senical works on killing rate are imho his best.
the dark vinyl with its gloomy blue printing prepares us for what is to come on this record.
i will focus only on the tracks that i assume to be the best, or most interesting, this time:
A2 more mellow than most of the other tracks here. a very technoid feel, with a long, multi-channel build up. when the melody comes in, it is killer. we have exotic space synth hits that could be used in a movie such as blade runner. beat and melody stay with us for a long time, and this creates an intricate hypnotic feel. i guess this track would work wonders on a crowd on dancefloor in a dark, strobe flashed location. the, almost, howling synth at the end makes a great finish to this wonderful track.
B1 non-4/4 floor beats make a nice change here. it's hard to describe the feel of the track; it is almost electronesque. maybe if electro was done by a kind of cyborg soldier from the future. it has one of these almost oriental sounding melodies i adore in hardcore and techno of that era so much, based on high filtered saw-waves.
the build-up in this track is strong, as usual with senical, and deep space fx add the finishing touch here.
B2 the space beauty of the other track is exchanged with jackhammer romance here. noises, screaming machines, pain, all around. the speedcore bits are another nice touch. this track proves how powerful and disturbing analogue equipment can be used.
B3 for me, this is the true gem of this record. marching drums come in, supported by a powerful techno beat. it goes, hypnotically, along like this. till the melody comes. and this melody is so deep space, so otherwordly, so far away in the universe, i can't describe. it could be the fuel for the most vivid dreams. it sounds as it was sent straight from the year 3035. this shows the true and deep skill of senical, and makes for a perfect ending track. of a wonderful, great record.
Review: Miro - Purple Moon / Understand - DE 2052
it somewhat doesn't feel right to review this record, as it has already be done a dozen times by other people. yet is one of miro pajic's most intriguing works, and worth reviewing.
when it came out, before, there was nothing. there was nothing like it. you can check the backcatalogues of the labels of that era, and you will see there isn't any record like this. maybe some earlier works of miro only can contend. and afterwards, there is nothing either. except for miro's tracks of course. but, as far as i can tell, no artist after this record has managed to pull off something similiar as this. it is definately one of the early highs of miro's music journey.
A1 Purple Moon
this is it. the purple moon. do i need to describe it? outer space beats open this records. we are moved along, more elements are added. while this track paces as a fast speed, it is nothing like the "hardcore" of it's time. this track feels more as if one of the great sonic pioneers such as jarre or klaus schulze had their go at techno, as if this was done by a techno man on a techno label. then, the breakdown, and the high-cutoff-synth-saws come in. i listen to a lot of music; especially melodical music. but this melody is something that is in a field of its own. i rarely heard something as beautiful; as sweet; as moving, as the harmonies of this track. it seems simple at first, but, in its simplicity it is extraordinary complex. the melody is what drives this tracks, and it creates a special track.
B2 Understand
this track is often overlooked in favor of purple moon. but, not rightly so. this too is one of miro and PCP's greatest work. the rising synth sound prepares us for what is to come here. i can't say what image this track invokes in me - a space station, space exploration, or an alien meeting somewhere far in the universe? but it is a powerful image.
the melody again is the main thing for me here, less melancholic, yet as powerful, and more complicated as in purple moon. i could listen to it in a loop for a long time.
the track is more of a hardcore affair than purple moon, yet again far removed from the normal "hardcore" of it's time. this track is a gem, and the whole record is a precious jewel.
when it came out, before, there was nothing. there was nothing like it. you can check the backcatalogues of the labels of that era, and you will see there isn't any record like this. maybe some earlier works of miro only can contend. and afterwards, there is nothing either. except for miro's tracks of course. but, as far as i can tell, no artist after this record has managed to pull off something similiar as this. it is definately one of the early highs of miro's music journey.
A1 Purple Moon
this is it. the purple moon. do i need to describe it? outer space beats open this records. we are moved along, more elements are added. while this track paces as a fast speed, it is nothing like the "hardcore" of it's time. this track feels more as if one of the great sonic pioneers such as jarre or klaus schulze had their go at techno, as if this was done by a techno man on a techno label. then, the breakdown, and the high-cutoff-synth-saws come in. i listen to a lot of music; especially melodical music. but this melody is something that is in a field of its own. i rarely heard something as beautiful; as sweet; as moving, as the harmonies of this track. it seems simple at first, but, in its simplicity it is extraordinary complex. the melody is what drives this tracks, and it creates a special track.
