Prognostic Circle — Origin/Topic of the Veil

Here’s a tape from the consistently interesting Geräuschmanufaktur label, and one that flew under my radar. The cassette has two tracks of expansive noise, with both being around ten minutes in length; and it comes wrapped in a sombre, black and white inlay, with two cryptic, and iconic, images: the ruined torso of a sculpture, and a hole of some description.

The first track, Origin, achieves the feat of being simultaneously airy and heavy. The piece is founded on a steady low end rumble, which pushes along at a medium pace - relentlessly, but with no aggression as such. Hovering over this, is a shimmering drone; an ethereal, cloudy creation that’s not too dissimilar to a subdued wind. Out of this background, ambient sounds emerge and rise, shifting like sea waves - though the image created is more like puffs of steam escaping from the ground, near a hot spring. Contrasting with these often ‘widescreen’ sounds, there’s also quiet crackle; detailed and delicate, it pops away, dwarfed by its surroundings.

The second work, Topic of the Veil, begins with a distinct clang, in a direct affront to the calmer tones of Origin. From this, creeping feedback takes over, shifting and snaking - rhythmically akin to the ambient sounds of side A. Similarly, there are also modulating sounds - again not too far from sea waves, but now rhythmically and sonically - in the background. This all makes for a very active sound-field, aided by the fact that the whole piece is underpinned by a fast-moving bass rumble. The sum result of this is a curious, and unsettling, atmosphere: one that is clearly violent, but also rendered harmless, as if the violence was contained somehow.

Both these tracks are really great, and stand as fine examples of wayward ANW. Prognostic Circle is described as ambient noise wall by the label spiel, but these two pieces do lurk at the edges of that genre. Nevertheless, they are very clearly coming from that context, and are thoroughly recommended to ANW fans. Both pieces generate interesting atmospheres, and are technically fascinating for their use and treatment of HNW/ANW elements: the almost microscopic presence of crackle on Origin, the very clear deployment of low end wall rumble on Topic of the Veil. It’s a very compelling release, and a project to definitely look out for.