\ / | ----- /\ | \ / |== |== | / | \ / Week 23 \ / | | / \ | \ /\ / | | |/ | \ / Number 229 \/ | | / \ |--- \/ \/ |__ |__ |\ |__ | contents: STEEV HISE - ORIGINAL (CD by Illegal Art) NEINA - SUBCONSCIOUSNESS (CD by Mille Plateaux) SQUAREMETER - SINCECORE (CD by Mille Plateaux) CURD DUCA - ELEVATOR 3 (CD by Mille Plateaux) VARIOUS - DECONSTRUCTING BECK (CD by Illegal Art) METAMATICS - MIDNIGHT SUN PIG (CD by Dot) METAMATICS AND CLATTERBOX - PROJECT UNISON (CD by Neo Ouija) ETOY.COM - TOYWAR (CD by Etoy.com) PIERRE TANGUAY - LA MUSIQUE DE MON DISQUE MIRKO SABATINI - MK.ORCHESTRIN:28+ALIENI (both CDs on Ambiances Magnetiques) COIL - QUEENS OF THE CIRCULATING LIBRARY (CD by Eskaton) COMPILATION - LITTLE BRUTAL RAVE BASTARDS VOL.1 (LP by Dhyana Records) DEEP - DIVEDEEPUNDERWATER (10" by Dhyana Records) plus announcements STEEV HISE - ORIGINAL (CD by Illegal Art) Actually this is an old release. It was originally released in 1998 on CD-r. This is a 'real' CD. Whatever. Hise is your typical nerdy composer with a mind of his own. He runs the renowned Detritus website, which harbours a lot of music that according to the RIAA should never be published again. Example: the Plunderphonic stuff and the U2 release of Negativland. Hise certainly is 'into' the sampling culture. To learn more about it I suggest you visit his site, which is certainly worth the trouble. Hise also composes music. His work makes extensive use of samples, or re used sonic waste material. This becomes most clear in the shorter works on this CD. Most of the other compositions consist of sound samples (in the vein of Tape-beatles), that quote a certain social connotation. I suspect that in the USA these connotations are better picked up than in the rest of the world. This is one of the dangers that lie in the explicit use of sound samples. 'Return of the King' is a composition that quotes a few lines of an Elvis Presley movie (I think). Presley blurts a few hesitating sentences and then some kind of looping quotes of Elvis music sounds. As a pure sound spectacle it is too weak, as a comment on the King it is not clear enough to me. The next work, 'The Liquidators' portrays a close harmony choir singing some country ballad with a female voice over telling us something about the sufferings of a group of people. Hise's compositional skills are better exhibited in works, like Softly Ultra, the second one this CD. Softly Ultra is the only composition that is not based on recycled material and shows that Hise has a good feeling for timing. 'Remain calm' is another highlight of this CD. These works are much more abstract and work much better. Could it be that blatant sample music has become passé? Or is it just me? I think Hise is trying to make a point toward pop culture or Western consumption culture in general and I wholly agree with his message but for me to listen to this CD once more requires a bit more. Thank god (or whoever) for the programming function on my Cd player. Web address: http://www.detritus.net/illegalart/ (IS) NEINA - SUBCONSCIOUSNESS (CD by Mille Plateaux) SQUAREMETER - SINCECORE (CD by Mille Plateaux) CURD DUCA - ELEVATOR 3 (CD by Mille Plateaux) More experiences from the microworld that breath their way on such fine labels as Mille Plateaux or their sister Ritornell - it must be an identical twin, since it's hard to tell the difference sometimes. For instance Neina, a trio of Japs, could have been on Ritornell as easily as on Mille Plateaux. In their varied, twelve track CD, they arrive at what can be best described as the identical twin - again - of Oval. They use the same method of skippng sounds, digital processing and add nothing new. Should I therefore say that this CD is shite? Hum not really, as the twelve tracks are entertaining to listen to and the fact that Neina is maybe just a copycat is best ignored. Similar yet different is Squaremeter, who made this CD with Panacea. Lurking in similar territories of cracked soundsthey add a firm those of organised beats to the sauce, so it's more rhythmical, even when it's firmly remotely far away from the dance floor. Simple beats, intercepted by cracks, buzz and hiss and eerie tones form the main ingredients of the fourteen tracks here. This can easily sit next to Noto's work or other microwavers (and this is maybe more microwave then Neina, I'd say...). Crafted with skill, with no particular standout track