пятница, 29 февраля 2008 г.

Nore New releases from Rune Grammofon

MoHa!
Norwegianism
RCD2064

Out of Norway's super-fertile impro scene, MoHa! are boldly leading the way with a sound that encompasses the best of rock, free jazz and electronic music. Despite the enormity and broad spectrum of sounds that constitute their unique style, it is the work of just two talented young men, Anders Hana (24) on guitar, obsolete electronics and a pallete of effects pedals, and Morten J. Olsen (25) on drums, triggering a multitude of noises from each skin and cymbal using custom built software. Having played together in various projects for close to 10 years, they have developed a high level of control and understanding in their musical communication. They compliment and confront each other, with sharp and mechanical movements on one hand, free flowing and loose gestures on the other. It´s a real scorcher; short, intense, to the point and brimming with head explosions, youthful energy and urgency.
Order it here.

Please note that it will be available on vinyl by the end of the month.

Ultralyd
Conditions For A Piece Of Music
RCD2065

Ultralyd is Kjetil Møster (The Core) on sax, Anders Hana (MoHa!) on guitar, Kjetil D. Brandsdal (Noxagt) on bass and Morten J. Olsen (MoHa!) on drums and vibraphone. This is their third album since the band was formed by legendary sax player Frode Gjerstad in 2004. Gjerstad left after their second album "Chromosome Gun" (Load Records) to be replaced by Møster. During two extensive European tours and several studio sessions Ultralyd's direction has slowly changed from a rather chaotic free rock approach towards composition and more structured forms of improvisation, experimenting with different layers and altered roles of the instruments, integrating elements from contemporary music, electronic music, funk and doom metal and ending up with an album that might be classified as the kind of chamber rock King Crimson were doing in their Starless-period.
Order it here.

Please note that it will be available on vinyl by the end of the month.

Alog
Amateur
RLP3063

2LP limited vinyl edition in gatefold sleeve in stock now and available here.
If you also want MoHa! and/or Ultralyd on vinyl, you might want to wait until they are available. This way you will probably save some on the postage.

Arve Henriksen
Strjon

Lovely Japanese edition available here now. 

For the autumn:

Susanna: Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos (solo-album with only original songs)
Supersilent: 8 (first studio album in nearly 5 years, might be a double)
Ole Henrik  Moe: Tre Persefone / Ciaconna (2CD)
Food: TBA

www.runegrammofon.com  

News from Rune Grammofon label

New Skyphone album available now

Skyphone belong to a new generation of Danish musicians that also include bands like Under Byen and Efterklang. Musically it´s possible to place them somewhere between Efterklang, Sigur Ros and Swedish group Tape.
With "Avellaneda" they have further developed the ideas of their acclaimed "Fabula" debut into a seamless blend of acoustic and electronic elements, rich in detail and sonic refinement, with the occasional touch of Scandinavian folk music providing a strong melodic base. Order it here.

Forthcoming releases

March 10
Shining – Shining – RLP3060 (2LP including both their previous RG releases, 500 copies only).

March 31
Motorpsycho – Little Lucid Moments – RCD2073 / RLP3073 (CD or 2LP)
The mothers of stoner psychedelia in full flight on four long tracks.

April 14
Scorch Trio – Brolt – RCD2074 / RLP3074 (CD or Ltd 2LP with bonus tracks)
Free, edgy and powerful trio musings. Old school analog recording.

May 26
Elephant9 – DodoVoodoo – RCD2075 / RLP3075 (CD or LP)
Ståle Storløkken (Supersilent), Torstein Lofthus (Shining) and Nikolai Eilertsen (National Bank) runs the voodoo down in an explosive mix of electric Miles, Weather Report and Lifetime. Old School analog recording.

April / May
Various Artists – Money Will Ruin Everything 2 (2CD / book) – RCD2072
Updated and expanded follow-up book with two CDs of mostly exclusive tracks. Forewords by Geoff Travis (Rough Trade founder) and David Fricke (Rolling Stone senior editor).

www.runegrammofon.com

вторник, 26 февраля 2008 г.

Vital Weekly 616

============
VITAL WEEKLY
============
number 616
------------
week 9
------------


Vital Weekly, the webcast: we offering a weekly webcast, freely to download.
This can be regarded as the audio-supplement to Vital Weekly. Presented as a
radioprogramm with excerpts of just some of the CDs (no vinyl or MP3)
reviewed. It will remain on the site for a limited period of 5 weeks.
Download the file to your MP3 player and enjoy!
complete track and list here: http://www.vitalweekly.net/podcast.html

before submitting material please read this carefully:

http://www.vitalweekly.net/fga.html Submitting material means you read this
and approve of this.

* noted are in this week's podcast


STEAMBOAT SWITZERLAND - ZONE 2 (CD by Grob)
HAMAYOKO - YGUN -N9- (CD by Entr'acte) *
CARL STONE - WOO LAE OAK (CD by Unseen Worlds)
LUBOMYR MELNYK - KMH (CD by Unseen Worlds) *
ARCANE DEVICE - DEVICES 1987-2007 (2CD by Monochrome Vision) *
GEN KEN MONTGOMERY - DRILLING HOLES IN THE WALL (CD by Monochrome Vision)
PACIFIC 231 & VOX POPULI! - CTHULHU REVISITED (CD by Monochrome Vision)
NIKITA GOLYSHEV - SOLARIS (CD by Monochrome Vision)
HOLLOWING & MAOR APPELBAUM - COLLABORATING TORTURE (CD by HCB Records) *
ROBERT VAN HEUMEN - FURY (CD by Creative Sources Recordings) *
PRIDON - APNEA EINA (CD by Low Impedance Recordings) *
BROCHARD & GUIONNET & PERRAUD - [ON] (CD by In Situ) *
BRUNO CHEVILLON - HORS CHAMPS (CD by D'Autres Cordes) *
SAMUEL SIGHICELLI - MAREE NOIRE (CD by D'Autres Cordes)
BULLOCK & COLEMAN & GROSS & RODEN - UNTITLED, OR NOT YET (CD by 1pt8
Records) *
TIME OF ORCHIDS - NAMESAKE CAUTION (CD by Cuneiform)
EX-P - CARPACCIO ESISTENZIALE (CD by Fratto9)
EX-P - ANCORA SAIGON (CD by Fratto9)
WE DREW LIGHTNING - SWIMMING WITH ORANGE (CD by High Mayhem)
THE LATE SEVERA WIRES & SYNCHRONICITY PICTURES (DVD by High Mayhem)
MARCHING DYNAMICS - NAILSLEEPER (CD by Hymen Records)
TWINKLE - LE JOUET (CD by Ant-Zen)
RAOUL SINIER - HUGE SAMURAI RADISH (CD by Ad Noiseam)
JED SPEARE - SOUND WORKS 1982-1987 (2CD by Family Vineyard) *
R.Y.N. - ASTRAL DEATH (CD by Unrest Productions)
SONIC SYSTEMS LABORATORIES (CD by Split Records)
CHRIS ABRAHAMS & MIKE COOPER - OCEANIC FEELING LIKE (CD by Room40) *
TOMASZ BEDNARCZYK - SUMMER FEELINGS (MP3 by Room40)
TOM RECCHION - THE INCANDESCENT GRAMOPHONE (78 rpm 10 inch by Poo bah
records)
REDGLAER - CRANKY (7" on Static Aktion)
ABQ=/=LAX (7" split co released by Hype Machine, Anarchymoon Recordings,
sicksicksick, Ohmni)
KILT - SNOW WHITE IN HELL (12 inch by sicksicksick, Anarchymoon
Recordings, Bastardised)
PNDC - FADING AWAY (CDR by Listen Loudest)
KAPOTTE MUZIEK - ENHANCED ROOM ACOUSTICS (CDR by Lunhare)
SANSAM DAVIES - LIVE UNCUT VOL.1 (CDR by A Question Of Re_Entry)
BIG CITY ORCHESTRA - MUSICAL BOX (CDR by Ubuibi) *
BIG CITY ORCHESTRA - VILLANELLA (CDR by Ubuibi)
CHEJU/SHOOSH (3"CDR by Awkward Silence Recordings) *
MOZ - THE BROKEN TUSK OF GANESHA (3inch CDr by Silken Tofu)
NOISEWERRRRK - PREKARIAT EP (3inch CDr by Silken Tofu)

STEAMBOAT SWITZERLAND - ZONE 2 (CD by Grob)
In the typical unsensatonatial cover art style of Grob, this label released
the fifth CD from this swiss combo. You never know with what they come up
with, as this is as very uncompromising undertaking. This time this trio
choose for acoustic instruments with little amplification. Marion Pliakas
plays acoustic guitar, Lucas Niggli a reduced drum set and Dominik Blum
plays piano. 'Zone 2' contains one 45 minutes long improvisation. In a
'stream of consciousness'- like manner this music pulsates through your ears
and brain. They sound far from a conventional piano-guitar-drums trio. All
three instruments are equally and continuously intertwined in this tour de
force. That is to say, more or less, as sometimes the guitar is on the
forefront or the piano. Also there is an alternation of more introspective
and exuberant parts. In the first 25 minutes of this piece they play in a
very hammering and cacaphonic way. But after that the climate changes for a
more abstract kind of soundscaping
and the music becomes more quiet, preparing itself for a final loud outburst
in the last minutes of this journey.
Although the music is not engaging in each of its 45 minutes, throughout
this is a very captivating work that will grab you. (DM)
Address: http://www.churchofgrob.com/

HAMAYOKO - YGUN -N9- (CD by Entr'acte)
It's been a mere twelve week, since reviewing '4/29', the debut CD of Yôko
Higashi who works as hamaYôko. It's a pretty rare, but utter delightful
thing to see a record label with confidence in their artists. Next up: the
remix CD? It would be an even rarer thing if 'Ygun -n9' would sound entirely
different than the previous, and it doesn't. Foremost hamaYôko is a vocal
artist, in all variations: from sweet to angry, to cheerful and sad. Those
are set against that most curious mixture of electronics and musique
concrete. One foot in the popmusic and one in the serious avant-garde - from
Schaeffer to Violent Onsen Geisha (who were the inspiration on one track). I
know I shouldn't repeat myself and apologizes if I do: "I am not entirely
convinced about this approach, to be honest. Sometimes it puts a curious
smile on my face, but as a whole it was too bizarre for me. I have no clue
what she wants: create odd popmusic? Make fun to musique concrete? Is it
serious art or a good laugh?
Certainly one that should end up in the section marked with '?' in your
local record store. But perhaps I am entirely mistaken and we deal with
something radically new. Who am I to tell?" (FdW)
Address: http://www.entracte.co.uk

CARL STONE - WOO LAE OAK (CD by Unseen Worlds)
LUBOMYR MELNYK - KMH (CD by Unseen Worlds)
Without wanting to sound rude, but in my view Carl Stone was just there one
day. The first solo thing reviewed in Vital Weekly was late in the day, his
'Nak Won' in Vital Weekly 367. But I knew his name, saw his releases before,
but I couldn't possible put 'history' to the man. Until now. 'Woo Lae Oak'
was his first record, released in 1983 by Joan Le Barbara's Wizard Records.
A long record, clocking in at fifty-four minutes, so it's good to see a CD
release of it, to fully enjoy the one piece quality. Simple things are not
always good things, but in this case: wow. Stone produced two kind of
sounds: the rubbing of string to create a tremolo effect and blowing air
into a bottle - two sounds that no doubt many of us made themselves. But we
didn't create tape-loops out of it, made layers, changed the speed and no
filtering was applied (by Stone). Classic tape techniques, some of them now
forgotten in the world of computers. Over the course of fifty-four minutes
he creates a sonic
delicacy - minimal to the bare bone, but with lots of subtle changes to
alter the material. One never has the idea that things are boring to be
heard. It's a fascinating piece of music. A bit crude in the mix, with
volume dropping every now and then, but that rawness adds, for me at least,
to the quality of the work.
Also on Unseen Worlds, apparently a label for re-issues a record from 1978
by one Lubomyr Melnyk from Poland. He plays 'piano music in the continuous
mode', quite fast actually, which sound like more piano's than just one. The
booklet reads of inspired by Steve Reich, Philip Glass and Terry Riley,
which perhaps is true, but I see another link, more clearly: This work is
more alike Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt - I don't know how much fame he
has abroad, but his piano pieces that last easily a couple of hours, is
quite close to the music of Melnyk. Repeating patterns with minimal changes,
but without the sustain that is put in by his American counterparts.
Overtones as such don't seem to be playing a big role here and it's more
about a continuous melodic play. Rhythmic in varying degrees, the piece is a
subtle work, and even if only a detail from some of the works of Ten Holt,
it's of an absolute beauty. Two great discoveries from the minimal music
history. I wonder what Unseen
Worlds
come up next. (FdW)
Address: http://www.unseenworlds.net

