Byetone - Death Of A Typographer (Raster-Noton)

Chemnitz (Germany) based artist Olaf Bender has musically been in the shadow, as one of the co-founders of the Raster-Noton label, together with Carsten Nicolai (Alva Noto) and Frank Bretschneider (Komet). Mostly focusing on the visual presentation of the label’s catalogue, he had only produced two solo outings before offering to the world Death of a Typographer. Where his earlier projects presented us with a very abstract experience, filled with static and rhythmic clicks typical to the Raster-Noton sound, the sound of his new album shifts to a more approachable terrain. The first track quickly exemplifies this change of character. An almost danceable bass line takes hold when “Plastic Star (session)” starts, and only slows down four tracks later, when the first segment of “Capture This” sets in. Distorted tones and short stabbing percussion can not hide the melodies that encompass the songs as we move through the album. As Bender balances the distant and cold background, that has typified the label with a sound that scuffs against the techno-genre, the album really unfolds when "Rocky Soft" starts. You can quickly discern the Bretschneiderian jabs to your earlobes, accompanied by an almost funky bass that makes you want to move. “Black is Black” is probably the most accessible track of the album, with its almost threatening build up that finally melts in to the dark dystopic feel that both installments of “Capture This” convey. Rounding up with an almost Alva Noto-esque “Grand Style” and “Heart” filled with rhythmic yet dark percussion this album is something special. Created in the Berlin winter, it is very well suited for those cold days when you are still coming to grips with the fact that the summer is really gone. Play this record when you feel that there is no way you’re getting out of bed. Its energy, even though it is cold and distant, is infectious, and will have you master the cold temperatures of autumn and the upcoming winter in no time. Suited for listeners that are into the Raster-Noton aesthetics, but also listeners of Sleeparchive, SND and Pan Sonic.

- – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Review prepared by Caspar Menkman for Headphone Commute.

myspace.com/benderbyetone | raster-noton.net

Ben Frost - By The Throat (Bedroom Community)

I first listened to Ben Frost when he released his sophomore full length album, Theory Of Machines on Bedroom Community back in 2007. I described his music as ambient hardcore - psychologically raw, punishing, and overdriven guitars, with reverberated pads and rhythms that mutate into white noise and back, sending chills that originate deep from within your ear canal and slide down to your toenails. That album left a lasting impression on me. Enough to select it as one of the best albums of the year. I didn't think that Theory Of Machines could be outdone... That is... until I put on By The Throat. While listening to Theory Of Machines, I compared Frost's sound to that of an angry furry armadillo, creeping up the inside of my legs with a cold long needle, leaving me drenched in sweat. And with this latest installment, the chills rise up my spine and hold me, in perpetual, electric shock. The cover art alone puts into my mind the images of my final moments, lying naked on the snow, steam rising from the breath of a hungry wolf, his teeth sunk into my throat. And the track titles do not let up. Through The Glass Of The Roof, Through The Roof Of Your Mouth, Through The Mouth Of Your Eye. And the music? Dark grinding metallic strings scratched through distorted pads, deep breaths, growls, and choking melodies. The intensity of the bass and guitar riffs create instant goose bumps, tickling the inside of my ears, and clawing at my chest. White knuckled at the seat, I think I accidentally scratched a healing scab off of my back and now I'm bleeding through this white collar shirt, the tie restricting my cries. Let me out! I've heard some dark and terrifying ambiance in my lifetime, but Frost's onslaught is incredible. I stand applauding. And the production? We've got top notch mastering going on here, with perfectly sampled strings played with dry bows over thumping kick, and rising voices. With contributions from Jeremy Gara of The Arcade Fire, Icelandic quartet Amiina, Swedish grindcore band Crowpath, and of course, the classical touch of Nico Muhly the roster of artists is exciting alone. Oh, and did I mention that it was co-produced by Valgeir Sigurðsson? It was created under the cloak of nocturnal snow in the far northern reaches of financial-fantasy island, a concept borne of Frost and weapons manufacturer, war monger and evil genius Sruli Recht, captured by the all-seeing-eye of Bjarni Gríms and forged in the fires of hell by Rebeca Mendéz… Frost's music is all about contrast - merging beautiful classical minimalism with the dirty grind of metal and drone core. This combination is unsettling to the mind, refusing to split in half and choose between the genres. Born in Australia, Frost is now living in Reykjavik, Iceland - home of the above mentioned artists, and of course Sigurðsson’s acclaimed Bedroom Community label. His debut solo album, titled Steel Wound, was released on Room40 in 2003. There's also a two-track digital EP, released together with Lawrence English, titled Anyone Can Play... Anyone Can Sing (Dreamland, 2004). In 2007, Frost released Theory Of Machines on Bedroom Community, and spent the next two years cooped up to dream up this nightmare. Let me restate my earlier conviction: By The Throat is even better than Theory Of Machines - a feat I thought impossible to bear. This is the music of suspense. The terror of the unknown. The ethereal melody at the end of the tunnel that gets cemented off a few inches away from your desperate crawl. The piano keys expand and shrink with pressure, and the white and black chip off and vanish. The tension ends with the last track, and although you can exhale, you want to feel the angst again. You want to feel. You want to feel...

