ASCHE - STONEBRAIN Review

Stonebrain Asche Rhythmic Noise, Powernoise Released 2011 by Ant-Zen

Asche is the Rhythmic/Powernoise, Power Electronics, and Ambient project of Germany's Andreas Schramm. It is a staple and popular act of Germany's Industrial and Powernoise record label, Ant-Zen. Andreas was also a founding member of the industrial group Ars Moriendi, and is a co-member of the ritual ambient project Templegardens, as well as other projects such as KYAM and Monokrom. He also runs FICH-ART, a small industrial music label founded in 1989. Other notable projects on this label include Moctan, Morgenstern, The Rorschach Garden, and Sabes.

Asche's latest release (back in 2011 to coincide with his U.S. tour), was his EP entitled 'Stonebrain.' It features one new track, alternate versions of earlier tracks, and remixes from some well-respected artists. The EP was released in Germany on Ant-Zen and in the U.S. on Industry8. It is available as a digi file and was limited to 500 printed copies (which included 2 Asche/Ant-Zen stickers and buttons). Free stuff is always a bonus! That's one thing I always appreciated about Ant-Zen. Every package I received would be filled with about 5 stickers/buttons. In this day and age, everyone is trying to make a buck, so it's nice that Ant-Zen supports their bands enough to give away free merchandise for their fans.

I want to start off by saying that I am a big fan of Asche. I really enjoy his work and his music is important to me. I was very excited to check out this EP, as I'm always anxiously awaiting to hear new material from him. I wish I had a lot more to say about this EP, but I was a little disappointed by it. Overall, this is a decent/good industrial noise album, and if you're looking to get into the genre, it's a great, approachable EP because it covers a wide variety of noisy genres. However, this EP didn't really blow my skirt up as it's somewhat minimal. It was enjoyable to listen to a new track and hear revisions of older ones, but I didn't really find any one track standing out other than one of the remixes. While most of the tracks sound reminiscent of Asche's previous works, the alternate versions of the earlier songs bring something a little new to the table for his sound. Also, the remixes blend rather well into the EP. None of them stick out like a sore thumb. Unfortunately, I just wasn't into where the tracks were heading (not to say you wouldn't either though). Asche has been releasing music since 1994 (since 1996 on Ant-Zen) and is an important artist for the Powernoise scene. His style ranges from loud distortion to dark ambient, and both of these genres are covered on this EP. I find that the EP ends up being a bit more Rhythmic Noise than Powernoise.

"Confusion" and "Last Words" sounded very similar to me, which was disappointing because since they are the first two songs on the EP, I felt as if I was listening to one eleven minute long track that never really went anywhere. They both had about the same tempo and featured undulating beats that didn't really change that much. 'Confusion' was an aptly named track because I honestly was confused by what I was hearing! That track was kind of all over the place and didn't really make a lot of sense from a musical standpoint. It sounded like he was trying to add elements of noisy dubstep, but it didn't quite compliment the rest of the music. The only difference for me was that 'Last Words' (with lyrics read by William S. Burroughs) had an old school vibe to it. It reminded me a lot of Revolting Cocks or Pigface, if either had decided to stick around and evolve their sound. The reading over the music kind of got annoying after a while. If I wanted to read a book, I wouldn't be listening to music. The songs are a bit more technical than I'm used to hearing from Asche, but unfortunately, they just don't do anything for me. They just didn't sound like Asche, if you understand where I'm coming from.

I was a little more into the next three tracks on the EP. 'Home Crisis' is the most heavily distorted song of the EP and sounds like typical experimental Power Noise, which brings us back to the way Ashe's earlier work sounds. It's a well-written track that fades nicely into the appropriately named track 'Steam Room (Count Suckers Reprise)', the most ambient of the tracks on this album. It's not ambient as in bubbling sounds or creepy occultist chanting. "Steam Room' is Noise Ambient and makes you feel as if you're sweating away while working in an industrial warehouse. I hate to compare the two bands, but 'Steam Room' reminds me a lot of some of Converter's more ambient pieces. Also, it really does sound reminiscent of the song 'Count Suckers' from Asche's last album 'The Easter Island Phenomenon', but with a twist, and it's also shorter in length. 'Queer Angel' is also fairly noisy, but has sort of an EBM feel to it. I really agree with the arrangement of these three tracks. I feel it was a good idea to break the two louder songs up with a steady song such as 'Steam Room.' This way you're not assaulted with Powernoise for 10 minutes.

