Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Deterritorialization - Cold Light [Neon Wall Series /Lurker Bias - 2016]

Deterritorialization’s Cold Light is another entry in the Neon Wall series of tapes, coming from the Lurker Bias label. The previous two that I’ve heard, have pushed and stretched ideas of HNW, and these two tracks do much the same. Again, I am reviewing a digital version of the cassette, with two pieces, both around the 16 minute mark.

The first track, Uprooted, begins with a surge of noise, before collapsing down into a subdued churn. After another surge, the track settles into its pattern - and strangely, it really is a pattern. The wall (as such) bounces along on an odd rhythmic device - somewhat similar to the skipping effect of a CDR that hasn’t burned properly. It’s… well, it’s distracting really. The textures, as best as they can be heard, sound like they’d be effective walls, but the staccato lurching really does blunt their attack. Adding to this sense of rhythm and pattern, the ‘surge’ sound reappears frequently; a very nice, very short, piece of sound that’s akin to bricks falling. In the midst of all this, there are also strange synth/digital sounds - almost like sonic artefacts of the recording process; these are very nearly unsettling - menacing, even - but they don’t combine with the other elements to any great effect.

The Dismanteling Process, the second piece, again starts with a strong surge of noise; this time it moves, phases - there’s almost an electroacoustic quality to it. The track volume thereafter drops much lower, revealing an even more subdued state than the first track. This, too, shares those strange synth-like moans - often they sound like chairs scraping on the floor. The wall, whilst not exactly washy, is perhaps ‘distant’; there’s very little detail to be found in the textures, very little defined crackle. There might be a clue to this at the 9:32 mark, when a sudden ‘click’ invades the sound-field; it carries ‘room sound’ with it, perhaps revealing that we are not listening to something recorded ‘line-in’, but in fact via microphone. This would account for the ‘distance’ I heard above (or might just be a massive misreading on my part.) The track is overwhelmingly static, but there are a few wind-like blusters later on.

As with the other Neon Wall releases I’ve reviewed, this is an unusual piece of wall making. It’s not entirely successful, to my mind, but The Dismanteling Process is most certainly cryptic - whether intentional, or nay. Uprooted does have the ingredients for a good track, but the rhythmic element doesn’t bring anything to the table; it acts as a distraction and a hindrance, really. However, again, it’s good to hear different paths being taken - even if they might not lead anywhere.

Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5

Martin P
Latest Reviews

Deterritorialization - Cold Light
Deterritorialization’s Cold Light is another entry in the Neon Wall series of tapes, coming from the Lurker Bias label. The previous two that I’ve heard,...
300126   Eldritch Priest - Dead-Wall R...
300126   Jürg Frey - Je Laisse à La ...
290126   The Assassination Bureau - T...
280126   Spent Stiletto/ No Fun Harsh ...
280126   Evil Damn - Eons of Horror
280126   Pink Wool/Sado  Ritual - Split
280126   Olion - Glimmers of Hope
270126   King Futile - How To Have Fun
270126   Devil Times Five - Devil Time...
260126   Slaves No More - House Of Dolls
Latest Articles

Crude ‘n’ Hope-corroding Wall...
Back in 2024, I got my first taste of Absurd Reality, and I was so impressed by how crude and nasty its take on walled noise was. Behind the project is South...
290126   Crude ‘n’ Hope-corroding ...
231225   Creepy Images Books - Killer Art
221225   Best Of 2025 - Music, Sound &...
041225   The Spectral Sounds of The Pr...
281025   Michael Hurst Interview - Unb...
071025   Xiphos - The Rise And Fall Of...
030925   Third Window Films - A Label ...
130825   HNW fest- Barcelona- 12th Apr...
250725   Raté interview - Walled-in F...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom