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

Rien - The Other Russian Tape [Reason Art Records - 2017]

The Other Russian Tape is a C60/digital download from Stockholm based walled noise project Rien. It presents up two thirty minute slices of extremely tense ‘n’ tight static texturing- these really create both a feeling of airless tension & detailed texturing.

This release appeared April of last year on the Russian label Reason Art Records- and as of writing this review the label still has physical copies of the tape left. The tape it self mixes together a black outer shell, with see-through tape reels. And the tapes sleeve features minimal dark green & black inking- with the cover just take in a blank expanse of green, and the inner sleeve & spine taking in black ( English & Russian) texts against a plain dark green backdrop.


Rien is one of the projects Johan Strömvalll Hammarstedt- of projects Gamiani, J.S.H., J S H, and runner of the excellent Swedish tape label  Ominous Recordings. The projects has been active since late 2016 and has so far released around thirteen releases- taking in stand-alone releases, as well as splits with the likes of Vomir, Werewolf Jerusalem, and Dosis Letalis. Rien sound is minimalist & focused HNW- with no real theme to it.

Each side of tape takes in a single untitled track, and the first sides track is a blend of constantly jumping & deeper rips/ judders, which are underfed by muffled hiss & smaller scarping/ snapping tones. Together these elements create a wonderfully constricting, yet subtly detailed wall, which keeps you total held through-out it’s runtime. Though at times it feels like there may be shifts going on here - but save for the last minute or so of the track, this is very much set & firm example of wall-craft.

The second sides track really seems fairly close in textural makeup to the first side- through the rips ‘n’ judders feel slower & dragged out, and the smaller textures feel more cluttering & semi-playful in their feel. Once again the texture map here is set into a tense & airless sonic weave, and this nicely wraps one in both tight awareness & worthy textural detail. As with the first track the set-ness is broken in the last minute of the ‘wall’, when the lower end elements seeming to become more choppy & less focused in their attack.

If you are looking for ultra tense-yet- detailed walled noise with a theme-less focus and minimalist sonic outlook The Other Russian Tape is most worthy of one's time.

Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

Roger Batty
Latest Reviews

Rien - The Other Russian Tape
The Other Russian Tape is a C60/digital download from Stockholm based walled noise project Rien. It presents up two thirty minute slices of extremely tense â...
110725   Pitchshifter - Peel Sessions...
100725   John Scott - Symptoms OST
100725   Torsofuck - Feasting On Carve...
100725   Dachra - Dachra(VOD)
100725   Transmission - Transmission( ...
100725   Up! - Up!( Blu Ray)
100725   Jack The Ripper - Jack The Ri...
090725   A Day At The Beach - A Day A...
090725   Iggor Cavalera / Shane Embury...
080725   Sebastian Tomb - Even in shi...
Latest Articles

Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sharp t...
It’s fair to say the Sharksploitation genre is often tried, tested, and to be honest, tired. Fear Below is a 2025 Australian film that tries to do some...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
280525   The Residents - Visits From T...
090525   Ennaytch - Of walls, abused ...
150425   Dead, Dead Swans interview - ...
110325   Sebastian Tomb - Walls of unb...
040225   Alien Sex Fiend - Possessed B...
231224   Best Of 2024 - Music, Sound &...
191224   Splintered - Somewhere Betwee...
031224   Shane Ryan-Reid - Coerced and...
221024   Whore’s Breath - life’s h...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom