serious frowners.

Digging back to the Umpio side of his split with SSRI. Will revisit SSRI tapes some other time. Gritty and really crunchy, definitely so much more primitive than the Umpio of today or even as described above. Definitely fits well against SS Pekka's project as this stuff has a nice weird rhythmic edge (that does go on too consistently for some moments) or what some might call industrial noise. Can't honestly say I like this as much as the tape above, but it's good, and I certainly hung on to this tape for more than just SSRI. Melts into a crazy feedback-driven section which is fucking amazing, kinda like Gelsomina. After that, synth-y feedback and cut-ups following what sound like field recordings. Man, this must be really difficult to do in one take with no overdubs.

[ConcreteMascara]

THE NEW SADISM - Breather's Penis Age 2½ LP (Menstrual Recordings)
This isn't for everyone, but it is most certainly for me. Approx one hour of wailing. One could call this restrained, but I guess Mazzochin just enjoyed the sound of feedback. And so do I. Kind of sad how little is needed to make me happy; feedback and some black and white dirty pics. It looks great too. The only thing that bothers me is the URL on the spine. Why not the artist name or leave it blank? It's on the back of the jacket as well, so... why? Where's the appeal in seeing URL's when you're browsing your shelf? I could write a book on how much I hate unnecessarily visible URL's on record covers (with an in-depth chapter on Urashimas unbelievable faith and dedication towards comic sans while I'm at it). I need to cool off. But this is great stuff.

the best are links to facebook and myspace in linear notes and on back covers. in any genre of music its just retarded

[Johann]

Valerio Tricoli: Vixit (secondsleep) Sick day today (which always makes me nervous to take even when I truly need it) so I'm trying to clear away some of the flu feelings and anxiety with back to back listening. First up on deck is Vixit, apperantly this LP is edited down from a larger audio piece that was played at Lampo in Chicago and based somewhat on the sound machines of Luigi Rusollo. The A side starts with a very organic crackle and manipulated sounds of water, soon giving way to a outerworldly drone that comes rising up and is punctuated by loud airplane drones panning back and forth, the impact of the sound and mastering are staggering...quiets into what could be rain falling or audio fragments sprinkled in that kind of way, wind chimes and distant trains (none of which are likely what they seem or sound) giving way to a massive drone dripping with acoustic sounds from an unknown room, the tapes begins to speed up and slow down turning into a lush electric haze...B side starts of with a creaking drone that seems to rock back and forth, wet sounds decaying underneath. The  sounds of a broken music box seem to take shape, fragments of everyday reality are mixed with beautiful electronics who's subtle rings consume whole rooms before finding the closet think to an identifiable "rhythm", it won't last though and soon morphs again into ghostly moans before flickering to silence. This entire record has a hauntingly sad yet beautiful quality to it. Tricoli is able to project into the future while having one foot firmly planted in the musique concrete of the past. One of the finest relases of 2016.

[Johann]

Menstraution Sisters Puppet Island: vocal vomit, a voice eating itself...silence and then the subtle chime of bells, suddenly the voice becomes more prominent (only for a few seconds) and then the chimes go straight into the red, feedback hovering in open ambience after every clank...explodes into a massive drone of untuned/detuned guitar feedback as one string is plucked, light use of cymbals, patterns emerging on the kit helping to pull together semblance (maybe), shit is loud, penetrating feedback with seemingly little to no effects. Some kind of primitive take on music, strange vocals barely audible, sounds childlike and disturbed. Several minutes in and it's only become denser with the guitar only used subtly more than the beginning. Crushing sound...guitar begins to deconstruct, strings stretched way out as strange vocal patterns hum along eeriely. Side two, in the red, maybe the recording device is damaged or being adjusted. Cymbals spare as guitar enters, the riff is almost catchy, the most bizarre strangled vocals, somewhere between a cat hissing and grux of Caroliner, doesn't even sound like a recognizable language. Pummeled drums hold together the "song"...second track on side two begins with electric buzzing, slowly building into a cloud of amplifier feedback. It's so dense if feels palpable. Electric scree and incoherent ramblings from the abyss. The storm just misses...sides 3 & 4 to follow.