Listening Booth: A Semi-Regular Series

Field Rituals
Koen Holtkamp
Type Records

This is the debut album from Holtkamp, who has gotten well-known as one-half of the ambient duo Mountains. Holtkamp utilizes twinkly field recordings (children playing), warped-phased-finger-picked guitar playin’, and the (usual) panned waves and squiggles. It is the sort of cultivated rustic fuzziness for non-dancing ambient fans. The album will endure comparisons to Boards of Canada and being described as “warm” and “organic-like.”

Field Rituals deserves better. I am not a huge ambient guy. I dig one of these albums about every three years: Boards of Canada, Mum, Piano Magic, Hood . You want a band that will match the coming cold front–you could do no better than Hood. You want a record that will blend well with your daily walk or green-line ride? This is it.

Read the rest of this entry »

First there was Breathe Carolina, which Rise Records heralded as the creators of “an entire new genre,” and now there’s Watch Out! Theres Ghosts [sic], an “experimental/live electronics” duo from California. If this is Rise’s idea of signing new, “ground-breaking” talent, I’ve got news for the Oregon-based hardcore label: The new stuff blows. It’s terrible hardcore and mediocre electronica.

Rise was on a roll for a while, with recent additions like Burden of a Day and Oceana (both straight hardcore acts), but the momentum seems to have dissipated. (Hey Rise, looking for a new act worth growing/a chance to redeem yourself for signing up shitty electronica bands? Check out Soldier City Legends–another Florida gem.) Breathe Carolina and WO!TG are especially painful listening when compared to Rise powerhouses Dance Gavin Dance and Emarosa.

Perhaps Rise has a boner for the dance club crowd? Or maybe it’s just jumping on the two-man, screamo-electronica bandwagon? ($5 or a Hot Topic giftie of equal value says Rise offers to sign EATMEWHILEIMHOT! before the end of the year.)

Photo courtesy of Watch Out! Theres Ghosts’ Myspace page.

If Breathe Carolina is any indication of the direction in which hardcore is headed, EATMEWHILEIMHOT! is either ahead of the curve or trying desperately to catch up (notice that EMWIH & BC share a thing for dirty-boy glamour shots).

EMWIH’s early releases suggest that the members of the band (one of whom is Nevershoutnever’s Christian/vegetarian Christopher Drew) opted for sampling chunks of the styles that influenced them instead of coming up with a coherent sound of their own.

The only two tracks I’ve listened to more than once contain geeky screaming and deathcore growls, super-slow, doom-metal breakdowns, lots of palm-muted rhythm lines, sparse electronica beats, judicious use of double-bass, and saccharine pop-punk choruses. There’s even a pirate “Argh!” somewhere near the end of “Two Armed Man,” and a tribute to Leave it to Beaver in “The Point.” But neither combination amounts to much. If I want hardcore, I’m going to listen to Burden of a Day, Oceana, or Underoath, or five or six of the other bands that do the crowd proud (and if I want new hardcore, I’m going to listen to Hand to Hand–post forthcoming). There’s better pop, too, like The Academy Is… (see next week’s City Lights) and Emery. And it’s telling that the more-focused “The Point” is a better song.

Ultimately, the price of being artsy–if mindless eclecticism counts as art–totals up to a limited true-fanbase, a possible quick rise to indie fame, and ultimately, obsolescence. So long as they’re working off a gimic, EMWIH will never hear their songs on indie FM stations, and I doubt they’ll release anything  beyond an EP. In other words, if they last more than a season, it means that EATMEWHILEIMHOT! will have picked a genre and stuck with it.

“Always thinkin
Most times the mind
Hardly ever rest

To get the heavy burdens
off ones chest…And

‘I’m tired’
Tired of workin, tired of survivin
‘I’m tired’

‘I’m tired’ of screamin ‘n’ shoutin
This time I’m walkin out

Too many bumps in the road
Never had a smooth ride
And it frustrates me to see
That I’m the only one noticing
If things don’t soon change….”

–”I’m Tired” written by Mingering Mike on August 29, 1993, according to his records, between 11:27 and 12:05 p.m.

If there was ever any doubt that D.C.’s experimental underground was alive and kicking, it’s been erased this week. Not only are we in the middle of the eighth annual Sonic Circuits Festival (ongoing through Sunday at the Velvet Lounge and the National Museum of Women in the Arts), but area artists also just unveiled District of Noise, a brand-new compilation of local music deviants released in conjunction with the week-long event. Sunday served as both the festival’s opening night and the record’s release party, hosting performances by many of the acts featured on the compilation’s 17 tracks. The show itself was a revolving door of musicians and on-the-spot collaborations, championing the vibrancy of the DMV experimental scene while exhibiting its incestuous network.

