I don't really get people who don't like compilations. I can associate to it, when it's understood as "sampler". Thing that sometimes happens with other genres of music, where selection of album tracks are piled into cheap - almost promotional record type of thing.
But within noise, it is really an artform of itself to compile killer compilation. It might be the actually crucial moment when label boss can display whether they REALLY have taste and ear, to make it work out. The flow of compilation, rejection of shitty or unsuitable submissions, combinations of tracks - where something that as stand-alone track is not phenomenal, but in context of compilation album, falls perfectly between two other tracks. Surely there are useless compilation. Things that I don't think was really curated or thought about. Just nearly whatever went to it. Or being perhaps "too solid", that playing it safe, making noise flow without zero irritation or challenge, it might not be able to make long lasting memorable impact.
It is hard to say what is my favorite way of doing compilations. Theme/concept. Geography. Style. All are decent starting points, but what I admire probably the most, is the compilation style still vital in the 90's: International compilation where seemingly all "sub-genred" are together, yet form it's own spirit.
V/A Unter Schrecklichem Lärm Und Getöse Beginnen Die Folterungen... LP
brutalizing Membrum Debili comp. Ltd 200 vinyl from 1997 has Germany, USA and Japan represented. From primitive manual screeching noise junk, to heavy electronics. Thirdorgan with its filter blurbs and noise bursts is least interesting on this comp. Nobody here really tries too hard, but it is the charm of the comp. That Taint, Ramirez, etc, just offer the blunt and in-your-face harsh noise. That appears grim and vicious, just like the simple LP design.
V/A Parasit LP.
Early Atz-Zen, which displays the great diversity of label bosses tastes and ability to make anything from Japanese classics, to USA experimental sonics, most vile power electronics assaults and so on, flow perfectly on one LP. Stylish design and special packaging. Only couple lazier tracks made it to LP. In context, they work out fine, though! If someone is like "nah, I just listen albums... " I could conclude this IS an album! It's not sampler nor random collection, but really artform of its own!
V/A Dedication LP.
Artware
I am such a devoted admirer of the 2nd part, CD comp., that I am often expressing hertical opinion that this classic first Dedication compilation is not as good.
It may be also that I heard CD first, and that it DOES have so amazing tracks on it.
Yet, when listening this LP, I am not surprised at all if some conclude this is better. As a noise record, it could be. It is just missing some of the oddities that made Dedication 2 so full of surprises.
You got a lot of same artists here, and everybody is good. Basically flawless, but less total surprises like Alan Lee or Dislocation that break the "good noise" with something odd, on the second part.
AOR as last track of Dedication 1, is the same guy who did insane track with CEMENT WOMEN in Dedication 2. Or more precisely, it was taken from old tape. That guy is still around. I wonder if anyone has ever heard these mid-late 80's Japanese tapes by Cement Women? Tape titled V, could be logically his fifth tape. Pretty damn culti label Angakok put it out. Never seen or heard, nor know anyone who has any of them. Of course one option would be just to contact the artists for more details...
V/A ...And The Vultures Miss Nothing. 3xLP
Harbinger
It makes me wonder what is the "spiritually" last of the 90's noise compilations? Vultures... was compiled in 1997-1998, and it has the spirit of the 90's written all over it. Came out in... 2005? By then, somehow misplaced? Like era had already shifted in terms of what was happening and what was "hot".
Not that it would not be good. It actually has phenomenal tracks on it. Not all gold. Some oddities too. Mostly that by 2005 it seems almost like document of the past, not the "present". Not meaning bands would be irreleant, but if you think what was hot in 2005, I doubt it was Onamotopeia, S*core, Thirdorgan, Expose Your Eyes etc.
In other hand, looking this now, when both 1997 and 2005 are almost equally distant, I think it may display more timeless qualities, than all those noise artists who came and disappeared around 2005 without leaving such legacy?
Tracks than stand out are for example PAIN JERK, GOVERNMENT ALPHA, THIRDORGAN, SKIN CRIME, SMELL & QUIM, CON-DOM (that is more like Militia track actually...), etc. There are good tracks from others too.
I do not know whether it is by purpose, or accident, that some tracks play loud as fuck, while others do not. If they are just on volume artists submitted them? Macronympha just slays after everybody before them. And after Government Alpha, rest of the side sounds quiet. Small Cruel Party is so quiet after all noise, it seems mandatory to crank up volume. Which is good thing to do, as whole F side plays far more quiet than rest of the set.
Despite having many high profile artists, good tracks, and 3xLP format, you can grab these for 20-30 euros still today! I guess it is the packaging. Just two sheets of cardboard, oddly mis-matching booklet that still talks about double LP set, non-printed central labels covered with those cheap text stickers you could get your address printed back in the day. Perhaps also edition of 500 is reason enough to keep price never reach collectors value?
While packaging or more neat artwork.. something like that could place this much higher rank among compilations, I do also like the sheer 90's vibe on it, that it's not "professional noise". It's all hand assemble by label boss and if there is intent for "design" or being "collectible", it ain't visible at all. Just method of unleashing dosage of good noise?!
RRR 5 years 5 LP box set
RRR 5 years anniversary. Took most of this day to listen through. Released back in 1989, recorded mostly during 1988. It is amusing box, with very unique feel to it. While front cover photo of box shows the RRRecords store opening day ( I recall ), with normal record buying customers, the box is all about noise.
Or is it? It seems amusing that 1st LP, that is Emil Beaulieau - despite never mentioned in the box itself, he mentions that it is NOISE, while others are music. Sure. There is a difference. Emil LP is fucking brilliant live-noise takes of total analogue damage. While LP's 2,3 and 4 are various Due Process sessions. They are often not as noisy, but one would have to stretch imagination pretty far to call this "music". Brutalist electro-acoustic, sound collages and recycled collaborators submissions blend into long pieces where might appear snippet of music here and there, but mostly it is just challlenging noisY sound.