ARCANE DEVICE - DEVICES 1987-2007 (2CD by Monochrome Vision)
GEN KEN MONTGOMERY - DRILLING HOLES IN THE WALL (CD by Monochrome Vision)
PACIFIC 231 & VOX POPULI! - CTHULHU REVISITED (CD by Monochrome Vision)
NIKITA GOLYSHEV - SOLARIS (CD by Monochrome Vision)
The covers of Monochrome Vision are always black and white. Perhaps to
reflect that the label has a primary interest in 'old' music by 'old guys'
(no girls yet, I believe)? They release their music in various batches, and
this (plus one to come later, for obvious reasons) always comes with the
introduction of a younger artist from Russia. I might be wrong, but the
oldest guy here is David Lee Myers, also known in the mid eighties as Arcane
Device and one of my heroes of the time. Myers created his own feedback
machines long before someone thought of 'no input mixers'. Myers controlled
his feedback with all sorts of sound effects, which made him sound
differently than say the average industrial musician. No wonder his first
release was on Recommended/ReR records, known for improvisation rather than
noise. In the time span of less than eight years Arcane Device released a
bunch of CDs, a LP, a double 7" pack and some cassettes (many of them these
days available from
http://www.pulsewidth.com). For Monochrome Vision, Myers went to his archive
to pick some rare (from various compilations on Subterranean Records, Tragic
Figures, SFCR and Generations Unlimited) and unreleased for his double CD. I
admit straight away that it has been a while since I last played a CD by
Arcane Device, but hearing this feast of recognition, prompts me to pull
them all out and play them again in the next weeks, when time allows me. The
strength of Arcane Device, to work with such unmusical sounds in such a
musical form, hasn't lost any of his magic to me. Unlike say the current
wave of no input mixers, who like to be microsound, minimal or overtly
harsh, but nothing musical, I only know of one equivalent to Myers and
that's Marco Ciciliani, who I once saw play a no input mixer in such a
musical manner. Great stuff!
Also the Gen Ken Montgomery release deals with 'old' music, and is partly
released, partly unreleased. It deals with a period of Gen's career in which
he was heavily involved with Conrad Schnitzler, not say 'inspired'. The
first three tracks (one and two released before, on cassette and on LP by
Discos Esplendor Geometrico) are alike Schnitzler's cassette concerts:
multiple cassettes with stripped down synthesizer sounds are mixed in
concert together. Gen Ken used a 'modified' Casio MS-10 for this and
perhaps, I am not sure, some sound effects. Schnitzler's non keyboard
electronics influence is quite apparent on those, even when Gen Ken plays a
much louder and more industrial version thereof. These three works are kind
long, but sound very much like music of the time. The final two pieces are
shorter in length and consist of yet another version of 'Icebreaker' (also
released by Staalplaat as a 3"CD at one point) and is more installation like
music and a live piece from 1986 made in
the DDR of a cassette concert, which sound more melodic than the opening
pieces and even has vocals. A fine release, not with the complete power of
Arcane Device, but a pretty strong work of its day.
The least interesting from this lot is the release by Pacific 231 and Vox
Populi!, a solo and a duo act from France, who recorded some work together
in the 80s, partly released by German's Cthulhu Records. I hasten to add:
the least interesting for me. The pseudo ritual sound that they have wasn't
my favorite in those days and by today's private standard it's still not my
cup of tea. Psychedelic like synth patterns, the low resolution sampling of
rhythm and the wordless chanting and singing: it all sounds pretty dated and
worn out.
The russian component of this lot comes from Nikita Golyshev, who has been
working since 2003 as one half of CDR, in various fields of experimental
music - ranging from rhythmic work to noise and drones. 'Solaris' is his
debut solo CD and it's hard not to see this as a soundtrack to the Tarkovsky
movie, even when there is no such reference on the cover. The music spread
out over two pieces of around thirty minutes could have been alternative
soundtracks to that movie. Golyshev's plays some interesting under water and
under world like drone music of a great kind. Golyshev keeps things minimal
but too such an extent that changes appear at the right moment - the true
power of drone music, I guess. Don't be a bore, don't let changes come to
quickly, everything on the right moment. This version of 'Solaris' is great
and surely the name Golyshev is worth keeping an ear open for. (FdW)
Address: http://www.monochromevision.ru

HOLLOWING & MAOR APPELBAUM - COLLABORATING TORTURE (CD by HCB Records)
To be honest: I never heard of Matt Gibney, musician and labelowner of
Rectrix, and so his passing away in January 2006 went unnoticed by me. Not
by Maor Appelbaum from Israel, with whom he shared ideas and worked
together. Appelbaum before worked with Maurizio Bianchi but in Gibney he
found another lover of anything dark. In the fifty-four minutes that span
this disc the two walk the darkest paths available in music. From the
rattling of bells at the beginning to the more spacious paths in the middle
end, things remain grim and dark. Industrial music for sure, but the
industries are longer at work here. It's a bleak, empty, barely lit
landscape that once had activity, but it's no longer there. Everything is
gone and the nuclear fall out is heavily amplified by these two men. Rain
drops become small but effective bombs, falling on rusty metal sheets that
are on the floor of an empty warehouse. This is not pleasant music, but then
that was never the idea, I assume. It's highly
effective music at work here. Deep bass rumbling, mean high end sounds and
other means are put to work here. Quite an achievement, I'd say, and surely
not of the weak minded. If depression isn't there, it may such things after
hearing this. Nice, I'd say, although I wouldn't want to hear this every
day, but this hard to swallow pill needs to be taken, at least every now and
then. (FdW)
Address: http://www.maorappelbaum.org

ROBERT VAN HEUMEN - FURY (CD by Creative Sources Recordings)
'Fury' is the first real CD by Robert van Heumen, a name that may not ring
an immediate bell (perhaps, who knows), but who is an active driving force
in the Dutch improvised electronic music. He's active with such
bands/collectives/projects as OfficeR, Skif++, RKS, Shackle and founding
member of N Collective, if not organizing events for Steim in Amsterdam. His
primary instrument is the laptop running software like LiSa (live sampling)
and SuperCollider, sampling everyday sounds and making them sound like
anything but everyday sounds. On his debut CD he has two pieces. The four
part work 'Fury (After Anger)' and 'They Would Get Angry Sometimes'. The
first uses texts about 'Dust Bowl migrants living in Farm Security
Administration camps in central California (1940-1941). Many Americans fled
the Great Plains looking for work and a better economical and ecological
environment". The texts however do not play a big part in the composition.
There is a bit of guitar like sound to be spotted
(self-played? taken from the original recordings), and a bit of text, but
throughout the title piece is a racket of noise tumbling through the bits
and bytes of the computer - but beware it's not noise in the traditional
sense of the word. It's dynamic, ever changing, crackling, loud and soft,
buzzing and hissing. Even without being able to understand the text, which
doesn't seem to be absolutely necessary, this is a very nice piece, shifting
back and forth between abstract sound and more melodic passages. The second
piece uses some similar sounds but is altogether a strict abstract piece of
music of an even harsher quality type of noise. Vibrant music this is, great
music - moving away from the delicate structures of microsound into the land
of noise based textures. More Mego than micro. Great start! (FdW)
Address: http://www.creativesources.com

PRIDON - APNEA EINA (CD by Low Impedance Recordings)
It's been a while since Petros Voudouris, also known as Pridon, released
'New Steine' on Low Impedance Recordings (see Vital Weekly 497), but it
seems like nothing has changed since then. Back then I wrote about his love
for things analogue, the retro futuro sound of synthesizers and drum
machines, the cross between all things danceable, from techno to electro,
IDM, a bit of ambience, a bit of psychedelics and the result is longer than
the previous - eleven tracks instead of six - make up some pleasant
listening session. Perfect sunday afternoon, post hangover music, while
browsing the internet, reading yesterday's paper or looking outside watching
clouds pass by. Apparently Pridon uses a lot of improvisation to generate
his music, but he's capable of hiding that in tight pieces of music, and no
self-indulgent overlong pieces. Still, nothing new under the dance sun, but
as much as the previous done with true love of the genre. (FdW)
Address: http://www.lowimpedance.net

BROCHARD & GUIONNET & PERRAUD - [ON] (CD by In Situ)
More improvised music by Jean-Luc Guionnet, who plays here solely alto
saxophone, along with Edward Perraud on drums and percussion and Eric
Brochard on contrabass. We have landed more into improvised music land here
than with Guionnet's album with Nakamaru which we reviewed last week. The
two improvisations - neatly clocking in at twenty-some minutes each - are
more regular improvisations with the instruments sounding as drums, bass and
saxophone. Perhaps I should have left this with Dolf Mulder, our regular
improv reviewer, but actually I started playing this, mainly because I check
everything out before sending it to other reviewers, but this checking out
turned out to be playing the whole thing and then again. I don't know why
actually, but there was a captivating thing about the recording which I
liked - even when improvised music of this kind is not my daily digest. This
trio bounces back and forth in textures, moods and atmospheres which I
thought was actually quite
interesting
to hear - or rather under go. A bath of sounds, with small ripples and big
waves alike, full of tension and full of relief, admist a lot of free
playing. Nice one, even if the improvisation methods are a tad of regular.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.label-insitu.com

BRUNO CHEVILLON - HORS CHAMPS (CD by D'Autres Cordes)
SAMUEL SIGHICELLI - MAREE NOIRE (CD by D'Autres Cordes)
A 'doublebassist' is one Bruno Chevillon, but no doubt there is more going
on his 'Hors Champs' (which translates as 'off-screen'). His music here is
inspired by Heiner Muller's theatre, which I don't know, but I can form some
opinion on what that would be like. Heavy is probably the word that
describes it best, since whatever Chevillon is doing to his double bass, is
not what his teacher told him. It's powerful, almost like old school
industrial music, but played in an improvised manner. To his double bass
playing, Chevillon adds a bunch of nasty electronics and heavy drum machine
playing, all underpinning the action, the aggression and the necessity of
playing this music. Forceful music that is what becomes of this. While
generated through methods of improvisation, no doubt, this is also the work
of multi-layering the various sounds and provide some great tension in these
pieces. AGF provides some guest vocals, but that's the probably the only
point of quietness around here. Heavy
duty music, industrial rock like if you will, improvised industrial if you
must, this is another heavy journey, this week (following Maor Appelbaum's
CD).
On the same label, and also unknown to me is Samuel Sighicelli (1972), who
studied the piano and composition, as well as being an improviser and film
maker. A man of many talents. His CD translates as 'oil spill' and one
composition in six parts. I moaned about the state of serious
electro-acoustic music, when reviewing (or not) the releases by Empreintes
Digitales, but this actually is quite exciting music. An example of how
things can also be. Sighicelli uses field recordings of airports, the sea,
but also piano, organ, synthesizer, the bass playing of Chevillon and
objects of metal, wood etc, which he collated together in a clever play of
electro acoustic sound, in which it's not about all the software he could
find but rather about the overall composition he could create with these
various sound sources. As such we can recognize some of the original sound
used, but throughout the abstract sound works in quite a cinematic manner.
Certainly not as harsh as the Chevillon work, but
with a likewise great impact. (FdW)
Address: http://www.digitruc.com

BULLOCK & COLEMAN & GROSS & RODEN - UNTITLED, OR NOT YET (CD by 1pt8
Records)
It has been quiet from the side of Steve Roden, or perhaps some of his
recent releases come in such small editions, that they are, unfortunately,
not always easy to follow. Two of his recent releases are CDRs only, in
small editions, such as 'Vester Fields', a charming work for various sounds
including an accordion, a record player, voice, violin, field recordings and
even plants or 'A Christmas Play Joseph Cornell', which is more like a
season release (not this season) with an old christmas record, a vietnamese
string instrument and more field recordings. Both works are the Roden we
appreciate and know so well: delicate sound textures, slow movements,
layered yet spacey. However the work we are dealing here with today, is the
Roden that is also delicate, but also a side of Roden we don't know very
well: that of an improviser, together with the more well-known players from
the scene, such as Micheal Bullock (contrabass), James Coleman (theremin)
and David Gross (alto saxophone),
while
Roden plays objects, electronics and voice. This is the sort of
improvisation that I really like. The careful examination of the
instruments, their qualities in what they have to offer as both an
instrument as well as an object. The delicate but loose structure, the
waving of electronic tones along with the apparently random tones of the
'real' instruments. Four people listening to what the others are doing,
carefully, thoughtfully. As said, it's not a side of Roden we know very
well, but it's certainly something he should be doing more. (FdW)
Address: http://www.1pt8.com

TIME OF ORCHIDS - NAMESAKE CAUTION (CD by Cuneiform)
The fifth cd from this New York band, that was started in 1999 by Chuck
Stern (keyboards, vocals, guitar). Also from the beginning, Jesse Krakow on
bass, synthesizer and guitar. Eric Fitzgerald (guitar, vocals) and David
Bodie (drums, percussion, foam machine) joint later.
Only the name of Krakow did ring a bell. He has a cd out on Public Eyesore
and played in the Beefheart-project Fast 'n' Bulbous. Time of Orchids
started releasing cds in 2001. Their fourth "Sarcast While" was released in
2005 on the prestigious Tzadik label. I know none of their earlier work.
Their music on their new one, is guitar-based, but also heavily drenched in
loads of keyboards. But most characteristic are the many, many vocals. They
produce a dramatic over the top kind off popmusic. They built complex but
slow songs, moving somewhere between metal, prog and grunge. I could name
many influences but what does it help? Above all it is plain american
rockmusic. The music impresses not because of its personality or
originality, but by the dramatic impact of the multilayered wall of sound.
Not by virtuoso high-technical playing, but by the intense vocal harmonies
that drift by as dark clouds throughout this whole album. (DM)
Address: http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/