Compiled by festival curator and Zeromoon label-head Jeff Surak, District of Noise reveals a clique of artists steeped in audiophile philosophies and improvisation, emphasizing sheer sound and ambiance rather than traditional song structure or accessibility. It’s the first compilation birthed from the Sonic Circuits run, assembled from some of the area’s more active artists, though not completely all-encompassing of the numerous projects around. According to Surak, District of Noise “acts as a vehicle to promote local artists, in hopes that people will support them the rest of the year when they play out.”

The record eases in with BLK w/BEAR’s deft loop deconstruction, piling processed cello and bass atop prepared vinyl records. Such incorporation of rhythm or familiarity—however faint or obtuse—outlines the most successful approach to making difficult music more palatable for the average listener, serving as a launchpad for the surrounding overload. Both Blue Sausage Infant and Cash Slave Clique (MP3 below) invoke the technique as well; BSI drowns heavy metal riffage with synthesizer oscillations while CSC pummels a drum machine beat with seizure-inducing electronics. An enticing introduction, indeed.

Echolalia’s “Falling Out” ushers in the industrial cloud that hangs throughout the middle third of the record, mixing menacing drones with minimal flourishes. Individually, the tracks maintain their own subtle flair, but on the surface, the frigid, electronic haze and mechanistic growls melt together without much protest. Seamless or samey, it’s your call. But a close listen will reveal rewarding compositions, most notably Mind Over Matter Music Over Mind’s eerie gurgles, Janel & Anthony’s cello/guitar manipulations (mp3 below), and Northern Machine’s obliterated organ.

Tone Ghosting injects a ripple into the album’s flow with “Amaxana:Visitation,” a frenzy of clipped vocals relentlessly mutated atop flickers of drum machine and static. The meticulous sonic fetishism that the compilation emphasizes is perhaps most beautifully represented by Cory O’Brien and his Myo moniker: His contribution builds through hushed crackle that colors the background hum, escalating in pitch as the track progresses. Surak’s own electroacoustic outlet Violet concludes the record with a disorienting piece of digital skitter; a shortwave malfunction glowering in the doldrums.

District of Noise provides a welcome snapshot of Washington’s most bizarre, marrying the work of industrial/experimental pioneers like Maurizio Bianchi and Stockhausen with the new-school noise antics of NYC stable No Fun Productions. It may not have quite the subterranean notoriety of the latter’s annual No Fun Fest, but Sonic Circuits still provides an impressive array of art and innovation, putting a uniquely D.C. spin on the concept of experimental music.

Four full nights of music remain in the Festival, with several artists featured on the compilation still scheduled to play, including Mind Over Matter Music Over Mind, Myo, Janel & Anthony, Northern Machine, and RDK. You can find a full schedule up at the Sonic Circuits site.

DOWNLOAD:

Cash Slave Clique, “Sonicervex”

Janel & Anthony, “Improvisation 61″

As Aaron Leitko noted in his post back in July, the days of amazing house shows at 611 Florida Avenue are drawing to a close. After five years of hosting a wild blend of subterranean sounds and adventurous local artists within a makeshift rowhouse venue, the good folks at 611 will hold their final event tomorrow evening, September 12. The show will be the fourth installment of the Free Folk Phantasmagory series (held annually since 2004), showcasing an eclectic lineup of ethereal songsmiths and experimental psychedelia. Music starts at 4pm, with performances by:

Kohoutek
Max Ochs
Julie Mittens
Human Adult Band
Silver Summit
Hat City Intuitive
Ilya Monosov
Teething Veils
Insect Factory
Layne Garrett

Thankfully, I moved to the area soon enough to catch at least two shows at the house during the summer, but regret I couldn’t have witnessed more. It’s definitely a shame that this place is going away; one less cozy outlet for truly out-there/interesting/odd music here in the District, and there weren’t that many to start with. But all the more reason to make it out on Saturday and wax sentimental on a D.C. institution you probably didn’t know existed.

While you’re indulging in the D.C. tradition of weather-related paranoia and stocking up on food, water and batteries, maybe you should considering grabbing some earplugs as well. On Saturday, Dub Trio, a heavy-hitting group on Mike Patton’s Ipecac label who mix chunky metal riffs with chilled-out dub, hit DC9. While these guys still have a ways to go before perfecting their formula, at the very least it’s a fascinating one, and as of now at least a seriously hard-rocking one. Hop over to their MySpace page for a listen.

