IBF (Ideas Beyond Filth)

Album for Hanson Records is slowly coming together...hang on in there folks!!

Picture:
1: Taking a break from the studio.

Portion Control

Yesterday, I dug out some old Portion Control to listen to. I have not played Portion Control in years...well, probably 3 or 4 years since the last thing I bought was the "Archive" 4CD Box Set/Badge Set on the PortionControl.net label. I plumped for the "Step Forward" LP. The sound took me back to the mid 1980's. The album has aged well, and had me dancing and Oscar waving his toy sword about on the landing.

I remember hearing Portion Control back in the early 1980's. Dan Plunkett of ND Magazine mailed me a copy of their "Gaining Momentum" cassette, and it was interesting synth noodling. It was around this time that Nocturnal Emissions, Bourbonese Qualk, Soviet France etc were coming into my orbit and SPK were coming out with their "Metal Field" / "Sandstorm Method" material.
A couple of years later I got the mini LP "Hit The Pulse" and I became hooked on Portion Control. They had almost re-invented their sound and introduced "hard electronic rhythms". Vocals - hard shouting sloganeering and abstract sentences mixing with crossing sequencer patterns that danced around the "hard electronic rhythms". An out of the blue album with a never heard of before sound. EBM / Gothic music as a genre was not invented back then, this was still Industrial. Industrial and hard, it was as confrontational as Whitehouse. Back then I could imagine Portion Control + Whitehouse sharing the bill at some subterranean dive in the Capital - instead I saw them support Blancmange at Manchester Apollo.
I travelled the UK to watch Portion Control live. Volume was everything. The first time was at a venue called "Diorama" near Euston Station in London. This was (I think) 1984. Illuminated Records evening. The last time was about 2 years later at Sheffield Leadmill (I still have the A0 Poster), by this time they had released the bloody awful "Psycho Bod Saves The World" LP on Dead Man's Curve. A very sad night and I don't think they continued much after.
I was surprised when I heard they had reformed. But a lot has happened in the world of electronic music in twenty years and now their hard electronic rhythms aren't as essential. I have not bought any of their new releases, I'll stick to the "Archive" Box Set. I trawled around You Tube and looked at their new stuff, and they looked like secondhand car dealers with Dean (vocals) shouting out his words like he was on his forecourt in Croydon.

If you see any Portion Control vinyl/tapes 1981-1986 buy and treasure (or get in touch)....

Pictures:
1: "Archive" Box Set Cover.
2: 1980 video I found on You Tube.

Dave Phillips

Just spent a pleasant while listening to the LP "They Live" by Dave Phillips. This is my first album by the man. I do have some Dave Phillips work on various compilations, but this is the only full length album I own. A fact that will need some rectification. I got this one from my good friend Steve Underwood who once or twice a year mails me a parcel of stuff.....thanks Steve.
The sleeve gives nothing away. The whole package is one of non information. Swastikas replace the stars of the states of America on the front and that of the stars on the flag of the European Union on the reverse. Nice touch, but probably damaging sales in Germany and Israel. The LP is called "They Live". Could be a soundtrack homage to the great John Carpenter film of 1988, or it could be a performance called "They" recorded "Live"? Could be neither. It's on RRR Records and carries no catalogue number...I tell you, information is kept to a grand minimum here.
I know Dave Phillips as a performance artist, a relative of Sudden Infant and a member of Der Schimpfluch-Gruppe. He was also a founder of the thrash punk band Fear Of God, whom I've never heard. It is sometimes a worry getting stuff (audio) by a (mainly) visual artist. Often the releases are documents and mean little to folk who weren't at or in on the event, so the disc went on the turntable with a little trepidation and a back up plan of sorting the washing out if it all went bland. No plan B needed, from needle to the record I was hooked. Attentively hooked. The start is of whispers and a struck bass guitar (amplified) - it reminded me of something. It was very Einsturzende ish maybe really early Laibach, the whispering turns in to chattering, in to straining, in to struggling. Passionate multi-layering of the voice. Very unsettling and in beautiful stereo. Side 2 and the bass is replaced for some time by the sound of (to these ears) a muted klaxon and the voices have become scratched and bowed violin strings. (Don't know why but Mauthausen Orchestra sprang to mind - not the Italian nolise outfit either). It all builds in to an orchestral sized cacophony, the voices return as does the amplified bass thump. It all ends on a beautiful lock groove.
Recommended.

I may have met Dave Phillips. I am uncertain. I was in Berlin in 2000 in the middle of the Harbinger Sound Travelling Circus & Freak Show Northern European Tour with Putrefier and Dieter Muh when we stopped off in Berlin and camped at Daniel Lowenbruck's flat for 3 days. (Berlin gig cancelled). One of the visitors that paid a visit to the flat was an English man who I think was Dave Phillips - we went for breakfast in a cafe and met people who could have been part of Column One. By this time the tour was in week two and time was spent being in an alcoholic fug. Beer was cheaper than water over there back then.

Hunt and find then buy this album.

