Potier — Einsicht In Die Notwendigkeit
Side A, while being nicely titled("Deutsch/Weiss/Heterosexuell/Reproduktionsbereit" - do a bit of German homework and i'm sure you can decipher it), didn't strike me as being particularly good. All the right elements for a good harsh noise track are there, but the mix somehow didn't work out for me. Classic and effective contact microphone clanging are ruined by what sounds like an excessive use of flanger and by a constant (digital?)screeching feedback that buries most of the other frequencies and it's just not good. The variations in sound and timbre didn't help either. A missed opportunity really, this track could have been good with just a bit of tweaking. Of course being straight noise it's a matter of personal taste - that is if you happen to like the particular screeching sound used here, you'll love this track.
Side B, "Politisch Unauffaellig - Produktiv Arbeitend" worked much better. It's extremely simple harsh contact microphone/junk noise where crunchy distortion reigns supreme. It's nothing spectacular or new - simply classic no-frills harsh noise in the vein of Canada's and U.S.A. tradition. It's like breathing fresh air after the claustrophobic high frequencies of side A, and I must say that this track made me long for more material by Potier.
Judging from artwork (which by the way is nice and simple, featuring on-body print and an always welcome pin) and titles I guess that the thematics here are of politic nature but frankly this stuff is lost on me.
In conclusion I can't say I loved this release. Side A put me down, while Side B is ok. I wouldn't buy this tape, but I'm eager to listen to new material by this act. I’d say that Potier deserves a listen from all fans of harsh noise, and I'm sure he'll come up with better stuff in the future.