Loading
Supersonic Festival 21-23 October 2011
For its ninth year the Supersonic Festival returned to Birmingham’s Custard Factory, an urban industrial network of long-neglected, now redeveloped warehouse space that each year seems that bit more reconstituted, like the powder from the packets it produced until the original Factory closed in 1964. And it is something about this place, both the venue and its city, which makes Supersonic so unique, relevant and seriously stimulating.
Lungwash
Lungwash is a North Eastern Usa project who mix together ambient HNW, drone matter & atmospheric noise matter to create a very distinctive & original earthy, organic and deeply atmospheric sound. The project started late 2010, and since then has released a few full lengths, a few split releases, and one self released tape releases. M[m] was luck enough to get an email interview with Chris who is the solo mind behind the project.
Moon
Moon is an Australian one man ambient black metal project who darkly brew up a blurred, musty and grim mixture of muffled and sinister guitars, smudged & swirled blacked keyboard ambience, and processed growls/ choral drifts. The project was formed in 2007 as a solo outlet for Brisbane based Miasmyr, who has been on the Brisbane black metal scene since 1999 and played with acts like cult Catacomb, Urgrund and Forn Valdyrheim. So far the Moon project has put out six releases taking in various splits, tapes and most recently an full length cd entitled “Caduceus Chalice”(which is an reissue of an early & out of print tape) on the infamous Moribund records.Miasmyr kindly agreed to give M[M] an email interview.
Manuel Pereira
Manuel Pereira is the head of Portuguese filthy noise/industrial music label Narcolepsia. With a very distinctive and old school art style he released material by the likes of N., Richard Ramirez, Paranoid Time, Infirmary, Vomir and more. In my humble opinion, it's one of the most interesting, honest and just plain good labels to raise up from the European noise scene in a long time. He puts togeather 'n' edits collage & interview printed zine Troubled Sleep.....Manuel kindly aggreed to give M[m] an email interview.
J Orphic
Creative, nostalgic, melancholy and subtle; any one of those words could describe J Orphic. With only three releases to their name; the project has garnered interest with their eclectic brand of ambient and martial sounds combined with thoughtful spoken word pieces and expressive artwork. The projects three releases are: Sulla Terra(2009), Propaganda '900(with Jorvallr also from 09) and Cum Ipse Gratia(2010). A rather enigmatic project, this is their first interview as member Marco was gracious enough to talk with us.
Tromba
Tromba is the HNW/ambient HNW project of Puerto Rico born & based Jorge Castro. The project is at the forefront of newly developing ambient HNW genre, yet the project also utilizes elements of both HNW & standard Harsh noise to create it’s searing yet epic and shifting sonic tribute to storms & dangerous/ violent weather. Jorge kindly agreed to give M[m] an email interview.
Hildur Guðnadóttir
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir makes beguiling music that draws on both musicological forms and free-spirited experimentation, usually centered on her main focus, the cello, complemented by an array of both familiar and unfamiliar instruments woven together by digital processes and a sharp sense of the acoustic properties of a given space. To date, she has released two solo albums of seductive, fervent compositions on 12 Tónar and Touch respectively, and has been even more prolific through extensive collaborative work that has ranged from worldwide tours as part of Iceland’s experimental popsters múm, to arranging the choral accompaniment to Throbbing Gristle’s performance at London’s Tate Gallery, and performing live and in the studio with the likes of Pan Sonic and BJ Nilsen, while also finding time to create installations and compose for diverse film, theatre and dance projects
Fräkmündt
Fräkmündt are a four piece Swiss band who brew up a heady, atmospheric & slight twisted mixture of: alpine Folk, Germanic drinking songs, organic/ nature lined industrial texturing, off-kilter jaunting indie guitar folk that’s all ribbed with some slight ambient black metal and avant tinged ambient elements. The band put has so far put out: a tape release “Losid Vo Bärge Ond Tal”, their first full length release “Urbärglieder” and a mini album “Uufwärts e d’Föuse" all in 2010 on the great Austrian Percht label(home of fellow creative germanic/alpine folk projects like Sturmpercht, Allerseelen, Jahrtal, Svarrogh, Sangre Cavallum, ect). The band is due to release their new album "Heiwehland" in the autumn/winter of 2011. Res- the bands Lead vocalist & precisionist kindly agreed to give M[m] an email interview.
Kenneth Kirschner
Kenneth Kirschner is a New York based composer whose often lengthy & slowly developing pieces mix together elements of ambience, slowed electronica and modern minimalistic classical music to create something very distinctive & highly rewarding. Kenneth has just put out his new epic three cd set “Twenty Ten” on the always rewarding and consistent 12k label. He kindly agreed to do an email interview with M[M] discussing his new release and his work in genreal.
Hands Rendered Useless
Ryan Woodhall is not only member of the infamous New York based Power Electronics outfit Halflings, the disturbing sound collage group Yellow Tears and the collaborative duo Throat (with Margaret Chardiet/Pharmakon), but also runs his own solo project Hands Rendered Useless. Furthermore, he is the man behind the labels Accretion Disk (now defunct) and City Mortuary. Ryan kindly permitted to shed some light onto his activities through this interview.
