FRKSE

Just spent a pleasant while listening to the latest release from American artist FRKSE. "Scholar Drugs" is a C31 cassette released by (the excellently named) I Had An Accident Records label from Annapolis MD in the USA.
FRKSE are a new name/sound to Hartop Towers, I saw the cassette mentioned on the Troniks Forum Board and liked the look of the tape, so I went for it - and damned glad I did. The tape is split into two pieces. Side A is "Scholar Drugs:Diagram 1 (Stereo)". The track starts off slow with a single beat, a slow bass drum through plenty of echo and reverb...a slow single oscillator drone accompanies...a snare offsets the beat on random occasions, oscillator knob twiddling happens building, slowly building. Excellent stuff...studio recording playing / sounding like an old Inade demo. The echoes get deeper, the knob twiddlings rise and fall, the echoes get louder and after 12 minutes it becomes celestial. Downside is the end of side A where for a few seconds it all speeds up...but still it left me eager enough to grab another can of lager and turn the tape over.
Side B is "Scholar Drugs:Diagram 2 (Mono)" and obvioulsy a live recording. It has the same beat but this time is more excited, more urgent and "on the edge", the electronics fill the space more. I was reminded of Hunting Lodge circa "Exhumed" and Last Few Days when they part of the Final Academy. Really enjoyable listen. Again it has a 12 minute mark where this time the sound slows down and collapses and drags on a bit....but still is OK - the come down to Scholar drugs (I suppose)?

FRKSE are a new project, and I know nowt about - they (he) seem to have a few releases listed on Discogs...and I love to hear them all....but with so much coming out lately, I'll have to start my collection here and try and (slowly) catch up on the back catalogue. I recommend you give them an ear - and that of I Had An Accident Records...the jiffy came stuffed with pens, stickers, flyers and a six inch ruler from the local pharmacists! The cassette is limited to 41 copies with artwork by Final Church.
Buy from : www.ihadanaccidentrecords.com or www.divergentseries.info

Pictures.
1: FRKSE "Scholar Drugs"
2: FRKSE. (Looks like Pete Bardens in 1975)!