Of walls, abused housewives, & Vacuum Cleaners

Ennaytch is a US project that creates a creative, layer detailed, and often ambient-focused take on walled noise. It started in 2021, having fifty-plus releases to its name. It’s probably most known for the seemingly unending ‘Vacuum Cleaner Music’ series, which weaves a storyline into ‘wall’ kind. It regards an abused housewife who rebels against misogyny, murders her husband, and goes on a killing spree- though this was just the start of the story, which has now been expanded into some fairly wacky/ bizarre places. Below is an email interview with the man behind Ennaytch Tommy Lenahan, where we discuss how the project started, the VCM series, it’s other work, and beyond

M[m]: What was your first introduction to walled noise?.

Tommy: I found wall in approximately the same order most people do, I think... The first one I heard was The Rita - Thousands of Dead Gods, found Vomir shortly thereafter, then a world opened up

M[m]: Was there a particular track/ album that inspired you to make your own ‘walls’?

Tommy: Not especially.. I listen to a lot of it. The first HNW I recorded, I was messing with some subwoofer feedback, went "wait a minute this is wall and it sounds sick", then I got weird with it, made the entire room into a tangle of wires and pedals and noise processors into a total of 6 feedback circuits off 2 subwoofers. The resulting recording became 10 Million Dead Nazis, released shortly later on Mutual Aid Records.

Anyways, starting to mess with wall myself was born from messing around

M[m]: Please tell us a little bit about how the Ennaytch project came about?. And what inspired the name?

Tommy: Ennaytch is a phonetic spelling of the letters NH, which stands for Nerdhammer. I was using that handle as a riff off Hellhammer, back when I played black metal drums, so Ennaytch is kind of an inside joke, for my own internalized amusement

M[m]: Is Ennaytch your first project?- If not, please discuss other projects/bands you’ve been involved with?

Tommy: I don't really think of Ennaytch as a project name. It's just me. That's why I do everything under the same name, no matter what genre I'm messing around in today.

I started as a really shitty drummer in a punk rock band Iron Column, then drummed for a black metal band Vile Tyrant for 3 years. When I moved to Arizona 2018, I didn't really know anybody, so I picked up my first synth and just started recording all the time. I like this better, so I keep doing it.

M[m]: You mention being a drummer for BM band Vile Tyrant- are there any samples of the band online?

Tommy: Probably, but I don't care.. I walked away from that a long time ago

M[m]: Do you still listen to enjoy BM, and aside from noise, what genres of music do you listen to?

Tommy: I do.. I was listening to an album from Spectr a couple of days ago.. French industrial black metal.

Ohhhh, I'll listen to anything. Jazz, metal, industrial, ambience, hip hop, soooo much noise in its infinite variations.

One thing I like to say, copy nothing, yet let nothing escape your ear

M[m]: Seemingly, all of the projects' releases have the title preference of ‘Vacuum Cleaner Music’. With each new release having seemingly longer/ more story-based titles. Please could you discuss this a little bit? And give us a rough storyline of where we’re in the project's storyline now?

Tommy: I'm fairly prolific, the VCM series on Basement Corner is nowhere near my only work, but that one tickles me so much I keep adding more to it

This started with a really shitty roommate a few years ago, a dudebro sort with a bully mentality. I was listening to some harsh noise wall, Werewolf Jerusalem I think? And he was trying to be insulting, about my "vacuum cleaner music". I thought that was hilarious and leaned into it. I was thinking his girlfriend is probably abused, the way he treats people, so I conceived a 5-album series about an abused housewife who rebels against the misogyny, murders her husband, and goes on a murder spree against misogynist treatment everywhere. Wall noise isn't really conducive to concept albums with plots, but... There are no rules

As I cranked those out, the character took on a life of her own in my head. I decided to do another 5-album leg of the tale, and mess around with ambient noise wall. She's a full-on baddie now, deals with PTSD, starts a crime syndicate, and dies at the end.

Third leg, I'm fleshing out a fresh approach to HNW, which is the story of her adventures in hell. Cerberus goes belly up for her, so she has a trusty ally, as she murders demons and climbs the ranks of hell to Queen of The Damned. I'm not sure, but I might end it at that, might not.

That roommate is long gone from my life, but the idea he inspired lives on

M[m]: Aside from the  VCM series, what five releases were the most sonically successful/ are you proud of?

