Yes, on Saturday I have the pleasure of performing as part of the terrific line-up above.  I’ve no doubt the date has been circled in red in your diaries for some time but I thought it best to post a reminder just in case.  This unmissable gig, assembled by the tireless Dan Thomas of the peerless Sheepscar Light Industrial, has also been co-opted by Mark Wharton of Idwal Fisher as the end point of a Leeds-based pub crawl to celebrate his 50th Birthday.  You are all invited.

Full details of the gig here.

Facebook event page for the gig here.

Facebook event page for Mark’s debauchery here.

Huzzah!

22/06/2013: See thee there.

I will no doubt plug this again nearer the date but for those readers who have busy lives and, y’know, ‘keep diaries’ here’s a chance to get an unmissable gig scribbled on the kitchen calendar.

I have been tempted out of fatherhood-induced-semi-retirement by Dan of Sheepscar Light Industrial with the simple lure of a curry dinner and the prestige of playing with such a monumentally talented line-up.  My set will be the usual 20-25 minutes in length but will be entirely new, possibly based around tracks created for my upcoming release on We’re Gonna Get Fucking Drunk Tonight Boys, possibly featuring ‘field’ recordings of a snuffling infant.  Who knows?  All I can guarantee at this early stage is that by the night itself my performance will be finely honed, rigorously rehearsed and solid gold.

Anyway, add the fact that Uncle Mark Wharton of RFM’s sister blog Idwal Fisher has appropriated this as his birthday party and there is simply no reason not to come.  Over to Dan for the links, details and whatnot:

Sheepscar Light Industrial presents an evening of celebration, with things to watch and listen to. Featuring performances from;

Aqua Dentata | BBBlood | Hagman | Midwich | Petals | These Feathers Have Plumes

£4 | 7-11pm | Saturday 22nd June 2013 | Wharf Chambers, Leeds

Facebook Event Page

| Aqua Dentata |

As Aqua Dentata, Eddie Nuttall has been garnering some well deserved praise of late. Some great releases on Beartown Records, SLI & Feral Tapes, complimented by gigs where the audience “just shuts the fuck up and listens” (Rob Hayler), has meant that an invite back to Leeds was always on the cards. Expect to be consumed by sounds conjured from synths, tapes and bowed miscellany; shimmering, beautiful, throbbing and fizzing…

http://www.aquadentata.org/

soundcloud.com/aquadentata
Aqua Dentata live in Leeds, September 2012
SLI.008 – Aqua Dentata – A Staircase Missing

| BBBlood |

Paul Watson, aka BBBlood, is a maestro of noise. Predominantly operating at the harsher end of the spectrum, the depth and consideration in Paul’s approach will have warming to the embrace of even his harshest roar. Following on from a stand-out performance at Pete Cann’s excellent Crater Lake Festival, I’m delighted it won’t be too long until he’s back up in Leeds…

BBBlood
soundcloud.com/bbblood
BBBlood live in Leeds, September 2012
SLI.010 – BBBlood – N 51°33′ 0” / W 0°7′ 0”

| Hagman |

Daniel & David Thomas (no relation) are two men with lots of wire. The wire connects pedals, short-wave radios, oscillators, drum machines, synths and home-made Tupperware-tronics. Debut album on Striate Cortex coming in the Spring. “Hagman drift sublimely along a path of beautifully nuanced drone” (Idwal Fisher).

soundcloud.com/hagmanhagmanhagman
Hagman live in Leeds, November 2012
SLI.005 – Hagman – Wormwood

| Midwich |

Midwich is Rob Hayler: head honcho of Fencing Flatworm Recordings and Radio Free Midwich‘s longest serving blog-jockey. Having (only very) recently entered fatherhood (congratulations!), Rob is claiming to have re-entered semi-retirement but, after the cracking live sets of the last twelve months and new releases on Kirkstall Dark Matter and We’re Gonna Get Fucking Drunk Tonight Boys (the latter coming soon!), I can only imagine that he’ll be itching to return. Augmented field recordings, deep electronic drone, head-banging.

Radio Free Midwich
Midwich – Single Figures (live in Leeds, January 2013)
SLI.006 – Midwich – Eaves

| Petals |

Petals. Kevin Sanders. Hairdryer Excommunication. Former Sheepscar neighbour. Nice, shiny shoes. Library operative. Prolific, ebullient, drone-charmer. Deep, warm, crispy, electro-fuzz. Super!

Hairdryer Excommunication
Petals live in Sheffield, February 2013
SLI.009 – Petals – Whether to Drown

| These Feathers Have Plumes |

I’ve been attempting to get Andie Brown, who performs as These Feathers Have Plumes, to record something for SLI or play in Leeds since the label began to function. Hence, it goes without saying how pleased I am that she’s joined the line up for this gig. Look forward to deep, textured drones, with contact mic accompaniment and occasional field recording forays. Oh, and wine glasses.

These Feathers Have Plumes
soundcloud.com/thesefeathers
These Feathers Have Plumes live in Nottingham, March 2012
SLI.0?? – These Feathers Have Plumes – ???

Oh, and here’s the usual bumpf about Wharf Chambers:

Wharf Chambers is a members’ club; you need to be a member, or the guest of a member, in order to attend. To join, please visit wharfchambers.org. Membership costs £1 and requires a minimum of 48 hours to take effect.

Awesome.  See you there.

*Sigh*, the things you do (or don’t do) for love, eh?  Despite this unmissable line-up performing in my own home-town there was no way I could attend as it had been carelessly scheduled for the very day my lovely wife gave birth to our son Thomas.  Luckily, cub reporter and Leeds-based noise-tigger Pascal Ansell was there with his pad and pen, enthusiastically licking his nib and writing down his astute observations.  He’ll take it from here.

—ooOoo—

Although this wee review arrives long after we’d all packed our noisy bags and returned to our devoted wives and husbands and microwaves, the day was so special and important that a merry round-up was felt to be in order.

The fest was a spectacular effort from Crater Lake Sounds label chap Pete Cann to celebrate his 21^st birthday, and saw some of the strongest noise acts in the UK perform, including the first UK gig from Marlo Eggplant. [Thanks to Pete also for the help editing this as well as retrieving details about the acts.] Some of us were so eager that we arrived so early that Wharf Chambers wasn’t even open. The Duck & Drake kept us warm and I spilled Paul Watson’s (A.K.A. BBBlood) beer while enthusiastically hugging him. I also had the pleasure of wandering around Leeds Market with Darren Wyngarde and Andy Jarvis. Darren was a little apprehensive about spending a whole day listening to challenging music. He insisted that he didn’t even like noise, or any other music, with the words: ‘If it ain’t Rockabilly, I ain’t interested.’ The ears are prone to wear after a handful of noise acts, but the line-up held my attention throughout. I was giddily happy for the entirety of the day’s performances, all of whom played on time!

I’m amused by the idea of a noise super-group, but Leeds’ Carcinogenic Hooligans isn’t far off from being one. Consisting of Kieron Piercy (Spoils and Relics), Pete Cann (Half an Abortion) and Paul Walsh (Foldhead), they riotously commenced the proceedings in twenty minutes of anti-grandiose cacophony. Each held a violin and faced the monitors, committing the instruments to a rattling, clattering, shrieking interrogation, topped off with an overdriven recording of melodramatic violin playing.

Undoubtedly the best performance of the event was mine, and under the name Panelak I played with Brighton’s grizzly tape glooper Duncan Harrison. While simultaneously indulging the audience in some excellent Elvis poses, Duncan played with tapes and emitted vocal gunk with the aid of a poem. I chewed up and sucked apples, while squeaking about with a tiny travel weevil synth and introducing my microcassette player to a guitar’s pickups. Duncan cordially signalled his hope of ending the set by pushing his table into me. I pushed back and engaged in a reverse tug of war, ending with all our equipment crashing to the floor.

Hovering eagerly with a hefty film camera was Jussi Mankkinen, filming and interviewing the festival for Finnish TV – you can watch it here, 11 mins in. He interviewed me and Duncan afterwards in the corridor of the toilet – classy! Having drunkenly discussed ‘the noise scene(s)’ with Duncan the night before, we were delighted to be asked about it. This was welcome after the initial question, ‘What did your performance mean?’ which left me bumbling incoherently and apologising for not being able to respond. After he clicked the ‘off’ button the Finnish bloke proceeded to supply me with a list of great Finnish noise artists. Lovely man.

The masked duo of Darren and Andy provided a reliably great set as Vile Plumage; a minimal set of mixer feedback poppings and metal clanging. It wouldn’t be the complete Plumage experience without them holding up the mixers and posing for a very long period, like underwater rock-stars. It seemed to be the opposite of Carcinogenic Hooligan’s anti-posturing, itself a kind of bravado. Their combination of sludgy noise and submerged cock-rock posing was uncannily thrilling. I don’t know of anyone but Darren who can suspend grandiosity and make it so gripping.

