psychedelic / jazz / rock

Talking about the discovery of the year! OZO is another side project where Mike Vest (Mienakunaru, Bong) is involved with. And yes we got hooked by the music collaborations of this hard working musician from Newcastle. OZO is not only a trio but seems to be a hamlet in the Belgian province of Luxembourg too. This time Mike Vest  worked with Karl Conrad D'Silva who plays alto sax and Graham Thompson on drums.

Pluto is an album drenched in acid jazz vibes. The brutal alto sax improvisations of Karl Conrad D'Silva are accompanied with psychedelic bass tones and stoner rock orientated guitar parts. The tracks have floating and mesmerizing parts which crash violently in a storm of saxophonised abuse. D'Silva shows no mercy, his playing goes deep with heavy experimental outbursts and varied lung pulses. He has already performed with several highly acclaimed experimental artists like Stephen Mallinder of Cabaret Voltaire, Legendary US grindcore originators SIEGE, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and The Death Of Rave’s Rian Treanor.

OZO sweats, growls and kicks ass on Pluto like their life’s depended on it. Mike Vest manages to put some interesting electric sax melodies between the insane cacophonic waves of D'Silva. Well, we are sure this won’t be everybody’s cup of tea but for those who love experimental sax improvisations mixed with psychedelic and powerful rock, infused stoner rock influences, OZO is a band worth to check out. Our favourite track is Fine Tuner Abuser which unfortunately, slashes only fifteen minutes. Talking about an awesome recording.


Patsker

doom / industrial / jazz

Two days ago I chatted with friends of mine and two of them declared that the new Sumac was too free-jazz for them, that it didn’t have enough structure – and even though I still really like the record I could understand them. 

On October 23rd Hummus Records released a record by Convulsif, an avantgarde quartet that’s been together since 2014 and that has already released four full-lengths (simply named I to IV) and a few singles. To describe the sound of the Swiss extremists is not to difficult but it might be hard to fathom: Throw equal amounts of Godflesh, Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Oxbow into your mixer and blend well. Add a huge amount of Sumac, blend again with a strong harsh impulse and then pour it through a filter so that no vocals and no guitars are kept in the mix. Now you have: Convulsif and its lineup consisting of bass, drums, bass clarinet and violin playing some of the fiercest and mind-bursting avantgarde jazz you might hear this side of 2010. It is cold and beaten, seductive and hunting, haunted and feisty. 

This fifth full-length by the new Hummus roster acquisition has all the trademarks necessary to make you fall in love with it. Or hate it. Or both. The riffing bass that is used like a guitar (by the way, I wonder if Loic Grobéty plays a five-string bass) and Maxime Hänsenberger’s mis-used drum kit which both produce a hellishly deep foundation for Christian Muller’s bass clarinet and Jamasp Jhabvala’s violin. The latter two also add electronic to make the sound even more distorted and unbelievable. The snippets of clear constructed melodies are attacked after mere seconds by one instrument or the other as it seems as if the listener should not be able to come to a finite thought. 

Sounds strange? Okay, let’s have a closer look at the second track “Five Days of Open Bones” (also the second-longest on this hell hound of an album): it opens with wide, sterile clarinet base and doomy, low-tuned bass punctures before the drums set in and the violin slowly rise to the foreground of it all. After roughly three minutes the drums indicate to the rest of the band that now it’s time to notch it up a bit and Maxime throws in some in-between kicks and fills. After every turn of the meter you have the thought “okay, now it will set in!” but it doesn’t fulfill your wish, it remains on its slow ascent into madness. At near-exact five minutes the bass becomes more distorted and the electronic noise parts become not only more apparent but also dominant, the clarinet is nearly inaudible. And then it starts, the hurricane has arrived and is ready to blow us all to bits and pieces – and the clarinet and violin indicate this change as they fight their way to the front again – of course having to overturn all the other “fighting” instruments on its way. We do not witness how we got into the eye of the storm but after a second of calm it all starts collapsing over our heads at 8.30 minutes and everyone tumbles over the over. We have arrived at Grindcore Level 1 where the beasts of hell welcome us into the abyss. The storm breaks down after two minutes and the madness slowly fades with the Godflesh-like clarinet being our guiding buoy out. But we cannot exit without one last quick drum’n’bass attack – no escape is for free.

The level of EXTINCTion and execution on this record is simply awesome because the four musicians are true master of their craft. Even without any vocals it has a lot to say. Even the track titles do – as they are chopped up parts from Charles Darwin’s Beagle Diary. The only question remaining here is – who will be extinct after this record? Our brain? Or is it a sarcastic analogy to the year 2020 when mankind faces extinction and doesn’t know how to get through (just like in a hurricane?). If it is, then let’s hope that Convulsif’s next record is not about the second law of Darwin – the survival of the fittest (or the one most-adapt at adapting).

One day later after the chat with my friends, my head is free again and I immediately have to tell them about this record. I am sure it should check with quite a lot of them. It is (as hard as it is for me to say this) the record we were expecting from Sumac. Maybe it’s even better. 


​Thorsten

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!

​
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!

​
Glauber