and no particular bad track. And that's a bit of the problem with this CD: it remains a bit too grey and is faceless and rather just another one. Good and solid. Now Curd Duca is our man. He explores 'mood music' and this is part three of his ongoing investigations. Curd samples easy listening tunes and plays them around in an even more moody atmosphere. No less then 48 short tracks in less then 40 minutes, some lasting just a few seconds, such track one, in which a car passes. Whereas some people would expand one of these tracks into a whole full length CD, Duca just presents them as an idea, a possibility that lasts 30 seconds, and off he is, moving to the next idea. You'll have to stick your CD to 'repeat' play if you want to listen a bit a longer. For the first time he uses a female voice in five pieces and it's a natural evolution. I can't imagine this been played in elevators as muzak, but it would well work in a designer living room environment at a party with good food and cocktails - well or just in my home. Very relaxed atmosphere in most instances, and some distractions that work as an excellent counterpoint. (FdW) Address: www.mille-plateaux.com VARIOUS - DECONSTRUCTING BECK (CD by Illegal Art) Seems to be some kind of a phenomenon, this Beck person. I don't really understand why but somehow he seems to inspire people. Yes, he does have an interesting beckground (sorry for trying to be funny), family, history and such. And yes, some of his ditties are quite addictive. But should that be reason enough to deconstruct his music? Oh well, let's forget about all that and accept a 'yes' to that question. What's on this CD anyway? A lot is on this CD and most of it certainly is worth listening to, too. Artists featured are (AO) Mr. Meridies, Steev Hise, Huk Don Phun, Jane Dowe, Evolution Control Committee, The International Bankers (RTMark?). Some of the works only refer to the original in a far and away fashion but all of them are damn good! Some of the compositions are quite literal quotations (cutting and pasting distant sentences together) others use rhythms and construct new compositions with these, others only hint at the original. I would really like to hear more from the artists featured on this CD. I hope that they don't need an artist like Beck to reach these heights. Web address: http://www.detritus.net/illegalart/ (IS) METAMATICS - MIDNIGHT SUN PIG (CD by Dot) METAMATICS AND CLATTERBOX - PROJECT UNISON (CD by Neo Ouija) Former Manucian Lee Norris is a busy father. When not working his own Neo Ouija label, he records music as Tone Language, Nacht Plank, Consumer Durable (with Kamal of Hem) and Metamatics. Formerly on Clear Records, now free to go whereever. Why not two CD's? One is strictly Metamatics, and one is a split CD with Clatterbox. The sound of the Metamatics is dance music of the more lighter and sunnier side of life. Nine lenghty tracks preceded by a lenghty intro track is what you get on the 'Midnight Summer Pig'. Each track clocks in at some 7 to 9 minutes and is nicely based around lush keyboard melodies, deep bass synth and samples that sauce things up. I am no dancer, but even if I was, I don't think this is particular dance floor oriented. It's just a taste too sweet or too small to be big on the floor. However in a summer party garden, zipping cocktails near the pool (I don't have a garden or pool), this would be the perfect soundtrack. Very sunny, very relaxed stuff. Clatterbox is one of those names I see somewhere but clueless where to place - but upon hearing this: in the areas of Metamatics. The eight cleverly paired tracks are a bit more - or should that be: even more - laidback then the tracks on 'Midnight Summer Pig'. More relaxed, more dub induced with a sleep walking bass and childlike melodies that form the sweetneess on the cake. There is no real difference between tracks by Metamatics or Clatterbox, thus forming a coherent couple. Address: no address on CD for Dot, but try the website below Address: www.neoouija.co.uk ETOY.COM - TOYWAR (CD by Etoy.com) The Etoy affaire has drawn quite a lot of attention during the past year. The small David from Switzerland fought the huge Goliath from the USA and won (of course, with such biblical references they couldn't go wrong). You can read about that battle on their website. A supportive CD has now been released with contributions (TOYWAR themes). These