Gluttoness & HNW Graveyard interview
Gluttoness is Fairfax USA based HNW project who has both an original sound & theme to their work- the projects sound is a mixture of HNW, Harsh noise, ambient/ progressive HNW, and subtle power electronics/ vocal textures. And the projects main obsession is large women or BBW. Behind the project is LM and he also runs the great HNW Graveyard which offers people access to out of print HNW titles(with the label/artists blessing). LM kindly agreed to give M[m] an email interview discussing both Gluttoness & the HNW Graveyard.
James Killick
Sweet solitude is one of the most consistent, influentially and progressive HNW labels to appear in recent years, and the man behind the label is Uk based James Killick James also has two HNW projects of his own: Love Katy- a Katy Perry influenced HNW project and Small Hours-quiet ambient textured noise project. James kindly agreed to give M[M] an email interview.
Stiff Discipline Tour 2011: Black Leather Jesus/As
In the Summer of 2011, the American harsh noise group Black Leather Jesus went on it’s first and (possibly) last United States tour, focusing primarily on the Midwest and Northeast sections. I performed in the industrial harsh noise wall group Slaughter-Fetus as well as playing several shows as a member of Black Leather Jesus. Also on the tour was Ascites (harsh noise from Dallas, Texas) and Skonhet (strict unchanging harsh noise wall from Sweden).
Aethenor + Wode + Take a Worm for a Walk Week
Tonight’s proceedings are held up from the start after the announcement that Alexander Tucker would unfortunately not be playing, no explanation is given as to why after a quick word with the promoters.
Merzbow
Late last year Merzbow(aka Masami Akita) released his largest cd set since the 'Merzbox'- the release in question was 'Merzbeint' a collection of twelve CD’s which charts the unknown and undiscovered side of Japans king of noise- his more quite, subtle and soundscape based side. Masami kindly agreed to give M[M] a interview (his third for the site) discussing this new set and other recent developments in the world of Merzbow.
Various HNW projects
The Euro HNW Fest took place on 23rd of April 2011 in Paris at Instants Chavirés, and the mini fest showcased some of Europe’s best and most influential HNW acts. The fest also included rare euro appearances from a US HNW acts like Richard Ramirez’s Werewolf Jerusalem.
Mz.412
Mz.412 are violent, dark and often controversial swedish collective who birthed the style of music called 'black industrial' which mixes together elements of ritual & occult tinged Industrial, dark ambience, power noise, and blacked metal into a brooding to pounding dark sonic soup. The collective first came into dark being in 1995, and they’ve released five genre defining albums between then and 2006. The band have recently reissued all of their albums in a remastered, repackaged and extra material laden form on Cold Spring Records. One of the dark minds behind Mz.412 is Nordvargr (aka Henrik Nordvargr Björkk) and he kindly agreed to give M[M] an interview discussing the reissues, the projects work thus far and the future.
Jeff Landgraf
Oblive's “Falsehoods” was one of last years HNW highlights with it’s crusty, detailed and highly consistent take on the genre. The man behind the project is Missouri based Jeff Landgraf, who is also behind more fixed and chilling supernatural obsessed HNW project Mass Graves. Jeff kindly agreed to give M[M] an email interview discussing both his HNW projects and beyond.
Fred Vogel
The three August Underground movies (August Underground, Mordum and Penance) are one of the most extreme, brutal and no-holds-bard series of horror movies ever made. Each film is shot in the Cinema vérité manner, and is made to look like the visual diary/ snuff archives of a group of twenty something US serial killers. All three films in the trilogy often chart highly in the top ten or top twenty of most extreme and sickening movies of all time. 2011 is the tenth anniversary of the first movie, and the first movies director and main actor Fred Vogel kindly agreed to give M[M] a spoken interview via the net. Fred also starred in the other two movies, and is also the president and key figure behind Toetag pictures which put out, produced and made all three movies.
400 Lonely Things
400 Lonely Things is the artistic duo of Jonathan McCall and Craig Varian. Creating together since 1988, they utilize the full spectrum of experimental, electronic and ambient music. The following is an email interview with Craig and Jonathan; they graciously explain their history and future.
Sturmgeschütz,hnwpropaganda & Hatered Records
Sturmgeschütz (which means assault riflein german) is a Batajnica, Serbia based HNW project that obsessed with the battles’ and the deaths of WW1 & WW2. The project was formed in 2010 by it’s one and only member M.S, and since then the project has put out seven releases so far. M.S also runs hnwpropaganda: a HNW review blog, and a HNW CDR label Hatered Records. M.S kindly agreed to give M[M] an interview from his bunker in Batajnica.
Vomir
Vomir really need’s little or no introduction to noise and HNW fans, as he was one of the most known and respected names in today’s HNW scene. Since the project started in 2006 the black bag wearing Frenchman has released over 50 releases, and each stays firmly on the path of brutal, crusty and unrelenting Walled noise. The man behind the bag is Romain Perrot and he kindly agreed to give M[M] a second interview(the first can be found here).
Bachir Gemayel,Insurgent &Koufar
Chicago based Mack Rabiech Chami is linked to three very different noise projects: Bachir Gemayel which is a mixture of HNW and Harsh noise, Insurgent which is minimalist HNW/ static texturing project and lastly but hardly least power electronics project Koufar. All three projects have a very deep middle eastern interest running through them going from region, war and middle eastern culture. Mack kindly agreed to give M[M] an email interview.
Ghost & Slow Death Records
Ghost is a one man French based HNW project that started releasing progressive and original walled noise in early 2011. Ghost also runs the excellent and progressive French CDR based HNW label Slow death records. He was kind enough to agree to take part in a email interview