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C.C.C.C., "Early Works"
Though only active for a relatively short period, this band became one of the genre definers of what is now the burgeoning noise scene. This deluxe four CD boxed set represents some of the earliest live recordings from the (mostly) four piece band and shows that, regardless of what is perceived as "noise" as it relates to music, they have a compelling body of work.
Cosmic Coincidence Control Center were active during what I personally term the "golden age of noise," from the late 1980s into the mid 1990s. Japan was then a hotbed for this stuff—Merzbow, Masonna, Government Alpha, Pain Jerk, etc.—and one of the things that set C.C.C.C. apart was the fact they were an actual BAND. All of the aforementioned, and most of the other ones not listed (with the exception of Hijokaidan) were single artist projects. Here there four members, each playing a different instrument, to create their own unique sound. Hiroshi Hasegawa (now of Astro and Astral Traveling Unity) and Fumio Kosakai (of the Incapacitants) on electronics and synths, Ryuichi Nagakubo on bass, and Japanese bondage film star Mayuko Hino on vocals and metal percussion working together make for a diverse project that goes a ways beyond the standard "electronic roar" that most noise artists rely on.
Spread across the four discs of this set are mostly live recordings at various locations that haven't been released otherwise in any other form. The earliest recordings, one of which being a duo of Hasegawa and Hino, prove to naysayers that noise isn't just a matter of full on sound: there are obvious moments of tension building noise walls met with more expansive bits of ambience, all punctuated with rhythmic junk percussion. There are closer parallels to some of the earlier industrial innovators like SPK and Test Dept. with the use of improvised metal rhythms over a synthetic din.
C.C.C.C. was stereotyped as a "psychedelic" noise band early on due to their penchant for flanged and phased noise, and some of those elements are present at this early stage in their career, like the dense flanged synth pulse on "Live at Gospel #3." Other of the performances showcase Hino's shrill screams, like on "Live at Donzoko House #2," and the only studio recording, "Magick in the Cave." The latter, plus the 42+ minute live "Phantasmagoria," the entirety of disc 4, make up the cleanest recordings on the disc, as they were the only ones to have been released previously, unlike the rest of the material.
No Fun Productions has done an excellent job compiling this set, both visually and audially. The four panel digipak is minimally designed, featuring a video still from one of the performances (and yes, Hino is doing her nude/candle wax dripping performance on it, so enjoy), which folds into a nice, heavy stock slipcase. The liner notes, written by former member Fumio Kosakai, are also brilliant, and among the most interesting commentaries on music I have read. Although he reiterates more than once that he is just writing from his own perspective as a former member, his take of the history and development of the band is a fascinating one. And, big names all around, James Plotkin does an excellent job of mastering the admittedly lo-fi recordings. They do sound a bit rough around the edges, but it in no way detracts from the work.
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