Megadirt is, if I’m not mistaken, the ‘abject guitar’ project of Tim Drage, A.K.A. Cementimental and too many other more sporadic noisy units to mention. This was the only set that didn’t in some way set me alight, but contained some enjoyable experiments on two ultra-distorted guitars, both standard size and miniature. Following this, Skitter & Ewan Stefani provided a much needed soundscape break. The two Stefani brothers had a minimal set up, with Liam on a four-track cassette player and Ewan using the Granulab program, which I’ve since discovered to be a free and very simple method of granular synthesis. Although rather delay-heavy, their set ebbed and flowed memorably, all glittery and captivating. Incidentally Ewan had taught me a electroacoustic music composition when I studied at Leeds (plug alert: we continue to play together there as Memorable Creatures) and I was reminded of a touching thing he said about fiddling with radios ever since he was a little boy.

A great example of an absurd noise act that transcends the aesthetic of being merely ‘silly’, Bongoleeros greeted Wharf Chambers for the second triumphant time. One of their more prominent mischievous tactics is to scream popular ‘60s tunes, interrupted with heavy bashings from a baking tray and tins. Previously the bizarrely costumed duo played in the bar section, confusing a whole load of innocent drinkers. Darren isn’t a fan of playing proper ‘venues’. Perhaps this explains the focus that constantly changes, both wandering through the crowd with Darren intermittently rocking and shaking on the floor. But this time round I sensed there was almost too much hilarity. I kept trying not to get swept away with laughter. Both are amazing performers but I felt that the (admittedly wonderful, unique, bizarre) amusement masked the strangely unique Bongoleeros experience, and the bewilderingly enjoyable presence of Darren screaming into your earhole. One audience member got well and truly naked, and others nearly followed suit, smashing sticks and baking trays in time – a truly communal and ritualistic affair.

Can’t find any info on Dancing Test Tubes but I guess they are one of the many bands that Phil Todd and Joincey play in. Phil screamed indecipherably from a page of text, feeding it through an insane swirling delay to which Joincey (drums) and a guitarist (Marky Loo Loo of synth pop duo Subs) intermittently blasted through. This was their first time playing under that moniker together for near 20 years. [Pete: Thanks for the editing help!]

Up until Yol & Lovely Honkey’s set, I’d had trouble getting into the former’s releases. On record Yol emits a steady stream of fevered yells, joined with ambient noises like metal pipes, tables and chairs. But I learned before the set that he had a background in hardcore and for some reason this seemed ‘ease me in’ and lend it some context. His set with Lovely Honkey (Sheffield’s Luke Poot) was one of the festival’s highlights. There was something fantastically consistent – the sounds weren’t exceptionally varied, but they stuck true to a sonic path. Yol had cellotaped a contact mic to a chair while straddling metal objects to bash. Luke was arrayed with tape junk and was squelching into cassette players. I don’t know anyone else who can make such an unnerving but thrilling noises with their mouth.

From outside, the very bricks of Wharf Chambers reverberate invitingly after I went for a breather. A View From Nihil (solo project of Andrew McQuaid) served up an impeccable set of punishing slow burn noise and dense rumbling, with a complexity that made it more than ‘mere’ drone. A creeping subbass was subtly harmonised, all fed through one monolithic sonic crunch. This is exactly the kind of performance that Wharf Chambers is great at hosting; direct line-in harsh noise, as with the Early Hominids performances last year. I was impressed to see Andrew take a real step back from getting over-involved in fiddling with his laptop, instead spending minutes staring to his side and seeming to take the audience’s position. He told me afterwards it took him months to prepare the set properly, which in fact consisted of one guitar synth note processed through phasers and various other effects I can’t remember. Apparently this was to be his last ever performance – I’d be gutted if so – but it was a quite a way to go out.

On the floor and surrounded by pedals and punters, Johannah Henderson A.K.A. Amniotic explored growth and birth through sound. Two contact mics were strapped to her throat with a dog collar, a nice trick to free up her hands for guitar and mixer twiddling. The layering was exceptionally good, with every part of the aural spectrum coated in a tangible and deeply warm eeriness. I felt instantly drawn into a strange, warbling cocoon which swelled and contracted. The image of peristalsis kept coming up, a word I read that morning: the involuntary constriction and relaxation of muscles in the oesophagus and intestines. Revolting yet compelling.

Almost all the acts played in the crowd during the festival. This is a bit of a given at noise gigs though. Obvious points about inclusion and humility could follow but the extent of crowd involvement for BBBlood’s set was insane. Paul Watson was enclosed by a fence of enthusiastic punters. Throughout his set of impeccably executed harsh noise, Paul had his back slapped, shoulders barged and hips tickled. His equipment was far from the usual pedal junk – all looked expensive and sleek, spread tidily on the table. It was a brilliantly focused tour round patches of thick disturbance and magnificent samples, some of what I guess were strange metal clangings and moody motorway noise. Paul informed me he originally had a more restrained set planned out but “the crowd wanted blood”. I couldn’t disagree.

Baltimore’s Marlo Eggplant continued in the harsh noise vein, stretching out the possibilities of the killer combination of autoharp and contact mic. The potential was vast, and Marlo kept it raw and not too fiddly, creating expansive and swirling textures fed through tastefully applied reverb and delay. Marlo was the best example of what each performer had nailed at the festival. Like the other acts, she knew her equipment thoroughly, and there were no excess pedals to cloud her set with indecision or to disguise a lack of ideas. The sheer skill of every performer was met with each turning up with a clear enough plan, or at least the right amount of equipment, with nothing superfluous.

The gig could have ended hours ago and I’ve left perfectly content, but Ceramic Hobs were the cherry on the cherry on the cherry on the cake. They began their set with a terrific cover of ‘Paranoid’, and steamed through a roster of their own classics, including several already anthemic tracks from their upcoming LP on Must Die Records. It was a typically riotous affair with plenty of noise washing between songs and some heroic guitar freak-outs, with one of the three guitarists wearing the Bongoleeros’ broken bucket like a true champ. The more conventional (relatively speaking of course) rock set-up provided welcome relief to a largely electronics-based roster of artists.

A massive thanks to Pete for putting this on.

—ooOoo—

…and thank you to Pascal for his account of the day.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the second annual Zellaby Awards, presented in association with Radio Free Midwich and hosted, via satellite link-up, from the quarantine ward at Midwich Mansions.

And what a year, eh?  From watching Mel O’Dubhslaine reinventing music in Kieron Piercy’s basement through to laughing out loud on the bus as I listened to BBBlood’s breaking glass tape, the year in music has been remarkable.

Whilst the emphasis in these awards is on bloggable recorded music, the live performances I saw in 2012 could warrant a whole other sack of prizes – such was the astounding quality on offer.  Congratulations to the venues and promoters of my fair city of Leeds for making them happen.  Truly there is a renaissance at hand and anyone with a fiver who lives within commutable distance of Wharf Chambers can come and see it.

On a personal level, this has been my most satisfying and successful year in music since I first leant my elbow on a keyboard.  I was delighted and humbled by the reception that met my return as midwich both as a live act and over a series of well-received (and largely sold-out) releases.  The reanimation of Truant has proved most entertaining too.  I’ve been careful to watch and learn from my betters and may finally, after twelve years on and off, be getting somewhere with this drone business…

OK, enuff with the vague preamble!  It’s time to carve the turkey and dish out some meat!

—ooOoo—

Almost.  First, some methodological asides:

One: the music mentioned below may not have been released in 2012, although most of it was.  To qualify it just had to be heard by me for the first time in the calendar year 2012.

Two: I have taken the editorial decision to exclude releases that I feature on.  Modesty is not a virtue I can be accused of but awarding myself prizes is a bit much even for me.  This led to an interesting conundrum when making the big decision in the final category…

Three: there are the same five award categories as last time.  Should an artist win big in one of them they may appear overlooked in others.  This is deliberately done in the interests of plugging as much as excellence as possible.  No-one should get the hump as I love all my children just the same.

—ooOoo—

Now if you’d kindly take your seat, the ceremony is finally about to begin…

5.  The “I’d never heard of you 10 minutes ago but now desperately need your whole back catalogue” New-to-RFM Award goes to…

Aqua Dentata

(with special mentions for BBBlood and Spoils and Relics.)

A lot of brusque, hard-bitten and jaded noise types have found themselves swooning like 12 year old Justin Bieber fans over the work of Eddie Nuttall this year.  His small but perfectly formed back catalogue has the fascinating, alien charm of a pea-green lizard, eyeballing you from behind the glass of a reinforced aquarium.  In an age of excess, the austere control he exercises over his minimal music is as refreshing as snow.  You should have seen me elbow grandma out of the way to get hold of his latest.  Big things still to come, I hope.