'Distorted Doom (rmx by Theologian)' is my favorite track on this album. It's a very strong Death Industrial remix. For starters, it's super creepy. It takes it's time (almost 7 minutes) to build up into a massive swirling vortex of energy and noise. New York City's Theologian (also known as Theologian Prime) has been releasing quite a bit of music since 2010, but there is surprisingly not much information about him on the web. He combines Dark Ambient, Death Industrial and Power Electronics like no one else I've heard. And all of these genres are represented on this perfect remix.

HyDrone's remix of 'Last Words' isn't really anything to write home about. Typical Ambient Industrial, but it didn't really stick out for me in any way. I guess it's a good introduction to this lesser-known experimental act from Athens, but it doesn't really do 'Last Words' any justice. The original is better.

I was a little disappointed by Nin Kuji's remix of 'Queer Angel.' While it completely changes the way the song sounds by changing the genre into Tribal Rhythmic Noise, turning it into a more danceable track (which is quite a feat), it's very methodical and doesn't really go anywhere. It might be a good song to play for a dance party, but I think that it would bore dancers after a while because it's doesn't really change much.

On 'Dogday Sunrise (rmx by Iszoloscope)', Yann does what he does best and chops the crap out of this track, also from 'The Easter Island Phenomenon', and turns it into something that is completely his own. It's a great, complex and schizophrenic remix that does the original track justice. It's a great way to end the EP and leaves the listener with a sense of accomplishment that you got through listening to the whole album. Sort of like a reward. I don't know how, but the climax of this EP is represented with this song.

MANIFESTO - RUST Review

Rust Manifesto Dark Ambient, Death Industrial Released 2012 by Silken Tofu

In August of 2012, Manifesto (a Dark Ambient/Death Industrial act from Sweden) released his album entitled 'Rust' on the DIY-label Silken Tofu, a platform for experimental music and media created in 2006 to release lesser known Electronic, Noise and Power Electronics artists. This full length album is Manifesto's third release since 2000.

Magnus Zetterberg was born in 1981 in Uppsala, Sweden. There, he studied sound engineering and earned a bachelor of arts degree in sound and music production. Magnus has been active in the Dark Ambient and Industrial scene for about ten years now, using various monikers, of which Manifesto has been the primary alias for the past seven years. Magnus was also musically involved with the groups Fucking Funeral (a Black Metal band from the 90's) and Supremacy (an Industrial band, also from the 90's).

This album features 7 tracks, all of which are untitled. Emotional and mental decay, self-contempt and depression are the main themes of this album. While the artist does fall into the overall encompassing Dark Ambient genre, I would say that the distortion and sounds used throughout this album defines itself as a Death Industrial and/or Noise Ambient album. The album definitely has a very dense, multi-layered atmosphere that is found within the Death Industrial genre, but it does not feature any screaming or distorted vocals. Most of the tracks are a combination of the calmness and soundtrack-like qualities of a Dark Ambient track, mixed with the abrasiveness of Power Electronics tracks. I can hear a little bit of Black Ambient in there due to it's use of pounding, but slow "metal" beats, along with some distorted chanting, but this makes sense seeing as how Magnus has a background in Black Metal. For my ears, this results in an oppressive, Death Industrial atmosphere. So, if you're in a good mood, this probably isn't the best album to listen to. It takes the listener on a journey into the madness of the creator, which is spiraling out of control and leaves the listener feeling very unfulfilled, but musically fulfilled in a good way (if that makes any sense!).

For anyone that doesn't know much (or anything) about the genre of Death Industrial, it can be described as having much of the same sounds used in Power Electronics, but those sounds are used to create a deep, atmospheric/ambient sound instead of just a wall of noise. Basically, it's like a toned-down version of Power Electronics that focuses more on the noisier ambient side of things. The Grey Wolves are often credited for pioneering the style, but the term was first used to describe artists like Brighter Death Now and Atrax Morgue.

