RJ Myato — Doubtless Empty

Here’s a CDR from RJ Myato, who’s been around for a good while now, enclosed in a simple photocopied inlay and plastic wallet. Doubtless Empty contains two long tracks, the first about 31 minutes, the second nearly 25 minutes, and both are satisfying pieces of harsh noise wall. 

The first work, ‘Colony of Negativity’, marries a nice mid-treble wall of static with an eerie, ominous bass drone underneath. Depending on your head position, the drone is either perceived as a constant drone, or as slow ebbing waves, a pulsing dread. The static textures are perfectly pitched between crunchiness and openness, with the tightness of the former and the loose flecks and spitting of the latter. It’s a great track, with a very heavy atmosphere. ‘Any Unit Any Measure’ is slightly more reined in than the first piece; it is harder, though less bassy, and ultimately more scathing. At first it appears more plain than ‘Colony of Negativity’, but this simplicity hides a deeply layered track of static noise, which speeds along utterly focused. The bass elements lurk, adding a more subtle sense of encroachment and oppression than the drone in the first piece, whilst the noisier textures are dominated by a strong mid-frequency layer that churns forward, dragging more delicate high-frequency crackles in its wake. Whilst the tightness of ‘Any Unit Any Measure’ initially gives it a quality not too far from a drone, more concentrated, immersive listening reveals stuttering, and rhythmic shudders: as always, HNW is an instructive experience in getting inside structures and revealing their workings.

This is a good, solid wall noise release. ‘Colony of Negativity’ is perhaps the initial stand-out track, with its effective ominous atmosphere and striking sound - reminiscent of A View From Nihil’s landmark release ‘Primordial Sea’ - but ‘Any Unit Any Measure’ is equally well crafted: a tight, precision wall of dense noise. I must admit that I have drifted from the HNW scene a little, and it’s reassuring ad invigorating to know that people are still releasing quality recordings.