4.  The “Astral Social Club” Award, given for maintaining quality control over a huge body of work making it impossible to pick individual releases in an end of year round up goes to…

Petals

(with honourable credit afforded to Lee Stokoe and Darren Wyngarde.)

The work of Kevin Sanders sounds like nothing but itself.  Sure, a less conscientious commentator could categorize it as ‘drone’ or ‘noise’, even ‘improv’ in places, but these are just reference points that Kev politely nods to on his way past to somewhere else.  Each dispatch from his own label, hairdryer excommunication, or guest appearance elsewhere, is another segment of alternative cartography, another section of the map he is constructing that overlays the everyday, revealing previously hidden connections, secret tunnels.  This is why it is impossible to pick out individual releases for special comment but why every little bit is essential.

3.  The Special Contribution to Radio Free Midwich Award goes to…

Daniel Thomas

(also in the frame being Joe Posset and Miguel Perez.)

My burgeoning bromance with Daniel Thomas (who I knew previously by his given name) has been the talk of the no-audience underground in 2012.  Our friendship has spurred me on in my creative endeavour and has led to an overhaul in the way I think about midwich and the place of this blog in the big/small scheme of things.  The immediate success of his label Sheepscar Light Industrial was due to a carefully thought through ‘business model’ that has breathed new life into the ‘micro-label’ format.  I’ve been sorely tempted back in that direction as a result – he makes it look so effortless (lolz etc.).  The chap is a force for the good and well deserves this public pat on the back.

Likewise Joe and Miguel whose infectious enthusiasm has been great for morale all through 2012.  An email from either is always a soul-lifting treat.  Special thanks to Joe for actually contributing to RFM in the most practical way: 3,000 words of terrific reviews.  His whole end of year account can now be read (in six parts, it totals 32,000 words!) here.

2.  The Label of the Year Award goes to…

Striate Cortex

(with Sheepscar Light Industrial manfully accepting silver.)

For the second year running.  I needn’t go on at great length: Andy Robinson’s vision, integrity and hard work led to a world-enhancing series of releases.  A package from him is always a drop-everything-else cause for celebration.  He also released the undisputed album of the year in the Victorian Electronics box – a four CD set, exquisitely packaged with astounding care and attention to detail – featuring four artists at the height of their powers.  It led to a celebratory gig at Wharf Chambers which is generally held to be one of the highlights of the musical year and the edition sold out in a couple of days.  I hope that it will be reissued in some form some day but in the meantime it remains a perfect historical document.  So how come I’m talking about it here?  Well, one of the featured artists is midwich so it is disqualified from the big prize.  Tough, I know, but thems the rules.  Hopefully being the only two-time winner will soften the blow for Andy.  Congratulations, man.

1.  The Album of the Year Award

There is so much to choose from this year that it is almost embarrassing.  First, in no particular order, are those that would have been in the top twenty if it wasn’t for the brutal fact that a top ten is much more dramatically satisfying…

• Astral Social Club – ASC #23
• Ashtray Navigations – Three Spots Two Circles
• Hobo Sonn – Synthetic Preserves
• Fordell Research Unit – The True Meaning of Red
• The Popular Radiation CD-r series
• A Brief History of Joined By Wire
• Star Turbine – Equilibrium
• Posset – Correct Come
• Ap Martlet – Pyrite

All terrific stuff, click on each to read my thoughts at length and for contact/buying details.

Now on with the top ten, in reverse order of course:

10. castratoattackgroupetaikeshiki

The adrenal rush of these punk vignettes is as focussed as toothache and as effective as a blow-dart to the neck (Etai Keshiki)

…and…

It is a life-affirming, nostrils flaring, magnificent wig-out … There are no lulls, no tricksy passages of noodling, no lumpy transitions.  This is, ironically given the name of the band, completely balls out from beginning to end (Castrato Attack Group).

9. BBBlood / Half an Abortion

It is, as you’d expect from these two, artfully constructed, nuanced and textured as well being totally balls-out gonzo in places.  Clinking-plinking-tinkling, smashing, grinding, crunching, squeaking, that kind of ‘pouring sharps’ noise as the pieces settle – like the apocryphal Eskimo having 40 words for snow, a specialist vocabulary is needed to describe the effects these chaps pull from their single sound source…

8. The Skull Mask – Sahomerio

This is heroic stuff, recorded simply and cheaply with a red-raw honesty … Miguel was amused to see this described as ‘bluesy’ in Vital Weekly but during Part Three, the epic nine minute centrepiece, it isn’t hard to imagine him standing at the crossroads, his loose-fingered raga whipping the desert dust into strange, dancing anthropomorphic shapes.  The pieces either side illustrate the expressive power of Miguel’s technique: sore-eyed from the campfire or crackling and mysterious or solemn and contemplative.

7. Daniel Thomas – Delighted in Isolation

Leaving dinosaur-related whimsy aside let me lean across the table, look you in the eye and conclude thus: Delighted in Isolation is an accomplished and deeply satisfying set.  The impressive technical savvy with which it is composed and compiled is never an end in itself but instead always serves the flow.  There are stand-out tracks – I’ve listened to that final section god knows how many times – but more importantly there is a coherence, a unifying aesthetic, throughout which allows for a sophisticated emotional response from the listener.  Dan is a storyteller.

6. Michael Clough – Atem Tanz

A gloriously super-minimal analogue throb.  When listened to at the appropriate volume, that is: so loud as to be consciousness threatening, it sounds like the sewing machine that God used when she was stitching up creation.  Fucking amazing.

5. Space Victim – Psychotropic Mind Murder

Passages of this album are properly fried.  The psychonauts amongst you may be reminded of the ‘chameleon’ stage of an acid trip: peaking like crazy, your senses fizzing like sherbet fireworks, your skin rippling and morphing to mimic your surroundings, your eyes bulging and swivelling independently of each other.  Or so I hear.  I wouldn’t know, of course.

4. Mel O’Dubhslaine – I Can Remember the Faces of All the Grebs at My School

Absolutely extraordinary, nothing like anything else I’ve ever been sent.  Thirteen tiny tracks, each properly titled, of spiky, squirming surrealism played on bizarre cross-pollinated hybrid instruments.  …Grebs… is a unified collection expressing something wonderfully unfathomable.

3. Aqua Dentata – March Hare, Kraken Mare

This is precise, slow-moving, crisply defined and unafraid of periods of silence.  It has an attention diverting flow and an interestingly oblique rhythm.  The rise and fall is like the breathing of a quarantined astronaut, infected by some spaceborne virus which is now busy reconfiguring his DNA.

The other-worldliness is especially evident on the short second track when what sounds like a recorder is used as an unplugged analogue for the pulls and throbs of electronic feedback.  The first and final tracks employ the near perfect length and despite being created with, y’know, instruments and that, have an unmistakeably ‘Lilithian’ xenobiological vibe.  I trust that by now I have established this is a very, very good thing indeed.

2. Cathal Rodgers – Thirty-Nine Years Of Decay

Thirty-Nine Years Of Decay is artfully constructed, beautifully evocative and emotionally harmonious.  It is melancholy without being maudlin or sentimental, gruffly realistic without being unkind or gratuitous.  It is the sound of someone trying to process difficult notions about time, about aging, about mortality and taking seriously the enormity of the challenge.  For the record: I am talking about layers of pedal-loop throbbing, scything guitar and/or synth drones, high tension metallic pulses all beautifully recorded and elegantly balanced.  A point is being made eloquently and convincingly.

…and drum roll please as the golden envelope is opened… Ladies and gentlemen, the Zellaby Award for album of the year 2012 goes to:

1. NECK VS. THROAT

Forgive me quoting myself at such length but the story is a good one…

Earlier this year me and Miguel Pérez, RFM’s correspondent of the Americas, produced a split CD-r: Miguel in his psychedelic raga guise as The Skull Mask, I contributed a throb-heavy Midwich track.  Fifty copies were manufactured and offered to friends and to those willing to trade or brave enough to express an interest.  One of those who kindly responded was Yol – see below for my thoughts on his art – who sent a copy of PUSHTOSHOVE in return.  I was mighty impressed and threw some mp3s of it across the Atlantic to Miguel who found himself just as appreciative.  Those two got in touch with each other.

Soon files were being swapped and neighbours unnerved.  The work was fashioned into shape with machine tools, willpower and spit and now the results of this experiment in transatlantic improv can be revealed.  It’s a fucking triumph.

To be specific: what we have is a five track, 32 minute CD-r, packaged in another example of Yol’s winningly stark graphic style.  Two of the pieces are Miguel improvising over material provided by Yol, the other three vice versa.  I think the difference between the two sets of tracks is marked and interesting.  One is furious, claustrophobic, the other has more air to it, a little more room in it to pace nervously up and down.  I’m not going to tell you which are which, though, as I think it might be fun to try and work it out for yourself.

