Reviews: experimental

(experimental / avantgarde / electro-acoustic)

Dustmuffin & The Aluminum Cans – Essential Recordings 1984-2001

Vague and unclassified are fitting descriptions for the music of Dustmuffin & The Aluminum Cans. This US based loose collective uses any sound they like to produce their weird anti-pop music and neo cabaret electroclash. Nineteen tracks is a lot to go through and Dustmuffin is not making it easy for you.

The Psychic Paramount – Live 2002 The Franco-Italian Tour

I like The Psychic Paramount’s formula: mix the traditional trio of guitar, bass, and drums with a heavy dose of lawless spontaneity. Much is still possible with these three instruments, The Psychic Paramount shows, even a bit of rock-n-roll.

Teatro Satanico / Muzakiller – Untitled

This mysterious duo from Venice is also known sometimes as ‘Teatro Satanico Charles Manson’. They have produced a lot of obscure and limited releases on tape, vinyl and cd-r since the early 90’s, including collaborations with Novy Svet. This untitled album (their first ‘real’ cd) is limited to 666 copies and includes a satanic tale […]

Nurse With Wound & irr. app. (ext.) – Angry Eelectric Finger 3: Mute Bell Extinction Process

Mute Bell Extinction Process features three tracks of original Nurse With Wound material that has been worked over by Irr.App.(Ext)- otherwise know as Matt Waldron. This release is the third installment of Nurse With Wound’s Angry Eelectric Finger series.

V/A – State of the Union 2.001

There are 171 (!) artists represented here from a major range of styles of the avant-garde, electro-acoustic, and experimental sort. The collection is compiled by Elliott Sharp and highlights one minute selections from each of the artists.

Severin Bestombes vom Horse Gore Club – Auszug und Abgesang

If you think you have heard strange music then listen to this record and think again. Severin Bestombes is a side project by one Novy Svet member and the record consists of two long tracks.

Kemialliset Ystävät -­ Lumottu Karkkipurkki

Lumottu Karkkipurkki means ‘The Enchanted Candy Jar’, which is a very psychedelic title for a very psychedelic record. The songs and sound collages on this album are built around vague electronic sounds, loops and melodies and dissonant plucked strings.

Fredy Studer/ Ami Yoshida – Duos 21-27

The last two records from For 4 Ears Records didn’t really get a positive (short) review by me. The label’s releases are just to damn inaccessible. I consider myself to be incapable of reviewing this stuff.

Paavoharju – Yhä Hämärä

This music takes the listener down to unearthy catacombs of sounds and moods. You will feel estranged by the vague songs and music tapestries.

Kyle Dawkins – Walls became the world

As a music reviewer, sometimes a lack of words to describe the music is a problem. Especially when it concerns experimental music.

Samartzis – Müller – Voice Crack – Wireless within

An electronic reflection of a visit to the rainforest is presented here. Laptop minimalism by Guhl and Möslang in collaboration with Günter Müller and the Australian sound artist Philip Samartzis.

Tetuzi Akiyama – Jason Kahn – Till we meet again

Again an effort from the For4ears label. More minimalism and experimentation, but this time created out of acoustic guitar, analogue synthesizer and with percussion. Heaving resonating gongs and guitar plucks are the ingredients of the soundscapes.

End – The Sick Generation

This is a very strange release. Not just on its own, but also as a Hymen product. This label is known for it IDM releases but The Sick Generation has little to do with IDM. End opens the album with the title track, which is a rock song. Although the rhythm structure is electronic this is a rock song for sure. The second track is a remix of this same track done by Foetus…

Kosmonautentraum – Ungehörtes Unerhörtes

Vinyl On Demand has established itself in a short time as a label for quality releases of obscure 80’s music. This new release is a compilation album of the music by Kosmonautentraum. The band was part of the Neue Deutsche Welle scene and had an experimental attitude like many (but not all) bands in that scene…

Nipsey Russolo – Noise Reduction

A cute 3 inch mcd, limited to only 50 copies, with a very cool retro nostalgic B-movie look. There are five tracks on it, which apparently contain sounds which were “gathered by processing tracks from various noise artists with noise-reduction technologies & techniques”.

Zero, Pamela – Living Backwards

This album is a 100% solo production by Pamela Zero, who did everything from the song writing to the lyrics and vocals to the graphic design. She is a member of a collective of multimedia artists known as Discord Aggregate…

Molotkov, A. – Can you stay forever?

The numbers are impressive on this album. There are 34 songs, lasting over an hour. A. Molotkov plays over 20 instruments, from a Bengali flute to a vacuum cleaner.

Head Resonance Company – 80-84: 15 tracks for unknown people

This is a weird but interesting release. On the first lp of this double lp set there are fifteen tracks of experimental sounds and noises. The second lp features minimal electronics, released under the name of Peter Pixel. A combination of styles you don’t see that often, but that should be done more often. Head Resonance was an interdisciplinary art project from the 80’s…

Freiband / Boca Raton – Product

Freiband is the digital-electronic ‘remix’ project of Frans de Waard (of Bequeen and Kapotte Muziek fame). Boca Raton is an unknown project to me. Presented here is a pair of live recordings from a performance as part of the Earational 2004 festival for electronic music and audio art. It might as well have been a studio-recording since the production quality is superb…

Absolut Null Punkt – Live In Japan

Absolut Null Punkt (ANP) is the long time running off and on collaboration between Japanese sound artist Kazuyuki Kishino (aka KK. Null) and percussionist Seijiro Murayama. ‘Live in Japan’ consists of six live-recorded improvisations at various spots in Japan; released by Important Records. To this listener, ‘Live in Japan’ is purifying…