D.S.W.A.C.V — Venus In Furs
The tape is released on Death Sex Electronics- a relatively recent northern English label that are focusing in on walled noise & power electronics releases. The unlabeled cassette comes in small black cardboard box- this features a black & white inlay which takes in a still from the film( printed off on a PC printer), and on the inside of the box is a black, white & red stuck-on picture taking in the labels logo. On the boxes lid we get a stuck on reproduction of an old painting of nude woman wrapped in furs.
The book this release is based around was written by Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. The novella told of a man who is obsessed with having his new mistress treat him like a slave. In particular, he wants her to become his ideal "venus in furs" and begs her to don furs and wield a whip against him. It was part of unfinished circle of books called Legacy of Cain, and was part of Love, the first volume in the series.
Each side of tape features a single track, and on side one we have “Part I”. This first track is built around a muffled & worn juddering pattern, and this is under fed by a distant semi aquatic bubbling sort of rumbling texture. As the track progresses the judders seem to pile on top of each other it quite a satisfying & appealing manner, with this element now having quite a nice cold snapping & semi urgency about them. While the under rumble seems to become more murky & hazed in its bubbling feel. As the track moves on the two textures seem to nicely blur & haze together, with ‘walls’ whole pace seeming slow & slur- but of course this could just be a trick of the ‘wall’ it’s self, and reality the whole thing is fixed through-out. All in all it’s an engrossing bit of ‘wall-making’ which sucks you into a suitable murky/ numbing yet entrancing sonic place.
Flipping over to side two, and we have “Part II”. This track opens with a fairly pared back layer of jittering ‘n’ juddering crisp static patterning- to my ears it rather sounded like cold winter rain evenly pelting a Perspex roof. As the track progresses layers of subtle sub-tone build & shift around the original pattern, and these are once again quite crisp, wintry & cold in their feeling- these slow addition of tonal layers nicely makes the whole thing get more & more enclosing the longer it goes on. Though-out the track the textures carry-on building & building- with the sub-tones staying in the same range as the other textures, the only major shift I can make out it this thinner layer battering wind like sweep which appears around mid-way through. This track is nicely mix of coldly surrounding yet oddly soothing ( in a melancholic sort of way)- & again it’s another rewarding bit of ‘wall-making’ that keeps you locked in through-out.
I’ve now heard & reviewed a few of this projects releases now, and I must say Venus In Furs is the most consistent & thoroughly rewarding I’ve heard thus far from the project …so in summing what have here are two effective & entrancing slices of forty five minute wall craft- well worth tracking down a copy if you can!.