VOICE CRACK & related

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Not sure what all Voice Crack I have in my collection, but it's name what barely have made big impacts in past. However, half year ago, I went to see BORBETOMAGUS document in local cinema. This was rather odd, that there is actually Borbetomagus document screened in Lahti, Finland, week after its world premiere. Needless to say, there was less than 10 people in audiece, haha...

That document, after all the praise I saw online, ain't nothing that special. It's good if you like the band. And it's good if you get to blast it in theater with loud volume. It's much less so, if you end up watching it from small computer screen and lame sound...

One thing what did capture my attention, was when they briefly mentioned Voice Crack as important early collaborator and short fragments of their work appeared on document. I thought instantly that should check out what I have and what is available out there..

Short info:
Voice Crack was a Swiss electronic free improvisation group. Formed in late 1972 by Andy Guhl and Norbert Möslang, Voice Crack were initially a free jazz duo. They began incorporating pre-recorded tape effects and live sound processing, and by 1983 they eliminated any normal instrumentation in favor of what they call "cracked everyday electronics:" Mundane objects such as "radios, turntables, transmitters, dictating machines" and other items are cracked open and manipulated to produce "new sounds using magnetic and radio waves in a complex system controlled by movements of their hands and by light."

The resulting music - which consisted of various overlapping buzzes, clicks, drones and oscillations - has been described as, "Cascading magnetic waves arc across the sky as three-headed critters race and rummage through alien flora ... or at least that's what it sounds like."; and was favorably compared to some of John Cage's work.

Voice Crack collaborated with Borbetomagus, Butch Morris (as part of a larger ensemble), and were members of poire z. The group has now disbanded.



Not so much into free jazz at the moment, if I ever was. So from shelves grabbed Andy Guhl + Norbert Möslang "Knack on" CD reissue from my shelves. Originally LP 1983, reissued on CD 2000.  Recorded live at the Komm in Innsbruck, Austria on October 21st, 1982. Recording instantly hit my ears with feeling that I really need to go further checking Voice Crack. This recording appears sort of prelude. No more jazz elements or instruments really, but they had not started to use Voice Crack -name yet.

You can listen 15 minute clip from the session here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUbs3-UDpys

Original LP was edited to be two sides, while CD is like it was: One continous live recording. At most busy and aggressive moments, it may match even early days The New Blockaders fusing with Borbetomagus -type of feel. At most slowest and "softest", it still remains very broken and cracked sounds, abusing both acoustic space and amplified pre-recorded sounds. Combination makes it work very nicely on couple different levels, and also introduce the sense of physical space.

CD is cheap and easy to find, so recommended purchase! I'm curious for more comments on various Voice Crack items!

[Duncan]

The film 'Kick That Habit' is certainly worth a watch and can be found pretty easily on youtube. Believe it was issued by RRR on VHS in the early 90's.

I saw Andy Guhl at Colour Out of Space doing his cracked electronics work and though stuff like that is the bread and butter of any boring sound art university department, he delivered a really great and LOUD set of broken audio visual noise.  Again, plenty of footage about online.

Not heard much besides this, though I recall thinking the Earflash disc was pretty good.

[Andrew McIntosh]

Going by that YouTube excerpt I can hear why you'd want to hear more. Nice stuff.

[david lloyd jones]

like numbers of listeners, voicecrack were first heard with botbetomagus.
usually heard in relation to post punk hardcore' regime when thurston moore etc played with/recorded various avant jazzbos, cos they were fed up with post punk/they knew where their nest was feathered after punk died.

[Zeno Marx]

I suspect Voice Crack is one of those into it/not into deals.  You either like this sound and process or don't.  Maybe all music and art can be described as such, but they're in that higher degree camp.  If you like electro-acoustic music, you have a greater chance of liking them.  If you like groups like P16.D4, SBOTHI, RLW, Michael Prime in his most stripped down state, Evan Parker, Iskra 1903, the Emanem label, AMM, Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanzathe, and possibly Die Tödliche Doris on the outer edges, you have a greater chance of liking them.  I have five albums, and while none of them blow me away, I enjoy them all.  They strike me as crude or minimalist electronics.

*apologies for the long group list, but especially in this case, I think "they're akin to x, y, z" is a lot more likely to be helpful than trying to describe them.