Loading
The No Performance sees this Italian noise project offering up two fifteen minute slices of harsh noise- that’s edged with twists of atmosphere and moments pared back ambience. The release appeared back February of last year-as both a cassette and digital download- it appeared on Vienna, Austria based Fall Into Void Records- sadly the thirty copies of the tape are all gone now- so the only option is a digital download.
From Another Timber- the always dependable & quality bound modern composition label- here’s a split CD release bringing together two wonderful stark, considered, yet highly compelling examples of modern composition from two US composers for very sparse ensembles.
November Sky is the 13th album from London dark-noir to avant-tinged jazz collective The Remote Viewers. The album appeared back in 2015, as a ten-track CD release- and it really finds the band at their more atmospheric & cinematic, yet with enough creative avant twists & turns present to keep you on your toes.
It is difficult to think of a more famous noise artist than Japanese musician Masami Akita. He is one of the founders of the style of experimental music, called Japanoise – an often chaotic and harsh take on the noise form. His project Merzbow, which has existed since the late 1970s, has become so legendary that when the genre of noise is mentioned, the project is the first to be mentioned. Merzbow has released a truly huge number of albums. According to Discogs - the total number of albums in projects discography is 433 releases- but I’m sure they are more. For 40 years now, Merzbow has maintained its position as a leader in the global noise scene, releasing at least several albums per year.
Appearing at the end cusp of the 80’s slasher trend Cutting Class is a tongue-in-cheek, at times subtly sleazy addition to the genre- featuring creative, if not terrible bloody kills, a selection of clichéd-if- amusing genre stereotypes, and a rather neat killer showdown in the school's machine shop. On Vinegar Syndrome here is a duel format Blu Ray & DVD release of the film- featuring a punchy & fairly bright new print, a fair selection of extras, and a commentary track from the always amusing & informative four piece slasher podcast The Hysteria Continues.
The first and last concert of Kosmose Mark I, the avant garde musical collective hailing from the Belgisn city of Charleroi, in the region known as The Pays Noirs (Black Country) and formed in 1973. The Pays Noir region was most well known at the time for producing a steady stream of blues rock bands, so when Kosmose came along they were something quite unique for the region, sharingsomething of an affinity with the bands of the German kosmische scene of the time. First Time Out is the band’s third posthumously released album following on from 2015s Kosmic Music of the Black Country and 2017s Some Little Trips to Our Fluorescent Land.
Time And Tide is the fourth full-length release from British Prog Rock Band Greenslade. The ten track album originally appeared in 1975, and is often seen as one of the bands most cohesive & balanced records- bringing together grand, genre-twisting, and dramatic instrumental tracks, with more short 'n' sharpe prog rock with often pop or showy leanings. From Cherry Red sub-label Esoteric Records, here’s a recent deluxe double CD reissue of the album- bringing together the original ten-track album, with a handful of bonus tracks & a second disc featuring a full length set from 1975.
Horrendous are a professed 'old school' death metal band from Philadelphia which formed in 2009, releasing their first album "The Chills" in 2012. Their 4th and newest album, "Idol", came out in 2018 on Season of Mist.
Vindran Pluges Suaus offers up two no-nonsense & ear roasting examples of walled noise from this Spanish project. Each track comes in at the twenty-minute mark, and each is as simplistic-yet- searing as each other.
Dennis Hopper is known most for playing fiery, unbalanced & unpredictable characters - racking up over 200 film roles between the 1950s & the 2000s. But he also directed seven feature-length films- most notorious & controversial of these was his 1971 film The Last Movie- a deranged, at-times near incoherent, yet often spellbinding & wholly distinctive creation that flits between gritty character study, trippy travel log, & Peruvian adventure/ drama- blending linear, and non linear film-making, with tons of strikingly imagery & more than a few What-The-Hell moments. Here from Powerhouse Films is first time UK issue of the film- offering a new 4k Blu Ray transferee, a good selection of extras, a poster, and an 80-page book.
Swedish industrial project Maschinenzimmer 412, later known as Mz.412, released its first album back in 1988. Staying active to this day, releasing 13 full-length albums, two EPs and two Compilations. Currently, Mz.412 are a three piece. The most famous member been Henrik Nordvargr Björkkthe project leader and a very prolific musician who has many experimental projects, the most famous of which are Mz.412, Folkstorm, Pouppée Fabrikk and Toroidh.