Yol’s contribution is aptly described as ‘Throat Attack & Smashing of Objects’ on the back of the CD-r.  His vocalisations range from the almost conversational to horrifying bellowing to teeth-clenched, spittle-flecked groaning.  It is remarkable – unlike anything else I’ve been sent.  His utter commitment to the physicality of the performance is awesome.  Scraping, crashing, the dropping of metal objects augment and divide the stuttering tirade, like punctuation.

Miguel’s part is described as ‘Guitar Neck, Hair Sticks & String Damage’ and his style here is similar to that on recent recordings released under his own name.  No effects, no overdubs, rarely even sustain, hard picked, unforgiving in its discipline yet nuanced, subtle and compelling.  There is no ornament to it because none is needed.

The collaboration is a success, meaning the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  Miguel underscores the rhythms and cadence of Yol’s glossolalia.  Yol’s furious delivery both bounces off of and is contained by Miguel’s guitar, like the steel ball bearing on a pinball table.

…and there we have it.  Another magnificent year.

The Award Ceremony

Well, given that Yol is in Hull and Miguel is on the other side of the world in Mexico I quickly gave up on the logistics of actually handing over a prize.  Instead of a voucher (as won by Ashtray Navigations last year) I will be putting an equivalent amount of money behind the release of the second Neck Vs. Throat album in the New Year.  Yes, I’m getting my hands dirty with this one.  Is it the return of fencing flatworm recordings?  Watch this space!

Right, everything that isn’t music to be summarised in part two…

J Lexso / Half an Abortion (C20, TNR Tapes, edition of 40)

Inverted Nepal – Unverted (C40, Waterpower, WP030, edition of 50)

For a bloke who sometimes gives the impression that he’d shatter into pieces if you tapped his elbow with a toffee hammer, Pete Cann is proving remarkably robust.  Don’t be fooled by his slight, angular frame or his self-deprecating manner – he’s been getting stuff done.

Pete has had – by our terms – a busy and successful 2012.  He organised one of my favourite gigs of the year, played live solo under the charming moniker Half an Abortion, as half of the ‘May to December’ noise duo Inverted Nepal with Paul Walsh (of foldhead and early hominids) and as one of the trio Carcinogenic Hooligans which is him, Paul and Kieron Piercy (of Spoils and Relics) amongst other projects.  He started his own tape label, Crater Lake Sound, and used it to release his own second album – praised here.  Various splits and collaborations have also started to appear on micro-labels world-wide.   Allow me to call your attention to a few.

Unverted by Inverted Nepal (I know, I know – that name), released by American label Waterpower is 40 minutes of what I believe is referred to as ‘harsh noise wall’ (EDIT: this is a joke, as I hoped the sentence following describing textures and movement would make clear.  No need for any more ‘clarifying’ emails or forum posts, thanks.  I know that ‘HNW’ is a term of abuse for any guy whose noise is more boring than yours.  Ha!  Joke again!). You get toaster-in-the-bath crackle, gravel truck speeding down pot-holed dirt track, bent circuits howling as their solder melts and palsied gabba shudder and you get it all at once in a series of overlapping crescendos.  If you dig this kind of thing you should really get hold of it.  I find it joyful, hilarious, cathartic. If you aren’t sure then I reckon this could convert the undecided.  Give it a blast.

The J Lexso / Half an Abortion split, released in an edition of 40 by Triangle and Rhino offshoot TNR Tapes, is a C20 that comes in a cute fold out brown cardboard sleeve, hand-printed with minimal details.  Smart little object.  The J Lexso side is, y’know, perfectly fine if a little polite but I’m afraid that Pete’s track, ‘That’s The One That Often Comes To Mind’, wipes the floor with it.  It has a greased up, spinning blades velocity that is well cool.  Next time you walk past one of those little shops that cut keys and repair shoes stick your head around the door and take a deep sniff.  Now imagine converting that smell – hot glue, leather, grime, metal filings, melted plastic – into a ten minute long noise track.  That is what Pete has created here.

And now the best, saved until last.  The BBBlood / Half an Abortion split, self released by the pair of them in an edition of 100, is a magnificent half hour that may be the best ‘hard’ noise release I’ve heard this year.  Both tracks are composed entirely from glass – yeah, think on that for a second – but this is not just a trip to the bottle bank (although Pete’s side does feature such recordings – his younger brother can be heard gleefully enjoying that officially sanctioned destruction).  The dedication of Paul’s track to ‘Lowe and Lanz’ gives you some idea of the context this slots into and the tradition of warped humour and physical performance that it is part of.

It is, as you’d expect from these two, artfully constructed, nuanced and textured as well being totally balls-out gonzo in places.  Clinking-plinking-tinkling, smashing, grinding, crunching, squeaking, that kind of ‘pouring sharps’ noise as the pieces settle – like the apocryphal Eskimo having 40 words for snow, a specialist vocabulary is needed to describe the effects these chaps pull from their single sound source.  They play with the psychological implications of breaking glass too: veering from the amusing (as when someone drops a pint glass in a pub) to the unnerving (a quiet cracking downstairs in the middle of the night).  Eerie little rhythms are created by looping clinks, white noise roars by layered scrunching.  As with the BBBlood disc on SLI the artifice is occasionally foregrounded such that you can’t mistake it for bare field recordings and have to approach it as ‘music’ or ‘performance’.  Thus figuring out the choices these two have made draws you further and further in with each rewind.  Fascinating, funny and, depending on your mood, troubling or weirdly soothing.  A fucking triumph.

See the BBBlood blog for purchasing details, or contact Pete directly via pete_cann@hotmail.co.uk.  Make sure you do.

Core of the Coalman – 12 Lines (3″ CD-r, edition of 50 and download, Sheepscar Light Industrial, SLI.011)

Ap Martlet – Pyrite (3″ CD-r, edition of 50 and download, Sheepscar Light Industrial, SLI.012)

12 Lines:

to say that something is this and/or not that, while sleeping

Sheepscar Light Industrial from Leeds, UK, has been quite busy recently organizing concerts and releasing recordings in  what seems to be a nonstop wave of mu

3 new releases they have on offer, including one by me, as well as a few items from their back catalog

details from the label:

I am told these recordings may actually have all sold out by the time I manage to post this, so that is interesting.

incidentally, the bastard cousin of 12 lines, that is, 10 lines, will be released soon on Idiosyncratics Records in the larger Brussels, Gent, Liege continuum.  More details on that later.

 set theory as a model of the basis of metaphor-building by which it is possible to function consciously within the world

“No one shall expel us from the Paradise that Cantor has created.”David Hilbert, of Hilbert Space(s)

Stuart Arnot and Susan Fitzpatrik have released a cassette tape of my music on their recording label called Total Vermin. The tape is called Stain.  I like this one very much.  I am not sure it is for everybody, but if it is for you, you will probably realize that pretty quickly.  I would like it to be for you.  In that way we could make a case for a shared parsing of reality.  shared set theory = true love.

every one of these covers came out differently (thanks, Sue) and from what I understand, they are partially inspired by the Book of Kells

Continuing to speak of true love, and groupings, I have to say that the entire batch of cassettes they have released, such as The True Meaning of Red, by the Fordell Research Unit here represent the intersection of those ideas.  and where, really, could the beauty and potential for all of us as human beings be better expressed than in The Presidential Cow is Bound to the Maypole, by Acrid Lactations, or in the generosity and sharing so ubiquitous across the landscape that is Lovely Honkey, as he Sets Sail for the Moral Highground?

Even the discerning, critical ears which have been focused towards these manifestations delight in what they here apprehend.

should you remain curious please stay tuned (though not tempered) for more upcoming releases by Jorge Boehringer/Core of the Coalman including a disk of Viola Solos that should come out on the Karl Schmidt Verlag, Hanover and a disk of String Quartets and Tape Guts to be eventually revealed by Chocolate Monk

Just looking at the artists on Skin Irritant would tell you that you’re in for a good listening experience, but the j-card featuring pictures of all of the skin conditions featured on this compilation is also a plus. The packaging done by Deaf Culture Music for this C60 is excellent, and I just wanted to point that out because a lot of the time the j-cards in tapes are general, with info only. Artists featured on this cassette are Griz+zlor, Pregnant Spore, Tinnitusstimulus, Sleep of Ages, Mccord, BBBlood, Boar, Axemrangers, and Apophallation.

