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Berlin Anamnetic is the result of Michael Trommer's two month residency at the Berlin Centre for Art and Urbanistics. Essentially based around field recordings collected during walks from the city outskirts towards the centre, these recordings have then been worked upon guided by the dual principles of anamnetic sound and the concept of phonomnesis. The former is a kind of déjà-vous provoked by a particular experience of sound while the latter is to do with how our imagination conjures up sounds that we do not actually hear. This interaction between memory and the apprehended sonic environment is the focal point of Trommer's research here presented as six separate pieces originally (and according to the artist best experienced as...) composed for a sound installation.
Lurker Bias presents Sacsayhuaman, the first offering in the Neon Walls series by Tyrant Flycatcher. Available as a limited edition cassette or a digital download from this Chicagoland outfit. Best I can tell, this series focuses on HNW acts, though neither the cover art nor sounds contained come off as particularly colorful. That said, a wicked slice of wall making ensues.
Andreas Trobollowitsch is an avant garde composer previously heard in the band Acker Velvet, whose debut was released in 2012. "Roha" is his only solo full length, as far as I can ascertain. The album is a concise 35 minutes, with 8 different pieces within its running time.
One man wrecking crew Andrew Lampe's The Wakedead Gathering returns for his third full length with Fuscus: Strings of the Black Lyre. His second LP on I, Voidhanger uses grim, black, death metal to tell the tale of a witch hunt gone horribly wrong. Accompanied by vile artwork by Karmazid, this sonic journey of revenge on the righteous skillfully entices and pummels the listener with bleak metal and haunting vocals.
Sonikillage Volume 1 is a wacky & decidedly retro focused sonic collage/ loop based release. The 33 track CDR brings together old ad jingles, snippets lo-fi 80’s electronica, melted TV channel themes from 70’s/ 80’s British TV, public service announcements, animal noise over sparse beats, quirky film dialogue samples, laughter, and all manner on quirky ‘n’ melted flotsam & jetsam.
Here’s the second volume of later piano works from Morton Feldman, released by German classic music label MDG Scene. And as with the other volumes in this series the piano here is played by respected German pianist Steffen Schleiermacher.
This self titled double C30 release is the first offering from this new German HNW project. And what we have here is selection brutal and crudely dense HNW edged with pornographic samples, and topped with old porn mag collage artwork- so this will appeal to those who enjoy perverse & seared walled noise acts such as Rough Sex Quartet or Midnight Heat.
Nylon Insomnia is the first physical release from this new female led wall-noise project. Naughty is all the work of French women Charlotte Skrobek, and this release comes in the form of a C30 tape release on Italian label Signora Ward Records- who are most known for their Nylon Stocking themed wall noise releases.
A Giant Fern presents Elegies and Curses, the latest offering from Hidden Persuaders. Released in 2015 on limited edition cassette, it appears to have gone the way of the dodo bird. However, the curious can still find it streamable on the label’s bandcamp site. This is my first dance with Hidden Persuaders, but low and behold I see that this is another one of Andreas Brandal’s many projects. I’ve been quite a fan of the solo work he has published, including works under the Flesh Coffin and Avmakt monikers. Each project has its own distinct sound. From eerie synth to static noise, Brandal has managed to toil in nearly every permutation of “experimental” music. Hidden Pleasures is no different. On this project Brandal is accompanied by percussionist Børre Myklebust (who is also a collaborator in Uvesen).
Here’s another contribution to Lurker Bias’ ‘Neon Wall’ series of tapes; this time from Condo Horro - another new name to me. Again, I’m reviewing a digital version; with two tracks, both exactly sixteen minutes long.
With this album, the oddly matched pair of musicians take an unusual approach to collaboration, hiding Merzbow's piercing squalls at a near microscopic tamed volume behind Eiko's delicately rippling reverberant tonal drifts, which would be easily overwhelmed if the levels were anything like balanced.