Pictures:
1: "They Live" Sleeve.
2: "They Live" Back Cover.
3: Dave Phillips "Live".

Andreas Brandal #4

After hearing the slightly disappointing Andreas Brandal album "A History Of Labyrinths" on Basses Frequences I thought to myself, right no more Brandal purchases this year..coffers to go elsewhere. Then I saw this album advertised on the Troniks forum board for only a fiver (£5) and I was in....Also I was intrigued to hear what Andrew Coltrane sounded like.
The album is called "AC/AB" (by Andrew Coltrane & Andreas Brandal). Released as a CDr on the Norwegian Twilight Luggage label. One thing that I did not know is that Twilight Luggage is Andreas's own label. The album has one of the worst sleeves in my collection, probably dislodging Ashtray Navigation's "Four Raga Moods" off the top! Information is slim on the cover, but the artist remains anonymous.
Andrew Coltrane supplies 35 minutes of muddy waters processed through a bank of effects. This may (or may not) be a sub-divisional genre of noise called HNW. HNW gets mentioned a lot on noise forums and is usually associated with folk I have never heard. Andrew Coltrane may be one of those names. I also have no idea what HNW stands for. Harsh Noise Workout? Heavy Noise Walls? Anyway. Playing the two untitled pieces by Coltrane loud I was taken back to the Sterile sound of Lustmord and MB and the Physical Evidence of Non. Real bass rumble noise with a lot going on under the vibrations. The second piece ends with the sound of a VL Casiotone rhythm box revealing what (through a bank of effects) was making the pulse. Good stuff. Andreas Brandal supplies 24 minutes split in to three pieces. The first two are of low key noise, quietly amplified metal scrapings, prepared guitar scratchings and tonal piano. The pace and noise picks up in the last piece taking some insect like scratching to the edge of hearing with an all surrounding ampnoise filling in the gaps.
A good pairing and an impressive release. Just a shame about the sleeve.
The CDr is available from Twilight Luggage - it is also free from them as a download but please buy a copy as all proceeds go to Andrew Coltrane's partner to help her with her medical bills...she has to have a brain tumor removed.
Worthy cause - excellent album.

Pictures:
1: "AC/AB" advert. (Including awful sleeve)!
2: Twilight Luggage logo.
3: Andrew Coltrane live.

Field Studies

Trawling the internet a couple of weeks back and a posting by Chicago based Field Studies label caught my eye. Once in a while I will go trawling, see what is out there. New sounds to be found etc. The Field Studies blog mentioned two new releases by Astronaut and Floating Gardens + Slag Heap. I knew nowt about any of these projects, but the descriptions (sound synopsis....or should that be synopsi in the plural?) intrigued. Astronaut being a "tri-synth kosmische mind lock" and the Floating Gardens split tape with Slag Heap is "Music of memory: The first descent below the canopy, resonant synths unfold in the garden temple of the lower level". So there y'go. I bought in the thought of hearing Popol Vuh meeting Neil Campbell or Cluster or some such. £9.50 for the both.
Astronaut are a New York based trio featuring Andy Plovnick (of Andy + Zeus), Dan Lopatin and Lee Tindall. "Prayer For Mitnick" 3"CDr is a re-release of a 2007 3" CDr on Antenna Alliance. This may or may not be a homage to famed computer hacker Kevin Mitnick, information is slim. The sound is of raw synth and ampnoise with the odd oscillation, nothing grabbed me by the ears I'm afraid.
Floating Gardens + Slag Heap tape is a different kettle of fish. I have tried to do research on Floating Gardens but have gotten nowhere. T(he)y provide the track "Tonefloat In Omni" - interesting title, maybe a nod in the direction of Kraftwerk or (as mentioned) Popol Vuh. No. The track is a slab of new age (almost) christian synth doodle. If this was released in 1973 it would have a sleeve designed by Roger Dean. Whilst playing I sat thinking "how near am I to buying some old Camel or Hillage"? Slag Heap is the solo project of Chicago based musician Connor Camburn. His track "Dope House" is a poor recording of cheap keyboard drone. I think the cassette is a C20.
I am in slight disappointment at what I have received, but when you dip your toes in to the waters of the unknown not everything is going to be jewel like..is it?
I may try the Astronaut CDr again.

Pictures:
1: Field Studies logo.
2: "Prayer For Mitnick" by Astronaut.
3: Floating Gardens / Slag Heap tape cover.

Aaron Dilloway #3 (Live @ London ICA 2009)

Just found this little snippet of footage lurking in the bowels of You Tube. It brought back happy memories of a great day out in London ending with one of the greatest live sets I have ever seen. Look forward to seeing Aaron Dilloway live in Europe again....soon.

Muhviertel #2

I have been asked by a couple of folk if there are any pictures / photographs of Muhviertel. Simple answer - no. A camera was just one of things we never had back then.
I have searched through my tin box of old photos and found these three - the closest (to the time) there'll be of Muhviertel.

Pictures:
1: A:A:K.
2: N.T.R.A.
3: Rite