World On A Wire is heady & bleak, if at times chatty & arty slice of 1970’s Sci-fi drama directed by highly respected German auteur Rainer Werner Fassbinder. For many years this has been unavailable in the Uk- here on Second Sight is a Deluxe Blu Ray box set of the two-part film- bringing together informative extras, a fifty-page book, and a slipcase.
Last Moments Of 1923 was the first sonic statement from British industrial project Konstruktivits- it originally appeared in 1982 as a C60 tape, offering off a selection decidedly wonky & off-kilter ambient tracks built around synths & melted muzak. Here from klanggalerie is a CD reissue of the album.
Sometimes you really can't’ judge an album by its cover- take Rendez- vous- it’s decidedly cheesy cover of a jumper wearing women & smiling breaded man sitting on green grass, may suggest some form of bland romantic folk collaboration. But in reality there’s nothing cosy, twee, or warningly lulling here- instead you get an unpredictable & wonderfully weird slice avant-garde composition, that moves between off-kilter blends of horn & electronics jarring electro-acoustics, squealing- yet playful avant jazz & electro funk crosses, weird & surreal ambience, cartoon-like impro, odd theatricals, and beyond.
Directed by Cuban film maker Camilo Vila, The Unholy was originally released on VHS in 1988 by Vestron Video. One of a great many genre titles of that time to find its way straight to video in the UK. I vaguely remember viewing it around this time but have little recollection of the movie from that time, so this feels almost like a first watch for me.
Originally released on cassette in 1986 by Toracic Tapes , Orfeón Gagarin's (Miguel Ángel Ruíz) Orfeón Gagarin is the debut release of this project. Based in Madrid, Spain, Orfeón Gagarin encompassed the burgeoning, electronic sound of the DIY, post-punk, industrial movement of their scene.Remastered for vinyl and digital, Verlag's reissue of this Spanish experimental classic is its first time on either format.
Here’s a CDR wall-noise split bringing together four fifteen minute walls- we have the bass focused meets often galloping textural details of Dosis Letalis tracks, and the more roughly & grainy-necro-ness-meets smaller detail feast of the Renoffski tracks.
Though this self-titled collaboration may sound like some sort of obscure prog rock spin-off project. It’s actually a wall-noise venture bringing together three of the more respected names in the scene- Nemanja Nikolic (Dosis Letalis), Sergey Pakhomov (Train Cemetery/Reason Art Records), and Casper Van Der Veen (Uitgeschakeld). This hour-long debut from the project surfaced late last year on Spokane, Washington based tape label Lost Light Records- as either a C60. Or digital download- sadly the tapes now all gone- but of course you can still download it.
The Present Is a Hostile Place severs up two half-an-hour slices of bleakly toned & starkly seared walled-noise from this Flanders based noise & stark drone artist. The release appeared October of last year on German noise & experimental label Geraeuschmanufaktu- coming as either a C60 or Digital Download.
The Aeolian harp is a stringed instrument - usually hand crafted - which produces a range of harmonic tones when wind passes across it. It has a long history - imbued with romanticism and mysticism - stretching back to antiquity, from where it derives its name from Aeolus, the Greek God of the wind. For Path of the Wind - Eisuke Yanagisawa's third record for Gruenrekorder - the Japanese film maker and field recordist constructed his own Aeolian harp, mounting two microphones into its sounding board. He then recorded the tones produced at a variety of locations across Japan.
Here’s as a joint venture between Severin Films & Something Weird- a doubled headed region free Blu Ray release bringing together two different sides of the infamous Mondo genre. We have the slightly more classy & varied Ecco, and the more flesh bound & decidedly scuzzy The Forbidden. Both films are presented fairly untouched & pock-marked in their scans, with a few worthy extras.
From the mid-1960s The Possessed is a subtle creepy, and at times grimly noir infused Italian mystery- that’s knee deep in atmosphere & dread. On Arrow Video- both in the UK & US- here we have a recent Blu Ray reissue of the film- offering up a new bleakly monochrome print of the film, as well as a nice selection of extras.
As it’s title might suggest here’s a lengthy slice of slowly swirling and gently spiralling deep ambience from American ambient legend Steve Roach. The release appeared late summer 2017- in either the form of a CD, cassette or digital download- I’m reviewing the CD version of the release.
Class Of 1999 is a decidedly campy yet often brutal action Sci-Fi flick from the early ’90s. Think a blend of the punky charm of Troma’s school-based movies, slightly lower-grade Terminator & Robocop action, and more explosion fuelled Warriors gang fighting- and you’ll get an idea of what we have here. Here from Lionsgate is a Blu Ray reissue of the film- taking in a good selection of extras.