electronic / experimental / jazz

Boring Machines

I guess I'm really into the somewhat stranger side of the musical spectrum today, which is a perfect opportunity to plug this odd little gem. As some of you will know, Boring Machines is known to release somewhat unusual records and this one is definitively no exception.
Divus is a duo from Rome, comprised of electronic musician and techno producer Luciano Lamanna and saxophone player Luca T. Mai, of world-renowned band ZU. In 2018 they released their debut, now followed by this vinyl in which they expand their experimental spectrum. The result is an awe-inspiring brood of electronics, free-jazz saxophones and grainy dance tunes.

It took me the whole four and a half minutes of opener 'C1' to get into the music Divus creates. There was ambient, but also saxophone sounds, so it had to be moving into the dark jazz direction, no? At one moment I thought, "Bohren und der Club of LSD". I'm still not sure if that is a compliment. 'C2' quickly made me forget about the confusion caused 'C1' and 'C3' completely blew my socks of. Remember Speedy J's 'A Shocking Hobby' album? Well, combine that with dark jazz saxophone sounds and you'll have Divus. Besides, 'C4' is a neat ambient jazz tune, much more minimal than its colleagues. 

Now, before you go thinking that this is another nice dark jazz album, remember the beats and breaks. From lazy dance inspired percussion to breakcore-vibes, Lamanna throws it all into the mix. It's not all easy digestible, or danceable, or understandable but it's unique and impressive. 'D2', for instance, is something from a dystopian movie soundtrack, driving on heavy beats and dreamy sax. This is my personal favorite. The trouble is, who to recommend this thing to? Jazz freaks? Not really. Dance fans? Oh no, certainly not. People who enjoy the weirder side of life and thus their music collection? Probably. Just check it out. You won't believe your ears...


Serge 

jazz / metal

Jazz – Metal. Most of us will automatically think of either Primus or, more recently, White Ward. Both might be quite good cornerstones to describe Kilter’s debut album “Axiom” out on February 28th.  However, these two comparisons do not hold enough substance to really be used for the music this trio is set to release upon us via Alter-Nativ, the label run by Kilter’s own bass player, Laurent David; nevertheless that doesn’t mean the label is just there to release Kilter’s music, it’s rather the other way round with David using his own well-off label to release his new music. 

Kilter’s lineup consists on David, Saxophone player Ed Rosenberg III and drummer Kenny Grohowski; each band member has a very impressive musical past so that we can mention quite a list of awesome artists they played with: David played with Guillaume Perret, Grohowski has worked with John Zorn, Trey Spruance, Felix Pastorius and is the drummer for Imperial Triumphant; Ed Rosenberg is a well-studied composer and performer who collaborated with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Bottleote Music Collective in Dublin and contributed the hammered dulcimer for some other bands.

To come back to the comparison with Primus and White Ward: Kilter doesn’t use bass to dominate the sound like Primus and they don’t leave the saxophone standout as much as White Ward do, their sound is much more flowing and all-encompassing. The saxophone can deliver the melody or the rhythm, sometimes the rhythm section works like a rhythm section, but often David’s bass is used like a guitar and the drums are running amok while the saxophone tries to soothe the audience.

Very often we associate jazz and jazz-rock or jazz-metal with the annoying way of musicians showing off their skills but neglecting the song – this can definitely not be said of Kilter. Their jazzy post-metal is very organic and they work very much for the sake of the song; we can still hear a lot of “crooked” sounds and structures working against each other at first glance – well, we are dealing with three excellent musicians here, who know how to do both things at the same time: Play for the overall idea of a song and still show how good they are. If you are willing to listen to something pretty unusual, this will bring you lots of joy discovering new oddities with every spin. 


Thorsten

free-jazz / improv / experimental

In their brand new release “Lamentations”, RAIC used the concept “An exploration of the American South in sound, vision and text” to make an album that differs a lot from their previous release. Musicians Samuel Goff, Erik Schroeder, Zoe Olivia Kinney, Laura Marina, Jacob Courington, Robert Andrew Scott, Brandon Simmons, John Saint Pelvyn, Paul Metzger; writters Samuel Goff, Abby Cabuno, Lucas Brode, Dylan Fisher, Zach Wilson, Saint Abdullah, Dana Forehand, Dee Martin, Steven Sherrill, Kristin Salsano, John Priestley, Edward Breitner, Charlanne McCarthy, Daynee Rosales, Al Lattin and designer Jakob Rehlinger did an awesome and really impressive job!