It's hard to pin-point anything specific about a certain track. They tend to start off quiet and progress to a wall of noise. Some revert back to a more ambient sound and then build up again. A few are just noisy throughout. The last track is the most quiet track and I feel it doesn't really wrap up the story, but rather leaves the listener with an unsettling feeling. While each track sounds different from the other, they flow nicely into one another and tell a fairly horrific story. For each of the seven tracks, I imagine seven different rooms or levels of a giant building. Each room/track has it's own vibe, whether it's creepy, depressing, unsettling, etc. You make your way through each level only to find yourself trapped in another area of oppression. There is frequent use of mechanical noises, and a distorted guitar here and there. But basically, I envision scenes of torture, the feeling the despair, and nerve-wracking sounds that don't let up and drill into your brain. Good stuff! This album sort of has a diabolic, pseudo-satanic overtone to it. At times, the music sounds like a soundtrack to a horror movie. There is an evil-tinged calm to the music, with it's use of barely heard hummings, distorted ritual chants and subtle unidentifiable noises.

Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that this album was released on a DIY-label because I really feel like this album is something that would be good enough to be released by Ant-Zen or Ad Noiseam. It definitely sounds like a release from Cold Meat Industry. It's only a few years old, but it kind of has that old school Industrial Ambient vibe to it. I hope that Manifesto gets noticed by one of these labels (maybe even Tympanik Audio) because I feel Manifesto deserves to be on a label of this caliber instead of a DIY-label. I don't mean any disrespect to DIY labels, and perhaps Magnus prefers to stay off the radar. I just feel that the quality and maturity of this album exceeds what I find on many DIY-labels and I think Manifesto deserves to be performing at larger events and festivals for his genre.

Manifesto's next album, entitled 'Exit' is in the works, but it is progressing slowly due to unforeseen circumstances. He does not expect it to be released before Spring 2014. I look forward to this release and I hope that the title of the album is not an indicator that he will be wrapping up the Manifesto project. A preview video of the album can be found on Manifesto's website and on Youtube. I encourage everyone who is into Dark Ambient, Death Industrial and even older Industrial music to give this album a listen. I feel it would also be a great introduction album for people who are looking to get into Death Industrial or even into Dark Ambient.

Z'EV - A HANDFUL OF ELEMENTS Review

A Handful of Elements

Z'EV

Industrial, Experimental
Released 2013 by Cold Spring

Taking on the task of reviewing the latest release by one of the pioneers of Industrial music is, nonetheless, extremely daunting and nerve wracking. However, I am quite honored and feel extremely privileged to review Z'EV's newest long player entitled 'A Handful of Elements.'

Z'EV is one of a handful of visual performance and music artists from the 1970's who experimented with noise and sound, using found objects such as metal and PVC, or traditional instruments played in nontraditional or extremely modified ways. These performance artists, who drew their inspiration from poets, authors, painters and musical artists, desired for their music to become an awakening for listeners, encouraging them to begin to think for themselves and question the world around them. This music was entirely different than anything anyone had heard before. Many of these artists, including Z'EV, didn't consider their performances to be solos, but rather a unique visual performance or interaction between themselves, the audience, the instruments, the location of the performance, the time of the performance and the physical space that encompassed the performance area.

After publishing five books and releasing over 60 albums (not to mention the countless EPs and compilations he has appeared on), Z'EV stands proudly alongside bands such as Throbbing Gristle, SPK, Boyd Rice, and Cabaret Voltaire; bands who helped create the Industrial Movement and spawned a swarm of music artists who expanded the genre by pushing it into noisier and more electronic directions. Jason Pettigrew (the current Editor-in-Chief of Alternative Press Magazine) wrote: "Consider your music collection. Neubauten? Test Department? Z'EV's been there first.'

