Archive for the experimental Category

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Sleep Chamber- Babylon 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1986, 1990s, boston, experimental, industrial, musique concrete on November 25, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Fulfilling a quick request for another classic Sleep Chamber release. I have a donation post to follow tomorrow, but first, a quick blurb about this particular record:

I’ve already covered Sleep Chamber in a previous entry (though the link is still dead for this one- I still beg your patience, ladies and gentlemen), so peek over there for a few tidbits of info on the collective. Otherwise, I’ve uploaded Sleep Chamber’s 1986 Babylon 12” single for your listening pleasure. This particular release features vocals by both John Zewizz and one Mariea Foster. Otherwise, here’s the roll:

Sleep Chamber- Babylon 12”
1. Her Second Skin
2. Babes Ov Babylon
3. Dreams While Drowning
4. Babylon Babes

*download it here*

3 Comments »

Current Band Corner: Mt. Sims

Posted in 2000s, berlin, electronic, experimental, hungry eye records, LA, los angeles, mount sims, mt. sims, post-punk, synth on October 29, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Allow me to take this little bit of necessary blog downtime to talk about a newer artist. Back in this blog’s salad days, I posted a handful of tracks from new and exciting post-punk/synth/wave acts, and I’ve been meaning to revisit this format every now and again to mix things up a bit, so while I’m stuck with the daunting task of reuploading this blog’s entire back pages, I figured I’d offer you kids a little modern, yet equally relevant content.

That said, the band on the slab is none other than Mt. Simms. A featured artist on Montreal based Hungry Eye Records, Mt. Simms is a full collective developing from Mount Simms, a similarly styled one-man experimental/electro-pop outfit originally hailing from LA. Led by Matt Sims, a resident DJ/performance artist, Mount Sims released two stunning synth records throughout the new millenium, expanding the boundaries of both electro-pop and performance art. By the time 2005’s Wild Lights hit the shelves, Matt added two members to back up the band’s growing live presence.

After the subsequent tour, Mount Sims disbanded as Matt relocated to Berlin to start work on a third record as Mt. Sims. The new outfit consists of Randy Twigg on bass and Andre Lange on drums. Despite the mild change to the band’s moniker, subsquent sounds explored different territory, adding a much darker and chaotic post-punk edge to the previously solid electronic aesthetic. The results, however, are equally captivating.

Happily Ever After, Mt. Sims’ first full length release (featuring mixing and production assistance by Thomas Stern of Crime & the City Solution), was released just last week, but was predated by a 12” single. I am pleased to offer one track from each respeective Mt. Sims release for your enjoyment. The first is the title track from May’s A Grave EP, and the second is a featured number from Happily Ever After:

*downloads removed*

If you dig these tracks, please say so, and do pick up Matt’s releases both new and old. Mount Sims material is easily purchased from Amazon.com and the Itunes Music Store, but Matt’s latest work can be found on the Hungry Eye webstore, linked below. Alternately, click below for the Mt. Sims myspace page, chock full of information, photos, and more songs to learn and sing:

Mt. Sims on Hungry Eye Records dot com
Mt. Sims on myspace

2 Comments »

Schleimer K- Fugitive Kind 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, 1982, experimental, minimal, minimal synth, schleimer k, uk on July 25, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Sorry for the delay folks, haven’t had much time to catch my breath. To make up for the lack of posts this week, I’m tossing up two separate entries throughout the course of today. The first is another request from down under, and it’s for both the s/t Schleimer K record and their very first 12” release.

Schleimer K were a four piece UK based experimental synth band who existed from 1981-1983. During their two year tenure, the more studio oriented band put out three releases and one split 7” with Die Partei. You can nab 1983’s Wounded Wood, their final LP, up on Phoenix Hairpins. Otherwise, here’s the info for their first two releases:

Schleimer K- Schleimer K LP (1981)
1. Cold Sounds
2. Crime
3. Come To Me
4. Short Cuts
5. On The Road Again
6. Wolf
7. The Message
8. Bed Of Roses
9. Women
10. Hang-Ups
11. Nevermore

Schleimer K- Fugitive Kind 12” (1982)
1. Fugitive Kind
2. Third Rate Man
3. She’s Gone
4. Broken Vein

*download it here*

I’ve just reuploaded the 12”, as the S/T (and Wounded Wood) are now available via iTunes. You know what to do, folks!

4 Comments »

Sleep Chamber- Musik For Mannequins K7

Posted in 1980s, 1984, 1990s, boston, experimental, industrial, musique concrete on June 2, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Sleep Chamber are an early 80s industrial collective consisting solely of John Zewizz and an otherwise revolving door lineup. The outfit formed in 1980 in Boston and was experimental in nature, yet as time passed the outfit shifted in styles several times over.