First on side A is BBBlood. “Anacardiaceae” starts with some whines, scratches, and pops that seem like field recordings before heading into a blast of static harsh noise, complete with the same throbbing bass line heard in the field recording that kind of sounds like the hum of a lawn mower. Good texturing from the Baron, and I hadn’t realized that BBBlood had strayed so far into the wall territory; from earlier releases I’ve heard from him, he was experimenting in sound samples and minimal harsh noise. Boar is next with “Staff Infection,” something I can relate to because I’ve had more than my fair share of staph infections. Ambient drone sounds and vibrating thuds begin the track before mid-level static takes over; this is paired with some feedback lines and some surging bass, although none of what Boar does on here stays in one area for long. The judder of the static is quite alluring.

Pregnant Spore’s got a looping bit of fuzz on “Psoriasis,” with a bassy static tone repeating on and off, sometimes finishing its progression, sometimes interrupted, always forming a beat of punctuation. Behind it is an annoying squealing that shudders and jolts, sometimes along with the static, sometimes not. This is an interesting track, although certainly not the best on Skin Irritant. Griz+zlor ends side A with “Severe Destructive Necrotic Lesions”, featuring excellent texturing as always from the HNW artist. There’s a drone of bass underneath some tinny-sounding static, and the interplay is fantastic; they judder together in a loop at times before Griz+zlor varies the sound slightly.

Tinnitustimulus opens side B with a great track of frolicking static on “Hot Oil Burns”. It starts out minimal with a nice rumble while small licks and crackles pepper the soundscape; then, it slowly ramps up with short bursts of enveloping static like Velcro being ripped apart. Sleep of Ages’ “Urticaria Hives” is less like a wall than a very droning outburst, with a nice stuttering texture in the back with a lot of front-end feedback and a few small changes in the background. Axemrangers gives us “Tactile Sensory Disorder,” which is a flowing track of minimal noise bursts, drones, a wavering texture, and some muffled vocals. Apophallation and Mccord finish things off – Mccord I’ve never heard of, and on Discogs the project is only featured on two compilations. Apophallation throws us some crunchy harsh noise wall, standard but with some good texture changes throughout. Mccord gives an excellent, rough wall of bass and ambient textures with “Creeping Eruption.”

In this long-winded review, I hope I’ve given you enough reasons to check out this compilation. There are some fantastic moving walls on this C60 from the best artists in the genre, and to pass it up would be unreasonable.

An awesome gig is about to occur here in the beautiful garden city of Leeds.  My advice is: attend.  Apologies for the short notice but it has been widely publicised elsewhere and I’m sure you can rearrange whatever less important thing you had planned…

The incredible line up includes some RFM blog faves and some terrific acts that are, to my shame, new to me.  For a full account of the fun ahead see either the Sheepscar Light Industrial blog or the Crow Versus Crow blog both of which have write-ups and copious links.  See also my views on BBBlood, possibly the best of the new physical-noisers I’ve had the pleasure of encountering, here, here and here.  See also also my review in which the Aqua Dentata album is compared favourably to the best record ever made.

Andy of CvC and Dan of SLI deserve your support for pulling this one out of the bag.  I will definitely be there myself so do say ‘hello’ whether or not we’ve already made acquaintance.  The social side of this event will be good too, I’m sure.  And think of the mouth-watering merch table!  Bring money!

Oh yeah: don’t forget to read/act on that bit about Wharf Chambers membership - it is very easy to sort out and helps them enormously.

Right then - see y’all next Saturday, comrades…

= POWER ELECTRONICS / NOISE / EXPERIMENTAL / INDUSTRIAL /
GLITCH / DARK AMBIENT / RITUAL / SOUND ART =

*limited edition #200 copies / CDx02 / handmade booklet containing each piece of artwork chosen. 20 Aktions in total.
£10.00 [GBP].

…Sound Art Aktion. A compilation based on the original idea of UK art/media project; INHIBITION.
Each band was asked to choose one image by the artist of their choice, and create a sound reflection of the image…

AKTION #01

01. GX JUPITTER-LARSEN – Che Guevara [Korda]
02. TORTURING NURSE – Sound for Hijokaidan [Hijokaidan]
03. KYLIE MINOISE – Research Animal [William Burroughs]
04. CHAV STABBER – Blue Poles [Jackson Pollock]
05. BABIES WITH SWASTICAS – Heterosexuality is a disease [Peter Sotos]
06. BAGMAN – Fondues Enchainees [Pauline Barnet]
07. VULGAR DISEASE – Sexual Activity At The Theater [Hermann Nitsch]
08. ARNAU SALA – Viure Per Punxar (I No Punxar Per Viure) [Orsini]
09. FILTHY TURD – Utility Living (Utility Kitchen) [Artist Unknown]
10. INHIBITION – Love Bite [Laurie Lipton]

AKTION #02

01. BBBLOOD – David with the Head of Goliath 1609f [Caravaggio]
02. FECALOVE – Il Morbo Gallico [Gaetano Zumbo, 1691-95]
03. ZEBRA MU – Degraded Keyboard Elements – Annea Lockwood [Chris Ware]
04. HEADLESS RAPIST – EDNOS [Karl Persson]
05. SOMA – Dead Cat [Artwork by Soma]
06. ARTUNIT – Plains of Havoc [Artwork by ARTUNIT]
07. PAREGORIK – Light of my life – 1949 first study for the madonna of port lligat / Madonna and child [Salvador Dali]
08. MARTIN l – Piece 43 {34 redone} Mashina [Christa Radoeva]
09. V.I.K.I – Stone Geometry [Myxi]
10. CUM FUNCTION – Eumenides – Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion [Francis Bacon]

FTR#002. ‘SOUND ART AKTION’ Various Artists. Vol#01. Presented by INHIBITION (SoundArt) & FTR

CONTACT ADDRESS / ORDERS: finaltrauma@googlemail.com
PAYPAL: finaltrauma@googlemail.com

Email: finaltrauma@googlemail.com
Paypal: finaltrauma@googlemail.com

Postage (Depending on the weight) Average: £2.50 (UK) + £5.00 (WORLDWIDE)

When placing an order you will need a product code. For example if you wanted to purchase;

FTR#16. KYLIE MINOISE & INHIBITION ‘AKTION MEDICAL’ [SPLIT/COLLAB]

Simply copy and paste the title, and add this within your message.
You will also need to include your current postal address.

CUM FUNCTION – ‘DISCRETION ASSURED’ (Cassette) = £06.00
KYLIE MINOISE – ‘PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSAL HABIT’ / “19 of 20″ (Mini CD/DVD Case) = £12.00
HAL HUTCHINSON – ‘POLLUTIVE’ (Cassette x2) = £09.00
DOMINATOR – ‘BACK FOR MORE’ (CD) = £09.00
DOMINATOR – ‘FORBIDDEN PLEASURES’ (CD) = £09.00
IRON YOUTH – ‘WHITE’ (CD) = £9.00
IRON YOUTH – ‘HATRED IS THE CURE’ (CD) = £09.00
CLIMAX DENIAL ‘ALL OF MY LOVERS ARE LIKE DREAMS’ (CD) = £09.00
MESSIAH COMPLEX – ‘WE ARE MEAT’ (CD) = £8.00
FBRZ & AUDIOCUM – ‘LIVE SPLIT ALBUM’ (CD) = £06.00
DOLDIS – ‘THE FLAME SHE WAS COULD WARM THE DEAD’ Limited Edition / “09 of 14″(CD) = £06.00
HAL HUTCHINSON / SOMA – ‘POD’ Limited Edition to 20 Copies (CD) = £05.00
SISTER IODINE – ‘HELLE’ (PRO CD) = £5.00
CONTROLED PROPERTY [AKA. HAL HUTCHINSON - 'NO INNOCENT CIVILIANS' = £08.00
THE HATERS & THE BLACK SCORPIO UNDERGROUND - 'SPLIT ALBUM' (CD) = £05.00
GOVERNMENT ALPHA - 'ABERRATION' RECORDED AT XERXES STUDIO 2008/2009/ "35 of 52"(Cassette) = £12.00
BBBLOOD - 'LAZAR HOUSE' / "03 OF 70" (Cassette) = £10.00
HOSTAGE PAGEANT - 'PAGEANT PORNOGRAPHY' (Cassette) = £06.00
HAL HUTCHINSON & TORTURING NURSE - SPLIT ALBUM (Cassette) = £06.00
HAL HUTCHINSON 'RECYCLED' (Cassette) = £04.00
POLLUTIVE STATIC [AKA. HAL HUTCHINSON] – ‘IN HEAT’ / “20 of 20″ (Cassette) = £08.00
BOAR – ‘ORGAN X’ / “19 of 50″ (Cassette wrapped in badages) = £09.00
HAL HUTCHINSON & ZEBRA MU – ‘SPLIT ALBUM’ (Cassette) = £04.00
MUTANT APE – ‘SCARBOROUGH WARNING’ / “33 of 50″ = £09.00
SOMA & ZEBRA MU – ‘SPLIT ALBUM’ / “01 of 30″ (Cassette) = £07.00

