Mortal Vision was very short lived side project of Hiroshi Hasegawa. Man is of course best known for CCCC.
Urashima just reissued the only full length release. In some ways, this 50 minute noise album is nothing "special". On theory, that is. It appears to be most of all guitar improvisation with heavy usage of effects. Not being utterly dynamic and fierce. Not really edited. Not as ear shredding as some of early 90's Japanese noise of Incapacitants, Hijokaidan etc, Not high energy blast like mid 90's Jap noise. Not so dense and psychedelic like CCCC... But most of all, unique. Instantly recognizeable for me. One can lump it together with some works of Solmania and maybe a bit of Monde Bruits, but Mortal Vision does stand firmly on it's own.
Ability to remember exact moments of album, even with many years since previous listening, is such achievement it makes album to stand from line.
Info text says:
Quote1989 he formed the amazing noise band and performance art act C.C.C.C. (Cosmic Coincidence Control Center) which's concept was improvisational mass-noise with very loud sound. Also he has begun his solo unit Mortal Vision with guitar in 1990 as well as playing in C.C.C.C. and then he has begun Astro in 1993 with analogue synthesizer and since than continuing to spend decades exploring noise's manifestations and new ways of enrapturing audiences with sound.
Nacht Musik is the only work, with a seven inch on Membrum Debile Propaganda, of his solo project Mortal Vision. Originally released on well-known tape label G.R.O.S.S. in 1992, the work present two long tracks where the sounds of distorted guitar are shackled to multi-phasic curtains of blinding light, distorting, firing, and moving in great explosive arcs as they pan from speaker to speaker. Played at any kind of significant volume level, this stuff can peel the paint from the walls!
It's not fully accurate to say this is only work, since Mortal Vision also contributed bunch of compilations. Few exceptions. For example COME AGAIN II CD track is actually pulled from this Nacht Musik. It is very easy to spot the c. 1 minute fragment from middle of b-side what is clearly spontaneous highlight of this album, and it was used in that classic Japanese noise compilation.
Also Herz Aus G.R.O.S.S. (4xCass, Comp) Statutory Tape (aka RRR) is based on this same material. 23 minutes Remix by Aube.
But there must be few other that are beside the Nacht Musik and 7" on Membrum Debile. What I know of:
Noise War (to be reissued as CD box finally in december 2016!!)
Density 100 (2xCass, Comp, Ltd, Num, C50) G.R.O.S.S. GRS100 1993
Neo, Noise Punishment (Cass, Comp, C60) Kubitsuri Tapes S;E;X59-000 1993
United States Of Terrorism (Cass, Comp, Ltd, C10) Deadline Recordings DLN 125 1995
Density 100 would be killer as 2xCD or 2xLP release. Great fucking release. So would be collection of these "misc" tracks of Mortal Vision. It would not be very hard to get everything together, and it could be even better as a whole than Nacht Musik. Simply due shorter and more focused tracks?!
Seems like Astro has slowed down significantly. Instead, he works more simply as Hiroshi Hasegawa. Curious to hear any reactions on his recent material? Don't remember seeing people talk about it.
