straydogs daysbegantowalk

Deconstructing Interference #9

straydogs daysbegantowalk

This is Deconstructing Interference, the roundup, dealing with all the non-metal and experimental stuff that I find interesting. If you want to be considered for this column or have anything else to recommend, drop me an e-mail at [email protected]

Hidden OrchestraWingbeats

The solo project of Joe Acheson is a lesson in genre convergence. Under the roof of Hidden Orchestra, Acheson performs a graceful alchemy in getting IDM, electronica and DnB to work alongside world music, neo-classical interpretations and jazz improvisation. His latest EP, Wingbeats, provides a further exploration of Acheson’s creative process. The EP kicks off with the single, self-titled track, a beautiful piece that sets off a mesmerizing journey, and then it is followed by its deconstruction. Acheson provides the individual parts, which make up the title track, shedding light into his compositional process.

In Slaughter NativesVentre / Psicofonias

Listening to the new (fucking insane) Gnaw Their Tongues I became nostalgic of In Slaughter Natives monumental works, coming to the realization that I did not write about their latest album Ventre. In Slaughter Natives produced one of the most disturbing merges of industrial, dark ambient and neo-classical, with their second album Enter Now The World, summing perfectly their feverish dreams of apocalypse. On Ventre they collaborate with French visual artist Nihil to further push the dark elements of their work. It is great to see them still spreading their darkness.

A single In Slaughter Natives record is definitely not enough, and thankfully Jouni Havoukainen also recently released Psicofonias. This is not exactly a new release, since it contains featured in the 2008 documentary Las Voces Descenocidas, a film about the voices of the dead and the desire of man to be able to communicate with the beyond. With this subject, the filmmakers definitely chose the appropriate musician to work with, as the overall minimal perspective binds perfectly with the documentary’s story, enabling the transmission of eerie and otherworldly feelings.

Stray DogsAnd The Days Began To Walk

The Belgian experimental electronic duo has always extended to the analog domain. Comprised of Frederik Meulyzer on electronics and percussion alongside Koenraad Ecker, on cello, guitars and electronics, Stray Dogs has been plunging into the rhythmical, abstract side of experimental music. With a very graphic imagery, they return in And The Days Began To Walk, constructing a tense work, originating from their complex rhythmic structures, becoming in equal parts tribal and dystopian.

The Empire LineSyndicat de la Couture

Unsurprisingly coming out from Avian, Guy Brewer’s record label, the collaboration of Jonas Ronnberg (Varg) and, Posh Isolation head, C. Stadsgaard is all about exploring space. The duo creates a melting pot of a release, where their influences, from techno to noise and drone, all coexist. There is a fair amount of history and tradition that aided in establishing this vibe, from recording at the Mayhem experimental stage in Copenhagen, to drawing inspiration from Cristóbal Balenciaga’s Empire line and releasing the album through Avian. This information has led into establishing this powerful, yet graceful recital.

GrebensteinGloss

A while back I had the chance to do an interview with Presha, the head of Samurai Music Group (great electronic label). During the interview he mentioned that one of the artists that perfectly fits in the Horo sub-division of the SMG was Grebenstein. Listening to Gloss, his second EP, I completely understand why. The experimental outlook is there, with Grebenstein forcing beautifully an off-kilter quality to the surface, twisting the elements of techno and industrial into something dark and primal.

Time TravelerChapter V/Chronicles from 1957

Apart from a cool artistic moniker, Time Traveler seems to also be a conceptual focus for Michele Pinna. In his new album, the artist takes us on a tour of the past, and more specifically the story of his mother, transferring us to the year of her birth. Despite the upbeat and energetic repertoire, Time Traveler enacts a dark sci-fi induced epic, moving hazily between repetitive percussive beats and mesmerizing synth lines, building a dim vision with a retro take on the futuristic.

Never Presence Forever/Gridfailures/t

Split releases are always interesting, especially when they come from experimental sources. Here Never Presence Forever, who have a fair amount of history in the drone/ambient/noise field, team with Gridfailure, a relatively new musical entity. The two follow a similar path of sonic exploration, with NPF kicking off with big drones, taking their time to mould the space around them before taking on the noise incentive, while Gridfailure build a busier sonic collage of distorted clips. Both are good compositions with NPF showing a better handle in their structure, while Gridfailure displaying an apt for choosing very intense and engaging mosaic.

SighaMetabolism

Taking on the structure, energy and dynamics of techno, Sigha threw in a strange twist to make me really tune in to his new record Metabolism. Instead of the typical, lively quality of the genre, the record is filled with an introvert vision that is truly captivating. Even more so, when that is not achieved through minimalistic means, rather by sound tempering and textural experimentation. This is a brainy record, absorbing the listener through its maze-like compositions, guided by a post-techno aesthetic.

EgyptrixxPure, Beyond Reproach

Egyptrixx returns with his new album, still transferring us to his mystical realms. In this new journey what is really striking is the way the tracks are put together and structured, moving with a chilled sense through the various soundscapes and adding samples to enrichen the overall result. The music always stays busy, with something new and catchy always appearing on the background, may it be an obscure melody or sample, all of which create a record that addresses the listener on multiple levels.

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