contributions to the TOYWAR.battlefield came from all over the world and can also be downloaded from the toywar.com website. The quality of contributions is remarkably good. All are inspired by the topic at hand: a small innocent creative group of people that is threatened by the evil representant of Capitalism. People like Us transform this situation into that of a little girl that keeps getting dirty proposals from creepy men. But the girl is constantly warned: "If someone touches you...". Others, like the Evolution Control Committee and Phantomschmertz construct rough and rude noise to express their feelings about the situation. But in general the contributions are much more subtle, maybe even intellectual. The cd will probably be deleted by now, but i suggest you visit the website and download the real audio files: http://www.toywar.com/soundtrack PIERRE TANGUAY - LA MUSIQUE DE MON DISQUE MIRKO SABATINI - MK.ORCHESTRIN:28+ALIENI (both CDs on Ambiances Magnetiques) Pierre Tanguay is ready for his first solo album. It is striking that several other musici ans of the Ambiances Magn‚tiques-collective also produce solo-albums in the last few years: Andre Duchesne, Joanne Hetu a.o. After playing many years in all kinds of groups there seems to come a moment you want to do your own thing all on your own. Pierre Tanguay played with some twenty established groups, such as Dangereux Zhoms, Castor et compagnie and Karen Young and is founder of Strada, Midi Tapant and Derome Tanguay Danse. Tanguay has produced five albums and collaborated closely on some fifty others, and has more than twenty compositions for dance and a number for theatre and film (Allan Booth, Imago and Roberto Ariganello) to his credit. His music shows the wide range of his experience in ancient and contemporary music, jazz, and music for dance, theatre and cinema. Born in Quebec City in 1957, he has devoted himself to music full-time since 1978. On 'la musique de mon disque' he makes here his solo statement, using percussion, selfmade and recylced objects and voice. The music on his new cd is best described as ambient-like and minimalist music. Music for imaginary rituals. Not at all the thing you expect from a drummer and percussionist who uses to play modern jazz and new music. So maybe it is no coincidence that Tanguay plays together with Jean Derome in a church somewhere in Groningen (Holland) on 2 september 2000. With the album by Mirko Sabatini we stay more close to what you might expect from a drummer who plays improvised music. Sabatini, born in Winterthur (Switzerland) in 1967, is a self-taught drummer who has been playing since 1984. In 1991 he also started to be interested in visual arts. He moved to Bologna (Italy) to work with professional musicians active on the scene of free improvisation music and he is a founder member of the association BASSESFERE. BASSESFERE promotes improvised music by organizing concerts, special events and radio programs. He plays the drums in several Italian groups. His hometown Bologna is also the city of the famous ANGELICA-festival, a yearly happening of improvised music. Sabatini played several times here and the festival was a good starting point for operating on a international level as well. In 1998 he moved to Montreal (Canada) to work for a year. It is here that Sabatini recorded his (first) solo album. 18 pieces for drums, motors, plates, springs and rubber bands recorded in 5 days at the beginning of 1999. The album is completely different from that of Tanguay. This is definitely more of improvised music: "Quite often things are born by chance, by a series of accidents that, although casual in their essence, are driven by an unconscious will and determiniation towards a more or less precise direction. That is how this solo project was born, and how it moves and behaves." Sabatini investigates the subtle interplay between improvisation and chance. Off interest for those who are into drums (DM). Address: www.actuellecd.com COIL - QUEENS OF THE CIRCULATING LIBRARY (CD by Eskaton) Packaged in a vivid neon pink C-shell case similar to those used in the Raster/Noton 20' to 2000 series, this is one of Coil's latest outpourings during what must be their busiest two years yet; an album tied in with a recent Julian Cope-curated live extravaganza in London. Happily, the frequency of the group's recent musics has not dulled