EX-P - CARPACCIO ESISTENZIALE (CD by Fratto9)
EX-P - ANCORA SAIGON (CD by Fratto9)
A few weeks ago I reviewed cds from the italian Fratto9 label. Two cds from
the Can-inspired bands Tanake and I/O. This time two cds from EX-P. This
trio has Alessanddro Allera on bass and voice, Andrea Chiuni also on bass,
clarinet and voice, plus Diego Rosso on drums.
Their first one 'Ancora Siagon' was recorded in 2004, 'Carpaccio
Esistenziale' in december 2006. On both albums they have little assistance
from other players in some of the tracks.
Their is a typical italian touch on their music, that reminded me of other
experimental italian bands from the 70s and 80s: early Franco Battiato,
Stormy Six, La1919, etc. Also it would not surprise me, if they are fans of
Hugh Hopper and Canterbury music. Influences of folk music can also be
traced in the melodic lines they chose. Altogether an interesting band that
makes use of many different sources for their musical ideas. Evidently their
music has its roots in rock, but they leave many of the rock-conventions
behind for their version of avant rock-like music. They are interested in
creating structure and style. Chaotic outbursts of noise and pure energy are
not there thing. They are more into subtlety. Controlled and disciplined
they form their pieces. The bassplayers extract nice, multicolored sounds
from their instruments, without using much extended techniques. It is
surprising how they create such a diverse and rich spectrum of sounds with
this small line up. Happily their
records are not overproduced, so the recordings breath a low-fi atmosphere.
Also they know when to stop. So there is no endless repetition of the same
ideas. On the other hand, because of this some of the tracks on "Carpaccio
Esistenziale' deserved to be more worked out. I found both albums equally
satisfying and very tasty. (DM)
Address: http://www.fratto9/

WE DREW LIGHTNING - SWIMMING WITH ORANGE (CD by High Mayhem)
THE LATE SEVERA WIRES & SYNCHRONICITY PICTURES (DVD by High Mayhem)
Two new releases from the Santa Fe-based High Mayhem-label, that is known
best for her excellent yearly High Mayhem-festival. We Drew Lightning is a
fresh new band that is made up of the following four musicians: Roland
Ostheim (voice, guitar, electronics, piano), Michael Smith (drums,
electronics, voice), Alex Neville (bass guitar, electronics, voice, banjo)
and Stephen Canny (cello). Ostheim and Smith came from Derail, a band you
may know from earlier High Mayhem releases. They make up the nucleus of this
new band, inviting other musicians to join for their project We Drew
Lightning. What is is their music about? Well, it is their ideal to
'transcend genre'. I often feel irritated when a band writes pretentious
words like these, especially after hearing their music where absolutely no
border is crossed. This was what I experienced with the music of We Drew
Lightning. But when I lowered my expectations to more realistic proportions,
I did have fun with this music. In ten songs We
Drew Lightning presents their jamming psychedelic rock music. In most songs
instruments and voice make up a well-balanced whole that moves ahead in a
flow, evoking a trance-like atmosphere. Not a spectacular album, but a good
one. Nicely produced, doing justice to the textured layers of sound. Only
one warning: you have to like the vocals of Ostheim. I didn't.
The Late Severa Wires is also a quartet, presented earlier in Vital Weekly
with their LP "Three minutes a second". They are now back with a dvd. We see
and hear: Ultraviolet (turntables), Mike Rowland (drums), Yozo Suzuki
(guitar) and Carlos Santistevan (bass). The dvd documents a 23 minute
performance from 2003 and a 46 minute performance from 2006 both taken at
the High Mayhem Festival. Lengthy noise improvisation and soundscaping is
their business. But the dvd offers no straight registration of the live
performance. The dvd offers footage from the live performance but the people
from Synchronicity Pictures did a lot of treatment. Pictures of the band -
often close ups - are treated and abstracted to the same abstract level as
where their music operates. They are cleverly synchronized with the music,
making music and images closely interconnected. Very well done! Only I hoped
they did integrate a little more untreated pictures showing the band at
work. (DM)
Address: http://www.highmayhemorg.com/

MARCHING DYNAMICS - NAILSLEEPER (CD by Hymen Records)
TWINKLE - LE JOUET (CD by Ant-Zen)
Despite the fact that Ant-Zen Recordings traditionally has more focus on the
harsh Industrial-related expressions with Hymen Records putting more focus
on less harsher and more IDM-based expressions there is some similarity
between the two legendary labels run Stefan S. Alt. The two present albums
from the two labels is by artists that certainly knows how to create
excellent club friendly rhythm textures. "Nailsleeper" from L.A.-based
project Marching Dynamics and released via Hymen Records, proves that the
brain behind, S. Talada, has a sense of creating beat textures cut sharp
into an almost militant pace. Thus the project name suits perfect to the
style. Take for instance the club-track titled "Un fall able" with dark
technoid atmospheres not far away from early Biosphere, circa "Novelty
waves". Another perfect moment is the ultra-cool track "Stoic" based on
old-school electro-beats reminiscent of early pioneering electro-tracks such
as Hashim's "Al-Naa-Fiysh (The Soul)" and
Africa Bambaataa's "Planet Rock". The album moves in a nice balance between
dreamy ambient-techno, breakbeats and a few moments of Industrial
interventions. No really harsh moments on this one. Harshness on the other
side is found on the next album released via Ant-Zen Recordings. French
project "Twinkle" has gained cult status for their live shows around Europe.
Therefore the debut album titled "Le Jouet" from the duo has been long
awaited. Expressionally Twinkle varies from a downbeat Industrial-style of
great atmospheres to pompous melodies of floating orchestral ambient as on
the excellent track "Ton style". On a track titled "Les voies infectees" the
expression turns more abrasive with a number of voice samples and strange
synth-lines moving above very cool downbeat yet rather complex rhythm
textures. Awesome track! The combination of experimental electronics and
catchy Industrial-textures works great. To awesome albums from Ant-Zen
recordings and Hymen Records. (NM)
Address: http://www.ant-zen.com
Address: http://www.hymen-records.com

RAOUL SINIER - HUGE SAMURAI RADISH (CD by Ad Noiseam)
Raoul Sinier (formerly known as "Ra") was a very active artist in 2007.
First the album "Wxfdswxc" released on Sublight label in January, then the
12"-album titled "Ultrafood", a collaborative split album with Mad Ep that
was released on Ad Noiseam in April. Then a month later came the "Ev.panic.
redone"-album released on Planet Mu and finally a 3"-mini-CD titled "Two
heads" released on the Disco_r.Dance label. Now Raoul Sinier is ready with
his first CD-format-release on Ad Noiseam, this time under his real name.
The album titled "Huge samurai radish" is considered as an appetizer for his
proper full length "Brain kitchen" which will be released later in 2008 on
Ad Noiseam. Never the less "Huge samurai dish" has a running time approx. 51
minutes. Consisting of 12 tracks the first seven tracks are freshly made,
where the last five are remixes of earlier materials executed by other
artists. The overall expression on the seven new works is quite pompous
meanwhile the rhythmic textures
on the album often have their roots in hip hop and this quite unusual
stylish combination is what makes the album interesting. The solemn feeling
of dark and doom-like melody on "Huge Samurai Radish" gives some
associations back to the music of the Middle age thanks to the dramatic
atmospheres on the album. The mixture of drone-like melodies and the
artificial expressions of electronic sounds combined with the cool hip hop
rhythms makes this album very a promising appetizer for the coming
full-length. Despite the fact that the remixes differ quite remarkably from
the original versions with contributions from La Caution and Cannibal Ox's
Vast Aire etc, they stylishly fit well into the spheres of the main works of
"Huge samurai dish". (NM)
Address: http://www.adnoiseam.net

JED SPEARE - SOUND WORKS 1982-1987 (2CD by Family Vineyard)
The old is a hype. I just read in the newspaper that Cluster played in
Amsterdam last friday at the Sonic Acts festival (who never sent their
information down here, but that's no doubt the arrogance of being in the
centre of the universe) and of course the newspaper applaud that. Now if it
would have been reunion of the first form Cluster (or Kluster as they were
called then), I would have tried to overcome my big city angst and go there.
But never to watch a later, now thirty year old Cluster spinning the new
agey doodling which are applauded as the great thing of drone (and sell the
event as a place where 'electronic music arises from experiment and
research' - ouch). You need an old group to attract both a new audience, as
well as an older audience, curious to re-live the old experience. What has
this to do with Jed Speare? Not much, except that the old is a hype. Just
like the Stone and Melnyk old works reviewed elsewhere, a lot of people look
for the 'classics', the forerunners,
the original of the original. Like Roberts Settels (Vital Weekly 614) being
the original microsound or Dick Raaymakers groundbreaking work (last week).
Actually Speare is not one of those originals, but he is not somebody who is
widely known either, and yet some of his work dates back to the early 80s. I
never heard of him, and sadly missed out his 'Cable Car Soundscapes' LP for
Smithsonian Folkways. I don't believe he released much but that wasn't his
line of work either. Speare got more and more involved in working with
multi-media projects, which are not always suitable for commercial release.
The five pieces on this double CD are from his early days when he was
working with microphones, tape recorders, splicing tape and mixing boards.
Speare was a field recorder (the first? no, you should probably read more)
who recorded daily action in the streets, hospitals, the subway, church
bells etc. who loops, layers, splices, edits and mixes them together into
large chuncks of music.
Speare likes a long work, only one piece is just under seven minutes, the
others range from twenty-one to thirty five minutes. That is long indeed and
it's not easy to follow the line he sets forward in his music. Sometimes I
have the idea that Speare himself looses his composition; the tail end of
the composition doesn't know the head. But then I was thinking it's perhaps
his idea. Heavily layered sounds, colliding over each other, bumping in, but
never to form a drone; it remains to have a clarity - even when we don't
easily recognize the original sources of his sounds. Once you accept that,
the overload is the message, then you can easily go under and be
overwhelmed. Interesting to see two of the five pieces were created for
Dutch events in 80s and seeing Speare still works inside music and
multi-media, Sonic Acts could have invited him as an old guy too to
'experiment and research', but no doubt that would have been unhip - 'if we
don't know who he is, why would our audience
know'. (FdW)
Address: http://www.family-vineyard.com

R.Y.N. - ASTRAL DEATH (CD by Unrest Productions)
The information on this CD is sparse, but alright, everything is there. The
band name, the title(s), the label's website, so what's more is there to
know. RYN are a 'UK drone-duo' whose 'Astral Death' is the first CD. Six
long tracks of 'slowly shifting massive drones', but this beast moves very
slow, in my opinion. The drones here are engine like, certainly if you put
your ears towards the engine. If you think an engine is annoying - stop
reading. If you can be fascinated by that, then R.Y.N. is no doubt a good
place to start if you want something like an engine, but in musical terms.
They play guitars, I assume, and loads of effects (or perhaps loads of
effects) and imitate the engine like sounds. Massive indeed, slow indeed
but, as said, too slow. The variations between the first three pieces and
the sixth piece is rather minimal too, so one has the idea to be listening
to three times the same track. Two of these, plus the fourth and the fifth
track, would make a much stronger
point because it would carry some variation while proving there is variation
at all possible with this kind of music (which some people would doubt). Now
it's not a bad CD either, but not entirely strong either. A good solid
(massively solid, as a rock) heavy drone work. (FdW)
Address: http://www.unrestprod.com

SONIC SYSTEMS LABORATORIES (CD by Split Records)
The romantic fool that I sometimes am likes 'soft' percussion instruments,
such as xylophone, marimba, vibraphone and such like and of course you know
I like drone music. These two can be combined, even when it's not done a
lot. Behind Sonic Systems Laboratory we find two vibraphone players, Robbie
Avenaim and Dale Gorfinkel, who have been playing together since 2005. Last
year they recorded this disc together. Actually if you wouldn't know it was
made with two vibraphones, you would have a hard time telling so. Only after
some twenty minutes you hear something that sounds like vibraphone, being
played fast. In the first part (or actually two parts), the vibraphone is
played with powered rotating disks, creating a dense layered field of
rhythm. Only towards the very end of the work, we hear, soft, the 'real'
vibraphone. This work, no doubt the product of two improvising minds, sound
like nothing improvised. Rather it sounds like a well planned, composed
work, exactly scored and
executed. I think it's a great work, refined, well executed and should
appeal to basically anyone reading Vital Weekly: drone lovers, musique
concrete lovers and improv heads. (FdW)
Address: http://www.splitrec.com

CHRIS ABRAHAMS & MIKE COOPER - OCEANIC FEELING LIKE (CD by Room40)
TOMASZ BEDNARCZYK - SUMMER FEELINGS (MP3 by Room40)
Already recorded three years ago, this duet between british guitarist Mike
Cooper and Australian keyboard player Chris Abrahams, both of whom I never
heard. Cooper adds electronics to his six strings and Abrahams plays also
Yamaha DX7. Thus far the technical side of the release. The music is, of
course I'd say, all improvised, but to be very honest, I didn't get an
oceanic like feeling from this music. Perhaps it's because I don't view a
real ocean when writing these lines, nor feel the nice breeze from the
Australian beaches (if anything such like exist, I've never visited that
continent), even when it's a sunny day. The textured improvisations are
moody, quiet, not very outspoken and gentle, but perhaps also too much on
the safe side of things, both in the approach of improvisation as well as in
what they actually play. Let's put it aside until I visit a more water like
environment.
Also on digital but not physical format is the release by Tomasz Bednarczyk
from Wroclaw, Poland. It's a bit early in the year to contemplate about
summer feelings, but perhaps Tomasz longs for the summer in the harsher
Polish winter, who knows. Primarily he plays the piano (the re-invented
instrument of 2007) in a kind of Budd/Eno manner, but adds a blend of field
recordings and crackling sounds to the dinner table. Eight tracks, and they
are all as delicate and subtle as the other. Still the sun is shining today,
a few clouds, and with the heating still full on, I can easily imagine
summer. Very easily. I lie on the couch, eyes almost closed, watching shades
pass of my own hands. The music of Bednarczyk presents a very nice
soundtrack for a day like this. But if I would be entirely honest I could as
easily play 'The Pearl' or 'On Land' and still be in the same mood. (FdW)
Address: http://www.room40.org