‘Lamentations’ is raw from beginning to end, a kind of homage to the great names of experimental music. It has all elements that we can find on it, such as noises, guttural voices, free rhythms, drone music, extended technics, electronic effects and many others working for the music and mixed together in a really particular way. Besides that, there are also fourteen texts and images - one per track - about their homeland, all working 100% for the concept. The deluxe box also shows that their experimentation goes beyond music and prove that they care a lot about their work and their public.

People that loves different sounds, free jazz and non-standard use of musical instruments need to check this out (specially the deluxe box) and follow RAIC at their social networks. ‘Lamentations’ was produced by Samuel Goff, mixed/mastered by Richard Schellenberg and released by the label Arachnidiscs.  This album shows up an awesome music, an awesome box and an awesome concept from an awesome group! I used the word 'awesome' a lot to describe this work, and it really isn’t an exaggeration from my part... RAIC’s art really worth it!

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Glauber

post rock / post metal

noise rock / jazz / experimental

doom / sludge

psychedelic / doom / stoner rock

ambient

house / techno / electronic

dark ambient

ambient / experimental

electronic / downtempo

bandcamp

heavy metal

black metal / death metal

ambient

Audiobulb

​Serge

dark jazz / free jazz

I have an odd relationship with jazz. Since I discovered the darker version of the genre, with bands like Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore or Dale Cooper Quartet and the Dictaphones, I'm gradually growing into it. Today, I have a rather large folder with jazz releases on my hard disc, many of which often rush through my speakers.

However, there is a very thin line between adoration and distaste. When the jazz roams too free, it makes me nervous and uncomfortable. I'm definitely not a fan of extreme experimental solos, that's for sure. So when I select a jazz album to review I constantly worry about that thin line.

And then this album came in. According to the biography Der Finger create a blend between avantrock-noise, free/dark jazz and psychedelic improvisation. "Auwtch," I thought, "this is going to be a tough one. Luckily for me, Russian trio Der Finger deals more into the dark than into the free jazz. How dark? Well, the five tracks are based on the "Illuminati Calendar", appearing in Robert Anton Wilson novels and represent the eternal cycles of development to chaos and rebirth. And there is plenty of chaos to be found here, but highly enjoyable chaos.

While listening to these tracks, an eclectic parade of artists rushed through my head. Of course, there is the old fashioned jazz of Davis or Coltrane but also the earlier mentioned dark jazz acts. Then there is the often repetitive groove of Deutsch Nepal and the in-your-face heaviness of Dead Neanderthals. The list goes on an on, even Melvins come mind here and there. But eventually, all of that tumbles down into chaotic black holes of free jazz, while that thin edge between adoration and distaste slowly fades away.

In all, this is an adventurous and experimental jazz album, one that challenges the listener. I don't really know who to recommend it too. Jazz fans, obviously, but perhaps also people who are into sludge metal and noise rock. Anyhow, it's probably best to play it loud and let these five seasons overwhelm you. Try it out, you might discover a brand new favorite.


Serge

psychedelic rock / garage rock / stoner rock

experimental / jazz / drone / ambient

Ormo Records

doom / stoner rock

drone / ambient / experimental / noise

Attenuation Circuit

electronic / techno

bandcamp

drone / doom / shoegaze

ambient

equanimity. Those twenty minutes of Sublime Silence contain healing and reposeful sounds which are welcome in this over-stressed society we live in. If you are into this kind of meditative sound creations, there is a lot to discover from this artist on his Bandcamp page.

ambient / dark ambient

Dark and melancholic ​moods change into spacey ambient tonalities, sometimes kittenish, other times filled with doom. The world of Sílení is covered with alienated sounds and moods. This is an excellent piece of work. Dark ambient lovers, if you listen to Sílení’s Long Forgotten Bowers, you will get hooked. We sure did!

dark ambient

Mother Destruction above standards in this genre. The album is a varied piece of work caught in a deep haunting, emotional prison. Sacrifice and dedication are translated in penetrating sounds and choruses. The nightmare never seems over in this pungent journey of hellish fires. 
Another quote from Empty Chalice: ‘… the lost ones are retracing the path of the oldest fairy tale: coming home’. Well, we did come home and we still feel home between the moods and vibes of this wonderful dark ambient recording.

