Next to his regular releases on the well known technoid labels Ant-Zen and Hands Ah CamaSotz also releases material on his own Bats&Cats label from time to time. These releases are the more special ones, like limited editions and videotapes.
Rites of the Flesh is also such a release. It is a conceptual piece of work, released as a limited edition 3” cd containing three tracks. The package is a black cardboard sleeve, which contains the cd. On the front and on the inside there are postcards with 19th century pictures of SM scenes. On these cards are also the liner notes and a quote from De Sade.
The imagery of package portrays the theme of Rites of the Flesh. The three tracks are a soundtrack for a scary dream in which the listener is taken to a sm/torture cellar. The first track ‘Domination (fascination)’ is a piece of dark ambient music with cold electronic sounds and sampled voices. The voices seem to be recorded in a dungeon, which contributes to the dark atmosphere.
‘Sadistic Impulses (fantasy), the second track, is a cold minimal techno track with a deep bass sound and a scary voice that reads a text in French (from The 120 Days of Sodom?). This track is suitable for the dancefloor, although it might be a little to long.
The last track, ‘The Taste for Spanking (flesh)’, is another piece of dark ambient music. After a quite and ethereal intro the songs only builds up in volume. The ghost-like sounds become more and more intense until they suddenly stop, like you wake up from a scary dream.
Overall this is a very nice piece of conceptual music. Especially the collector will appreciate the very nice package and the excellent dark tracks on this cd. For the average listener a regular Ah Cama-Sotz release will probably be satisfactory.
