Amph

"Let me tell you about Sweden. Only country where the clouds are interesting. Big Brother says it's the place to go. Too much time to think, too little to do". As the great Stranglers once said.
I got a couple of tapes through this week from Malmo based project Amph. Thank you Peter. I have spent a few days listening to "Oar Under Vatten" (An Island in the water), a C30 cassette released by the Swedish Jartecknet label. The label could be Amph's own, but I'm not too sure. The sound of "Oar Under Vatten" is certainly of experimental / industrial music of twenty or so years ago. Amph know their history...which makes this cassette great to listen to. The two sides are different, side A having a "Ritualistic Meditative Drone Wall" (RMDW) feel. The sound of tape looping experiments, amp noise and space awareness...very evocative of early Psychic TV live "jam" works...think Themes 2 0r 3. At points I was almost expecting the sound to break into some sub-Velvet strings and (heart beat) drums. Instead the sound builds to a deep and (audio) enthralling cacophony of RMDW. Side B is more acoustic, another 15 minute aural sculpture built of tape sampling, synth waves, metal, acoustic ephemera, synth key drones, and is more "aquatic" than side A. (If the title fits....use it). Again, think old Soviet France or Klangkreig or Maeror Tri and you are in the area of Amph.
A great cassette that will be played many times. Luckily I received the follow-up cassette "Rapport On Blinda" (Report on the blind) released by Sprachlos Verlag at the same time .. the future looks promising. Sprachlos released a Pestdemon cassette a few years back...the only Pestdemon I am missing.
Amph "Oar Under Vatten" can be purchased for a few euros through www.jartecknet.se it really is good stuff.

Also received a Dusa 7" through the post last week..Sweden is getting interesting again.

Pictures.
1&2: Amph Sleeve.
3: Amph tape.