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Now, Mego is a label that I trust and respect. Not attached to anygenre or style, only a vague and loose allegiance to computer-createdmusic of some kind, I would expect them to demand more from Merzbow.That doesn't seem to be the case. On "A Taste of...", it sounds to meas if a couple of samples were looped for five minutes at a time, whilevarious filters were bloodlessly applied and removed. It's as if apattern, or perhaps an instruction booklet for some software, wasstrictly followed so that this specific result would emerge. There is atheme of Japanese cuisine presented in the artwork, but nothing withinthe music which resonates that theme. In fact, Japanese cuisine valuespresentation, freshness and detail, and this noise sounds as if no onemade it or was paying much attention to it or its ingredients at all.
I believe that noise can be musical—bands like Hijo Kaidan,Borbetomagus, Masonna, and especially CCCC, have produced works thathold up as albums which evidence some compositional thought andemotion, or even concentrated non-emotion. Pita has done so using acomputer; his "Get Out" is one of the most powerful computer-musicalbums that I can think of. Merzbow used to make albums that soundedwhole ("Antimonument", "Batz-Tau-Tai", "Material Action 2"), but sincethe 1990s has forfeited quality for quantity. If you've been wonderingwhy he is generally refered to as the "king" of Japanese noise music,you won't find out why by listening to "A Taste of...".
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An inspection of the liner notes reveals he's stayed with a traditionalarsenal of guitar, mics, tapes, pedals and an analogue synth. Despitehim admitting to some "computer assistance", Drumm's offering is verymuch in the tradition of old-school power electronics or Japanesenoise, with only a few obvious signs of computer work to give it a morerecent feel. A more contemporary comparison might be to Oren Ambarchi'smore extreme processed guitar output.
As always with MEGO releases the packaging is notable, this time goingin for some kind of black metal joke, with a gothic "KD" inscribed ingold on black. And they managed to scare me more than any 80's Venompublicity photo by tinting the CD gold, the sight of which produced abrief but morbid flashback to the mid-90's terrors of owning fadeddiscs printed by PDO. Ultimately this black-clad music is more BoydRice than Varg Vikernes, but that, of course, is no bad thing.
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Long before dictionaries included a musical description for the word'funk', a common definition was "to emit an offensive smell, to stink".Ironically, the most popular "funk" bands (Parliament, Ohio Players,Sly and the Family Stone, or James Brown) all had substantial recordingbudgets and crisp, clean production for the most part. The originatorsof funk (as a musical style) weren't that far off from the dictionary'sdefinition. The music was raw, produced on cheap equipment and foundits way to a number of 7" records in the late 1960s around the sametime as the flood of garage pop (see 'Nuggets' or 'Box of Trash'comps). While a number of NYC-based bands are jumping down thebandwagon of returning to garage pop ideals, NYC-based Soul FireRecords is heading down the road of original funk. Over the course ofthe last couple years, the label has been releasing a number of raw,yet powerful 7" singles in extremely limited quantities, which now arecompiled on these two collections.
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samples:
- JD & the Evil's Dynamite Band - Haaa-Sheesh
- Lee Fields & the Explorers - I'm the Man
Volume two continues with seven more singles (14 tracks) and opens withthe flute and funk marriage by Bama & The Family. Lee Fields (whowas previously quoted as saying how he wasn't James Brown) pays a clearhomage to "Funky Drummer" with "Ain't it Funky Now" while theWhitefield Brothers play tribute to Funkadelic's "Super Stupid" with"In the Raw." The two songs from the Detroit Sex Machines adds a littlemore soul to the voice of the front man (and I swear this has got to bemastered from a slightly off-centered 45). There's no bonus beats onthis volume but the poorly-cut masters are enough to provide a mildamount of home-grown amusement. Unfortunately now, I'm hooked andcompelled to start buying their 7" single releases. Damnit!
samples:
- Bama & the Family - Don't Think... Do
- The Whitefield Brothers - In the Raw
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Lately, it seems as if the music of Jean-Luc Guionnet is everywhere.Though he has been active for many years, there seems to be a flood ofpublished Guionnet work recently. However, unlike other equallyprolific artists, Guionnet appears to have a diverse area of musicalinterest, backed up by solid ideas. Past albums have featured largegroup improvisation (with Hub/Bub), composed tape music (on the GroundFault label), field recordings (with his trio Afflux), and metallicsound-sculpture installation ("Synapses", on Selektion). His two latestCDs, it should come as no surprise, are very different from one anotherand are both worthwhile.
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![](/../../../brain/images/genesungswerk16.jpg)
samples:
- Franco Baresi - Hallo
- Krill Minima - Goldschmerlde
- Multer - Myosin
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Mouse Finding The Key is an act that's emerged from the Gwei-lo campsince Al Brooker's death. Dave Henson's solo debut combines warmelectronica sonics with cultured post-rock overtones. The Gwei-loaesthetic can be heard in the pretty melodic lines, tapped out overcrunchy, deep percussion. Unlike much modern IDM, the programmingdoesn't stifle the music, and rather than rationing musical ideas, manyof the tracks handle several at at time, such as the anthemic "GoodbyeBig Gwei", or the solemn "Phrases, Loops, And Electricity".
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