CUM FUNCTION – ‘DISCRETION ASSURED’ (Cassette) = £06.00

KYLIE MINOISE – ‘PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSAL HABIT’ / “19 of 20″ (Mini CD/DVD Case) = £12.00
EXTREME ELECTRONICS =

HAL HUTCHINSON – ‘POLLUTIVE’ (Cassette x2) = £09.00
HNW / EXTREME ELECTRONICS =

DOMINATOR – ‘BACK FOR MORE’ (CD) = £09.00

DOMINATOR – ‘FORBIDDEN PLEASURES’ (CD) = £09.00

IRON YOUTH – ‘WHITE’ (CD) = £9.00

IRON YOUTH – ‘HATRED IS THE CURE’ (CD) = £09.00

CLIMAX DENIAL ‘ALL OF MY LOVERS ARE LIKE DREAMS’ (CD) = £09.00

MESSIAH COMPLEX – ‘WE ARE MEAT’ (CD) = £8.00

EXTREME ELECTRONICS / INDUSTRIAL

FBRZ & AUDIOCUM – ‘LIVE SPLIT ALBUM’ (CD) = £06.00

DOLDIS – ‘THE FLAME SHE WAS COULD WARM THE DEAD’ Limited Edition / “09 of 14″(CD) = £06.00

HAL HUTCHINSON / SOMA – ‘POD’ Limited Edition to 20 Copies (CD) = £05.00

SISTER IODINE – ‘HELLE’ (CD) = £5.00

CONTROLED PROPERTY [AKA. HAL HUTCHINSON - 'NO INNOCENT CIVILIANS' = £08.00

THE HATERS & THE BLACK SCORPIO UNDERGROUND - 'SPLIT ALBUM' (CD) = £05.00

GOVERNMENT ALPHA - 'ABERRATION' RECORDED AT XERXES STUDIO 2008/2009/ "35 of 52"(Cassette) = £12.00

HOSTAGE PAGEANT - 'PAGEANT PORNOGRAPHY' (Cassette) = £06.00

HAL HUTCHINSON & TORTURING NURSE - SPLIT ALBUM (Cassette) = £06.00

HAL HUTCHINSON 'RECYCLED' (Cassette) = £04.00

POLLUTIVE STATIC [AKA. HAL HUTCHINSON] – ‘IN HEAT’ / “20 of 20″ (Cassette) = £08.00

BOAR – ‘ORGAN X’ / “19 of 50″ (Cassette wrapped in badages) = £09.00

HAL HUTCHINSON & ZEBRA MU – ‘SPLIT ALBUM’ (Cassette) = £04.00

MUTANT APE – ‘SCARBOROUGH WARNING’ / “33 of 50″ = £09.00

SOMA & ZEBRA MU – ‘SPLIT ALBUM’ / “01 of 30″ (Cassette) = £07.00

TO VIEW THE +FTR+ ‘PHYSICAL RELEASES’ CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK:

http://finaltraumarecordings.wordpress.com/physical-for-sale/

Email: finaltrauma@googlemail.com
Paypal: finaltrauma@googlemail.com

Postage (Depending on the weight) Average: £2.50 (UK) + £5.00 (WORLDWIDE)

When placing an order you will need a product code. For example if you wanted to purchase;

FTR#16. KYLIE MINOISE & INHIBITION ‘AKTION MEDICAL’ [SPLIT/COLLAB]

Simply copy and paste the title and add this within your message.
You will also need to include your current postal address.

PANIC ATTACK – 4 Way split album: GX Jupiiter-Larsen/White Walls/Torturing Nurse/The Haters
= £06.00
UNIT 731 – ‘THE IMPERIAL WAY’
= £06.00
INHIBITION – ‘WHERE ALL BEGINNINGS ARISE’[HOMAGE TO SCOTT FERRY]
= £06.00
WHITE WALLS – “Malattia Mentale”. [[[Sold out]]]

CUM FUNCTION – ‘DISCRETION ASSURED’ (Cassette) = £06.00
KYLIE MINOISE – ‘PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSAL HABIT’ / “19 of 20″ (Mini CD/DVD Case) = £12.00
HAL HUTCHINSON – ‘POLLUTIVE’ (Cassette x2) = £09.00
DOMINATOR – ‘BACK FOR MORE’ (CD) = £09.00
DOMINATOR – ‘FORBIDDEN PLEASURES’ (CD) = £09.00
IRON YOUTH – ‘WHITE’ (CD) = £9.00
IRON YOUTH – ‘HATRED IS THE CURE’ (CD) = £09.00
CLIMAX DENIAL ‘ALL OF MY LOVERS ARE LIKE DREAMS’ (CD) = £09.00
MESSIAH COMPLEX – ‘WE ARE MEAT’ (CD) = £8.00
FBRZ & AUDIOCUM – ‘LIVE SPLIT ALBUM’ (CD) = £06.00
DOLDIS – ‘THE FLAME SHE WAS COULD WARM THE DEAD’ Limited Edition / “09 of 14″(CD) = £06.00
HAL HUTCHINSON / SOMA – ‘POD’ Limited Edition to 20 Copies (CD) = £05.00
SISTER IODINE – ‘HELLE’ (PRO CD) = £5.00
CONTROLED PROPERTY [AKA. HAL HUTCHINSON - 'NO INNOCENT CIVILIANS' = £08.00
THE HATERS & THE BLACK SCORPIO UNDERGROUND - 'SPLIT ALBUM' (CD) = £05.00
GOVERNMENT ALPHA - 'ABERRATION' RECORDED AT XERXES STUDIO 2008/2009/ "35 of 52"(Cassette) = £12.00
BBBLOOD - 'LAZAR HOUSE' / "03 OF 70" (Cassette) = £10.00
HOSTAGE PAGEANT - 'PAGEANT PORNOGRAPHY' (Cassette) = £06.00
HAL HUTCHINSON & TORTURING NURSE - SPLIT ALBUM (Cassette) = £06.00
HAL HUTCHINSON 'RECYCLED' (Cassette) = £04.00
POLLUTIVE STATIC [AKA. HAL HUTCHINSON] – ‘IN HEAT’ / “20 of 20″ (Cassette) = £08.00
BOAR – ‘ORGAN X’ / “19 of 50″ (Cassette wrapped in badages) = £09.00
HAL HUTCHINSON & ZEBRA MU – ‘SPLIT ALBUM’ (Cassette) = £04.00
MUTANT APE – ‘SCARBOROUGH WARNING’ / “33 of 50″ = £09.00
SOMA & ZEBRA MU – ‘SPLIT ALBUM’ / “01 of 30″ (Cassette) = £07.00

PANIC ATTACK

PANIC ATTACK

4 Way Split Release:
GX Jupiiter-Larsen / White Walls / Torturing Nurse / The Haters

1. GX Jupiiter-Larsen – Dyspareunia (09:37)
2. White Walls – The Insane [Aktion#I] (05:37)
3. White Walls – The Insane [Aktion#II] (10:08)
4. Torturing Nurse – Nightmare I (09:46)
5. Torturing Nurse – Nightmare II (09:30)
6. The Haters – Dyspareunia (10:04)

= INDUSTRIAL / POWER ELECTRONICS / NOISE =
JEWEL CASE / LIMITED TO 100 COPIES (412Recordings)
£6.00 [GBP]

UNIT 731 – “THE IMPERIAL WAY”

UNIT 731 – “THE IMPERIAL WAY”

= INDUSTRIAL / DARK AMBIENT / POWER ELECTRONICS / NOISE =
JEWEL CASE / LIMITED EDITION TO 100 COPIES (412Recordings)
(FIRST 31 COPIES FEATURING ’4 EXCLUSIVE UNIT 731 ATROCITY PHOTOS’
CONTAINED WITHIN A SEALED ENVELOPE)
£6.00 [GBP]

INHIBITION – “WHERE ALL BEGINNINGS ARISE”
[HOMAGE TO SCOTT FERRY]

INHIBITION – “WHERE ALL BEGINNINGS ARISE”
[HOMAGE TO SCOTT FERRY]

= EXPERIMENTAL / DARK AMBIENT / NOISE / RITUAL =
6 artwork by SCOTT FERRY inspiring the aural landscape of 6 tracks by INHIBITION
JEWEL CASE / LIMITED TO 100 COPIES (412Recordings)
£6.00 [GBP]

WHITE WALLS – “Malattia Mentale”

Peripheral Records second release arrives with: White Walls – Malattia Mentale, a disturbing journey into mental illness, that purges the depths of Industrial Noise, Classical/Ritual, epic Dark Ambient and terrifying samples. White Walls is a project of Keith Mitchell (also of Inhibition/Unit 731/Deutsche Christen) from +Final Trauma Recordings+. Limited to 99 copies proCD. Highly Recommended!!!