In the late 1970's, Stefan Joel Weisser (born in Los Angeles) began developing an unusual performance technique using self-made instruments constructed of industrial materials such as stainless steel, titanium and PVC plastics. These instruments were tied together with rope and manipulated by himself, sometimes by other performers. After the early 1980's, he began performing in a more traditional mallet-percussion style, still using his self-made or modified instruments. At the age of 63, Z'EV continues to execute his experimental performances using the term he coined as "wild-style." He is one of the last experimental artists of the 1970's who never deviated from the original intention of the Industrial Movement. However, in 1990 he worked with House musician DJ Dano and helped with the emergence of the genres known as Gabber and Hardcore.

As a treat to old school fans of Z'EV, 'A Handful of Elements' (released back in November of 2013 on Cold Spring) takes us back to the early days of Z'EV's material and focuses more on the noise and ambient aspects of experimental music, rather than the percussive pieces of the present. While the album only contains five tracks, each track is twelve minutes long, providing us with an hour's worth of Industrial, Drone and Noise. World Music is a big influence on Z'EV's compositions, therefore you can hear traces of these instruments from around the world on this long player. As indicated by the track titles, Earth's elements are also a factor in Z'EV's compositions and each song is inspired by those elements, such as Rock, Water, Air, Spirit, etc.

The complexity of this album is astonishing. It is not what it appears to be upon the first listen. The multi-layered tracks create very dense and unforgiving soundscapes. It's amazing to think that this album was created using found objects strung and/or tied together, with minimal use of synthesizers. I will admit this album can be difficult to get through, as it ranges from walls of noise to undulating drones and is very experimental in nature. However, the quality of the recording is great and I encourage you to lay back, close your eyes and let the music surround you. Then you will understand the genius that is Z'EV.

It will be a sad day when this man is no longer with us. If it was not for him and a handful of other artists, we may not have ever been introduced to the genres of Post-Industrial and Electro-Industrial. We may never get another true Industrial album in the coming years, so please take a chance on this album, whether you're into Experimental music or not. This is where Industrial music started. And this is where it will end.

DRYFT - THE BLUR VENT Review

The Blur Vent

Dryft

IDM, Ambient
Released 2014 by n5MD

Last July, California-based IDM/Experimental label n5MD released the latest and highly anticipated installment of Dryft's newest album entitled 'The Blur Vent'. The album comes in a four-sided, cardboard sleeve and is comprised of ten tracks which can be best described as, essentially, Drag/Witch House music combined with elements of Shoegaze and Noise music. The physical copy of the album contains an unlisted song entitled "Like Falling", which is also included for free in the mp3 download, if you order directly through n5mailorder.com. This mp3 download combines Tracks 6 and 7 of the album, and lists it as "The Long Four (Extended)".

Dryft is the solo side-project of a very talented electronic musician and music producer, Mike Cadoo. He is best known for his contributions to the groundbreaking and (unfortunately) disbanded Post-Industrial band Gridlock, which combined elements of Industrial, Ambient and IDM music back in the late 90's (something that was never done before at that time, and something that will never be re-created); and for his current project, Bitcrush, which started life as a Post-Industrial/IDM project and later evolved into more of a Post-Rock/Shoegaze outfit. He is also the founder of the n5MD label, which releases music by well-known IDM and Glitch artists such as Proem, Quench, Keef Baker, and subtractiveLAD. Therefore, when you order directly from the label, you're getting a package that is assembled by Mike Cadoo himself. Dryft has appeared on a number of compilations, and most of them feature exclusive tracks that can't be found anywhere else.

Dryft began in 2000 as a way for Mike to sonically explore and experiment with genres of electronic music that didn't exactly fit within the confines of Gridlock's sound. When Dryft's first album 'Cell' was released, it featured more of a Drum and Bass aspect, however it still contained a lot of the Noise, Ambient and IDM elements that were found in Gridlock's music. Just as Gridlock's sound drastically evolved over the years, so has Dryft's. With the release of the Glitchy and Trip-Hop influenced EP 'The Mytotyc Exyt' in 2002, and after an eight year hiatus before releasing 'Ventricle' in 2010, Mike Cadoo has shown us that this project couldn't be more appropriately named. There is no doubt that Mike Cadoo is a master of many genres of electronic music, having shown his ability to seamlessly blend multiple genres of music to create something new and exciting with each anticipated release. While fans may point out some similarities between his three best-known music projects, they can't deny the fact that his sound is ever-evolving, is always one step ahead of the rest, and is a major contribution to an underground music scene that has somewhat been lacking in quality releases over the years.

