- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
Artist: Psychic TV
Title: Paramartha
Catalogue No: CSR161CD
Barcode: 8 2356650712 3
Format: CD in jewelcase
Genre: Industrial / Ritual
Shipping: Now
Order CD
Recorded 22nd September 1984 at Pandora's Music Box, Rotterdam. Originally issued as two bootlegs in 1985 - 'Paramartha' and 'Unclean', now remastered and cleaned from the two, to create the full live show, not heard before it its entirety.
Participants: Genesis P-Orridge, Alex Fergusson, Paul 'Grimsby' Reeson and John 'Zos Kia' Gosling.
Tracks: 1. Southern Comfort | 2. Godstar | 3. Unclean | 4. Ov Power | 5. Alright | 6. Jungle
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
Artist: Psychic TV
Title: Batschkapp
Catalogue No: CSR162CD
Barcode: 8 2356650722 2
Format: CD in jewelcase
Genre: Industrial / Ritual
Shipping: Now
Order CD
Recorded at Batschkapp, Frankfurt, West Germany, 10th December 1984. Originally issued as a bonus CD for the first 1000 copies of 'Were You Ever Bullied At School - Do You Want Revenge?' (CSR27CD, 1999). That first edition sold out immediately and has not been available in any form for 12 years.
Personnel: Genesis P-Orridge, Alex Fergusson, Paul 'Grimsby' Reeson and John 'Zos Kia' Gosling.
Tracks: 1. Thee Legge Songe | 2. Soul Eater | 3. Unclean (Bring Out Your Dead) | 4. Godstar (Never Forget) | 5. I Can See Your Eye Can I | 6. Ov Power, Corruption And Magick | 7. Papal Breakdance...
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
23five is delighted to announce the release of our two latest publications -- Areal from the intrepid New York intermedia artist Richard Garet, and a posthumous release from Helmut Schaefer, featuring Will Guthrie, Elisabeth Gmeiner, and Zbigniew Karkowski.
On Areal, Garet continues his ongoing research with electromagnetic disturbances through radio. Garet treats the radio process of transmission and reception as a routing system for the audio signal, all the while deliberately agitating and distressing the nodes that direct the course of that signal. For example, an electrical motor might be situated near a radio's antenna disrupting its ability to properly receive a transmission that Garet is broadcasting from nearby. Through the controlled use of electro-acoustic techniques (some rough and volatile, some refined and delicate), he organizes the signal distortion, the crackling static, and the ever-present tendencies for feedback into swarms of chiming resonance, electrically sourced harmonics, tactile bricolage, and impressionist din. As much as Garet's process pushes the interaction of sound and electricity to the brink of self-immolation, Areal balances his crunched textures with extended passages of radiant blooms of blurry noise and drone, finding common ground between the glassine density from Rhys Chatham and the splintered excursions of Kevin Drumm.
Schäfer posited Thought Provoking as a radical shift from his brutalist electronic engineering to a spatialized, open-ended composition based on the muffled tones from an ad hoc instrument he built from salvaged church organ pipes and hair dryers. The first presentation of this work took place in his home town of Graz, Austria in 2003; the second was a collaboration with violinist Elisabeth Gmeiner in Vienna two years later; and the third & final performance occurred in 2006 with percussionist Will Guthrie and Gmiener at the St. Andre Church where he first presented it in Graz. After Schäfer's death, Guthrie reconstituted the rehearsal takes from that performance for this recording of Thought Provoking III, attempting to re-imagine the controlled energy of those sessions with Schäfer's aesthetic framework at the forefront. The bellowing hums from Schäfer's organ pipe and hair dryer contraction ebb and flow amidst intermittent percussive flourishes, subtle gong overtones, sustained violin trills, and fizzling electronic mark-making. On the second track of this disc, long-time friend Zbigniew Karkowski presents a smoldering electro-acoustic remix of Thought Provoking III as a fitting tribute to Schäfer.
More information here.
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
Chartier's work is never something that could be considered "easy" to listen to, but the result is always a rich, rewarding experience. Recurrence, which is a project that was splintered off of one of his earliest works Series, follows this trend. It might be difficult at times, but he has consistently excelled in creating work that captures the intersection of music, visual art, architecture, and science, and again, Recurrence is no different.
Made up of two distinct, but related pieces, the 21 minute opener "Recurrence (Room/Crosstones)" is by far the more Spartan and minimalist of the two, even in relative terms.For most of its duration it is a repetitive, low-end hum that mostly maintains a consistent pitch, but the shape and dynamics exhibit subtle changes throughout, eventually transitioning into the higher registers of the sound spectrum.While it seems rather static overall, played on a decent sound system with good bass response results in a more physical, and captivating experience.
The other piece, "Recurrence (Series)," clocks in at 51 minutes, and while it is mostly constructed upon the same slowly evolving tonal throb, there is a significantly greater amount of development and variation to be had.This becomes apparent from the onset, where higher pitched, shimmering waves of sound expand outward, disrupted by the occasional reverberated click or pop that adds a bit of organic to the clinical sound manipulation.
Rather than emphasizing only tonal variations, Chartier includes passages of what resembles the amplified hum of everyday electronic gear, bits of white noise, and other unidentifiable textures.His use of these fragmented, but idiosyncratic sounds—like roaring waves of static into what sounds like a swarm of alien locusts—call to mind an approach to sound art similar to that of Robert Hampson, albeit with a more minimalist bent, and I mean that as serious compliment.
While Recurrence was intended as pieces for performance and multi-channel installation, they work quite well coming off of a CD through a standard home stereo system.Even in that comparatively basic environment, his use of tone and texture still creates a tangible sense of space that stretches far beyond audible perception.
samples:
 