TOM RECCHION - THE INCANDESCENT GRAMOPHONE (78 rpm 10 inch by Poo bah
records)
How soon we forget. Today's most popular format for the youth to store their
music (the mp3) is only one in a long series of various formats, all of them
popular in their day, most of them forgotten today. The earliest available
method of recording sound for later playback purposes was the wax roll.
However, wax rolls were ultra fragile and could be played only a limited
amount of times. It wasn't until the invention of the shellac gramophone by
Thomas Edison in 1887 that a format was found that could test time. For the
first time, sound could be recorded and played back without significant loss
of quality. Even though it is often forgotten, every sound imaginable has
been recorded (and released) on shellac. There is an enormous wealth of
recorded sound out there on shellac to be discovered. Vinyl was a definite
improvement on durability (as shellac tended to break easily) plus more
sound could be featured on a single vinyl disk (up to 20 minutes per side).
Nowadays, both formats
seem
to have been made obsolete by the advent of the digital age. It is
interesting to note that people are willing to pay money for a virtual
product that has a lower soundquality than their more tactile brothers.
There's marketing for you! Anyways, this is not a rant against
mp3-marketing, but one in favor of the shellac disc. The format (a 10 inch
that rotates at 78 rounds per minute) is one not often found in experimental
music. In 1991 we (Beequeen) released a 78 rpm flexidisc, which was fun to
do as not to many people were able to play it at the correct speed. Here we
have a 10 inch by Los Angeles Free Music Society artist Tom Recchion. In the
past he collaborated with the Doo-Doettes, Airway, Oren Ambarchi and John
Duncan. "The Incandenscent Gramophone" consists of two songs, both to be
played back at 78 rpm (thus forcing the listener to find a gramophone player
that facilitates 78 rpm). The two songs were constructed using clicks,
cracks and scratches, samples of previous 78 rpm
recordings and, slightly inconsistent with the theme, also mp3 files. The
results are impressive. Side one features the song The Incandescent
(glowing) Gramophone, which consists of looped fragments of 78 discs. These
loops sound like the basic grooves of the disc (so without any actual
music). With some additional treatment by Recchion they sound like a giant
beast munching records, which gets noisier towards the end of the song.
Quite nice. Even better is the second side of the disc The Song Of Mr.
Phonograph, which to me sounds like an outer space spiritual deep blues
song. This is basically due to the slowed down incomprehensible singing
(which sounds like negro workers singing in the cotton fields). Add to this
a continuous beep and you have a wonderful song. A very special project
this! Nice detail is that of the 500 copies pressed, 100 will be left
anonymously in public places throughout Pasadena. As such, in their archaic
format, they are as mysterious and out of place as the
sounds they hold. A wonderful item, well worth searching out for the player
for. (FK)
Address: http://www.poobah.com

REDGLAER - CRANKY (7" on Static Aktion)
ABQ=/=LAX (7" split co released by Hype Machine, Anarchymoon Recordings,
sicksicksick, Ohmni)
KILT - SNOW WHITE IN HELL (12 inch by sicksicksick, Anarchymoon
Recordings, Bastardised)
So I thought - analogue - three apparently separate disks with exception of
a guitar piece on ABQ=/=LAX were in the main neo-jazz improv noise - live I
suspected- and so I was set to hope for an un-copyable analogue universe -
and would have written on this - on the impossibility of a digital network
with its a programmed instruction set world empty of touch and feel .. -
but I always do a little research first- <QUOTE> Redglaer is Bob Bellerue's
experiment in harsh textural environments. The A side starts off with
clattery junk noise. The feedback fucking never gets too intense, but always
smooth enough to groove too.. over the last 20 years (he)i've been involved
in a wide range of live creative weirdness - homemade percussion ensembles,
Balinese gamelan, dance/performance art sound scores, installation art.
Education: MFA Composition - Music / Integrated Media Noise Performance and
Theory, California Institute of the Arts (2003) BA Writing & Poetics, Naropa
University (minor
in
performance art) (1995) HONORS/AWARDS Top Honors: Threat Level Charlie,
Periòdic Sound Art Competition, Centre de Cultura Contemporànea de Barcelona
(Spring02) CalArts Interdisciplinary Grant (Out of Me and Into You) (Fall02)
Writings: A Treatise of Irrelevance - page could not be found (sic) The
blog delivers nothing. ABQ=/=LAX ( 7" split tracks by Raven Chacon,
Redglaer, Alchemical Burn, AGL, and Mark Beyer (who also did the cover art).
3-color screen printed foldovers. clear vinyl lim500 Kilt - Snow White In
Hell Label: sicksicksick, Anarchymoon Recordings, Bastardised Catalog#:
sssk-022, anok16, #17 Format: Vinyl, LP, Random Colored Country: US
Released: 2007 Genre: Electronic Style: Noise Notes: Edition of 500 Rating:
4.0/5 (1 vote) Rate It Submitted by: sick.sick.sick. </QUOTE> So now I'm in
a strange frame of mind - I even notice there's an entry in Wikipedia for
404 error- fucking never gets too intense? (jliat)
Address: http://www.staticaction.com
Address: http://www.anarchymoon.com

PNDC - FADING AWAY (CDR by Listen Loudest)
From a more unlikely, but not entirely, corner of
the world, Belgrade in Serbia comes Predrag Nedic, who works as PNDC. In
2007 he uploaded some instrumental songs on his myspace page and through
various reactions he found Thanos Vavaroutas, a.k.a. Housework, as a singer
for his music. Through the use of internet they worked together on the album
'Fading Away'. The music has been described as The Cult meeting Depeche
Mode - which I can't vouch for, but it's a most curious mixture of various
styles - and by a street length the most un-vital release of the week. PNDC
themselves describe it as 'dark pop, a bit of new wave, a bit of krautrock'
and yes, that seems a most apt description of the music. Composed with the
basic instruments of guitar, drum (machines), bass and synthesizers, with a
little bit of computer doodling, this is a nice release. Simply because it
is away from the usual flock here (even we need a break sometimes) but also
because the songs are actually enjoyable. A firm retro sound in the guitar
solos, this is most
surely 80s music for the new millennium. Pleasant surprise. (FdW)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/pndc

KAPOTTE MUZIEK - ENHANCED ROOM ACOUSTICS (CDR by Lunhare)
Tracks one and three was a cassette release by Kapotte Muziek from 1996,
the middle track (a bridge) was produced by processing these using software
by Freiband in 2007. I've noticed a trend lately in re-releasing cassette
material on its replacement - CDr with varying degrees of success. Here is a
doubling of the process of processing and re-processing- the bridge provides
both difficult and interesting listening being micro-sound - very low pitch
as if the two outer works - which are themselves processed acoustics but
noisier (especially in the second) have cancelled each other out - almost...
In fact at first on speakers near inaudible on headphones a variety of
interesting features appear. Like looking at water in a jar - seemingly
clear and empty but once under a microscope teaming and pulsating with
creatures. It is not so much a bridge then but a synthesis of the two more
obvious industrial noise works which become in contrast strangely evocative
of a century which we
have left- a century which was obvious, more certain even about its paranoia
into this strange century where understanding, listening, seeing, thinking,
has now become problematic. We have lived in a century from which and into,
a century, in which we all will die- what a strange thought this CDr has
provoked. (jliat)
Address: http://www.lunhare.net

SANSAM DAVIES - LIVE UNCUT VOL.1 (CDR by A Question Of Re_Entry)
Hopefully I spelled the name right here and it's indeed Sansam Davies. I
have never heard of him (her perhaps), but there are two live (uncut)
recordings on this CDR, of which we otherwise have no other information. I
may assume that Davies works with a laptop and has some very quiet audience
(a rare thing these days) when he performed his music. Things are very quiet
on his disc, which consist mainly of processed field recordings. Songs from
the kitchen sink as it were actually, as we sometimes hear vague metallic
rumbling about, which comes sometimes in the form of high feedback sounds,
deep bass sounds and in between the amplified emptiness of a room. Actually
I was thinking of Lopez throughout, and perhaps Davies pays homage (be it
somewhat louder than Lopez) to his 'Warzawa Restaurant'. It's pretty good
and solid material going on here, but also, at the same time, nothing much
new under the microsound sun. (FdW)
Address: <planitis_miden@yahoo.gr>

BIG CITY ORCHESTRA - MUSICAL BOX (CDR by Ubuibi)
BIG CITY ORCHESTRA - VILLANELLA (CDR by Ubuibi)
Ah, Big City Orchestra, still going strong. They've done it all, seen it all
and still kick around. It's a band that I like but not always keep up with.
They created some great strange music and sometimes I don't seem to be
getting into it at all. They can be oddly shaped ambient like, psychedelic,
noise like, collage like: there is no such thing as a very definite Big City
Orchestra sound. 'Musical Box', which shows a man sleeping in a studio (the
Big City Studio?) has the usual suspects of Das, Cliff Neighbors and Ninah
Pixie along with Jonathan Segal, Dark Muse and Daevid Allen of Gong fame. On
'Villanella' the line up extends with Andy Cowitt, Michael Wertz, Melissa
Margolis, Insect Deli and Russ Kent. The various approaches of Big City
Orchestra are shown in these two releases. 'Musical Box' is throughout, but
not entirely, spacious music - ambience meet psychedelica, with a great role
for Daevid Allen's guitar. There is also 'Street Fighting Man', a parody?, a
cover? (music by
Big City Orchestra is loaded with musical references, but I don't know them
all, simply because they refer to an area that I have not much knowledge of)
of a popsong and the more noisy 'Sausage', but they are the shortest tracks
here and only provide a counter point to the longer spacious pieces. Quite a
nice one.
'Villanella' has fourteen pieces, even when the cover only lists six titles,
and this shows Big City Orchestra in a more go with the flow experimental,
part noise based mood. Songs here are, obviously, shorter, and consist of
sounds bouncing together. I think that some of the sound material was sent
in via (e-)mail and mixed together by Das and Pixie. Not all the material
makes enough sense to me and some seem to be put together in a haphazard
manner. It's not bad at all, but it doesn't match up, I think, with the
quality of 'Musical Box'. Still strong, after close to twenty-five years,
and sometimes its great, sometimes its good, and very rarely it's not so
good. C'est la vie. (FdW)
Address: http://www.ubuibi.org

CHEJU/SHOOSH (3"CDR by Awkward Silence Recordings)
There was a time that I collected every 7" on Awkward Silence. Perhaps
partly because I was closer to the distribution fire than I am now, or
perhaps I just lost my collecting senses over the years. So I wasn't aware
that the label now also releases 3" CDRs. I don't know why, but I love this
format. Someone said that a lot of people don't, because they don't fit in
the computer. Well, another fine reason to love them. Cheju is one Wil
Bolton, who has a lot of releases under his belt as well as working with Jon
lee as bal-a-klah-va, with Mint as Biotron Shelf and with Zainetica as Anzio
Green. His music here is pretty standard broken beats, warm synth and moody
electronics. Music that fits well on Boltfish (on which he also released),
Highpoint Lowlife and such like. Not bad, not great. Like jazz standards, I
guess. Of more interest, I thought, was the music of Shoosh, a three piece
group of Ed Drury (guitars), Neil Carlill (vocals and lyrics) and Craig
Murphy (synth, programming). In
'Elastic Soil' they sound like an electronic version of Current 93, with a
strong similarity in the vocal region. In 'Come In From The Cold' things
turn even more down and moody, with sparse electronics, ending in total
ambiance. Perhaps not entirely my tea either, but certainly different than
the somewhat faceless Cheju. (FdW)
Address: http://www.awkwardsilencerecordings.com/

MOZ - THE BROKEN TUSK OF GANESHA (3inch CDr by Silken Tofu)
NOISEWERRRRK - PREKARIAT EP (3inch CDr by Silken Tofu)
The broken tusk.. is by no means a noise piece, evocative drones, drums,
bowed cymbals and chanting which drifts across the stereo field throughout
the CDr. I shouldn't have a problem with this but I do - its all to easy to
be convinced of its earnestness regarding its mysticism - in returning the
aesthetic it must and maybe seeks to re-introduce a morality that dies with
Nietzsche and the death of God, either that or its irony or naivety
hasalluded me. From one dream of a metaphysical answer to another?-
Noisewrrrrk's"noisy" offering has on its case picture of tramps -(uk) hobos
(us)!! A quotation from Marx (Karl not Groucho) and an opening track which
appears to have some basis in chanting - a political rally? -A track of
repetitive electro-noise, and then some excellent phased noise. So "Arm the
unemployed" - it advocates - but these drop-outs are just that - they have
dropped out from the nonsense of our society which proclaims a metaphysical
truth - somewhere - some day. The hobos are not waiting for Godot, God, The
second coming, The Superman or Marxism , but wisely drinking themselves to
death in the face of what they see we are- they are living out the irony of
what in music or its opposite is noise - a drunken nihilism yes- evident in
some of these tracks. (jliat)
Address: http://www.silkentofu.org


1. From: moron <moron@industrial.org>


-----------------------------------------------------
griefer / Brutophilia Winter 2008 EU Breach
-----------------------------------------------------

Canadian deviants griefer and Brutophilia crack their way into Europe this
winter using their combined skillset of power electronics, harsh noise and
death industrial. Spawned from the caustic belly of the BC harsh noise scene
and honed razor sharp from numerous guerrilla incursions and live events,
these two acts will make sure that the Westcoast represents.

