Between 1989 and 1995, Rudolf Eb.er (Runzelstirn & Gurgelstock) and Joke Lanz (Sudden Infant) had a monthly radio show for Switzerland’s 104.5 FM station. Titled Psychic Rally Transmission, each show was an improvised live performance, mixing found tapes, random household instruments and other items, that helped to define the then-nascent Schimpfluch-Gruppe. Aggressive industrial, punky outbursts, and a healthy dose of absurdity pepper the ten complete shows presented in this box.
The duo's penchant for Dada inspired absurdity is what makes up the core of Psychic Rally Transmission.Right from the animal like noises and a questionable karaoke performance of Air Supply’s "The One That You Love" that open the first show, it was clear that the mood was going to be more bizarre than intense.Tapes of random discussions, TV show advertisements and phone calls spring up throughout, keeping the material extremely chaotic.Some of the shows do show a sort of theme or commonality within them, but even in those, the duo barely sit still.
With each single show clocking in at 60-75 minutes and taking up a whole disc each, there is quite a bit of material to listen through, material that at times is intentionally grating and challenging.Tape loops that go on too long, intentionally painful feedback and so forth make for difficult listening.However, it is one of those situations where the warts add greatly to the whole package.
Being a radio show, the duo occasionally play records from other artists, albeit with a significant amount of effects and processing.Early Whitehouse and Public Image Ltd.'s "Cowboy Song" end up represented, and an abridged playing of Genocide Organ's "Mind Control," paired with chintzy dance beats, works brilliantly.Random bits of German drinking songs, kids music, and some folk stuff all show up at some point, the last three shows especially showcasing a lot of the beer hall material.
Less discernible music also springs up throughout, and given its ragged, lo-fi sound, I assume a lot of it may be Lanz or Eb.er’s own work in studio or via pre-recorded cassettes.Punk rock outbursts from the March 1 1990 show instantly made me think of when Sudden Infant have gone in that direction, and the improvised percussion and guttural sounds from May 18 1992’s show are all R&G's organic body horror collage.
The in-studio performances range from standard harsh noise elements, such as the feedback and drones of April 22 1991's show, which is perhaps the most focused single disc here.Tapes and random effects spring up, but on the whole it stays a consistent harsh noise work.On May 17, 1993, cheap electronic noises and beat boxes eventually give way to distorted, harsh industrial rhythms that is no more pleasant in a conventional sense, but extremely enjoyable.
Ten hours of cut up tapes, weird found music, and studio improvised noise recordings ensure this set may not be the most accessible package.However, the material contained within are perfect examples of the material the members of the loosely defined Schimpfluch-Gruppe have been releasing over the past 25 plus years.Anyone who is familiar with Lanz and Eb.er's work will find much to love on here, in a format that benefits from its mostly unedited and spontaneous nature.
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