XX Committee

[FreakAnimalFinland]

XX Committee "Steel Negro Music" CD
Trash Ritual

XX Committee "Network" CD
Impulsy Stetoskopu

1981-1983 recordings of industrial. Now you could say "old school", but of course back then being rather new musick! XX Committee was formed 1980 by two philosophy majors at the University of Pittsburgh. Trash Ritual reissued this first tape, and Impulsy Stetoskopy re-issued the full length.

Reissue of album you have almost 20 copies available at discogs, starting from mere 3 euro price! Even if pressing is just 250! Meanwhile, this Trash Ritual's tape reissue CD you got 1 at discogs for 12 euros. Even if this latter came out years later. I wonder how many are actually in circulation and how many sit somewhere in storageboxes of (now defunct?) label?

It's too bad Steel Negro Music isn't available that well, since it's great piece of industrial of the era. You could lump it together with White Hand, earliest Pacific 231, ConDemek and such. Sort of obscure, physical, yet mechanical industrial. Drum beats processed with metallic clang of spring-echoes, eerie lo-fi drones, etc. Perhaps "Steel Negro Music" sounds unfinished, while on album they managed to avoid things like clumsy guitar noises. It's hard to decide whether finished and stylish album is better than somehow rugged and clumsy tape. Therefore both are well worth having!

One of the guys is known for many other stuff such as Idea Fire Company. More recently, Tobacconist is stuff I listened and liked, but certainly very different kind of stuff.

I doubt I need original LP or Harbinger's reissue LP of "Network", but both CD's was very welcomed and feels nice to listen even now! If one buys these two, that's the discoraphy, so also nice compact complete discography.


Album stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRTJcsojUsY

Tape stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL9X3HCXHEk

Drone 1 found in versions from both:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qxt_IQw2aw

[Peterson]

I have the "Network" CD which is one of my most prized albums; when I first heard this project, I remember thinking that it was what I imagined industrial music to sound like before I'd ever heard any actual examples. The structured, song-like approach works damn well in this project, and I like that it makes for indirect "ambient" background listening as well as something you can pay close attention to (and probably notice new details with each new listen). The synthesizer noises (and guitar, I think?) work really well almost as melodies or counterpoints against the rhythmic electronics and metal percussion. I'd also say that XX Committee stand out as unique, in that they had bleak, even disturbing "industrial vibes" that aren't quite as dark, menacing or claustrophobic as most of the stuff from their time.

Anything of that time comparable to them in approach and quality is something I'd probably check out and have a good chance of liking. I guess I could also say XXC is a big influence on my project Modern, even if only in an abstract sense. Feels dumb to mention the two together as XXC is obviously so much better in so many ways, but there you have it.

Never heard Idea Fire Company, but lots of reviews in Fordamning etc etc have made me want to look into them. I remember finding a website with Scott Foust's record reviews a couple years ago that was pretty interesting, can't remember what it was called, though.

[J_D_H]

Never heard Idea Fire Company, but lots of reviews in Fordamning etc etc have made me want to look into them. I remember finding a website with Scott Foust's record reviews a couple years ago that was pretty interesting, can't remember what it was called, though.

His distro is here - http://www.anti-naturals.org/swill/. Entertaining reviews, refreshingly personal and highly opinionated. As far as Idea Fire Company stuff goes, Stranded is pretty great from what I remember and has a pretty uncomfortable and uneasy feeling that is hard to pin down.  Recent 7" on I Dischi Del Barone is killer.  Ice cold and clinical synth drone.  Need to give XX Committee a go!