\ / | ----- /\ | \ / |== |== | / | \ / Week 50 \ / | | / \ | \ /\ / | | |/ | \ / Number 63 \/ | | / \ |--- \/ \/ |__ |__ |\ |__ | Editorial: due to a mistake last week's issue had to be numbered 62, and this week we're having 63. Sorry for laziness/incorrectness or whatever the excuse was. Thanks to Peter for finding it. Next week we'll have a special issue - you'll see. Then the next one will be in the first full week of january. (FdW) NOISE MAKER'S FIFES - PUBLIC FRONTATION (CD by Twin Tub & Beaver) Rapid growing stars of the ambient/industrial crowd? Some people have confidence these boys are it, so in less then a year they are able to present the fourth CD. For those who do not know: ambient industrial is not a contradiction, as it droning atmospheric music played by (non-) musicians on synths and a trunck of garbage. Isolasionist it is called sometimes. But Belgiums Noise Maker's Fifes are not exactely remote from the big world. This CD sums in 8 tracks what they can do live wise. Half of those tracks were recorded as part of a videoinstallation, but four from other shows. The first track is definetely a shot: what a great track of improvised sound waving, moving, sounds that swirl in and out of the mix. Other tracks are also based on improvisation, but are sometimes less coherent. There are rumbles and scratches over scrap metal instruments with distant sounding trumpet drones. Nevertheless this is an overall good CD, documenting well what NMF can do and let this CD be an advertisement for them to have them play in your area! (FdW) Address: 10 Norman Terrace - Roundhay - Leeds LS8 2AP - UK JEFF GREINKE - OVER RUINS/MOVING CLIMATES (CD by Raum 312) One the advantages of CD production prices going down is that the volume of CD releases increase, and thus the demand for new music. If there isn't new music available then we just release the old music. Those who are well-known now get chance to put out their starting works. Here is one. Greinke is known for his ambient-fourth world type of music, either released on his own name or with his band Land. Presented here are two of his first cassette only release from 1985 and 1986. The ambient tag is already present back then, but in general in a more raw, arcane way and to some extend primitive compositions. It seemes sometimes that the pieces are outtakes as the end abruptly (as on 'Regions Rendered Barren'). But this aside it is showing Greinke early stages very well and is of course not be missed and if you are fed up with todays digital blurping then this might be for you. (FdW) Address: Raum 312 - Erlenstr. 117 28199 Bremen - Germany INTERFERENCE (CD compilation + Book by 23Five) Ah compilations, just how many more do we need? This one is different. Part of this package is a 132 CD sized book, interviewing each artist featured on the CD. Next to the interview is a documenting part which is quite extended. Each interview evolves on a similar line (when did you start, what is your background, tell something about the piece etc.), which isn't very journalistic, but nevertheless interesting stuff to read. Featured are: John Watermann, Skozey Fetisch, Crawl Unit, Cheryl E. Leonard, Brook Hinton, Small Cruel Party, Angst Hase Pfeffer Nase, Daniel Menche and Achim Wollscheid (who also contributed his lecture 'Noise' as a form of introduction). In general one could describe the major part of these artists as experimentiers of musique concrete in an industrial context. Most of these are quite violent noisy with outstanding tracks by Small Cruel Party (two iron sticks rubbed together) and Daniel Menche's contactmicrophones outside in the rain. This compilation is an example of what a compilation should be like! (FdW) Address: <23five@kumr.lns.com> Y-TON-G - KLANGSPIEGEL - EINER VERGESSENEN WESENHEIT (CD by Raum 312) "The music on this CD is made with stones, metal and wood. When these nature mterials are touched they begin to vibrate immediately". But of course you need to mplify them with a contact microphone or normal microphone to make these vibrations audible and to reproduce them on CD. Maybe I am mistken but it seems that Y-Ton-G also adds a fair amount of reverb to what he is playing. The result are hugh vibrating walls of sound, an ambient industrial tapestry, a relaxing forest of sound. (FdW) Address: as above SILVER WORLD (CD compilation by Soup) With everything printed on a transparant plastic you can imagine that I am a bit lost on this. I count 6 different artists, all with Japanese names. Only Toshiya Tsunoda rang a bell... somewhere. All sixx are dealing with electronics, mostly rumbling and noisy. But this is not the knd of noise heard from the Japs we all cherish, but more in the style of Ryoji Ikeda (whose latest release on Touch never made it to Vital Weekly - but that's on to have for sure!). A kind of minimal techno style, but less refined than Ikeda. This influence is most apparent on the 9 tracks of Utah Kawaski. There is no housy oriented beat to be found anywhere on this compilation, yet I could imagine that the more dring fans of the Sahko label could find some worthwhile stuff in here. To be complete, on this compilation are also featured: Akira Yamamichi, Tamaru, Oganization and Nob Ohtake. Address: ATONE - ATONEMENT (CD by Zonar Recordings) >From a land downunder comes another new label and new band. Atone are Andrew Fitzgerald and Ali Omar. Their debut CD is packed 12 tracks of laid-back dubby techno tracks. Already in the first track I was reminded of Richard H. Kirk, because of the way they use keyboards and samples. Of course one may think that Atone is a mere copy cat, but this is entertaining armchair listening fun. Not innovative, no daring experiment: just plain fun to play. (FdW) Address: PORTER RICKS - BIOKINETICS (CD by Chain Reaction) GAS - GAS (CD by Mille Plateaux) Two slabs of utterly minimal techno. Behind Porter Ricks one finds Thomas Koner (the master of isolasionist ambient) and Andy Mellwig (of Async Sense). They produced some great 12"s on Chain Reaction and a 10" on Barooni, but this new CD beats them all. Pulsating, throbbing rhythms in combination with flowing synths which produce a trancing effect, which even a dopeless head as I am can dig. Every sound seems to be in the right place, and this will end high in my 1996 top 10. Gas is Mike Ink, who is in the same territory with his CD. The 6 tracks clock in at about 15 minutes each and are even more minimal then those of Porter Ricks. The first track dwells on droning synths and the other five have steady beats. Though this one is as minimal as Porter Ricks, it is the less record of the two, but still a very good one. (FdW) Address; Chain Reaction fax: + 49 30 8324947 Address: Mille Plateaux fax: + 49 69 252280 NULL - TERMINAL BEACH (CD by Manifold) For me the stuff KK Null puts out under the moniker Null is by far his best work. Zeni Geva is too much rock, and the stuff with other guitarists stay too much in the 'improv' areas for my taste. The solo stuff is usually a fine blend of treated guitar works, that can either be really noisy or subdued ambient. This new CD (packed in on of those red jewel cases) is definetly part of the subdued ambient stuff. The first three tracks are fine waves of sound, in which one hardly recognizes the six string instrument. The fourth track, with its 17 minutes the longest on this CD, is dealing with a rather simplistic monotonous rhythm over which the guitars hammer their way. The title piece that closes the CD is the most outstanding piece to be found here. The guitar sounds like a distorted organ and is of chilling beauty. Yep, another fine CD (FdW) 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. 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. Backissues may be found at: www.staalplaat.com and http://www.aesova.org/vital