myspace.com/theghostofbenfrost | ethermachines.com
bedroomcommunity.net

Aidan Baker And Tim Hecker - Fantasma Parastasie (Alien8)

Toronto based Aidan Baker and Montreal based Tim Hecker pair up to deliver an abstract and experimental ambient piece on a Canadian Alien8 Recordings. Hecker is not a stranger to a noise-prominent label, having previously released Mirages (Alien8, 2004), and a re-issue of Radio Amor (Mille Plateaux, 2003). In addition, his ambient recordings have already graced quality labels like Force Inc, Staalplaat, Fat Cat and Kranky. This is, however, his very first collaboration. Baker, on the other hand, is known for his work with Leah Buckareff, together cooking up ambient drone metal under the Nadja moniker. Baker's discography is immense, and mostly consists of live improvised long pieces. His ability to churn out guitar heavy drone soundscapes can be overwhelming, but together, with Hecker's luscious synth work, they pull out a whole different beast. The overdriven guitars combined with hiss, crackle and static, vibrate feverishly across the frequency spectrum, occasionally revealing a hidden pattern, a loose structure, and a graceful melody. The paced slow-core riffs, rolling at a speed of a sleeping giant, are fed back into themselves and split through a harmonic meat grinder. All this is again mashed up, tweaked out, and faded in through a torrent of bit-crushed digitally violated audio waves that give your speakers (and ears) a massive workout. Fantasma Parastasie is a relaxing fatigue - it cradles you gently by screaming its head off. Thus, together, Backer and Hecker, define an oxymoron of ambient noise or shoegazer metal. This should be a special treat for those with a taste for Belong, Ben Frost, Fennesz, Jasper TX, and Lawrence English. Where as Baker has a bucket of upcoming albums, too many to fit in a paragraph (see my Two and a Half Questions with Aidan Baker for a full list), Hecker is scheduled to release his seventh studio album, An Imaginary Country, in March 2009 on Kranky.



myspace.com/aidanbakermusic  |  aidanbaker.org
myspace.com/rainbowbloodx  |  alien8recordings.com

Kamran Sadeghi - Through Thickness (Dragon’s Eye)

Exploring the rhythm beyond its regular structure is the main objective in this abstract and experimental album by Kamran Sadeghi, titled Through Thickness. Like little insects beating their wings against an aquarium where rabid fish circle the dying microphone, the sharp frequencies in the swirling noise of clicks is just one image floating to the surface in this harmonically deprived composition. Sadeghi "draws from [the sound's] potential palate of sonic mass, color, and points in space in order to create compositions of aural depth perception and sculptural form." Through Thickness is a first album in Sadeghi's Kha series. Sadeghi explains on his site: "'kha' is an ancient Hindu [Sanskrit] word meaning "emptiness" which was used in early numerical systems to imply space in tabular arrangements, 'zero'". In the digital twist and decomposition of rhythm, that emptiness breathes on its own. The electronic circuitry of sound pulses and twitches in a final dance of death. Sadeghi's curriculum vitae of audio and visual live performances and installations include OkOk Gallery, The Henry Art Gallery and the Decibel Festival. This is my first taste of material from Dragon's Eye Recordings, an independent label out of Seattle, focusing on experimental, textural, ambient, drone and minimalist recordings from an interesting roster of artists, releasing limited edition albums. In that sense, I place it somewhere around Touch, 12k, Sähkö and Raster-Noton. Definitely a label to keep your eye on. Through Thickness is very much in the spirit of Alva Noto, Pan Sonic, and the darker side of Autechre. For a more musical side of Sadeghi, check out his side project, Son of Rose, with multiple releases on Dragon's Eye.