The late 80s saw a more EBM/synthpop direction, while Sleep Chamber began creating dark ambient music into the nineties, shifting between those two styles for the remainder of the decade. The band dropped from most radars in the new millennium as Zewiss’ personal troubles caused the project to self destruct, and it’s unclear whether Zewiss plans to record after a hiatus. However, a few collections of unreleased material has appeared and rumors hint at new material in 2008.

I’ve uploaded what seems to be Sleep Chamber’s third cassette release, entitled Musik For Mannequins, a more experimental/musique concrete release from 1984. Without any further ado, here’s the information:

Sleep Chamber- Musik For Mannequins K7
1. Victmm
2. Jungle Disease
3. The Lantern
4. A Distant Cry
5. Conversations In Between Walls
6. Left Side Of The Tomb
7. Twenty Three
8. The Last Fantasy
9. Rite To Death

*download it here*

This fan-run myspace page comes complete with a brief interview with John Zewiss, an interesting read for more information about the band’s whereabouts and future plans. Click below to take a peek:

Sleep Chamber on myspace

2 Comments »

Xex- Group:Xex LP

Posted in 1970s, 1980, 1980s, american, experimental, minimal, new jersey, wave, xex on May 19, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a request of sorts for a classic minimal synthpop gem. Xex were a more experimental wave band, formed in South River, New Jersey. They were a mysterious affair, releasing one record in 1980 and disappearing soon after. The band “began” as a high school kazoo trio. Member Waw Pierogi’s interest in science led to several unique delay and echo experiments in the early years, most of which were employed on the band’s debut. However, though outfit had little musical technique, their trials and experiments yielded several songs, and after their first performance, the original trio of Waw, Thumbalina Gugielmo, and Alex Zander brought in two of their friends/fans to round out the lineup. Thus, after several experiments and debates, Xex was officially born in 1978.

The band spent the next two years constructing several tracks utilizing minimal synth techniques, semi-conventional song structures, and male and female vocal experiments. Due to the nature of their project and the band’s limited abilities, live shows were often inconsistent and humanistic, and often featured performance art and video accompianments.

The original pressing of Group:Xex sold little over a thousand copies. Soon after its release, additional members David Anderson and Jon-Boy Diode departed as Xex completed work on a second record, which due to limited funding and a since-deteriorated master tape, has not yet seen the light of day, and may never will. The original trio continued to work together along with new member Cookie Ruggerio (who previous involvement with the band was limited to walking a stuffed cat during a performance of “Kitty”). Only a few tracks have surfaced, and mid 80s performances of the band did not include Waw Pierogi.

In 2004, cult interest in the band culminated in a proper reissue of Group:Xex, complete with several demo cuts from the band’s original sessions. Just a year before, Alex Zander passed away from a heart attack.

Here’s the information for the CD release of Group:Xex.

Xex- Group:Xex (reissue)
1. Fashion Hurts
2. You Think
3. Snga
4. Rome On $5 A Day
5. Party
6. Saint Vitus’ Dance
7. Svetlana
8. Don’t Blame Me
9. Holland Tunnel
10. Kitty
11. Cops
12. Delta Five
13. Fashion Hurts (Demo)
14. Svetlana (Demo)
15. Saint Vitus’ Dance (Demo)
16. Cops (Demo)
17. You Think (Demo)
18. Snga (Demo)

*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED- see below for official purchasing options*

This is one of the few available records I’ve posted as of late, so if you dig on these tracks, be sure to trash these mp3s post-haste and pick yourself up a copy of the cd reissue, which comes complete with extensive liner notes and further information about the band. Click below to order a copy!

Purchase Group:Xex from smackshire.com
further info and chronology

————-

ATTENTION, dear readers- you can now get a remastered copy of this LP via the always excellent DARK ENTRIES label, an awesome reissue label based out of the west coast. Click here for more info!

2 Comments »

Various Artists- The Elephant Table Album: A Compilation of Difficult Music

Posted in 1980s, 1983, ambient, compilations, drone, experimental, industrial, uk on May 16, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Today’s the day where I’m supposed to be receiving treats, but all the same, I’ve got a whopper of an upload in store today, in compilation form. Today’s post features The Elephant Table Album: A Compilation of Difficult Music, a 2 vinyl collection comprising the best in budding experimental/industrial music. It was originally released on record in 1983, but lost a few tracks when it was re-released on disc in 1989. However, I’ve collected all the missing tracks and have included them in their proper placement. Most of these acts are UK-based, but here’s the breakdown with a brief blurb on each band and a website link (if one exists):

Disc 1:
1. Portion Control- Chew You To Bits
2. Chris And Cosey- Tears Of Blood
3. Metamorphosis- Muzak From Hawthorne Court
4. Coil- S Is For Sleep
5. Nurse With Wound- Nana Or A Thing Of Uncertain Nonsense
6. 400 Blows- Beat The Devil
7. Konstruktivits- Andropov ’84
8. Lustmørd- The Boning Of Men
9. Muslimgauze- Melena Jesenska
10. David Jackman- Edge Of Nothing