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
Reto Mäder is quite a prolific artist, from his solo work as RM74, with Steven Hess in Ural Umbo to his role in Pendulum Nisum. His more metal-influenced work as Sum of R (Mäder with guitarist Julia Wolf) has a relatively small discography, with this being his second full-length work other than a few self-released CDRs. Ride Out the Waves makes for a dense, psych tinged experiment that recalls some of the best moments of early Godflesh, juxtaposed with abstract free-form experimentation.
The opening "Growing Into Something Special" sets up the album perfectly:initially a slow ambient build and far-off rattling and crashes, it quite jarringly launches into sharp drums and detuned guitar riffs, paring that dissonant, murky space with steady, lurching chords and knife-like beats.
It is this combination of stiff, aggressive drum programming and grimy, sludgy guitar that make for the best moments of the album.The jerky stop/start structure and loud, ugly guitar of "In The Fields of Trust" work especially well, even though it comparatively makes for a more tame song.The same goes for "Echo," a foggy sludgefest that crawls along with a slow, menacing pace.
"Alarming" takes the same blunt approach, going right into pounding machine and guitar like old school Godflesh, channeling that same slow, depressing but not necessarily angry vibe.With the addition of shrill sine waves and an air-raid siren lifted right out of "War Pigs," it closes the album on an especially chaotic note.
Mixed between, however, is some less head-nodding, more beard stroking moments of experimentation and composition.The sparse piano, static, and understated guitar playing of "Mist of Tears" demonstrates that Sum of R are not afraid to step away from the riff and into more ambient territories.While "Captured Lightning" might come across as a bit dense, there is an almost progressive vibe to it, with more insinuated tension rather than outward aggression.
As the project's full length follow up to the 2008 self-titled album on Utech, Sum of R is developing a distinct identity amongst Mäder’s slew of side and solo projects.Capturing both dark, creepy atmospherics and aggressive, memorable guitar work, it nicely balances the formless and the structured, and works quite well as a fully realized album.
samples:
 
Read More
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
Kang continues to show his range and vision as a composer and ensemble leader. Visible Breath is a startling album which takes many of the strands of 20th century composition and weaves them into new musical fabrics, far from imitation and full of innovation. His music hangs like a specter in the room, the notes either merging into each other like a ghost passing through a wall.
The first side of this LP is made up of recordings made in 2008. "Visible Breath" very much comes from the same stable as György Ligeti’s "Atmosphères" but with a more modern Spectralist leaning. Kang is a master of blending sounds together and much like the "Visible Breath" of the title, the notes linger for a moment before dissipating into the next. Stuart Dempster’s trombone comes out of the fog like a motorcycle, powering past but never glimpsed. The whole ensemble changes pitch simultaneously, giving the impression that my turntable is on its last legs (thankfully it’s not!). "Monadology" is starkly different to the first piece and sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock film if it was scored by Morton Feldman. The repetitions, slightly augmented in terms of each note’s length are delivered with sharp, definite precision compared to the gaseous forms of before.
The second side of Visible Breath is devoted to "Thick Tarragon," which is a far more recent recording relative to the previous two on the album and as different as the first two pieces are to each other. They both sound like a completely different composer compared to this. There were comfortable and familiar influences coming through the other two pieces but "Thick Tarragon" is entirely Kang’s own. Plucked strings and tremulous glassy sounds create something that feels centuries old in its rhythm but utterly contemporary in its tonal range.
Along with his new album for Ipecac Recordings (reviewed recently by our own Stephen Bush) and his recently reissued collaboration with Jessika Kenney (which I reviewed), this album highlights why Eyvind Kang is such an essential composer. His ability to straddle the gaps between contemporary composition, modern experimental approaches and something that is actually pleasant to listen to is unrivaled.
samples:
 
