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Carlton Mellick III
Carlton Mellick III is one of the most known & respected names in the Bizzaro literary genre. He writes trashy squishy child-like novels set in surreal fantasy versions of consumer America, with an emphasis on nightmarish absurdities, punk perversions, and social satire. In only a few short years, his surreal counterculture novels have drawn an international cult following despite the fact that they have been shunned by most libraries and corporate bookstores.. I first came across his work at the start of this year, and I was blown away by his imagination, his love of strange & often disturbing imagery, and his ability to write wild & enchanting fiction that reads quite unlike anyone else. Carlton very kindly agreed to give M[m] an email interview
Utech Records
In the last 8 years, Wisconsin based Utech Records has made a name for itself bringing recognition to avant garde musicians, veterans and new-comers in equal parts. The albums on their roster are daring hybrid of styles which have only rarely seemed so at home together before. One senses the disparate realms of metal, jazz, classical and noise drawing ever closer together. With high quality, distinctive packaging and a commitment to consistency and out-of-the-box thinking in their releases, Utech Records dispels all previous notions of what a small label should be capable of. Label owner/founder Keith Utech was kind enough to grant M[m] an email interview.
Jelle Koning
Netherlands based Jelle Koning is one of the more busy & multi-project linked artists with-in the European HNW/ noise scenes. He has at present seven active projects(Ikodora '65, Chantal, Cult of the Smiling Jesus, DRAAK, Slackernoise & Jaratondo) . And he also runs the excellent noise/ experimental label Muzikaal Kabaal. Jelle kindly agreed to give M[m] an interview via email.
Nachtvorst
Although relative newcomers, the Netherlands’ Nachtvorst (comprised of members, Erghal and Leopold) have built a solid fan-base with well crafted music, through their albums ‘Stills’ and their most release ‘Silence’. In many aspects Nachtvorst represent a different side to extreme metal. They are to an extent labeled as black metal, but their music compositions embrace many influences inside and outside of the metal genre. Their main characteristic in their music is their ability to create highly emotive and atmospheric settings. Band member Leopold was gracious enough to answer our questions and delve deeper into the ideas behind Nachtvorst.
Konntinent
Konntinent is a London based one man project that summons up a dark & dystrophic mixture of unwell synth scaping & bleak electronica. The project has been in existence since 2008, releasing an MP3 album, CDRs, Tapes & CD’s- the project most recent release is this years “Kiruna”. Behind the project is one Antony Harrison who is also known for work under his own name, as well as under the project names of Arev Konn(an outlet for more abstract and abrasive work) & Paco Sala (an outlet for his love of hip-hop, Italo-disco, & synth-infused pop music). Antony kindly agreed to give M[m] an email interview discussing the Konntinent project & the “Kiruna” release.
The Residents/Hardy Fox
The Residents have spent most of their forty years in existence releasing albums & creating art that breaks or twisting the rules. Their most recent album “Coochie Brake” sees them once again pulling the rug from under the listener, with one of the biggest twists in some years. They have replaced their normal & constant singer (Mr Skull or Randy, as he now likes to be known) with a Spanish singer called Carlos, who of mumbles, whispers & sometimes sings in Spanish through-out the albums entire length. We caught-up with Hardy Fox, from The Residents long time management & media voice ‘The Cryptic Corporation’, for an email interview to discuss the new album.
The Psychogeographical Commission
-An Interview with The Psychogeographical Commission-Psychogeography, coined by the French Situationist Guy Debord in the mid-Fifties, questioned the ways in which places affect people, and particularly highlighted the negative consequences of urban architecture’s focus on function over form, providing a clear division between work and play for its inhabitants as they routinely experience the expected, their inquisitive senses dampened. More recently, aspects of psychogeography have been explored in modern literature, the most popular of which have included Ian Sinclair’s secret histories of London and Will Self’s regular provocative postcards for The Independent newspaper. But, despite music’s lifelong relationship to the environment, from the strategically sedatory effect of Eno’s Music for Airports to Annea Lockwood’s sound maps of rivers, overt aural expositions of psychogeographical secrets remain largely the preserve of audioguides aimed at tourists.
James Killick
UK based Sweet solitude was one of the most consistent, influentially and progressive HNW labels to appear in recent years on the world wide scene, over the last year or so the prolific label has racked up an astonishing sixty one releases. So it was a great surprise/ disappointment when it was announced that the label was to be no more. I caught up with the man behind the label-James Killick( also of HNW projects: Love Katy, Small Hours, Fan Service, Carrie, The Monochrome Man, and Blank Depths) to find out why he’s decided to end this respected & popular label, and to discuss his new label Vagary Records.
Splinterskin
Splinterskin is a one-man project from Ohio that offers up macabre, horror fuelled, autumnal simmered ‘n’ strummed dark folk. Thus far the project has only released one full lenght album in the form of 2009’s “Wayward Souls”, on Uk’s Cold Spring records. I managed to track down the mysterious figure behind the project, and bellow you’ll find a email interview with him.
Vidinë Ramybë
Vidinë Ramybëis a little known Lithuanian one-man harsh noise/power electronics project, and in my humble opinion he's been releasing some of the best Euro-zone noise in the last couple of years. I hope this interview will spread the word a bit.
Jute Gyte
Jute Gyte is Missouri based multi genre project, which since 2006 has jumped from & mixed together various musical genres. The projects work has gone from: bleak ambience with noise blasts, onto all out noise wall building , through to violently cut-up musique concrete, onto sinister IDM, through to bleak clunking mix of ambience and industrial tone, and in the last few years experimental black metal. Behind the project is just one person- Adam Kalmbach, Adam also part runs Jeshimoth Entertainment- the label that releases Jute Gyte work, along with other often quirky multi genre projects like Pumpkin Buzzard. Adam kindly agreed to give M[m] an email interview, and below he discusses both Jute Gyte & Jeshimoth Entertainment
Various HNW projects
The 2nd Euro HNW Fest took place on 7th of April 2012 in Paris at Instants Chavirés, the mini fest once again showcased some of Europe’s best and most influential HNW acts.