dark ambient

Winter Light

over a ten year period. Nimh is active since 2001 and has already more than twenty physical albums released. Sound chasers will be pleased and excited with the multi-layering of soundscapes, field recordings, voices and the experimental manipulations of samples this album contains. The sustained drones create darkened and emotive moods. Beyond The Crying Era is an outstanding soundtrack for a SF/horror movie that does not exist. It’s time to dig deeper in Nimh’s music history. Speaking about a discharge!

dark ambient

the world of Anantakara. We’ve noticed psychedelic influences appearing in the mysterious structures of  the tracks. The eight adventurous ambient pieces on Momentum Lapses are filled with a variety of lovely compositions and moods. Rumors told us that this album will be released on CD in the future. Anantakara stands for “ to make infinite” in Sanskrit. In some way this album does.

Serge (1-6)
​Patsker (7-11)

ambient / experimental / improv

bandcamp

The Unexplained Sounds Group comes up with another unusual and murky gem. Seriously, I have no idea where Raffaele Pezella keeps finding these artists. Not that I mind. After all, thanks to him, my hard disk is slowly filling up with digital drones and strange soundscapes.

Many of his releases accompany me during the writing process of my new book and in that, this three track album by Cloudwatchers is not an exception. With a gloomy atmosphere and an experimental yet immersive sound, Cloudwatchers have create a slowly meandering album.


CloudWatchers is an experimental electronic music group, focused on musical improvisation and formed by Andrés Alonso, Iván Cebrián, Coco Moya and Jaime Munárriz. The list of instruments might be even more interesting: electric guitar, amplifier, bass, digital & analog synths, sampler, laptop, audio & midi processors and vocals, plus an array of effect pedals. The gear-fetishist in me is already drooling. Yet, of course, the most important thing about all this equipment, is what they do with it, and believe me, what they do is pretty damn neat.

Three tracks: ten, eleven and over twenty minutes long, all improvised along minimal percussion, neverending drones and soundscapes while the guitar calmly narrates through dreamy solos. 'Piece 1' feels like a long and hot journey through a desert. 'Piece 2' adds an industrial feel through slow electronic beats and harsh samples. Yet, there are also the chanting vocals, adding something shamanic to the whole thing.

A heap of possible influences have come up while I was listening to this album. From a modest version of free jazz to Godspeed meets Ashtoreth meets Autechre meets Troum meets Zoviet France. I don't know, I'm just pleasantly surprised by this album, which brilliantly closes with the lengthy 'Piece 3', a perfect example of the sheer beauty caused by talented musicians doing what they love. If you're into experimental ambient and mild, jazzy drone works, this surely is your cup of tea.


​Serge

free jazz / free improvisation / experimental

Glass Modern

‘Klangfarbenmelodie.. And The Colorist Strikes Primitiv' is a very interesting title! If you've heard Arnold Schoemberg's Op. 16 you know what Klangfarbenmelodie is. Schoemberg wrote at the end of his book ‘Harmonielehre’ that the color of the sounds are a dimension itself which could be succeded like melodies. Boulez, at ‘Relevés d'apprenti’, wrote that at that time the timbre was used by itself, functionally. This technique opened several doors, from electroacoustic music to rock. Thurston Moore is a name known for using sounds as colors in “rock paintings” and on this album, with Tom Surgal, he used his instrument directly connected to his spinal cord and his cerebellum. 

The original CD version contains just two tracks: ‘Klangfarbenmelodie.. And The Colorist Strikes Primitiv’ and ‘Phase II’. The first one has more than 30 minutes and the second one has more than 7 minutes. Because of that, the vinyl version has the first track splitted in two parts. All the three tracks of this edition are the recordings of a live set with many different colors created by Thurston and Surgal (plus the audience reactions). There isn’t a conscient way to describe this music because it’s primitive, it’s an experience, and because of that, you need to experience it with your mind and heart opened to any color that they used in this “music painting” with Jackson Pollock’s style!

History needs to be recorded, no matter in which way. A good example is the compilation of the very important Brazilian punk rock festival named ‘O começo do fim do mundo’ (The beginning of the end of the world), which has an infinitely more lo-fi audio and was released on vinyl at 1982. For me, the most important fact in 'Klangfarbenmelodie.. And The Colorist Strikes Primitiv' is that this mind-blowing free improvisation live set was recorded, and even today we can hear one of the most influential names of the electric guitar playing in total contrast to what people expected based on his most famous releases with Sonic Youth. Originally released on CD, this album is available for the first time on vinyl by 'Glass Modern' label. This is a must-have for any lover of Thurston Moore’s free jazz/noise works!

