Maplug - Bed Drifters [Bored Bear Recordings - 2011]“Bed Drifters” is the 9th in the series of twelve monthly 3 inch CDR releases that are been released through-out 2011 by Irelands Bored Bear Recordings. Each release in the series celebrates, pays tribute and chronicles one of the many projects of highly influential & respected Texas noise artist's Richard Ramirez. Manplug is an project that’s been on & off since the mid 1990’s, and at one point the project was a three piece & featured Isabella K whose been in a few other Ramirez projects like An Innocent Young Throat-Cutter & Anal Drill. The project now just features Richard Ramirez & Dennis Mirram- an experimental/ noise artist from Galveston, Texas. Mirram also Ramirez project Massacre In Dinosaur Valley which more isW based. Manplugs sound is best described as very loud, dense and torturous Harsh noise, and the project seems to be themed around painful & S&M tinged gay excise, sports and activities. “Bed Drifters” features two tracks in all- the title track which comes in at spot on the 12 minute mark, and "Heel Fetish/Panty Raid” which comes in just under the six & a half minute mark. Both tracks here utilize source materials from other noise artists; the first track uses source elements from Texas based HNW/ Harsh noise project Ascites & the second track utilizes source material from a rather mysterious project called Burusera who according to Discogs have only appeared on this one release.
The title track finds the pair unrolling this frantic mix of juddering ‘n’ stuck noise grinds, buried fan belt screeching, and weird what might have once been vocal textures that are reduced to a muffled mumble deep in the tracks guts. The track completely engulfs you in it’s dense overloaded web of seared sound with some of the elements shifting slight across the tracks life, through at times it does near brutal industrialized HNW sustains. If your feeling a little sleep or dozy, put this track on & with-in no time at tall you’ll be wide awake & sweating. The second track is built around a very loud,painful, grinding & ringing mass of juddering industrialized noise layers. The pair build this impressive muilt-layered & altering noise ‘n’ extreme drone map that rages from & mixes together: spinning junk metal like grates, billowing & juddering grinds, screeching & high pitched circular saw sustains, and some buried haunted almost harmonic pitch trails. So “Bed Drifters” shows yet another slightly different side to the highly talented Mr Ramirez. Lets hope this release triggers more release from the Manplug project as I do really like the teeth grinding harsh noise urgency of this projects sound. This is well worth tracking down if you enjoy the more noisy & grinding industrial harsh noise fed side of Ramirez work. Roger Batty
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