Final LP is the 80's Merzbow collab written all over it. Not yet total harsh brutality. All what it loses in not being the all-out harsh blast, it wins in magnificent textures, neatly arranged sound collages,... which mostly is the Emil maltreating the 2nd hand radioshack consumer electronics and recording various junk sources.
Box was made 555 copies, vinyl only. I assume still available on 2nd hand market, and especially the two album of the box are so great, and rest is good too, that it is certainly recommended purchase!
TEF / PRURIENT / RAMIREZ "Magnified Healing" CD
tef hospital
I do not know if this is "popular" disc among noise heads. Discogs data shows one for sale, over 100 has, less than 100 wants. 4,75 rating. What that means? Who knows really. I just know that 2001 mass produced CD in folded card cover is unlikely to become cult item. However, first of all T.E.F. Offers possibly best cut up noise ever emerge america. And that is a lot said, since many genre masters have done material there. Brilliance of sounds, never losing "the point" - which is so common in storm of stutterloops and such. Despite many sub-genre characteristics, it absolutely could never been mistaken to be Sickness or Endo or other such artists. Pretty much flawless cut up harshness.
Prurient, gives you long dosage of short tracks edited together into diverse, but non-stop approach. It's the feedback/screams/perhaps some pitch pedal and buried synth tones. Tones not yet making the core of sound. Core is the massive harsh-noise esque feedback mass. Really good material that is better than many of his early full lengths.
And finally, Ramirez with 3 tracks, that do have harsh noise element to them, but the stable, throbbing fierce tone reminds more of like Texas version of 80's UK or Italian power electronics. Missing the loud screams, of course, Far less of free form harshness, and more about restricted and controlled ripping and menacing tone.
Like Tracking Device CD, looks kinda cheap, in thin cardboard sleeve, but opposed to many widely agreed "collectibles", getting either of the CD's could be very very satisfactory listening - even couple decades later - providing level of noise artists do not often reach.
SCOTT ARFORD / RANDY YAU / MICHAEL NINE - 7HZ CD
Quite unusual release. 2002, so nearly two decades ago, and somehow feels as if there are good bands in USA, without doubt, but all these three certainly personal and uniques. Best works of Scott for my taste might be Radiosonde CD on Armed & Loaded label.
Rand Yau tracks here are like ASMR material, haha... two tracks of ultra quiet oral voices and electronics bordering the top & bottom level of speaker output possibilities. Often like moist mouth opening sound teamed up with hum that barely is audible on consumer level speakers. Last of his tracks erupts into more fierce noise,
MK9 was never as insane as Death Squad, but over here couple good electric tracks, with some vocal sounds.
Whole CD displayes the prime example of style of sound that benefits from CD format. So clean, pure and sharp, that any analogue format would be disadvantage. Perhaps only the absolute best dub on high grade tape would be acceptable, but even then, I'd say: just get yourself CD player. This type of releases demands it.
RADIOSONDE "Somnambul" CD
I remembered this being Armed & Loaded releases, since it came out same time, and was sold by same place, but apparently sub-label of it, together with artists himself.
For me this is the best Radiosonde release I have heard. Extremely electric feel of TV static channels, radio signals and assorted other sounds. Never violent, but it always has buzzy electronic sharpness compared to for example some of the guitar drone. Lets say Diesel Guitar for example, that does have feedback, but always kind of perfect harmony. Radiosonde songs are slowly waving and shifting layers of this fuzzy ambience, and most of them don't seemingly progress much, but there happens many things in these layers. I like the randomness of radio signals and tv static used here, as opposed to stability of synth tones.
First time I heard of project was 1998, when organizing first Freak Animal Festival. It was really amusing time. 6 bands in one day event was scheduled months in advance. When Death Squad, Radiosonde and Chapter 23 went on euro tour for months, there was no way reaching them. Just trust that on the agreed date, they will be at Lahti railwaystation and fest will take place.
After not hearing from them for months, I was quite sure there will be nobody at the station when I go there. For my surprise, guys were there with insane amount of luggage. I had no car at the time, so just arrived with bike and "ok, lets start to walk to my place...". Artists stayed in Lahti for about week, until fest took place. There was plenty of free days. All of them prepared special set for this gig. DS made all the new loops of synth sounds on kitchen table and after C23 burned his synth due wrong voltage he ended up performing his set just with newly created loops on SP-303. Radiosonde had just one old school TV taken from venue and from sounds of static channel. He created noisy, minimal, but creative set. Not as multilayered and gentle as this CD, but clearly own identity and vision for making the sound.
Merzbow / Ramirez "The science of..." LP
Praxis Dr Bearmann
Got multiple spins... Didn't remember it to be this good! Only few lazy minutes on end of A-side, but beginning and entire B-side is such a total blast, it goes into very top Merzbow stuff.
I was talking with friend over the phone yesterday for hours and he was not impressed people considering "length" as meaningful element of a release. As if object would be less value if it was just 10 minutes. Or 20. Like 7", 10", short tape. Of course it is up to debate, and in the end merely a gut feeling did you get enough value for your money.... but listening this UNTITILED 4x single sided 7" compilation, is sort of proof that it may work out when OBJECT is just good. This, not sure is it even good. Untitled, 4 transpared white label 7"s, oversized 12" mailer filled with cardboard and zero artwork beyond black square on one corner of mailed. Yet I have no complaints. Sides are flipped and good noise emerges. Ramirez and Stabat Mors of course reasons why I originally bought this, but all sides are good. There may be merely 20 mins of sound, but as experience, it is something else when object defines part of how you feel about it.