Sunday, what better place to weather a storm (though I suppose it’ll be gone by then) than hanging out in the basement of an imposing university building? The monthly experimental madness that is Electric Possible is on this weekend at its usual location of room B120 in the basement of GW’s Phillips Hall (22nd & H Streets). This time around, the Nobu Stowe Duo (piano/drums), augmented by locals on cello and bass, get top billing. Stowe’s latest album was recorded at, and named after, Baltimore’s An Die Musik performance space, and is a thoughtful, restrained brand of free improvisation that mostly eschews the skronk and cacophony of most collective improv. Stowe’s own comparisons invoke more Keith Jarrett than, say, Cecil Taylor.

Obviously, Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails weren’t the first bands to give away their music for free on the Internet. Some savvy Googling will reveal blogs dedicated to finding bands and labels that give away music for free. In any case, if you’re into out-there jazz, here are a few, um, free free jazz downloads that are well worth your $0:

Bob Ostertag, who’s worked extensively with the likes of John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, Fred Frith and so on, has long offered his out-of-print recordings for free download from his Web site. He’s now up to 15 albums downloadable for free. One is the hilarious and atypical Fear No Love, which is kind of a send-up of cheesy ’80s funk, but performed by legendary free improvisers and prominently featuring LGBTQ-empowering lyrics. A more “standard” free-jazz effort of note is the Say No More series, a bunch of fragmented improvs spliced together into chaotic wholes.

Speaking of funk, most of Steve Coleman’s incredibly groovy experimental jazz works are also available for free download from the man himself. The Tao of Mad Phat and Def Trance Beat are a couple good starting points. Like Ostertag, Coleman has written extensively about why he gives away his music for free—long before the likes of Radiohead started doing so.

Insubordinations calls itself “a netlabel for improvised music,” and has 27 full-length releases all available for free download under Creative Commons licenses. I haven’t actually explored most of this stuff, but one that I’ve dug lately is PHAT’s La Grande Peste, which is sort of like jazz filtered through doom metal. Sister label eDogm has 20 more releases across a wider spectrum that includes electroacoustic improvisation, ambient and drone.

Finally, bassist (and D.C. native) Reuben Radding went through a project last year he called 12 in 2007, in which he released a free recording every month in 2007. These all feature Radding with various collaborators, fully improvised; there’s a ton of material to wade through but it all has a pretty solid baseline of quality, as long as you like free improv (much of this is not “jazz” per se, at least in any sense that traditionalists would agree with).

I’m still working my way through much of this stuff, but if anyone has anything to add, I’m all ears.

Experimental music enthusiasts in the DMV have cause to rally once again, as the eighth annual Sonic Circuits Festival will descend on the District for a whole week starting September 28th. Organized by the DC chapter of the American Composers Forum, the Festival highlights a smorgasbord of artists, musicians, and sound technicians from the D.C. area and around the world, providing a wide range of aural experiences; exploratory jazz, electroacoustic composition, volatile electronics, and minimal drone can all be found among the ranks. As the press release proclaims, “the perfect antidote to formula entertainment.” The schedule is now up on the Festival’s Web site, featuring over 60 acts spread across nightly performances at one of the three host venues: Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Velvet Lounge.

To help ease the event’s expenses, Festival organizers will hold a second benefit this Sunday, August 24th, at Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring, featuring performances by three area acts: Macaroon Five, Barsky/Allison, and T.A. Zook.

Macaroon Five boasts a collaboration between Arthur Harrison, Michael Engle and Kevin Buckholdt—a mix of Harrison’s custom-built theremin with Engle and Buckholdt’s intertwined electronics. Also a current member of The Cassettes, Harrison has been tinkering with homemade electronics for decades, and offers theremin kits via his company, Harrison Instruments, Inc. For visual reference, check out the video of Harrison teasing his instrument along with the Tornadoes’ “Telstar.”

Jeff Barsky and Scott Allison will perform as a duo, combining Barsky’s guitar tones with Allison’s tailor-made electronics. Both are regulars in the DC experimental scene, both through cosmic collective Kohoutek, and Barsky via his Insect Factory moniker. Arlington-based sound-manipulator T.A. Zook will round out the bill, showcasing an interesting array of homemade instruments processed through a massive electronics rig.

Those who can’t make it out to the benefit can still donate to Sonic Circuits via the Festival’s site, so don’t miss the chance to color outside the lines and support innovative, inventive music in the D.C. community and beyond.