Actions:

Wed February 27, 2008 Austria, Vienna
w/ rinus van alebeek
location: fluc, Praterstern 5, A-1020
http://www.fluc.at

Fri February 29, 2008 Germany, Frankfurt
w / Man Manly
starts @ 9PM
location: Multi Trudi, Hohenstaufenstr. 13-25, 60327 Frankfurt
http://www.multitrudi.de/

Sat March 01, 2008 Belgium, Antwerp
hipp hipp hurray... live noises #1
w/ goghal
starts @ 8PM
location: cc luchtbal

Sun March 02, 2008 Netherlands, Tilburg
Optimus Prime Noisefest
location: NS-16
http://members.home.nl/vincentkorenman/optimus-final.jpg

Mon March 03, 2008 France, Paris
w / Tourette, Necromondo
Location: La miroiterie, 88, rue Ménilmontant 75020
http://lamiroit.free.fr/index2

Thu March 06, 2008 Czech Republic, Prague
w / Napalmed
location: Parukarka Bunker, Vrch sv. Krize, Praha 3 - Zizkov

Fri March 07, 2008 Germany, Dresden
w/ ashtar-DXD
starts @ 9PM
location: Fidelio-F.Finke-Straße 4, Alte Feuerwache Loschwitz, 01326
http://www.club-debil.com/aktion/konzert.htm

Sat March 08, 2008 Germany, Berlin
w/ CD Kreisverband Friedrichshain, Kakawaka, Xyramat
location: Gallery WallyWoods, Berliner Allee 125 - 13088 Berlin-Weissensee
http://www.wallywoods.com

Sun March 09, 2008 Poland, Wroclaw
NOISE DEVASTATION vol.2
location: Centrum Reanimacji Kultury, ul. Jagiellonczyka 10c/d 50-240
http://crk-wro.info/pl/news/zapowiedzi/

Tue March 11, 2008 Germany, Hamburg
w/ Rainer Deutschmann und seine Freunde
Location: rote flora, schulterblatt 71
http://squat.net/flora/

Thu March 13, 2008 Switzerland, Lausanne
location: Cinema Oblo, av. de France 9, CP 5226, 1002
http://www.oblo.ch/

Fri March 14, 2008 France, Marseille
w/ Aykuno & Olank Bik, Krafia, stereowarfare
Location: l' Embobineus, 11 Boulevard Boués, 13003
http://www.lembobineuse.biz

Fri March 15, 2008 France, Marseille (TBC)

Tue March 18, 2008 Italy, Milan
w/ Amon
location: Barrio's Cafe, Via Barona ang. Via Boffalora
http://www.odrz.org/news.htm


2. From: "Russ Waterhouse" <russwaterhouse@gmail.com>

Tuesday March 4th, 7pm

RTX
http://truxrox.com

BLUES CONTROL
http://myspace.com/bluescontrol

BOGAN DUST
http://myspace.com/bogandust

POLITE SLEEPER
http://politesleeper.com

$10 / all ages

Knitting Factory Tap Bar
74 Leonard Street NYC
http://knittingfactory.com


BLUES CONTROL ON TOUR

Sat 3/8 PITTSBURGH PA @ Roboto Project w/ Sun Tornado, Tamburo & Beyer,
Altaic
Sun 3/9 CINCINNATI OH @ Art Damage Lodge w/ Woods, Organs, Evolve, No Planes
Mon 3/10 MEMPHIS TN @ Odessa w/ Woods, Sunburned
Tue 3/11 DENTON TX @ 715 Panhandle w/ Woods
Thurs 3/13 AUSTIN TX @ Soho Lounge SILTBREEZE SXSW w/ Mike Rep,
Psychedelic Horseshit, Times New Viking + more
Fri 3/14 afternoon AUSTIN house show w/ Kurt Vile, Diamondhead + more
Sat 3/15 1pm AUSTIN @ American Apparel w/ Howling Hex, Mika Miko, Greg
Ashley
Sat 3/15 afternoon AUSTIN @ Sound on Sound Records w/ Pink Reason,
Cheveu, TV Ghost, Los Llamarada + more
Sun 3/16 MONTERREY MEXICO @ Fiesta Garage w/ Tyvek, Little Claw
Fri 3/21 LOUISVILLE KY house party


--


Vital Weekly is published by Frans de Waard and submitted for free to
anybody with an e-mail address. If you don't wish to receive this, then let
us know. Any feedback is welcome <vital@vitalweekly.net>. Forward to your
allies.
Snail mail: Vital Weekly/Frans de Waard - Acaciastraat 11 - 6521 NE
Nijmegen - The Netherlands
All written by Frans de Waard (FdW), Dolf Mulder (DM)
<dolf.mulder@hetnet.nl>, Robert Meijer (RM), Niels Mark (NM), Jeff Surak
(JS), Craig N (CN), Boban Ristevski (BR), Maurice Woestenburg (MW), Jliat
(Jliat), Freek Kinkelaar (FK), Magnus Schaefer (MSS) and others on a less
regular basis.
This is copyright free publication, except where indicated, in which case
permission has to be obtained from the respective author before reprinting
any, or all of the desired text. The author has to be credited, and Vital
Weekly has to be acknowledged at all times if any texts are used from it.
Announcements can be shortened by the editor. Please do NOT send any
attachments/jpeg's, we will trash them without viewing.
There is no point in directing us to MP3 sites, as we will not go there. Any
MP3 release to be reviewed should be burned as an audio CDR and send to the
address above.
Some people think it's perhaps 'cool', 'fun', 'art' or otherwise to send
something to Vital Weekly that has no information. Don't bother doing this:
anything that is too hard to decipher will be thrown away. Also we have set
this new policy: Vital Weekly only concerns itself with new releases. We
usually act quick, so sending us something new means probably the first
review you will see. If we start reviewing older material we will not be
able to maintain this. Please do not send any thing that is older than six
months. Anything older will not be reviewed. In both cases: you can save
your money and spend it otherwise.
Lastly we have decided to remove the announcement section of Vital Weekly
that is archived on our website that is older than five weeks. Since they
95% deal with concerts that have been, it's gentle to remove the
announcement and more important the e-mail addresses coming with that.


the complete archive of Vital Weekly including search possibilities:
http://www.vitalweekly.net

понедельник, 25 февраля 2008 г.

Connexion Bizarre News

 

 

Connexion Bizarre

Greetings,

Connexion Bizarre was updated on 2008-02-25 with new webcasts, new reviews, new interviews, updated fiction content, new recommended events and links. In addition, this week we continue the giveaway courtesy of newcomer project Das Gritli Moser (see below for details).

Reviewed this week were Punch Inc. "Fight Club", Yuki Tendo "Saturnine", Emmon "The Art & The Evil".
Interviewed were Eric Oehler of Null Device and Mirko Hentrich and Carsten Stiller of the Audiophob record label.
In the media section, a new installment of "Business Traveller"
This week's webcast features "Carolina's hybrid twins - soundtrack for a tecnosexual intercourse" with music selection by :JW: and "20080225-0302" with music selection by M.

Regards,
Connexion Bizarre
(www.connexionbizarre.net)



Das Gritli Moser "Cha-Cha-Cha With The Devil" giveaway


We have 5 "artist's edition" copies of Das Gritli Moser's debut album "Cha-Cha-Cha With The Devil", courtesy of the artist. Das Gritli Moser is a side project of Herwig Holzmann, the artist better known as Photophob and "Cha-Cha-Cha With The Devil" is available as a FREE download from the netlabel Laridae. Herwig Holzmann himself propsed this give-away for 5 superb hand-crafted (and hence quite rare) copies of "Cha-Cha-Cha With The Devil".
To be elegible to win a copy of this release please answer the question "From what novel was the name 'Das Gritli Moser' taken from?" Yes, it's a difficult one but this object is well worth the effort.
Mail us the answer at info[at]connexionbizarre[dot]net with your full name and street address. The deadline for this giveaway is March 2nd, 2008 and winners will be selected from the correct entries at random on that day.
Not valid for current Connexion Bizarre staff members.


Webcast & Radio Show


Part 1 - Click here to stream or right-click to download
("Carolina's hybrid twins - soundtrack for a tecnosexual intercourse" with music selection by :JW:)

Lusine Zakarian - Sourd-Sourd (XI-XIII) (4:05)
[Armenian Medieval Spiritual Music - OCTA Records]
Covenant - Unforgiven (4:45)
[United States of Mind - Dependent Records]
Ashbury Heights - Ilusion (3:44)
[Three Cheers For The Newlydeads - Out of Line]
Kirlian Camera - Dead Zone in the Sky (vintage solution mix) (6:37)
[Invisible Front - Trisol]
Die Form - Masochist II (4:55)
[Histories Volume 2 - Trinity]
Front Line Assembly - Sado-Masochist (6:24)
[Flavour Of The Weak - Off Beat]
Lords of Acid - Drink My Honey (4:01)
[Voodoo-U - Never Records]
Laibach - Tanz Mit Laibach (4:19)
[Tanz Mit Laibach - Mute Records]
Hybryds - Schreie (5:53)
[Electric Voodoo - Trisol]
Angelspit - Vena Cava (3:30)
[Krankhaus - Dancing Ferret Discs]
Ministry - What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong) (7:01)
[Cover Up - 13th Planet Records]


Part 2 - Click here to stream or right-click to download
("20080225-0302" with music selection by M.)

Trajedesaliva & Chaos Condensed - Pequeño Relato De Un Cuerpo Descompensado
[Ciertos Animales De Costumbres Discretas - Caustic Records]
NoN Ethos - Syk Asfalt
[Sky Asfalt - Afe Recrods]
Ahnst Anders - District
[Dialog - Pflichtkauf]
Andrew King - Cruel Lincoln
[The Amfortas Wound - Athanor]
Sleep Research Facility - 86ºS 115ºW
[Deep_Frieze - Cold Spring]
Kenji Siratori - Narcolepsy Suicide (feat. Djet)
[Epidemic Animals - Old Europa Café]
Kadaver feat. Refuse To Die - Funerals Of Tomorrow
[...Where Tattered Clouds Are Stranding - The Eastern Front]
Hecate vs. Lustmord - Megavoid
[The Law Of The Battle Of Conquest - Hymen Records]
The [Law-Rah] Collective - Heaven
[...As It Is... - Spectre]

Listen to the Webcast


Connexion Bizarre radio show @ Radio Zero
The Connexion Bizarre radio show can be streamed every Friday at 23:00 GMT and Wednesdays at 10:00 GMT from Radio Zero.



Reviews

Punch Inc. - 'Fight Club'

Punch Inc. - Fight Club
The only real requirement when listening to Punch Inc. is a simple one: volume, and lots of it. Crank those speakers as far as they can go and, if possible, do so within an enclosed space. The resulting reverberations and noise cross-contamination interferences that build up are spectacular: truly the only way to fully appreciate this recording.
Read more

Yuki Tendo - 'Saturnine'

Yuki Tendo - Saturnine
Crystal clear, yet terrifyingly complex beats coupled with mechanised atmospherics. Haunting sound effects echoing over repetitive melodies. Exciting, sensitively structured sequencing that builds beautifully before floating back down to the grim inter-track silence.
Read more

Emmon - 'The Art & The Evil'

Emmon - The Art & The Evil
If you like your electro poppy, upbeat and catchy, Emmon is the thing for you. Not really retro but more an updating and reinterpretation of the classic electro and synthpop sound. All the hooks and coolness are intact but redefined for a new generation.
Read more


Interviews

Null Device

Eric Oehler - Null Device
Started well over a decade ago by Oehler and college friend/main lyricist Eric Goedken, Null Device has gone from a slightly askew synthpop/EBM hybrid and evolved to a completely askew creative endeavor that combines so many styles of music and lyrical invention whose musis is, to say the least, exhilarating.
Read more

Audiophob

Mirko Hentrich and Carsten Stiller - Audiophob
"Serving you with best industrial-ambient music since 2004." is the motto of this small experimental music label founded by Mirko Hentrich (of Spherical Disrupted) and Carsten Stiller (of Alarmen). For four years they have worked to do just that, both as a 'conventional' record label as well as, more recently, a netlabel.
Read more


Media

Carlos Ferrão - 'Business Traveller'

Carlos Ferrão - Business Traveller
"As agreed, I will begin sending you copies of the documentation we have been compiling. Once again I apologize for the piecemeal nature of these deliveries but I know you are eager to start your work. I am starting today with the first e-mail of many."
Read more


Connexion Bizarre events status:


XeHz @ "Era Uma Vez No Porto" bar (map location)
28/02, thursday, 11 pm-2 am; Rua do Passeio Alegre 550, Porto (Portugal).
M. (Connexion Bizarre) and PS (Enough Records netlabel) present a showcase of experimental electronics: ambient, breakbeats, idm, trip-hop, 8bit, glitch and others.

Bodypop @ "Era Uma Vez No Porto" bar (map location)
15/03, saturday, 11pm-2.30am; Rua do Passeio Alegre 550, Porto (Portugal).
The "usual selection and latest news" of synthpop, electropop, robotpop, 8bitpop and bodypop!

Recommended Events:
Note: we are not directly involved in the organization of these events.


Sick Disko
2008-03-22, Branx, Portland OR (US)
Live performances by PS and Sektor 304 and after-party with spinning by M. (Connexion Bizarre)
Please check the Sick Disko site for more information.