Read More
Kang continues to show his range and vision as a composer and ensemble leader. Visible Breath is a startling album which takes many of the strands of 20th century composition and weaves them into new musical fabrics, far from imitation and full of innovation. His music hangs like a specter in the room, the notes either merging into each other like a ghost passing through a wall.
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
As the title suggests, this live album was recorded in London’s current hot spot for weirdo music and finds the trio taking their work further into the inner recesses of free improvisation. As expected, given their track record as a group and as solo performers in their own rights, Café Oto/London swerves between danger and calm; safety and turmoil. Every adjective ever thrown at free jazz is applicable but, more often than not, inadequate.
Each member of the group takes a turn leading the proceedings with Ken Vandermark firing the opening barrage on "Fragments for an Endgame." Immediately, I am drawn into the space between the saxophones and I feel like I am being kicked between the three of them like a ball. Their three distinct voices come through, each one taking a different attack on us listeners. However, from time to time the lines become blurred between the players. They seem to move in and out of phase with each other, forming a tight coil of sound before spinning apart again.
Mats Gustaffson takes up the baton with "(I Was Arranging Her) Arms." The title sounds like a line from J.G. Ballard’s Crash and it is easy to imagine this playing through the car radio as Dr. Vaughan positions himself and his female travelling companions into the poses of the car crash victims he studied. Violent and erotic, Sonore play with a fleshy quality that occasionally tenses into hard, unyielding muscle. They lumber, they threaten, and they swagger through the notes–I move out of the way rather than start something that I can’t finish. Even the distorted strands of "Happy Birthday" sound like a threat rather than a celebration.
On "Le Chien Perdu," Peter Brötzmann takes control of Sonore and opens up the music with a buzzsaw (or is it a saxophone, it is hard to tell sometimes). Once the organs and bare bones have been revealed, Brötzmann takes the group down a notch into a contemplative and introspective mode with only an intermittent flurry of frenetic activity to remind the listener that the skronk is still there, lurking. "Le Chien Perdu" erupts towards the end before giving way to "Oto" where all three members of Sonore go forward together into the stratosphere. One of the players sounds like he’s plucking a muted stringed instrument rather than a woodwind as the other two tear up the floor boards of Café Oto. The trio intensify their performance to a climax before finishing with a tender, warm melody completely at odds with the preceding thirty-odd minutes. Yet it resolves the performance perfectly, as menacing as Sonore got, they were nice guys all along.
samples:
 
Read More
As the title suggests, this live album was recorded in London's current hot spot for weirdo music and finds the trio taking their work further into the inner recesses of free improvisation. As expected, given their track record as a group and as solo performers in their own rights, Café Oto/London swerves between danger and calm; safety and turmoil. Every adjective ever thrown at free jazz is applicable but, more often than not, inadequate.
As the title suggests, this live album was recorded in London's current hot spot for weirdo music and finds the trio taking their work further into the inner recesses of free improvisation. As expected given their track record as a group and as solo performers in their own rights, Café Oto/London swerves between danger and calm; safety and turmoil. Every adjective ever thrown at free jazz is applicable but, more often than not, inadequate.
- Administrator
- Albums and Singles
Across 13 tracks of sample abuse and digital detritus, the debut album from this duo is a hyper-kinetic, violent outburst of occasionally musical noise that mixes up some odd concoctions that sometimes work, and sometimes don't.
To some extent I was reminded of the early Digital Hardcore days when listening to this album for the first time.Not necessarily that they sound the same, but both capture that same sense of caffeine fueled spastic electronic fun, though here it is abstracted even further into a noisier mess, without the overuse of 909 beats and guitar samples that DHR always worked with.
The problem is, however, just like the DHR scene, fatigue sets in rather quickly when listening to the album in a single setting.Like the chaotic ambience and flashing lights of the video arcades that inspired the record, it quickly becomes a sensory overload, gelling into a mess of mid and high-range noises, all pushed into the red.
In smaller bites, however, it’s pretty palatable:the modem-tone like rhythms of "Shining Figures" pile up into big blasts of sound and echoed voices, coming across with the bombast and aggression of '80s metal.Both "Pushing Buttons" and "A Year On The Toilet" go for a more synth-punk blast feel, all rapid fire and overdriven screams.
It's on tracks like "Razed From The Bottle" that great moments shine through:maxed out loops start out kind of danceable, but are soon blown up into a full on blast of grindcore like squall that works great together.While "Chrome Violence" is still noisy as all hell, there almost seems to be a synth-pop heart beating at the core of the otherwise fuzzed out beast, making it a standout.
"Plastic Bubble Byter" also makes some concessions for conventionality, with the abstract digital noise outbursts that open the track eventually being melded into something a bit more catchy.Going the other direction is "Xzrzrz," which, with its brittle, droning electronics come across as more ambient and deliberate, rather than the hyperactivity that preceded it.
Somewhere near that intersection of synth-driven music and balls-out noise is The Real Sounds From Hell Recordings . As I have said, it is a bit abrasive to try and take in all at once…while I can sit through an hour of the Incapacitants just fine, I think it's the constant shift between noise and music, often within the span of a second, that makes it more difficult to absorb.My first full listen was not an overall enjoyable experience, but when I came back and gave it a go in smaller doses, I found it to be a much more enjoyable excursion.
samples:
 
Read More
