What follows is the fourth installment in my ongoing series of postings of singles from the vdoandsound archives.
THE BIGGEST SQUARE THING-A SQUARE THINGS PREROGATIVE, 1989, USA
This offshoot project of the excellent post-V-Effect New York outfit Fish And Roses features Sue Garner working off the angular art rockin' side of her sound and is all the better for it, none of the homespun folksiness of her solo work being at all evident here.
BIG SWIFTY-EXPERIMENTAL ART FILM, 1996, USA
This Florida unit's droning improvs (predating the whole freak folk juggernaut by several years) on this single, sound like The Theater Of Eternal Music on horse tranquilizers accompanying the stoned mumblings emerging from the inside of Frank Zappa's piano.
BLAZEN, SHARP & GERBER-SLOTH, 1997, USA
Very effective liquidly churning, low-key nocturnal soundscaping from this Nashville trio.
BLAZEN Y SHARP-ORQUESTA EN RITMO...CON GRACIAS, 1994, USA
Not quite so low-key on this earlier outing, the Blazen/Sharp duo's dense soup of surreal electronic manipulations possessing something of an Electro-Static Cat vibe on this one.
THE MICKEY BLISS BAND-VENUS DRESSED IN PLASTIC GARBAGE, 1982, USA
The A side of this minimal synth mega-collectable (though that descriptor is mostly due to the presence of a drum machine on the first side) is a crisp bit of stripped art rock with a street smart lippy delivery at the fore, the B-side hitting a certain Here Come The Warm Jets stride thats even most appealing.
MICKEY BLISS-VIDEO LIZARDS/COCKTAILS FOR TWO, 1982, USA
Not sure whether this or the above came first (info on the web is near nil), but energy levels are much more jacked on this one, vocal swagger still to the fore, though this time with the synths set on blare. Intense and excellent.
PETE BRANDT'S METHOD-WHAT YOU ARE/POSITIVE THINKING, 1980, UK
Suave and distinctly Arthur Russell-like funk and disco inflected art pop whose lushness seems weirdly out of context for a "brown rice" UK DIY imprint like Fried Egg. Good shit.
BUTZMANN & SANJA-VALESKA EP, 1980, GERMANY
Frantic Neue Deutsche Welle psychosis from master of the game Frieder Butzmann, here in collaboration with a gal named Sanja, thats full of sped up pianos, gibbering vocals and claustrophobic electronics.
FRIEDER BUTZMANN-WHITE CHRISTMAS, 1980, GERMANY
Though this is Butzmann's single in name it actually amounts to a collaboration with Malaria, as both Gudrun Gut and Bettina Koster are present here to help Herr Butzmann disembowel these two Christmas chestnuts (the other to get the treatment is Silent Night, which "Goes Disco" according to the title, but sounds more like it goes sub-mental). A sick little counterpoint to my forthcoming post of The Hybrid Kids (ne Morgan Fisher) LP "Claws" which also finds novel ways to defile the spirit of christmas, albeit from a infinitely more well oiled and zany tack.
Get part one
Here Get part two
Here
Continuing posting tape compilation releases from Broken Flag label ,here is another compilation from 1985.
I think there's no need for an introduction for Achim Reichel.Here we have a bootleg recording of 1973 concerts with excellent improvisation tracks from his works with the Machines mostly,never released officially with anykind of pic sleeve.Also AR 3 with the machines and Erholung LPs from 1973 and 1974 respectively.
French musician Laurent Pernice (former member of French band Nox) embraced the sampler and electronics and crafted the ethnic/industrial collage of Releases Details (Permis de Construire, 1988) and Sortie Vers la Ville (Permis de Construire, 1994), both further eroded by his jarring vocals. In between, he also released a more conventional work, Axident (Permis de Construire, 1992). The experiment continued with Sept Autres Creatures (Odd Size, 1996), Yppah (Moloko+, 2001), Infrajazz (2003) , Drosophiles & Doryphores (2004).
An electronic/progressive masterpeice by the Canadia singer Claudo Peloquin,known from his LP with Sauvageau from 1972 ,Laissez-nous vous embrasser où vous avez mal.An excellent very emotional LP reminding me a bit of Igor Wakhévitch and a bit of Iceland era Richard Pinhas. The only disavantage is it's very litle duration.
Inspired by the massive posts of thunderperfectmind fellow blogger ,in Direct Waves blog,of Broken Flag label recordings ,i will post some tapes here too,starting from this early and very important compilation.
"A magnificent double tape package featuring some of the finest music that's about at the moment. From all over the globe the hits just keep on coming and the variation of styles makes it an intriguing insight into the different directions being pursued in different countries.
Now seriously this one is A HELL of a record!First time i heard it remained speechless for 40 minutes(the time that record lasts).Magnificent combination of jazzy / experimental tunes combined with plingity -plong electronics Residents styleand all blended by the art/NDW sounds of Germany at the time of this release.Imagine Residents jamming with Sun Ra while Frieder Butzmann and Pascal Comelade are furiously joining them!
A long deleted rare Mini CD by the great Hector Zazou collaborating with David Sylvian here.Excellent atmospheric compositions based on poems of Arthur Rimbaud.Reminding the Belgian TUXEDOMOON period but still blended with the great talent of these 2 legends.Ambient electronics combined with ethnic hints creating an almost dreamy relaxed feeling ,sometimes a bit dark and scary but yet marvellous.
Gaznevada adventure started at the end of the seventies when Billy Blade (vocal and sax), Bat Matic (drums), Andy Nevada (vocal and synth), Chainsaw Sally (bass) and Robert Squibb (guitar) decided it was time to give to their social / sonic hysteria a form. March, 1977. After the university riots some of them, start to live together in a flat in Bologna with other artists and friends. The aggregation place is an occupied house in Bologna where they lodge artists, musicians, designers, cartoonists and directors. At this time the name of the band is "Centro D'Urlo Metropolitano". With this band they write "Mamma dammi la Benza" the first and one track of "Centro D'Urlo Metropolitano" co-produced and distributed by the University Student Movement of Bologna in september 1977.
Here we got everything:punk,synth punk,psych,folk,industrial,jazzy tunes,even marching songs.All those combined excellent with a very impressive result by this Rammstein related band.Sometimes reminding me the excellent Pogues,Flogging Molly folk-punk energy in a more teutonic way combined with use of electronics and jazzy hints here and there.Highly recommended.
Great and much underrated Italian musician.Electronic improvisations with one eye staring at free jazz tradion and the other in the European a-la Tuxedomoon electronic tradition.This is his most experimental work and his best imho.
Essendon Airport was an Australian post-punk group from 1978-83 who explored experimental minimalist, electronic and funk music. They reformed in 2003.
Not much known about this Austrian group,except the release of this great LP.In early TD vein electronic floating cosmic music ,sometimes scary.
