Null (Kazuyuki Kishino) - Extropy Zero 1 [Nux Organization ý - 2011]Legendary Japanoise musician Kazuyuki Kishino presents Extropy Zero 1, a full length CD, under his Null moniker. Released on his own imprint Nux Organization, the Extropy series is designed to showcase Kishino’s progress in both the studio and live performance. The material on this release was created between 2009 and 2010 in Kishino’s home studio in Japan (called “Prima Natura”) and then performed and recorded live in Hamburg, Germany. Extropy Zero 1 presents 2 long tracks of experimental noise/ techno fusion. Rob Gordon, the main protagonist in the film High Fidelity, has a great scene where he describes the subtle art of creating the perfect mix tape: The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don’t wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules. In many ways, Extropy Zero 1 transpires in a very similar fashion. The 2 tracks that make up this album unfold in a very planned and methodical way (or so it seems). Mr. Kishino’s tracks ebb and flow, kick you in the guts, nurse you back to health, inspire a spontaneous dance party, cool you off, and then hit you over the head with a bludgeon. It’s a wild ride, but Null knows how to overstimulate his listeners’ senses, only to reel things in, right before they jump off the cliff. The album is healthy tension of: hyper-fast techno rave gyration, crunchy junk metal abuse, nature sounds (most notably avian and aquatic sounds), swaths of static wash, sci-fi synth whizzing and whirling, rhythmic beats, pulsating synth, glitch, 8-bit nintendo bloops and bleeps, computer digi-electronics, and harsh noise flourishes. In other words, a treasure trove of artifacts found in the wider umbrella of experimental music, of which Null manages to touch on about every one from A to Z. The production on the album is very polished, especially for being recorded live. As a matter of fact, the overall recording, along with the art and production, has a quasi Front 242, 90’s techno/industrial vibe to it. Generally, I gravitate towards noise and electronic music that’s scummier...grimier, but Null is certainly the exception to the rule. Perhaps my effusive praise sounds a bit hyperbolic, but if the shoes fits…. Hal Harmon
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