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Glauber

free-jazz / improv / experimental

RAIC (Richmond Avant-Improv Collective) released ‘Multiplicity’ with this description: “A long series of forays into a wide range of musical genres & styles, as executed by a shape-shifting collective of forward thinking musicians”. This is a pretty cool text that really describes the diversity of this record! RAIC is formed by Samuel Goff, Abdul H. Bilal, Erik Schroeder, Zoe O. Kinney and Laura Marina. For this record they also had a lot of guest musicians: Jacob Courington, Richard Schellenberg, Tim Harding, Sam Byrd, Rei Alvarez, Jimmy Ghaphery, Tristan Brennis, John Priestley, Tony Nowotarski, John Bliss and Lucas Brode. All of them collaborated a lot in the final result of this work.

‘Balance of the Three’ begins with a free-jazz line that changes to a percussion pattern which reminds of some 60’s latin big bands just to dissolve and slowly disappear; ‘Brugmansia’ brings us a heavy drone music as if Glenn Branca’s guitar ensemble played with Mike Patton’s free-improv vocals; ‘Occlusion’ is a good case of musical pointillism with awesome drum lines; ‘Leaves Continue to Fall’ could be considered as “the ballad of the album” with beautiful and really sad sax lines (maybe a tribute to cool jazz); ‘Agitato’ was recorded directly from a time machine that traveled uncontrollably across medieval times, Eastern culture, and 20th-century classical music; ‘Pinguina’ is a short and animated jazz prelude that prepare us for ‘Silene Udulata’, a mantra that relax us from all this fantastic experience for a short period of time just to became a REALLY heavy music - with influences from drone metal and grindcore - that could put RAIC easily in any great metal festival!

It's absolutely awesome to listen to a work that came from a really postmodern ensemble (in the best possible meaning of that word) which plays many different music styles in the same record without looking like a nonsense patchwork, because RAIC plays avant-garde music with the lightness of a plume that fall through the air! Wide range and shape-shifting are the correct keywords to appreciate ‘Multiplicity’ as RAIC really doesn’t have the need to continue the chronological line of the "music evolution" in a record that was made as if time could go in any direction, from present to past. So open your mind, open your heart and open your ears, because this album will give you a fantastic and unique experience!

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Glauber

it's complicated

When Dirk Serries announced his transition from the ambient scene to the world of freejazz, my drone-heart wept a little. I had been fascinated by most of his ambient works. I was sure that his absence from that scene would cause a certain void, one which other talented artists would have to fill. But then I discovered one of the so-called jazz acts Dirk had gotten himself involved in. The guitar-scapes guru got company from one of the world's most mesmerizing drummers, Tomas Järmyr, and from renowned jazz musician Kristoffer Lo. Together they formed Yodok III, a trio that quickly became one on the most baffling live acts on this planet.

Their newest album, to be released on Consouling Sounds, is a one track, sixty-four minutes lasting epos. It was coined to us as something for fans of Godspeed You Black Emperor, Swans, Cult of Luna, Sigur Ros & This Will Destroy You. For a certain part, those names are quite correct but I don't think Yodok III has much to do with post-rock. Sure, there are the enigmatic drones and soundscapes, slowly building up. Very slowly in this case. There is a calm, gloomy atmosphere and the vague melodies but post-rock, nah, this is something way beyond classification. 

What sets Yodok III apart from the aforementioned bands (and from 99% of the musical acts on this earth) is the unpredictable nature of the music. You just don't know what will happen next. In that aspect, this album is a musical thriller; dark, chaotic and captivating. While the first twenty minutes are mostly calm with meandering soundscapes, the whole thing slowly evolves. The guitars gain distortion while the drums introduce themselves as the impending and forward pushing drive behind the whole band.

The beauty of this albums is, you can enjoy it at several different volume levels. It can be a calm, yet gritty, ambient album when you play it on a low volume. It can be adventurous background music on a medium level. But when you play this thing loud, as loud as a live concert, this becomes a massively compelling piece of music. In the end, yes, perhaps this is best to be compared to Godspeed You Black Emperor, but, even with half the personnel, Yodok III easily manages to deliver something more powerful, more frantic and more explosive.

This is simply awesome. Some albums come in like a comet, others like a freight train. 'This Earth We Walk Upon' comes in like a gargantuan glacier, leveling everything in its path.


Serge