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ANS
In addition to some suitably odd printed art cards and scrying mirrors,every live box set also includes a black plastic clamshell containingthis, a tour-only CD available at some of Coil's most recent shows. ANScontains three long tracks of about 20 minutes each, consisting solelyof tones made with the Russian ANS synthesizer. Invented by EugenyMurzin in 1938, only one ANS synthesizer has ever actually been built,and it sits neglected and obscure, collecting dust in the basement ofMoscow State University since 1958. Coil were given access toexperiment and record with the strange machine, and their experimentsare chronicled on this disc. ANS is a "photoelectric" instrument thatproduces music via a completely unique process. The user must inscribea series of line drawings that represent visible sound waves onto aseries of glass discs. The shape, location and nature of the drawingsdetermines the sound that the synthesizer produces, which encompassesthe entire range of audible sound, 720 pure tones. Unfortunately, thefascinating history and musical theory behind the ANS instrument isultimately far more interesting than the music Coil has managed to makewith it. While there are many dramatic points of convergence buriedwithin these abstract, long-form compositions, the overall effect is ofdilettantes noodling around with an unfamiliar piece of equipment thatreportedly takes years to properly master. Though there are some partsof ANS that are reminiscent of Time Machines, none of thesepieces has the trance-inducing intensity of that album's minimalistdrones. Reportedly, Coil are remixing and expanding ANS into anofficial double album release scheduled for later this year. Perhapswith a bit of the signature Coil touch added to these naked tones, thismaterial will come alive. As it stands, ANS is a fascinating but musically non-compelling tangent into the avant-garde realm of theoretical music.
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