B2 Understand
this track is often overlooked in favor of purple moon. but, not rightly so. this too is one of miro and PCP's greatest work. the rising synth sound prepares us for what is to come here. i can't say what image this track invokes in me - a space station, space exploration, or an alien meeting somewhere far in the universe? but it is a powerful image.
the melody again is the main thing for me here, less melancholic, yet as powerful, and more complicated as in purple moon. i could listen to it in a loop for a long time.
the track is more of a hardcore affair than purple moon, yet again far removed from the normal "hardcore" of it's time. this track is a gem, and the whole record is a precious jewel.
Review: Fisch 22 - Auto-Psy - Necrophage
i picked this up as a white label from the container record store. this was one of the earliest releases of mouse aka stella michelsen - the 3rd or the 4th? i had listened to fisch 18 by her, and was enchanted by it.
the record came with a group of poems in the sleeve, one for each of the tracks. i thought this was a a nice touch, and the poems were touching. it is something i am missing with hardcore releases today - especially the connection with artforms such as poetry.
A2 i'll start with the second track so it's a bit of a change of order. this is one of the roughest track i heard at that time (i considered it to be the hardest track). after the creepy intro, killer bassdrums hit you hard in the head. very industrial sounding, very metallic, very dirty. they have a bit of a varispeed thing to them, which is nice too. the track keeps pounding the whole minutes it runs through. weirded-out, surreal, psycho samples come and go and make it somewhat of a sonic journey - a very fulfilling journey.
A1 the starter track. i remember the poem linked it somewhat to the "nerve cables" inside ones head being torn apart as being the sound source of the first seconds. a very fitting comparising. this is full on noise, yet not in a wall of white noise way, but screeches, ringing, like fingers running along the chalkboard to drive you mad. excellent!
B1 frantic, frantic, frantic. again. yet, this track also has somewhat of a relaxing feel. various "ambient" sounds - dark ambient - are employed here. the kick brakes down, comes back in, drags you forward. this has somewhat of a very interesting feel. different planet hardcore.
B2 next to A2 my favorite track on this record. it seems to me generally the B side on this record is more calm than side A? calm is an understatement though, since this is as frantic, hectic and brutal and it can get with hardcore. again we have a full on attack of noises and surreal, spacy sounds. the last seconds of this track are my favorite part, also my favorite part of this record. strange, bizarre, reverberated sounds that fade out and leave you on into your dreams - or rather, nightmares.
the record came with a group of poems in the sleeve, one for each of the tracks. i thought this was a a nice touch, and the poems were touching. it is something i am missing with hardcore releases today - especially the connection with artforms such as poetry.
A2 i'll start with the second track so it's a bit of a change of order. this is one of the roughest track i heard at that time (i considered it to be the hardest track). after the creepy intro, killer bassdrums hit you hard in the head. very industrial sounding, very metallic, very dirty. they have a bit of a varispeed thing to them, which is nice too. the track keeps pounding the whole minutes it runs through. weirded-out, surreal, psycho samples come and go and make it somewhat of a sonic journey - a very fulfilling journey.
A1 the starter track. i remember the poem linked it somewhat to the "nerve cables" inside ones head being torn apart as being the sound source of the first seconds. a very fitting comparising. this is full on noise, yet not in a wall of white noise way, but screeches, ringing, like fingers running along the chalkboard to drive you mad. excellent!
B1 frantic, frantic, frantic. again. yet, this track also has somewhat of a relaxing feel. various "ambient" sounds - dark ambient - are employed here. the kick brakes down, comes back in, drags you forward. this has somewhat of a very interesting feel. different planet hardcore.
B2 next to A2 my favorite track on this record. it seems to me generally the B side on this record is more calm than side A? calm is an understatement though, since this is as frantic, hectic and brutal and it can get with hardcore. again we have a full on attack of noises and surreal, spacy sounds. the last seconds of this track are my favorite part, also my favorite part of this record. strange, bizarre, reverberated sounds that fade out and leave you on into your dreams - or rather, nightmares.
