V/A – Lowlands Industrialism

Quite a special release, this one. For years you didn’t hear much about Dutch industrial projects. Now suddenly it turns out that quite some acts have been active in the underground, creating music in their attic or basement with their electronic equipment and computers. This limited vinyl release is looking quite good, with a full-colour glossy insert sheet in a special anti-static sleeve. Eight different projects, including one Belgian act, and all with rather peculiar bandnames, have joined forces. Together they have created quite a racket!

S.A.R.S. sounds monotonous, with a repetitive vocal sample over an almost military beat, slwoly gaining in tension. Simple but effective. The Peoples Republic of Europe is already storming the scene with a number of live performances and cdr’s. Classic rhythmic power industrial, harsh marching music, as if commanded by the great communist leaders themselves. Not very fast, but still danceable. The tracks is quite long, but the repetitive sound does work. Isniezot is the only Belgian contestant. They shortly gives the impression to offer us some cinematic ambient. But soon the sound becomes more dense, with various breakbeat/technoid elements. Nice combination of rhythms and atmosphere. When the Spermblaster track started I first something was wrong with their needle. But it just started quite abstract. Loud tough beats, distorted orchestral samples and sinister synths fill the room, loud and dark! The ending of the tracks reminds me of some bombastic t.v. tune.

Were the tracks on side A mostly noisy, Doow satisfies my need for some pounding beats. I think this fast track will do well in the gabber scene, though the vocals are very distorted and dark. Loud and dirty! H.E.R.A.S. continues on the straightforward beat-driven path, somewhere between rhythmic industrial and EBM (a bit like Tumor), with some Minstry-like guitars added. Not a fence to easily climb over. I’m quite tired after these 2 tracks, and Condomium does not help much to relax. Somewhere between minimal techno and classic EBM, with a dry, cold beat, a few strange sounds and not too many elements and variation. Final act is Vektor, with one of the least accessible but most interesting tracks on the compilation. The rhythmic framework is quite unpredictable, the structure of the track not very straightforward. The noisy sonic waves and the hammering percussion really give it something special.

A praiseworthy iniative, which shows that there is much going on in the Dutch underground industrial scene. There are quite a few good tracks on this lp, ranging from promising to outstanding. Perhaps this compilation can be a stepping-stone for some of the acts to greater things.

You can buy this cd for 8 euro through FUNPROX SALES!

artist: V/A
label: New Darkness Recordings
details: 300 copies [ND37]