Best sound collage

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Was listening today Six Heads ‎– Cardboard Oracle LP (Wintage Records & tapes label, what happened to that label?!). Quite odd Canadian experimental group, with strong leaning toward sound collage. But not just that. It made me think about the sound collages. What exactly makes it better than some other stuff I've been recently playing. Be it Joseph Hammer, Broken Penis Orchestra or such.

Not exactly sure. I don't think cutting & layering of "found sounds" is 100% my cup of tea, and while it's pretty easy for me to spot characteristics why I like or dislike specific power electronics or noise recording, it's far more difficult to think qualities of this type of material. Composition, pacing. Style of sound. Amount of repetition and such. In case of Six Heads, I do like most of all decayed and rotten feel of sounds. And that it doesn't have anything overtly "amusing".

What sort of qualities one looks for? If it includes collages of spoken word, how does it affect? Favorites, recommendations?   

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Few links..
Broken Penis Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWzfXBJYNMU
Gerogerigegege Hotel Ultra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm9HVsZEzpQ
Joseph Hammer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FQPTospsSE

[Zeno Marx]

I don't know if I could define, or pinpoint, what makes one good and the other annoying.  I don't really care for this style, but when it is skilled, I can listen to it.  The best I've heard is from John Wall, Alterstill and Fractuur in particular.  It's what I consider spazztic, which is one reason my brain doesn't get along that well with this style, but he also did it in a way that I can find myself trying to hear his sources.  I can focus into the mess.  On one of those releases, he lists some of the sources, and it was fun to try to find them.  It's more of a listening exercise and a matter of admiration for the skill than something I enjoy or get satisfaction from hearing.  So maybe I think of this area of experimentalism as more about technique and the technical than about the result, and that doesn't go a long way for my listening needs.

John Wall - Alterstill 1995
John Wall - Fractuur 1997
Nurse with Wound - The Sylvie And Babs Hi-Fi Companion 1985
P16.D4 - Distruct 1984
Mixed Band Philanthropist - The Impossible Humane 1987
Bladder Flask - One Day I Was So Sad 1981

I'm drawing a blank right now, but there are at least a couple LAFMS releases I'd throw in here

[ricjaff]

Raionbashi - Kollekte

[Steve]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5ChX0JrJy4 Some good Six Heads footage.

[wadavison]

First of all, thanks for listening to Six Heads and for your comments. Much appreciated! Don't have a lot of time for an in depth discussion of sound collage, although it is of particular interest to me (not surprisingly). Nurse With Wound has already been mentioned and is at the top of my list for recommended artists working in this area. P16.D4, also already mentioned, and I second that recommendation. A few more I might add, off the top of my head - Brume (aka Christian Renou), AGOG (aka Damian Bisciglia), and a couple of good friends of mine, irr.app(ext.) (aka Matt Waldron) and Thomas Carnacki (aka Gregory Scharpen).

[wadavison]

Also Gastric Female Reflex (a project I used to be involved in) and Fleshtone Aura (Andrew Zukerman, formerly of Gastric Female Reflex).

[wadavison]

I met John Wall when he was working at some tiny record shop in South London back in the early 90s. Nice guy. He played some of his music for me and it was quite good. Very loop-based, if I recall correctly. Strong material.

[2pf cell]

saw gastric female reflex when you came over to the uk and you were superb - totally convincing, chaotic, "cartoon-soundtrack" cut-ups; but performed live!

[Duncan]

Also Gastric Female Reflex (a project I used to be involved in) and Fleshtone Aura (Andrew Zukerman, formerly of Gastric Female Reflex).

YEP. Both smashing acts.  Fleshtone split LP w/ Dylan Nyoukis is a killer slab.

Um, I'll add to this +1's for Joseph Hammer and the Bladderflask record. Love that stuff.  Some Climax Golden Twins??  Oh yeah and Raionbashi too.

[Zeno Marx]

I met John Wall when he was working at some tiny record shop in South London back in the early 90s. Nice guy. He played some of his music for me and it was quite good. Very loop-based, if I recall correctly. Strong material.

That might have been his Fear of Gravity CD, which was his first release.  He didn't like it, was ashamed of it, or something like that.  I can't remember exactly how that story went, but he released it on his own label, UtterPsalm, and then put the boxes of CDs in his closet.  He never sold any.  He didn't want anyone to hear it.  I think it was Vince/Manifold who talked him into letting go of a few copies for the Manifold distro, and then when Wall finally gave into the idea, he wanted to get them back when he heard they were selling.  I don't think he restocked Manifold, either.  It was some weird deal where Wall had to be talked into it, and then when he was, he had reservations about it the whole time.  I don't think he liked what he was doing until Alterstill.

[wadavison]

I met John Wall when he was working at some tiny record shop in South London back in the early 90s. Nice guy. He played some of his music for me and it was quite good. Very loop-based, if I recall correctly. Strong material.

That might have been his Fear of Gravity CD, which was his first release.  He didn't like it, was ashamed of it, or something like that.  I can't remember exactly how that story went, but he released it on his own label, UtterPsalm, and then put the boxes of CDs in his closet.  He never sold any.  He didn't want anyone to hear it.  I think it was Vince/Manifold who talked him into letting go of a few copies for the Manifold distro, and then when Wall finally gave into the idea, he wanted to get them back when he heard they were selling.  I don't think he restocked Manifold, either.  It was some weird deal where Wall had to be talked into it, and then when he was, he had reservations about it the whole time.  I don't think he liked what he was doing until Alterstill.

This would have been 1994 so, yeah, must have been Fear Of Gravity. Weird. He certainly didn't seem ashamed of it at the time. I wouldn't say he was pushing it on us but he definitely wanted us to hear it. I think my friend Brian may have even bought a copy from him while we were there. Perhaps he had a change of heart about the work. It happens. Or maybe my memory is completely faulty.

[wadavison]

(Wintage Records & tapes label, what happened to that label?!) 

Wintage head honcho Kevin Crump became a dad a couple of years ago so the label went on the back burner.

[wadavison]

saw gastric female reflex when you came over to the uk and you were superb - totally convincing, chaotic, "cartoon-soundtrack" cut-ups; but performed live!

I was no longer in the project by that point but I'm sure Jake and Andrew did a fantastic set. Was that at Colour Out Of Space?

[l.b.]

a bit different than others listed so far, but maybe German group HNAS fits here. collage in a way, but with bigger/longer 'pieces' of sound material. some goofy stuff like guitar rock and fart noises every so often...but in between nice sparse clattering, distant drones, pause-button cuts, etc.

H.N.A.S. - Als der morgen kalm, war es, als sei nur eine nacht vergange
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjuV1BYUOrk