Tommy:  Five favorites.. this is hard to answer. I hate all my work! Well, whatever I record today, or later, that is awesome; anything I recorded yesterday, or before, is cringe. Ok j/k. Sort of.

5. Negative Affirmations, on Harsh Reality

I just got particular weird on that one, kind of a dark power electronics album

4. Exit Strategy on Outsider Industries

Probably my most consistently solid death industrial work

3. Here The Four Walls, My Only Friend on Machine Tribe Recordings

My most unique wall noise work. Sits somewhere between ANW and HNW

2.Do Not Disturb, on Lurker Bias

A single hour long ambient noise wall piece. I don't know, I just like this one. I listen to it sometimes when I struggle to sleep

1. Withdrawn, self-released on my own bullshit half-assed cassette label, Father of Lies

I think of this one as a turning point, I'm finding my own sound. A very personal death industrial work, 2 cassette album

 

M[m]: Could you please detail your present set-up?. And are there any bits of kit you still use from when you first started?

Tommy: This is a difficult one to answer.. I have a bit of a GAS problem, Gear Acquisition Syndrome. I trade out what instruments I'm recording with every day. Generally, a hybrid of modular, tabletops, pedals, and piezo instruments. I picked up a Lyra 8 early on, which I still use regularly

M[m]: Many of Ennaytch releases push the limits/ expectations of the ‘walled-noise’ sound- is this deliberate, or does it happen in more organic way?

Tommy: Hmmm... both? I'm not out to do the exact same thing anyone else is doing. I mean, that's valid, too. I don't mean anything disparaging to others who are trying to be whoever their favorite person is. But I'm just me. Whatever it occurs to me to do, that's what I do.

An old friend, Rahb Eleven of Doomsday Virus/Destroy Eleven, once said to me, "music is a conversation". I like that. Someone says something, that inspires you to say something else, that may or may not be related to what the other person said

I  do this with all the genres I mess around in. I'm heavily influenced by Atrax Morgue, but I have my own spin on death industrial that is miles different, heavily layered. If there's anything consistent about me at all, it is layers... I like to get a number of instruments going at once, hit record

M[m]: I’ve seen pictures of you in a live setting- how many shows have you played, could you discuss your set-up, and what have been some of the favourite shows you’ve played?

Tommy: I'm somewhat losing enjoyment in playing live, partly because I'm limited to what I can bring, so I can't just "oh what if I grab this" in the middle of a piece like I can while recording. And what if I dial in something that sounds stupid, and all these people looking at me. Embarrassing! Anyways, I haven't stopped yet, I've agreed to a number of shows this year.

I'm not sure how many times I played.. a number. Favorite, I did a performance art piece once at a house show, called Morally Compromised in The Workplace. I set up a plate of dirt in front of me, and a glass of fake blood, sat down, tucked a napkin as bib. I started eating the dirt politely, with a fork, back straight, mannered. Then I start shovelling the dirt in my mouth frantically, desperately. I pour the blood all over the dirt I'm eating, and now I'm using my hands to shovel the dirt and gore into my face, and I'm crying while I do it. Then I get up, wipe my hands, and start fiddling with synths, do my set..

Set up, again, it varies. I have a live preference for instruments that are easy to dial into something cool, less likely to do something stupid. Still stupid shit happens though

M[m]: I must say I’ve been impressed by some of the project's releases cover artwork- as unlike a lot of wall/ noise releases, they feature proper illustrations. Who created these?

Tommy: Ohhhh, nothing consistent. Sometimes I find something on the web and do a copyright crime, sometimes I use an art a friend made, sometimes I'll use AI when I have something specific in mind that I can't find or do myself. The 5th VCM cover, a friend took the picture when I told her the idea, photo through her bare legs like POV masturbating, an image of Vomir on the TV screen 

M[m]: What’s next for Ennaytch?

Tommy: Ohhhh, I dunno. Whatever I feel like.

I've been collecting drum machines lately, adding fresh dimensions to my sounds

M[m]: What has impacted you in the last six months- be it sound, music, film or art?

Tommy: I picked up a handful of cassettes from Compactor recently, and I've been enjoying spinning through them.

Thanks to Tommy for doing the interview. The project's Bandcamp can be found here, and here is Basement Corner's site- where most of the VCM series can be found

Photo credits: menu pic Dixon Yarmouth, second in photo pic PKWST