Witch/Drag House is a genre of music that combines elements of Hip-Hop, Noise, Drone and Shoegaze music. It's been around for few years now, has slowly been creeping into the Post-Industrial scene, and is starting to gain a bit more respect as better quality artists such as AAIMON, White Ring and SALEM have released cross-over albums that feature a more Post-Industrial and Noise sound rather than Shoegaze and Drone. It's only fitting that Dryft would take on this direction, as all of Mike's various projects have all featured these genres of music. 'The Blur Vent' brings us the ambient soundscapes, densely reverberated synths, and distorted vocals of Witch House while providing us with creative guitar effects and the "wall of sound" effect found in Noise and Shoegaze music. Dryft has appeared to leave behind some of it's IDM and Glitch influences with this latest release to create the perfect storm of sound and sentiment. Mike Cadoo has the ability to build songs to highly climatic orchestrations that show a massive amount of emotion. Within this album you will experience desire, despair and ecstasy. This is a groundbreaking album in the sense that it's paving the way for a new era of the Post-Industrial scene and should be regarded as one of the best releases of 2014.

I've been trying to get through this review without displaying how much of a rabid Gridlock fan I am. I am however, also a rabid fan of Mike Cadoo's music. While fans know there will never be another Gridlock album, as it's something that is beyond Mike's control, I feel that, deep within his side-project's music, Mike gives us a little bit of Gridlock's charm in the background with each release. And that keeps us coming back for more. I don't know if he'd ever admit to it, as he tags his Dryft tracks on Soundcloud as 'not-gridlock', but I'd like to state that, on behalf of your fans, Mike, we all appreciate everything you do. Please don't ever stop making music. Your music means so much to so many people. We can't wait to hear what you have in store for the future.

MONOLOG - MERGE Review

Merge

Monolog

Crossbreed, Dubstep
Released 2014 by Ad Noiseam

On September 29th, 2014, Monolog released his latest full length album, entitled 'Merge', on Germany's popular Ad Noiseam label, home to some of the best experimental Rhythmic Noise, Ambient, Breakcore and IDM artists whom refuse to be pigeon-holed into a single genre. This is Monolog's second release on Ad Noiseam and it couldn't be a more fitting label. Up until this point, Monolog's individual releases have featured a multitude of electronic sub-genres, ranging from jazzy, abstract Jungle beats, to some of the filthiest, adrenaline-filled Drum and Bass/Breakcore tracks, and the noisiest, glitchiest of IDM compositions. His genre-spanning style has given him the opportunity to play at some of the most well-known experimental electronic music festivals, such as Fusion, Maschinenfest, Burn The Machine and Schlagstrom, as well as several Ad Noiseam birthday parties.

Monolog's seemingly flawless ability to combine multiple genres exhibits just how talented this ever-evolving artist is. Each track derives from an apparent genre and expands to create massively detail-oriented and layered tracks. It can be difficult to wrap your mind around what you're experiencing as you listen to each track, as they have a tendency to assault you with bizarre combinations of glitchy, percussive samples with low, undulating bass lines, and grating, mechanical samples with ethereal ambient sound-scapes. This album has an unnerving, unsettling feeling which leaves the listener trying to discern a stable framework for each song, but leaves them unable to comprehend a coherent sound structure. Do not expect a four to the floor album from Monolog. Rather, expect to have your mind warped into an immense, gelatinous pile of sludge.

This appropriately named album features two collaborations with Balkansky a/k/a Cooh. While 'AEAEGF', my favorite track of the album, stands out as one of the most layered, noisy and heavy hitting songs of the album, reminiscent of any Broken Note track, 'Sadness On A Cloud' shows us a completely contrastive side of Balkansky, exhibiting an ethereal and ghostly Ambient introduction that inevitably forms into, what I feel, is the noisiest song of the album.

