NOISEXTRA - A podcast about noise

[aububs]

Didn't realise there was an Orphx episode, listened last night. Can't seem to find the Fragmentation album for download anywhere though, which is a shame as it would be nice to hear what they are talking about.

http://stahlfabrik.blogspot.com/2018/01/orphx-fragmentation-malignant-records.html

[NaturalOrthodoxy]

New episode is Con-Dom - The Eight Pillar. Personally my favourite noise release of any kind (I really obnoxiously commented "FINALLY" on their post about it which I immediately regretted- luckily managed to explain this was purely out of enthusiasm and not impatience).

Already started the episode and it's killer.

[Bloated Slutbag]

Bananafish episode is...way beyond perfection. Goddamn, Mr Glass talks (almost) as good as he writes. Which is not good, but very very good. It is mentioned by the Noisextra folk, a few times, how Bananafish "legitimizes" noise. Mr Glass remains silent on this (or so my mindsear would perceive). As well he fucking should (as well he MOTHERFUCKING should). Apologies, but Bananafish is well beyond noise. Is well beyond sound. The magazine is, in itself, PURE ART. On the writing alone. The writing, when it is Glass, is simply far beyond almost anything written on the subject, of sound or art, then, now.

Honestly, I would nominate fucking Bananafish for a fucking Pulitzer fucking prize, if I fucking could. Fucking. Times ten. The man is that good. Incredibly inspirational and also soul-destroying, because, really, it takes actual, genuine, real writing talent to write at that level. In my dream world, Seymour Glass writes the story for all of us. The noisepervs. The bad. The ugly. Assuming we deserve it- which, is a stretch.

[Bruitiste]

Seymour is indeed amazing and I loved that episode.  Beside Seymour, Bananafish also had stupendous guest scribes at times — for example Tom Smith (of To Live and Shave in L.A./Ohne/Miss High Heel/etc.) did fantastic in his review column in issue 14 (not to mention the hilarious letters from the first issue, mentioned on the episode.)  Anyone who's perused TLASILA lyrics could gather as much, he's like the James Joyce of experimental music.

Looking forward to listening to the R&G Asshole/Snail Dilemma episode that just came out!  Thrilled to hear a book about Schimpfluch is in the works...

[Zeno Marx]

Looking forward to listening to the R&G Asshole/Snail Dilemma episode that just came out!  Thrilled to hear a book about Schimpfluch is in the works...

I've been such a big fan of G*Park for as long as I've been into experimental music (Zabriskie Point influence), but I know zilch about R&G.  I think each time I've maybe heard R&G or Rudolf Eb.er, it's been heavy in vocal manipulations, which really aren't my thing.  In the past couple years, I've really warmed to Sudden Infant and Dave Phillips, particularly the latter.  The sonics and production values are so incredibly high quality.  Even if I don't care for the sources, my auditory senses are pushed on their toes, and I'm attracted.  R&G is like that as well, correct?  It's interesting that they choose this immaculate and dynamic quality of recording for such materials.  You'd almost expect everything to be raw and ugly on that level as well.  Looking forward to the book as well.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I have enjoyed a lot all the recent episodes. Con-Dom, always good. I do have vague recollection that Dando once told that the way how he was exposed to Lawrence, was through exhibition by Club Moral. I have no concrete proof of when/how, but pretty firm gut feeling that was how it went. Good old networking and ideas transmitted from artist to another, and Con-Dom took it further from there.

It would be worth to mentioned Prince of our disorder 3"+tape set that consists live material from this era. In those years of his busy gigging, I was the one doing all the super-8 loops to digital -transfers that was used for live gigs and screenings. Many segments were repeated in editing, as original super-8 loops were pretty short due limitations of the format. Reels for 30 min set would have been pretty damn huge in size.

I recall Con-Dom performed the 8th pillar set in Finland. He played here several times, doing very unique shows. Once in my basement for invite-only audience, together with Snuff and some others. Playing very earlydays stuff from Have Faith era. Another special set in Lahti was Shards of Ordnance related, that was only show ever played, consisting nothing but his songs that appeared exclusively in compilation. Set ended into massive track found from Der Blutharsch tribute 4xCD set and it was monumental! Despite utterly small pub as venue, it felt monumental. Besides these small-audience ultra special shows, his sets in Finland were always something special.

Back then, there was some talk about attempt to do This Sickness Faith gig, that would only happen if we could get (defunct) church to host it. Haha.. needless to say, it did not happen and of course never will due project being retired.

I do appreciate very much the level of hype & praise Noisextra crew gives. It is hard to really explain the greatness of Con-Dom for someone who will conclude it may not be "as noisy" and "as brutal" as some other power electronics. I have a unfortunate feeling, that while we may have abundance of noisy and brutal PE, Con-Dom certainly was one of a kind, and there will be zero torch carriers to have same level of conceptual strength, sonic innovations and pure personality.

Schimpfluch episode - some good nuggets of new information for me.   

[Zeno Marx]

Another special set in Lahti was Shards of Ordnance related, that was only show ever played, consisting nothing but his songs that appeared exclusively in compilation. Set ended into massive track found from Der Blutharsch tribute 4xCD set and it was monumental!

The Fire Danger Season 4CD set?

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Yes. Live recording of song is found on War & Ordnance -tape. Zoom h2n recording ok, but not of course able to show how it really was.

