\ / | ----- /\ | \ / |== |== | / | \ / Week 49 \ / | | / \ | \ /\ / | | |/ | \ / Number 60 \/ | | / \ |--- \/ \/ |__ |__ |\ |__ | THE MIND OF A MISSILE (CD by Heel Stone) Three groups with long tracks. The general theme is 'Global Electronic Warfare' and the whole thing is presented like a military document. The CD opens with a 12 minute piece by Schloss Tegal, who don't sound too much dated with their usual industrial, but more like a SETI/Lagowski track here. Repeating pulses and dark rumbling with taped voices (that could be from NASA flight control) over it. Next is John Duncan (at 15 some minutes) and he stretches out sound and intermixes them with cracklings. Not dissimilar to his recent work for Trente Oiseaux. I am told that I will not understand his work easily, or maybe even never. Maybe I judge what I hear, as I guess that is what other people will do. And I like what I hear, despite any misunderstanding. The CD is closed by Aube, delivering the longest of the trio (but hey, he is the most active of the trio...). His piece is more noise edged, but composition wise not very coherent all together. No doubt this CD will go down fast, as it is limited to 500 copies only. So if you are a true devotee to any of these three, then act fast. (FdW) Address: HENRI CHOPIN - LE CORPSBIS & CO (CD by Nepless) After the re-discovery by Staalplaat and their retrospective CD, the collaboration CD with electronic composer Marc Battier, here is a new CD with recent work from the nineties. It seems that Chopin, who is now in his mid seventies, is still active with new recordings and performances. His music has nothing to do with the man with the same name, but everything with the use of voice in combination with electronics. Dada sound poetry would have been forgotten if man didn't invent tape recorders, and Chopin takes this as an advantage. The voice becomes unrecognizable in his electronic treatments (slowing down, speeding up of tape machines) which are edited into collage forms of sound. Chopin's voice lives in a strange electronic world, in which time is moving as fast as it is moving slow. It's a strange world, but at the same time a fasinating world it is. (FdW) Address: fax: + 39 125 48641 MAKYO - RASA BHAVA (CD by Silent) Recent offerings by Silent are not my favorite and this goes for Makyo. Pseudo ethnic music with beats and tablas. I had the impression listening to the same track for a while. Outstanding piece on this CD - maybe I hate to admit, is the Bill Laswell remix with strong dubby guitars and likewise strong tabla playing. Worst piece was the closing one - unfortunately the longest on the CD - pure new age kitsch. I guess the people at Silent should re-consider what they are releasing... (FdW) Address: RUBEN GARCIA - ROOM FULL OF EASELS (Close Tolerance Music) Ruben Garcia makes music virtually indistinguishable from the music of his contemporary and good friend Harold Budd. Fortunately this isn't as much of a handicap as you might expect. There are enough new ideas under the sun for both of them to make original compositions, at least for now. The fact that they've collaborated in the past might suggest that Garcia is nothing more than a good copyist, but this new album proves that he has his own way of holding down the sustain pedal on the grand piano. This is what heaven must sound like, with delicate piano notes that wash overhead like soft sound clouds. His contributions to the A Produce CDs are nice, but this is the place to taste the pure nectar. The only sour note came from the press kit supplied with the CD, which included a pretentious letter of recommendation from Harold Budd, dated October 21, 1994: "To whom it may concern: Something wonderful and magical happens when Ruben Garcia meets a piano. It happens to me sometimes; it happens to Ruben all the time." Yuck. One can only wonder why Garcia clings so tightly to Budd's coattails. He's making music that stands on it's own, and an endorsement from the local deity could be a good marketing move for someone less talented, but seen here it seems out of place. Ignore the hype and enjoy this CD for it's own merits. (CP) SCANNER - HOLLOWHEAD/WHO ELSE IS IN THERE? and SEAMLESS DATA GENERATOR/TAPE JUNK (both 7"s by Soul Static Sound) Here's a surprise! A pair of identical-looking singles from the youngish London label Soul Static Sound by our man Scanner, AKA Robin Rimbaud, and what a pleasure they are. Little snapshots of noise and voices, each song completely different from the next. It's the beauty of this medium, that precious old-fashioned styled record we call the 7 inch 45, that it is so well suited to the quick and dirty song idea. It's the easiest thing in the world to make a single, in fact I think too many people are doing it these days, but it's another thing altogether to understand that you've only got two or three minutes to sing your song, so you'd better get to your point or else you've missed your opportunity. Scanner understands this, and every side of this set is an absolute joy for the ear and the brain, like some sort of mental truffle. YUMM! Some sides echo familiar Scanner themes, but pleasantly irritating noises added on top keep things interesting. The best pieces were the ones that avoided his signature sounds though; Scanner without a scanner is still a good listen. If I had a jukebox I'd add these to the mix, but I don't so I'll stick 'em on a tape loop behind the toilet and listen to them every time someone flushes a turd down to the candy kitchen. (CP) (no address given) PIG SHITY ORCHESTRA - INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE (CD by Pure) >From the monomanic series of Pure you might be aware that I will only review those I like... Behind the Pig Shity Orchestra, it should be not real surprise, is Big City Orchestra. The Instructions For Use are printed on the disc itself, and are not well readable, but I guess that's part of the conceptual deal BCO usually make. The music on this disc is not as noisy as one should expect from the Pure series. It's strange mixture of found sound, distorted voices, guitar weirdness and yes, o.k., there is some noise. I am aware that every BCO is a reflection on some musical event, but I haven't figured what this is for this CD. The usual sound effects lack at the end of the CD (again, I don't know why). But it's a much more fascinating product then the usual 'I blow you over the top with my next Pure CD'. (FdW) Address: 151 Paige St. - Lowell, MA 01852 - USA DESIGNER - VANDAL/LARSON (12" by Soul Static Sound) I like saying nasty things, like: "would this be released if this wasn't made by the soundman of Tortoise, but anybody else's first experience into electronic dance music?" I doubt it... having said a nasty thing like that, I might add: but I like it. 