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Aaron Funk is something of a veteran of front line electronic music by now. His most well known project Venetian Snares has continued to put out a steady stream of quality releases ever since the high watermark of critical acclaim reached in 2005 with Rossz Csillag Alatt Született. That record's heady mix of hyper-speed jungle rhythms and cut-up classical music has only occasionally been re-visited since, mostly successfully on My Downfall from 2007. As well as with his numerous other monikers Funk's recent output with Venetian Snares has diversified considerably, notably on Cubist Reggae from 2011, Fool the Detector from the following year which saw Funk introduce his own voice into the Snares sound and 2014's mammoth My Love is a Bulldozer which revealed some of his most complex and ambitious arrangements to date. Now he's taking his signature programming skills in another direction by producing an album made entirely from one modular synth.
This double CD set brings together three early 1980’s albums from respected US jazz/ jazz fusion guitarist Steve Khan. We have 1980’s Eyewitness, 1982’s Modern Times(which is a live album), and 1983’s Casa Loco- all three albums see him joined by bass player Anthony Jackson, drummer Steve Jordan & percussionist Manolo Badrena. And mostly the set offers up fairly successful blend of jazz fusion, world music rhythms, and precise/ highly accomplished musicianship.
Well, here’s a tape that comes via two excellent wall artists: Julien Skrobek and Greg Gorlen. Both are known for the individual paths they’ve cut through wall noise, and both continue to explore those paths. Skrobek’s Gesis guise provides the sounds here, whist Gorlen brings the distinctive artwork associated with his label - though the linocut which adorns the card tape sleeve is actually the excellent work of Emily Huston. The cassette has two tracks, one on each side, and both a mere ten minutes in length; both pieces are exemplary HNW.
Veteran ambient composer Steve Roach is a longtime personal favorite of mine, and I've drifted off to sleep to his sound countless times. He has continued to create vast quantities of music even into his his 6th decade, at times producing gripping works of astonishing, undeniable genius, such as last year's Berlin School homage, "Skeleton Keys", a complex mesh of interlocking shifting analog synth arpeggiations. The newest album "Shadow of Time" forsakes percolating scalar blips in favor of fluidity, lush chords and long tones, employing a sound palette of smoothed over synthetic strings, brass chorales and round waves.
Here’s another CD from the Line label, presented in its customary, smart style: a card wallet with a photo on the front, and album details and a short text on the back. Crouch presents us with five tracks, the first nearly reaching nine minutes, the others all past ten; all of them are cut from the same cloth: concentrated, detailed modular synth explorations that are - above all else - very focussed. There is none of the chaotic ‘bleep and poot’ that can often come with this territory, instead, Crouch pursues slow, steady transformations.
The Endurance At Night is the second full-length release from this four piece band from north-western England. And it offers up a often speedy, memorable & at times quite creative selection of symphonic black metal craft.
Here’s a walled noise comp from late summer 2015, which had a rather surprising & bizarre theme to it- Easy Listening!. The release came in the form of a C60 cassette, and took in three ‘wall’ artists per side of tape, with each doing their tribute to a genre, that is really at the other end of the sonic spectrum from their own.
Diazepam imprint presents a split cassette by Exu and Shiver. I’m well familiar with Exu, the power electronics/industrial project by Elias Cheika of Sleep of Ages/Carrion Black Pit fame. He released a full-length under the Exu moniker many moons ago, which I really enjoyed, but then the project seemed to lie dormant. This release isn’t particularly new (released in 2014), but it seems as if the project is still active, albeit intermittently. Shiver is Mauro Sciaccaluga (Diazepam label head), who toils in similar sonic territories.
This two CD set brings together three soundtracks from The Residents- taking in both film sound tracking, and art installation soundtracks. The release appeared late last year on Austrian experimental label Klanggalerie, who along with MVD Audio are becoming the labels for this long running sonic art projects output.
Iris Light's continuing series of digital re-releases of Aube's catalog brings us Fling. This release pulls together all of 1995's C46 Entangle Spirant, as well as the track from 1996 seven inch Monochordattune, and a live track from 1996. Although Akifumi Nakajima has sadly passed, his music still lives on and Iris Light is doing their best to bring some lesser heard releases to the public. Presenting these files digitally ensures that limited releases reach a wider, much deserved audience.
The HNW Quartet brings together four French wall noise artists, and this self titled release is the project first release. It comes in the form of a C40 tape, with each side featuring a great example of (mostly) reserved, skilful, creative, and captivating static noise texturing.