Nightmare Castle
Nightmare Castle is one of the more recent HNW project to appear on the American scene- the project themes most of it's releases around old horror movies, and the projects sound can generally be seen as fixed walled noise with a creative edge. Behind the project is one Clint Coker from Austin Texas- Clint kindly agreed to give M[M] an email interview.
Ritual Stance
Ritual Stance is a Richmond, Virginia based HNW project that creates hypnotic, atmospheric, creative and often memorable walled noise. The man behind the project is Evan Craig who also runs HNW / Power Electronics label Void Séance- Evan kindly agreed to give me an interview via email.
Anonymous
Anonymous is one of the most mysterious & secretive HNW projects in existence. Literally nothing is known about the projects identity, origin or location. The project has thus far released three releases on Uk based Sweet Solitude- all three releases are based around lengthy, fixed & brutal walled noise attacks, and each release is themed around a WWII battle or atrocities. After many weeks of pestering emails to Sweet Solitude home base, the labels runner James Killick (Small Hours, Love Katy & Carrie ) finally got Anonymous to agree to give me an email interview. The questions were sent to a fairly plain hotmail email(so it could be anywhere in the world) & after the questions were answered, I was told not to contact the email address again…..as it had been used purely for this interview & no other emails would be answered at this address. So please find below an extremely rare interview with this very elusive & mysterious HNW artists.
Steve Ignorant
When, in 2007, Steve Ignorant – founder member and lead vocalist of Crass, the first and greatest anarcho punk band – first floated the idea of playing Crass’ first album, The Feeding of the Five Thousand, live with a bunch of newly-recruited musicians he didn’t realise that it would turn into a tour lasting two years stretching across the globe with performances in 11 countries. Knowingly titled ‘The Last Supper’, the tour saw Steve perform Crass’ songs with the help of Gizz Butt on guitar (English Dogs, Prodigy), Spike T. Smith on drums (Morrissey, Killing Joke, Conflict), Bob Butler on bass (Schwartzneggar) and Carol Hodge on vocals (Electraglide), often taking the Crass’ message of anarchy and freedom to places the original band could never have reached. The tour ended in November last year back in London with a truly memorable final performance at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire (reported here in Musique Machine shortly after the event). This, Steve had promised, was to be the last time he would perform Crass’ songs live – arguably at a time when, thanks to both the success of the tour and the state of the planet, the demand is at its highest.
Nascitari
Nascitari is an Italian based walled noise project that creates grim, sucidal & black as night walled noise. The project has been in existence since 2009- it started off very much as a fixed & unmoving HNW project, but more recently work has seen the projects sound offer up more movement & creative yet ultra grim moments. The man behind the project Lorenzo N kindly agreed to give M[m] an email interview.
Mark Ward
Dublin based Mark Ward is the mind behind quirky mixed noise genre project Where is This, he also runs the excellent and varied irish noise label Bored Bear, and he also is in a collaborative project with Texas noise legend Richard Ramirez entitled Fuck Patrol. Mark kindly agreed to give M[m] an email interview from his Irish base in Dublin
Fatale
Chicago based Fatale are one of the few female fronted noise projects in today’s worldwide scene. The project started in mid 2010 by classically trained Violinists & vocalist Elizabeth Floersch, and she remains the only member. Fatale’s sound is an often emotional & harmonic tinged collision between harsh noise & HNW. Elizabeth kindly agreed to give M[m] an interview via email.
Best of 2011
2011 has been another great year for music & sound in all it’s many genres. Below you’ll find a list of releases that really meant something to our writers over the last 12 months.
Mike Mcgonigal
Mike Mcgonigal is a gospel record collector, expert and writer whose curated and put together this years excellent and varied raw African American gospel compilation “This We Be My Last Time singing”. He also put together the equally excellent & varied raw American gospel collection 2009’s ““Fire In my Bones”- both collections appeared on Tompkins Square records. Mike kindly agreed to give M[M] an interview discussing the two great compilations, his Gospel record collection and future works.
Staring At The Wall, 29/11/11 Luserna San Giovanni
The second Italian based HNW fest Staring at Wall 2011 took place in the small Italian town of Luserna San Giovanni on the 29 October 2011. Sadly no M[m] staff could make the event, so instead we got on the ground reports from two of the performing artists.
John Brien
Important Records is one of the busiest most genre varied labels around, and this year sees them celebrating their 10 anniversary. So what better time to track down the labels owner John Brien to have a chat about the label ten years existence & what he plans for the next ten years
The Last Supper – Steve Ignorant presents Crass So
Crass were the first band to forcefully promote anarchism and media subversion from within the emergent punk rock framework of the late Seventies, dominating the independent music charts with their singles and LPs that insisted customers “pay no more than…” what it cost them to independently produce the goods. They went on to release many records by other sympathetic artists creating a global anarcho punk movement along the way, with its quasi-militaristic fashions and dogmatic diatribes that saw as much internal argument as external direct action. Over the years these inner conflicts have often served to stall the preservation of Crass’ heritage as former members argued about such un-Crass-like commodities such as royalties. So it was with both salutations and sneers that various incomplete configurations of the band eventually remerged this century, the latest of which being co-founder Steve Ignorant’s The Last Supper set that he’s been touring intermittently since 2007 to keep the memory of Crass’ more accessible, punkiest numbers alive.