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

Schizophrenic Genius - Burning [Ominous Recordings - 2020]

Schizophrenic Genius is the wall noise project of Swedish noise & ambient artists Jurko Haltuu- who’s other projects take in Död & Nils Dacke- he also runs of the  DIY tape label Funeral Fog Records. The Schizophrenic Genius project has been active since 2014- though it’s not the most prolific of wall noise projects, only putting out two other releases than this one- and Burning  is the projects first release in four years- it comes in the form of a C60, which offers up two side-long ‘walls’.

The tape appeared on Stockholm based Ominous Recordings in February of this year- coming in an edition of twenty-five copies- these find the tape coming with a black & red color themed sleeve that takes in inversed drawing of a  creepy & leering demon figure in a forest As of this review, the label still has copies remaining.

Each of the tracks is simply named Burning parts I & II- the first sides track is a very thick & bothersome ‘wall’. It finds a brutally buffeting & dirty bass bound noise tone, this is surrounded by a blend of thinner rattling & juddering tones, and a line of rumbling & crusty hacking. Together these elements create a wonderful primal & nasty ‘wall’, that feels both raging & atmospheric- very much bringing to mind been stalked by the demonic figure of the artwork over a rocky & uneven forest area. The way the textures have been blended is balanced & nuanced yet at the same time brutal & battering- which is a difficult balance to achieve. All told a most satisfying thirty-minute 'wall'.

Flipping the tape over, and here we, of course, find Burning part II- and once again it’s a very brutal & battering ‘wall’. Here we find a raging wind like bass bound noise drone- this is edged by cluttering hacks,  and slightly skipping & jumping rattles. This sides track feels a bit more panicked &  desperate in it’s feel- as one is climbing over bigger rocks to escape your demonic & deranged pursuer, and along the way, your clothes & skin are become ripped, torn & ragged. Though as the track progresses it feels as if the textures are starting to slow/ drag-out, which I think is just a sonic illusion- but it certainly works well for our sonic story- because this brings to mind your body slowing to a pained stagger/ then crawl. The tonal range is similar to the first sides ‘track, so it certainly feels connected to the first wall- yet Haltuu has managed to present a flesh selection of rewarding tones- which are once again presented in a balanced-yet- brutal manner. So another most enjoyable bit of wall-craft.

From memory I think Burning is the first release I’ve heard from the Schizophrenic Genius project- and I must say I was very impressed, as Haltuu certainly has a good ear for rewarding textures &  generally brutalizing wall-craft, which he instills with both atmosphere & moorish worth. Certainly one of my wall-noise favorites of this first quarter of 2020- but if you fancy a  copy I’d act sooner than later as the label doesn’t have many copies left!.

Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

Roger Batty
Latest Reviews

Schizophrenic Genius - Burning
Schizophrenic Genius is the wall noise project of Swedish noise & ambient artists Jurko Haltuu- who’s other projects take in Död & Nils Dacke- he als...
260424   Snapshot - Snapshot(Blu Ray)
260424   Black Files - Black Files( VOD)
260424   Marco Baldini/Apartment House...
250424   Intruder - Psycho Savant
250424   Hot Spur - Hot Spur( Blu Ray)
250424   Happy End - Happy End( Blu Ray)
250424   Electronicat - Saturation
240424   Soma - Me Dais Mucho Asco
240424   Koobaatoo Asparagus - Onna-musha
240424   Magda - And Suddenly, Just L...
Latest Articles

The Music of Clay Ruby & Burial H...
Over the last couple of decades Wisconsin native, Clay Ruby has been creating some of the world’s finest dark electronic music under the Burial Hex mon...
280324   The Music of Clay Ruby & Buri...
290224   Sutcliffe No More - Normal Ev...
100124   Occlusion - The Operation Is...
181223   Best Of 2023 - Music, Sound &...
051223   Powerhouse Films - Of Magic, ...
181023   IO - Of Sound, Of Art, Of Exp...
210923   Lucky Cerruti - Of Not so Fri...
290823   The Residents - The Trouble W...
110723   Yotzeret Sheydim Interview - ...
250523   TenHornedBeast - Into The Dee...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2023. Twenty two years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom