ELEKTR0BATH — Michael Stewart
Michael Stewart is a recent walled noise release from Warsaw-based ELEKTR0BATH . The release comes as either a four-track C80, or a five-track digital download- with the sound moving between texturally experimental fare & more straight brutal wall-craft.
Behind ELEKTR0BATH is Alfred Wiltos- a professional cellist who plays in the Polish National Opera. The project started in January 2023, and has so far amassed a few splits/ stand-alones. I’ve reviewed one of the project's releases thus far its debut HNW (on Gates of Hypnos)- it showed a fair bit of promise so I was looking forward to checking out more elektrObath.
The release takes its name/ theme from Michael Stewart- a 25-year-old African American artist, who was allegedly found drawing on the walls of the NYC subway on the 15th of September 1983. He was approached by transit cops who placed him under arrest- witnesses reported the officers threw him to the ground after exiting the train station and beat him, while the police reported that he fell after attempting to escape police custody. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital hogtied and in critical condition, and sadly died thirteen days later- the case is seen as an example of police brutality & racism. It went on to influence Defacement, a painting by Neo-expressionism NCY artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. So certainly a very interesting/ original focus for a walled noise release.
I’m reviewing the digital version of the release- this takes in four fifteen-minute tracks, and one ten-minute track. And we open up with “Transit Cop” here we find a wonderful nervy blend of rapid rub ‘n’ rip, and thinner skittering judder- all creating a feeling of taut, at points almost nausea-inducing panic. Next, we have “Aerosol” which brings together fixed grating wheel tone sustain, static scribble ‘n’ rattle, with a subdued knocking rip. The high end is of course very theme fitting & the other elements both add in both worthy detail, and a feeling of tense encasement.
Track number three is “The Death Of Michael Stewart” here we find a rapid almost crudely bouncing rumble, with is surrounded by a skittering ‘n’ dragging static tone. This is ok, but felt rather a step down from the first two tracks- which blended rewarding textural detail with a tense urgency. Next( lasty on the tape) we have “New York Metro(First Avenue)- this follows the more simple & focused of the last track, but felt somewhat more compelling & tensely encasing- as we have a tightly weaved blend of static hack ‘n’ fuzz, and subtle rattle ‘n’ jump.
The final bonus/digital-only track is “Chutes and Ladders” which comes in at dead on the ten-minute mark. Here we find a mix of galloping static judder, which are weaved in with an off-tone sort of rattling element- the ‘wall’ again is fairly simplistic, though it does create some rewarding audio tricks.
In conclusion, Michael Stewart once more shows a lot of promise/ textural talent, and the first two tracks are real keepers. The other two/ three tracks are ok, though a little uneven in quality- meaning that on the whole, it’s a rather mixed release. If you’d like to check this out for yourself/ pick up a copy of the tape drop by here