Another Timbre is a truly great label, and I’m not sure it ever gets the recognition it justly deserves. It’s associated with the more ‘cerebral’ end of improv, and is especially entwined with the Wanderweiser group of composers. This CD has two long pieces, Hull Not Continent at 22:14 minutes long, and Treader Always In Station at 34:21 minutes; it comes wrapped in a sombre, sparsely decorated card wallet.
Iam You, Dragging Halo is the third full length slice of sonic puzzlement, shifting sound scaping, and creative genre melting composition from this collective headed up by British experimental artists Anthony Donovan. I guess sonically it’s close to something like NWW, but with a more finely homed improv edge & more lose/ shifting compositional feel.
Robin Storey's Rapoon project is one of the most well known and prolific in all of the soundscape genre. Having enjoyed Volume 03, I was pleased to receive the 4th installment in the 'Seeds in the Tide' series, another collection of rare compilation pieces and obscure tracks from Rapoon's long history. To the completist fan, this likely ties up a lot of loose ends.
Here’s an early 2016 split between two US walled noise projects, with each party offering up an around half an hour track. The release brings together Kansas City Phantom Cadaver, and Chicago, Illinois based Inanition.
German imprint Geräuschmanufaktur presents Die zwei großen europäischen Narkotika, the first cassette release by Uitgeschakeld. German-based label Geräuschmanufaktur, has a rather respectable back catalog of experimental and harsh noise heavy-hitters, such as: Vomir, Dead Body Collection, Fouke, Shurayuki-hime, and Tanner Garza. On this outing the label continues their exploration of the HNW form with two tracks by Dutch newcomer Uitgeschakeld.
Gore soaked, hooded thrash maniacs, Ghoul, are back to bludgeon your ears with their fifth LP and second on Tankcrimes, Dungeon Bastards. Continuing to assault with their brand of death laden thrash, Ghoul remains at the top of the heap not only with their fun, horror filled imagery, but with skillfully played, well written heavy metal. Containing ten songs of sadistic bliss, Dungeon Bastards will get you reaching for your blood soaked hood.
Gilli Smyth was one of the founders & key-minds behind celebrated Psychedelic rock/spacey jazz/ ambient band Gong. Here we have a CD reissue of her first album from 1978-She passed away this year (just after this reissue appeared)- so this is a great celebration of this sadly missed & strong female sonic presence.
The last two Current 93 releases - I am the Last of All the Field That Fell (2014) and The Moons at Your Door (2015) left me considerably underwhelmed. The latter in particular being completely bereft of Tibet's mystical autobiographical musings and falling back on cheap audio thrills was something of a low point in their recent output. So it was with some reservation that I listened to this collaboration between the mystagogue of Hastings and Killing Joke's Youth who actually appeared on Current 93's debut album Nature Unveiled way back in 1984. Given this apparent 'return to the origin' it's perhaps fitting that this partnership has produced an album that represents a genuine revival of both Tibet's voice and his musical fortunes.
Stavros Gasparatos plays a spacious, minimalist and thoroughly considered style of modern classical music, sure to lull the mind into a restful, contemplative state. The album title "Expanded Piano" brings with it expectations of new usages or creative realms from the piano, and therefore brings to mind prepared pianos and John Cage.
Here is a two way CDR split between two of the more interesting & creative projects operating with-in the US walled noise/ static noise scene. Each artists offers up a thirty five minute track, and each track is equally nerve- grinding/brain-searing excise in taut static texturing/ wall-craft.
Star Wars: Chaos Theory is a C100/ C80 two tape set that brings the audio component of an experimental film/gallery installation, that took place in Milan in 2013. The idea of the project was to bring together all six films from the Star Wars Saga, and layer batchers together to create a shifting sonic/ visual installation. As I’m not too much of a fan of the series of films, I’m not sure what film is mixed with what & which tape, but I can certainly say that this tape set is a oddly compelling sound journey, which shifts from layered & psychedelic, to moving & haunting, onto quirky & playful. The project brought together- Roadside Picnic( for the sonic elements) & Piratehairwaves( the visuals)
Here’s a very simply packaged CDR from D.S.W.A.C.V (Distorted Souls Within A Corrupt Vision), representing part III of the Flora Series. The card insert has the barest details on the back, whilst the front depicts a painting of a woman partially submerged in blossoms - I suspect it readily signifies a certain artist or movement, but my ignorance prevails here. Hera is one long 70 minute track of harsh noise wall, plain and simple.
Door Four is the third release from this Gloversville, New York based project, which produces dense industrialized walled noise. The release comes in either physical form as a CDR on Australia’s Knife & Needle Records, or as a digital download from the projects bandcamp site- I’m reviewing the downloadable version.