Recently added links

Modulate
Sick Disko (us), club event

Netlabel releases spotlight:

Andre Vida "I dont know whats wrong with me, my computer eyes or my internet knees" (Insubordinations)
Phllox "Minimal" (Last.FM)

Latest recommended links

WikiLeaks, still online...
Internet Censorship: A Comparative Study
"When Change Is Not Enough: Seven Steps To Revolution" (from AlterNet)
Feynman's Appendix to the Rogers Commission Report on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident
Obsolete Skills

Constantly updated links

Connexion Bizarre @ del.icio.us, also available as  RSS 


Merchandise

Connexion Bizarre Pins

Connexion Bizarre Pins
State your indivuality and rhythmical reverberation with this set of five one-inch Connexion Bizarre buttons! One featuring the main C.B. logo, three featuring the alternative mascots/logos and one featuring the Connexion Bizarre "reverberate rhythmically" motto.
Read more


Connexion Bizarre web-logs & networking sites (in decreasing order of activity/importance)
Livejournal: livejournal.com/users/connexion
MySpace: www.myspace.com/connexionbizarre
Facebook: Connexion Bizarre page & Connexion Bizarre group
Ning: Connexion Bizarre Network
LastFM: www.last.fm/user/connexion_biz
Trig: www.trig.com/connexionbizarre
Hi5: connexionbizarre.hi5.com



 

Le Vestibule, February 23, 2008 playlist + listen to podcast version

So here is the February 23, 2008 playlist of my 554th radio show "Le Vestibule" specialized in all the genres that are a part of the Electronic and Gothic music scenes presented every Saturday night from 9 PM to 11 PM on CFOU 89.1 FM, the University of Trois-Rivieres radio station.

You can listen to my February 23, 2008 show at :
http://www.archive.org/download/levestibule23fevrier2008cfou/levestibule23fevrier2008cfou_vbr.m3u



*** IF YOU WANT TO LINK MY RADIO SHOW ON YOUR WEB SITE :

OFFICIAL SITE (with most recent playlists, chart, audio archives, etc.):
                                                               http://www.myspace.com/levestibule

FOR PLAYLISTS: http://industrial.org/dj.php?t=11990

RADIO STATION WEB SITE: www.cfou.ca

PLEASE UPDATE YOUR LINKS OR ADD THESE NEW ONES, THANK YOU. ***


** Good news! I would like to inform you that CFOU 89,1 FM is now airing at 3000 W. **



That being said, I remind you that if you are interested to collaborate with me in the promotion and diffusion of your artists, you are more than welcome to send me promotional items that I can play on my radio show "Le Vestibule". You can send anything, everything to:

**** (Take note that for the moment I am unfortunately unable to play any vinyl on my radio show. So if you have promo vinyls to send, if you can burn it on a CD-R instead it would be perfect. Thank you for your understanding.) ****


         Jean-Francois Fecteau
        Le Vestibule
        360, rue Tanguay, app. 6
         Trois-Rivieres (Quebec)   G9A 6G9
        Canada

         E-Mail: levestibule@tr.cgocable.ca


If you want to consult my previous playlists, you can go to the web site :

http://industrial.org/dj.php?t=11990

There you will find all of my playlists since the beginning.


If you wish, you can check out : http://www.myspace.com/levestibule,
where you will find an Audio Archives of some of my past radio shows.


You can also visit CFOU 89.1 FM's web site at www.cfou.ca on which you can listen live to my radio show via the Internet ( http://www.cfou.ca/v2/baladodiffusion/endirect/endirect.php) and you can express yourself in the forum section.

I would like to thank you for your consideration. All the best. Take great care of yourself.

Respect.


Jean-Francois Fecteau





PLAYLIST of the 554th radio show « Le Vestibule »
February 23, 2008 from 9:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M.
Hosted by JEAN-FRANCOIS FECTEAU
on CFOU 89.1 FM


1)      Chris Joss: "Get With It" (EIGHTEENTH STREET LOUNGE MUSIC)

2)      Grand National: "Animal Sounds (Fear Of Theydon Remix)"
                                                                                (SUNDAY BEST RECORDINGS)

3)      Elodie O: "Wake Up Without You (Dubblestandart Remix)"
                                                                                (TIP OF THE ICEBERG)

4)      Dekad: "Once Again" (BOREDOM PRODUCT)

5)      Atomic Hooligan: "Weed" (BOTCHIT & SCARPER)

6)      Feist: "How My Heart Behaves" (ARTS & CRAFTS)

7)      Genre Peak: "Hell On The Surface" (GENRE PEAK)

8)      Cobblestone Jazz: "PBD" (!K7 RECORDS)

9)      Deadskin: "Elektro Fucker (Dead Beat Project Remix)" (DEADKNIFE RECORDS)

10)     IWR: "Wreckage" (BLACK RAIN RECORDS)

11)     M.A.N.D.Y.: "Fabric 38 (Excerpt):
                 Basic Soul Unit: "Tunnels (Sebo K & Metro Remix)"
                 Lopazz: "2 Fast 4 U (Julian Ganzer Remix)" " (FABRIC RECORDS)

12)     Yoav: "Club Thing (Remix Artist Collective Version)" (VERVE FORECAST)

13)     Cell Division: "White Pain" (T:D:M THUNDERDOME)

14)     Space March: "Impossible" (DEATH BY KARAOKE/NINTHWAVE RECORDS)

15)     Shane Newville: "Roll Out" (SYNTAX RECORDS)

16)     Nosound: "Lightdark" (BURNING SHED)

17)     Biobazar: "Bacter-Cream" (STUDIO STEREO)

18)     Radiohead: "Nude" (_XURBIA_XENDLESS LIMITED)






Jean-Francois Fecteau

Jean-Francois Fecteau
Le Vestibule
360, rue Tanguay, app. 6
Trois-Rivieres (Quebec)   G9A 6G9
Canada

E-Mail: levestibule@tr.cgocable.ca
http://www.myspace.com/levestibule

вторник, 19 февраля 2008 г.

Vital Weekly 615

============
VITAL WEEKLY
============
number 615
------------
week 8
------------


Vital Weekly, the webcast: we offering a weekly webcast, freely to download.
This can be regarded as the audio-supplement to Vital Weekly. Presented as a
radioprogramm with excerpts of just some of the CDs (no vinyl or MP3)
reviewed. It will remain on the site for a limited period of 5 weeks.
Download the file to your MP3 player and enjoy!
complete track and list here: http://www.vitalweekly.net/podcast.html

before submitting material please read this carefully:

http://www.vitalweekly.net/fga.html Submitting material means you read this
and approve of this.

* noted are in this week's podcast


JEAN-LUC GUIONNET & TOSHIMARU NAKAMURA (CD by Potlatch) *
MICHEAL ESPOSITO & LEIF ELGGREN & EMANUEL SWEDENBORG - THE SUMMERHOUSE (CD
by Firework Edition) *
YOSHIO MACHIDA - HYPERNATURAL #3 (CD by Baskaru) *
APM - SPRINT MILL (CD by ICR Records) *
BROKEN LINE REMIXES (CD by Zang: Records)
LAURIE RADFORD - LES PONTS DE L'ESPACE (DVD by Empreintes Digitales)
ASS/BLOOD MUSIC (7" by Static Caravan)
KASPER VAN HOEK - DEN HAAG/GRONINGEN/FROOMBOSCH (CDR by Dirty Demos) *
IAMBLICHI - ALL WORLDS (CDR by Dirty Demos)
EFTUS SPECTUN - THE TALONS SNAG BINARY (CDR by Void Of Ovals)
THE DAGGER BROTHERS - YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAD TO BE IN THE DAGGER BROTHERS BUT
IT DOES HELP (CDR by Void Of Ovals) *
BLOWHOLE - REASSEMBLED (CDR by Lunhare) *
PANGOLIN ORCHESTRA (CDR by Lunhare)
CRAWLING WITH TARTS - LUDIQUES MANIFESTES (CDR by Lunhare) *
HYDRUS - INTERLEAVES (CDR/DVR by Narrominded)
COEN OSCAR POLACK - PSYCHIC INVESTIGATIONS (CDR by Narrominded) *
FREIBAND - 298 (CDR by Tosom) *
ASHER - INTERVALS (CDR by The Land Of) *
XEDH - ARMIARMA (MP3 by Homophoni) *
GRAD COM - CUTS + EDITS (MP3) *
DICK RAAYMAKERS - MONOGRAFIE (book by V2 publishers)

JEAN-LUC GUIONNET & TOSHIMARU NAKAMURA (CD by Potlatch)
Of these two Jean-Luc Guionnet might be the busiest of the two, exploring a
wide range of musical activities. He plays alto-saxophone and organ, plays
free improvisation with Hubbub, saxophone quartet and Pheromone, free jazz
with Return Of The New Swing and The Fish but also composes electronic music
and builds sound installations. Here he teams up with Toshimaru Nakamura,
the well-known improviser on the no-input mixer. In July of last year they
played together two concerts of which the result can be found on 'Map'. The
cover mentions 'editing' (by Toshimaru), but I wonder what he did edit.
There are four tracks on this release, spanning in total some seventy
minutes, which deems to me that there is hardly any edit. Very much what I
wrote last week, I believe, I don't think it's necessary to document the
entirety of a recording - perhaps it's part of the world of improvisation to
do so, but perhaps they should consider then too that a concert is not the
same as a release. So I have
some reservations against this CD, which don't lie in the content of the
individual pieces, which I do believe all to be great, but listened to in
one, uninterrupted session is a bit too much. After two pieces it's best to
take a rest and then return to it, as Guionnet and Nakamura play demanding
music. Lots of free saxophone blowing, in which the saxophone is to be
recognized as a saxophone and high end sounds from the no input mixer (which
we might also call feedback). Demanding music, with some great beauty in it.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.potlatch.fr

MICHEAL ESPOSITO & LEIF ELGGREN & EMANUEL SWEDENBORG - THE SUMMERHOUSE (CD
by Firework Edition)
The Emanuel Swedenborg mentioned as one of the three performers on this CD
lived in the 18th century. He claimed to have contact with angels and
spirits on a daily basis, and he noted all his dreams. The scandinavian
people love those kind of stories. Leif Elggren and Micheal Esposito went to
the summerhouse of Swedenborg (some how I believe all people in Sweden have
a summer house by the lake) and recorded sounds there. They are present on
this CD along with recordings on an installation at Färgfabriken in
Stockholm. They used thirty two iron plates (2x1,3 m), placed over
loudspeakers with a contact microphone on top making a low frequency
feedback, like a choir. It was called 'Reception'. As with all of Elggren's
work it is covered with mystery. One sound piece of fifty three minutes and
eighteen seconds of ongoing noise, every now and then interrupted by 'field
recordings'. The noise is like a rattle, somehow covered or muffled, like
the engine that doesn't get started. It's
actually quite a nice CD, quite conceptual, but in all it's minimalism it's
also quite enjoyable as a stand alone piece of music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.fireworkeditionrecords.com

YOSHIO MACHIDA - HYPERNATURAL #3 (CD by Baskaru)
We have to go back to Vital Weekly 289 to read about the second installment
of 'Hypernatural' by Yoshio Machida, while the first was released in 1999.
Machida is a man to work slow, of perhaps too busy in other fields. His
music has been used for a commercial on French television, while also
playing concerts which include electronics and steel drums. The latter play
also a role on 'Hypernatural #3', but to recognize; for the rest its again a
meeting of field recordings and 'treated instrumental sounds': piano and
bass. While I was playing this CD I thought it was quite nice, but also I
thought it's all something I have heard before, done better, done worse and
done as good as Machida does it. What was in years ago the big hype, has
turned to a normality now. It's fairly good microsounding music, a delicate
line between instruments and field recordings, never dropping below the
threshold of hearing, but also perhaps a bit too regular and normal now. A
form that has worn out a bit by
now. On a scale to ten, I'd say a good solid 7. (FdW)
Address: http://www.baskaru.com

APM - SPRINT MILL (CD by ICR Records)
At the southern gateway of entering the Lake District in the Cumbria
district stands the Sprint Mill, the studio and workspace of one Edward
Acland. I have never been there, but Colin Potter, Phil Mouldycliff and
Chris Atkins (APM in short) have been. They have been recording the mill and
the area surrounding it. Water running, rusty objects, stones and such like
is what makes up the fifteen tracks on this CD. Rather than a drone like
piece one would expect from these masters of the genre, they opt now for a
more picture like scenery. Rusty metal objects, crackle of stones. Then a
piece based on more water like sounds and in between small spoken bits. The
electronic processing is surely present in these recordings but they are
rather there to perhaps sweeten a bit of the sound and do not take the sound
over - it stays a photographic reproduction of the field and not the
starting point for something entirely different. Like I said, I never
visited this area, but one can sense the
quietness of the area, even when this work never drops below a low hearing
point. Atmospheric music once again, but the great power of the work lies in
the fact that it moves away from the traditional drone and ambient music,
but also on the other hand it's not the usual set of field recordings
either. That makes this, I think, not just a remarkable but also a beautiful
CD. (FdW)
Address: http://www.icrdistribution.com

BROKEN LINE REMIXES (CD by Zang: Records)
The name Nils Henrik Asheim popped up in Vital Weekly 574 when we reviewed
his CD with Lasse Marhaug. Asheim is, besides an excellent player of the
church organ also a well-known composer in Norway. In 2007 he released a CD,
unheard here however, called 'Broken Line', with four compositions
'interspersed with short close-miked concrete improvisations. On the night
the CD was presented, in beautiful Tou Scene in likewise beautiful
Stavanger, Asheim invited six local electronic musicians to create a remix
of whatever part they preferred from 'Broken Line'.
From the active underground scene of Stavanger we
get Sindre Bjerga, QRT, Jan-M Iversen, Anders Gjerde, HOH and Pal Asle
Pettersen - who work solo and in various combinations together. Of course
it's a great pity that the original 'Broken Line' release wasn't heard,
which makes it a bit harder to judge the remixes. To what extend are there
samples, and to what extend are things added, for instance? The end result,
six solo tracks and an all group improvisation (trimmed down to seven
minutes) are affairs of loops, samples and gritty electronics. Some wander
into the field of rhythm like QRT and HOH, but mostly it stays in moody,
atmospheric fields of music, like Iversen, but some noise is there too, by
Gjerde. A nice compilation for sure that perhaps acts now as just another
fine compilation, and less as a remix CD. (FdW)
Address: http://www.zang.no