Von Der Rheinquelle Bis Hafen Karlsruhe (Of The Rhine Source To Harbor Karlsruhe for none German speakers) takes us on fascinating field recording journey down one of Europe’s most mighty rivers. Traveling through different season, and stopping off at twenty track one stops along it’s nearing 600 Km length. The Rhein Strom [Rhine River] project brings together respected german field recordist & sound artists Lasse-Marc Riek , & location scout and photographer Thomas M. Siefert.
As it’s title suggests this CD brings together recordings from with-in a selection of courtyards in Paris. The last time I heard from this Australian sound artists & field recordist, was back in 2014 with the excellent All Things Metal- which saw him offer up a selection of records made in & around metal things.
There was a time in which technical death metal was my bread and butter, and though that time has been over for a good 5 years, and the genre's heydey as well, I have none-the-less continued to follow a number of quality bands, one of which being the German band Obscura. Though named after the famously dissonant and unwelcoming album by Gorguts, Obscura's music is deeply classically inspired and intricately harmonized, with strong chord structures that tend towards the mournfully tuneful, in a similar way to many Scandinavian and black metal bands. 'Progressive' arpeggiated sweeps and quick climbs up and down scalar shapes are also commonplace in their clearly theory-informed songs.
Here we have a C32 release from this searing & stark Spokane, Washington based wall noise project. On offer here are two side long slices of brutal, pummelling & nihilistic wall-craft
British electronic artist Imaginary Forces returns to Fang Bomb with a new 12", Visitation. This dark, futuristic take on electronica may not get you up out of your seat to dance, but it'll definitely get your head nodding and your brain working.
Here for the first time ever is the complete collection of singles from the height of Tiny Tim’s career between 1966 & the early 1970’s. The CD release brings together twenty two tracks from this original musical outsider, with classic such as "Tip- Toe Thru The Tulips", and his district takes on known songs such as "What The World Needs Now Is Love", and "Great Balls Of Fire".
The Great Balloon Race was the seventh album from English/Australian instrumental prog rock/pop project Sky, and it originally appeared back in 1985 on Epic Records. Here we have a 2015 CD reissue from Esoteric Recordings, who have slowly but surely reissue all of the bands back catalogue, in often quite deluxe CD & DVD edition.
This tape (though I’m reviewing a digital version) is part of the ’Neon Wall’ series of cassettes, put out by Lurker Bias. Ten releases in all, bringing together a mix of new and old wall makers. Mig Inc is a new name to me, and the project gives us one long, thirty-two minute track of progressive wall-craft.
Albatrosh is a piano & saxophone duo that plays extremely technical music which is somewhere between jazz and progressive rock. I wasn't able to derive much enjoyment from their previous album "Yonkers", which struck me as sterile and overthought, but I've given them a fresh go for one of their 2 releases from 2014, an album titled "Night Owl".
Nature Morte (english translation Dead Nature) is a late 2015 release from this Toulouse based walled noise project. It offers up a selection of four ‘walls’ with a suitable grim and barrenly battering feel to them.
Neighbor's Nightshade is one of the more recent wall- noise projects of Gloversville, New York based noise-maker Ryen Barber(Hearse Fetish,Tomb of Trinkets & Lurid Hallway). To Heat The Flesh is pro CDR release on Russian based noise label Torga Amun- it features a single 40 minute track.
Nahàsh Atrym Productions presents Alpha & Proxima / Signals, a compilation CD-R by Saturn Form Essence. This CD-R compiles 3 separate EPs from Ukranian sound artist Sergiy Fjordsson. As with all Nahàsh Atrym releases, this comes beautifully presented in a half-page fold-over cover featuring a 1973 painting by A. Leonov & A. Sokolov.
Here we have a 2015 CD presentation of synth ‘n’ electronic based soundtrack for a Nazi zombie film from the late 1970’s. Fitting the films subject matter the soundtrack brings together moody & brooding synth craft, with more angular & noisy electronic/early sampled elements to create a memorable, creative & chilling score.