Disc 2:
1. SPK- Despair
2. MFH- Vox Humana
3. Nocturnal Emissions- Suffering Stinks
4. Attrition- Dream Sleep
5. Legendary Pink Dots- Suprise Suprise
6. Paul Kelday- Birth Of Planetesimals (Extract)
7. Bourbonese Qualk- Under The City
8. Sirius B- Build Your Children
9. New 7th Music- New Humanity Switchboard (Extract)
10. We Be Echo- Alleycat
11. Bushido- Modelwerk

~Portion Control: a British experimental outfit formed in 1979, active to this day. Name checked graciously by the likes of Skinny Puppy and Depeche Mode.
~Chris + Cosey: Throbbing Gristle offshoot of members Cosey Fanni Tutti and Chris Carter. A little more electro/palatable compared to their previous work.
~Metamorphosis: Short lived experimental group from the UK.
~Coil: Another post-Throbbing Gristle outlet featuring Peter Chrisopherson and John Balance. Ended in 2004 with John Balance’s accidental death.
~Nurse With Wound: Currently active and extremely prolific British experimental act, brainchild of Steven Stapleton.
~400 Blows: A more funk oriented industrial project formed in 1981.
~Konstruktivits: Kraut-rock inspired industrial, formed in 1982 and reactivated in 2006.
~Lustmord: Drone/dark ambient artist, got his start working with like minded-industrial outfit SPK. (see below). Recorded throughout the 1980s.
~Muslimgauze: Politically driven Manchester-based drone/noise artist. Still active + very prolific.
~David Jackman: Elusive visual artist and otherwise soundscape composer.

~SPK: Industrial project formed in Sydney, Australia in the late seventies. Experimented with both industrial soundscapes and synthpop. Member Graeme Revell is now involved in film scoring.
~MFH: Short-lived 2 piece industrial collective, changed name to Pump in the late eighties. Check out a post on Phoenix Hairpins to nab a Pump record.
~Nocturnal Emissions: Guerilla style sound/art project still active to this date.
~Attrition: English industrial/dance act, formed in the early 80s. Still active to this date under Projekt Records.
~Legendary Pink Dots: Influential experimental/psychedelic art project still sporadically active. Edward Ka-Spel is also involved in the Tear Garden with Skinny Puppy member cEvin Key.
~Paul Kelday: Brother of Phil Kelday, member of New 7th Music (see below).
~Bourbonese Qualk: Formed in 1979, split in 2002, this British industrial act was infamous for vandalism in their earlier days.
~Sirius B: Short-lived British outfit. Several bands share this name to this date, which makes tracking down proper information a bit tricky.
~New 7th Music: Spontaneous collective keen on improvisation. Most of its members weren’t musicians at all.
~We Be Echo: One man experimental project with only one release in 1983. Born out of equally short lived project Third Door From the Left.
~Bushido: Formed and folded in the mid-eighties. One man project. Took their name from a Japanese code of honor. Sole member Gary Levermore is head of the Nettwerk UK label to this day.

*get both discs here*

7 Comments »

Bene Gesserit- A High, Happy, Perverse, and Cynical Cry of Joy LP

Posted in 1980s, 1984, alain neffe, Belgian, bene gesserit, experimental, industrial, minimal, minimal synth on April 7, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

This one’s an old favorite of mine. Today’s post features an experimental/minimal band from Belgium named Bene Gesserit and their first record A High, Happy, Perverse, and Cynical Cry of Joy, released in 1984.

Taking their name from a religious race of humans from Frank Herbert’s Dune series, Bene Gesserit was formed in 1981 by Alain Neffe, a pioneer in the Belgian industrial scene. Joined by Nadine Bal, the pair would record a series of live cassettes and three records under psuedonyms (B. Ghoula and Benedict G., respectively). Their sound combined both the experimental edge of industrial music and the slick synthesized sound of minimal synth, a curious and innovative hybrid that earned the band a decent following and cult status to this day.

Though the band split after releasing their third record, Alain would remain active in such outfits as Human Flesh, Cortex, I Scream, and Pseudo-Code. You can nab another one of their records from Mutant Sounds by clicking here. Otherwise, here’s the info for Bene Gesserit’s first release:

Bene Gesserit- A High, Happy, Perverse, and Cynical Cry of Joy LP
1. She Is Walking
2. Japanese Song
3. Enfants Des Rues
4. Pravda
5. Nuit Et Chuchotements
6. Strange Strangers (In The Night)
7. Clear Blue Smile
8. Walt’s Waltz
9. Tonight
10. Désirs-Délires
11. Kitchen Music (For Kitchen People)
12. Existentialisme
13. No Rule For A Dream : Bali
14. Tourdorizonmuzikal (C’est Ça)
15. La Brabançonne (Belgian National Anthem)

*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED* Official CD reissue coming March 2012 via EE Tapes.