myspace.com/kamransadeghi  |  kamransadeghi.com
myspace.com/dragonseyerecordings  |  dragonseyerecordings.com

worriedaboutsatan - EP02 (self released)

The UK band, worriedaboutsatan, has a very unique and unexpected sound. Gavin Miller and Tom Ragsdale skillfully blend elements of post-rock, intelligent electronica, and noise, with a layer of minimal, tightly mastered beats. Sounds intriguing? You bet! The fusion of genres is usually a dangerous territory if not executed correctly, but worriedaboutsatan surprise me over and over with their perfect control of instruments, programming technique, and dynamic range. The tracks on EP02 seamlessly merge into one another, and are best absorbed in a single thirty-plus-minute journey... that is until your senses are interrupted by Paul Marshall's vocals... and the beat picks up again. The band is taking on the scene singlehandedly, filling one order at a time (also available on iTunes), so grab a piece of history before they explode in a kaleidoscope of colors! For the likes of The Album Leaf, Kashiwa Daisuke and World's End Girlfriend. Favorite tracks: Relative Minors, Morwenna (Part 2) and The Last Song (First Song Remix).

myspace.com/worriedaboutsatan

Belong - October Language (Carpark)

With their debut release on Carpark, the New Orleans duo, Turk Dietrich and Michael Jones, grind through filter overload, guitar based, heavily processed and distorted loops that seem to go on forever. For me, noise happens to be a new territory, and with the tightly clenched jaw I smile at its beauty, as I attempt to stand upright through the torrent of shoegaze unleashed by a hurricane. The intricate detail is revealed through layers of intense sonic bombardment, like staring at an abstract sharply outlined object for minutes, only to see its true contour after glancing at a white wall. As silence fades in, I am left with only microscopic sediments that encapsulate the feelings of destroyed and tumbled New Orleans. Considering there's a lot of data to sift through, the quality of the mastering is top notch, performed by none other than another New Orleans native and friend, Joshua Estis (Telefon Tel Aviv). Estis and Dietrich have previously worked together under Beneli moniker in remixing Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile. Dietrich also played the guitar on a track for Telefon Tel Aviv's Map Of What is Effortless. Highly recommended if you dig Ben Frost as much as I do. Also for the likes of Fennesz, Tim Hecker and William Basinski.

myspace.com/belongmusic

Pan Sonic - Katodivaihe / Cathodephase (Blast First Petite)

Always ahead of the game, Mika Vainio and Ilpo Väisänen have been experimenting with sound and noise since 1993. Before blasting their latest 2007 release through my speakers, I dusted off this Finish duo's 1997 release, Kulma, to see how it held up after ten (10!) years. And it totally mashed my mind! Here's my advice to all the artists looking for inspiration for creating innovative sound - Pan[a]Sonic's done it. The abstract and minimal sound design constructed through custom made instruments and recorded live straight to DAT (that's right, I said live) only gets more of my respect with years. In Katodivaihe, pure tones, ultrasonic pulses, and sine waves are joined by Hildur Guðnadóttir's eerie cello treatments on three astonishing tracks. The thick and low-rumbling techno beats groove with the dying circuitry and remind me of a very first all-electronic music score by Louis and Bebe Barron for 1956 Forbidden Planet (I'm a proud owner of that vinyl soundtrack). Besides this album, Vainio managed to release a single EP, titled Ikuinen, under his Ø alias for his home label, Sähkö Recordings. Recommended if you follow evolution of sound with Autechre, Alva Noto, and Fennesz. Favorite Tracks : Laptevinmeri / Laptev Sea and Suhteellinen / Comparative.

myspace.com/electronicsquelches