Ogrob / Vomir — Diffusions Intradermiques Et Enregistrements En Ca

Now here’s a collaborative release that has one of the more unusual & slightly queasy concept I’ve come across. The four tracks here are all a blend of  field recordings taken from inside a four separate women, and (mainly subtle) static noise texturing/ pared back walled noise.

The project brings together long term  French noise maker Ogrob  (aka Sebastien Borgo)- who has worked with many projects since the late 1980’s blending together prepared guitar elements, field recordings, musique concrète and electronic music.  With the French king of walled noise Vomir- who  has created a truly huge body of work since the early 2000’s.

Each track here brings together field recordings taken from both virginally inserted  & externally placed contact mics. And Vomir’s reserved ( by his standards) firm static             texturing/walled noise.  Each track is named after the subject whose internal recordings it features- so we have Valérie, Katia, Alexandra, and Anne- with two tracks per side of vinyl, and each of these tracks runs between seven & fourteen minutes.

The field recording elements bring together a blend of outside the body sound, feed back buzz, &  internal sounds such as sudden pops, squelchers, rumbles.  Then Vomir adds on top of each slightly different womb like noise drones, pared back static grain storms, and low-fi textural billows- as already mentioned these elements are very subtle & subdued, so at times your not sure what is an internal sound & what is created noise textures.

The vinyl comes in a full colour shelve that takes in close up pictures of both the virginally & externally placed mics. And inside we get a selection of eight colour postcards each featuring another picture of the mics- placed once again internally & externally on the four subjects bodies.

I’m sorry to say that this sonically this did little or nothing for me- as any long time readers of M[m] will know I’ve been a long term fan of Vomir’s work, and pretty much enjoyed everything  he’s put out. But his elements here just seem so merger & bland- sure I can understand he’s try to blur his textures in with the body sounds, but by doing so they come off as rather bland. Secondly the field recordings themselves are rather uninteresting & samey from one track to the next, sure they are subtle texturally differences & sounds in each, but not enough to make it in any way rewarding as a listening experience.

So in summing this release certainly has a rather bizarre &  interesting concept, with the packaging adding to this. But sadly  the sonics with-in are just not very rewarding or appealing in anyway. I guess you’d say this was one for completist of either Vomir or Ogrob work,  but otherwise steer clear…I’m afraid.