Pro CD / Limited to 99 Copies. Peripheral Records.

£10.00 [GBP] [[[[ SOLD OUT ]]]

!!! To get your copy simply visit the mighty Peripheral Records: www.peripheralrecords.co.uk

CUM FUNCTION – ‘DISCRETION ASSURED’ (Cassette) = £06.00

KYLIE MINOISE – ‘PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSAL HABIT’ / “19 of 20″ (Mini CD/DVD Case) = £12.00
EXTREME ELECTRONICS =

HAL HUTCHINSON – ‘POLLUTIVE’ (Cassette x2) = £09.00
HNW / EXTREME ELECTRONICS =

DOMINATOR – ‘BACK FOR MORE’ (CD) = £09.00

DOMINATOR – ‘FORBIDDEN PLEASURES’ (CD) = £09.00

IRON YOUTH – ‘WHITE’ (CD) = £9.00

IRON YOUTH – ‘HATRED IS THE CURE’ (CD) = £09.00

CLIMAX DENIAL ‘ALL OF MY LOVERS ARE LIKE DREAMS’ (CD) = £09.00

MESSIAH COMPLEX – ‘WE ARE MEAT’ (CD) = £8.00

EXTREME ELECTRONICS / INDUSTRIAL

FBRZ & AUDIOCUM – ‘LIVE SPLIT ALBUM’ (CD) = £06.00

DOLDIS – ‘THE FLAME SHE WAS COULD WARM THE DEAD’ Limited Edition / “09 of 14″(CD) = £06.00

HAL HUTCHINSON / SOMA – ‘POD’ Limited Edition to 20 Copies (CD) = £05.00

SISTER IODINE – ‘HELLE’ (CD) = £5.00

CONTROLED PROPERTY [AKA. HAL HUTCHINSON - 'NO INNOCENT CIVILIANS' = £08.00

THE HATERS & THE BLACK SCORPIO UNDERGROUND - 'SPLIT ALBUM' (CD) = £05.00

GOVERNMENT ALPHA - 'ABERRATION' RECORDED AT XERXES STUDIO 2008/2009/ "35 of 52"(Cassette) = £12.00

HOSTAGE PAGEANT - 'PAGEANT PORNOGRAPHY' (Cassette) = £06.00

HAL HUTCHINSON & TORTURING NURSE - SPLIT ALBUM (Cassette) = £06.00

HAL HUTCHINSON 'RECYCLED' (Cassette) = £04.00

POLLUTIVE STATIC [AKA. HAL HUTCHINSON] – ‘IN HEAT’ / “20 of 20″ (Cassette) = £08.00

BOAR – ‘ORGAN X’ / “19 of 50″ (Cassette wrapped in badages) = £09.00

HAL HUTCHINSON & ZEBRA MU – ‘SPLIT ALBUM’ (Cassette) = £04.00

MUTANT APE – ‘SCARBOROUGH WARNING’ / “33 of 50″ = £09.00

SOMA & ZEBRA MU – ‘SPLIT ALBUM’ / “01 of 30″ (Cassette) = £07.00

TO VIEW THE +FTR+ ‘PHYSICAL RELEASES’ CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK:

http://finaltraumarecordings.wordpress.com/physical-for-sale/

Email: finaltrauma@googlemail.com
Paypal: finaltrauma@googlemail.com

Postage (Depending on the weight) Average: £2.50 (UK) + £5.00 (WORLDWIDE)

When placing an order you will need a product code. For example if you wanted to purchase;

FTR#16. KYLIE MINOISE & INHIBITION ‘AKTION MEDICAL’ [SPLIT/COLLAB]

Simply copy and paste the title, or the product code – “FTR#16″
and add this within your message. You will also need to include your current postal address.

Thanks for your support…

- K. Mitchell
(+FTR+ / WHITE WALLS / FRAGILE X / DC / EX-INHIBITION)

FTR#01. TORTURING NURSE & INHIBITION (A sound assault dedicated to Rudolf Schwarzkogler)
= £06.00
FTR#02. ‘SOUND ART AKTION’ Various Artists. Vol#01. Presented by INHIBITION (SoundArt) &FTR
= £10.00
FTR#16. KYLIE MINOISE & INHIBITION ‘AKTION MEDICAL’ [SPLIT/COLLAB]
= £8.00
FTR#34. (3 way split album) INHIBITION / FILTHY TURD / TORTURING NURSE
= £6.00

!!! NEW RELEASE !!! FTR#60. WHITE WALLS – ‘MADNESS & MURDER’.
= £10.00

RELEASES COMING IN JULY/AUG:
# WHITE WALLS – ‘ISSUES’ (CD / Half Size DVD Case) – POWER ELECTRONICS/INDUSTRIAL
# AKTION MEDICAL #II (A Compilation) Feating: KYLIE MINOISE, WHITE WALLS, DRY GREED, CONTAGIOUS ORGASM, ETC.

…MORE TO ADD…

FTR#01. TORTURING NURSE & INHIBITION (A sound assault dedicated to Rudolf Schwarzkogler)


FTR#01. TORTURING NURSE & INHIBITION (A sound assault dedicated to Rudolf Schwarzkogler)
= EXTREME ELECTRONICS / NOISE =

Split EP release. Featuring 2 x 10 minute “LIVE” sound assaults.

£6.00 [GBP] *limited edition #100 copies / CDx01.

FTR#02. ‘SOUND ART AKTION’ Various Artists. Vol#01. Presented by INHIBITION (SoundArt) & FTR

= POWER ELECTRONICS / NOISE / EXPERIMENTAL / INDUSTRIAL /
GLITCH / DARK AMBIENT / RITUAL / SOUND ART =

*limited edition #200 copies / CDx02 / handmade booklet containing each piece of artwork chosen. 20 Aktions in total.
£10.00 [GBP].

…Sound Art Aktion. A compilation based on the original idea of UK art/media project; INHIBITION.
Each band was asked to choose one image by the artist of their choice, and create a sound reflection of the image…

AKTION #01

01. GX JUPITTER-LARSEN – Che Guevara [Korda]
02. TORTURING NURSE – Sound for Hijokaidan [Hijokaidan]
03. KYLIE MINOISE – Research Animal [William Burroughs]
04. CHAV STABBER – Blue Poles [Jackson Pollock]
05. BABIES WITH SWASTICAS – Heterosexuality is a disease [Peter Sotos]
06. BAGMAN – Fondues Enchainees [Pauline Barnet]
07. VULGAR DISEASE – Sexual Activity At The Theater [Hermann Nitsch]
08. ARNAU SALA – Viure Per Punxar (I No Punxar Per Viure) [Orsini]
09. FILTHY TURD – Utility Living (Utility Kitchen) [Artist Unknown]
10. INHIBITION – Love Bite [Laurie Lipton]

AKTION #02

01. BBBLOOD – David with the Head of Goliath 1609f [Caravaggio]
02. FECALOVE – Il Morbo Gallico [Gaetano Zumbo, 1691-95]
03. ZEBRA MU – Degraded Keyboard Elements – Annea Lockwood [Chris Ware]
04. HEADLESS RAPIST – EDNOS [Karl Persson]
05. SOMA – Dead Cat [Artwork by Soma]
06. ARTUNIT – Plains of Havoc [Artwork by ARTUNIT]
07. PAREGORIK – Light of my life – 1949 first study for the madonna of port lligat / Madonna and child [Salvador Dali]
08. MARTIN l – Piece 43 {34 redone} Mashina [Christa Radoeva]
09. V.I.K.I – Stone Geometry [Myxi]
10. CUM FUNCTION – Eumenides – Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion [Francis Bacon]

FTR#16. KYLIE MINOISE & INHIBITION ‘AKTION MEDICAL’ #01 [SPLIT/COLLAB]

FTR#16. KYLIE MINOISE & INHIBITION ‘AKTION MEDICAL’ #01 [SPLIT/COLLAB]
= COLD POWER ELECTRONICS / LIVE SOUND ASSAULT =

£8.00 [GBP] *limited edition #100 copies / CDx01 (Half Size DVD Case)

FTR#34. (3 way split album) FILTHY TURD / INHIBITION / TORTURING NURSE

FTR#34. (3 way split album) INHIBITION / FILTHY TURD / TORTURING NURSE

= POWER ELECTRONICS / EXPERIMENTAL / DIRT ELECTRONICS / NOISE =

£06.00 [GBP] *limited edition #100 copies / CDx01.(Half Size DVD Case)

FTR#60. WHITE WALLS – MADNESS & MURDER.

FTR#60. WHITE WALLS – MADNESS & MURDER.