Temporal Transmission
Temporal Transmission - Blood And Guts
from https://soundcloud.com/highstrangeness
from https://soundcloud.com/highstrangeness
Bacteria Factory
Bacteria Factory - Sys100 Filter Test 4 Jim
from https://soundcloud.com/happy-future
from https://soundcloud.com/happy-future
The Horrorist
what makes the music by the horrorist so special? first, there is the combination of oldschool-type techno with EBM; which in itself is clever enough to spawn dozen of great tracks; than there is also the influence of hardcore techno, which can be especially heard in early tracks. there is also a type of super-futurism in the sounds that is not often encountered. but there is always something else about the tracks by the horrorist too. the melodies, the vocal style, the appereance, doesn't seem to fit to me to any of the influences i mentioned. instead, it had always a kind of "out of time" aspect to me, similiar to 1920s german cabaret style, or even more so, to a victorian-time london or new york. i could image the horrorist appearing in a victorian type tavern in london in the 19th century; where people of "ill refute" sit around, and a strange guy gives some of them a hint, to lead them to a door at the back of the place while telling them about a secret show, which leads to a dim-lit basement at which the horrorist sings his songs about death, misery and gloom. the tales of the horrorist somehow, to me, fit so much to the special fascination for the obscure and the morbid in victorian times. the name "horrorist" itself has somewhat of a connection to me; think of the "illusionists" and similiar professions of that time, a performer called the horrorist would fit right in.
so, yes, in almost any song the horrorist tales us dangerous, vague, fascinating tales of the bizarre, the strange, the things that are out of line.
and i hope he continues to do so for many years to come.
more information about the horrorist can be found at http://www.thingstocome.com/
so, yes, in almost any song the horrorist tales us dangerous, vague, fascinating tales of the bizarre, the strange, the things that are out of line.
and i hope he continues to do so for many years to come.
more information about the horrorist can be found at http://www.thingstocome.com/
Aythar
Aythar - The last cosmic tour (@ Akvárium Klub - Lay-Up - 2013)
from https://soundcloud.com/aythar8
from https://soundcloud.com/aythar8
Review: Atari Teenage Riot - Reset
i must say, the last ATR album, "Is This Hyperreal?", was a bit of a disappointment for me. so i expected to face a disappointment again with this one. but Alec Empire really delivered with this release. the haters might say, it sounds much different than ATR used to sound (think the first few albums). but i have to disagree. i think this album is how Alec always ATR envisioned to sound like. think a band that tries to combine punk with techno. and one that tries to combine a dark atmosphere with a "professional" (maybe wrong word) sound. and one that tries to combine thrilling music with a political and cultural message. this is what ATR was, should be, and how this album sounds like. this doesn't mean it's stuck in the old, there are plenty new ideas and concepts around here too. also interwoven are nice cultural and sonic references - the "Sonic Reducer" nod in Transducer, and i think i can hear a hint of an approach to Don Davis' scoreworks elsewhere, and more things than there is place here to mention.
i know the "hardcore fraction" will probably hate this album, but really, you are unfair here. ATR wasn't always "Into The Death" and "Start The Riot" repeated over and over again - distorted 909 and amens. remember tracks like Midijunkies, or the bonus release of early ATR tracks. ATR always had this techno meets punk, in an aggressive but also slighty "cheerful" (wrong word again, maybe) way. this is what the album sounds like to me, just in an updated version (and, again, with new ideas).
and it is something, that, to me, has really an impact, and brings a lot of fresh air. rarely i have been so thrilled by music lately, and i feel it is on an whole other level than most music in the moment.
and something that made it easily win my heart, is that it is something i wished to see for a few years now but never thought it would happen: a combination of modern guitar based music with techno/hardcore roots. it would be cool to see more music like this in the future.
so, if you are not a "die hard" you might like this album. if you enjoyed the original ATR works and like to see them in an updated context, you might like it too. and if you want to hear a kickass album, you'll love it.
ATR Webpage: http://www.atari-teenage-riot.com/
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