We take a course off that beaten path with the song 'Tandfoi' and are introduced to Tone, a Broken Beat/IDM/Experimental artist whose creepy, reverberated vocals combine with some of the most clamorous Dub I have ever heard. I imagine if Trip Hop could be on an acid-induced journey, 'Tandfoi' would best depict it's spiral into psychosis.

Also on this album, we get a small dose of an intriguing merger of piercing, glitchy Hip Hop, infused with the Rap vocals of Flux & Joey Juggaknotts on 'Take A Breather', which is reminescent of, really, any Mothboy song.

We also are provided with two tracks by A Dying User, Monolog's collaborative project with fellow Dane Karsten Pflum, an IDM/Experimental artist. Both tracks feature elements of Glitch music, but while 'Dead And Used', having an undeniable Burial-esque feel to it, exhibits the noisy, Dub-influenced sound of Monolog's music, 'Zero Eight' focuses more on the blending of IDM and Ambient.

'Zero Ground' features Species, a/k/a Oliver Donath, a Drum and Bass DJ and producer from Berlin, who runs the Drum and Bass label Shadowforces. Somehow these two artists managed to combine elements of Noise Ambient and Dubstep, two genres that are so far apart from each other on the electronic music spectrum that, surely, an amalgamation of these two would prove unsuccessful. They have proven that to be incorrect.

The last of the mergers features two tracks with Swarm Intelligence, a newer, up-and-coming Ad Noiseam artist whose works range from Drone, Noise and Ambient, to Drum and Bass, Breakcore and Dubstep. Swarm Intelligence's remix of 'The Siva', my second favorite track on the album, infuses the signature Drone and Noise Ambient fundamentals of Swarm Intelligence's music with the IDM and Dub-influenced undertones indicative of Monolog's sound. Monolog and Swarm Intelligence converge to form a collaborative project entitled Diasiva. 'Make Mountains' is most likely one of the filthiest Breakcore songs I have ever heard and is quite a departure from their other track on this album.

Lastly, we have two original songs from Monolog. 'In Returns', combining elements of Drum and Bass and Breakcore, should be a lost, bonus track on the Tetsuo: The Iron Man soundtrack. The opening track of the album, 'The Man Next To You', is an introduction to the encompassing theme of this album, combining Glitch, Noise, Dubstep and Breakcore. This album features eleven eye-opening and overwhelmingly complex tracks, featuring collaborative works with a variety of IDM, Hip Hop, Drum and Bass and Dubstep artists, showcasing some of Monolog's most mind-blowing and impressive work to date.

This album is available for purchase on CD, or it can be downloaded as a digital file. There is also a poster print version with a download code. I believe there may only be one of the latter formats left, if it hasn't been sold since this review has been posted. This album was mastered by Angelo Liaros, otherwise known as the artist Mobthrow. Artwork for this album was created by SHVLFCE, a NYC based illustrator and concept designer.

ABOUT ME

DJ Nekrotique is an album reviewer for Brutal Resonance e-zine (under the name Amy Nekrotique) and the event organizer for TechNoir Events, based in Buffalo, NY. TechNoir books live shows and hosts DJ events that cater to the industrial, rhythmic noise, IDM and dark techno scenes of Buffalo, NY.

She began DJing in February of 2009. She has DJed one or more times at the following venues: Club Diablo, Broadway Joe's, Staples, Mohawk Place, and The Underground (all in Buffalo, NY), at Montage Music Hall, Vertex, and Dub Land Underground (all in Rochester, NY), at Integration Events' 'Pyre' in Buffalo, NY, at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY, and has guest DJed during live band performances in Buffalo and Ithaca. She has also guest DJed on Buffalo State College's radio station, WBNY 91.3 FM. 

She specializes in Harsh Industrial, IDM and Rhythmic Noise. However, she has a broad taste in electronic music and will play the following genres: Industrial and Industrial Rock, EBM, Electro House, Drum and Bass, Dub-Step, Trip Hop, Electronica, Trance, House, and Breakcore. Perhaps even some Black Metal