The band has both an official site and a myspace page, but both are entirely in French. For anyone fluent or otherwise curious:

Official Page
Myspace Page

On a previous note, anyone who downloaded Absolute Body Control’s Numbers should check back again, for I originally only had the first side of the cassette uploaded. The new link should now consist of both tape sides…

6 Comments »

Autumn- Experiments With Environments LP

Posted in 1980s, 1982, autumn, Belgian, experimental, minimal, synth, twilight ritual on March 17, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Today’s post features Belgian minimal wave band Autumn’s original 1982 cassette, Experiments With Environments. I’m unable to dig up a ton of information about the band, but the primarily two-piece outfit released countless underground cassette tapes documenting their pioneering and experimental synth work for five years throughout the early 1980s, many of which have only seen the light of day due to recent CD-r releases via collective label Micrart. Just before retiring the name to persue other projects, Autumn would record their own soundtrack to Fritz Lang’s silent classic Metropolis, which was occasionally performed alongside screening’s of the film before an ‘official’ score was made available.

As Autumn changed directions and laid their moniker to rest, members Geert Coppens and Peter Bonne would find some more success as members of Twilight Ritual, while Peter would also work as Linear Movement a short period of time.

Here are the details for the Experiments With Environments release:

Autumn- Experiments With Environments
1. Ocilado Q
2. Memories
3. Twilight World Part 1
4. Towards Tokio Part 1
5. Reach You From Behind My Walls
6. I Still Care
7. Gardens
8. Friday
9. Mystery Screen
10. Twilight World Part 2
11. My New Friend
12. PSI, A Destiny Experience
13. Metal Dream
14. The Posession L
15. 7.49
16. Towards Tokio Part 2
17. Experiments With Environments
18. Pale Mist Meditation
19. Delayed Mind Creation

*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED* Mp3s available via iTunes music store and Micart:
Micrart dot com

8 Comments »

Radio Free Europe- Laughoncue LP

Posted in 1980, 1980s, experimental, minimal, synthpunk, US on January 9, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you today with Radio Free Europe’s lone LP, Laughoncue. Though a synthpunk/minimal wave band in theory, this US-based act has more in common with the strange art-experimentations of Bene Gesserit or Throbbing Gristle than say, The Screamers or Units, but all the same, this record is an interesting and captivating release.

Little is known about the band, as their discography begins with a few 7” singles in 1979, and ends with this record, released in 1980. If anyone has any further information about the band, feel free to pass it on!

Details:

Radio Free Europe- Laughoncue LP
1. Shock Corridor
2. It Likes You
3. Suggested Re-entry
4. Occupation of France
5. Fulda Gap
6. Adada
7. Falling Million Years
8. Whore of Babylon
9. A Couple Screams
10. Time between Seconds
11. Heart of the Matter

*download it here*

5 Comments »

Rema-Rema- Wheel In the Roses EP

Posted in 1980, 1980s, 4ad, adam and the ants, experimental, mass, post-punk, psychic tv, rema-rema, uk, wolfgang press on December 31, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop


Many pardons for the brief break. Many thanks to friends and readers for their support and encouragement this year! For the last post of 2007, I’ve uploaded an old favorite, a more experimental yet classic EP by UK outfit Rema-Rema.

Rema-Rema was a short lived 4AD outfit whose lone EP (4AD’s 5th release) served as a post-punk/experimental classic, and kicked off the careers of several other seminal acts. The band consisted of Marco Pirroni (ex-original Banshee), Gary Asquith, Mick Allen, Mark Cox, and Max. Wheel In the Roses appeared in 1980, a four track EP with one side’s worth of studio tracks and another consisting of live material.

Rema-Rema quickly disbanded, and most of the band’s members found success shortly. Marco Pirroni would join up with Adam & the Ants, Max would become a full time member of Psychic Tv under the name Dorothy, and Asquith, Allen, and Cox would form heavy-handed 4AD act Mass. Upon Mass’ demise, Cox and Allen would form the legendary Wolfgang Press, who became a signature post-punk act throughout the 80s and early 90s. Meanwhile, This Mortal Coil (4AD head Ivo-Watts Russel’s pet project) would recreate ‘Fond Affections’ for their debut record It’ll End in Tears, which featured several contributions by Rema-Rema’s original lineup. Big Black would also cover ‘Rema-Rema’, further cementing the band’s original impact.

Details:

Rema-Rema- Wheel in the Roses EP
1. Feedback Song
2. Rema-Rema
3. Instrumental
4. Fond Affections

DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED- Click here to purchase mp3/FLAC via the 4AD webstore.

7 Comments »

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