[Zeno Marx]

Anyone have the MSBR/Koji Tano wayback machine URL?  I've searched, but I can't find it.

[PTM Jim]

Anyone have the MSBR/Koji Tano wayback machine URL?  I've searched, but I can't find it.

It's just msbr.com

[FreakAnimalFinland]

https://www.noisextra.com/2020/03/11/emil-beaulieau-anti-performance/

There is talk why Emil Beaulieau sounded different, and around 1h 5 min part talking is the thing room recording or not... well, back in the day, when Record Store Record song of RRR was recorded, it was me and I recall Steve Underwood of Harbinger, using loud packaging tape to wrap my boxes of LP's I bought and shipped to Finland. Just a deal I made with Ron about buying few hundreds of hardrock records when I was opening my store and needed "regular inventory".

Song was just the process of using loud ripping packaging tape. Crucial for piece to sound like it did -  RRRon just pulled out this toploader tape recorder, with built in microphones. He told that is the machine that pretty much every recording he has done has been made. Including also all those live matinees that were at RRR store on weekly basis for ages. Sound of this type of (often mono) deck is quite unique, due type of microphones it has and natural saturation. It is not all about gear he used to make sound, but I'm sure most of stuff, like minutoli cd's sounds *like that* because how they were recorded. Top loader next to amp, recording on tape, missing all the too high frequencies, missing all the lowest bass, the broken, mid-range dominated rusty sound.

This is the element that a lot of bands who try to sound rough and brutal, closer to the atrocities of for example 80's power electronics tapes, don't often see that it is not that much about what synths you may have, or what amps etc, but the microphones and the recorders. Doing the "zoom digital recorder" type of thing gives you clarity, but also this hollow flatness. Some older microphones, some specific boom boxes and especially these "office tools", like the toploaders meant to have good recording due used for dictating professionally etc.

If not knowing what I'm talking about, google for example: Panasonic RQ2102
Tons of similar size/type recorders, often working with batteries. Technically of course usually better than walkmen. Of course it can be gamble which brand has the good sound, good natural compression/saturation, clarity vs punch, not too much hissing etc. Yet this kind of recorders are often secret for the good old rotten and fierce noise, which is not just trying to add more distortion or trying to boost things with preamp simulators etc.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Probably more suitable for "gear talk", but might just continue a bit. I keep telling a lot of people who record digitally, that it can work when done properly, but these hand held recorders thrown in room -type of thing is kind of ruining the contemporary noise releases. Many times you recognize instantly the certain type of "character" in sound.

I know nowadays it is getting harder and harder to just bump into tape decks in fleemarkets for dirt cheap prices, but if ever do, it seems to be always worth to grab. For example I have been using for vast majority of my recordings during last few years Technics RS-B335. It is by no means famous or "important" or "classic" gear. It's cheap as fuck. I just looked german ebay and seems like you can get then for 20-35 euro. It's good and simple no bullshit tape deck, but good options are, that when connecting things with RCA cables on the back, recording line-in stuff, it is good clean sound. When using exact same sources, but connecting RCA (with regular jack adaptors) to front microphone inputs, you get excellent saturation. Pretty much any noise sounds great, even if it does not color the sound in very specific way. There just happens some sort of sound magic similar to when thinking why Emil Beaulieau stuff sounds "different".

Most of my stuff is done live-on tape, and when you record on left/right - that is basically two mono tracks. After digitizing tape, you can blend in these 2 tracks unless it was just regular stereo. One example of fairly recent is SADIO "Sensuous..." tape. It's all rehearsal place live recording directly from mixer to Technics RS-B335. No "postproduction" mixing, no mastering. Just as it was on tape. Sound is probably better than any previous things recorded on wide variety of recorders.

I would ALWAYS recommend grabbing couple different style/era tape decks than investing 10 times more on "synth" or "efx" or "mixer". Way more crucial element in sounding good, of course sort of "solution for dummies" choice too as it is so easy. Of course good sound can be achieved by other means. This is just what I prefer.

[Zeno Marx]

Anyone have the MSBR/Koji Tano wayback machine URL?  I've searched, but I can't find it.

It's just msbr.com

that takes you to Poker Star Online

to FreakAnimalFinland's posts, every recorder of almost every type used to have built-in condenser microphones.  I believe it was standard for boom boxes.  Pre-90s?  The cassette decks I was buying in the 90s didn't have line jacks.  Anyone interested in microphones could register to The Trader's Den.  Those folks are the ones who are obsessive about this kind of gear.  Of course, they were looking for clarity, but I'm sure they could tell you what gear could get specific results.  They were the ones rigging recorders into wheelchairs so they could bootleg arena rock concerts.

[PTM Jim]

Anyone have the MSBR/Koji Tano wayback machine URL?  I've searched, but I can't find it.

It's just msbr.com

that takes you to Poker Star Online

Weird. It works for me.
Here: https://web.archive.org/web/20050204032728/http://msbr.com/

[Zeno Marx]

Anyone have the MSBR/Koji Tano wayback machine URL?  I've searched, but I can't find it.

It's just msbr.com

that takes you to Poker Star Online

Weird. It works for me.
Here: https://web.archive.org/web/20050204032728/http://msbr.com/

Thanks a lot.