Niku Benki — Later Summer

晩夏( Later Summer) is a four-track wall release from New Jersey-based 肉便器( Niku Benki). Each of the around fifteen-minute tracks presents us with decidedly urgent textured-based wall matter, with a few tracks having ambient undercurrents be they lightly seared or taut.

The project's name means meat urinal in English. It’s been active since 2021- releasing around fourteen albums, thirty-three singles/EPs & twenty-five miscellaneous/ comps to date.  All of the project's releases are seemingly focused on either old Japanese films/glamour, or muscle-bound women. Behind the project is the same mind that creates Magda, Guy, You're Wrong, and 弾幕.

The release comes as either a digital download or a CD- I’m reviewing the first of these- with the cover artwork featuring a picture of 1950 male and female Asian starlets arm in arm. It’s released by Fort Worth’s Hot Fuzz, and can be purchased directly from the label here. 

We open with “髪留め (Barrette)” It brings together a strip back but constantly bucking crisp static tone- at points this feels like it’s speeding up & down in pace, but I suspect it’s very much set. This is unfed by a muffled/ sightly unease air vent-like drone- which sets around the mid-range. It’s a great start to the release fixed the taut urgency of the static, and mid-range/ subdued/disquieting under ease.

Next, we have  “ナオミ (Naomi) “- this is much of a fully though still fixed ‘wall’ bringing two mid-ranged tones- one is a rattle, and the other a cluttering descent. These elements are effectively brought together to create an often pattern mesh/whiteout, as one's mind tries to make out each pattern flow/ detail- but this is very difficult to do this.

For track three we have “自業自得 (Jigoujitoku)”. Here we find a blend of similar mid-ranged static grain one is in constant descent and the other is slightly more shifting/ cluttering. Mixed feelings about this track- as the similar tones do blend in not very rewarding, aside from when they seem to break a pattern. 

Finally we have “ボロボロなサンドレス". This brings together a mix of rip-back hacks, tight bass jotters/ glitches, and ice-cold snaps. Which are underfed by this distant rushing traffic-like ambience. At points, it sounds like it might become rhythmic/ but sparsely on the knife-edged electronica similar to the type of thing the Rasta Noton label, but never fully gets there.

If you are a fan of urgent and texturally taut wall noise then 晩夏( Later Summer) is worth a look- I’ve heard/ reviewed a fair few Magda, but this is my first taster of Niku Benki- it most certainly won’t be my last.