LAURIE RADFORD - LES PONTS DE L'ESPACE (DVD by Empreintes Digitales)
Music released by Empreintes Digitales is music that seems to be made
according to a matrix or certain schematics. Or so it seems. Of course it's
never easy to be fully original, but with the composers/performers on
Empreintes Digitales it seems that they use the same software, both
editing/processing and the input is usually one or more instruments. I must
admit I never heard of Laurie Radford, and yes, there are differences
between him and others the two, be it, however, minor. Throughout I think
that this release has certainly nice moments, but it's all way too long. It
seems as if the music is put on repeat or self-generating new bits of music.
Maybe there is a world out there which I just fail to see? (FdW)
Address: http://www.electrocd.com

ASS/BLOOD MUSIC (7" by Static Caravan)
A lovely Static Caravan comes around with a nice red marbled piece of vinyl
with two bands on it. Ass from Sweden (and who made it to these pages
before) and Blood Music. The later released before on Static Caravan, and
they are no doubt nice boys. Both bands have two pieces. 'Problematique' by
Blood Music is based upon guitar and vocals and is traditional singer
songwriter though nothing bad about it. It's however their other song 'Don
Quite' which is gorgeous: piano, organ and horns in a sorrowful tune, but
with a nice down beat to it. Ass' 'It's In The Galley' is for two guitars,
one being strummed, and one slide, with soft tinkle on the glockenspiel -
also highly meditative. The second piece is alike that, but has sweet creepy
strings in it. Great 7", of course and of course, once again. (FdW)
Address: http://www.staticcaravan.org

KASPER VAN HOEK - DEN HAAG/GRONINGEN/FROOMBOSCH (CDR by Dirty Demos)
IAMBLICHI - ALL WORLDS (CDR by Dirty Demos)
If I am not mistaken, this might be the very first release by Kasper van
Hoek that is not presented on his own Heilskabaal Records label. Time to
expand to other CDR ventures and he's right, his work is right for the next
step. That is the conclusion which we can draw from his first release on
Dirty Demos. Recorded in the Dutch cities of Den Haag and Groningen and the
for me unknown Froombosch, he processes these field recordings with 'open
source software' and thus creates microsound like music. Some of the street
life leaks through, but Van Hoek effectively alienates the material beyond
recognition. Quite a move away from his previous work which was more noise
based, around old equipment such as tapeloops and turntables. This is quite
intense music, with creepy undercurrents and even a touch of music in it
(perhaps any street musicians around). This is an excellent break with the
past and a major leap forward.
I never heard of Iamblichi, who is from Berlin with two net releases and a
bunch of live shows under his belt. Apparently its not a solo project but a
band. Their music is a mixed variation of styles, although everything is
generated in the digital world here. 'Old Universe' for instance sounds like
a glitch ambient piece, but not a great one. It is followed by digital
distortion and then a piece for rhythmic hiss. Indeed 'all worlds' are
covered here, but to be honest, I must say I wished they stayed in one or
two areas and explored that really well and not try explore as many styles
as possible. I think the ambient glitch material on this release has the
most potential for the future. (FdW)
Address: http://www.myspace.com/dirtydemos

EFTUS SPECTUN - THE TALONS SNAG BINARY (CDR by Void Of Ovals)
THE DAGGER BROTHERS - YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAD TO BE IN THE DAGGER BROTHERS BUT
IT DOES HELP (CDR by Void Of Ovals)
Two releases on a new label, at least for me, Void Of Ovals, of which Eftus
Spectun was reviewed before, with their release on Public Eyesore (see Vital
Weekly 520). They are from Bath/Bristol and now reduced to Kieran on drums
and Oliver on guitar. They are a math rock band (they claim) and play only
one piece here, a fifteen minute piece of a guitar swing which is repeated
with intervals and bang on the kit, also with intervals. That goes on for
some time, until finally we see some move of the material, but that arrived
a bit late. The whole thing, while short, is a bit long for the amount of
information it tries to get across.
Something entirely different are The Dagger Brothers, who are described as
'Wham meets King Crimson'. They sing and play electronic music, a bit
mid-tempo, with strong emphasis on more melodic synthesizer lines. Not
exactly what I remember of Wham and maybe, with a fair amount of fantasy,
some of the song bending could be King Crimson like, but it's hardly '21st
Century Schizoid Man' for a synthesizer and singer. But I must say I quite
like this. The voice is dark, low and EBM like, but the music is quite
light, especially when it is concerned with the synthesizers. Electro-pop of
a more darker kind and certainly quite retro, certainly in their lyrics: 'do
you remember the 80s?'. Everything returns it seems... (FdW)
Address: http://www.voidofovals.com

BLOWHOLE - REASSEMBLED (CDR by Lunhare)
PANGOLIN ORCHESTRA (CDR by Lunhare)
CRAWLING WITH TARTS - LUDIQUES MANIFESTES (CDR by Lunhare)
A lot of music that was once released on cassettes will never be released on
a real CD, but someone once said to me recently that the CD market is
rapidly disappearing anyway, so why bother about some old music? He
suggested re-releasing on cassettes since that was the hype of the day. Some
of the old stuff find its way to blogs sharing this kind of music, which is
great but it's a MP3. Its like taking a xerox of a full color image. Luckily
there are people like Lunhare, erstwhile known as b/b, an Italian cassette
label in the early nineties. They relaunch their activities with the release
of some of the previous cassette releases on CDR, in a cute plastic bag with
excellent printed covers. Now if you don't have money that's the way to do
it. Two of these three were actually released before, while Crawling With
Tarts arrived too late to be released on a cassette.
Blowhole, I think, no longer exist. It was the band of Jeph Jerman (these
days known as Jeph Jerman, but in the 80s as Hands To and member of City Of
Worms) who played improvised music, solo, but more likely with others.
Blowhole had a sound that was quite loud and percussive. Or rather, using
rhythm in a non rhythm way. In the early nineties Blowhole released a whole
bunch of cassettes, LPs and even a CD (or two?) which displayed the various
sides very well. On 'Reassembled' we find some examples of that: objects
being scraped in one track, blowing into pipes, but there is also a bigger
group with a wild free jazz improvisation on guitar, concussion (which I
believe is metal), violin, vocals, trumpet and drums. It's perhaps this
Blowhole sound that is most well-known, but their true was in the
combination of various styles of improvisation. It's been a while since I
last heard anything by them, but I must say it still has some raw energy.
Perhaps a bit dated, but it surely could win
new fans.
I may have heard the Blowhole release back then, but I don't think I
remember the release by Pangolin Orchestra, a quartet of Felice Pesavento
(casiotone, Gem Rodeo 49), Stefano Noro (drums), Gio Lago (percussion) and
Gi Gasparin (bass, keyboards, vocals). They too play music through
improvisation, I think, but sound much more traditional. A bit rock like, a
bit jazz like, naive, child-like approach. Although not bad, I must say it's
also not entirely my kind of music. One way or the other it sounds quite
'Italian', like La 1919, if my recollection is serving me well. Perhaps, I
don't remember it that well at all. Anyway Pangolin Orchestra may appeal to
more traditional free music lovers.
Crawling With Tarts came up with the master of their release some two years
after B/b stopped it's activities. 'Ludiques Manifestes' is a collection of
ten tracks recorded live in concert in Oakland, and sees the line up of
Micheal Gendreau (now working under his own name), Suzanne Dycus and Cliff
Neighbours. They too play music through means of improvisation, and like
Blowhole they have wide pattern of tunes on their plate. The first two
pieces, by a street length the longest, and a free percussive/object banging
affairs. In the next three tracks, Crawling With Tarts use more stringed
like objects, besides the percussive rumble and things are more under
'control' here, more calm if you wish. But here it also it also forecasts a
bandlike approach, which later on will return in an almost punky 'Lug Music:
Lug 5' (with the right length for such a piece). A mixed bag this, but a bag
full of surprises. Quite a nice document of a band that unfortunately sinked
into obscurity. (FdW)
Address: http://www.lunhare.net

HYDRUS - INTERLEAVES (CDR/DVR by Narrominded)
COEN OSCAR POLACK - PSYCHIC INVESTIGATIONS (CDR by Narrominded)
Hydrus have had a couple of releases before, on Narrominded, but
'Interleaves' is the first full length release by this Amsterdam duo of
Herman Wilken and Almer Lücke. Although they play in rock bands too, for
Hydrus it's all things electronic, crisp and clean. Over the years they have
developed this sound of theirs to the max, and this album should be the
final peak, at least in my humble opinion. Hydrus plays a combination of
techno music with deep, melancholic synthesizers. Sometimes the accent of
rhythm is pushed to the background and pure ambient takes over. It's music
that goes well on labels as Highpoint Lowlife, Expanding or Boltfish and to
be honest after hearing many work by these labels, it's also a style that is
worn out a bit. Even when Hydrus are capable producers and engineers, it
still something that I think is beyond it's date now. It's music that is in
urgent need for a change, I think. The video that was made by Erik Mijwaard
of Videotroopers that comes as part of
this package are abstract, moving images, which work well with the abstract
kind of music of Hydrus, certainly in "Flux'.
Also on Narrominded is a release by Coen Oscar Polack, who is one half of
Living Ornaments and co-owner of the label. For the no-)TOON) festival 2007
in Haarlem he created a piece of music based on the heating system in De
Vleeshal and that became the title piece of his release. It's the most
abstract piece of the six on the release, since it doesn't use any
instruments, save for a bit of saxophone towards the end. For the other
pieces he uses guitar, saxophone and cymbal. The computer is an all
important tool to change and recreate sounds, but throughout it's possible
to recognize the original input. Polack plays an interesting mix of musique
concrete, microsound and noise, between drone and rhythm. It bounces towards
all directions, but curiously Polack knows how to keep control over the
material and how to deliver an album that sounds both varied and coherent.
The ambience of 'This Moody Sky Today' (for Joni MItchell) versus the hectic
of 'Bekkende Nederlander' - that is the
strength of this album.
(FdW)
Address: http://www.narrominded.com


FREIBAND - 298 (CDR by Tosom)
This music has been dedicated to Phill Niblock. Who is Phill Niblock? And
what does his music sound like? According to the wikipedia "Niblock's music
is an exploration of sound textures created by multiple tones in very dense
tunings (generally microtonal in conception) performed in long durations.
The layering of long tones only very slightly distinct in pitch creates a
multitude of beats and generates complex overtone patterns and other
fascinating psychoacoustic effects. The combination of apparently static
surface textures and extremely active harmonic movement generates a highly
original music that, while having things in common with early drone-based
Minimalism, is utterly distinct in sound and technique. Niblock's work
continues to influence a generation of musicians, especially younger players
from a variety of musical genres. Niblock's compositional process often
begins with recordings of single tones played by a specific musician. "
Well, that is a very accurate description of the music on Freiband's disk.
So the dedication is quite apt. The first piece, for instance, starts with
the recording of a single tone played on a saxophone. The recording is
repeated a few times, with intermittent silences. Then, after approximately
1 minute, the repetitions start to layer. The next start is no longer áfter
the previous one, but follows after a short period (0.5 second). And then a
third and a fourth, etc. This builds up into a sound which is still
recognizable as coming from a saxophone but the envelope slowly disappears.
At first you can still hear the starts as little bumps but they slowly fade.
What emerges, and I don't know whether this is a result of the process of
layering itself or that it has been enhanced digitally, but what emerges is
a cadence of a pitch that is somewhat higher than that of the saxophone
itself. Listening closely I think it's the sound of a piano playing two
notes alternatingly. Like Niblock'
s
music it is at the same time self fulfilling and exciting. And Freiband is
experienced enough to know when to stop before the effect wears out.
The second track (of three) is different because more complex. Now the
original recordings are still saxophonic, but they sound like those of
violins, simple strokes. Some have higher pitches, others last a little
longer than others. There are only four or five different originals which
are the building blocks for the composition. This has been done before, of
course, and many have failed while trying. I think this one manages to
remain standing on the tightrope. But it depends on your mood as a listener.
I was in a quiet and patient mood while writing the review. I quite enjoyed
it, imagining patterns of needles that continuously change before my eyes.
The final track features the sax again. It's a much shorter piece (5
minutes, instead of 17, respectively 19 minutes). It's a return to the
looping route. That's a pity because the deja vu feeling is too much
present. It also reminded me at first of the tape loop experiments of Brian
Eno. And right at the moment when things become more interesting (when the
loops fall apart creating space for change) the composition ends. (JS)
Address: http://www.tosom.de


ASHER - INTERVALS (CDR by The Land Of)
The previous work by Asher was a bit of a setback for me, but with this new
release he's back in shape, as far I'm concerned. This time not in the
format of MP3 but real audio, on a real CDR (and blimey: The Land Of are
excellent packagers of that!). Asher recorded a bunch of material at the
campus of Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. It's hard to tell what, if
at all, Asher did with these recordings, but one thing is sure: he spliced
them apart. Unlike many of his previous releases which consist of a single
piece, we have thirty nine pieces, many of them not more than a minute. The
listener is recommended to play this at random (and I'd 'on repeat'), which
certainly shuffles the various sections. There is pure (and untreated?)
field recording material to be spotted around here, but also piano playing
in the form of loosely tones. Hiss however seems to be a constant factor
here as well as in much of his previous work. Like there has been a lot of
erosion, or the use of a whole
bunch of old ferro cassettes been used. It's an Asher trademark by now. The
recomposing aspects of this release appealed lesser to me since that race
was already made before, but listened to in a strict linear fashion, this is
quite a fine release. Moving from the inside to the outside and back, the
chirping of insects, the piano and other unidentifiable sounds make this one
of the best Asher releases so far. Great! (FdW)
Address: http://thelandof.org