their creative edge in the slightest. The contents of this disc fall somewhere within the same dense, stretched-electronic-toffee landscape as the Time Machines outing, although there is here the addition of barely audible DSPed voices and the scholarly resonance of Thighpaulsandra's mother intoning of her role as the eponymous keeper of the books, all this over a continuously evolving 50 minute drone-a-thon. In common with all of Coil's projects, hearing this disc makes it difficult to get away from perceiving a genuinely gripping magic at work in the folds of these sheets of sound. This is a stunning recording: simple yet enchanting and magisterial, eating away at you from the inside. One not to be missed. Address: www.worldserpent.com (BL) COMPILATION - LITTLE BRUTAL RAVE BASTARDS VOL.1 (LP by Dhyana Records) DEEP - DIVEDEEPUNDERWATER (10" by Dhyana Records) Maybe you remember the 7" by Bustmonster, doing an acid techno version of Whitehouse's 'You Don't Have To Say Please'? This 12" falls in similar categories. It makes fun of gabber, hardore industrial tech house, but is at the same time a serious blast. Especially the first track on the a-side reminded me of the very first, and very raw Unit Moebius records. Essential disco stuff here if you're out to ruin a good party. Whatever happened to Deep? Their previous split with Hygenica showed an interest in ambient-dub a la The Orb, but they are far away removed here. A rhythmbox brings up the beat, and guitars do the rest. Much more pop 'n noiserock - I even thought I was listening to raw Nirvana demo's. It moves away from the music I normally reviewed here. It's therefore hard for me to say anything at all about it. I don't think it's bad for what it is, but I think I preferred the old Deep better. (FdW) Address: 1. From: frank dommert sonig night & release party of vert's "köln konzert", london, saturday 17.06.2000 vert, live jan st.werner DJ frank dommert DJ London, Upstairs at the Garage 17. june 9pm - 3pm gbp 5,-, t. 020 7344 0044 sonig night & release party of vert's "köln konzert", brighton, sunday 18.06.2000 vert, live jan st.werner DJ frank dommert DJ brighton, UK, gbp 5,-, 6.30 pm, t. 01273 779411 * new address * Sonig Kleiner Griechenmarkt 28-30 50676 Cologne tel: +49.+221.2720971 fax: +49.+221.5107594 momsonig@a-musik.com 2. From: "Pablo Reche" friday june 16th , 20hs. Sónar 2000 15th, 16th and 17th of June 7th Barcelona International Festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Arts Barcelona , Spain 3. from: DJ 10-4 (ten-four@mcr1.poptel.org.uk) LSDJ Thursday 22 June & Friday 23 June The Temple of Convenience, Oxford Street, Manchester, England 8-11pm ... free entry DJ 10-4 mixes location recordings, improv, minimal dub techno, dronecore, experimental rock and many other things inrto two nights of beautiful imaginary travelogues at this very special and intimate venue 4. From: Rudi De Smet TWe speelt/joue/plays STAALPLAAT Zat./Sam./Sat. 17/06/00 19h30 Charlemagne Palestine (US) Concrete musical dinosaurus Stilluppsteypa (IS) Islandic trio bubble electronix with occasional bursts Musictourist (NL) No-father-figure presenting musical slides of his voyages. Anton Aeki (BE) Daily noise collectioneur with dangerous liasons with martiens( go home) TICKETS:300/400 Bfr. RESERVATIONS: tel:20347 16 86 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 - Fagelstraat 40 - 6524 CE Nijmegen - The Netherlands All written by Frans de Waard (FdW), The Square Root Of Sub (MP, ), Ching-Chong Jing-Jong (CP), Radboud Mens (RM), Sister Clika (RTH), BAraka[H] (BAR), Howard Stelzer (HS), Heimir Bjorgulfsson (HB), Dolf Mulder (DM), Meelkop Roel (MR), David Cotner (DC), Rene van Peer (RVP), Jos Smolders (IS), Brian Lavelle (BL) 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. Backissues may be found at: www.staalplaat.com and www.earlabs.org (this one includes a search engine) 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, ), Radboud Mens (RM), Sister Clika (RTH), BAraka[H] (BAR), Howard Stelzer (HS), Heimir Bjorgulfsson (HB), Dolf Mulder (DM), Meelkop Roel (MR), David Cotner (DC), Rene van Peer (RVP), Jos Smolders (IS), Brian Lavelle (BL, ), Gerald Schwartz (GS), Niels Mark Pedersen (NMP), Henry Schneider (SH) 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. Backissues may be found at: www.staalplaat.com and www.earlabs.org (this one includes a search engine)