'Vandal' opens with a really outdated sounding rhythm box that is eventually effected by probably similarly old effect devices (no I am not saying 'space echo' here). Odd breaks here and there, not your typical 4/4 beats to mix here. My mind waved back to the mid-eighties when this kind of stuff was popular too. 'Larson' opens with a dubby bass and likewise rhythm and is likewise minimal. Really odd techno this is, and it is damn nice. So hurrah that this is the Tortoise soundman, as it gets sold much better. (FdW) (no address given) PENUMBRA - ANORAK IN ISOLATION (Cassette by Dizzy Positivity Recordings) HIRAETHOG - NAIL IT TO THE CEILING AND LET IT VOUT FOR A WHILE (Cassette by Dizzy Positivity Recordings)) Penumbra tape is a debut in an ambient style. First track is a short intro and the second is constructed out of two hypnotic, repetitive piano-like synthsizer loops with a drone in the background which is going up and down in volume. Very trancy track. The third track is simular to the second; not a real beginning, but again a rhytmish loop with in this case some environmental sounds in the background (underground trains / city traffic). Fourth track is again a loop but now backwards (I think) with some beautiful long tones played over it, sounding like the wind playing a pipe. Here and there a voice, sort of whispering and a rhythm loop. Fifth track is where I lose interest. Until here this tape sounded a bit oldfashioned but still alright too me. But this track is a loop of a voice saying;"They dig up graves". I can't understand why people would use this sort of loops/lyrics. Do they think it is cool, or.... what is the point? Hiraethog tape also uses a lot of environmental sounds. It starts of with animal sounds, birds in a swampy atmosphere and two men talking, one trying to convince the other one he should come to a specific place somewhere. This tape is a bit more dark as the Penumbra one. Rowing boat, laserguns(?) with now and then a long tone over it. Engine sound in the background and a synth playing a few of the same chords over and over again. Third track starts with a rhythm and voices again. Sort of gamelan sound. This tape sounds like a collage tape of sound effect records mixed with some music from all sorts of countries cut up with pieces of movies: "You get nothing for nothing", "When it makes you unhappy, give it back", "I can't give it back". In a way it reminds me of "Alice in Wonderland" by Randy Grief. A soundtrack for a movie you create in your head. B-side of this tape sounds more gothic. Some priest going on about god and then sounds of sheep. Overall sphere is a bit on the dark side and the recordings aren't that clear but still these two tapes are not too bad. (RM) Address: Dizzy Positivity - P.O.Box 53 - Whitley Bay - NE26 1YY - UK QUEST - ELECTRO-CITY (CD by Lunar) Quest is one Frans De Waard, a name not unfamiliar to regular readers of this screen. In my opinion Electro-City is his strongest solo work to date. It comes in a lovely gatefold package and was co-produced by Soleilmoon, USA. There are five tracks and I'll deal with each of them in turn. Track 1 is the first of two mixes of 'Sol'. It starts with a synthetic piano (?) dropchord which is slowly supplemented by a drone and an occassional bubble which gently percolates through the shimmering surface. The next track opens with a bit of replicant howler monkeys and aviatic lifeforms accompanied by a bit of random keyboard and a sympathetic organ. This piece develops in a very interesting fashion through several and a half frenzies and I always seemed to get lost while listening to it. Pitchwhips rise and ascend as das drone thickens like fog. An elevator torn in half; going up and going down. Being on two floors at the same time. Very good. Track 3, titled 'Velocity' starts with a very convincing kettle. A viscous analog pool bubbles and yurps below. Webs woven by clockwork spiders. Sudden space as the neighbours throw a brick through the window and manage to dislodge the kettle which has been boiling a good 9'00 or so. The next piece was written for two cats...a recording of Dutch rain (just what they like) which is swept out of the way by huge sheets of flange which swoop in on spread wings. All very tasty until Philip Glass pokes his arpeggiator into Quest's sequencer and which, despite the addition of a marvellous effect, tended to wear me down slightly. The CD ends with the second mix of 'Sol'...soft surf shuffles in the background ...and there goes the arpeggiator one more 'gain. The gloopy drops used in Track 1 return here to assist with this final submergence. An unusual, unpredictable CD which takes it's time and reveals itself gradually over several listenings. Check it out. (MP) Address: 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 . Forward to your allies. Snail mail: Frans de Waard - P.O.Box 11453 - 1001 GL Amsterdam - The Netherlands All written by Frans de Waard (FdW), The Square Root Of Sub (MP), Ching-Chong Jing-Jong (CP), Radboud Mens (RM) -- 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 . Forward to your allies. Snail mail: Vital Weekly/Frans de Waard -P.O.Box 11453 - 1001 GL Amsterdam - The Netherlands All written by Frans de Waard (FdW), The Square Root Of Sub (MP, ), Heimir Bjorgulfsson (HB), Dolf Mulder (DM), Meelkop Roel (MR), Brian Lavelle (BL, ), Gerald Schwartz (GS), Niels Mark Pedersen (NMP), Henry Schneider (SH), Jeff Surak (JS), TJ Norris (TJN), Gregg Kowlaksky (GK) 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. 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