XEDH - ARMIARMA (MP3 by Homophoni)
The ever so active Miguel A Garcia returns here, this time solo, after a
recent flurry of collaborative activities, armed with a sine generator,
microphone and a mixer. It's never easy to tell with the music of Xedh if
it's been entirely improvised or perhaps it is multi-track/mixed/edited.
Somehow I think it's the case here with this new solo release that he in
fact made various recordings and mixed them together. 'Armiarma' is a two
part composition, which has a loud(er) first section and a very quiet second
part. The sine waves used in the first are earpiercing, even when played on
a moderate volume, and is too much 'old' Xedh for me, but in the second part
it's all new territory, and the quiet approach suits him quite well, I
think. Soft, but outspoken he moves through his material in a most
intelligent way. Perhaps not as new under the microsun, but he does a more
than fine job with the material at hand. (FdW)
Address: http://www.homophoni.com

GRAD COM - CUTS + EDITS (MP3)
Incite is a German duo, from Hamburg, who travel a lot. When on the road
they can perform together as Incite, but also supporting themselves with two
solo acts, Axiomatic Integration and Grad Com. The latter, the male half of
Incite, now played forty-five times since June 2004 and it's time to reflect
on those forty-five shows, as the idea of Grad Com is a simple one: in the
place where he perform he searches for a sound, any sound, samples it and
plays around with it on his laptop. More a live project than a studio
project. The sources here are a sitar, a whiskey glass with ice, a bottle
cooler, a plastic water bottle, but also a 12" record and "an unattentive
audience chatting'. Several of the pieces are collaborations with others,
such as Gregory Büttner and Koutaru Fukui, as well as a studio improvisation
with harp player Rhodri Davies. A working method that reminded me a bit of
Aube, using a single sound source and even when Grad Com works entirely in
the digital world, there is
also some other similarity with Aube. In the end it doesn't matter what kind
of sound source is used, as the various processing start sounding similar.
Partly, perhaps, due to the software and plug ins used and the idea behind
every track: have some sounds running and loops them around, while applying
various filters. I thought as a documentation of all those concerts this is
actually quite a nice bunch of pieces, with some overlap to eachother. The
studio piece however showed the way out, as this a break from the live
tracks and certainly a road to explore. (FdW)
Address: http://www.gradcom.org

DICK RAAYMAKERS - MONOGRAFIE (book by V2 publishers)
When Dutch institute NEAR announced the release of a Dick Raaymakers
anthology in the form of 3 CDs, I was delighted. When Basta announced a 5CD
set of Raaymakers (and others) "entertainment" music I was excited. So can
you imagine what happened when I learned V2 was about to publish a book on
the theatrical works of the most important composer/artist/conceptualist of
the Netherlands? So I ordered my copy right away and spend some time since
receiving it to read and look through it. It's not a book to read from
beginning to end, but rather something to flip through, read about a work
and look at the various images and then put it aside for a while. I must say
I am quite disappointed by this book. It's very dry material and it never
becomes alive. Many, if not all, work by Raaymakers in theatre (and some
installation pieces) are comments on events from the past. Mao, Mussolini,
Laurel & Hardy, Etienne-Jules Marey but also Glenn Gould or Pierre Boulez.
Falling is one important theme in
his work. The fall of Mussolini, the fall in the films of Laurel & Hardy.
Scientific matters. Highly thought out work, very conceptual. Without a
concept, no piece of art. Much of his work is a comment on that, an
enlargement of events, a detailed look. It's his line of work, but I wish it
was something more of his own. His 'Intona' piece for the destruction of
twelve microphones is one such thing of his own. I saw this being performed
in V2 and it sounded great. Sadly it wasn't on the three CD set and the
description is nice, but, and here we come to another objection against the
book: it's book, the most stabile of all media, presented by V2, once the
propagator of Unstable Media. Why no DVD so we could see the action moving?
I am sure some of this must have been filmed. Or a website? Why the form of
a book? One thing that struck me also was this: since their start in the
early part of the 80s, V2 presented concerts by Laibach, Sonic Youth, Test
Dept, SBOTHI, P16.D4, Etant Donnes,
The Hafler Trio, Kapotte Muziek, THU20 (some of these not pure as musical
events but part of bigger multi-media events as was the tone of the day) and
such like, but it seems that over the years music has been moved out of the
world of V2. They stopped their shop/mailorder and closed the label. Music
these days for V2 is either the demonstration of yet another new
technological aspect of working with computers or internet or the after
thought after hard day of talking and developing new technologies (for
whatever application in art), music that is no longer 'experimental'. At the
end of the day when we all want to relax and talk we want some more pleasant
4/4 techno beat with an exotic touch of experimentalism. The world of visual
art in general never cares much for experimental music, which is usually to
be found irritating noise on a volume level that is too loud - all in my
private and humble experience as such. So why a book on Raaymakers? With
nothing to see moving before your
eyes, or anything to hear? Is it perhaps because V2 has become too much a
part of the real art world, they are now the institute which their
instability should or could have prevented them from ever becoming one? And
if this review stirred some interest to you, but you don't read Dutch: too
bad, this book is only in Dutch. The good thing is the fairly traditional
design, which makes this a delight for the eyes. (FdW)
Address: http://www.dickraaijmakers.nl/


1. From: "alexei" <al.borisov@mtu-net.ru>

Alexei Borisov and Volga tour dates, Feb-March 2008


21 February 2008 (8pm - 1am) - ALEXEI BORISOV
(electronics) and SERGEI LETOV (sax, flute) at
FAVELA CHIC (91-93 Gt. Eastern Street, London, UK)
+ Michael Mwenso Trio, DJ Kork, E.Jazzni.
Entrance: free
(details on http://www.myspace.com/photoeugenesis


24 February (13 pm) - Silent Movie/Live Music at
CURZON Mayfair (38 Curzon street, London W1, UK)
"Aelita. The Queen Of Mars" (by J. Protazanov,
Russia 1924) with live soundtrack by ALEXEI BORISOV(electronics),
SERGEI LETOV (sax, flute), LIDIJA KAVINA (theremin vox).
Tickets and details on http://www.curzoncinemas.com and 08717033989


26 February 2008 Volga rehersal party:
GALERIE WALLYWOODS, KULTURHAUS PETER EDEL (Seiteneingang)
Berliner Allee 125, Weissensee, 13088 Berlin, Germany.
Tram M4 (von Alex) M13 oder 12, bis Berliner Allee/Indira-Gandhi Strasse
http://www.myspace.com/salonhansen

27 February (9 pm) - VOLGA at NATO (Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 46,
Leipzig, Germany
28 February (9 pm) - VOLGA at Alte Feuerwache Loschwitz
(Fideli--Finke Street 4, Dresden, Germany), support:
Elektroherd (UA)

29 February (19.30) - VOLGA at SKUTECNOST
(Francouzska 76, Praha 10, Czech Republik)
Tickets: 80 czk
details on <http://www.skutecnost.cz>http://www.skutecnost.cz

3 March 2008 (9 pm) - Volga at Channel Zero (Metelkova city, Ljubljana,
Slovenia)

5 March (9 pm) - Volga at Rote Sonne
(Maximiliansplatz 5, Munchen, Germany), Entrance: 10 euro

6 March (8 pm) - ALEXEI BORISOV live + film
"Diploma Awards Ceremony 2003" at LAZNIA Art Center
(ul. Jaskotcza 1, Gdansk, 80-767, Poland)
Entrance: free

7 March (8 pm) - VOLGA at Soach
(http://www.soach.de

Dortmund, Germany), private show, rsvp!


7 March (9 pm) - ALEXEI BORISOV audio-video show
+ more at WORM (Achterhaven 148, Rotterdam, Netherlands)
Details on http://www.wormweb.nl

8 March (9 pm) - VOLGA at Women in Paradise fest
at PARADISO (Weteringcchans 69, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland,
Netherlands)
more info on http://www.womeninparadise.nl


9 March (9pm) - VOLGA at AUSLAND (Lychener Str. 60, Berlin, Germany)


12 March - VOLGA at Cannes (France) (details on

http://www.volgamusic.ru
http://www.myspace.com/volgamusic

More info on
http://www.letov.ru

http://www.lollipopshop.de

http://www.volgamusic.ru

http://www.nbresearchdigest.com

http://www.myspace.com/alexeiborisov

http://www.myspace.com/volgamusic

2. From: "Lee Kwang Goh" <goh.leekwang@gmail.com>


supporting the GOOD VIBRATIONS cd
GOH LEE KWANG
Europe Vibrations Tour 2008


Feb 27th SONNTAGS ABSTRAKT, Alte Postgarage, Graz, Austria. duo with
Tim Blechmann, Klaus Filip, trio!
Feb 29th C17, Vienna, Austria. duo with Tim Blechmann & more...
March 4th Contemporary Art Museum of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
solo stereo DJ mixer.
March 7th Le 102, Grenoble, France. solo stereo DJ mixer.
March 23rd Electronic Church, Berlin, Germany. duo with Olaf Hochherz,
stereo DJ mixer!
April 3rd Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany. presentation
of S.O.S. (sound of solitude)
April 11st - 13rd Fluctuating-Images Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany. solo
stereo DJ mixer. Sonic & Video installation.
April 24th Lembobineuse, Marseille, France. duo with Hervé Boghossian,
stereo DJ mixer!
April 26th La Maison Peinte, Toulouse, France. solo stereo DJ mixer.

--
personal,
http://www.geocities.com/gohleekwang
http://www.myspace.com/gohleekwang

label,
http://www.geocities.com/herbalrecords

3. From: "ashley davies" <ashley@londonstudiodesign.co.uk>


A night of extreme ambient drone noise

iD / UK (Headbutt, Chemical Plant, Project Dark, Apeiron)
Wand And Princess / Gr

Live at Platformes
Zosimadon 2, Exarchia, Athens

Saturday 1st March

21.00


4.From: "> vertigo" <herrkock@gmail.com>

Samstag 23 februar: "O Tannenbaum Mobiel": dj Marcelle Another Nice Mess and
Motorheåd (aka Kloreiniger) on location: Hobrechtstrasse 28 (Schmittblick!!)
21.30 Uhr
4 euro

Sonntag 24: "Disco Universe" mit Musikfilme und Musikdocumentarfilme, musik
and music: Hongarian Gypsie Cymbalon player legend and forbidden
Weissrusländische rock bands. Hosted by Wannes Dirven.
17.00 - 23.00 Uhr
diner around 19.00 Uhr
3,50 incl. food (vegetarian)

Sonntag 2 März: "Disco Universe" mit Musikfilm: Jagmandir und Concert:
Sammy Clark
Tribute to the 80's Lebanese pop icon by the same name.

17.00- 23.00 Uhr
diner around 19.00 Uhr
3,50 incl. food (vegetarian)

addres:
Pflügerstrasse 79a
Berlin (Neu Kölln, U8 Schönleinstrasse)

<http://www.o-tannenbaum-berlin.de>www.o-tannenbaum-berlin.de
<http://www.myspace.com/olerecords>www.myspace.com/olerecords
<mailto:info@ole-records.nl>info@ole-records.nl


--


Vital Weekly is published by Frans de Waard and submitted for free to
anybody with an e-mail address. If you don't wish to receive this, then let
us know. Any feedback is welcome <vital@vitalweekly.net>. Forward to your
allies.
Snail mail: Vital Weekly/Frans de Waard - Acaciastraat 11 - 6521 NE
Nijmegen - The Netherlands
All written by Frans de Waard (FdW), Dolf Mulder (DM)
<dolf.mulder@hetnet.nl>, Robert Meijer (RM), Niels Mark (NM), Jeff Surak
(JS), Craig N (CN), Boban Ristevski (BR), Maurice Woestenburg (MW), Jliat
(Jliat), Freek Kinkelaar (FK), Magnus Schaefer (MSS) and others on a less
regular basis.
This is copyright free publication, except where indicated, in which case
permission has to be obtained from the respective author before reprinting
any, or all of the desired text. The author has to be credited, and Vital
Weekly has to be acknowledged at all times if any texts are used from it.
Announcements can be shortened by the editor. Please do NOT send any
attachments/jpeg's, we will trash them without viewing.
There is no point in directing us to MP3 sites, as we will not go there. Any
MP3 release to be reviewed should be burned as an audio CDR and send to the
address above.
Some people think it's perhaps 'cool', 'fun', 'art' or otherwise to send
something to Vital Weekly that has no information. Don't bother doing this:
anything that is too hard to decipher will be thrown away. Also we have set
this new policy: Vital Weekly only concerns itself with new releases. We
usually act quick, so sending us something new means probably the first
review you will see. If we start reviewing older material we will not be
able to maintain this. Please do not send any thing that is older than six
months. Anything older will not be reviewed. In both cases: you can save
your money and spend it otherwise.
Lastly we have decided to remove the announcement section of Vital Weekly
that is archived on our website that is older than five weeks. Since they
95% deal with concerts that have been, it's gentle to remove the
announcement and more important the e-mail addresses coming with that.


the complete archive of Vital Weekly including search possibilities:
http://www.vitalweekly.net


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