[POWER ELECTRONICS]
Limited edition #150 copies / CDx1.(Half Size DVD Case) £10:00 [GBP]

TO VIEW THE +FTR+ ‘DISTRO’ CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK:
http://finaltraumarecordings.wordpress.com/distro/

In order to subsidise the creation of future releases, London based noise artist Paul Watson, known to his many admirers as BBBlood, has re-released a sold-out, limited edition tape in a digital format.

Rust now comprises four tracks: the original sides A and B plus the previously unreleased sides C and D – newly created with racket reprocessed from the original sessions.  46 minutes in total.  I am amused by the idea that because the cassette is no longer a physical object it can now have as many sides as Paul wants (up to a pan-dimensional side Z, presumably).

The content – balls-out noise of the most physical variety – is terrific throughout.  It is as gripping and relentless as your favourite zombie film.  It is as inventive and anarchic as the best Tom and Jerry cartoon.  It is as chaotic and violent as a downhill pile-up in the peloton.  It is as nihilistically hilarious as a brick in the spin cycle (please click – you’ll thank me for it – all kicks off at 55 seconds).

It is a welcome reminder of how exhilarating and liberating harsh noise can be.  It’s a slate cleaner.  So what does Paul want in exchange for this masterclass?

One pound.

Yes, you read that correctly: a quid, singular.  Any patron of the arts out there can donate more, of course, but the minimum acceptable payment is only slightly more than fuck all.

In fact, all readers of this blog with an interest in the more brutal end of noise should be frogmarched to bandcamp in order to buy here right now.  Failure to do so will result in a visit from the RFM goon squad, two of whom will kick you up and down the stairs whilst the third tapes it to send to Paul for use in the future release you should be helping to fund…

(Editors note: does that last bit sound grumpy and aggressive?  It is meant to be a joke.  Forgive me – I’m ill and all over the place.  The whimsy will be back soon..)

+FTR+ …………

# WHITE WALLS T-SHIRTS AND HOODIE – NOW AVAILABLE !
# NEW DISTRO ITEMS AVAILABLE !

COMING SOON…

# NEW INTERVIEWS / BBBLOOD, GX JUPITTER-LARSEN, FECALOVE, HAL HUTCHINSON, AND LOTS MORE…
# NEW PHYSICAL RELEASES
# UPDATES ON THE DOWNLOAD SECTION
# REVIEWS FOR CURRENT RELEASES
# ADVERTISING SECTIONS FOR VARIOUS PROMOTION AND SUPPORT / ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, HAND BUILT MACHINES, ETC.

For further info Contact Keith Mitchell: finaltrauma@googlemail.om

The test press is also clear vinyl but with URP test labels and a large 45 hole. No sleeve.

Al Qaeda / BBBlood – split 7″ Trans-Dimensional Sushi Recordings
One time pressing of 259 copies on black vinyl. The vinyl on the official release and the test is essentially the same. The regular release version has an additional insert and a black cardboard dust sleeve as opposed to the white paper dust sleeve on the test. They also have different plastic sleeves but nobody really cares about that stuff, right?

Al Qaeda – Collaborative Works 7″ Scotch Tapes
One time pressing on green/turquoise marble vinyl limited to 324 copies. Test press is black vinyl with plain white labels. On this release, they collaborate with other musicians including Mike Watt.

C’mon admit it: a lot of full-on noise is boring.  It sits there as static and unappetizing as a bathtub full of lard with broken glass suspended in it, as unapproachable as a bale of razor wire dropped into a slurry of pig shit.  Some boneheads seem to consider the fact that their ‘art’ has no merit to be a badge of honour.  “Yeah,” they claim on moody black and white websites, “uncompromisingly harsh.”  A more apt adjective would be: dull.  This machismo and pseudo-nihilism seems to me to be a classic ‘strong means weak’ poker tell.  These silly boys are as terrified of the world as any bodybuilder.

But, people, it doesn’t have to be this way!  Noise can be joyously uplifting, it can be absurdly humorous, it can be nostril-flaringly cathartic.  It can, in other words, speak to us like any other genre of art.  It can help, it can explain.

And here we come to Paul Watson’s work as BBBlood.  Paul deftly avoids the pitfalls described above by ensuring his racket has buckets of momentum and physicality.  His noise rushes, pushes forward with an exhilarating, unstoppable roar.  Sometimes like a massive tank barrelling across churning mud and ruined foundations, sometimes like sticking your head out of the window of a speeding car on a hot day.  He also throws himself into it with refreshing vigour and gusto.  It is hard to care about even the most intricately prepared noise if it sounds like it has been made by a motionless Japanese dude, illuminated by the screen of his mac book.  In the case of BBBlood I’m happy to report that instead it sounds like objects were hurt, if not completely sacrificed, in the creation of this tape.

Philadelphia’s Tinnitustimulus has the second-daftest name I’ve heard recently but don’t let this silliness hamper your enjoyment of another satisfying 15 minutes of din.  And that’s all you’re getting about Side B.  I know it is naughty of me to give the second half such short shrift but, for me, this is all about BBBlood.  Should you wish to pursue this further prior to your inevitable purchase: sound samples can be found on the BBBlood blog and a more comprehensive review graces the pages of the excellent MuhMur.

Another great release.  Buy here.

(Editor’s note: this is the first in a series of shortish reviews written to catch up with a backlog of terrific new stuff.)

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get in a mood where the only flavour of crisps I want to eat is ALL-OUT FUCKING NOISE flavour.  Now, this doesn’t happen often and one packet will usually suffice, but the craving, when it comes, is irresistible.

The last time I felt the urge I decided to look for something new to me and not just rely on old favourites or the teetering review pile.  A drift around the Bang the Bore forum revealed much praise for BBBlood.  This turns out to be the stage name of London-based noise-artist Paul Watson, who has been at this game long enough to make me feel guilty for not knowing his work already.  There is a new tape (a split with Tinnitustimulus of Philadelphia) which I will be getting my grubby mitts on forthwith but the release above, and the subject of this review, came out in a tiny edition around a year ago.  It is now available as a free download at archive.org – see downloads page of the BBBlood blog for a link.

What you get for your efforts are two ten-minute long, immensely satisfying tracks of unabashed noise, rich and varied in texture, fearless in attack and best enjoyed at a volume so loud it makes you feel nauseous.  Imagine a factory: not the white, cornerless gleam of an Intel advert but a dark satanic mill full of giant machines powered by arcing, fuzzing electricity and smoking, acrid diesel – the former always threatening to ignite the latter.

One of these machines has a huge funnel at one end into which car tyres, electrical appliances – anything really – are dumped and mashed.  At the other end pipes and ropes made from this material are extruded with the force and speed of toothpaste shot from a stamped on tube.  This mechanism produces a brain-loosening racket of deep-bass digestive rumbles and flatulent groans.  It is overlaid by an ear-splitting clamour of juddering roars and splintering, grating screeches.

This hits the spot, man.  Download here.

New release available from UK label Quagga Curious Sounds

Label Description

QCS_034-BBBlood / Endometrium Cuntplow: Split C40, edition of 22

The first QCS release for 2011 and what a terrific one it is! Both artists seem to take a more restrained approach resulting in initial passages of ambient/experimental sounds developing into searing noise/power-electronics!

Pink cassette is packaged in a clear PVC zip-lock bag. Black and white artwork is printed onto orange card. Each copy comes with two miniature playing cards and an assortment of sequins and spangles.

£3.60 (UK)
£4.35 (Europe)
£4.85 (Wordwide)
Prices include postage.
Paypal: mike-ridge@hotmail.co.uk

NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! & TRANSIENT CONSTELLATIONS PRESENT:

ASHTRAY NAVIGATIONS – Legendary psychedelic noise musician

TEAM BRICK – Invada Records’ star signing and BEAK> collaborator

GUM TAKES TOOTH – Expansive electrified drums. Breath taking live.

FUCK KNUCKLES – 1 guitar, 6 amps. DOOM! Your rib cage may shatter

CEMENTIMENTAL – Professional face melter

BBBLOOD – harshest of all harsh noise. Sounds like abject horror

PURITAN MINISTERS – Solo noise project from Craig of Shit n Shine/Todd

RYAN JORDAN – bone crushing beats and epileptic fit inducing light show

MEATGRINDER- noise pollution from Der Bunker Records supremo

FMG – Moist Lips Records, sounds like the sky tearng open. Played ZXZW

GIRL MOUNTAIN – Upset the Rhythm favourite bringing the noise

SLOPPY SECONDS – Non-dimensional rabbits dissolve notions of time and space

JUAREZ – International continigent from Australia! Supported Magik Markers

SECRET GUEST PERFORMANCE later in the night by a long time NOISE LEGEND and pioneer in their genre!

@ Old Blue Last, 38 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3ES
5pm-1:30am | £6 advance | £8 on the door
We Got Tickets Event
Facebook Event
Last FM Event